Welp, went on for longer than I thought. It ain’t gonna be as good as my other stuff either, since I didn’t use my normal format, but here ya go. Part 1/2 [spoiler] [b][i]First Encounter[/i][/b] _______________________________ The burning wreckages and tattered banners are all that’s left of a once proud Eliksni camp. Bodies of both Vandal and Dreg alike scatter the remains. There is no signs of life, save a lone scavenger, a rogue, a scoundrel. Hated by many and liked by few. He searches what is left of the camp for more to add to his riches. There is silence, yet he feels as if he is being watched. Four blue eyes pierce the darkness, stalking what they believe to be prey. They are wrong. A young Eliksni pounces at the man brandishing a small blade, only to be disarmed and thrown to the floor. Aiming a gun at the attacker, the man tilts his head. “A kid?” He mutters “Thought for sure those Guardy’s wiped the place clean, guess they missed a spot.” The Eliksni stares at him, before glancing over at a Wire Rifle. “Wouldn’t do that if I were you, ain’t gonna end well if you do.” The words freeze the young Vandal. He turns back to the scavenger who holsters his Hand Cannon before placing both hands on the front of his belt. The stranger speaks in Eliksni tongue “Say, you got a name?” There is silence once again, the Eliksni shakes his head. “Man, of all the places to hit, they choose a place with a kid? Always leaving me with the hard work, huh?” The man lowers to one knee, as he does so, the Vandal backs away slightly. He once again begins to talk in an understandable language “Easy there, bud. I ain’t gonna hurt ya. Let’s give you a name, can’t go around calling you nothing now.” Almost furious, the Eliksni grabs a pipe and swings for the caped man. Light-thieves destroyed his home, killed his family, and now this one insults him with his kindness? The thoughts are cut short as the man manages to grab the pipe mid-swing, but he is not prepared for the fist that connects with the side of his helmet. The Eliksni crawls backwards into a corner, watching as the man’s posture changes. Rising to his feet, he feels the side of his helmet. As he does, what sounds to be static appears to come from him. He speaks, yet his voice is different, wrong “Nice one, kid. Shame too, I was gonna LET YOU LIVE!” He reaches for the child who is now frozen with fear. Before he can make contact, he halts. Almost as if paralyzed. He straitens his back before crouching down again, fidgeting with his arm pieces. “Sorry about that, kid. Recommend you don’t try anything risky, k?” His voice has returned to normal, and the sound of static can no longer be heard. “Now, lets give you name....let’s see, how about Umbra?” Mostly out of fear, and somewhat out of curiosity, the child nods. “Alrighty, then it’s settled.” He rises, then proceeds to walk away from the wreckage. Once he is far enough, he turns around to face the Eliksni, who hasn’t moved. “Well? Are ya coming or what?” Almost instantly, he jumps to his feet and chases after the strange man. [b][i]Three weeks after the first encounter[/i][/b] _______________________________ Umbra wakes in a joyful mood, today is the day Sahvoz will teach him how to fight. As he puts on his armour, he glances out the window above his bed. Trees take up most of the view, but he can see Sahvoz preparing a campfire outside of the ship, gathering logs. Umbra gathers his weapons, and attaches blades onto his lower arm’s wrists. They are dull as to not cause accidental damage. Before leaving the ship, he notices Sahvoz’s Ghost, Vetra, scanning some strange tech. “Damn Vex, why do they always make it so complicated?” She spots Umbra and turns to him quickly “Oh, you’re awake? Sahvoz is waiting outside for you, tell him that I need to talk to him too.” He nods, then leaves the ship. As he walks down the ramp, he sees Sahvoz inspecting a the frame of a Hand Cannon he did not have before. “What is that?” He struggles to pronounce the sentence. Sahvoz turns and quickly stows the gun away “Oh it’s nothing, don’t worry about it. So, you ready for training, kid?” Umbra nods, then remembers what Vetra said “Vetra want to talk...” Sahvoz is almost stunned “Hey, only a few weeks and you’re already picking up English?! Great work, kid! Let’s go see what she wants, ey?” As they enter the ship, Umbra notices that Vetra is still hovering above the strange tech. She notices them enter and turns to Sahvoz “I’ve almost managed to access this thing but I keep hitting a firewall, I can’t make sense of all this Vex gibberish.” Sahvoz is quick to reply “Give me a full display of it.” A screen appears in front of him full of strange symbols and shapes. Some familiar, most not. Sahvoz begins to interact with the display, touching certain symbols in unknown patterns. He takes a step back “Woah!” Vetra doesn’t hesitate “Are you ok, Voz?!” Sahvoz shakes his hand “I’m fine...V, we hit the jackpot! This thing came from a Vex Mind’s....well, mind!” Confusion floods Umbra’s mind. He has heard Sahvoz mention Vex many times, yet he has no clue what a Vex is. Before he can question the device, all three hear the noise of Sparrows approaching. “Guardy’s? Here? Umbra, go hide in the engine room!” Giving a slight nod, he rushes to the back of the ship. Lowering to the floor, he gains speed and traverses to the roof, where he can see outside via a small window. Three Light-thieves arrive on their vehicles, stopping before Sahvoz, who has his hand by his Hand Cannon. Umbra has seen this before, he recognizes that Sahvoz is ready to attack if needed. One of the Light-thieves gets off their vehicle, while the other two sit upright on theirs. Umbra could faintly hear the words spoken during the visit. “A single Guardian, all alone out in the wilds? You’d better be careful, it can be pretty...dangerous out here.” The other two Light-thieves appear to look at each other before chuckling slightly. Sahvoz glances at all three rapidly, the Light-thieves do not realize that he is inspecting them and their weaponry. Umbra has seen him do this before, the intruders will not last long now. Suddenly, the Light-thief on his feet lunges at Sahvoz, striking him down in one hit. He pins Sahvoz down while the other two laugh at the situation. Umbra feels a sense of dread as the Light-thief starts to beat Sahvoz on the ground. He looks around the room, eyeing a powerful Wire Rifle Sahvoz called the Queenbreaker. He hears one of the Light-thieves speak in a worried tone “Hey, d’ya hear that?” At this moment, Umbra hears the familiar sound of static. He watches the Light-thief attacking Sahvoz, he then sees a sight unlike any other. The Light-thief bursts into flames before burning away to nothing. Sahvoz rises, a burning gun of blue flame in his hand. Umbra could see the rage in his posture, he wasn’t going to let them leave now. Sahvoz raises his gun and fires at one of the Light-thieves, he burns to ash on the spot and his vehicle follows. The remaining Light-thief attempts to escape and dashes into the forrest. Sahvoz fires a round out of sight. There is silence, before a loud explosion. The Light-thieve’s machines appear in unison, ready to defy their death. With three final gunshots, the Light-thieves are no more. [b][i]Two months after first encounter [/i][/b] _______________________________ Umbra slowly circles his prey, using the shadows as cover. As he sees an opening, he pounces at his target, holding his blade at their throat. “Well done, kid. Now, try again.” Umbra lowers his blade, stepping back. “Very well.” He retreats to the darkness, slowing his movements to quiet his steps. Sahvoz appears to begin monologuing “See, Hunters need to rely on more than just sight and sound, only use those and you won’t stand a chance.” Umbra notices that Sahvoz is leaving himself open from all angles. “Hunters also need to learn from the past, learn how to not make the same mistake twice...” Umbra leaps from the darkness, but is shocked to see Sahvoz grab his leg “...learn to adapt!” He throws Umbra to the floor, before offering a hand up. “Never use the same trick twice on one person, they’re gonna see it coming.” Umbra accepts the help, letting Sahvoz bring him to his feet “I see...” Sahvoz places his hands on his hips and tilts his head “Say, how’s Vetra’s English classes coming along?” Umbra knows just how to reply “Better than your memory, old man.” Sahvoz locks eyes with Umbra, who feels a slight uneasiness within him “Har har, very funny. I’m going to be having a talk with her....anyway, you’re quite a fast learner, ain’t ya? Only a couple of months and you can say sentences? Great job, kiddo.”[/spoiler]