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Chapter 139: Who Let the Dogs Out? New
As the ship warped, the blue sky of earth appeared, thrusters flared with streaks of pale light as Nulsis hurtled through the atmosphere. Inside the cramped cockpit of his Skiff, his fingers danced over the controls, but his mind was elsewhere. His eyes flashed as if still trapped in the memory of the grotto ambush.

The moment the reinforced gate had exploded and that shadowy figure had stepped through the dust, Nulsis had immediately known, he was being hunted.

It couldn't have been anyone else.

Judging from the speed and lightning abilities, it was a lightbearer. Nulsis had fought and escaped hundreds of them. But this one? This one was different. He could feel it in his bones, that pale light surrounding his blade was nothing he'd ever faced.

It seemed to call him, its dissonant whispers gnawed at Nulsis's heart.

"Not just a Guardian…" Nulsis growled under his breath. "Something far worse."

His ship buckled slightly as it entered the atmosphere, and rapidly dropped to lower altitude.

The Cosmodrome was approaching fast. He looked at his radar, the lightbearer was still chasing him.

Sure the light bearer was strong, but once he touched ground he'd vanish like smoke. No one could catch him, that's how it always was, and that how it would be.

His plan was simple, lose him in the terrain. Rocketyard had plenty of escape tunnels, ones he'd seen and used himself. And once this was over, Nulsis was determined to ask for more glimmer for the next trades.

The interface of the ship lit-up as Nulsis sent quick word to the House of Devils about his chase. But then, he paused.

His fingers drummed the keypad as his eyes seemed to flicker in hesitation. Eventually, he grit his teeth, and sent out another message. Just a few lines describing his pursuer. If he was caught and taken to the City, the Devils needed to know who was responsible.

Just then, the ship rattled again. The altitude was dropping once more, and he'd almost breached the clouds. His screens lit up.

Nulsis squinted. His stomach dropped. The radar was blaring alarms. Too many red markers. Too many signals.

"No… No no no." He cursed.

It had barely been five minutes since the pursuit. There was no communications network in the solar system capable of transmitting from deep space. How had the city gathered this many? Nuslsi's thoughts raced, had someone sold him out? Impossible.

A harrowing realization set in. Maybe him coming to the cosmodrome was already planned, maybe that figure had seen through him instantly, letting him slip away just to get caught by his people.

How insidious and terrifying....Nulsis shivered. He reached for the keypad again, the Devils needed to know this. They needed to know, that they were in danger.

Just then, the entire ship shook violently, Nulsis's ship tore through the clouds. His eyes widened. The entire plain below the dropsite was crawling with Guardians. Hundreds of them. Armed to the teeth. Some riding Sparrows, others already aiming upward.

"Lirsoveks.."

He twisted the throttle, veering hard, alarms screaming.

Instead of landing, he chose to crash. Sparks tore from the hull as the ship plowed into the rocky canyons and skidded across gravel, metal shearing from the belly.

Nulsis grabbed the throttle and the ship blasted ahead, surfing across stone.

Behind him, hundreds of sparrows raced, tracking him down.

Nulsis steered the ship into the edges of a canyon and bolted from the cockpit, scrambling into the snow and debris.

But the horde descended like mad dogs. Their lights erupted, supers flared, and a hail of bullets pinged around him, grenades exploded near his heels.

Nulsis ran. He ran the hardest he ever had. He ran without looking back. Terrifying tremors seemed to erupt behind him, the ground was shaking, every step he took was on uneven rock.

He didn't care, all his focus was on survival. Nulsis hurriedly slammed a button on his wrist and a jetpack assembled on his back, the next second he shot forwards, soaring ahead.

He looked over his shoulder, and still the chase was ongoing. Heck he could even see some of them shoot rockets that barely reached him. They were chasing him like he'd stolen their glimmer. Nothing made sense to him.

No, it'd be fair to say that these lightbearers had never acted on sense to begin with. All of them were crazy.

"Oi, you dog bastard. **** your mother, GET DOWN HERE." IEatPaint roared, shooting at Nulsis's heels.

Nulsis grit his teeth and took a sharp right, just then he felt warmth on his face, "Wha-"

Before he knew it, a golden gunshot had torn right through him, shattering his jetpack. Nulsis screamed, and crashed into the ground, rag dolling into the dirt.

He hurriedly took out an arc shield, and deployed it. The next second he spammed the Devil's on their network as a last resort.

The sky went dark. Nulsis looked up, Waffles was hovering above him and a ball of lilac energy descended upon him. He cursed.

Then, he couldn't remember what happened next. Just that they'd cornered him near a rusted pipeline, he thought his time had come. He wouldn't leave alive.

But he was wrong, it was something much worse.

Nulsis couldn't believe no one among the hundred tried to kill him. No, they simply continued to beat him within an inch of his life. Until his limbs gave out. Until he gasped for breaths as he struggled in the dirt.

What kind of monster had devised this plan? As fists caved in his face, Nulsis could only curse at that shadowy figure in his heart.

-

[Cosmodrome]

Viper transmatted in at a distance, observing the situation.

"Shouldn't you...stop them?" Obsidian chimed in.

"Me?" Viper raised a brow, "I mean...I could."

"You sure they won't kill him?" Obsidian asked.

"Well, it's not likely." Viper rubbed his chin, he'd set the quest as to capture Nulsis, so he was sure the players never had the option to kill him.

"Right.." Obsidian pulsed, "I mean, they've been beating him for a while."

"Alright, alright. Fine." Viper sighed.

The shadows shifted, and he appeared behind the mob of players. Viper cleared his throat.

Nothing happened....

Seeing that they were too engrossed in the beating, Viper adjusted his voice and interrupted again.

This time the players turned, surprised but respectful. Viper strolled forward, calm and unhurried. Nulsis saw him and instantly recoiled.

TheOneWhoKnocks stepped aside, "He was fast, but we got his ass."

Thunderclappin chuckled, "We did get his ass."

Waffles raised a brow, "You mean I got him."

"My shot got the jetpacks down." Undecided clicked his tongue.

Viper nodded. " Nulsis is a scavenger for the House of Devils. Now, thanks to you, the Devils won't be stealing from us for a while."

The public event ticker chimed:
Mission Complete. XP scattered across HUDs.

A smaller notification for the faction blinked: VENOM Reputation Increased.

The rewards weren't crazy good, and nothing special was given out. But considering they'd just chased a Fallen enemy through half the cosmodrome and beat him to a pulp? The players were cheering and hollering.

Where else could they experience this tantalizing gameplay?

"Nulsis was a secret agent of multiple Fallen Houses. Capturing him brings us one step closer to reclaiming the Cosmodrome. Good job."

Whispers immediately spread around. The word secret agent was simply too enticing. Viper knew that.

As Viper grabbed Nulsis by the collar, he glanced over his shoulder. "You've all got skills, and it looks like I am still in need of a few associates. If you've got an inkling for this kind of work, find the workshop at Thieves' Landing."

At his words, TheOneWhoKnocks, Undecided, Gandalf, Waffles, BearSpray and IEatPaint smiled faintly. The others were simply not aware, but they'd already taken that step.

-

[Ishtar Sink, Venus]

Deep within the tangled jungles of Venus, in the still-burning heart of the House of Winter, the Winter's Lair, the air was tense. Monitors flickered. Low guttural clicks of spoken Eliksni echoed through the hall.

The Kell of Winter watched the screen for the third time. The screen replayed the grainy footage: A tremor echoed. The reinforced steel gate turned to slag. A figure walking through smoke, blade drawn, calm. The footage cut shortly after.

The Kell stood still. Then his claws tightened into fists.

"We found no network interference from Earth." one of the Splicers offered nervously. "Not coordinated. Not from the city.."

The Kell turned to him. "But a Guardian nonetheless?"

The Splicer hesitated. "Y-Yes, Kell."

"So they know," the Kell snarled. "Or someone does."

"Should we retaliate?"

"No," the Kell said. "That safe house wasn't meant to be found. And if word spreads that we lost it, we'll lose many scavengers here within the week. Strip it clean. At worst, the Kings will pull out of negotiations."

Another splicer interjected, "Shall we bury it? Digitally?"

The Kell stared at the flickering screen. The silhouette burned into the frame. Calm, confident, and terrifying. Not something that had come for supplies. Something that had come with purpose.

"Erase everything. Scrub the backup nodes. Wipe it from our system."

The splicers nodded and scattered.

The Kell moved to the observation port, gazing out into the wild jungles of Venus. Somewhere out there, Ishtar Academy lay dormant—its secrets guarded inside.

He was anxious. Had this figure come because it had sniffed their plans? No, that couldn't be.

"We don't need more attention. Not now," he muttered under his breath.

-

[Devil's Lair, Cosmodrome]

Aksis stared at the broken communicator in silence, the news having reached him moments before.

'Captured.'

His lower limbs clanked as he paced. The others in the chamber dared not speak.

Aksis's voice was low. "Nulsis. Captured. By… hundreds?"

A young captain nodded. "It was undetected Kell, no communications on their network. The city still holds no relays."

"Then who was it?"

"We do not know. But it rallied many Lightbearers. Quickly."

Aksis's optics narrowed. "Impossible. Nulsis was hiding on Venus. How did they track him here?"

The captain hesitated. "It was coordinated, maybe the City built a hidden network."

"No. Impossible." Aksis stopped pacing. "The Cosmodrome is ours. We know everything they do. This just means, there's more than the Vanguard to worry about."

He tapped the arm of his throne, processors whirring.

"Nulsis sent messages before his capture." A splicer raised his voice.

Aksis turned his eyes towards him.

The splicer continued, and sent the messages to be displayed on the screens, "He mentioned a cloaked figure chasing him from Venus. He must be the mastermind."

Another splicer stepped forward. "We have no records of this figure. No one knows anything."

"What did our scouts see?" Aksis replied.

A Fallen captain hitched, kneeling as he replied, "We saw them surround Nulsis. At the end, the shadow came and took him away."

"Find out who he is. We must know." Aksis growled, and slammed his fist into the throne's arm rest.

There were simply too many variables surrounding the city. First the Nightstalker, and now this shadow.

"Contact the House of Winter. Ask them how one of their safe houses was breached. Ask them what they saw. Find everything."

The others nodded and scattered.

Alone again, Aksis growled low.

With Nulsis gone, the smuggling routes would be exposed. Supplies. Gear. Intelligence. All vulnerable.

"We must adapt," he muttered.

The Kings would need reassurance. And new channels would need to be forged.

=
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Last edited:
Chapter 140: The Way of Kings New
-

[Thieves' Landing]

Void's jumpship hissed onto the landing pad. Void kicked open the ship's door and dragged Nulsis onto the ramp.

The bustling docks immediately fell silent. All eyes fell on Void. And as they saw an Eiksni tied behind him, with his legs and hands wrapped in shadowy tethers. Countless whispers began to pass around in the crowd.

Void replied with a silent glare. Then, he raised a brow and took a step forward. His sudden shift startled the dock workers. Many even darted backwards, cold sweat perspiring on their backs.

"Relax." Void chuckled and continued dragging Nulsis towards Spider's base, "I won't do anything to you."

Today, Spider's hideout was unusual. Everyone muttered in hushed voices, afraid the shadows themselves had ears. This had rubbed the kingpin the wrong way.

Spider drummed his fingers with a slight grunt, 'Who exactly are they afraid of.' He scoffed, the entire Reef was in his hands. Who dared to rile up his people?

But as the gates parted and Void walked in, with Nulsis slung over his shoulder. Spider's eyes widened, and everything fell into place.

Now, the silence thickened. Only the groan of old generators and the distant churn of machinery gave life to the cavernous lair. Spider sat alone on his throne, his beady eyes narrowing as Void approached.

"You're fast," Spider muttered, watching Nulsis drop to the floor with a dull thud. "Didn't expect you back so soon."

Nulsis growled weakly, "You rot-infested traitor!" he spat in a rugged Eliksni dialect, "Working with humans? You've fallen lower than a Dreg."

Spider raised a brow and leaned back, unbothered. "And you, have fallen right into my hands. How utterly surprising."

"Save the reunion for later, I'll need a room." Void quipped.

Spider blinked. "A room?"

"Just for a little information extraction," Void said, casually.

Spider smirked, his gaze drifting to Nulsis, then back to Void. "Far back left. Empty."

Void gave a short nod and hoisted Nulsis again.

But then Spider gasped as if he remembered something, "Ah! Don't scratch the walls, I had them repainted this week."

Void sighed and continued dragging Nulsis down the corridor without another word.

Inside the dim room, rusted vents buzzed faintly overhead. Void dropped Nulsis into a chair. Luminous tethers coiled around his arms and legs, hardening as they locked him in place.

Nulsis thrashed weakly, but the chair wouldn't budge. He hissed as his jaws clicked.

"Obsidian, trigger active translation protocols. Relay it through my comms." Void tapped his wrist.

Then Void crouched to his eye level. "Ready to talk?"

Nulsis shivered slightly, "Useless. It is useless. I know nothing."

Void shook his head, entirely unconvinced, "I don't need much. Just tell me one thing. What exactly are the Devils, Winter and the Kings planning?"

Nulsis stopped struggling. Then his face shifted in horror as his eyes widened, "You....who are you?"

Void stared at him for a moment, "Answer the question."

But Nulsis's jaw tightened.

"I won't ask again." Void reached forwards, grabbing Nulsis's throat and tightening his grip. The Eliksni wheezed harshly, but still he didn't say a word.

"Suit yourself." Void sighed. Then, without a word, he lifted his palm.

"Zamyr."

The air tensed.

A breath of frost rolled through the room. The lights dimmed, then flickered violently. Nulsis's breath hitched. His mandibles trembled. Shadows seemed to curl inward from every corner.

And then—it appeared.

A vast, coiling serpent—fanged, plated, celestial—emerged in his vision, its mouth yawning wide. The illusion swallowed the walls whole.

Nulsis screamed. Then fell silent.

His head slumped forward.

Void stood calmly beside him as the lights returned.

Zamyr's amused voice echoed from the blade.

~Perhaps, too much.~

"Let's hope you didn't fry his brain." Void clicked his tongue.

He stepped forward and smacked Nulsis sharply across the face. The Eliksni gasped awake, tumbling from the chair. He blinked wildly, disoriented.

Void crouched again, this time the illusory serpent wrapped around Void and his voice turned low "Now. Tell me."

Nulsis's eyes quivered.

-

[Cosmodrome]

The Cosmodrome buzzed with residual energy from the event. Nulsis's crashed ship still smoldered in the distance. Around the broken terrain, dozens—then hundreds—of Guardians lingered, standing in clumps, weapons slung over shoulders and Ghosts orbiting lazily.

IEatPaint let out a low whistle. "Man, that was a wild chase."

TheOneWhoKnocks nodded, "That Fallen was fast as **** too. Crazy speeds."

Waffles chuckled, "Dude was gliding on the sand for real. Plus that jetpack was crazy. Didn't know you could get one."

"Dude you can literally float." Gandalf raised his brow.

Thunderclappin stepped forward, hands on hips. "So, you guys ever figure out what that workshop thing is? The guy said to visit him?"

The six looked over. A lot of New Lights had huddled together trying to figure out what Viper meant.

Gandalf snorted. "F*cking noobs. Of course I do."

Waffles cracked a laugh. "Yup."

Undecided stepped in dramatically and cleared his throat. "Ahem...That workshop? Nothing big dude, its just a secret faction"

Everyone froze.

"Secret...faction?" Thunderclapping repeated slowly, not sure if he was getting it right.

BearSpray chuckled and equipped the Faction's class item, "I mean, we're already a part of it."

Percy Jackson chimed in, "Wait… WAIT. Secret faction? Dude, are you deadass?"

"It gets better" TheOneWhoKnocks said, grinning as he held up the Gaboon MK1. "Check this beauty out. First thing I got after joining. Just for saying yes."

Everyone instantly inspected his loadout.

"No f**** way," Erectus_Maximus cursed.

"Say on your momma right now." LeeroyJenkins refused to believe it.

"Relax dumbass" IEatPaint said casually, taking out his own VENOM weapon like it was no big deal.

The crowd buzzed.

"Dude. WHERE is this workshop. I've searched the entire map four times. It's not here." ILoveLoot screamed.

"Easy. It's in Thieves' Landing, next to the Reef." Waffles chimed in.

"That place doesn't even show up on my map," someone complained.

"Then finish the second campaign mission," Waffles replied, shrugging. "You'll unlock it. That's the ticket."

A ripple of panic spread. Some Guardians checked their progress screens.

"I haven't even started the second one yet!"

"Well," Gandalf said with a smug grin, "The best weapons aren't for everyone. There's levels to this shit."

One Guardian shouted, "Nope! I'm not waiting. Cosmodrome's done for today—I'm finishing that mission!"

Like dominoes, dozens of others joined in, transmatting out.

-

[Kings Watch]

The wind whispered across the flat plains of the Cosmodrome. And as the winds followed rugged hills of Kings Watch, silence reigned—except for the soft clink of armor plates and the crunch of dust beneath heavy boots.

A lone Fallen Captain stood at the edge of a jagged ridge, overlooking the City in the distance. His yellow cloak fluttered in the breeze. Its color had faded to a murky gray, but still it felt regal. His four arms rested calmly at his sides, but the air around him felt was tense.

He was watching. Waiting.

A shimmer behind him bent the light, then a splicer appeared disabling its stealth tech. Its armor was adorned with cybernetic grafts. The splicer fell to a knee.

"Captain," the Splicer rasped, lowering his gaze.

The Captain didn't move, didn't look. Instead, as the cape billowed, his jaws clicked faintly. Then he gestured for the splicer to rise.

The Splicer continued, hesitant. "Nulsis… has been captured."

There was no response.

"More than a hundred Guardians were involved. Coordinated. Swift. We—did not expect them to move so fast. Not with their network in ruin."

The Captain slowly turned his head, his eyes gleaming beneath his hood. His mandibles clicked once again.

"So what?" he said, quiet but firm.

The Splicer flinched.

"The speed and swiftness of their movements suggest that the City has recuperated far faster than our expectations." The Splicer twitched with unease, "A large number of new lights also means that maybe, our plans are no longer feasible."

"They are many, that is true." the Captain turned. "But many are blind. And the Light has made them soft."

He turned back toward the City in the far distance. The Traveler loomed above it like a pale god. The Captain's eyes narrowed.

"They think the Great Machine belongs to them. That it watches over their cradle."

The wind tugged at his cloak.

"But it will remember. Eventually. When the time is right. It will return… to us."

The Splicer hesitated. "And until then?"

The Captain finally moved. One slow step forward. Then another. His voice was nearly a whisper.

"Let them gather. Let them build. Let them believe."

The Splicer nodded and cloaked again, fading into the wind.

"Because no matter what, they'll never see it coming," The captain muttered.

=
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