Chapter 33: Crucible Chronicles (5)
A/N: Hope you enjoy the chapter. For those asking, I am 21 now.
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"It seems that Zavala was right about you." Shaxx slapped Void's shoulders.
"Agh..Thanks." Void replied as a strange numbness spread through his arms.
" You've honed your instincts nicely. Especially your stealth, it combines great lethality with the element of surprise. You should be proud." Shaxx's voice echoed in the arena as a belated laugh followed.
"However I must ask, how did you plan on hindering the gunslingers with the smoke bombs?" Shaxx held a curious gaze as his eyes swept over Void's figure.
Void contemplated his words, his thoughts raced backwards as he recalled the encounter two days ago.
He could recall everything in that fight, as Shin used the explosive knives to create a plume of dust to separate himself from Sai. However, despite having the choice, he waited until the arc hunter dashed outside the dust explosion to try and use his golden gun.
Naturally, Void's observant eyes didn't miss such a small action. One thing was clear, golden gun worked best if used with direct line of sight. Hence to him, interrupting that line of sight with a smoke bomb was the best solution.
As for the planned smoke bombs? Luring the enemy to the center as he waited there in stealth was a standard tactic anyone could come up with. But the deciding factor were not his smoke bombs, but his Shadowshot.
Since Shadowshot enveloped a massive area, direct line of sight wasn't necessary. As long as it landed within the vicinity, the radius of the tether would envelope anyone within range.
Void's lips parted, "Golden gun is a technique requiring great precision. I didn't think they would take the risk of missing if they couldn't see me for a few seconds. On the other hand, my arrows will always find the way." He answered, beaming a smile at the old warlord.
Void could only attribute his tactics to his own realizations, after all he couldn't just share his mission history with everyone could he?
"Yes...yes. Devouring light, a peculiar attribute of the Nightstalkers indeed." Shaxx replied, his eyes lingering at Void's hands.
"It is a power that commands fatality..... and fear." Shaxx's voice dwindled to a whisper as he snapped out of his trance.
Shaxx cleared his throat, "Forgive me, I was just reminiscing. Yes, about your performance, you had me thoroughly impressed. A few more rounds like that and I would be inclined to reward you from my personal collection."
Void's eyes lit up the moment he heard personal collection, 'A crucible armory weapon... I need it.'
"Let's run it again, I can't leave without my loot can I?" Void replied, a smirk lined the corners of his lips.
"Bold and courageous. I LIKE IT." Shaxx chuckled in surprise as he turned towards the arena.
"You hear that guardians? Take your positions." With a swift flick he rolled his flare gun.
Shaxx loaded in a single flare as he cocked the gun, "Again."
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[ Six Days Later, Twilight Gap]
Near the mountain valleys of the last city, winds howled, tattered and charred crimson banners fluttered as they hung high, basking in the dawn of the morning sun.
The harrowing landscape filled with a golden hue, it's grounds razed of any blooming life, reminiscent of the crusades fought in the last century.
"Here we fight, for the memory of those who stood." A solemn voice echoed through the hallowed grounds, ringing through the rusted walls of the frontier.
Shaxx looked down from his spire, gazing upon his guardians with a somber melancholy hidden behind his eyes.
Void's figure flickered through the tall grass with dagger in hand. He leapt through the bushes towards an unsuspecting warlock, twisting his body in mid air, Void flipped upside down and swiped the dagger, etching a line between head and torso.
Like a blur, his feet touched the ground and he disappeared again,
"Here we die, for the glory of the Light that never fades" Shaxx spat out as the head rolled on the floor, his voice laced with a soft quiver.
Suddenly, the arena went dead silent as a figure cleaved through the air, whipping his handgun out.
"Come out, come out, wherever you are." Warrod shouted, his eyes looking for a trace of Void.
Keeping his gun cocked, Warrod darted around, trying to catch a glimpse of Void. However, catching a Nighstalker in stealth was akin to finding needle in a haystack.
Feeling a breeze gush in from the right, Warrod's eyes widened as he jerked his head fowards.
A sharp whistle sliced through the air as Void's dagger zipped past his nape, inches away from decapitating the gunslinger, before Void could reposition, Warrod retaliated, immediately firing shots at point blank range through to Void's chest.
"Oi, Oi, I thought we were friends." Warrod spoke, his hands fumbling with the magazine as he swiftly reloaded.
Void found his balance as he sprang to his feet, feeling a few heavy shots deposited in his chest plate, he reached to his side and his hands snapped towards the hand-cannon.
"I could say the same" He replied, the two hunters immediately leapt backwards as their trigger fingers settled in.
Void's eyes glistened as a strange foresight enveloped his view. His hands twitched as he saw Warrod pull the trigger.
The bullets seemed to halt as time slowed down. Void flung his arm in front, tugging on the trigger to match their trajectories.
Void felt the world move as his foresight ended, suddenly the shots rang out and the bullets collided dropping to the floor.
"How the f*ck did you even do that." Warrod growled as he yanked on his side grabbing thin air.
"Mother****er ", Warrod cursed skidding on the ground with his hands shuffling near his side.
"Looking for this?" Void teased, as he juggled a carbon mag in his hands.
A trace of understanding flashed in Warrod's eyes as he recalled the earlier dagger attack.
"You didn't think I actually missed, did you?" Void spoke as his lips tugged into a grin.
Warrod's shoulders hung low, " Alright, you got me. Fair game partner." He sighed, as he slowly raised his hands.
Void pulled down his gun and tossed Warrod the mag, but just as he chucked it, Warrod's hands jolted, as he snapped away grenades from his belt and tossed them.
"Grenade!" Shaxx exclaimed.
Seeing two grenades leave Warrod's grasp, Void's wrist twitched as he immediately fired a shot straight through one.
A strong explosion rang out as the grenades discharged in mid air, exploding near the gunslinger as he felt his face charr off, bits and pieces of his body had been blown to smithereens as he finally slumped to the ground.
"Better luck next time, partner." Void blew the smoke off his barrel as he holstered it to his side.
Shaxx slammed his hand into the metal beams, his jaw wide open, "THIS IS AMAZING."
He clapped fiercely and jumped off the spire. Shaxx hit the ground and immediately sprang up into his signature pose, chest wide open with hands resting to his side.
"THE VICTOR HAS BEEN DECIDED"
As he shouted out the conclusion, several ghosts appeared above their dead guardians, slowly condensing light into their new forms.
The guardians all gathered on Void as they congratulated him for the victory.
Jason pumped fists with Void with an impressed smile, "I gotta admit, the free for all is a badass idea."
"Maybe, I will stop holding back the next time" Jason chuckled with an amusing grin.
Edith slapped his back as she quipped, "Don't talk big when you died first."
Jason sucked in his lips as he rubbed his back, "You can't blame me, when I saw you I got lost in your eyes.... and then a fucking rocket hit me outta nowhere."
Void swayed his head, "My bad on that one, didn't mean to interrupt your little date."
Edith's eyes sparked, "It wasn't a date." She gritted her teeth.
Void raised his hands as he chimed, " Say what you want, but you also froze when he looked you in the eyes."
Edith zapped Void with a finger as she strutted away.
Void rapidly rubbed his arm to reduce the pain as he glared towards Jason, "Yeah I don't get how you fell, for that."
The titan seemed to glance towards Edith's departing figure as he replied, "Just something about her, she's like a ball of energy."
Warrod walked towards the two as he tapped shoulders with Void, "I thought I had you, you're a beast you know that?"
"It's all in the hands man." Void twirled his fingers and laughed
"You gotta teach me the last one later." Warrod replied
Shaxx cleared his throat as he took center stage, "Attention Guardians!", all eyes turned to him.
As everyone gathered around Shaxx, the warlord pushed out his chest and spoke with vigor.
"These six days have been amazing. No doubt, the crucible has gone through many changes as suggested by Void, for that I must thank you." He gestured towards Void as everyone clapped.
"For the future, we must continue to evolve. The light finds a way guardians. Always. finds a way to become stronger by the day. We must do the same."
Shaxx looked towards the horizon, " Now, to reward our latest Victor, Void, I must say that you've continued to impress me. I've decided to give you a weapon forged by the finest gunsmiths the city had to offer."
Shaxx opened his hands as a brown auto rifle appeared within them, "We stand here, at the Twilight gap. A land of grief and horror. A land where we fought grimm battles, but emerged victorious, hence, the city stands."
"I reward you, with the true hero of the twilight gap. Grimm Citizen." Shaxx's voice resounded as he handed over the rifle to Void.
Void felt a sudden weight on his shoulders as he grasped the rifle. As if he could truly see the battles the weapon had fought. He caressed the gun's old frame, it's iron sights, the worn handle. It seemed to fit perfectly in his grip.
"Thank you." He replied with conviction.
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Grim Citizen III
Rank: Legendary
"The grief and horror of Twilight Gap drove some of the finest gunsmiths in The City to elevate their art"
Perks:
(Accurized Site) : Precise Fire
(Who's Next?): A kill with the final round in the magazine increases reload speed
(Perfect Balance): This weapon has extremely low recoil.
(Spray and Play): Increases the reload speed of this weapon when its mag is empty.
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The crucible resolved for the day as Shaxx recounted the old stories of Twilight Gap, reminding the guardians to always focus on improvement, and to never give up. (A/N: Ignore the slight errors in timeline for the twilight gap. We will just assume that it happened in the order that I write the arcs.)
Twilight Gap was a testament to the unshakeable will of the titans to defend the city, a heroic battle that could decide the fate of the city. Shaxx recounted how his fireteam had fought the eliksni held the city's walls and refused to fall back to the Ridgeback District.
An act of defiance that had bought enough time for the city's forces to regroup and push back against the Eliksni invasion.
After listening to the warlord reminisce, Void went to orbit as he patiently waited.
For what you ask? Well of course, the one timer that truly mattered.
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{ Legendary Guardian System}
Time Left: 00 Days, 00 Hours, 00 Minutes 10 Seconds
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Void counted with bated breaths as the timer hit zero and the system window refreshed.
He gulped, and slowly clicked towards the system again, as Void saw a single phrase show up on his screen, he smiled.
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{ Legendary Guardian System}
~ Store Unlocked~
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(A/N: That's all for today folks. How does it feel to get cliffed? Probably not nice huh....Anyways, it wasn't a major cliff. Lmk if you liked it, DON'T FORGET TO LEAVE A REVIEW!!! Leave a comment!!)