Chapter 1: A once in a lifetime Decision
I have decided. My loyalty was for Amon. Not for the Highlord no matter who he might be. Amon is gone now, dead as he deserves it.
I will forge myself a new path and if I have to join the Daelaam for it first, then so be it!
I the 6th Ascendant, hm... since the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th were killed before Alarak fought Ma'lash in a Rak'shir, I guess I'am the first Ascendant now. I will leave the Tal'darim behind.
While I do have some loyal subjects, I do not know if they will follow me in this decision. While I doubt that Alarak sends the Blood Hunters after the ones that leave I can't be too sure about it. And while I believe that I can stand against some of them in a fight I doubt many of my subjects can do so. After all the Blood Hunters were trained to kill even more then other Tal'darim were.
The time for the final decision is this night. All Tal'darim that want to leave have to meet Alarak in person on Slayn before they do so.
My preparations are done. I don't have much aside from my armor and the Terrazine that we use to gain strength.
I guess this will be the last of the holy gas I will ever breathe, as I heard that the Daelaam don't use any gases to enhance their senses. Which seems like a waste. Amon is dead but the other Xel'Naga still gave us the gas to become stronger right? So why don't they use, what was given to us by the gods? It's one of the few things I do not understand.
As Tal'darim most of us breathe in Terrazin since childhood, since it helps with gaining power, and power is the only thing you need to survive as a Tal'darim. It sounds simple but it is much harder then it seems. Even the choice of the Ascendant you are supporting can get you killed. Weaker Tal'darim have to challenge you to a Rak'shir to defeat you, but only because they are still lower in action doesn't mean they remain weaker than you.
It is a harsh life always on the edge. Terrazine helps with that, not only for power but also to deal with the hard psychological conditions we live with.
And since Amon is dead I just don't need that stress anymore. Power is always something to yearn for but I can really renounce from the stress.
***Hours later***
I step through the warp entrance on my Flagship Carrier to get onto Highlord Alaraks Mothership. With me are 7 of my closest subjects. They are willing to join me on this journey into the unknown. The Warp Sequence ends. We arrive on the gigantic mothership a bit off center but the core of the ship isn't far, as is the throne room.
You can see the galaxy from everywhere on the ship, as an enormous red energy shield wraps around the Tal'darim Capitalship.
The hallway we walk in at the moment is mostly built with dark, black metal, shaped with a lot of curves and sharp edges. Red accent lights, powered by void energy. It creates a dark but fairly warm atmosphere. Some might call it malign atmosphere but when you grew up with all this it just is familiar and making you feel at home. Through the red shield, you can see our old home planet Slayn. Which we will abandon tomorrow, ... well, the Tal'darim will, I guess I won't be one of them anymore after today.
The Tal'darim will continue without me, dead or alive I still don't know if Alarak still lets us go or if I will walk right into my doom.
As we walk through the big hallway towards the center some probes, Slayers and Vanguards walk by.
Which is always an impressive sight to see. Slayers being about around 4.5 meters tall, Vanguards even taller with a height that reaches about 6 meters into the air. They are massive machines, cyborgs however you want to call them. Even I feel small compared to them, and I'am not especially a small Protoss. I'am around 3 meters tall, which makes me one of the tallest Protoss in my group.
Slayers and Vanguards being the Tal'darim equivalent of Stalkers and Immortals. Vanguards and Immortals are looking similar but vanguards are fairly different warriors. Both are highly skilled dead warriors, well I guess Immortals even more so, with the Daelaam only changing their most honorable and highly skilled warriors into immortals. Our vanguards are mostly warriors that dishonorably fell in battle still getting their chance to fight once more for their highlord.
We leave the Slayers and Vanguards behind. And step into the Throne room, and what I see there surprises me. I didn't think there would be a lot of Tal'darim leaving. But I did not expect that there would be only about 400. Not that that's unimpressive. All of us seem to wear our battle armor. Which makes this truely a sight to behold. The dark armor us Tal'darim wear is our finest piece of clothing if one can call it like that. Worn armor in the room ranges from heavy plated armor able to take hard hit to lighter armor that makes movement easier.
It seems everybody wants to make the best impression they can when arriving on the Daelaam Protoss Planet. I doubt it will have the effect they wish for but let's see what happens.
I myself wear my armor, but more because we still are in Tal'darim space, and I surely do not want to show any weakness to others when I'am about to leave the Tal'darim Life behind me. I doubt the Daelaam will be happy to see hundreds of battle ready Ex-Tal'darim warp into their home dressed in armor, completely ready for a battle.
But let's think about that problem later.
I walk closer towards the throne as only the highest ranking Tal'darim are allowed to step closer to the throne. I leave my four of my subjects behind about halfway toward the throne as they are not high ranking enough to step closer, three of them follow me toward the end only lining up one to two lines behind me.
My closest subject, I guess you could even see him as a friend of mine, looking at it from the viewpoints of the daelaam or god forbid from the perspective of those puny humans, is standing right behind me.
He is called Yalokin one of the tall Protoss of my group and about my size, a bit younger than me. His skin has a purple hue and his eyes light up in a blood red color, fairly darker than mine. His head isn't shaped as sharp as mine so we look different. Different and yet I trust him, I know it is a weak point on my side, but there is nothing I can do about that. I tried, but nothing could change that weakness inside of my heart. I'am not sure how one can describe that bond, well bond if he feels the same as me. I guess it could be similar to brothers. As Tal'darim we never touched the Khala, and as one can imagine we don't talk about trivial stuff like feelings either.
One might ask trivial how can you call feelings like that, but it is simple really. As much as feelings can help in battle they also blind you from important parts. And even between friends and families, betrayals can occur.
And so feelings are merely a hindrance on your way to becoming powerful.
My thought ends abruptly. A top of the stairs in front of us which lead towards the throne of the highlord, Alarak warps in a squad of Bloodhunters in tow. The throne stands atop a transparent Crystal floor. Below you can see the enormous Khaydarin crystal that powers this mothership. And with enormous I mean huge. Those Crystals are some of the biggest ones in use. This one is about 300 Meters tall and has a diameter of around 175 Meters. If we try to scale the level of impressive"ness" this rotating Crystal makes the Vanguards look like specs of dirt.
While I'am in awe every single time I can witness it's scale, at the moment I get distracted by the fear the presence the Blood Hunters bring with them. Even if you get as powerful as I have become of the span of my life. Blood Hunters are warriors you don't want to cross even in your dreams.
Sure Dark Templar are scary. But their aura is different, the atmosphere around them. They are normal Protoss even if they can disappear from your sight. Blood Hunters are fr*cking psychos. Their single purpose in life is to hunt down and kill what the Highlords tells them to pursue, they will stop for nothing and they WILL make it painful. Once they've set sights on you it's only a matter of time.
I pull myself together to look back to Alarak.
"Forged ones. I don't have to tell you to listen. All of you know what happens if you don't. As of today, you will not be Tal'darim any longer. This has changed a lot, not only what we believe in but I believe even who we are and that is what brings us here. I don't want to bother myself with years of Tal'darim running away fleeing because they lost what they believe in. And I don't want to bother the Blood Hunters with it either. That whole ordeal would be more than annoying over the years. So I have decided to give everyone a chance to go and leave. ONE chance.
Everybody who doesn't stand next to you in this warp field within the next hour will be left behind in the ranks of us Tal'darim. And will be hunted again if they decide to go after you, indecisiveness is a weakness that will be punished.
For those who are standing here in front of me, this will be a new beginning for you. You won't be called Tal'darim anymore, and you will never return.
As for me, while I'am still your Highlord I'am giving you my word, that neither I nor any of my Blood Hunters will hunt you down for treachery, as I'am allowing you to go.
As for you brethren, I cannot and I will not speak for them."
[I knew there would be something. The whole thing just sounded too good. Well, at least neither Alarak nor the Blood Hunters will be after us. As for the Rest... well I guess some will have to live in fear their entire lives.]
Alarak continues: "Anyhow. The last thing I will tell you is that after this step you probably won't have a home. You will not be welcome here anymore, but I doubt I have to tell you that, and neither the Daelaam nor the Nerazim will accept you, I won't even begin talking about those measly Terrans. So I say even this is a courageous move of you."
Alaraks Eyes wander through the rows of Protoss in front of him. I shudder for a second as his gaze stops at the group I'am standing in.
"I have to say I'am a bit disappointed that even some of our strong warriors are leaving us. As for the others I'am not surprised that you don't have the guts to stay. That's all I have to say to you.
I will attend more important matters to attend to." - Alarak finishes speaking, turns around to his Blood Hunters, nods and warps away.
The whole room turns silent, well it's not like anybody said anything before the Highlord left. But the light in all of the other Protoss seems to dim.
I myself don't know what to think, on one hand, I'am proud that Alarak sees me as strong, and on the other hand it saddens me to have disappointed him. The previous Highlord never seemed to care about anything, but the current one gave us the chance to leave, never in the history of the forged Ones that ever happened and I highly doubt it will ever happen again.
A minute passes and the gigantic throne room wakes up again. I look around at Yalokin and check if he is still with me. Minutes pass, Yalokin and I stand and wait motionless preparing for the mass warp in which is only seconds away.
**** 3 Minutes later ********
The throne room is completely empty. Over 400 Protoss warriors gone without leaving a trace. The 50 Meter high and 200-meter wide room is dimly lit by the energy shield surrounding the spaceship and some wall panels with energy flowing through them. The stars around Slayn shining in the distance.
a 20 meter wide 50-meter high door opens up, with only a single Protoss stepping into the room. He walks towards the throne with heavy steps, still walking seemingly weightless his heavy black metal armor reflects some of the red light shining on it, the fabric pieces hanging down from his hips seem like they are floating in slow-mo behind him. The tall Protoss with pale white skin and red eyes glowing with power sits down, both arms resting on the giant black metal throne. The fingers of his right hand tapping the armrest slowly. His gaze looking at the old home planet of the Tal'darim.
It's Alarak.
"So Olaras, the current first accendent left huh? Interesting. This will be entertaining, I'am sure of it. Him leaving, means I won't have to worry about anyone for quite some time.
After all, before I became Highlord, I had Artanis kill off the 2nd to 5th Ascendants, meaning even Olaras was only the 6th Ascendant. Anyone worse then 8th Ascendant isn't even a challenge for me."
"Heeran." - Alarak speaks that name with a cold demanding voice and looks straight towards the steps in front of him.
"Yes, Highlord." - A Blood Hunter steps out of a dark cloud that seemingly appears out of nowhere right in front of the Highlord.
"Prepare an Observer to follow Olaras. I want to see where this will lead. Follow him and tell me everything that seems of interest. I'am sure his travels will be something to enjoy." - Alarak end his order, his eyes make him seem amused, his mouth would surely from to a grin if Protoss would have something like that.
"As you command, Highlord." - the Blood Hunter steps back into a black cloud, like the one that became visible when he appeared, while bowing towards Alarak and disappears again.
Alaraks view shifts back towards to Slayn, then wandering of into the distance.
"Well, it's time. Let's see where the Universe takes us."
*** to be continued... ***
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Ryocor
Ryocor Hey Guys!
I hope you like the chapter, please point out mistakes, english isn't my first language and I'am happy about any help I can get. I got some ideas where the story can go while writing this first chapter, but please if you have any cool Ideas you want to see let me know. Maybe we think alike and I will implement it.
Next chapter will take some weeks as I will write a chapter for my first story now and continue this later on if you guys like the story :)
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