Chapter 7:
Things were flashing through Ren's head.
The Monolith - fallen - it's eyes closed - sadness - respect for a brave enemy - surprise - Kort fighting - his leg - Greavers - he was too slow - Haden - Kort - anger - rage -he had to avenge Kort - Haden was too fast - Too many Greavers - Kort - on his knees - he didn't expect -Haden - more rage - then sadness - deep sadness - he was awake.
"Wahtha?"
"It's over." It was Vot.
"What was that?"
"What?"
"In my head? The images...the feelings."
"Our minds...interesting. It seems as though our minds are connecting."
"Like...?"
"We are becoming one being."
"So we'd be a Vot/Ren hybrid?"
"You could think of it that way..."
"One being....hrmm...not quite sure what to think about that."
"Give me a second...I'm going to finish the bond."
"Wait, wha-"
It hit him like a freight train. His mind was being overrun by all the feelings, the thoughts, and the memories. It was too much. He was screaming, but nothing was coming out. It wasn't his body anymore. He was shoved into the corner of all the thoughts around him. His control was nonexistent. He was nonexistent. He pushed, as hard as he could. He wrestled for his mind. Ren, or the Ren part of Ren, got just enough of himself to whisper, "Help." Then he was thrown back into the back of his mind. His own mind.
Something reached out. He grabbed it, and tugged as hard as he could. It pulled him up, though the sea of emotions, memories...so much. It was thick, like crude oil, but the hand only grasped him harder. He was finally out, pushed back into his eyes. He could see again, breath again, feel again.
"Wow..."
"Wha-wha-what ha-happened, Vot. Wha-"
"Don't worry, I think it's over."
"YOU THINK!?!"
"Whaoh Ren, calm down man, chill out a bit."
"IT'S NOT LIKE I DROWNED IN MY OWN THOUGHTS!"
"It seems as though you're repeating something."
That same stupid humor.
"So, Ren...it seems like you have some dark secrets."
"What do mean by...dark secrets?"
"Is Durant still alive?"
"I...I don't know."
There was an awkward silence.
"Here...erm...take this."
A new memory drifted to the front of his mind.
"IT'S YOUR FAULT THE SKYLARK BLEW UP!?"
"Yup."
"But you're Vot!"
"And..."
"You're a hero and stuff!"
"And..."
"You...but you saved the knights like-"
"Twice...listen Ren, I-"
"Your secret is safe with me!"
"Good, but what I was going to say was that I need you to help with something...important."
"Let me guess, the fate of Cradle rests in your hands and you-"
"No, I have to go and warn the Band about Haden, he's after Frost."
"How do you know this?"
"I jumped into his mind for a second...something powerful is hiding out in him."
"Like Zos?"
"No, no. If it was Zos we'd both be brutally dead, our minds crushed and probably turned into Saringul."
"Ouch."
"So...are you up for it?"
"Chasing after an evil bandit who's mind is housing some kind of demonic monster, which has a personal vendetta against the Band and all who were part of it? YES!"
"'Kay then. Hey Ren-"
"What?"
"Sometimes you remind me of myself."
Chapter 6:
A new figure stepped forward, her head turned towards Danovan sprinting towards the elevator.
"I'm Mira, the...commander of Gamma 9, and the Band...or what's left of it." Faste started forward at her comment, but Kantint held his shoulder, pulling him back.
Mira continued, "This is Giro...he doesn't talk much." The giant knight she was pointing at grunted and lifted up his mammoth Leviathan Blade, even larger than the standard, to rest on the shoulder plate of his Azure Guardian armor. "He follows my orders and my orders only, so don't try anything stupid."
"Then there's Demalj." Mira turned her head towards someone right next to her, a knight who tossed some sort of bomb up into the air, then started head butting it back up using his Mad Bomber helm. "Do not try to best him in Raletball, he always wins...and when he doesn't-" She grew silent, and her eyes darted to a nasty looking gun in his belt.
"This is Reyleand, our gun expert." His belt was filled with at least five Antiguas, and he was cocking and un-cocking them over and over again.
"Just call me Rey, 'Kay?" A couple of the Band members nodded in acknowledgement, but most stayed silent.
Mira continued, "This is Evangeline, she is our fiend specialist." One of the recruits looked as though he was going to ask her something, but an icy glare from Demalj shut him up. Evangeline then glared at Demalj, who glared at her, and Rey cocked all of his guns, as if he was preparing to fight for his life.
Mira glared at them all, and Giro copied her, his face contorting into a strange angryish expression.
"These knights are Remi, Stevuns, Toruinh, and Ron...they act as the standard soldiers for Gamma 9." Four knights, each in Solid Cobalt with Tempered Caliburs and Super Blasters, saluted. Towards whom was a mystery.
"Of course, there's Danovan...he'll probably trot back in a few hours claiming that he's the valiant leader, and that he toppled Almire while he was gone. In all truthfulness, I'm in charge here, but Danovan the only one who put in the hours to get a license. Once I-I mean we, get a the crest, Danny's going to meet a sticky end." She chuckled a bit, and the knights behind her laughed also.
"We'll head up to Haven to drop off the recruits, then I'll see what mission we can scrounge up. For now, we have to wait for Dan to get back, we need his stuff to do anything up there."