Part 1: Walking On Thin Ice

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Spent a year or two planet to planet, I stripped what loot was left of the Prison of Elders after a gang of Fallen offed that gunslinger, and made my way to Europa. Saw this Guardian do some ritual with those pyramid ships, then they casted these ice sickles that swept the battlefield conjuring tornadoes of snow and ice freezing then shattering Eliksni like glass statues. As soon as the Guardian left I entered the ship and explored the endless corridors. I saw statues of guardians, other species' and even horses, all carved in the midst of actions set up like displays.

At the end of the hall was a stairway that led upward too far for me to see the peak. As I walked up these almost endless stairs I came to a veiled statue that towered over me. I ran my hand across the pedestal below and my ghost came out and raised in front of the statue. She started talking, it had the same voice as always, but within was another voice, which sounded like echoes voices "YOU COME IN SEARCH FOR MORE."

I couldn't tell if she was talking to me, she was looking past me as if there was an audience, or as if I wasn't even worth looking at, "Specter, are you ok? Can you hear me?"

"REACH OUT AND YOU TOO CAN HAVE WHAT YOU DESIRE." She said as she lowered down to me.

I reached out to recall her and in that moment an ice crystal as thin as a flower stem burst out from the ground beneath Specter and pierced right through my palm. It retracted immediately and Specter came to, "W-What happened?" she whimpered.

"You don't remember!?" I asked while still on edge gripping my hand out of pain.

"I don't know. I-I felt this overwhelming power flowing through me..." She then rambled as if she desired more of this power, then looked down and noticed "Your hand! No, did I do that?" She asked with a shakily voice.

"It's fine." I said softly to calm her down. I then ripped a piece of cloth from my cape and wrapped it around my hand to stop the bleeding. "Can you get us out of here?"

"Copy" She began to transmat us out, but something was wrong.

"What's taking so long?" I asked anxiously.

"I don't know, somethings interfering with my connection"

I grab her and make my way to the exit swiftly, but I freeze. I couldn't believe it. "No no no." There in the frame stood a man. A hunter, one arm covered by his cloak and the other held a gun. The one and only Golden Gun. "How did you find me? I covered my tracks, I made sure not to take too much." No response from him, he stood there with a red and black fiery glow emitting from him casting his shadow onto the floor as if he were a giant. He stood there as a silhouette "Shin Malphur."

He raised his gun, but I was still frozen. It didn't feel like I was stunned or shocked, it just felt like I was frozen. "Listen, that was the old me. I-I've changed my ways, me and Hope." I babbled so I could buy some time, but it didn't look like he cared.

He shot and in that moment I shifted my stance ninety degrees swiftly and lifted my hand cannon from its holster and took my shot.

In all my time, all the standoffs, all the card games that got out of hand, all the heists I've not only been a part of, but planned, my hand cannon always failed me. It would either jam or out right miss even when I had my sights dead set on the target. It wasn't the best by any means, but I found it in the aftermath of a duel between Yor and Shin. It meant something to me, but this Rose was fighting me this whole time. In that moment Shin's bullet whizzed past my shoulder, taking a chunk out of my armor and destroying part of the stairs behind me. But my bullet was true, it was on mark, it was perfect, dead center in his mask. As soon as it left my Rose it had one set path and fulfilled it, but when it did and the bullet met Shin he disappeared as if he were an apparition, and that same fiery mist floated away.

You've reached the end of published parts.

⏰ Last updated: 5 days ago ⏰

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