Dusk slowly came to the forest below, as the lone yautja ship softly touched down at the edge of the clearing. It's bulbous shape and brown, textured hull gave it an unnaturally organic appearance. Within the ship, Gar'nix'inde reached for the controls on his wrist and notched up his heated body mesh another two units. Though cold compared to normal standards, there was something unsettling about this cold, something unnerving about it.
From behind, Gar'nix'inde's companion saw a slight shudder run through him. Upon commenting, Gar'nix'inde turned and backhanded the younger yautja. "Nevermind that," he barked, "keep your mind where it belongs, on yourself. If something goes wrong out there, you don't want to be sent to your usl-kwe because you failed to check your equipment properly."
Ja'nix bowed his head at the reprimand and Gar'nix'inde turned and keyed the hatch to the outside world. With a slight hiss of vapor, the door slid open. Gar'nix'inde inwardly cringed at this, for the night air was warm and pleasant, but still Gar'nix'inde shudder from some unknown cold. "What is going on?" He thought to himself, mentally worried.
Silently cursing himself his stupidity, he pushed the thoughts to the back of his head and jumped down to the clearing below him. For this hunt, the master and the apprentice went in without helmets, the student carrying a single burner and Gar'nix'inde only a spear and his wristblades to protect them. It was with this hunt that Ja'nix would finally become blooded.
Letting Ja'nix take the lead, Gar'nix'inde stalked slowly behind his pupil, his eyes open and seeking any signs of their prey. From ahead, a cry broke the calm of the night, sending a flock of native birds flying from their roosts. Then, across the top of the trees, coming directly towards them, a massive crashing could be heard. The trees suddenly became a whole lot more dark and concealing, as a pack of six aliens, hard meat, sprang from down and charged forward.
They moved with a speed borne of fury, their long strides sending them across the clearing in record time. Their long black tails whipped and lashed out behind them, their enlongated skulls bobbing with each stride as they hissed and screamed madly. Ja'nix proved himself that night, his burner moving as an extension of his own body, blowing four of the aliens back to the pit with from which they came before the remaining two had reached them.
Moving just as quickly, Gar'nix'inde let the first slip by for Ja'nix, and then focused his thoughts on the last. It came directly towards him, carrying itself low to the ground, arms outstretched and grasping. It was almost upon him when he sprang upwards into the air, flipping forward as the hard meat's forward momentum carried it underneath him. Not wasting a second, in mid-air he extended the spear clutched in his hands, and as the alien pulled up short and searched for his suddenly missing target. Landing in a crouch behind the stupefied alien, he rammed the spear upwards, sending it through the hard meat's knobby back and through the back of it's melon head.
Then, he took a double-take, suddenly noticing that his breath was now misting in front of him. Then the world froze around him. The movement of his pupil behind him was replaced by the silence of stillness, the remaining alien also suddenly quiet, wherever it was. Then Gar'nix'inde saw it.
In the mist ahead of him, a shimmering image suddenly took form, slowly, the image separated itself from the mist and paced forward. It appeared as a tall proud yautja, all it's armor gone, wearing only a loin cloth and ceremonial leggings. With all his might, Gar'nix'inde tried to move, tried to defend himself. Then the realization of this spectral being dawned on him.
It still slowly came towards him, passing through the solid form of the alien yet impaled on his outstretched spear. Then it stopped, standing directly in front of him, Gar'nix'inde's own spear seemingly passing through it's luminescent form. It placed a hand on his shoulder, a kind of shock passed through him, and he could no longer see anything. He was surrounded by black, and then he was alone, with the shimmering image of a yautja in front of him.
~Do you know who I am?~
- yes, you are the black warrior, the bringer of death, Cetanu-
~Do you know why I have come?~
-because my path has come to an end, and it is time for my final rest, my usl-kwe.-
~Will you follow me?~
But Gar'nix'inde did not have time for an answer. It was not a question, just an understood declaration. The black warrior still stood there, shimmering in the pale moonlight, his hand still placed on Gar'nix'inde's shoulder. Gar'nix'inde looked down, bringing his arms closer to his face in wonder, he was now shimmering and luminescent, too. Then, he followed the black warrior's gaze, and suddenly the world around them sprang back to life.
Gar'nix'inde stood gazing, a ghostly specter, as his corporeal form was mauled from behind by the remaining hard meat. The alien's blow came down hard across his back, angling downward, breaking his back and raking off most of the skin of his back. As spouts of blood splashed across the grassy clearing's floor, the two spectral forms turned and walked back into the mist, slowly disappearing.
* * *
The void of black went on endlessly, now and again broken by brilliant burst of color, rifts in the fagbric of the astral plane. But Cetanu saw nothing. In this void, filled only by the rifts and the rest of the paya, nothing was seen. The gods so no need for physical form or the other attachments of substansial form, so they existed without them during their stays in their astral plane.
It was here that Cetanu floated, his formless consciousness drifting across the plane as he pondered his current situation. From the being of time, since the first yautja evolved and began the great hunt, a situation like this had never come into play. From the beginning the yautja had been satisfied with their existance, the sport of the hunt keeping them occupied and stopping them from growing power hungry. That was the purpose of the hunt, to quelch their bloodlust and huger for power.
Then came the humans. Upon the gods' creation of the yautja, they had failed to realize the threat of another species influence on the yautja, possibly becuase at that point there had been no civilized life. But the the oomans evolved into the clever beings that they presently were, and the yautja took to hunting them. It was not to be allowed at first, but the yautja grew tired of their game, and craved something more intelligent, more dangerous, and the oomans were the obvious choice.
After centuries upon centuries of contact with the oomans, their own unrestrained bloodlust and hunger for power was witnessed by the yautja. Oomans caused the initial growth in the bloodlust that had been restrained for milleniums on end, and the hunger for more and more power grew almost unstoppable among some of the less wise yautja.
This faction soon became unstable and split off, calling themselves Taki'Thei-da, or Soul Reavers, and colonizing a neighboring planet to practice thier own religon, worshipping inept and unholy gods, while living and hunting in a civilization based upon greed and the desire for power. They began to war with the remaining faction of yautja hat still beleived in the old ways of the hunt, and planned to wipe out that faction.
Cetanu floated towards one of the brightly lit rifts, and in a sparkle was gone. A war had started again, and it was time to collect the trophies of war.
Splashes of orange flame bit through the night as the giant bonfire twirled and danced skyward, heeded on by clicks and chatters of anticipation. Slowly, moving in a prearranged, oddly beautiful dance, half a dozen tattooed aliens danced and stalked around the massive bonfire, arms out spread to the heavens.
Tattooes flowed from their waists, covering their thighs and and massive chests, the black and gray ink forming swirls and curves like that of the fire.
At the edge of the dance, a lone Taki'Thei-da stood, massive, much larger than any of the others. His tatooes were mush more prevalent, covering all of his body. The fire glinted madly in his eyes and his lower mandibles flared in anger. Roughly shaking the dredlocks that flowed down to his shoulders, 'helshien called out to the others.
"The time has come," he growled in a low voice, "the time that we eliminate the non-believers and claim our rightful place at the head of our race. Soon we will fight the weaklings that presume to be our superiors and we will vanguish them in the greatest battle in the annals of yautja history!" The chatters and hisses mommentarily drowned out the speech, but all was silenced with the movement of a hand. "Now join me in the Nan De-Than Gauni, the kiss of midnight!"
All around arced their backs to the night sky above them and let out howls of pure rage and ecstasy. With a multitude of flickers, thousands more giant bonfires all appeared, and the howling was heard for miles all around as tens of thousands of Taki'Thei-da raised their voices and joined in the Kiss of Midnight.
Setg'-in'Thei-de stood amonst his own warriors as they sparred and practiced amongst themselves. plasma bolts, toned down in power as to only give a slight tingling sensation, flew across the room, some striking their targets while others splashed harmlessly against the wall. Dulled sparring spears were heared to ring out with each swift hit, sending targets flying or doubling over, clutching at hit stomachs.
If another entity less experienced in the hunt were to look on at this spectacle, they would think that it was unorganized chaos. But a skilled yuatja like Setg'-in-Thei-de could ee otherwise, as each warrior interacted in a way so that nothing was unorganized. If one yuatja were to leave himself open from behind, another would lithely slip into the opening and defend it for him, blasting and sparring all the while.
The yuatja in the Kehrite were engaged in a type of war game, the opposing sides marked in distinguishing colors, their blasters and spears dulled and weakened in order that no one would get hurt, only taught a smarting lesson by a plasma blast in the back.
Setg'-in'Thei-de looked on and rumbled in pleasure, arms folded across his chest. As leader of the clan, he was the biggest and strongest of the whole lot. Tales of his valor were told nightly around the fire, of how he lost his right eye fighting a queen. If another fight surpassed his struggle against that queen, with only his wrist blades and a spear, he would be seriously surprised. He trained his clan well, and had great faith in their abilities during hunts. The battle that was to come, they would be well prepared for it.
The two tatooed aliens circled and feinted at each other as the ring around them pounded out a frenzied beat on their ritual drums. 'Helshien stalked slowly around the burning pit before him. Across the flames, a young, scared Taki'Thei-da skittered about, his footing unsure, eyes darting from the flames to 'Helshien and back again. One of the preperational rituals demanded by their gods, this form of jehdin/jehdin would be to the death.
Still slowly circling, 'Helshien quickly feinted to the left, as if to finally close the distance between them, and then pulled back, stepping back lightly on his heels. Before the other alien could judge his opponents movements, 'Helshien sprang upwards into the air, clearing the blazing pit. Reacting a tad too slowly, the other Taki'Thei-da stepped, but not before 'Helshien grabbed onto his dredlocks. flipping himself over right before he hit the ground.
The momentum of the landing sent the Taki'Thei-da over 'Helshien's shoulder, pulled backwards onto the ground by his dredlocks. With a back-breaking thud, the fallen yautja tried to growl menacingly from his postition on the ground, failed. The weak hiss only evoked laughter of the gathered drummers. 'Helshien leaned over his victim, flared mandibles almost touching the other's face, and let loose a low growl.
Then he straightened, pulled back his massive arm, and plunged his talon through the yautja's chest. Bright, glowing ichor flowed freely over his fist as the yautja screamed, mandibles knashing. A slight crunch sounded as 'Helshien broke the sternum, then he pulled his fist back, holding the yet beating heart. He roared in fury, holding his prize over his head, shaking his dredlocks in excitement. Then, slowly he lowered the heart to his upturned mouth and took the first bite. Hissing in pleasure, he passed the heart on to the ring of drummers. It was passed on down the circle, each Taki'Thei-da taking a bite in turn.
The ritual had taken place since the first break away from traditional yautja society. In eating the heart, even a small amount, they all took on part of the fallen yautja's spirit and soul, and added the fallen yautja's strength to their own. The heart was either taken from companions fallen in battle, or taken from those that failed in the ritual kedhin/kedhin. During the heat of battle, all the Taki'Thei-da that had taken part in the ritual cannibalism of the heart were said to have gone into a crazed frenzy, driven mad by the voices of those sacrificed. They turned into beserkers, and were unstoppable, even by their fellow warriors.
When the circle had finished it's feast, they all arose, and one by one, 'Helshien arose and walked amonst them, stopping in front of each one. Upon stopping, he gripped each of their shoulders in turn, shaking them briefly. All around them, at the thousand other circles, among the tens of thousands of yautja, the same ceremony was taking place. Stopping, 'Helshien shouted out and order, which was echoed by all the other leaders among the yuatja, until all at the camp heard it.
With military precision, all of the Taki'Thei-da fell into tight formation, forming ranks in the pale light of the rising sun. The rows stretched onward, all Taki'Thiei-da standing erect and proud, mandibles flared in readiness, massive arms held rigidly at their sides, heads held high, awaiting their orders. 'Helshien stepped out from the front of the ranks and climbed up a outcropping of rock that rose partway out of the ground. It was from here that he finally gave the orders, much briefer than expected. "The time has come. Your preparation shall start now. Gather your Awu'asa."
A group of Taki'Thei-da walked down the ranks of the awaiting warriors, handing out the apropriate armor to all that awaited. In a matter of minutes, the Taki'Thei-da were snapping in place helmets and donning shoudler cannons and wristblades. Armor plating was snugged down over bulging muscles, while heated body mesh was adjusted appropriately. Soon, the warriors were ready, a sea of dangerous and angry humanoids armed to the teeth with enough weaponry to take on anything in their path.
* * *
Onboard the traveling clan ship, Setg'-in'Thei-de Looked out the main view port, his heart and mind already on the planet quickly growing outside the ship. Around the ship the stars that had appeared to stretch out snapped back into view as Setg'-in'Thei-de barked the final orders to the piolots around him. The massive Jag'da'ja Atoll groaned in protest at the strain of space ravel, not built for use as a space ship, but rather as a floating city. Even at it most converted state for military use, the massive outpost would probably never leave the orbit of the approaching planet.
"Load and ready all forward dropships," he barked at the attendant standing next to him. "When we reach orbit, we must lauch all dropships and the immediately, as to not give the Taki'Thei-da a chance to attack. After the dropships are safely away, launch out the decoys to the other side of the planet" he said before turning and swiftly heading for the docking bays below, to the awaiting dropships. The battle had begun!
The massiive Jag'da'ja Atoll floated softly in it's orbit, it's circular form outlined by the distant sun. With a hiss of releasing air, four of the forward docking bays opened, realeasing a swarm of dropships outward, all blasting towards the planet, leaving behind their safe haven and entering the softly glowing atmosphere.
Their hulls began to glow red as the friction built on their hulls, sending errie cascades of light in their wake. They were roughly oval shaped, flattening out on the bottom, and containing four massive gripping claws, located on their sides. There were twenty of these, each containing a hundred yautja warriors. Behind the foward dropships came one more, slightly larger than the rest, shaped roughly like the Jag'da'ja Atoll, a flattened circle with four short compartments radiating outwards from its sides, and a slight dome on its top. This one also had the grasping claws located nearer to its base.
With a massive roars of firing retros, the larger dropship landed on the ground in the center of a small valley, surrounded completely by mountains. The smaller dropships came down all around it, spreading out and radiating from it's center. ground broke and went flying as the ships droped their gripping claws, splitting intpo the earth and staying, forming a complete portabale base of operations.
All the while, four smaller needle like decoys were sent plummeting to the earth on the other side of the planet, transmitting their false signal to distract the enemy. They were camped, and all they could do now was wait.
* * *
A clinging mist hung over the ground surrounding the yautja's base camp the next morning, sheltering and protecting the waiting warriors from their enemies. They were silent as they milled about the comfines of the base, armor plates clinking softly together, but amplified in the silence so that each clank sounded like a bomb going off.
Setg'-in'Thei-de stood at the very edge of the sheltering mist, gazing through, not wanting to see what was on the other side. They had no idea the size of the army that they faced, for the numbers that the Taki'Thei-da had converted were unknown, and had gone unchecked for centuries. We was not afraid, for fear would mean hatred, which clouded one's judgement and made them react foolishly. No, this wasn't fear, this was worried specualtion.
He had trained his warriors well, and though he was not afraid to die, many of his warriors had yet to aquire enough experience of the hunt to be able to die properly during this battle. Their paths were yet to be fully challenged, and they had no perception of what a real war was like.
Shaking his head, he pushed the thoughts aside. He had trained them to the best of his ability, and that was all that could be done, he thought as he tried to pierce the fogs gray covering. They were as ready as they would ever be.
Across the valley, a single challenging cry rang out. In a flurry of motion, the warriors grabbed there weapons and filed into ranks. Setg'-in'Thei-de cleared his thoughts and slowly turned to the assembled Yautja. " Dtai'k-dte sa-de nav'g-kon dtain'aun bpide! M-di H'chak! M-di H'dlak!" The fight has begun and will not end until the end! Show no Mercy! Have no fear!
Then Setg'-in'Thei-de turned and raised his burner to his shoulder. The yautja behind him did likewise. Then the fog lifted. A murmer of disbelief went up from the ranks of the yautja as they saw the scene before them.
For as far as the eye could see, ranks upon ranks, rows upon rows of Taki'Thei-da filled the valley before them. For every one yautja, there were ten of them, beings just as smart as them, with just as much artillery. Setg'-in'Thei-de's eyes widened in disbelief, the strange sense of fear clutching at his heart. Then, from the very front ranks of the enemy, one of the Taki'Thei-de cried out, and the flood gates of hell opened up before them.
Cetanu looked on with sympathy. Before him, down on the earth below, a holy war was taking place, and the faithful were losing the battle. The Taki'Thei-da had them outnumbered ten to one, and nothing was going to stop them. They fought with a fury born of insanity, and strength born of the souls of the sacrificed. They cared not for there own lives, even to the point of not caring about honorable deaths. Their shouts rang out as they swarmed over the helpless yautja, calling out to one another and to their own false gods.
"This must be stopped," he said to himself, and in a whisper, he was gone.
They came endlessly, killing all in their reach. Even thought the yautja fought bravely and with great skill, they were forced back by the sheer numbers. Already they had lost half their number, and slowly Setg'-in'Theri-de was losing his hold at the forefront of the battle. He spun and wove and sliced and fired, all with the greatest of skill, but the strain of the dozens closing in on him knawed at his strength, forcing him to slowly fall back. Next to him, a fellow warrior fell heavily to the ground, his head cut off by a thrown disc. Tracking the source, Setg'-in saw the killer and aimed his burner, sending a mass of burning plasma into the creatures chest, exploding it's chest and leaving a ragged hole. The thing fell to the earth as Setg'-in was again forced back, dodging bullets.
In the heat of this frenzied battle, Setg'in's breath suddenly froze in midair, fogging his mask over. Then time froze. With a whisper of the dead, a unnatural light explode in the center of the battle field. Setg'-in'Thei-de watched in wonder as forms began to take shape in that blinding light. At first they were in substantial froms of souls long gone, taken by battles of the past and taken by the Taki'Thei-da. Then they took a more solid form, their limbs becoming more defined, suddenly encased in armor and weaponry. From the light stepped thousands of dead souls, all taking physical form, all ready to fight. At their head came the most impressive figure of them all.
Who ever the yautja was, he towered over the rest of the reborn warriors. His skin was as black as the night, his armor and helmet a rich blue. His dredlocks hung down to the small of his back, tangled and matted in wild ferocity. He held a hi-powered plasma launcher half the size of his body in one hand, holding it propped agianst his wide shoulder. In his other hand, he held a serrated blade, the edge glinting madly in the shining light behind him. Then, he planted the launcher firmly against his shoulder, and time snapped back into motion as he fired into a group of Taki'Thei-da, scattering them in a shower of thewi.
A hush fell over the battlefield as the yautja and Taki'Thei-da alike looked at the new arrivals. Then with renewed vigor, Setg'-in'Thei-de called out, and the remaining yautja dove back into the fray, taking advantage of their enemies' temporary confusion.
Setg'-in charged foward, slicing through the the neck of the Taki'thei-da in front of him. He turned and fired, ducked down and sliced away at an unaware enemy, slicing off his legs at the knees, sending the enemy tumbling to the ground. From his crouched positon, Setg'-in sprung upwards into the air, flipping and landing behind a charging enemy.
He continued forward, slicing and shooting in a maddening ballet, slowly making his way to the side of the mysterious black yautja that had appeared. He stood tall in the fray, calmly taking out large groups of Taki'Thei-da from the distance, all the while slicing with his wicked blade at any enemy that came to close. Finally, with an ominous click, the launcher's ammo supply was depleted. Not hesitating for even a second, he calmly flipped the weapon over and smashed it's butt-end into a charging Taki'Thei'-da, demolishing its face in a spary of blood and gore.
Tossing the spent launcher aside, he dropped his sword and unclipped two discs from his waist. With a frenzyed roar, an enemy warrior charged him from behind, only to be shoot down by another of the ressurected yautja. The Taki'Thei-da were now outnumbered ten to one, the tables now turned by the appearences of Cetanu and his minions, fighting in league against the Taki'Thei-da. With calls and shouts, the two leaders manuevered their warriors around the Taki'Thei-da, encircling and trapping them.
More and more of the enemy fell with each passing second, and then the order went up to close the circle. Cetanu and Setg'-in now fought side by side, slowly moving inward on the Taki'Thei-da, firing with the rest of the warriors. Thewi flew freely in the air, appearing in a fine mist as heads and assorted body parts exploded. The Taki-Thei-da were being beaten!
Standing at the edge of the valley, 'Helshien watched as his warriors were shot down one-by-one. fitting the final peice of armor onto his tremendous body, he let loose a cry to the heavens, a cry for strength and protection from the enemies he was about to face. Then, picking up his sword, he ran off towards the battle.
Setg'-in fired quickly as his shoulder cannon tracked a Taki'Thei-da running to make a break from the circle. Somewhere on down the line, on of the ressurected yautja threw a gernade into the middle of the fray, sending bodies and shrapnel skyward as it exploded. As the wind shifted towards the firing Setg'-in, he heard a lone cry carry towards him from the edge of the valley. Whirling about, he saw the lone 'Helshien as the warrior ran towards him.
Setg'-in walked outwards from the battle, pacing across the valley, then stopping next to a rock-face that thrust outwards from the flat ground. 'Helshien was quickly nearing him. He reached up and unplugged his visor, taking it off and throwing it to the ground, doing likewise with the rest of his equipment until he was left only with his wrist-blades. His dreadlocks swayed softly in the breeze as he flared his mandibles, roaring at his approaching opponent.
Then, 'Helshien was there, standing several feet in front of him. He looked Setg'-in over, then also took off all his equipment, leaving only his wristblades. Growling menacingly, the two began to circle, judging each other and anticipating each other's moves. Springing forward, Setg'-in made the first move, trying to jump past 'Helshien for a blow to the back, failed to do this, and was sent flying backwards, hitting the rock outcropping and sliding to the ground.
Shaking his head, he quickly jumped up and resumed his circling. He feinted again, feinted again, then smacked 'Helshien across the side of the head, a move meant to humilate, not to harm. Infuriated, 'Helshien charged, slashing wildly, not caring about anything else. Setg'-in easily sidestepped his enraged opponent, playing it safe, and kicked him in his exposed behind, to further enrage his opponent. 'Helshien pulled up short as Setg'-in barked in laughter.
"You must be the leader, to be this bad in combat," he snarled as they resumed their circling. 'Helshien remained quiet, only growled and shook his head menacingly. He seemed to be bringing himself back under restriant, reingn in his raging temper. This was bad, for now he would be under control of his actions, no longer acting purely out of rage. The tougher opponent was the one that was calm and controlled.
"Now you die," 'Helshien spat and slowly came forward. He cocked back his bladed arm, then spun and kicked Setg'-in in the face, catching him completely off gaurd. Setg'-in made a grab for the foot, but missed and left himself open. 'Helshien grabbed the arm and sunk to his knees, at the same time turning and throwing Setg'-in over his head.
Setg'-in quickly recovered, still dazed, but alert enough to stand and turn, his back now to the rocky outcropping. His arm hurt, most likely pulled out of joint by 'Helshien's throw. He didn't have time to dwell on the pain though, as the attack was renewed. 'Helshien charged foward arms outstrecthed, allowing Setg'-in only a second to react. Quickly sidestepping, Setg'-in whirled about to see 'Helshien run up the side of the rock face and jump backwards over Setg'-in's shoulder.
Setg'-in didn't have time to react, the pain already crippling him as wrist-blades peirced down into the base of his spine. He fell to his knees, his legs and waist paralyzed from the blow. Then 'Helshien was there, grabbing his dredlocks and shoving his face into the dirt, smothering him in the filth. Setg'-in chocked and gasped on the dirt as he was pulled back up to his knees.
"Had enough? NO?" 'Helshien shouted, thrusting his face back into the dirt, then pulling it up again after a couple moments. Still holding Setg'-in by his thewi-matted dredlocks, 'Helshien reached down and grabbed Setg'-in's wrist computer and punched a quick combination of buttons. "See that," He snarled, turning Setg'-in's head towards the rapidly diminishing numbers displayed on the computer, "that is the end of your army!" Then, he jerked Setg'-in's head roughly to watch the battle. All around, all of Setg'in's well trained warriors beat back the Taki'Thei-da. One moment they fought the winning battle, then the numbers finally ran out on the wrist display, and the battlefield was lit up hundreds of bright explosions, the nuclear detonators remotely detonated by 'Helshien's tampering with Setg'-in's wrist computer.
The explosions flashed white hot lighting up the silhouettes of the ressurected yautja, sending up mushroom clouds of dust, then quickly started to expand towards 'Helshien and his captive. The noise of it was deafening, and Setg'-in looked on in utter disbelief as the explosion came towards him. Then, he was jerked back behind the outcropping of rock as radiated light and air rushed past them, safe behind the outcropping.
The dust lingered for what seemed like forever, while Setg'-in was still held upright by 'Helshien's grip on his dredlocks. Slowly it cleared, and Setg'-in could finally see his surrondings, everything that was ravaged by the explosion. "You would rather die a dishonorable death, you would rather shame your clan, than die honorably in an equal fight? You sacrificed your entire army! What do you have now?" Setg'-in slowly slurred through mouthfuls of blood driping down between his crushed mandibles. "You disgust me, you Tarei hsan! Cetanu has seen your deeds this day, and you will not escape him."
"Save your idiotic false gods for someone who gives a c'jit," 'Helshien rasped, then rasied his taloned hand, and plunged it into Setg'-in's rib cage. Green thewi flowed freely down Setg'-in's chest, but he refused to scream, to give his killer that satisfaction. 'Helshien flared his mandibles in pleasure as he gripped his prize and ripped it out of it's resting place.
He slowly raised the still beating heart to his fangs, and just before Setg'-in fell to the ground dead, he bit into the heart, savoring it's taste and reveling in the benefits and power it would bring him. Then, Setg'-in slowly fell foward onto his face, dead before he hit the ground.
Splashes of orange flame bit through the night as the giant bonfire twirled and danced skyward, illuminating 'Helshien as he sat by it's edge. His eyes glinted wickedly in the backwash of light. Soon, he would return to his clan, the remaining survivor of the battle. Oh, the stories that they would tell of him! He could hardly wait. And in a way, he justified to himself, he had made sure that all the warriors that he had sacrificed in the explosion had died honorably, fighting to the death.
The victory in his eyes dimmed as his thoughts drifted to the appearance of the mysterious black yautja and the others that came with him. That he could not explain, and it troubled him. He pushed the concern to the back of his head, telling himself it was just a hullicination brought on by the spirits he had taken over the years. The mysterious black yautja had been there all along. Yes, that was it. Again, his mandibles flared in exhilaration and the victory returned to his eyes.
Then the forms began to take shape in the fire. There were two of them, shimmering yautja dressed in ceremonial loin clothes. NO! This couldn't be! One of them was Setg'-in, but he was dead, wasn't he! The apparation of Setg'-in flared his mandibles in amusement upon seeing the shocked look on 'Helshien's face.
The other mysterious figure walked closer, closing the gap, and suddenly, 'Helshien's breath condensed in the air before him. The image reached back, and then plunged a taloned, shimmering hand right through his chest. There was no blood, the hand just simply passed through, like it was not there at all.
~Do you know who I am?~
-NO!-
~Do you know why I have come?~
-NO! It can't be!-
~Will you follow me?~
It wasn't a question, and then an invisible hand squeezed shut on 'Helshien's heart.
[Rage] Garet_Jax
back to home
