His Twisted Story.

His Purpose

*A/N the art work is my own. I typically don't get a lot of time to draw or write nowadays so the sketches won't be the best but I hope you enjoy them. Also, readers of a friend of mine will find a reference to one of her stories.* -Catdog

The interior of Taniks' Ketch which gently floated above the moon was empty and barren as Rogue stepped out of the grav-lift that had been carelessly projected into the Hive Fortress below. His footsteps echoed through the halls of the empty ketch. The scent of exposed Ether caused the former Hunter to quirk an eyebrow and wrinkle his forehead in disgust despite being all too familiar with the the smell.

This had been his goal for so long, this moment, but it felt empty. Not because someone had already boarded the Ketch and slaughtered all of its inhabitants and most likely Taniks too, but because it felt like the journey here had been pointless from the beginning.

600 innocent lives had been lost and countless more had been silenced all to kill one Pirate, only for it all to prove to be meaningless as his kill was stolen. 'I did it all for justice,' Rogue told himself inside his head, 'They were all guilty'. Then he thought of the innocents he did in fact have a hand in killing.

He pushed on regardless. He couldn't stop because he didn't want to stop. They wouldn't let him stop even IF he wanted to stop. What's the point in trying to go back to what he was anyways? The hero died in Old Russia trying to protect a corrupt city that was doomed to fail anyways and what rose from the ashes was a monster. No. A demon. 'The Fire Demon' to be exact.

Upon reaching the bridge, Rogue's faceless expression turned into a scowl as he saw that the area was littered with bodies, Taniks at the center. His ghost, Brenda, popped out of Rogue's 'backpack' as she put it and tapped into a nearby screen, revealing the footage. A Hunter by the looks of it (the details of the footage weren't particularly clear due to the many flashes of light, bullets, and arc rounds) had gotten the kill by the skin of her teeth.

He turned to Taniks' body and gritted his teeth before turning away to head back the way he came, only to hear a grunt come from the body that he had turned his back to. Rogue spun around and in a blur of motion, he was kneeling next to Taniks. The large Eliksni struggled to turn his head, ether pooling out of various wounds. He didn't have long.

Taniks spoke out in Eliksni with a gargled voice, "'You...'" Taniks have a slight laugh before coughing. "'You were too late...Fire Demon...someone else got to me first. She was hired by that..Variks'".

Rogue narrowed his eyes as he stood up and began to load his hand cannon, the Reaper before responding, also in Eliksni. "'I was going to, but I don't think I will. There's no point, you're dead either way.'" He sighed and began to leave. Taniks, in shock, attempted to sit up, "'Fire Demon..be a 'man'. Avenge your lover. Do it. I can see your hand shaking. You want to do it-'" "Oh will you shut the fuck up with your bullshit for once?!" Rogue stopped and turned as he shouted, in english this time.

"' I'll..tell her..that you'll see her..in your own personal Hell-'" With a loud series of cracks and the thud of Taniks' lifeless head landing back on the cold titanium floor, Rogue left finally left, detonating a few charges he had set after he was a safe distance away.

He now knew his role in this universe. This journey did have a point. He would truly embrace the demon he has become, and would exact justice how he see fit.

*A/N Rogue's story is an interesting one for me as my usual character type is either flat out good or flat out evil. Rogue is my first experimentation with the thin borders with good and evil. It's why I've struggled with him and why I stopped the other two stories. Writing him is a challenge and a fun one too. I'd love to hear your feedback too. Thank you for reading this chapter!* -Catdog