Chapter 21: Unveiling Shadows
ost A/N: Hello beautiful people. Enjoy the chapter. My writing's not in top shape yet but make do with it I suppose. <3
I would prefer it if you started the chapter off by reading it in a very solemn manner. You'll enjoy it more I swear.
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[One day later, Lunar Command, Skywatch]
The scorching sun and the endlessly stretching blue horizon. At this time of day Skywatch seemed more so an abandoned scrapyard, the heat from the sun radiated through every manner of matter, until everything came to a scalding boil.
A strange lull permeated through the base, waves of heat pulsated, and not a single soul could be seen outside. The base was stranded.
But within the bases perimeter, one figure could be seen, standing solemnly in silence. He clutched his fists, his face hung low. The time he dreaded had finally come. He knew it would come one day, but he didn't expect it to be so soon.
He couldn't run from his destiny.
The figure clenched his teeth, unable to let out a sound, the sheer anguish drowned out his ability to speak. The anger flushed his face with emotions he had never portrayed before.
It wasn't evident what the figure was doing, until a black hexagonal drone flew by
"Void, I've confirmed it, no one's here." Obsidian remarked.
It's sensor pulsed the surroundings but to no avail.
Obsidian looked worried, as he faced Void. The hunter unable to accept this outcome.
"How could this happen. How. I tried I swear, I...I couldn't do it obsidian." Void cried out
"No...No, listen to me Void. It's not your fault. You can't blame yourself. You have to let it go Void. We don't have much time left. We.... should move."
Obsidian replied, its mechanical eye shifting to the side, the glow dimming slightly.
Void's emotions took the better of him, as he stayed still. Sadness, wrath, guilt, everything rushed through this mind.
He heaved a breath to calm himself down. Slight resolution surfaced in his demeanor, as Void shakingly placed his hands on his eyes.
His lips stuttered, he couldn't bring himself to say it.
"On-.... Tw-"
Void slurred his words, his hands shivering. But a few seconds later, his responder blinked.
Void jerked, his eyes staring wide at the caller. "Levi"...
"HEY YOU, You bastard. I can't fucking believe what you're doing. It's been THREE MINUTES. Are you going to start your turn or not. I can't wait any longer." Levi barked like a furious crackhead.
At his words Void flared up, his eyes rolled backwards, he could only see red as his mind went blank.
"YOU YOU YOU YOU YOU YOU YOU, DEGENERATE DOG." Void finally lost his mind as he couldn't handle it any longer.
Obsidian could almost swear he saw foam frothing at the ends of Void's mouth.
"IT'S ALL YOUR FUCKING FAULT, ALL YOUR FAULT. HOW DARE YOU, DO YOU HAVE A CONSCIENCE. THIS IS THE EIGTH TIME I AM HERE, #$%#$%@#% AND @#$@#$@#$"
"WHAT, YOU ##$#$, did you just turn on the censorship filter. YOU #$%#$% YOU THINK I WON'T @#$@#$"
"YEAH KEEP BARKING DOG. TALKING SHIT WHILE YOU'RE GARBAGE." Levi replied in the full spirit of an enraged bulldog as he couldn't help retaliating.
Void continued rambling as another caller joined in.
"Hey you two, we are tired of waiting, what the hell are you doing. The squad's all in position" Tevis's voice chimed in as his ears were assaulted by Void's and Levi's incessant censor bleeps.
Tevis sighed like a disappointed owner finding his dogs wrestling, he immediately muted the two maniacs and continued talking.
"Ok, first of all Void, you know this is just for training right? It's not our fault you're slower than a snail, just because you lose every round you can't throw a tantrum, this is a team exercise. Secondly, Levi did I not tell you to take it easy? Why do I see you raring to go in the open already."
Both sides had eventually calmed down after an endearing intervention by Tevis and an obvious threat to clean the city's sewers for a week.
Void couldn't help but mutter under his breath as he closed his channel.
He finally placed his hands on his eyes and started again.
"One.. two... three..four...five. Here I come" He sighed as he finished his words and immediately his figured turned invisible and rushed to the center field of the base.
Hunters were known to be sly, cunning and playful. Their extreme speeds and lightning reflexes had to be tested somehow. Hence, they chose the one game that could test all these attributes.
The game that had dominated mankind since the dawn of time. That's right, the Nightstalkers were playing tag. But it was not that simple, it was a special variation. The shrewd mentality of hunters was evidently visible in their rules.
There was one "it", and the moment someone else got tagged they would switch, that part was quite the same, and had survived the test of time. However, to the hunters, that was quite... boring.
They added a new rule. Whoever was it, could be attacked by any and all "targets" and had to defend himself appropriately. If somehow, the targets managed to tag "it", that hunter would then have to close his eyes and start counting again as everyone shuffled positions.
Even the, this seemed all fine and dandy, but the real crux of the game came in play. Hunters were not stupid, aside from using excessive abilities, everything was allowed. That meant, smoke bombs, knifes, invisibility, camouflage, sniping... you name it. Everything was allowed, heck even melee combat wasn't out of consideration.
In essence, for the last eight rounds, Void had been the punching bag of the Nightstalkers squadron. No matter who it was they would outclass him in speed and ability. It wasn't long before they were running him in circles.
But that was still not as infuriating as what Levi would do.
Ever so often, in the middle of the chaos, Levi like the rat he was would sneak behind Void and swiftly plant his palm right in the back of Void's head. Enraging the hunter to the nth degree.
Not only that, Void wasn't allowed to attack back because Levi had now tagged him. He could only helplessly walk back to the start, close his eyes and start counting again.
However now? Now Void had enough. He immediately jumped into the fray.
Sneaking? Hiding? Those were all useless. He was up against the best the city had to offer. Trying to beat them at their own game was foolish. Instead his plan was simple, plain and pure chaos.
Void rushed towards the center, his transparent figure darting through at lightning speeds.
He took in a deep breath before opening the comms channel and finally..
"LEVI YOU COWARD FIGHT ME RIGHT NOW. FUCK, COME OUT YOU RAT", He shouted
Naturally, Levi being the dog bastard he was immediately responded with a war cry and jumped into the field.
"Shit not again." Tevis slammed his hand against the wall, unable to see why those two were at each others throat.
Meanwhile, the rest of the Squad had varying reactions. Some considered it good fun and even bet against who would win, of course only the gamblers bet on Void. Levi was no joke, there's no way he would lose but gambling was always about betting against the odds. Whereas the other hunters could only sigh.
As the two degenerate hunters were fighting in the middle, the rest of the Nightstalkers revealed themselves. The thirteen guardians encircled the center of the field, their presence akin to a cage.
They didn't mind the fight, but they couldn't let those two take it too far. Restricting the perimeters was one of few options to not dampen the mood.
"I can't believe those two are still at it." Tevis lamented, massaging his temple.
"They are quite compatible if you think about it captain." Bandit-3 stretched out his hands, both holding a jar each with several chits in it.
"A choice if you will." He gestured towards Tevis.
Tevis sighed again, but despite his expression, his hands quickly stretched towards Levi's jar and dropped in a chit.
"Thank you captain." Bandit bowed gracefully, his serpentine mechatronic eyes glowing a deep yellow.
"I better be seeing that money Bandit. I know where you keep your stash." Tevis retorted as the exo was about to leave towards other hunters.
"Err... Of course, captain." The Nightstalker chuckled a dry laugh and continued his betting schemes.
Cory who was standing besides Tevis pointed towards the center
"I think they're finally starting out there", He gestured to the others.
Everyone's gaze shifted to Levi and Void.
Both hunters had come to a standoff.
"Hey hey hey, are you sure you can win. It's 8-0 you know?" Levi riled Void up.
"If you don't end up cheating then I am sure I can smash your face in." Void chuckled rolling his wrists.
"We'll see about that." Levi replied with a smirk
Both sides had enough talking as the two slowly stepped towards each other.
Each second, the two hunters inched closer by a step or two. But just as the distance across was less than five meters.
The two figures disappeared. In what could only be described as a vague blur. A flurry of blows was instantaneously traded, as punches and kicks were thrown out mercilessly.
As the two reappeared Void was jerked backwards, unable to control his momentum. This brought a smug grin to Levi's face as the fight continued.
Levi focused energy in his soles, his body leaned forwards slightly, and before Void could even react, he shot forwards like a bullet.
Swinging his body sideways, Levi's heel kick aligned perfectly with Void's head. But despite expecting a clean hit. At the last second possible, as time seemed to slow down, Void's eye twitched, a reaction that was faster than the blink of an eye, Void shifted his weight almost falling backwards.
A reaction that Levi couldn't fathom, perhaps a quirk of fate?
As his kick passed through thin Air he saw Void retaliating his body jolted, several knives immediately flew into Levi's face.
With a feint sway, Levi instinctively zipped through the knives, as they barely grazed his skin. The next blow was already in motion. His hands formed a fist, as it aimed towards Void's body.
Void fell on his back, unable to get up fast enough, he anticipated the punch as he fiercely kicked the ground catapulting himself backwards, dodging the punch by the skin of his teeth.
Within just a fraction of a second, this encounter had almost decided the match!
The close calls were quite a show as the Nightstalker's couldn't help but cheer and holler. Slight excitement had built up around this small fight.
With no time to waste, Levi pounced on Void's front, chucking blow after blow at the inexperienced hunter..
Void couldn't help but be overwhelmed. The pacing was far too quick, Levi's blows hit like a truck and were faster than he could react to.
As the fight continued, one side could be seen completely dominating the other. Punch for punch, blow for blow, Void was consistently pushed back, his only option was to dodge and weave a few hits to ensure Levi wouldn't completely crush his arms.
In a last ditch effort Void gripped his knife, as he juggled it in his hands, Levi zoomed in.
Feeling the hit coming, Void immediately ducked , and as expected, Levi found himself kicking empty air in the blink of an eye.
Void immediately leaned forwards, deftly swiping his dagger across Levi's heel. But to his dismay the veteran endured the pain and immediately flipped his body midair to deliver a crushing chest kick that shot Void stumbling a few feet onto the ground.
Clutching his chest, Void barely got up. He could feel a rustic taste in his mouth, and sharp pain in his sides as he heaved in a heavy breath.
'Damn he cracked my ribs with one kick that fucking monster.' Void could only grin despairingly as he saw Levi limp up to fight more despite having a severed tendon and slight void burn in his left leg.
Both sides glared onto the other. The fight had heated up slightly.
The encircling hunters observed, patiently waiting the outcome.
Void flicked his wrist, a dagger appearing in his second hand as he began juggling the blades back and forth.
Levi's movement was crippled, but even now, Void felt like his opponent was more dangerous than ever. But he could tell, there was no hiding it.
'Gilded Blade, it's weak but it's working.'
The void burn was evidence that his perk wasn't completely useless against his opponent. Despite not being allowed to use his abilities fully, Void could still utilize his perks, but Levi could not. It was an unfair advantage but this was the only way Void could even survive a fight against a monstrous opponent.
A sense of understanding flashed through Void's eyes as he began moving towards his opponent.
Levi felt it coming as he immediately tensed his body.
Once again, the two hunters tussled, blow for blow, as Void tried his best to nick Levi with his blade. But to his despair, the veteran had already caught on. Ever so slightly, Levi would feint an opening but as Void tried, he could only get countered and give up a free hit.
The flurry of blows resurfaced, each side punching out with full force, each hit resounded crisply in the base.
At once, shooting forwards Levi used his right leg to spin kick Void backwards, unable to sense the quick attack, Void took the brunt of it, blocking with both arms, the rookie hunter let out a faint grunt.
'Fuck...that's both arms.'
Void felt his forearms crack slightly.
Like a raging train, Levi used his only leg to spring forwards and continue relentlessly attacking Void, who could solely focus on dodging. Each kick was dodged in the nick of time, barely leaving Void with room to breathe.
The fight seemed like a well choreographed dance, but it was time for a glorious finale.
Flinging his daggers forwards, Void used his full power to blitz towards him, he kept chucking knives at every possible occasion leaving Levi no choice but to keep close.
With both his hands compromised, Void switched to a similar Taekwondo style as Levi, a flurry of kicks traded swiftly.
Forcing Levi towards sandy ground, Void ensured the location was perfect, as the fight got even fiercer. Not a second passed by but blows were traded. Each side seemed just as likely to win.
But Void pulled a quick feint as he leaned in to deliver a punch but just as he missed, a knife flew from his other hand through Levi's foot, pinning the hunter to the ground. Not missing a beat Void leaned in, twisting his body fully as he sprung forwards with a punch.
Levi's eyes widened as he found himself unable to move. Feeling that he could match the blow, the Nightstalker immediately clenched his fist and threw it towards the incoming punch.
Expecting a painful collision he clenched his teeth but just as they blows were about to connect, Void stumbled forwards his punch landing below Levi sending a cloud of sand flushing upwards breaking his line of sight.
'Fuck this is sand.' Levi immediately realized what had happened, his vision was clouded within the dust as his other senses raged on to find Void, but to his shock not even a faint sign of Void remained.
'What is.'
The veteran found himself bamboozled, a faint shade flickered behind him.
'Oh fuck' His eyes shook, as he tried to look behind him.
Before Levi could react the shade kicked his leg sending him tumbling backward as he found his head chased by a dagger. Levi hit the ground his arms barely shielding his face as the blades tip stopped directly in front of his neck.
An injured Void reappeared and fell to his knees, he smirked holding the dagger perfectly still.
"You're it." He mouthed observing Levi's shocked pale face.
The Nightstalkers went wild, unable to process what had happened. All of a sudden Void found himself being thrown around in a cheer as everyone rushed in to celebrate.
He couldn't help but smile with satisfaction as he saw a faint prompt in front of him.
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{Legendary Guardian System}
+New Combat Perks Unlocked:
* Sixth Sense: As a hunter, you're able to sense danger a fraction of a second before it occurs.
* Dagger mastery: As a skilled blade master you're able to masterfully wield daggers whether it is in long or short range encounters.
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A/N: Hope you enjoyed the chapter, wrote it slightly longer than I am used to so that you guys would find more to read. Thanks for reading and leave a review!!! Comment what you liked etc.
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