A/N: Enjoy chapter. And for three in a row, I expect some STONES! Throw in some reviews too!
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[Mumbai Push]
In a grotto beneath the overgrown quagmire of Mumbai, nestled within the heart of its concrete labyrinthine, Toland traipsed about—A long and winding trail of archaic scrolls swirled behind him, dancing as he flicked his wrist.
The cave stirred in rhythm with his steps. Crudely carved Hive runes glowed, etched in mid air by the swirling scrolls.
"Such agony." Toland mumbled, not to himself but to the cave, "Such power."
He paused before an altar of bones, Toland snapped his fingers and the Hive runes pulsed. Then, his hand hovered over a grimoire, and the book trembled, as if reluctant to be chosen.
"I heard it." He spoke, his voice low, quivering with veneration. "The Deathsong, it was more than just a symphony."
His eyes narrowed, the gears turned in his head as more grimoires were summoned to the altar. "It was an ode to power. A poem for the ascendants. Despite being immortals, we were weak. We could not bare to comprehend its beauty."
Toland's hand shook as he etched his memory onto the grimoires. Then, he raised both arms, and the pages scattered, violently swarming around him.
As he stood at the centre, Toland caressed the altar, and it pulsed. His eyes widened with awe, as he saw a faint thread connecting each page.
"I see...." The pages seemed to converge as the verses of the song reconnected. When Toland read it, he understood that he had finally unearthed the true essence of the song.
"An invitation, to shed mortality, to embrace power, true power. To live, and die by the logic of the sword."
As reality dawned on him, Toland stepped back in reverence, soaking it all in. Then his ghost, Guren appeared by his side.
"Have you figured it out?"
The old warlock chuckled, "Yes, yes. Soon, I will join their ranks Guren. The ranks of those with true power."
Guren nodded, "I am with you. My only regret is that I might not live to see you triumph", the ghost was aware that if Toland embraced what he sought, the warlock's soul would no longer be bound to his light.
Toland didn't answer. He was already staring past him, toward the mouth of the tunnel.
Something shifted.
"Incoming." Guren's eye pulsed.
"Heading here?" Toland asked, though he already knew.
"Yes. Trajectory's direct. It's not a scouting pass."
"How many are there?"
"Just one ship." Guren replied, "Shall I engage defences?"
Toland paused, he waved as the all Grimoires returned to their shelves and the Hive runes turned to dust.
"No need." The old warlock had already guessed who it was. The fact that he was coming alone, represented a lucrative opportunity. A chance to add on to his experimental collection.
"If the city wanted us gone, we'd no longer have our light. But if its him, perhaps we stand to benefit from his arrogance." Toland smiled.
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[Surface of the Quagmire, Mumbai Push]
A lone Jumpship zoomed through the moss covered spires, its thrusters flared and steam coiled into the monsoon air as the ship landed softly.
Void transmatted out with Obsidian flickered beside him.
Then a faint tremor ran through the ground.
"You felt that?" Obsidian shifted, scanning the perimeter.
Void nodded and placed his palms on the ground, he tensed as his eyes turned azure to observe the flow of energy, "We're close."
"I'll try tracking traces of light-"
"No. He's not trying to hide." Void's eyes narrowed, he could see it. Traces of Hive magic lingered in the air, in the distance was a collection of illusions and traps crafted solely to lure and confuse victims.
But Void could see through all the smoke and mirrors. Despite placing a plethora of traps, Toland hadn't tried to mask his presence.
'Rather..' As he walked, his skin stung from faint waves of magic almost akin to a lullaby, 'Almost as if he wants to be found.'
Void looked towards the source of the berceuse, a grotto hidden behind lush jungle vines, surrounded by spalled concrete towers. Void took a step forward, and vanished.
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[Inside the Grotto]
Void's figure reappeared in the mouth of the cave, stitching together from splintered shadows.
As he went deeper, Void paused.
'The air...'
It was still and heavy, far too heavy. Laced with a scent of ash, bones and something older, something sinister.
Void stepped forward, his boots crunched against the mossy floor. The cavern's walls were soft to the touch, tracing his fingers along he could feel the remnants of crude carvings almost akin to scars on a mutilated corpse.
Faint whispers reminiscent of the song echoed.
Venturing deeper into the cave, something shifted, Void's sixth sense flared.
Deftly jerking to the right, Void dodged a spike shooting from the wall. Suddenly, the walls began to melt, Hive runes glowed faintly. Countless tendrils emerged from the ground, shooting towards Void's body.
Void flickered, weaving through the maze of tendrils, he swiped his blade across the runes and sliced through them. The tendrils burned to ash as the runes broke. His blade stirred eating away at the weak magic.
He sheathed his blade and sauntered into the dark, unfazed by whatever lay ahead. After all, a Nightstalker proved lethal in the shadows.
Clearing traps one after the other, Void moved till the walls pulsed with green veins stretched thin across the rock. He heard the lullaby again, the further he went, the louder it got. Each step closer stung, but it didn't deter him.
Void could feel the thudding in his bones as the waves reverberated against the silent cavern. Then, he slowed his steps. His senses sharpened.
There were no more traps, no more illusions, just him and stillness. But it was dense, moving through it was akin to wading deep waters.
Void could see a faint seam in the rocks, 'This must be the end.'
Determined, he scattered into shadows, reappearing on the other side. Then he saw him.
Toland.
The warlock sat on a stone pedestal, holding an archaic grimoire as he recited from it. His voice quivered as he reached the crescendo, but then their eyes met, and Toland smiled.
The lullaby stopped, the runes froze and the grimoire flew from his hand. A low hum reverberated into the ground, and the cavern fell silent, as if it had finally stopped trembling.
"You recognize these verses, don't you?" Toland chuckled.
Void didn't answer.
"Ah! Perhaps not, you were too busy trying to fight it. How unfortunate." Toland heaved a sigh as he lightly tapped his forehead and laughed.
Slowly, his voice dropped lower, and he continued. "So what brings you here?"
Void's voice was cold, "You triggered it didn't you?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Toland was calm, then his smile faded. " Maybe you're still jaded from the war. I did hear about the casualties, I was entirely heartbroken."
Void's fingers curled into a fist. He stepped closer.
"Hundreds lost their lives. You crippled their mind, body and spirit. Is that all you wish to say?"
"All I did was study the Hive. Relentlessly, not from Orbit, not from safety, but from within. I stood where they stood. I saw what they saw. Now, I understand what they do. Is that what you accuse me for?" Toland's voice softened as he sounded wistful.
"You'll pay for this."
A silence followed.
Then, Void walked forward. The shadows behind him surged violently as he launched forward, blade already unsheathed. Toland raised his hand—runes flared to life coiling into a dark tide.
Void swiped his sword, shearing through it. He jolted to the side, flickering above Toland, sword covered in arc as he cleaved downward. But Toland raised his arm, and the soft cavern rock stirred to life.
Pillars emerged from underneath him, shielding the blow. The next second, Toland flicked his wrist, the walls slammed into Void.
The Nightstalker swung, crushing the walls to pieces. Instantly, Toland clasped his hands together, and the rubble shot back at Void.
He flickered, darting and weaving through a storm of rocks. His foot planted into the ground, and Void shot forward, his blade at Toland's neck. But just before he cut through, Toland swiped, and the ceiling came crashing down, forcing Void to flicker away.
Before the Dust settled, Void vanished in a flicker of shadowstep.
Toland cleared the room, the cavern lit with sickly runelight as he raised both hands and summoned a storm of crackling symbols. They whirled like knives and descended but there was no sign of Void.
The Nightstalker prowled in the dark, shooting forward he reappeared behind Toland with a swipe of his sword. But the warlock warped away, as Void's foot touched the ground a glyph triggered that lashed out like a spiderweb, ensnaring Void's foot and burying him into the rock.
Runes flared to life, encasing Void in a prison of psionic glyphs. With Void in his grasp, Toland sneered.
"Predictable."
Void struggled, but the glyph's tightened. There was no escape.
"You were always so interesting, always so mysterious. But your arrogance brought you here." Toland chuckled.
"Guren." Toland spoke, "Void, you had potential. Alas, I suppose you'll be more use to me now."
Light pulsed and his Ghost appeared beside him, "Begin preparation for extraction. We'll need to leave soon."
"Running away already?" Void scorned.
Toland raised a brow, "Getting restless? Your anger won't get you anywhere now. You shouldn't have come alone."
Void's lips curled into a smile, "That's the thing, I was never alone."
Unbeknownst to Toland, he had committed a grave mistake in front of a hunter. A ripple surged across the cave—quiet at first, like a heartbeat in the dark. Then the shadows shivered.
Toland blinked. "What—?"
A blur erupted from behind Guren, Bandit plunged an onyx dagger into the Ghost's core. Sparks flickered, and with a soft crack, its shell fell apart.
"No!" Toland scrambled, but before he could react, Void twisted, the blades on his armor shearing through the glyphs with ease.
He leapt, slamming Toland with a kick, flinging the warlock into the wall with a thud.
Panting, Toland slumped. His hands shook, blood trickling from his mouth. Without his Ghost, without the Light—he was mortal. Weak. Defenseless.
Void stood over him, blade drawn, pulse steady.
"Didn't I tell you? You'll pay for this."
Toland coughed, "So you know how to act. Quite the scheming weasel."
Void leaned closer, his foot crushing Toland's hand, "Your anger is meaningless. It's your own arrogance that brought you here."
But Toland wasn't shaken, "You think this is victory? You lost the moment you came here."
Before Void could reply, Bandit spoke up, "Void—we've got incoming. City ships. Looks like Praxic. He tipped them off."
Toland grinned weakly. "The moment we started the fight, I sent a partial recording. Now that you've done this, they won't let you go Void. You don't understand, in their eyes, you've just committed the greatest sin."
A long silence followed.
Then Void turned to Bandit. "Get out of here."
Bandit hesitated. "Void—"
"Now."
Bandit reluctantly vanished into shadow.
Void turned back to Toland. "You sent out a message," he said coldly. "So here's mine."
He drove the blade through Toland's heart. The warlock gasped. Then fell silent.
As Void stepped back, the shadows receded. But the silence didn't last. Moments later, a golden flare of Light cracked and split the roof of the grotto. The Praxic Fire was here.
Boots hit the ground. Aunor stood before him, flanked by warlocks and titans, their weapons drawn.
She looked down at the body, then up at Void, and then to the broken ghost shell beside his feet. Her eyes widened in horror.
"Void.....What have you done."
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A/N: Hope you enjoyed chapter!!