[url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/181015946]Part Eight here.[/url] - Part Nine - "[i]You what!?[/i]" demands Bardo-105, still incredulous. The stranger with his face slides his left foot behind and puts his left hand behind his back. Sketching a royal bow, he gestures in circles with his right hand, as if beckoning the Hunter to proceed. "[i]Well[/i]," says Bardo-105, crossing his arms, "[i]if you indeed are me, you clearly are from a different time frame.[/i]" "[i]Basal[/i]," says the stranger, causing the Hunter to frown. "[i]Alright[/i]," replies Bardo-105, "[i]you can't be from the past because that doesn't really induce autoscopy. You can't be from the future or you'd be dilacerating spacetime with feedback from-[/i]" "[i]Unless?[/i]" interrupted the stranger, looking intently. "[i]Unless...[/i]" the Hunter began computing all possible answers, "[i]unless you break causality.[/i]" "[i]Huh[/i]," replied the stranger, with a note of disappointment in his voice, "[i]is that so? Well, all is not yet lost.[/i]" The mystery man turned back and shouted, "[i]Hey MAG! MAG, GET OVER HERE![/i]" Then he turned back to the Guardian and shrugged. As they stared at each other in silence, Bardo-105 noticed that his doppelganger did not really sport any Hunter's armour, or any cloak for that matter. It was just when the Hunter was noticing that the stranger did not have a Ghost either that a strange drone-like flying machine appeared in front him. "[i]What?[/i]" asked the machine, looking at the stranger. Then it looked at the floor, at a puddle of white liquid and sighed audibly. "[i]Oh. Again?[/i]" "[i]No, no[/i]," said the Exo, "[i]look what literally just came out of that door.[/i]" The machine turned and gasped sarcastically. Upon looking closely, Bardo-105 could tell the drone was in fact a Ghost, although its shell was the strangest he'd ever seen. On the front it had three horns instead of four - dark blue with red markings, longer than usual and displayed in a triangle. In the back though, instead of horns it had a long, curved, solid tail. Its eyelight was a bright green. Contrary to Bardo-105's Ghost, the stranger's had a name, which apparently was Mag. "[i]Is this the one?[/i]" asked Mag, "[i]How'd he do?[/i]" "[i]Not good, but I'll need the messer to be sure.[/i]" Bardo-105's mind was overflowing with questions. If he could not deduce who this Exo was, who could he possible be? Was he even a Guardian? Was he Sadeski? Was that why all the weirdos back there called him that? Before he could talk, the stranger told Mag, "[i]Get Cayde over here to clean the floor.[/i]" The Ghost went away and a Frame came in swaggering. It had a cloak around its head and a blue plastic horn glued on top. It brought a mop and cleaned the white substance from the floor. Then the stranger turned to Bardo-105. "[i]So, my gorgeous friend, let us see what you are worth. Take out your blade of choice[/i]." The stranger began walking in a circle around the Hunter, while his armour materialized on him. Never before had he seen such craft-work, such beauty in a functional piece. Firstly, a brown leather sash wrapped around his stomach, and a white soft fabric wound around to keep it in place. Then a desaturated red sapphire wire hauberk covered his shoulders, arms and chest. On his hands, a pair of gauntlets formed. They were of a dark blood-colored brown, and the material was not very evident, but it looked like matte plasteel or hadium. Strands of inlaid unpolished gold traced the outlines. Over his shoulders and top part of the chest, more layers of the same kind of plate appeared, stacked upon one another and fitting in seamlessly with his slim shape. Instead of a cloak, a bright red heavy scarf materialized, coiling around his neck into a hood. Finally, instead of a helmet, he had only one eyepatch on his right ocular implant. "[i]What's the eyepatch for?[/i]" asked Bardo-105 in a tone of mockery. "[i]Well, you blue heathen,[/i]" replied the stranger, in a humorous tone, "[i]to make it fair, of course.[/i]" The stranger extended his arm as Mag appeared holding a scabbard with an obscenely long sword, almost as tall as a man. The scabbard hovered gently into the Exo's hand. As he drew it, the blade ringed and sang a high pitched hum. "[i]Brace your steel, Hunter,[/i]" said the stranger as he went into a coiled guard, with his right foot forward, holding the pommel close to his chest and pointing the sword upwards at Bardo-105's throat. The Hunter did as he was bid, and from his back came Dark-Drinker. Fight sabre with sabre, Lord Shaxx had always said. He sketched a high guard, holding the sword vertically close to his face. "[i]Huh[/i]," said the stranger, somewhat surprised, "[i]look, Mag. This one knows his guards[/i]." [i]"I always thought meeting myself would be less distress and more sushi,[/i]" said Bardo-105, tightening his grip. "[i]Ah[/i]," said the stranger, still in his stance, "[i]but you see, this all has a purpose.[/i]" Immediately after that, he lunged with a thrust to the Hunter's throat, who parried the strike by pivoting with his blade upright. But just as he was about to drop his blade on the stranger's head, the foe twisted his sword while he back-stepped, changing into a higher guard, holding his sword above his head. In response, Bardo-105 switched to the fool's stance, with the sword pointing at the floor. "[i]What was that about?[/i]" asked the Hunter, as the tension rose. "[i]We Exos weren't made for chit-chat[/i]," said the stranger, "[i]we're made to fight, to kill, to execute. That is our nature, that is when our minds are truly open[/i]." No sooner had he spoken than he stepped forward with an overhead slash. Purposely telegraphed, Bardo-105 saw, as he responded with a parry from below. After that, he pulled Dark-Drinker back and unleashed Supermassive Vortex. The stranger deftly blinked towards the Hunter, avoiding the blast and catching him off-guard. Bardo-105 tripped and started crawling away as the stranger slowly walked to meet him. He was holding his messer by the blade and extended his right hand at the Guardian. As soon as he helped him up, he kicked him in the stomach, sending him flying into a wall. After that his sword spun twice before finally stopping in a high guard, but this time with the hilt near his face and the sword horizontally pointing at Bardo-105. "[i]If you want anwsers, fight for them![/i]" he ran at the Hunter sword first. Before the Guardian could shoot Supermassive Vortex again, the stranger was already on him. He thrust at Bardo-105's head, but the Hunter dodged and the messer went through the wall. It went so deep that the crossguard hit the Guardian on the chin, pinning his face to the wall. Bardo-105 could feel his doppelganger venting. Both their cores were red hot, their chests were humming. "[i]Open your eyes, Guardian![/i]" shouted the stranger at his face, twisting the hilt to strangle him, "[i]If you're not the best you at all times, you'll be the death of yourself! Quite literally![/i]" The stranger shoved his hand in Bardo-105's mouth, forcing it open, and grabbed his jaw. He began pulling it downwards with an extreme force, shattering tendon wires and bending the alloy of his skull. The Guardian tried to resist, fruitlessly. He had felt that strength before - unrelenting, inhuman. When his jaw finally broke, the right side detached, leaving him with a hanging lower lip. The stranger pulled the sword out and and let the Hunter fall to the floor. "[i]Well, Mag[/i]," said the doppelganger, "[i]I guess this was not the one after all[/i]." Scrapping could be heard as Bardo-105 tried to remove his jaw. He threw it away and rose to his feet, using his sword as a crutch. "[i]I'm sick...[/i]" he mumbled, "[i]of not really... understanding what's going on[/i]." There was an eerie serenity to his voice caused by the rough modulation of not having a jaw. Still limping, he held Dark-Drinker again, readying the Vortex once more. The stranger blinked close and with one single horizontal swing cut Dark-Drinker in half, sweeping Bardo-105's crutch from under him and destroying the blade. "[i]What's with you people...[/i]" mumbled the Hunter, as he fell into the stranger's arms, "[i]...breaking all my toys?[/i]" As he got up, still recovering, he found his lookalike staring at him in pity before delivering the final blow. But with his last strength, Bardo-105 pulled out his kukri and slashed at the stranger's right side, hitting him in the face. His opponent reeled, jumping back in agony and letting go of his sword, screaming and holding his eyepatch in place. "[i]The eyepatch! No, no no![/i]" he yelled. Through his hand, a black gooey substance was dripping on the floor, pooling at his knees. When he looked at Bardo-105 and removed his hand, his right eye seemed to be burning with a white light, while the dark substance still dripped and poured to the floor, displaying a myriad dead stars in a simple reflection. From his eye socket a black flame cackled and charred his hood. "[i]Th... Th- That's-[/i]" Bardo-105 was fumbling for his sidearm. "[i]Yes,[/i]" said the stranger as he rose. His sword found his hand again. "[i]It's the Blight.[/i]" --- [url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Clan/Post/1371758/180879277]Table of Contents[/url]