Chronicles From A Warlock III: Slave of the King

Chapter 4

"Ah... My head is killing me." I said sitting up. Looking around I realized I was sitting down in the remains of my ship. Then I realized I must have survived the crash from the dreadnought's weapon. I looked around for my weapon and as I did I realized there was a severe pain in my arm. "Must have damaged it in the crash." I grumbled. I saw the shattered remains of my rocket launcher. Unusable. I continued to peer the rubble. All the metal was charred. Charred? That can't be right. I must have been unconscious for sometime for the ship to look like this.

The pain in my arm was throbbing in unison with a similar pain in my chest. I studied my arm closer, it appeared bent almost, like it had been damaged and then repaired in a hurry. But that didn't make any sense. Maybe the internal supports had been damaged in the crash. I was still able to use it, as painful as it was my arm was still operable. My chest was burning, but like my arm there was no discernable wound. Just the pain, a pain that ate away at your thoughts, filling your head with nothing but a burning and consuming pain. 

"How long have I been gone?" I paused, "Omega, how long was I out?" I looked around for the little orb. "Omega...  You there buddy?" Still no response. "Great...." I grumbled again. I saw the tan stock of the Hakke shotgun I had chosen a little ways in the distance. I stumbled my way over to it, clutching my side with my good arm. My chest was killing me. I looked down at it no wound, no gash, the robe I was wearing had been torn and my paint scuffed, but no discernable reason behind the pain.

"I must have been out for some time." I mumbled walking over to the Hakke shotgun. I grabbed it and noticed that it wasn't heavy. I looked in the chamber to check for any kind of ammunition. Empty. "That's strange." I muttered as I walked back towards my ship. 

I began to dig through the remains of the ship, searching for my supply of special ammo synth's. And that's when I noticed the expired shotgun shells that were scattered across the ground. I stood shocked. How was it possible for fired shells to be here? I picked up one and studied it. It definitely belonged to this shotgun, but I had no recollection of firing the weapon. 

I shook the thought off as a fresh wave of pain in my chest took control of my thoughts. I stumbled from the pain but managed to catch myself before I fell. I was bent over in pain. Maybe there was a support damaged in my chassis. I looked up as the pain began to subside again. 

There was a glint of light not too far off in the distance. I threw my shotgun over my back again and began to make my way slowly to the gleam of light. The light, or whatever it was, was sitting atop a pile of bones. Bones which I can only assume had been picked clean by the thousands of thrall that roamed this battleship. 

After stumbling my way to the object I picked it up and realized it was my helmet. The glass had been shattered, the metal warped, and the paint scratched. I tossed the remains of my helmet aside and as I did, I heard a voice come through. 

I quickly picked it up and did my best to hear the message through the damaged frame. "Aero....come in Aero. Thi....Cayde-6, You read.....there?" I opened the comm channel and said, "Thank the Traveler. I read you Cayde." There was a slight pause then he responded,

"What happened....there? We lost....communication with the Queen and....forces, your's was the only signal.......could get a.......of. We've been trying to contact you for.....days now." Did he say days? How long have I been out? "Did you say days?" I asked confounded. "Yes.....Six....trying for nearly a week to.........you" He said after a small delay. "Wonderful." I groaned. "Cayde, I'm in no condition to be fighting and I've been unconscious for days here. It's a miracle that the Hive haven't found me yet." Cayde paused for a longer moment this time, "You're.........to understand..... sending....fireteam.....coordinates....Stay safe.....debrief on arrival. Cayde out." 

And with that, the comm channel went dead with an audible 'click'. I could only assume that he was sending a fireteam to pull me out. It would take them a few hours to get here, and that was all the time I had to try and make their arrival possible. There was no way in hell that they could just land on the ship, the dreadnoughts weapon would have to be disabled. 

And then, that's when I noticed where I was. I had crashed a few hundred yards to the very weapon that had blown me out of the sky. I quickly hobbled my way back to my ship and grabbed as much special ammo that I could carry and began to make my way to the weapon. 

It was a large circle or dish-shaped pan, that appeared to charge up with energy before releasing it in a powerful burst. There were a few large pipe looking objects heading to and from the dish. The pipes were massive and could easily fit an Ogre inside of one. I could only assume that these were what powered the weapon. I ran a hand along the piping. I began to try and summon the void light within me. It was slow at first, and the pain in my chest escalated. I struggled and eventually managed to summon a vortex grenade that ate away at the piping until there was a hole large enough for me to walk into.

"Omega, Light please." I said abruptly. Then I remembered. Omega was gone. I clenched my fist and had a moment of silence for the little light that had been my companion. Now Gone. 

I again struggled, but this time it was easier to summon a small solar flare in my hand that would serve as my light. The flare illuminated the tunnel and bathed it in a warm orange glow. I pushed onward walking for what felt like miles. Each step echoing on the hard floor beneath me. If everything went to plan, even though it hardly ever did, I would just follow the same path back as the route I took to go, wherever I was going that is.

Suddenly and unexpectedly my light went out and I was bathed in darkness. 

Then my ears were filled with a roar.

The Roar of an Ogre.