Legacy: Beyond the Veil

Web of Despair: Part two

The crowd was struck with silence for a few moments, then burst out in excitement like Thane had rarely witnessed. They jumped and thrashed just to have an outlet for their energy, and Thane found his name was now the one being chanted.

He waved his hand, then started making his way back to the exit as the announcer breathlessly repeated his words. The crowd parted for him once more, but their attitudes had changed. Where first they avoided him, they now clamored to get his attention, yet he waved them all away. Maintaining a good relationship with all groups and generations aboard the ship was one responsibility. Not becoming too familiar with them was another. Before long he found himself back on the suspended walkway leading to ground level, leaving the crowd behind.

Despair stood at the door he had entered through. The many segments of her carapace armor were in the process of being peeled off, leaving her in the beige bodyglove worn beneath it.

Thane had never been one to underestimate people, yet the short and lean young woman in front of him in no way gave the impression that she was his equal in martial might.

Well, perhaps she was not quite that good, but she undoubtedly had the potential to catch up to him within her mortal lifespan.

After all, Despair was a mere twenty years old. She was the youngest Tidebreaker to ever reach the rank of Prime, and Thane believed she would grow greater still.

Her mop of short hair –originally a dirty blonde, now dyed deep black with a number of golden accents– stuck messily to her face from sweat and the compression of a helmet.

Despair had a small, pointy nose, a sharp chin, and a set of cheekbones which were only accentuated when she smiled, which was not often.

Thane was treated to the sight of them now. His eyes met hers and he smiled back at her, his futile expressions still persisting after centuries of having his face be invisible.

"So, finally making the big leagues, old man?" She asked, her eyes twinkling in a rare display of mischief "Think you can handle a fight in the cages?"

"If your fight was anything to go by, I could win it with my eyes closed." Thane responded, expressing his smile through his voice, to which the girl next to him scoffed.

"It's because of those old-gen skins. I feel so slow and cumbersome in them." She said, wiping a strand of hair away from her eyes. "I'll convince them to let me use my own skin one day."

Thane smirked at that. If an outsider –even an academic soldier– had witnessed the fight, they would have been awestruck by how fast Despair could move. But she was right, friendly duels like the cage fights were fought using obsolete weaponry. Thane agreed that it made the fighters look sluggish in comparison to their usual capabilities, but to have the fights be a little slower was better than to let his Tidebreakers accidentally kill each other.

"If those old suits are that bad for you I cannot imagine how gruesome having to move with your own muscles must be." He teased her. "You are not working up Stuck skin, are you?"

The Web's attendants collected the final parts of the old warskin Despair had used and packed them neatly in half a dozen suitcases before they left, leaving the Captain-emissary and the Duelist prime alone.

"That's easy for you to say, Cap." Despair responded, her smile fading slightly. "You haven't done anything unpowered in over a hundred generations. If there's anyone suffering from Stuck skin, it's you."

"Well, if you crave something more exciting, why not bring your warskin for our match? Perhaps the Shuntblade as well?" Thane asked. He could tell the prospect excited Despair, but she shrugged indifferently nonetheless.