Bloodhound was collapsed on the floor of his kitchen, cradling Rye's limp corpse, his clothes soaked in her blood. He'd carried her all the way from King's Canyon and never let go. His crows were on either side of him; Muninn gently pecked at Rye's cheek and then tilted his head at Bloth. The raven hopped onto Rye's chest and cawed at her ghostly, motionless face. Huginn fished a comm device out of one of Bloodhound's pockets and nudged it towards his hand.
Bloth picked it up; it was Rye's. He set it back down on the floor and looked at both his comrades. He managed a choked whisper and said, "She is gone, felagis."
Huginn pecked a button on the device and insistently pushed it back towards Bloodhound. This time when he picked it up, there was something illuminated on the screen. It was Rye's banner with the message that her respawn timer was timed out. Bloodhound quickly laid out all the other devices that Rye had collected. All of them were now showing Legend banners.
Rye's body sprung out of Bloth's arms and a metal deathbox suddenly appeared in its place. He opened it and found it contained all the weapons and armor she had during the match. A small spark of hope welled in his chest and he took Rye's banner and head towards the hangar.
There wasn't a single guard or complex staff in sight on the way there. The only audible sound was Bloodhound's brisk footfalls on the concrete. When he reached the hangar, he felt the presence of two people just inside. He quickly pocketed Rye's banner and pulled open the hangar door.
"Congratulations on your well-earned victory today, Bloodhound," said a tall man in a sharp suit as he entered. To this man's right was Seven, holding a briefcase.
"Why were you waiting for me here?" Bloth asked, eyes narrowed under his mask. The man grinned.
"To present you with your winnings, of course," he said and gestured towards Seven, who opened the briefcase and revealed a stone statue of a beautiful eight-legged horse sitting on top of a large manila envelope. Bloodhound recognized it immediately; it was an artifact that he'd been hunting for a long time.
The man continued, "I will need all banners returned to me before I can give this to you."
"Why? Where is everyone else?" Bloodhound asked.
"That shouldn't concern you." The man's grin widened and Bloth clenched his fists.
"Keep the prize," Bloodhound said. As he turned his back to the man and Seven, there was a click and bars came down from the ceiling in front of the door. The man dropped his grin and looked a little irritated.
"You don't have a choice in this matter. The banners are Apex property and you will return the one in your pocket to me," the man said.
"As my prize, let me keep it," Bloth said, slowly turning back around. The man gave a deep sigh, raised his right hand in the air and snapped his fingers. Instantly, a dozen armed guards jumped on Bloodhound. He fought tooth and nail, knocking half of them unconscious before the other half was finally able to restrain him. The man strolled over and plucked Rye's banner from his pocket. Bloodhound's eyes widened in horror and his heart dropped as the man dropped the banner to the floor and broke it in two with one fluid stomp. Seven quickly scooped up the pieces and bagged them up.
"Why?" Bloodhound managed to whisper. Seven set the briefcase down in front of the hunter.
"As I said, none of your concern. I'll be expecting you in the game next week," the man said. The bars in front of the hangar door lifted and both he and Seven exited the hangar, followed by the guards as they let go of Bloodhound's arms and legs. The metal door clunked shut and he dropped to his knees. He picked up the small metal bits left on the floor from Rye's crushed banner and held them in his palm. He unlatched his coat, gently pocketed the pieces in an inner pocket, and latched his jacket back up again. His legs heavy as lead, he dragged himself to the return ship that contained the respawning pods. He walked up to one and faced his reflection in its empty glass panel. He could not accept that she was gone; he had to find where they'd hid her.
