Dark Samus felt that familiar tinge of madness and hunger the moment it invaded Hell's skies. She dropped to one knee, digging it into the putrid mixture of blood and soil that made up the ground deep within the Titan's Realm. Nearly every night had been plagued by visions of that grand monstrosity that for too long had been the sole object of her desire. Memories of its whispers of grandeur and promises of paradise plagued her mind just as the poison itself did in a previous life. And now, her nightmares became reality as Phaaze hung defiantly in the distance, the shockwave of its violent entry sending ripples throughout the dimension.
It was only when the Defector grabbed her arm that she was freed from the torrential assault of fear and loathing that bombarded her upon sight of the object that consumed her previous life. Its brilliant light tinted the atmosphere a faint blue, and the planet appeared astronomically larger and more monstrous than when she'd last laid eyes on it.
"And so begins a new tidal wave of problems," the Defector stated, pulling Dark Samus back up and standing with her in the face of this atrocity. They stood on a bridge suspended by chains above a chasm, overlooking the abyss below. The open, smoky air above them, ancient ruins, remains, and cities below...and Phaaze hanging over the infinite horizon, spewing its seeds across the eternal plains. One such meteor, a Leviathan, flew just overhead, roaring with life and thunderous malice as it shook the bridge they stood upon, and rattled the dust off of chains millennia old.
They turned and watched the seed collide far off in the distance. It settled into the land it impacted, and spread its Great Poison, Phazon, with terrifying haste. The land and creatures surrounding the impact were rapidly mutilated and twisted into corrupted reflections of the planet these seeds came from.
The horrifying display was cut short, however, as a demon ambushed the pair while they were distracted. Two gigantic arms swept Dark Samus and the Defector from the bridge they stood on, and threw them into the great expanse below. Before the Defector could fire his grappling hook to halt the impending disaster, an unnaturally large, seemingly melting Lost Soul was in his face, and exploded with radioactive ferocity akin to a bomb. Dark Samus looked up from her propelled comrade as they plummeted toward the depths, and trained her cannon on the surprise assailant.
The creature was recognizable, sure...but it would've been the biggest Pain Elemental either of them had seen yet. Its red eye was now filled with the azure suffering of Phazon corruption. Veins and luminescent hairs spread from it across the creature's pale, blue tinged body. Its mouth was divided into three sections that were too similar to the barrels of a rotary cannon, leaking Phazon like hot slag. The monster was also as big as an armored transport vehicle, and flying towards them at a pace about as fast as one - despite the fact that they were in freefall. At a reasonable distance, the Pain Elemental's mouth-barrels emanated a sickly glow, and began to spin.
In a past life, the Dark Huntress could fly. Soar across the planet, the skies, the cosmos, fast as any starship, guided by the call of her ultimate fixation. That power was absent, now...but perhaps, not entirely. Synthetic Argent now held together her existence, and through her will and her memory, her abilities would return to her, adapted in this new form.
As a barrage of these "mega" Lost Souls began to spew forth from their wretched birthplace, Dark Samus thought of the Hunter again. The circumstances of her creation led to the Hunter's blood coursing through her veins. While her body took the shape of the Hunter's exoskeleton, she was aware of the Hunter's more vulnerable, evasive state.
Perhaps she'd borrow an adaptation from that.
Horrid crackling and snapping led way to her carapace shifting about. Exhaust pipes were fashioned into the soles of her feet, and argent fire burst forth from them like rocket engines. She propelled herself back and down toward her falling ally, and fired the Plasma Launcher - lingering orbs of Argent plasma shredding the Mega Lost Souls on contact.
Bone shrapnel and embers rained upon them as Dark Samus caught up with the Defector, wrapping an arm around his waist as they were reunited in the fall. Just in time the Marauder put up his shield, protecting them from an overwhelming onslaught of corrosive Hell, whilst Dark Samus kicked her jets into high gear to try and counter the explosive force hastening their deadly decent...an eventuality they hadn't quite worked out yet.
"One problem at a time," the Defector warned, noticing Dark Samus turn to look into the rapidly approaching abyss below them. He then noticed another problem observing his Shield. This 'Phazon' the Lost Souls were corrupted with...where it would corrode, burn, and dissipate most armor and tissue it came into contact with, a blotch of it seemed to remain embedded within his shield. It warped the Argent around it...bubbling and reacting in a way that demonstrated the two substances didn't necessarily cancel one another out.
"On second thought...perhaps we could kill two birds with one stone. I believe I've found our landing strategy," the Defector explained, looking at his shield. "Grapple on 3, he's almost close enough."
The both of them launched grapples onto the deformed Pain Elemental's horns, twisted and overgrown so that they'd perpetually stab the creature unless broken off. The duo brought the demon to them, and the Defector shoved his shield into the creature's mouth, taking the place of many teeth. They clambered atop the creature's back, seconds away from the violent collision ahead of them. Both recoiled slightly when purple, luminescent crystals burst forth from the Pain Elemental's back, impaling it horrifically just before they hit the ground.
The sandy, ashen crater the collision left was tainted with splotches of red and blue, remains of the mutant demon splattered all around it. Dark Samus and the Defector were the only ones moving when the dust settled, limping from their crumpled positions - alive, if nothing else.
That said, the Defector had gotten off a lot worse than his companion did. Any Lost Souls the Pain Elemental had been preparing detonated within the creature when they landed. He had the luck of getting hit with a lot of the shrapnel, on top of the rougher landing as he was unable to float. He audibly grunted as he struggled to sit up, propping himself on his arms as he laid there, removing his mask to catch his breath. Dark Samus observed him carefully.
In the past...when creatures or pirates had proved no longer useful to her, she would simply leave them to die. There were always others she could take under her command; she saw no reason to put any excess effort into securing the well-being of such disposable tools.
But there was a different feeling welling up inside of her as she saw her companion so obviously hurt and struggling. It...pained her, despite his condition being completely irrelevant to hers. The Defector had several times now put himself before her, not because he was under her control, or because disorder meant death. He did so because there was a respect and genuine concern for his ally. Another concept she finally understood. This feeling possessed her, moving her body towards his, and her hand towards one of the Siphon Grenades he had tucked away.
"That isn't necessary, Dark Samus…" the Defector protested, painfully reaching to take the weapon back from her, but being denied as she pulled it away. "Soon enough more of them will be upon on us...save your strength, and I will take the opportunity...should it present itself."
His words brought no halt to the pressure the Dark Hunter brought upon the device. It crackled and hissed, threatening to unleash its wrath upon her under the stress.
"Shut up."
. . .
The Defector helped her steaming body stand up back from her knees, their strength now split between them.
"You truly are a chaotic creature," the Defector mused aloud.
"It was a tactical decision," Dark Samus defended, snatching her hand away from the Marauder. "Think I'd torch myself alive just to make you feel better? You were pathetic."
"Of course," the Defector said, reattaching his mask. He walked away from her to kneel down and grab his shield.
It seemed to have undergone a few changes.
The roaring ruby Argent that had made up the nigh impenetrable shield had become a purple hue. The dim hum they had previously purred in his hand when the shield was active, had now become a feint whispering noise, crackling with dormant radioactive energy. When the Marauder brought the shield close to his chest, sharp crystals burst forth from it. They were sturdy and caustic to the touch, but crumbled away when he relaxed his grip. Malleable and radioactive like Phazon, immensely powerful and reliable like Argent.
"Your shield seems to have pacified the Phazon," Dark Samus observed, keeping a measured distance from the device.
"Quite the chemical reaction. And yet…"
He activated his Axe, and drove it directly into shield. It let out a horrible screech, rapidly spewing crystals and tentacles until his Argent drove the Phazon out of the shield, pouring out of it like battery acid into a caustic, blue puddle of slime on the ground. After some silence the puddle leaped, only to be blasted into molecules by the Defector's shotgun.
"Poisons never mix well."
Dark Samus felt a wave of ease wash over her, and the red glow of the Defector's shield seemed warm with reassurance. The thought had horrified her, the visage of her Defector ripped away to do Phaaze's bidding just as she had.
The Defector noticed Dark Samus' shift in demeanor, and walked over to stand at her side. They shared that moment in silence for a time, before eventually their gaze was brought back up to the blue planet in the sky.
"Hell's new neighbor seems worrisome," the Defector said, leaning on his axe.
"It was never able to birth so many Leviathans before...and wasn't nearly as massive."
"It was also completely obliterated by your doppelganger. Then again, if you survived…"
"No. That is not the same planet she destroyed."
Images of her final duel with the Hunter flashed throughout her mind. How she fought with such unfiltered rage in her nearly corrupted eyes, ruthless in her assault as she turned the Dark Hunter's own lifeblood against her. She remembered the Hunter turning to leave her without a second thought as she died along with Phaaze. The last feelings she felt. Embarrassment. Rage. Despair.
Clarity.
Peace.
In some way...for a brief moment, perhaps Samus Aran was her savior, too.
The notion was blasphemous and nearly made her want to vomit. That abomination in the sky made her want to vomit. The demon blood she was covered in made her want to vomit, and the dull pain throughout her entire body that constant battle brought on made her want to vomit.
"Find us a Slipgate," Dark Samus weakly ordered, turning her back to Phaaze. "We need to regroup."
"It will be a long walk. Perhaps we'll find some...untainted meat along the way."