Agent of The Nine

CHAPTER IV: THE NINE'S CALLING

The frail sound of the wind gusting through the air, and the continuous pouring of hot water from a distance. Those are the only two sounds Xur could hear after regaining his consciousness, and it was the quietest moment he had ever experienced since he absorbed the power of Darkness that is the Jovian. Xur slowly opened his eyes with a rather beautiful view of the desolate and hostile lands of the Forbidden Masses with the red sky occurring and the sun rising from its sleep. He found himself at a height of one of the great mountains, leaning on a snowy rock. He sat there for a bit longer, fearing what this uncertain new life he had had to offer him once he stood up and walked away, so he savored this pleasing quiet moment as much as he could, gazing at the alluring sunrise and the glorious view in front of him. No voices, no sudden transformation, no sudden memories of the lost ones, just him and his swirling tentacles of his face.

Once he had captured this moving moment as a memory to be deeply fond of, he stood up in pain from the avalanche and turned around to the appealing icy stairs of the mountain. He felt pain through his stomach and his legs were hurt.

"Leaving so soon, Outsider?" Said a mysterious man from a distance to Xur's right. He turned his head and found an old bluish-gray skinned man with a stick on his left hand and a pot of hot coffee pouring it into a wooden cup. The strange man was living in some sort of lookout camp on an edge of the mountain. Sleeping bags on the ground, a small campfire in the middle, and many firewoods at the corner of the camp. Xur remained silent for a few seconds to examine the place.

"Why do you care?" Asked Xur strangely.

"You look deeply hurt. Though, I could not tell due to your... distracting tentacles. Please, rest here." Answered the man. Looking at Xur with his cyan blue eyes and a faint smile.

"And if I wanted to leave now, would you kill me just like the rest?" Asked Xur with aggression.

"I would never obligate someone to do such an option, but looking at your current state, I say you'd be as good as dead if you wander out there alone, and that wouldn't be nice now, would it?" answered the man. Xur knew he was right but did not want to say it. He looked back at the mountain stairs but neglected it. and sat in front of the man in his small campfire.

"Awfully intriguing of you to carry someone like me to your little sightseeing camp." Said Xur with intent to listen to the man.

"You looked harmless to me. Honestly, I thought you were a goner, but you were very much alive. I carried you to my camp. I knew you were a different specimen, someone I have never seen before, but you are no cabal. That's good in my book." Answered the old man confidently.

"Do you do this to anyone you see?" Asked Xur.

"Look around you, my friend. Do you really think any sane dweller would wander here in these hostile lands? It's filled with savages and newly formed Cabal outposts. I must say, you are quite lucky that I found you in that misty blizzard. It's never this strong." Answered the old man once again, pouring the coffee pan into a cup for Xur. "Would you like some coffee?"

"No, I do not drink. Not anymore anyway," answered Xur cryptically with his arms tucked into his garb, leaving the old man confused.

"I see... Tell me, What are you exactly? I have never seen your kind in my life." Asked the old man. The voices in Xur's head started to ring once more at an alarming rate. "Don't tell him... Don't tell him.. Focus on the mission." repeatedly whispered the voices.

"They say that I am the chosen one from the great ones of the Darkness, but I am only just an uncontrollable monster." Said Xur cryptically.

The old man was left in confusion. Despite his eagerness to know more about Xur's strange race, he decided to not talk about it any longer that time. Xur remained quiet for a good few seconds, staring at the campfire, then stared at the old man with an angry look in his yellow eyes.