Araksis clutched his hands tightly around his modified wire rifle -Glory Seeker- while he rapidly paced about the large room. The eyes of Dregs, Vandals followed him from many points on the wall or from behind ether tanks or crates. He grew impatient. Restless at the lack of communication from his scouts. So he turned his attention to his dregs that monitored the communications hub aboard his Ketch, "Try contacting them again."
He wouldn't do anything without knowing what was going on.
"Araksis, perhaps they are dead?" Asked his mate, Lavimis, who walked onto the scene. Lavimis was a head shorter than himself and wore a more befitting, sleeker armor than his own. She was his everything.
His mate.
"No! I told them not to engage. They know full well to avoid disobeying me." He stated with a hiss of annoyance before sighing and softly placing a lower hand on his mate's waist, "I would not tolerate anything else from my crew, and you know it."
"Araksis, can you not trust your scouts?" Lavimis hummed sweetly and teasingly, two of her hands slipping down to his lower back, claws tracing, dancing across his back.
Araksis rolled his eyes. Despite his greed and harsh tone towards his men, he did care for their well-being. They were his crew, after all. Araksis retorted to his mate what always said, "I can, but-"
Only for one of The Dregs to speak out, "The scout's have reported back in, Captain Araksis." Snapping his head towards The Dreg that interrupted him.
"Put them through," Araksis ordered as he separated from Lavimis -who he could hear sigh- and walked over to his Dreg.
Static crackled across his comm's before forming into heavy breathing before a panicked voice spoke out, "Captain Araksis, we need reinforcements our scouting team was wiped! S-some humans, G-guardians, lightbearers appeared, and they used gifts granted by The Great Machine."
Araksis growled, "How many? How many Thieves are there?" He could feel his anger rising, blood beginning to boil as faint traces of ether escaped from his helmet. His claws curled, and his eyes narrowed.
With a labored breath, The Scout gave his answer, "Seven, seven Thieves,"
Araksis fell silent in contemplation, his mind running with thoughts as he planned. He turned his head briefly back to Lavimis and then back to the communication hub, "How many of you are left?" He asked coldly.
"Two, only two of us. We're both injured and-"
"Get back to the Ketch and tend to the wounds you've gathered; I'll prepare a hunting party for our little Thieves," Araksis ordered his scout.
It only took a few minutes at most to mobilize his crew, deploying them throughout the Cosmodrome in large groups supported by Shanks and the few servitors at hand. Araksis flanking him was a mixture of Vandal's Dregs and Shanks, which he then took the lead. If anyone were to be shot first, it would be them. Araksis eyes scanned the environment, and he smiled in his helmet. Oh, it had been so long since having been here, in this area of the Cosmodrome. This delightful place had set him on the path to glory.
If it hadn't been for that silly human, lightbearer, a thief -one without a little machine- from so long ago, he wouldn't be a Captain. Araksis could still remember the thrill, the chase, the kill. It was fantastic, thrilling, and he had taken down a blight on the Eliksni and forced yet another thief who had arrived to help to retreat; it was just.
Perfect.
Araksis passed by the collapsed ruins and buildings through the structures of the Cosmodrome. The darkness was difficult for other races to see in, but his kind? They could thrive in here, unseen, ready to pounce on a foe. Soon Araksis split from his forces, deciding to investigate on his own; he knew this terrain like the back of his hand.
Back when he was a simple Dreg, armed with only the most basic weaponry and a Captain to follow the orders of and obey without a second thought -he was glad his Captain died that day, to that thief and its strange abilities- ready to die. Moving through the complex network and structures of the Cosmodrome, climbing along beams and walls, through ducts and pipes, he soon found one of House Devil's storage rooms -one he hadn't been to in so long, the last time had been back during his greatest triumph- for the most part. It had been left abandoned, especially when this section of The Cosmodrome hadn't seen much activity in it for long. This area had only been used for extra storage, inconvenient but wasn't too horrible to navigate or get to him or his men.
Sure, that meant weapons and supplies were kept here, which meant it needed to be kept an eye on. But the lack of activity in this area and abandonment ensured that there was no need to keep an eye on it beyond the occasional scouting to ensure that no enemies or threat had set up camp. This time, the scouting had fallen to Araksis and his crew. Perhaps some other Captain would be granted the pleasure of patrolling this area after him.
But the room was amiss, in disarray. Thick walls of ice -ae had never seen such a power before. Perhaps they were like his trophy?- coated the passageways in and out of the room. A Vandal of his laid slumped against the wall, neck snapped. Araksis raised his wire rifle -it was larger than a standard model, with stronger shock core's and more wires to charge- and aimed it at one of the walls of ice before pulling the trigger and allowing its rounds to slam into it. Three successive shots hit it, formed three holes placed in a triangular pattern, splintering and cracking the ice before crumbling it. There Araksis saw the remains of his scouting force, their shanks ripped to shreds, and The Dregs that comprised them had large puncture wounds throughout their bodies.
Araksis let out a growl and stared at the sight before he turned back to the storage room. He cracked a smile, let out a bellowing cry. He knew where exactly where his prey was going, Araksis looked to the other sealed passageway and blasted it open. Thus he was on the move again, though when he rounded into the next empty room. He moved to the wall climbing up it, spoke into his comm's at the same time, "To my position, I've found the prey." Crawling through an opening in the structure, he soon found himself outside. The sun shined down on him, blinded him with its warmth but only temporarily.
Araksis quickly moved along the top of the wall, his gaze looking out into the wild and ruined land before him, and he spotted down below a group of people, human's at a glance dressed in somewhat ill-fitting clothing for the weather around here. Having come to a stop, he watched them walk along the path -one he vividly remembered, for it was here he had begun his journey to greatest and where his Captain had fallen- and cruelly smiled. He heard the footsteps of his men rushing behind him. He raised his left secondary hand and gestured for them to halt. Araksis crouched down and looked through the scope of his wire rifle, and he lined his shoot with the smallest of the bunch, a little human girl with gingerish hair and a strange, black-white outfit. His reticle rested on her head -he would grant her mercy, a kindness, and aim for her head- though, as he brought a finger to the trigger. He noticed the girl's eyes fall towards the ground and watched with surprise as she went wide-eyed and screamed out.
Araksis precisely knew what she found, his Trophy. He watched from his scope as the others came to her side. One coddled the small girl comforted her, and the other's stared at his Trophy. Their reaction had been.
Interesting, to say the least. Araksis had not expected tears shed for his Trophy -now he wanted to know why- turning his rifle off to the side, he aimed a ruined car, pulled the trigger three times. Three successive shots landed, forming his signature mark -which littered many of the vehicles around the area. He had taken to doing some practice on them to perfect his mark- Araksis stood up, hearing his barrel smoke, and watched as those humans turn their attention towards him. He could see their emotions twist and turn as their brains worked in the pattern he placed on the wrecks, hunks of junk filling the landscape.
Such beauty.
Such craftsmanship was recognizable.
The fact they put it together so quickly -as he rested his wire rifle onto his shoulder, barrel pointing towards the sky- delighted him to no end; his men began to chant, loudly, all in harmony they sang about him. "Captain, Captain, Captain Araksis, a sure shot, Captain, Captain, they find your Trophy, of a previous hunt, Captain, Captain, they weep at this Trophy, Captain, Captain, Captain Araksis, why not let them join your collection? Captain, Captain." The song was adaptable; the verses could be changed and applied in any form or manner so long as it kept the necessary parts.
His crew poured their heart into creating that chant, so it wasn't a masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination. But he was more than glad to have what he could, though having more never hurt. The more glory he had, the brighter and clearer his vision for his people became, for if he rose high through the ranks, he stepped beyond what he was now.
Well, The Eliksni would have The Great Machine once more. They would no longer be, Fallen.
Araksis noticed as his men chanted that the one male dressed in primarily green was speaking in a language he did not know. The look upon his face was a mixture of worry, hatred, fear; the way he talked to the others told Araksis that this human seemed to know what his men were saying. He raised his lower left hand, telling his crew to silence. He took a step forward closer to the edge and took a deep breath before finally speaking in a loud booming voice reverberating throughout the area, "Human's, you find my greatest of Triumphs in this place! Yet! You all weep for this Trophy? Why I wonder, ask myself. It intrigues me, just like your powers, and so I will find out when I pull you apart, bit by bit, and you're screaming out the answers I desire to know."
Araksis made a swift, crushing motion with his hand as if he had been holding a skull in it. He wondered if that got the point across, but given their reaction not being so clear, he wasn't sure if they were afraid or full of hate. "You tremble, hate or fear? I wonder, and I will soon find out, for this will be a hunt! So, run, RUN! For I will be coming for you and your hides! Not even the city will know you existed!" Araksis gestured wildly with his remaining free limbs and let out a bellowing laugh before finally gesturing for his men to leave.
He heard them transmat, and he gave one more passing glance to the humans down below, soaking up their looks before transmating himself out. Once back in the hold of his Ketch, he would head for the bridge.
He needed to make some calls.
It took an hour to update Riksis on the situation, and when that finished, Araksis prepared his crew and made several more calls to fellow Eliksni that owed him some favors. He needed more men, more guns, a few tanks if he could get them. He knew it would be pulling teeth, but he could manage it, and if his luck was on his side.
Well, this would be a very, very easy hunt.
Araksis then left the room striding through the hallways of his Ketch, passing through his crew, and heading into the more personal quarters, where his mate laid and waited for him. He would give her the attention she desired.
After all, she met everything to him.
/.\./.\
Something heard a voice.
...
"Guardian"
...
Something stirred at the voice.
...
"Guardian"
...
Something saw the light as its eyes opened up for the first time in its life; its throat burned as it tried to speak but found itself unable to.
...
"Eye's up, Guardian."
Author's Note:
So end's another chapter of this story, shorter, but for a reason. After all, this is just the flip side perspective of the events in chapter one though not nearly as long as the prior chapter.