Day One: Morning

[Retane]

Betrayed.

It was a feeling that he had never felt before. He had been betraed many timed before, but until now, he had never actually been 'betrayed. He had never let someone so close before, and now he knew why. It flooded his mind and body with numbness as he gazed into the lifeless eyes of the recently deceased. The glow within the Konat's pupils slowly waned, giving way to an empty shell.

"Et tu, Tapion?" His coice was shallow and empty as he spoke in a tone that he could only hear. Down below the fires danced about the srea, their light dancing across the inanimate body, but yet wasn't close to engulfe him.

"To attempt the arts of a master upon the master..such follishness... yet such intelligence. You tried and you failed."

Retane looked up towards the sky, his eyes straining as he glared upon the only witness around, wondering iff this was a gift of the sun itself.

It shone proudly upon the scene, as if mocking him and all Retane could do is let is do so, as he basked in the confusion and irony of it all.

It was impossible for the namekian to fathom that Tapion could have, so carelessly, signed his own Warrant of Death. The mercenary could do nothing more then look back down upon his old comrad, or perhaps newest victim.

"Perhaps in the Abyss the impossible is very well possible', muttered the grim feind. "But why, Tapion? Why this? What drove you to do this? Was it me? The Abyss? Did you have this all planned since we had met earlier? Or was it a spur of the moment?"

Retane sighed and leapt down from the clift, landing in a kneeled fashion as he looked down at the peaceful Horsemen. That what Tapion was, though, through and through. A true Horsemen saw oppurtunity and took what they desired. And Tapion had desired to make it to the top, and Retane was one obstical that had stood in his way. But with failure of a great risk, comes great sacrafice. A life for a life. Retane had just returned the favor to a freind in the end.

But now it was time for punishment.

Retane unsheathed his claws and let out a snarl of rage. He placed both sets of claws, right above the diced chest,and sliced downward, in an arrow head fashion. Then belowthe dicings, he did the same thing, in revese order, going updwards this time, connecting the slash marks, making a diamonds shape around the gaping hole. The dark feind, finished with a trifecta 'X' slash across the symbol.

Retane knelt down close the the Konats ear, "May your soul now bare the brand of the Mark of the Abyss." Retane's voice was nearly satanic as he whispered to the deceased body.

"Now", his voice had returned to semi- normal, "Allow me to usher you on, and let us hope that where you end up,is not as bad as the Abyss." As he spoke, he retracted the claws, and scooped up the body known as Tapion's, and strode forth, the wind whippingaroundhim, averting the flames from his path.

Ahead was the water and with every footstep, the mecenary remembered the last time he had made a similiar journey. Just like now, Tapion lied dead in his arms. At that time, Retane was in pain and in tears. Now he was solemn and numb. The simliarities and defences seemed uncanny, it was as if he was in an alternative reality at the moment, as flashes of him rowing the boat to the Hermit Island jutted through his mind. He was making their final journey then, just as they were now.

"Again you chose our destination, old freind", he murmured as his boots hit the current flowing water.

His body seemed undeterred and his mind blank as he moved on unwavering to the waves that spashed his body. The rogue only looked down at the limb body as it hit the water, and its limbs started to float. Tightening his grip on the body the namek moved on, going deeper.

The mercenary haulted at chest deep and took one long look into the lifeless eye's, only now recognizing the look of shock and sadness upon the Konat's face. But it was a bit to late for retrive now.

"Rest in Peace my freind." His words sounded almost heart felt as he spoke them. He freed one of his hands and moved to close the dead warriors eyes. As he did he forced the body down, in a baptism-like manor, but didnt let up or say a word. Bloody air bubbles rushed up from the salty water only to be ushered away by a wave to allow for more to come as the body took on water in replace of blood. Retane should hold his stance, as he remembered that Tapions last grave, was done in the sand on their final destination together.

He stood up releasing the boody and turned around allowing the undertoe to take his betraying comrad away, to perhaps clense him of his failure. The moved out of the water, noticing the salt water was taking the ache out of his burns. As he reached the beach again he looked back, "May you one day find me again, at a better time."

He strode forward, his boot hitting the boot of the dead pirate. Retane looked down at Jack, and lowered himself to stare at the carcass. He looked back at the water and grabbed a handfull of the pirates shirt.

"Here, maybe he can help you find your way!" As he shouted, the namekian lungded the lifelss body over his head,catapulting the body far out in the water. With a snarl he turned back and eyed the cliff.

With a surge of power he lept to the cliff, and found Tapion's bag. He took the first Molatov Bomb, and observed it. It wasn't grenades, but it would do he guessed. He stored the water and weapons casting the other items into the still burning fires. He stood up and looked over his shoulder one last time.

"Thank you Tapion, for helping me to understand more about the Abyss."

Retane walked off, not knowing what else the Abyss had instore for him, or what he had in store for the Abyss.