Taken Horizon Origin, volume 1, Duality

Episode 13 : a hearts lie

***
How was any of that possible? That was a question i asked a lot while with Arthur. Being trained by him and doing quests by his side but that whole question changed when 'he' arrived. Strife. Not how it was possible but why was it possible. Why did it have to be possible?

[moons final step tries to calm you]

[berserk wind demon laughs at your idiocy]

He had somehow managed to subdue Mary, our best vanguard. Saved Damien with his rule breaking aspect, broken a curse none of us had any clue about and yet with all that there was never a trace of mana in him.

[spartan valley laments at you cowardice]

[moons final step does his best to defend his apostle!]

Strife was something completely off the spectrum of whats known

"Lumine, how are they looking?" Lifting the tarp of the caravan i saw Mary and Damien covered in bandages.

The gentle elf squeezed a rag of boiling water placing it atop Mary's skull. "I don't know, I'm not a doctor after all. Lets just be glad they're breathing."

Mary's shoulder had been cut into by Strife and for some reason no potion is healing it. Damien on the other hand was fed a potion by him and was in tip top shape. We were just overreacting with his treatment and waiting for him to wake up from mana-drainage.

"How's... Telos doing?" Looking past me Lumine saw the big man rocking himself over watching a recording Cayde had left for him. It was a cruel joke honestly, Cayde even says so in the recording.

"Still shaken. I've never seen him like that before. Telos is usually so upbeat and happy, but now..."

"It wasn't my fault... it wasn't my fault, Cayde. Ramses, lied to me, you know this."

What Strife had said to him had really shaken him up. It was like he knew exactly what to say to break Telos. He knew him better than i did and he's a complete stranger.

[shield of stories looks at his apostle with a mopey expression]

Wiping her hands off of blood Lumine tapped my shoulder. "Kyle... this 'Strife' you told me about. Do you think he's the same person Damien and Arthur met in the throne-world a few months ago?"

"Damien said he had a large black wolf like the one that helped us so... theres the possibility." Damien was scared with how someone actually managed to escape Arthur back then. The face Arthur made had really shaken him that he couldn't stop talking about it

"But then theres one question that remains. Arthur stabbed him right in the gut. How did he not only halt Arthur's movements but run with a sword wound in his stomach? He should of collapsed immediately unless he's got great regeneration skills or his aspect managed to handle the wound." Lumine's expression turned sour as she fiddled with the pendants on her bracelet. Trying to think of an answer to her own question.

They once belonged to Cayde, I remember watching him fight in the war while still wearing them. Some sort of maternal value about them i was told.

Looking up in the carriage the elf called out. "Ronik, can we talk?"

"<if you would like, mistress.>" revealing himself from the thin air the surveyor that looked like a purple wooden yeti appeared. Its core had a cracked piece glued on but the cracks were still evident, "<what can i do for you?>"

"Could you show us a picture or anything? If we meet Strife again its likely to be as enemies."

"<i thought as much but I'm afraid i cant.>" Lumine and i looked at him puzzled. Ronik had always helped us before so why isn't he now? <there are repeated errors whenever i try to access his information. I am unable to get any picture or statistics on him. The only message I keep getting is this.>"