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From the story of What I Stand For... A Collaborated Epic presented by Grant-Sud and Zo'Tomana... Second Chance ______ Part 1: Recruits Execution Orders: Rejected Every step echoed in the ears of Helryx. It’s was a very slow, easy walk. Axonn had a distinctive step of his own, being a strong, heavy being. But somehow the easy gait of the prisoner he led, with the slight clang and rattle of his chains, sounded like words.His very footfalls, his body movement, and even his glowing eyes that became brighter as they moved closer to her throne room, said it all.I am here.The prisoner, Dark Hunter subject and codenamed “Excavate”, nationality of the Northern Continent and from the large City of Sol, approached before the Toa of Water. His torn and burnt cloak revealed his features. He was tall and lean with onyx colored armor, only slightly larger than a Toa’s form. He stood with his back straight, head down staring at the floor, and hands in front of him. The electric chains bound his wrists together, the cords reaching around his feet. Any sudden movement caused pain, and Helryx ordered for his hands to be before him, not behind his back.She wanted them where she could see them.He wore no Kanohi, just a protective steel helmet which hadspiked edges along the sides that shifted backward, pitch black in color.Helryx gazed at him curiously. This was the great Dark Hunter? He didn’t seem like anything special.But his record told a different story. According the reports, this single Dark Hunter had charged head first into wars zones only to come out without a scratch. He had killed Toa, Skakdi, fully mature Rahkshi, numerous Rahi, other Dark Hunters and some of the Brotherhood’s most powerful servants.Still, she thought with disappointment, he was no match for one of our own.Well, that wasn’t technically true. He had almost defeated the Order’s Retriever in combat. It was a chance move that had caught Excavator off guard that led to his capture. He had remained in a restrained cell for one month on the island of Daxia before being brought to Helryx.Still, had he been aware of the ability - had he been informed of his enemy’s unique powers and strengths, then success would have been his.Helryx gave the smallest of smirks. No, appearances weren’t everything. There was something in those eyes that refused to look upward, something unique.The room had stone flooring, polished and seemed to be cleaned daily. The walls were a dark gray in color, with unique looking masks and paintings placed up on shelves and hung respectively. Small decorative torches with silver holders that spiraled upward, plantlike, lit the room. Helryx stood before a comfortable chair aligned at the end of the room, one that seemed to glow as though it was a command unit or a communication terminal. It was silent; Helryx ordered to not be bothered while the meeting took place.“Well,” she spoke easily, but clear enough for not one word to be misunderstood, “I assume formalities are in order. And we should make them short, as I’m sure you prefer.”Axonn kept a careful watch on the Dark Hunter, who kept his head down. He said nothing.“My name is Helryx, and I am the leader of this organization. The Order of Mata Nui welcomes you.”Still he said nothing.She ignored it and continued without hesitating. “As I’m sure you are unaware, your execution has been recalled.”That did make him stir slightly.“We’d be very honored if you returned our hospitality by speaking. Do you speak?”“You said you’d make it short.” Finally the Dark Hunter looked upward with crystal blue eyes, they gleamed brightly, a dark blue in color. “What am I here for?”“We have an assignment for you,” Helryx answered. “I won’t lie. Your record tells enough for us to kill you on the spot. You’ve committed more murders than the average Dark Hunter. You are a thief, a terrorist… the list goes on.”“And this terrorist is being hired by you. Why?”In her line of work, small remarks couldn’t bother her conscious. And they didn’t.“Because you are the best,” she said matter-of-factly. “Or so we assume. We are offering you a chance to clear your record, by doing something good for the universe. It’s a chance of redemption.”“A second chance,” he said softly. It was almost inaudible.Helryx leaned in closer, wondering if he would say more. He didn’t, and a silence filled the room while the Dark Hunter gathered his thoughts.“What do I receive?” he asked next.Axonn visibly faltered.“We won’t have you executed, and then you’ll be released. That’s your reward,” he replied in a deep voice with narrow eyes. “And mind your manners.”Surprising both Order of Mata Nui Member’s in the room, Excavate revealed true anger, snapping his head toward the giant being. His chains glowed furiously at the movement, but the Dark Hunter showed no recognition of it. Or maybe he did, and was proving himself.“Pardon me? Mind your manners,” Excavate replied sharply. “You capture me, and instead of killing me, orders – no – use me for your own plans? Don’t you dare, give me such ignorant treatment. Lying is beneath us, I would think.” His voice grew deeper, an analyzing tone, he became more assured of himself the more he spoke.“If you wanted me dead, you would have done it long ago. The fact that your leader hasn’t done so only reveals her weakness. It shows all the cards she holds. And I’m her only ace.”Axonn gripped his weapon even tighter.“You do not want me for this assignment. You need me. Back off, and let me speak with my employer. What does this have to do with you?”Slowly the Dark Hunter turned back to Helryx, staring her directly in the eyes without a sign of wavering or fear.She gave a small smile. Yes, he was a Dark Hunter. A weapon to be bought for and that was all. He didn’t care for release, because he knew he was always a target. It was all a process and that ruse of capturing him hadn’t changed a thing.The truth was they did need him. As a Dark Hunter, that name gave him the prestige of hidden motives and invisibility; elusiveness. A hunting Rahi that as long you got out of his way and ignored, probably wouldn’t harm you. Another Dark Hunter on some mission.He wasn’t a member of the Order, and thus his little attention would direct him to the Shadowed One’s people and no one else. He was skilled enough to pull off the missions, trained enough to know what information to look for. To know that if he dug too deep, he’d be a target for every assassin in the Universe. He knew what do to as told. He had no loyalties except for the one who hired him.That wouldn’t mean he’d be let off on a leash. He would have to be watched over, someone would need to double check his work and keep him in line. That wouldn’t be too much of a hassle, not for the right operative.And above all, as a Dark Hunter,Excavate was expendable. Whether he lived or died, the Order lost nothing. Helryx smiled, because he was just as good as she needed him to be. But despite that, it made the situation for him seem tragic.She pushed that out of her mind and nodded a reply, that smile of – yes – sympathy, still there.The flickering lights from the torches glimmered across his face.“We can talk of a payment. Anything you want. You succeed, stay alive, and you can have anything you want.”Excavate finally nodded, his eyes refusing to leave hers. He stood, waiting for his first assignment._____ Review Topic
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Welcome to the Second Chance Review Topic! This is a Co-Authored epic by myself (Grant-Sud) and my very good friend Zo'Tomana. Below are a list of details and links that will help you get started on where and how to follow.This story takes place a few years before the awakening of the Toa Mata and centers around the main universe, featuring two OC characters, Tomana and Excavate. Assigned on a mission to retrieve knowledge of their common enemy, a Toa and a Dark Hunter must learn to work together in order to survive the hostile world beyond them. Second Chance Part 1 - Recruits1. -Execution Orders: Rejected2. -Two for the Road3. -IllegiblePart 2 - Hidden4. -Covered by Mist5. -Forest of Thoughts6. -In Minutes7. -Abandoned8. -CorridorsPart 3 - Negotiations9. -The Ones in Command10. -Timing11. -A Place You Call...12. -Once More Into the Breach13. -Here and There14. -Confident Liar15. -These DaysPart 4 - Infiltrator16. -Just Business17. -The Toa of Principles18. -City of Glass19. -Dust20. -Mistaken Targets21. -Sit Sine Labe Decus (Let Honour Stainless Be)22. -UprisingPart 5 - Ascension23. -Rest Up, Brothers 24. -Deadline 25. -Earlier in Time, Stronger in Law____*Bios REALLY Coming Soon*An older Short Story and based off this tale, now a prologue, What I Stand For, can be read here.Second Chance will consist of 5 or 6 parts, but won't be too long of a story. If you enjoy our epic, please feel free to leave comments and reviews below, we appreciate any criticisms and we hope you enjoy it. Updates- March 17I'm starting a new update system so that I can add notes to chapters as they are released. It's a little late to be doing so, considering we're in the third part already. But anyway the chapter "Corridors", was launched today and it fills in the ending of Part 2's "Hidden". We already have much of Part 3 written and we're just deciding when to post the next chapter. Also I know we haven't done so yet, but the Character Bios of Excavate and Tomana will be appearing soon.- March 23Following these updates, we have the newest chapter of Second Chance up and we're now starting in part 3, Negotiations. The chapter was a ton of fun to write, and Zo'Tomana added in the details for Tomana's reply to Helryx concerning Excavate. Now we're taking a new twist to this part, since it's basically a start up for the conflicts that will be happening in Part 4. One half of Part 3 will cover what happened right after the Abyss Isla, and the other will continue into the future, where T and E have located the Makuta and are searching for it. Kind of a past present timeline thing... hope you all enjoy it.- March 28Checking out the dates I'm posting these, I realize how quickly we're publishing new chapters. Anyway Timing is up, a Zo;Tomana chapter and real good one. We had a little experimentation on the sparring session, but overall I think it turned out nicely. We're still moving back and forth between the present and past so hopefully it's not confusing anyone. Be on the look out for the next chapter soon!- April 2Tomana liked this chapter, but felt it was a little slow in pace. I honestly agree. I think this Part of the epic is more for the slowness and working Character Development, but we'd love to know what you all are thinking. ^^ Newest chapter, A Place You Call... is published. (It has a hidden meaning, doubt many will figure it out.)-April 13So it's been more then a solid week since we posted our last chapter. For that we apologize, but busy life got in the way as it usually does. It took us a little time to know what we were going to do with this and the next chapter, as both deal with the histories of our two main characters. Hopefully we've done it right, and the next chapter is completed, so expect it to be published in just a few days after this one sinks in. Zo;Tomana's chapter is done well imo, and it dives into a more vulnerable look at the Toa. My friend and I would also like to point out, that again, while we know this Part 3 is probably going by a little slowly, things are going to pick up real soon. Give us your opinions when you can, and thanks for reading!-April 21Another week having gone by, and another chapter to log. Today we go Here and There, a backstory chapter, or at least an explanation as to where our two main characters are from. It was a difficult chapter to write, especially with the dialogue and such... but I got a treat for you all. Zo'Tomana and myself have both written this chapter. We wrote it out in real time, and I did Excavate's dialogue while Zo'Tom did the Detectives. :3 I hope you all enjoy it, because it was a lot of fun. Next chapter is mine, and we're nearing the end of this third part!-April 25Took a little less time to get this chapter done. Not much to say, except we've gotten on a quicker pace again and this is the penultimate chapter of Part 3!-May 9thWith Part 3 done, we are now ready to enter into Part 4: Infiltrator. Hope you all enjoy it. Just as another note, These Days was my first semi-songfic I've ever done. Hopefully you thought it was good!-May 19thWe're sorry for the long wait on the update, but it took us a little time to know where we wanted to take part 4 exactly, and we've both been a little busy. But we have the next chapter coming soon and the one right after that. I may actually be gone for a week this coming Monday, but I'll keep you all posted. Besides that, want to give a huge thanks to everyone who's read and reviewed this story. You guys make it worth it all the more. :3-June 23thIt's interesting how we've slowed a little. Since the last update we've had two chapters up: City of Glass and Dust. Hopefully you all enjoy the story so far, and while we've both been a little busy as the summer has officially set in, the story is still fresh and ready to be typed up soon! We love all your comments so keep them up if you can, and thanks again for reading!-June 30thWith a new chapter already out, we present Mistaken Targets. The chapter was written by myself and Tomana. I had the upper half with Excavate's and Joga's view point, while Tomana had "Zoxara" and Kato's view point. Hopefully you all enjoy it, and Part 4 will be coming to an end shortly. ;D Comments and criticism is great appreciated, as always!-July 7thReleasing the next chapter, Tomana provided Sit Sine Labe Decus (Let Honour Stainless Be) a couple days ago. It's quite the character inspection for our frosty friend, and one step closer to finishing up Part 4! Please enjoy and comment when you can!-July 18thWe finally present Uprising, the last chapter in the Part 4. I will say this was one of the toughest chapters I've had to write, with Tomana and I going over the plot back and forth, back and forth, neither one of us liking any of our combined ideas. Finally we did a complete rewrite of the second half of the chapter, which with a little editing, we realized was something we wanted. But let's let you guys decide that! Leave any comments you'd like and thanks for reading! Part 5 coming soon, but give us about a week probably.Influences to Second Chance
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What I Stand For By: Grant-Sud If you believe you can sway me, if you think you can push me down, if fate itself has written it will lend a hand towards my fall, if you assume your lies will break me, if you assume your truth will shatter me, if what I represent you say is weak, if who I protect you claim will abandon me … and if you succeed in killing me? You are still wrong. I will keep standing. The Dark Hunter stood with his back against the wall of his prison cell, his eyes opened and sharp. He hadn’t moved in an hour and kept his arms crossed. He was silent and reflecting. And even though he was a prisoner, the caged being wasn’t afraid.Tension hadn’t built up in his muscles since he had chosen to remain still. His body was strangely relaxed. On the outside, beyond his hold, the smell of the ocean which seeped its scent through the walls was strangely comforting despite the circumstances.The grime that was rubbing against his shoulders however, from the dampness of the stone walls and the algae built up over time was degrading to the assassin. After all, a real prison should be kept uniform.The small cell contained one bunk and a table made of steel. The walls were hand crafted, built from grey stones of different shapes and varying sizes. It was dark as the cell offered no built in lights, the room being lit only during the day from the afternoon sun. Unlike the walls however, the door was made of durable protosteel, with a see-through ten by twelve glass pane.While he was impressed with the material of the door, he wasn’t with the means of observation. There were no cameras or other seeable ways for his captors to monitor him. He narrowed his eyes and shifted them, glaring at the table in anger. His abilities did not include vision powers, but anyone under the glare would have assumed he was about to activate them. Silently he calculated how to use it as a weapon or a shield against basic attacks. Even against energy blasts, the table would hold durably.He stood on the left side of the cell, his bed on the right. To his left, he ignored to the best of his ability, the luxury he had never before been given while under captivity. Not once.A small, four barred window.And that, that one lone “window of opportunity”, was what always corrected his former assumptions about his prison, what always reaffirmed him of his true situation.There was no escaping this cell.No prison gives such an easy exit to a Dark Hunter. They left a bed for comfortable resting and a table that could be used as a weapon and other conveniences. Karzahni, even his prison walls were breakable and could be dug through over a period of time.But when he realized how calm they were, about letting him have fresh air? That’s when he knew they weren’t concerned about him escaping. They were so confident that if he attempted an escape, he would fail. And yes, the window mocked him and dared him to try. In reality, it tormented him beyond any other form of torture – and he had endured much of that over the course of his life.It was tortuous because if he did stay, it was to stay on death row.How many times he had fought mentally with himself not to smash through those bars and embark on that flight of escape. Because he could break free if he choose too.Equally, he knew they were just waiting for such a move.He was trapped right on the edge of freedom. They never gave him an inch more.That’s when he had come to realize, that his captors were not good or great at their work. No, simply put, they were professionals.The open ocean stretched far beyond his range of sight from that small opening, the salty and fresh smell of life filling his lungs. It was another reason so much algae was able to thrive so easily and what kept his cell constantly moist.He tried to ignore the outside calmness and sweetness, though a pleasant feeling, because it filled him equally with dread.He had never been captured by the Order of Mata Nui before, much less ever faced one of their members. The affiliate’s swiftness and surprisingly brutal attacks had honestly thrown him off guard. Expectations were for the battle to be like dueling against a Toa.That had been his first mistake, and the Dark Hunter was not arrogant to the fact. When he failed, he made sure he knew it.Their battle had been in an open area, filled with civilians in a city known for selling its weapons. Meeting his future captor had been a unique experience. His opponent had stood in front of him, staring him down, showing no room for sympathy or cheap tactics. The Dark Hunter had been wearing a handmade, now overused and slightly tattered, robe. It had been given to him – not stolen – by a small Ko-Matoran settlement to the south. With four words, he revealed his intentions, the words still ringing silently in his mind. They were ones of purpose, as though Mata Nui himself had decreed it should be done.‘You are under arrest.’It wasn’t spoken as something that was bound to be. It was a fact. A piece of foreseen future placed in the unmovable timeline. And yes, even now he knew how true those words were, as there he was, trapped in his cell waiting to die.He remembered how he had given a look of unconcern and turned to the right instantly, not amused. He felt the heat of the blast, before actually seeing it, burn a hole through his traveler’s robe.Anyone who knew him well, which was a very few number of beings, knew he wasn’t a fighter unless he needed to be. And that had been his moment. His life had been threatened, and he would not surrender so willingly.It had taken an hour for the two to grow weary, he recalled. The battle had thrashed itself across the city, energy blasts destroying buildings in the wake, Matoran and other natives had been harmed. It had been a fair fight, but the Order of Mata Nui member would not falter. In the final moments the Dark Hunter had unleashed an explosion of energy from his body, instead of simply through his palms; ability he had kept hidden. His enemy had fallen to the earth with a thud, half his body disintegrated and smoking.He hadn’t smirked when he turned away, as some Dark Hunters would, just frowned at the unnecessary damage that was sure to trace back to him. That’s when he had made another mistake, rule number one in fact. He had failed to make sure his enemy was dead. He just never expected one of their members to thrive so hard on completing a mission.They were like Dark Hunters in a way.Regeneration was a clever power, and a stasis field trapped him into unconsciousness the next moment. He couldn’t remember anything afterward.The Dark Hunter had awoken in his cell with his energy drained. He had been able to regain the strength in his legs to stand, though his energy and abilities had yet to return. It wasn’t surprising that the Order of Mata Nui could allow this sort of mental inhibitor to be stuck to him. It might have even something to do with the prison’s structure.Or maybe it was permanent.The prison wasn’t as depressing as some of the previous ones he had been in. Even the seemly gloomy fog that tinted his air, seeable by the night’s low glow, was simply a natural satisfying effect from the ocean.He was utterly calm, even if his powers weren’t working. That was a strange feeling to have.That didn’t make sense of course. Well, maybe it did since he was awaiting his execution.An Execution, he thought and chuckled at the dark irony, after all the years spent in the organization, I don’t die on a mission, or get stabbed in the back; something easy without pain or worry. No my destiny is to die, with the slow and fully confronted knowledge that the choices I made were the wrong ones, and what I’ve done will be repaid.The Dark Hunter slowly slid down to the floor of his cell. He closed his eyes. It was then he felt truly tired, his lean form suddenly shaken and the eyes behind his Kanohi dimming.Death was on the approach. How much time did he have left?As his hand brushed to the floor in odd exhaustion, he gently nudged a sharp rock which had chipped away from the wall. Without glancing at the tool, he picked it up and raised it to his eyes. It was lean, smooth. A Po-Matoran would consider it perfect for carving.In some distant memory, he could recall a sprout of anger that he unleashed upon the wall during one of his many days here. His fist had clipped the stone.He wasn’t a writer, no poet, and had never been a Chronicler before.But he would leave something behind. He deserved to be heard, just once.Hours would slip away, his movement unorganized as he etched into the rock walls his tales and the tales of others.“We, who had no past, had no place or destiny; that was why we chose to accept the missions no one else could do. We had no homes or even purpose. So we found them ourselves. Our deeds may have been immoral, but I do not regret them. We formed civilizations, brought rulers to their knees and plunked the flower from its roots so that a new one could grow. Don’t blame us because the petals fell upon the ground… What would have happened had the Makuta been allowed to take control, or if the six warlords themselves had reined their tyrannical position over us? Do not judge us, for some of you created us.”He wrote the tales of his companions, how they could only look over their shoulders or toward the next mission. How they could only take lives swiftly without emotion, because if you thought about it for too long sleep would abandon you for weeks. How they joined the Dark Hunters, because their homes were gone or lost or rejected by or to them. How some just couldn’t trust in the absent Mata Nui, blind Matoran, constricting Toa, the pompous Makuta and all the other species who surrendered to a fate not meant for them.He wrote about how his friend Ptero, the most skillful flier he had ever known, had lived in the tallest of mountains to watch over his city, before the Rahkshi came to annihilate his people. The Toa had blamed him once they had finally arrived, assuming his madness had been the cause.He wrote about how the Skakdi that wouldn’t look you in the eye had came to be a violent rampaging monster, set for the Shadowed One to unleash at any time. How his own kind had drugged him to control his temper, until he couldn’t take the mental abuse anymore.He wrote about the Toa of Fire with no name. How his entire team betrayed city. How they sold them out for the Xia market. How he hunted and slaughtered them for the lives they ruined.And it felt like only a moment had flashed before him. Then he was done. The room was scribbled with writings some overlapping each other. The Dark Hunter stood in the middle of it, rereading what he had carved and looked on satisfied.The rapping of his door dragged him out of his trance.“Excavate, against the wall.” The muddled sound pierces through the protosteel door.Excavate aligned himself to the wall as the door opened. The powerful silver armored being stood with a mighty Axe strapped across his back side.“Are you ready?”He was. And it was interesting because he held no fear. Even at this moment, when it was about to all come to an end.To immediate surprise, this felt welcoming.Someone was calling him, someone he could recollect a vague memory of.With a few steps he stood outside the door, prepared and firm in completing this final task. He had no desire to look back at the drawings and writings.The two beings walked down the hallway, Axonn motioning to the Ce-Matoran waiting in the corner. She knew already of her duty, to scrub off all unnecessary debris left by the caged. She entered the cell swiftly. And what she saw, she wouldn’t reveal to the souls of the Order of Mata Nui. Even if she removed it without hesitance, she read it.The writing deserves some sort of decency, she reasoned while her eyes skimmed over the words, yet soaking it in just the same. Still silently trying to shake the unsettling melancholy brought on after erasing it all, she repacked her supplies for her next assignment. Her feelings were disturbed, doubting, and above all, nagging remorse over such a being who also deserved a little more.END----Original Post(I honestly don’t know what I was trying to write here, but I felt like writing something with angst and I don’t even think I got that right lol. I have to say I’ve been dying to write about my character Excavate for a while now and after Black Diamond and Heartbeats I was finally able to get a little inspiration so thanks you guys. I know there are probably a lot of grammar mistakes but I’ll get to that later.)New PostA previous story of mine and now prologue to an epic titled Second Chance. I do hope you enjoyed it. Reviews are much appreciated. =D
