Crusader Part 8
#8 of Crusader
Poralla is holding Magnum still, only now they are laying on his bed, Marouge having gone back to the flagship to continue scouring the fleet Za'vara has gone back to her research, the three women brought the mystic to his room with guidance from Elvo. The weasel looking down at the sleeping wolf, keeping her embrace as she looks him over, no signs of discomfort but signs he was going in and out of a nightmare it seemed. Poralla felt a sense of honor wash over her, she never understood why men had the stigma that they should never cry and keep their emotions hidden. To see Magnum, the most powerful force she had ever seen weep and ask for a shoulder to cry on melted her heart, to see him extend that trust to her and two other women meant something. Men have emotions too and in her opinion they matter just as much, they needed to get the way they feel voiced and embrace how they felt and not try to walk it off like a tank if it was really bothering them.
The mystic slowly opens his eyes, he sees the weasel holding him, he looks to her "Poralla?" his tired eyes looking to her, he was use to seeing Elvo embracing him... it has been a long time since a being of flesh and blood embraced him like this.
The weasel gives a gentle pet through his hair "I'm right here Magnum, just relax and take your time."
Magnum slowly moves as Poralla helps him up, he's still leaning against her and he still looks like he can cry at any time, he just looks so sad and tired, she interlocks her right hand with his left, her green eyes softly looking at him. The mystic takes the whole situation in, he remembers the three women embracing him and how quickly they rushed over, he knows there will be questions, he just didn't know when or if they would ask them.
Magnum looks to her "T-Thank you." with sadness still lingering in his voice.
Poralla gives a smile "Anytime Magnum."
The two finally stand, the mystic calls for Elvo and she soon appears, the a.i. takes the sight in, despite Magnum's emotions having flared, he seems calmer and his vitals were more stable, Poralla's presence no doubt played a huge role in such a thing.
The mystic rubs his head "How long was I out?"
The a.i. checks her index "Six hours, thirty seven minutes and nine seconds."
The mystic goes over to where his medication is, he readies a capsule, he takes in the situation and decides to try something different, he breaks the pill in half which instantly earns the coyote's attention and only takes half the dose. The weasel couldn't help but felt like she was witnessing something no one would even think of when it came to the mystic, as far as many were concerned his was a divine creature, an angel not effected by 'worldly' flaws, this was truly a development. Magnum can feel his emotions draining, but they were cut down only halfway this time, his emotions were still intact but now simply diluted rather then tucked away. Poralla instantly notices him tone down, she wondered if that was how strong it was at a half dose, how strong was it at a full one? As for Elvo, this situation was quite a turn of events, that he allowed someone else to see this, him taking the medication he's been taking for two years and now to see him break it half said something, he was starting to open up but what happens now will really effect him.
Magnum looks to Poralla "I understand that you have a lot of questions, no doubt so does Marouge and Za'vara. To tell you the truth, I want to answer them, I think... it's finally time." with a sigh towards the end.
Poralla blinks for a moment, she approaches him "Magnum, if that's what you want to then that's fine. But you don't have too." putting a hand on his shoulder.
"For my sake, I think I need too." the mystic looks to Elvo "Please contact Derra and see if he can come aboard, I want him to know this too."
Elvo raises an eyebrow at that request, Magnum didn't know the hyena all that well... if she had to guess he was testing the knight in his own way, she decides to go along with the mystics request and hails for Derra to come aboard. Upon seeing the mystic, Marouge gives him a quick hug with even Za'vara giving a passing one, Derra arrives a few minutes later wearing his robes and no armor or serfs in sight.
Derra says "So, what is this about? Elvo didn't say why you hailed the strike cruiser, only that you wanted me aboard."
The mystic sighs "There is something that I need to say, after two years... maybe it's time I share with others my past, maybe if I do I can at least try to move on."
Everyone save for Elvo becomes intrigued, the mystery behind the mystics origins was finally going to be unveiled to them, Magnum however was only going to give them a streamlined version of the tale, he was still iffy on some details he was unsure about sharing.
Magnum says "I'm from the Sol System, it's a small solar system three galaxies away, specifically the planet known as Earth, I was born from two non-mystics. I will admit, my younger years while sheltered were wondrous as I took the world in side-by-side with my parents.", his ears twitch for a moment "It wouldn't last however, in my mid teens an event would go on to change me, forever... my mother left my dad and I for an old high school sweetheart she one was with in her youth. No matter how much I called for her, no matter how much I begged she still left us behind. What hurts the most is that she was the one parent I was the closest to and it made me question if my childhood was built on nothing but lies and mirrors as it virtually destroyed me. However another dark time would come that would push me over the edge, I was greatly taken advantage of by the only girlfriend I had ever had, a jackal by the name of Kathleen... and from the stress I suffered, as my mind broke down I would end up activating my powers and eventually I would head to the stars themselves, sadly I decided to leave my dad behind as I didn't want to risk his life should the venture fail. It was then I met Elvo and we brought this ship back into full operation, but I needed to find a new purpose, one I could hopefully do the most good with even as my emotions tore at my psyche... and so Elvo introduced to me the information she had on the Knight Orders and as you can see I became a Freeblade."
The four individuals just stand there in awe, they can tell the mystic was leaving some details out, but what was said was something they never thought they were hear, that he was abandoned and how he became a knight. Before them was an abandoned pup who could destroy anything with the powers at his finger tips and yet was left by the one person he thought he could count on the most, his mother, the one who helped bring him into existence alongside his father. And to hear his was born from two normal wolves and was from a simple civilian life, while there was talk he was an angel or something similar sent by the gods, some even wondered if he came from a high standing in society or even a small but powerful tribe tucked away somewhere... nothing like they were hearing.
The mystic continues "My emotions were taking their toll on me, I would sometime lose control of my powers as my nightmares felt like they were killing me, it was then Elvo and I came up with the medication I take, powerful emotion suppressors and anti-depressants that I became more dependent on over all this times, the issue though is that I never tackled with any of this for as long as I have been in space... until now."
Poralla thinks back to that moment back at the station when that escort tried to engage him in her services... it made sense now, "And I'm guessing that all of that also have you a fear of women?" crossing her arms.
Magnum nods "Well, both a fear and a hatred as I honestly thought that all women just wanted to destroy me... but I don't hate women anymore, Elvo helped me with that." with the coyote giving a nod in confirmation.
Za'vara blinks "So, other then having Elvo to talk to, you have been alone all this time since you left your home world?"
"Yes, that is the truth." the mystic says with a sigh.
Poralla looks like she was holding back tears, it was heartbreaking for her to hear all of this and the three others actually weren't that far off from that either.
Marouge gives a sad look as she approaches him, she puts a hand on his shoulder "Magnum, you don't have to be alone, not anymore. To hear about this struggle with depression, abandonment... it's a wonder how you dealt with it or so long." she brings him into a hug "Why did you keep all of this to yourself?"
Magnum gives her a gentle embrace back "I guess I was just worried that if anyone else found out, maybe they would think differently about me."
Derra gives a soft sigh "I can understand that position." he focuses on the mystic "Before I became a knight, I was a troubled youth, practically on the brink of death after committing crimes, I was trash and I was concerned of people finding that out for that reason.", he puts on a smile "But now that I look back at it, it helps me smile in pride, that I am no longer the mangy creature I once was and moved on... my team and I share this background and that how we bonded to become an effective force."
Now it was Magnum's turn to become astonished, he never would have guessed that the hyena would have come from such a spot.
Za'vara steps forward "You can't ignore your emotions like that, as you have learned if you don't address them, they'll control you no matter what. From what I've read, your race feels emotions three times stronger then we do and it can be both disastrous or a gift."
The weasel joins her fiance in embracing him "Emotions are neither good nor evil, it's how we handle them. When you cried, the pain and anguish you were in... I couldn't imagine going through that every day for two years."
The emotional gathering lasted a little longer, with the ladies giving him their hugs while Derra gives him a simple fist bump, Elvo smiles at the sight before her, this was what the a.i. had been pushing him to do for almost two years, that he now had friends who were flesh and blood, she wanted to cry but she decides not to. Now with the emotions out of the way, there was a few things to report, first off the group of ships had relocated into an asteroid belt for cover and second the search didn't yield any results. Magnum needed to figure out a way to effectively work on the prototypes while also keeping pace with Za'vara, his conclusion was to include Derra and his Everglaive, given they are all trained in the arts of technology it would be a wise decision and after what just happened it would be clear sign he was getting past some issues. The mystic had clear data to help guide him with the buster rifle, however both would have to work on H589 and the Everglaive can help with development on the V203, the deployment of the Albion system was to take top priority now and like he had said himself, all the stops had to be pulled out for whatever threat was around the corner. But they needed a place where they could work in peace, a place where the cults would never dare strike, the mystic makes the call for them to link up with Master Koress and his fleet, knowing the even more skilled machinists would be of great aid, he knows they would want shared data, but that's not an issue. The question now facing the mystic was if he should reveal what he had when it came to the Metal Howlers and what was found out?
Presnting uncovered evidence using information from a Knight Order deemed to have gone renegade wasn't unheard of and the Everglaive had fought against the horrors of space and strange cosmic creatures... he was unsure if he had enough to present, but now it needed to be said and the more he looked at the data, the more he wondered how much of it was set up by a cult... but no ordinary cult could come up with such an interlocking web, there was something else in play.
The mystic looks at himself in a reflected surface 'If it's who I think it is... we may be on a stricter time limit then I think we are.'
Within hours the small fleet meets up up Koress's forces, before asking for aid, the mystic decides to speak openly about the discoveries he and the others have made with the information found on the Metal Howlers flagship with Derra and the others giving their testimonies on the situation. Koress takes the information in, the enquine had heard similar stories but Magnum's evidence to suggest that the Howlers were actually innocent was overwhelming, the few Holwers that were still alive would have to give their own testimonies after this as it does put the renegade status into question without a doubt.
The horse stands from his throne, he approaches the group before him, his bionics giving quiet hums as he moves "Are you saying it's possible that the Howlers would have more then likely contacted you or us, if they were able to put it all together?"
The mystic says "I am certain my lord, their grand master even had a coded message more or less directed towards me."
Koress doesn't even flintch, he looks to the knights standing around them, he looks back to the wolf "If this forecast is already taking place as you say it is, then that means a new crusade is already here and one that'll decide the fate of existance itself. Given that this centers around the mystics returning by the looks of it, what assitance do you need?"
Magnum throws it out there "I have been working on the next phase of my power armor designs, I know that you are all aware of it. It is called the Albion and it's a project I've been working on for as long as I've been a knight, the Mercury was actually built with the projects in mind to help refine them. You've all seen one of them which was the buster rifle, the two others and the rilfe however still require extensive development. Given the dire situation and that we've worked previously, I was hoping that I can ask you for help and this can also help in upgrading your gear as well."
Koress keeps his stare straight, this exchange could really help in their own technology and there was no question about it, the last time they worked with the mystic it resulted in him creating the Vector MK II and they began producing a mass produced version of it with Magnum even improving the armor they use, now they could only imagine the tech he had been working on since then, he gives a stern nod "Very well Magnum, we are in agreement and I will pledge my forces to this crusade and I will send a communication to the grand master of the Everglaive and see what can be spared. If what you say is true then we'll need all the firepower we can get before heading into Reaper Sector along with any other forces we can aquire."
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Nara is staring out the window in defeat, the array of knight vessels being more then enough to crush anything in their path, she knows now there is no way she can get any reinforcments and no force that could be sent would fare well, not without some time to muster.
Len enters "Alright, we've got reinforcements in the form of the Everglaive order, but from what I hear we're gearing up for going into the Reaper Sector."
Hearing that sent a shiver thorugh the vixen's spine, it was too soon, they needed more time, she straightens herself out before turning to him "How soon do we head out?"
The officer gives a shrug "We aren't sure, I guess the Mystic and the Everglaive are working on something before we head in. Rumor has it they are working on that weapon of his before we head out, so no one knows when we'll commence our operation."
Nara becomes really frustrated, now she knew it was certain, Magnum had uncovered what she was trying to hide, he knew about the prophecy when it comes to his race, she wanted to scream and kill everything on this ship, but she can still warn the hidden enclaves in the Reaper Sector, it was risky but now they needed to perform the rites and the summoning needed to happen... there was no alternative.
To be continued...