Chapter 73: Protocol Juggernaut (3)
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Writers-Ablood
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The Juggernaut exploded forwards, as Void shot out the vent, his feet touched the ground and he scrambled backwards. The mechanical behemoth defied gravity as its jagged limbs tore into the thick metal walls.
It rushed forwards towards the small vent, with no intention of stopping, the rail guns locked on as hundreds of bullets pierced the secret entrance's hull.
Void pushed himself up as he prepared for Armageddon, the juggernaut's thrusters roared as it rammed through the walls, leaving behind a gargantuan hole, as dust clouds erupted in the barren plains of the cosmodrome.
Void's figure blended into the chaos, "Obsidian, eta."
"The Squad's five minutes away. We'll have to hold him off."
His eyes narrowed as two smoke bombs dropped from his palms and rolled away, erupting into a thick miasma of smog that covered the entire perimeter. Void's translucent figure was now completely hidden.
Juggernaut's sensors locked in on his energy, yet it was as if Void was everywhere and no where at all. He was fully immersed within the fog, causing the behemoth to erratically shift as its guns failed to track.
Utterly lost, the gargantuan arachnoid halted, fully on alert as its eye widened, focusing on all movements, down to the most minute ones.
But what it wasn't prepared for, was a feral frenzy. A tango of sheer speed, lethality and one damn cheeky bastard.
A smile crept on Void's lips, he revealed himself, the thick mist forming a faint silhouette that faced the Juggernaut. He put one foot forward and raised both hands.
Daggers akimbo, Void teased with a tantalizing flick of his fingers.
"Oi, catch me, if you ca-."
The instant the words slipped from his lips, Juggernaut raised both guns as a frenzy of deafening heavy rounds shredded the misty silhouette and it burst apart, scattering as it flushed hundreds of fog clouds its way.
Sensing a looming threat, Juggernaut jerked around and rammed into fog as it scattered away once more.
"Looking for me?"
Bullets barely grazed the flickering figure in the mist. all manners of calculations ran inside the machine's head, yet it couldn't grasp what was happening.
Void shot forward from a plume of smoke, ferociously swiping his dagger across one leg, the Juggernaut tried to jerk away, but Void countered with a clean slice that barely scratched its hull, yet left a corrosive mark.
The next instant, before it could respond, Void darted back into the smoke. Stumbling backwards Juggernaut swerved and fired around pre-emptively, hitting absolutely nothing, as it felt something stirring above.
Void slammed a kick into its dome, as a tremor pulsed, Juggernaut caught a glimpse of him, hurling its entire body towards Void.
But milliseconds before it crashed into him, Void's feet lightly tapped cracked ground and he flickered away, sliding underneath the megaton behemoth he deftly carved its shell.
Recovering perfectly, Void jolted to his feet, sliding out to the fog, he flickered.
Juggernaut roared, entering into a furious rage, decades of corrosion had slowed it down. Unable to keep track of Void, it danced with vigor hoping to catch him in the aftermath.
Bullets rained as Void dashed in and out, each step, each stride, each blow of his blade, timed to the last instant. Void's figure was akin to a haze, ferocious, and unseen.
"Arrows, NOW."
Tevis's voice broke the mould as Void let go of his spectral blades. An intense suppressive light captured the air itself. Juggernaut, blinding by the rage was unable to see it.
But Void looked to the skies. Thin streaks of light pierced the very horizon as they descended upon them, akin to heavenly judgement.
"Good luck bud."
Void waved him off, because he sure as hell wasn't staying to feel that blow. His figure turned translucent, as he scattered into mist, warping away to a seemingly safe distance.
What followed, was exactly what he expected. Void was barely outside the blast radius, he felt the harrowing suppressive energy flushing the entire plain. Toxic enough to corrode his own bones in an instant.
A second later, it erupted, yanking anything misfortunate enough to be close, parasitic tendrils sprouted like chains, draining energy from anything remotely alive.
Void sucked in a cold breath. In front of him, was the pinnacle achievement of Nightstalkers, this total annihilation was Shadowshot extinction.
"I'd take a step back if I were you."
Tevis appeared behind him and gently pulled him back, the enormous crater seemed to expand as poisonous fumes permeated the collapsing shockwave, creating a dead-zone at the centre.
The Nightstalker's gathered around, surrounding Void, many held questioning glares. But most of all, genuine awe.
"Way to go dumbass." Levi slapped him upside the head.
Void clicked his tongue, "Oi, I am the victim. I was just scavenging."
Levi scoffed, "Yeah, some real treasure you've dug up."
The squad broke into laughter, as Levi and Void squabbled. Tevis stepped in and separated the two, a somber frown etched on his face.
"Easy, it's not over, keep your guards up." His hands slipped to the side and grasped his curved daggers, coated with an onyx light. The rest of the squad felt an uneasy shiver run down their spines, their instincts implored them to look back.
Through the cataclysmic deadfall, the Juggernaut trudged closer, its entire hull decomposed and decaying, its legs giving out. Yet the emotionless red glare in his eyes said all that needed to be said.
"How's it still standing." Void felt awe, the gargantuan arachnoid was on its last legs, its sturdy frame marred with corroded burns, a feverish light continued to devour its pieces.
"Don't be surprised, he's just a husk of himself. But in his heyday that bastard ruled the cosmodrome tunnels." His daggers flashed, Tevis took one step forward, flickering ahead.
Taking a stance, Tevis faced the behemoth, the red glow in its eyes flared up, as if recalling the past, "Arachnoid's are a popular android type. Their chasse is impenetrable, and they move at feral speeds. To the untrained lightbearers, this thing will be their end."
He put one leg ahead of the other, taking a low stance as his daggers flared to the side.
Tevis appeared to stand still. Yet the next instant, only an afterimage remained, he silently phased above the Juggernaut, inches away from its dome.
"It's only weakness, is the head. Secured by thick steel."
The mechanical abomination struggled to trace Tevis's speed, it looked up. An instant later, was death.
The red hue in its visor disappeared, the last thing it saw, a seamless onyx slash cleaving its head apart. Its thick dome tumbled to the ground, as strength drained from its legs, the gargantuan arachnoid crumbled apart.
"But with the right technique, I'd say its still possible." Tevis flawlessly landed, his moves barely left a whisper. He was a phantom, the only evidence of his technique, was the dissected carcass of the machine.
Void grabbed the tumbling sphere rocking near his feet and held it up. 'Damn, Rasputin must've been a real nutcase to even make this.'
"Count your stars Void, you're damn lucky to have met this bastard in the state it was. A few decades earlier, and it would've eaten ten of you alive." Tevis walked back, clearly not happy with his apprentice.
Not only had Void magically released this horror, he had also created a real headache with paperwork. How was he supposed to explain the reemergence of The Juggernaut. He could already hear the warlock's and their incessant questions.
Tevis felt a burning pain pulse through his mind. "How the hell did you even get there. We made sure the place was sealed, and we closed all the f*cking gates."
"No one outside our squad knew of its location. Was the goddamn light cage not enough of a hint, you daft bastard? Keep your hands off the shit you can't afford to mess with."
Bombarded with insults, Void immediately sought to explain, but he was quickly shut out by the rest of the squad, who were keen on pelting some affectionate words of their own.
"OK, ok ok. Look, I just squeezed through the gaps and tracked the remnant traces, if anything its you guys doing a dogshit job at hiding yourself."
The squad rolled their eyes, but they let him continue.
"Either way, I did not wake it up. You might think I am crazed for loot, but even I can take a hint. When I saw the light cage, I left. Simple as that."
"You're really expecting me to believe that horseshit? I made that cage myself, there's no goddamn way it broke on its own. Something definitely broke it open." Levi immediately disagreed.
Void nodded, "That's what I am saying, I didn't, but something did. As I left, the waves got unusually rough. You might not believe me, but the tremors shook the entire cavern. Once that happened, all the mines were triggered."
"Before I knew it, everything was hazy, and the cage broke open."
"Not buyin it. Your dumbass probably tripped over it." Levi shrugged.
"You definitely need to work on your standup." Bandit clicked his tongue and chuckled.
"That's bullshit, you gotta trust me." Void looked around, pleading for some help. Naturally, all the Nightstalkers were well versed with the sly crocodile tears after screwing up. So he got no sympathy.
'Rough waves. Tremors.' Tevis muttered to himself.
While the squad quarrelled, debating whether or not Void was just finding excuses, Tevis peered at the night sky. He pondered as he searched for the moon. But alas, it was missing, or perhaps, just faded.
'The lunar cycle doesn't add up.' If anything, right now was the time for a full moon. Instead, its glow was diminished, and the lunar halo was no where to be seen. The night sky seemed bright, subtly wrapped in a ghastly blanket.
Starlight glimmered, shining brilliantly, yet there was an eerie hue to it all. He didn't understand it, nor could he put it into words. Yet Tevis checked his transponder, whatever it was. The others had definitely noticed too.
Ikorra paced in her study, a small room at the tower's peak. Decorated with books and grimoires she had collected over the ages. Her mind encumbered with the city's future. She reflected upon herself.
But something was wrong. Tonight felt restless. Her gaze lingered at the traveler, the great machine nourishing the last city.
" Centuries passed, humanity fell, yet you remained. What was the cost for such a fate? What is it that you expect from us?"
A subtle frown crept on her face. Her eyes wavered, as she looked to her feet. She knew all too well, the light was a blessing, yet it brought trials.
Her transponder rang, several urgent codes flashed. She wasn't alone, the Vanguard was notified of several calls, of critical proportions.
"For humanity, there is no cost too great."
Ikorra resolved herself as she answered, "Ikorra Ray, Vanguard. Speak."
Silence echoed, a muffled voice broke through, barely heaving for breaths. Whoever it was, seemed frightened, and anxious. There was a deep primal fear etched in each syllable he uttered.
And he uttered only once, through clenched teeth, as if every bone in his body wished it was a dream.
"...They took the moon.... He's here. We couldn't stop him. Hide, you must hide. The light, has abandoned us."
A/N: If you've enjoyed reading till now, do react to the posts, or comment. I appreciate any interaction! The next arc is very impactful.
It rushed forwards towards the small vent, with no intention of stopping, the rail guns locked on as hundreds of bullets pierced the secret entrance's hull.
Void pushed himself up as he prepared for Armageddon, the juggernaut's thrusters roared as it rammed through the walls, leaving behind a gargantuan hole, as dust clouds erupted in the barren plains of the cosmodrome.
Void's figure blended into the chaos, "Obsidian, eta."
"The Squad's five minutes away. We'll have to hold him off."
His eyes narrowed as two smoke bombs dropped from his palms and rolled away, erupting into a thick miasma of smog that covered the entire perimeter. Void's translucent figure was now completely hidden.
Juggernaut's sensors locked in on his energy, yet it was as if Void was everywhere and no where at all. He was fully immersed within the fog, causing the behemoth to erratically shift as its guns failed to track.
Utterly lost, the gargantuan arachnoid halted, fully on alert as its eye widened, focusing on all movements, down to the most minute ones.
But what it wasn't prepared for, was a feral frenzy. A tango of sheer speed, lethality and one damn cheeky bastard.
A smile crept on Void's lips, he revealed himself, the thick mist forming a faint silhouette that faced the Juggernaut. He put one foot forward and raised both hands.
Daggers akimbo, Void teased with a tantalizing flick of his fingers.
"Oi, catch me, if you ca-."
The instant the words slipped from his lips, Juggernaut raised both guns as a frenzy of deafening heavy rounds shredded the misty silhouette and it burst apart, scattering as it flushed hundreds of fog clouds its way.
Sensing a looming threat, Juggernaut jerked around and rammed into fog as it scattered away once more.
"Looking for me?"
Bullets barely grazed the flickering figure in the mist. all manners of calculations ran inside the machine's head, yet it couldn't grasp what was happening.
Void shot forward from a plume of smoke, ferociously swiping his dagger across one leg, the Juggernaut tried to jerk away, but Void countered with a clean slice that barely scratched its hull, yet left a corrosive mark.
The next instant, before it could respond, Void darted back into the smoke. Stumbling backwards Juggernaut swerved and fired around pre-emptively, hitting absolutely nothing, as it felt something stirring above.
Void slammed a kick into its dome, as a tremor pulsed, Juggernaut caught a glimpse of him, hurling its entire body towards Void.
But milliseconds before it crashed into him, Void's feet lightly tapped cracked ground and he flickered away, sliding underneath the megaton behemoth he deftly carved its shell.
Recovering perfectly, Void jolted to his feet, sliding out to the fog, he flickered.
Juggernaut roared, entering into a furious rage, decades of corrosion had slowed it down. Unable to keep track of Void, it danced with vigor hoping to catch him in the aftermath.
Bullets rained as Void dashed in and out, each step, each stride, each blow of his blade, timed to the last instant. Void's figure was akin to a haze, ferocious, and unseen.
"Arrows, NOW."
Tevis's voice broke the mould as Void let go of his spectral blades. An intense suppressive light captured the air itself. Juggernaut, blinding by the rage was unable to see it.
But Void looked to the skies. Thin streaks of light pierced the very horizon as they descended upon them, akin to heavenly judgement.
"Good luck bud."
Void waved him off, because he sure as hell wasn't staying to feel that blow. His figure turned translucent, as he scattered into mist, warping away to a seemingly safe distance.
What followed, was exactly what he expected. Void was barely outside the blast radius, he felt the harrowing suppressive energy flushing the entire plain. Toxic enough to corrode his own bones in an instant.
A second later, it erupted, yanking anything misfortunate enough to be close, parasitic tendrils sprouted like chains, draining energy from anything remotely alive.
Void sucked in a cold breath. In front of him, was the pinnacle achievement of Nightstalkers, this total annihilation was Shadowshot extinction.
"I'd take a step back if I were you."
Tevis appeared behind him and gently pulled him back, the enormous crater seemed to expand as poisonous fumes permeated the collapsing shockwave, creating a dead-zone at the centre.
The Nightstalker's gathered around, surrounding Void, many held questioning glares. But most of all, genuine awe.
"Way to go dumbass." Levi slapped him upside the head.
Void clicked his tongue, "Oi, I am the victim. I was just scavenging."
Levi scoffed, "Yeah, some real treasure you've dug up."
The squad broke into laughter, as Levi and Void squabbled. Tevis stepped in and separated the two, a somber frown etched on his face.
"Easy, it's not over, keep your guards up." His hands slipped to the side and grasped his curved daggers, coated with an onyx light. The rest of the squad felt an uneasy shiver run down their spines, their instincts implored them to look back.
Through the cataclysmic deadfall, the Juggernaut trudged closer, its entire hull decomposed and decaying, its legs giving out. Yet the emotionless red glare in his eyes said all that needed to be said.
"How's it still standing." Void felt awe, the gargantuan arachnoid was on its last legs, its sturdy frame marred with corroded burns, a feverish light continued to devour its pieces.
"Don't be surprised, he's just a husk of himself. But in his heyday that bastard ruled the cosmodrome tunnels." His daggers flashed, Tevis took one step forward, flickering ahead.
Taking a stance, Tevis faced the behemoth, the red glow in its eyes flared up, as if recalling the past, "Arachnoid's are a popular android type. Their chasse is impenetrable, and they move at feral speeds. To the untrained lightbearers, this thing will be their end."
He put one leg ahead of the other, taking a low stance as his daggers flared to the side.
Tevis appeared to stand still. Yet the next instant, only an afterimage remained, he silently phased above the Juggernaut, inches away from its dome.
"It's only weakness, is the head. Secured by thick steel."
The mechanical abomination struggled to trace Tevis's speed, it looked up. An instant later, was death.
The red hue in its visor disappeared, the last thing it saw, a seamless onyx slash cleaving its head apart. Its thick dome tumbled to the ground, as strength drained from its legs, the gargantuan arachnoid crumbled apart.
"But with the right technique, I'd say its still possible." Tevis flawlessly landed, his moves barely left a whisper. He was a phantom, the only evidence of his technique, was the dissected carcass of the machine.
Void grabbed the tumbling sphere rocking near his feet and held it up. 'Damn, Rasputin must've been a real nutcase to even make this.'
"Count your stars Void, you're damn lucky to have met this bastard in the state it was. A few decades earlier, and it would've eaten ten of you alive." Tevis walked back, clearly not happy with his apprentice.
Not only had Void magically released this horror, he had also created a real headache with paperwork. How was he supposed to explain the reemergence of The Juggernaut. He could already hear the warlock's and their incessant questions.
Tevis felt a burning pain pulse through his mind. "How the hell did you even get there. We made sure the place was sealed, and we closed all the f*cking gates."
"No one outside our squad knew of its location. Was the goddamn light cage not enough of a hint, you daft bastard? Keep your hands off the shit you can't afford to mess with."
Bombarded with insults, Void immediately sought to explain, but he was quickly shut out by the rest of the squad, who were keen on pelting some affectionate words of their own.
"OK, ok ok. Look, I just squeezed through the gaps and tracked the remnant traces, if anything its you guys doing a dogshit job at hiding yourself."
The squad rolled their eyes, but they let him continue.
"Either way, I did not wake it up. You might think I am crazed for loot, but even I can take a hint. When I saw the light cage, I left. Simple as that."
"You're really expecting me to believe that horseshit? I made that cage myself, there's no goddamn way it broke on its own. Something definitely broke it open." Levi immediately disagreed.
Void nodded, "That's what I am saying, I didn't, but something did. As I left, the waves got unusually rough. You might not believe me, but the tremors shook the entire cavern. Once that happened, all the mines were triggered."
"Before I knew it, everything was hazy, and the cage broke open."
"Not buyin it. Your dumbass probably tripped over it." Levi shrugged.
"You definitely need to work on your standup." Bandit clicked his tongue and chuckled.
"That's bullshit, you gotta trust me." Void looked around, pleading for some help. Naturally, all the Nightstalkers were well versed with the sly crocodile tears after screwing up. So he got no sympathy.
'Rough waves. Tremors.' Tevis muttered to himself.
While the squad quarrelled, debating whether or not Void was just finding excuses, Tevis peered at the night sky. He pondered as he searched for the moon. But alas, it was missing, or perhaps, just faded.
'The lunar cycle doesn't add up.' If anything, right now was the time for a full moon. Instead, its glow was diminished, and the lunar halo was no where to be seen. The night sky seemed bright, subtly wrapped in a ghastly blanket.
Starlight glimmered, shining brilliantly, yet there was an eerie hue to it all. He didn't understand it, nor could he put it into words. Yet Tevis checked his transponder, whatever it was. The others had definitely noticed too.
Ikorra paced in her study, a small room at the tower's peak. Decorated with books and grimoires she had collected over the ages. Her mind encumbered with the city's future. She reflected upon herself.
But something was wrong. Tonight felt restless. Her gaze lingered at the traveler, the great machine nourishing the last city.
" Centuries passed, humanity fell, yet you remained. What was the cost for such a fate? What is it that you expect from us?"
A subtle frown crept on her face. Her eyes wavered, as she looked to her feet. She knew all too well, the light was a blessing, yet it brought trials.
Her transponder rang, several urgent codes flashed. She wasn't alone, the Vanguard was notified of several calls, of critical proportions.
"For humanity, there is no cost too great."
Ikorra resolved herself as she answered, "Ikorra Ray, Vanguard. Speak."
Silence echoed, a muffled voice broke through, barely heaving for breaths. Whoever it was, seemed frightened, and anxious. There was a deep primal fear etched in each syllable he uttered.
And he uttered only once, through clenched teeth, as if every bone in his body wished it was a dream.
"...They took the moon.... He's here. We couldn't stop him. Hide, you must hide. The light, has abandoned us."
A/N: If you've enjoyed reading till now, do react to the posts, or comment. I appreciate any interaction! The next arc is very impactful.
