章 9: Regal Hunt

[2 months later, The Divide]

A maroon sky, stained red by the drowning sun. Veiled, beneath a sea of clouds, traces of rain gathered.

The scorched wilderness of the Cosmodrome lulled as the soft pitter patter of rain quenched it's withered soil.

A culmination of storm clouds brewed above the horizon, a down pour of rain eroded the dry turf, forming small gullies as the water rushed through them.

This sudden influx of water overflowed the dams, water gushed forth from the divide's barrier, flooding the nearby river streams, small sewer channels exposed themselves to drain out the excess water.

One such hidden canal had been revealed, as the soil around it dissolved. The turbulent storm roared, the flooding the steppes beyond recognition, rocky valleys and hillsides had long drowned, in perhaps the worst flood to come in Cosmodrome history.

However, this peculiar sewer canal, let in no water, and remained sealed.

The meter wide seal on the sewer's entrance, now exposed to the harsh weather had come undone.

A singular man came into view. Despite the cascading rain and squall of winds, he pushed on to the pipe. Scowling as he approached, treading high water as it almost reached his knees.

The man appeared to be searching for something.

Or perhaps, someone.

He scoured the flooded plains, his hand gripped on to the hems of the concrete canal. He yanked himself out of the stalling water, crouching inside the channel as he observed.

The channel seemed blocked, but despite that, a faint trail of white ether lingered off inside. He seemed to have spotted the minute droplets of ether, evaporating into thin air as the wind carried them away.

He prowled the channel, the smell overpowered his senses, but the man was determined. His will drove him further along the pipe. Until a large mound of dirt appeared to be covering the pipe's exit.

The man clawed out the dirt, only for his hands to hit a sturdy metal blockade, that was two meters high.. He did not hesitate as he swiftly pulled out his weapon from the side holster. Using the impact of the bullets to dent the gate at its hinges.

Which he then easily ripped from its edges, revealing an opening in the Sewer to delve deeper.

The man hopped inside the narrow hallway, the trail of effervescent ether leading him deeper. He placed his steps carefully, navigating the long winding tunnel in the sewers.

At first glance the sewer tunnel seemed empty, but there were subtle traces of ether, smeared across some walls, the trail dragging along to underground cave systems that had long deteriorated since humanities golden age collapse.

All that remained were rusted walls, and corroded railings that allowed a nimble acrobat to expertly clear the obstacles.

The man was tracking a peculiar task, one that he had received, he stalked his prey to these tunnels, the ether traces more than confirmed it. As for how his target had found refuge here? He did not know, neither did he care.

He crept along the narrow sidewalk within the sewer network, careful to not alert anyone to his presence. Sneakily moving through the tunnels, where not even a glimpse of light could reach.

The man moved deftly, not a single step made any sound. He lurked within the tunnels, following the discontinued ether trails, till he came upon a single rusted metal door.

The door seemed mundane, likely a control room, perhaps an old radio shack for the sewer. But the man was not interested, rather what drew his gaze was the marred handle, covered in blue ether fluid.

The viscous liquid dripped from the door handle, a larger puddle gathering inside the room. He crept closer to the door, drawing his weapon.

With bated breaths, the man flung open the door, immediately aiming his revolver as he surveyed the surroundings, flicking his sights left and right, but no figure or presence could be spotted.

What he instead revealed, was a small dark crevice of a once operational room, filled to the brim with rotted supplies and old power lines.

Yet his instincts screamed, as he stepped inside.

Perhaps it was fate, that he pushed in the boxes, and they crumbled, likely stacked as a false wall. His eyes scanned the secret hole, his whole body tensed at discovering the hoax stack.

The man aimed his revolver, its meagre dim laser sights barely illuminating nooks and crannies of the room. Somehow, a small droplet splattered along the barrel of his gun.

He recognized the azure hue of the fluid, as his eyes traced it to the ceiling. He looked up.

A smirk planted across his face.

"Found you." He whispered in a gravely voice.

His target breathed heavily, clutching on to the bricked roof, perhaps praying to not be seen. Yet when he heard those words, the color drained from his face.

After what seemed to be an eternity for the victim, two gunshots echoed, the muzzle flash illuminating the room to reveal the injured eliksni panting on the floor, fainting as he gasped for ether. (A/N: If you haven't caught on till now. Eliksni or alternatively called Fallen, don't breathe Oxygen, instead they breathe Ether. It's not just used for breathing, but has various uses and is utilized in almost everything they do.)

"Target neutralized. Obsidian, log the report, relay back the progress, and if you can, jump start the power grid in the Sewers." The man stated as his ghost appeared.

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[Underground room, Sewers]

The light flickered, as it buzzed, current surging through it.

Void leaned against the wall as he waited, his target, a supposed Eliksni royal lay incapacitated in the center of the room.

Void was tasked with eliminating the fugitive Eliksni, and preventing him from regrouping with loyalists within the Devil's Lair. Fortunately, today's storm had played a big part in preventing aerial extractions.

Rather, the flooding had caused the injured target to hide away in the sewers. As fate would have it, Void stumbled upon the ether trail and traced it back to the sewer canals. In fact, Void himself couldn't believe he found the target.

This task had been assigned to him a month prior. Naturally, he had been tracking and tracing the target for weeks. Even going as far as to participate in small skirmishes to dwindle out the number of guards.

Void glanced out to the sewer canal, he observed the water still rushing in.

The flooding hadn't stopped, prompting the guardian to keep the injured prisoner here. Void wished to take no risks, it was likely that the loyalists faction were already scouring the Devil's Lair awaiting their esteemed guest.

As Void contemplated his thoughts, the Eliksni's body jolted awake. Void met his gaze as the Fallen cretin yelped, gasping as he coughed.

Void immediately pointed his gun at the Eliksni's forehead.

"One wrong move, and your body will rot in this tunnel for decades."

The Eliksni breathed heavily, his face aghast, turning numb at the sight of the barrel. He barely took deep breaths, leaking fluid dripped from his mask as he exhaled.

The Eliksni grinded his pincers, showing resilience, a useless gesture. Void planted a fist in his abdomen, forcing the Eliksni to wince in pain. The previous gunshots had fatally injured him.

Void shuffled his pockets, pulling out a small canister filled with a strange concoction.

"What do you know about corrupted ether?" Void barked holding the container.

But despite his repeated questions, no answer came. Until the Eliksni laughed, clutching his chest. A broken respirator and bleeding wounds forced the fallen an inch away from death.

Barely grasping his breath, the Eliksni mustered some words.

"You.... Machine spawn are all.... the same." He chuckled. (A/N: Common insult for the Lightbearer/ guardians because Fallen consider the traveler the great machine.)

"Fifty tons of corrupted ether was transported to the devil's lair through lunar orbital channels. I will spare your life if you tell me. An Eliksni noble like yourself must know." Void urged.

"...Spare...me? You...jest. Do you know who I am? Know what you've done? You will....be hunted. Day and night, they will stop at nothing to have your head. I....am Fikrul, Kell spawn. Rightful heir to the House of Devils."

The Eliksni royal sneered gasping for his last breaths, he rummaged around his chest, revealing a blinking tracker implanted within his grip.

Void's face tightened, fury etched into his brows.

"Time....is up. Machine..... scum." Fikrul sniggered

Seething with rage Void disregarded his words, immediately unloading his revolver in Fikrul's face, leaving a gaping hole through his respirator.

The gunshots echoed as the Eliksni's body slumped to the ground. But all was not over.

Obsidian hurriedly appeared back into the room, anxious.

"Void, I am picking up a large fallen transmat. They're heading towards us. We need to leave." Obsidian spoke distressed.

Void turned to grab the body but immediately Obsidian's tracker blinked again.

"This can't be....Incoming fallen mercenaries, they've found us. We need to run... NOW." Obsidian urged void.

Voids heart sunk at the alert. He immediately left the body and yanked away the tracker, crushing it in his palm as he bolted towards the exit. Fearing he would be ambushed, Void instantly triggered his full speed, darting back to the Steppes within seconds, leaving Fikrul's body.

Unbeknownst to him, a Fallen transmat triggered near the sewers as multiple squad captains rushed in the tunnels. They followed the ether trail left behind, coming upon Fikrul, or whatever remained of him.

One Eliksni warrior, distraught at this outcome dropped to his knees, his hands clutching Fikrul's corpse.

"My prince...How could this be." He grieved, staying by the corpse.

His hands examined the killing blow, tears rolling down his face. His trigonal eyes picked up faint traces of void energy that had singed the old halls of the tunnels.

The Eliksni captain immediately understood what happened, he could only scream as anger boiled up. Sheer fury bottled within him

Only one phrase rolled of his tongue.

"My Prince, House of Devils....will avenge you."

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A/N: Hope you enjoyed the chapter, this is for the suckers who wanted an earlier upload....Now no new chapters for 69 420 years.