a thief's tale

a legend falls

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a legend falls

I strapped my gun to my hip, making sure my vest were secured last before walking out the door. Loba's message was clear. I was to be scouting ahead with Pathfinder and Che today. She wanted to retrieve another rinky dink piece of junk. No clue what it did, and now I'm thinking I shouldn't have cut the Tech Junkie off from explaining it to me.

Che greeted me as I walked into the Dropship, handing me my smoke-launcher, but withholding my walkie-talkie. I shot her look before she began explaining.

"Listen up, Seargant," Che said, "Pathfinder be dropping us off on top of the buildings, then we'll be zip lining throughout the scene to scoop it out." I nodded along, taking a R-301 from the wall and strapping it across my back.
I held out my hand for my HT but she still didn't drop it.

"Whats the hold up?"

"It's strict orders not ta engage. We don't wanna draw attention to a'selves." Che stared me down, before dropping the HT in my hands.

"Don't be popping no smoke unless vital, ya hear?" She turned her back against me, as we waited for Pathfinder to arrive. I heard the mechanically pitter-patter of the MRVN approaching. There was another set of footsteps alongside his. The Dropship's door slowly fell open, revealing an enthusiastic Natalie P. No way she was coming along.

"What's she doing here?" I gave her a small head shake of disproval, holding my arm out to keep her from coming along.

"I am here to hold down the fort, as Gibraltar says," she gleamed, before pushing past my hand and slinging her arm over Che's shoulders.

I scoffed, as Pathfinder closed the DropShip and started the ship.

"This'll be fun, friends!" The DropShip burst off into the air, soaring through space before settling down speed, and bringing us to what I presumed was the location. Something in the air made the hairs of my neck stand up, but I dropped down regardless, keeping eye on Che and Natalie. Our jetpacks braced for impact, as we landed on-top the building. Place was crawling with these beasts that could tower of Pathfinder. Night-mare fuel if you ask me.

I took the place in and immediately wanted to call pathfinder and tell him to bring the drop-ship back around. There was an ominous loom to the place, as the unknown creatures crept around, almost as if they were waiting on us. Pathfinder was suppose to land the ship before we got down to the rendezvous, so we lingered on top the building until we heard a staticky "Clear" from Pathfinders end.

Not long after, I heard the chip of his grapple attaching into building side, then the followup of his body softly thudding into the building. It took some time for me to realize that we stood were we spilt killed before. This was one of the Apex Arenas, except it was riddled with 300 pound beast whose eyes gleamed like blood on pavement. I kept my finger hovering on top of my trigger for comfort as we snuck alongside each other, following Pathfinder as he attempted to locate the artifact.

The random howls and screams throughout the night made me want to hide tail and take off, but I knew we were hear to secure Loba's little toy, and I don't start missions without an intent to finish. It began to seem never ending before Pathfinder finally spotted a door.

"We found the artifact site, friends!" Our eyes followed the direction his robotic finger pointed towards, a tall building with two noted entrance points. I nodded, securing my HT on my shoulder and taking aim around the building.

"Okay, I'm gonna recon that way with Che. On top of the building a little southwest from here. We'll provided cover fire if necessary, while Nat and Pathfinder lockdown the outside of that building and sweep the place for any body or thing worth putting down. If push comes to shove, we rendezvous back to the DropShip," Pathfinder put his thumb up and Nat gave an affirmative nod. Che scoffed, but followed me nonetheless as we diverged path.