Within minutes the sun began to dip below the horizon, casting long shadows over the battlefield. The towering factory stood tall against the fading light. The eerie silence was interrupted only by the occasional howl of wind through the crumbling edifice.
As the crew drew nearer to the factory, Kellan turned to his companions, his voice firm. "You lot know the drill! Maintain a strong perimeter. Grimm and I are going in and can't afford any surprises."
Cocking her head to the side, Lior peered inquisitively at Kellan. "You two aren't serious, right?" Her voice rose a notch.
"Dead serious mate, if this place is rigged to the brim, I'm not putting any of you at risk. The big man's all I need"
Karnn Chimed in "Kellan's right lass, Grimm is more than capable of handling whatever's inside."
"But-" Lior began, her sentence was cut off.
"No buts!" Kellan interjected, "Now secure the bloody perimeter, Grimm doesn't look too keen on waiting."
With a mutual nod, the duo took their positions, their eyes scanning the horizon while Kellan and Grimm edged towards the gargantuan gates of the facility.
"What's the move" Kellan whispered.
Grimm cracked his knuckles "I open it"
With that he effortlessly pushed the massive doors ajar, revealing a yawning abyss. The factory was a dark maze that beckoned to them. The only sound that echoed through the cavernous halls was the rhythmic clank of their boots against the metal floor. The darkness was suffocating, yet to Grimm, it was as clear as day. His adapted eyes painted a vivid picture of the maze around them.
"Watch your step", Grimm rumbled as he pulled Kellan back from a tripwire.
Grimm brushed past him with a grunt and moved ahead, continuing to analyze his surroundings. Kellan, however, was completely blind, struggling to make out shapes past his squinted eyes.
"Damn, I can't see a bloody thing," he muttered, pulling out a pair of night vision goggles from his pack. He strapped them on, and the world turned a ghostly green. With improved sight, he saw the interior of the facility - a vast, cavernous space with towering machinery, their purposes unknown. The floor was a grid of rusted metal, echoing with their steps. Overhead, a tangled mess of cables and conduits ran like veins along the ceiling, disappearing into the abyss beyond.
As he looked for more detail, the sights that greeted him sent a chill down his spine. Traps of every conceivable design littered the path ahead. Tripwires connected to explosive devices, pressure plates hiding spikes poised to shoot out, laser grids threatening to slice intruders into ribbons, and more devilish constructs awaited the unwary.
With a low rumble, Grimm Broke the silence. "That scout of yours was right Voss, this place is a death trap"
Kellan's breaths fogged up the goggles momentarily as he muttered, "A madman's playground, that’s for sure"
"Indeed" Grimm nodded, before stopping in his tracks “Wait. I sense two energy signatures. One's faint, the other is clear"
Before Kellan could respond, a voice echoed through the intercom, slicing through the silence like a knife. "Oh BOY, I never thought I would actually get to meet you! I must say, I like your work, very messy, BUT man does it get the job done!"
Grimm's expression remained stone, but his eyes narrowed ever so slightly. "Death's Dance I presume.”
The voice reverberated through the hallways as flood lights crackled to life, illuminating the interior of the factory, "The one and only” he hissed.
“But enough of me, I'm more interested in you!”
The duo exchanged glances before Grimm responded, his voice booming through the hollow space,
"You a fuckin' fan?"
A hearty cackle echoed back. "OF COURSE, I AM! Did you think I was addressing the third-rate bounty hunter to your left?"
Kellan’s face flushed red. “Third rate mate? Watch who ya callin- ," he snarled, but Grimm stopped him with an outstretched arm, “Save your adoration, It’ll be your undoing.”
"How rude! Can't even thank a fan for his generosity!” Deaths Dance sneered, “ I've prepared a special game, just for you."
An aura of dark energy began to swirl around Grimm’s form as his hands clenched. He was ready to tear through every inch of the facility to claim his prey.
"Mate, he's toying with us", Kellan stated attempting to placate Grimm"Don't give him what he wants, the minute you blow, he might already be gone"
Grimm shot Kellan a stare, eyes glowing redder by the second. "I'm losing patience, there's no point in being covert anymore, he knows were here"
The intercom crackled again, as Death's Dance's voice echoed, like a snake’s hiss "Your pal is right, you know I wouldn't sit still for long. As much as I want to meet you in person, I'm not foolish enough to fight YOU head on! You'll have to play my little game to get the grand prize."
Suddenly a large monitor near the end of the hallway flickered to life. "Here's a bit of an added incentive" Death's Dance crooned. On the screen, bound and beaten, was Lior. She was bleeding from several cuts on her forehead, her lip busted and swollen. She struggled against the restraints, her angry eyes meeting the camera. "Unfortunately, your other friend, Karnn was it? He couldn't quite handle it. His death would've been cleaner if he'd simply stuck to the perimeter."
Kellan's expression darkened, his knuckles whitening as he clenched his fists. Grimm's frustration flared, and he turned to Kellan. "You retrieve Lior; I'll deal with him," he growled. Kellan nodded slowly in acknowledgement; his eyes concealed beneath a shroud of hair.
Death's Dance's voice resonated with a commanding boom once more. "That is absolutely NOT an option! Both of you are obliged to participate in my little game, together. If you wish to secure her safety and my own cooperation," he declared, "you must follow the illuminated trail through this labyrinthine factory."
In an instant, the ground came alive with a radiant path, stretching out through the convoluted maze. "Complete this run within the next 25 minutes, and she’ll live," he promised matter-of-factly. "Plus, I’ll even willingly surrender myself. However, should you fail," a long pause ensued
"She will meet her demise, and I’ll depart freely on my own terms."
Grimm's face split into an arrogant smile, "That's not much of a game."
Death's Dance laughed loudly, "Ohhhhh, I'm well aware of what's going through that head of yours. Believe me, I've anticipated your capabilities and devised my plan accordingly. There's no point in attempting to brute-force your way through," he warned, "If I detect that one of my machines has been deliberately destroyed, specifically by you, she'll meet her end."
The smirk dissipated as Grimm’s eyes ignited. "What if I don't care if she lives or dies".
"Then it seems you really are the monster everyone paint's you out to be" mocked deaths dance, over the intercom. Grimms teeth gnashed together. Furrowing his brow, Kellen turned to Grimm, his voice wavering, "Grimm, I lost one, I can't lose another, mate .........you made us a deal."
However, Grimms jaw was set, "I can make it through easily, before he has a chance to kill her, I’ll already be there"
Death's Dance's cold voice cut back in, "It appears that your pal here does not agree Grimm, maybe HE cares about the young lass? He could be slowing you down."
A dark aura surged forth "Enough of the fucking mind games, I'm ending this now!" Grimm barked.
"Well go-ahead Grimm, I know you can see our signatures, come show me what all the hype is about"
In an instant Grimm catapult’s forward at a speed impossible to see.
"Grimm, you can't just-" Kellan yelled, but was cut off.
"I will not be TOYED with!", Grimm roared as it echoed through the facility,
The eruption of motion was sudden and fierce. Grimm's frame transformed into a vessel of obliteration. The initial thrust alone left a shockwave that rattled the very foundations of the factory. Kellan could only watch as his partner turned into a black blur, tearing through the facility in pursuit of his target.
The factory had seemed dead and ghostly moments before, but as Grimm charged through, it sprang to life with a vengeance. Death traps activated left and right, but they were inconsequential to Grimm.
The first layer of defense was automated turrets that emerged from hidden compartments within the walls. They started firing incessantly, illuminating the dim hallway with a strobe of muzzle flashes. But Grimm was undeterred. The bullets ricocheted off his armor, sparking against the cold metal floor. With a single sweeping motion, Grimm clobbered through the row of turrets. Metal and sparks flew as he plowed his way forward.
The facility swiftly retaliated, deploying additional defenses. In the blink of an eye, walls of electromagnetic steel materialized, forming an impenetrable barrier that barred Grimm's advance. However, these defenses proved no match for his formidable strength.
With a deafening roar, Grimm launched himself at the barriers, his fists striking each wall with tremendous force. The metal groaned and yielded under the sheer power of his blows. In a display of might, Grimm tore through the walls as if they were mere sheets of paper, rending them apart with a ripping motion.
Trailing far behind, Kellan was picking up pace, cautiously dodging the remnants of the traps Grimm hadn't triggered. His heart raced with each explosion that echoed through the cavernous halls.
With every corner Grimm rounded Kellan, feared for Lior’s life.
Death's Dance's laugh echoed through the facility with each explosion and triggered trap. "You're not making this easy at all Grimm!"
His relentless advance brought him to the next line of defense: a meticulously arranged grid of lasers crisscrossing the corridor. These lasers were cleverly linked to explosives, set to trigger a catastrophic collapse of the section they guarded. Undaunted, Grimm pressed forward.
He charged headlong into the web of lasers, the beams slicing through his fabric hood, leaving sizzling trails in their wake. The ensuing explosion erupted in a fiery ball that briefly enveloped him, but as the smoke gradually dissipated, Grimm emerged unscathed. His imposing silhouette stood tall amid the lingering flames,
Kellan could feel the heat of the explosions as he continued to navigate through the rubble, the crackling embers painting fleeting shadows on his face. His heart was pounding with every narrow escape from an activated trap.
"Jesus mate, why do you have to trigger EVERYTHING" Kellan cursed under his breath. Each explosion ran the risk of crushing him in a mountain of debris. Yet, somehow, Kellan was able to scrape by unscathed.
Grimm forged ahead, undaunted. Tripwires sprang to life, activating concealed spike traps embedded in both the floor and walls. In an instant, hundreds of razor-sharp spikes were unleashed from all directions, a deadly hailstorm of projectiles.
Responding accordingly, Grimm's a dome of swirling aura that enveloped him. As the spikes closed in, they met this barrier and turned to dust upon contact.
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Explosions mounted with every footfall while Death's Dance cackled like a maniac over the intercom, "HAHAHAHHAHAHAAHAHA! You really don't care at all do you?!"
Nearing the epicenter of the facility, Kellan came upon a laser grid similar to the one Grimm had encountered. He paused for a second, trying to calm his racing heart. He drew a deep breath before continuing on, meticulously working to disable each explosive. He didn't have the brute force Grimm did. Instead, he relied on his wits. With a delicate cut he sliced the exposed wires of the trap one by one. When the hallway was disarmed, he sighed with relief, before taking off at a sprint.
Grimm's fury echoed through the hallways as he demolished a path ahead, his senses locked on to the energy signatures that beckoned him. After crushing a final line of turrets, the hallway ended in a large set of double doors. Grimm charged through them with such force, the entire wall caved in. He suddenly emerged inside a wide and expansive chamber before stopping in his tracks. His angered breathing was the only sound that could be heard against the silence.
The moment he stood upright, Grimm sensed one of the energy signatures abruptly vanish, while the other dwindled rapidly. The oppressive silence was shattered by a sinister laughter echoing through the intercom. Death's Dance had returned to the line, "You should've played by the rules, Grimm!" he sneered, "I had hoped for something different, but it seems that dogs always revert back to their instincts in the end. Your companion had the wisdom to play the game, but you…" Death's Dance paused, "You are NOT all they cracked you up to be. It's truly sad to witness you behaving like any other mindless brute."
Lowering his voice to a whisper, Death's dance continued. "She's in your hands now, Grimm."
With that a bright spotlight illuminated the center of the chamber revealing a bloodied Lior, standing hauntingly still, her back faced to Grimm. Horrifically, her neck snaps backwards as her body follows suit. She turns around slowly. Grimm's eyes widened as her limbs began to contort, bones audibly snapping under the pressure of whatever unseen force was controlling her. Lior lets out an agonized scream as Death's Dance laughed maniacally through the intercom. Kellan enters the chamber at that very moment, panting heavily.
The scene in front of him causes his eyes to widen. Lior's body continues to twist and jerk. Blood pours from her mouth as her screams became a sickly gurgle.
"BLOODY HELL HELP HER!!!!" Kellan screams as he runs past Grimm towards Lior. Remaining motionless, Grimm eyes stayed trained on Lior. The intercom crackles and Death's Dance's cold voice echoes throughout the chamber, "A proper finale indeed, my death's dance!"
Coming to his senses, Grimm whispers under his breath "He out played me....."
As Kellan reaches Lior, he attempts to shake her free from whatever is controlling her "COME ON LIOR STAY WITH ME!!!!"
Lior's agonized screaming turns into forced laughter as she locks eyes with Grimm. With her last bit of energy, she speaks
"Grimm, why?"
Kellan takes a step back as she continues to contort and jerk. A loud crunch emanates from her body as the force causes her to collapse, her energy signature gone cold.
The realization sets in on Kellan and his expression turns to anger. He slowly shifts his gaze to Grimm "Why" Kellan spits out, voice quivering with rage "Your WORD huh? Your bloody fucking WORD?!"
Staring at Lior, Grimm was unable to speak, his face was blank.
"I knew this was a mistake, they all warned me......" Kellan muttered
With emotions getting the better of him, he trembles with rage and charges towards Grimm. Kellan begins to land blow after blow on his armored chest. Yet, Grimm remains motionless, not moving an inch while absorbing the blows. His eyes still lingered on Lior’s lifeless corpse. After repeated connections, Kellan fists began to tear and bleed. He screamed at Grimm for recognition "SHE TRUSTED YOU, KARNN TRUSTED YOU, I TRUSTED YOU AND NOW SHES DEAD, FOR WHAT HUH?!”
Kellan slumps to his knees, exhausted and no longer able to withstand the pain from his torn hands. He stares at Grimm's armored chest while tears stream down his face. "W-Why" Kellan weakly mutters, "why couldn't you just stick to the plan......" his voice quivered.
A long silence fills the room as Kellan stares blankly at the bloodied floor.
Deaths Dance laughter resounds once more over the intercom "Such a beautiful ending isn't it? Well! I had my fill of fun and it seems you two need some alone time, I'm sure I'll be seeing you again soon Grimm. Farewell for-"
Before he can finish Grimm unleashes an eruption of dark energy that cascades from his being, ripping through the intercoms and shattering the ceiling of the factory.
Kellan throws his arms over his head, bracing against the torrent of debris. Yet before the first shard of metal could reach him, a dome of dark matter encases him
The dust settles gently around them as the howling winds from outside bellow through the ruins. Kellan's voice, fragile like the whisper of leaves, fills the void. "I don't need your protection... The deal's done."
Grimm's burning red eyes seem to pierce through the veil of dust, reaching towards the broken man in front of him. His continued stare drove him back into the memory of another man he had caused familiar despair—Lysander Rellis. The ghosts of doubt and guilt began to claw their way through the buried chambers of his heart.
"I'm... sorry," the words tumble softly from Grimm's lips, faint and unexpected
Kellan stammers, his shock hiding fragility. “W-What?”
Grimm continues to stare but does not speak.
The silence was heavy as Grimm trudged through debris towards Kellan. He knelt slowly beside him.
“For your loss,” he murmurs. From his pockets, he retrieves the artifact of Nerevar and a black credit chip, offering them to Kellan like tokens of atonement.
Kellan’s eyes linger on the offerings but then veer away, his voice cracking. “No wealth, no artifact can mend what happened here... keep em' and disappear.” His words seep through the atmosphere, haunting the space between them until Kellan’s scream shatters the silence “LEAVE!!”
With a solemn nod, Grimm rises. His fingers gently lay the relic and the chip on the ground. He casts a final glance at Lior's ravaged body before meeting Kellan’s eyes for the last time.
“Goodbye Voss.”, he whispers, the words holding a weight of finality.
Kellan was a statue, his head buried in his knees, alone with his sorrow. The faint sound of Grimm's footsteps gradually trailed into the distance, tolling further and further away before fading to nothingness.
As Grimm meandered through the ruins of the factory, the debris underfoot, sparking wires, and smoldering metal served as a reminder of his failure. The taunts of Deaths Dance echoes through his mind like a beating drum "Dogs always revert back to their instincts."
A tempest of rage simmered beneath his stern facade as he approached the exit. The thought of Death's Dance’s sneering face was enough to make his fists clench, trembling with the urge to strike. The factory’s massive gates yielded to his fury, blown from their hinges into the sands of the cold desert night.
Grimm took a few more steps into the sands before he felt the dark matter energy within, coursing through his veins, begging for release. He paused; his fingers twitched as he fought to quell the storm brewing within.
Yet, his fury demanded an outlet.
"Riven." he seethed
“Yes, Grimm?” Riven's voice resonated via telepathic connection
"Bring The Nightmare's Grasp to my location. Now."
Grimm's knuckles popped and muscles stiffened as he struggled to contain his rage, In moments, The Nightmare's Grasp emerged from the dark skies, its thrusters humming loudly as it descended.
“Extract Kellan....... warp him to the farthest spaceport in the system”
“Understood, But Grimm, the dark matter within you is reaching dangerous levels, what will you—”
“DO IT NOW!” Grimm's roar echoed through the still night, his eyes now a swirling storm of black and red.
A brief silence ensued before Riven's voice returned, soft yet firm. “I will.”
As The Nightmare’s Grasp nestled near Kellan on the ruined rooftop, its engines’ hum reverberated on the beaten metal. Kellan, drawing himself from his sorrow if only for a moment, looked up from Lior to the awaiting vessel. The robotic, soothing voice of the Riven broke the silence, “Master Voss, I am here to escort you to safety. Please board for immediate departure.”
Kellan glanced at the artifact and credit stick left behind, then back at Lior. “And.........Grimm?” His voice was a mere whisper.
“No questions, Master Voss. It’s time to depart.” chimed Riven
With a final, lingering gaze at Lior, Kellan turned to the items. He swiftly pocketed both before boarding The Nightmare’s Grasp. “Take me far away from here,” he murmured, as a silent tear rolled down his cheek.
In seconds the ship swiftly warped away leaving Grimm alone in the barren wasteland.
Grimm pressed onward through the sands, his rage building to a culmination. Waves of Dark matter pulsated from his being with increased intensity as he trekked through the thousands of slain hunters and demolished weapons of war littering the battlefield. Before long, the ruins of battle faded into the horizon and Grimm entered the heart of the desert. Its stillness contrasted with the storm brewing within the great hunter.
Dark matter began to cascade from his form. Threads of black electricity danced around him like serpents, arcing erratically from sand to air. The ground beneath him seemed to recoil, shivering with every footfall as if trying to distance itself from his being.
The howling desert wind ceased as the atmosphere was held hostage by a building power. Grimm's form, now shrouded in an inky dome of dark energy, continued to push forward. The raw, unbridled force emanating from him was boundless, threatening to pull everything within it.
The sky, once illuminated by stars, was now encompassed by a haze of black and crimson. Within the dark dome, lightning sparked and boomed, illuminating the space around him with brief flashes of red. The very air around Grimm warped and twisted as if reality itself threatened to break. Each grain of sand beneath his feet trembled and began to levitate, pulled up by the immense gravitational force of his unstable energy.
With every step he took, the ground would crack and groan, fissures spreading out like veins.
In moments, Grimm’s aura expanded, its radius reaching miles and miles around him. The sands surrounding him began to rise and twist, contorting into jagged shapes.
Suddenly, the temperature within the dome spiked and the once-golden dunes turned to glass in seconds, while whirlwinds spiraled up, drawing in chunks of the planet.
His stride became laborious, every footfall heavier and more significant than the last. Dark matter surged and rippled from him in increasingly uncontrollable frequencies. Tendrils of energy lashed out, razing everything in its path. Trees that once stood tall on the desert's fringes were now nothing but splintered husks, their life-force completely consumed.
Suddenly, Grimm's steps faltered, and for a moment the storm hushed. Behind his mask was a haunted look. The fiery red of his eyes intensified to a cosmic flame. With each heartbeat, the thrumming in his veins intensified. Shadows of the past clouded his vision, and the flood of memories became deafening.
Clasping his head, he trembled as a fierce battle raged within. The voices of the past demanded attention, their pleas growing louder by the second.
But Grimm's shout overpowered them all.
"GET OUT!"
His voice unleashed a power that tore at the land. A shockwave rippled outwards, reshaping the very earth beneath him. The crystalized floor cracked and buckled, forming a vast, gaping crater. Soon, even charred sands would turn to dust.
In a world such as this, there were few things that could breach Grimm's armor. But ghosts of the past? They could reach his soul.
He grappled with sensations long forgotten:
the sting of pain.
the weight of guilt.
the cold embrace of regret.
These were words he hadn't whispered since the days on Mor'dunn, words buried under layers of apathy and resolve. Yet here they were, unearthing themselves from the recesses of his heart.
Drowning amongst his emotions his breathing became rapid and shallow. Every inhale felt like a struggle, every exhale an admission of weakness. His fists, once destructive weapons, now bled from the tightness of his grasp. Gnashing his teeth, Grimm dropped to his knees. His muscles tore, as he used every fiber of his being to fight back the tide raging within.
Yet, his efforts were futile.
The dark matter dome surrounding him pulsed outward, obliterating everything in path. Mountains, miles away were shattered or turned to dust, while deep canyons appeared instantaneously, tearing the planet's surface apart.
Grimm descended into a frenzy, hammering his fists into the ground. Every blow formed abyssal craters. The planet trembled down to its core, resonating with his agony,
There was no denying it.
The brink of surrender loomed close; Grimm could feel himself slipping, seconds away from losing all control.
From his figure, a torrent of inky energy poured out. As the dark matter amassed, it took on the form of a blazing black sun. Growing voraciously by the second, it devoured every particle in the atmosphere without discretion.
The very existence of the galaxy teetered on the precipice of erasure.
But then, as if the universe whispered a secret in his ear, Grimm paused.
Frozen, suspended in time, his fists hovered just above the mutilated planet. His expression slowly shifted from anguish and rage to one of mental exhaustion.
The once furious inferno of the dark sun began to wane, its turbulent flares subsiding to a gentle caress.
Grimm's unsteady breaths slowly became more deliberate. With every exhale, the storm within him quelled, and his clenched fists gradually relaxed, caressing the scarred terrain below.
Rising slowly, his eyes found solace in the vast expanse above. The Storm-ridden sky had settled, revealing a blanket of twinkling stars. As if in communion, the universe peered deep into Grimm's soul, perhaps seeking understanding. He felt as though the cosmos itself watched his struggle, bearing witness to war within.
Surveying the devastation around him, the golden desert was unrecognizable. It now resembled a moonscape, a vast sea of obsidian glass, pocketed with craters large enough to span continents.
Yet, amid this altered world, Grimm's expression remained cold. He began his journey across the ruined landscape, each step accompanied by the crunch of petrified sand.
Guided by the distant stars, his path led him through miles of desolation. He trekked till the sun grew and rose, its beams kissing his shoulders, bidding him welcome to a new day.
It had been hours since he spoke, but Grimm knew it was time to depart.
With a deep breath, he called out to Riven, his voice a murmur, "Riven....."
Almost instantly, Riven's voice touched his mind, "Yes Grimm?"
"Is Voss safe?" he responded softly
"Affirmative. The Nightmare's Grasp has transported Kellan to a spaceport across the system," Riven chimed.
With a subtle nod, Grimm lifted his eyes once more to the skies, finding peace in its vastness.
He spoke again, his voice no louder than a whisper
"Take me home, Riven."