Metroid Rebirth/Chapter 14: Sacred Flame

On board Samus' ship, ADAM was currently delivering the distress message to Samus and Jane. A holographic image of Admiral Dane appeared, reporting from on board the G.F.S. Olympus. Being only a recording, it quickly delivered its message.
"Greetings Samus, we are in need of your talents once again. A short while ago one of our satellites scanned a massive source of phazon, located within a meteor that crashed into Kros Anes around a few days ago. All contacts with the sentient inhabitants, the Mook, stopped after several hours. We sent a transport, but have since lost contact, and being that you are already only a few days away, we need you to see what happened. Remember, were all counting on you. End transmission." said Dane before vanishing.
Samus knew straight away that this had to be the work of Metroid Prime. She quickly began to readjust the ships course towards Kros Anes as Jane explored the back of the ship. ADAM suddenly said to Samus "Who is the girl?" Samus remained silent for a moment before saying "A... uh friend." before returning back to the ships controls.
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Sylux had just established contact with the contractor, saying "I received your offer... it is an interesting proposition, but tell me this, what do you have against Samus?"
The shadowy contractor, his black cloak hiding his features, said "Why she must die is of no concern to you, hunter, but if you do succeed, you will be richly rewarded."
Sylux stared at the screen as the price appeared... 10 million seguru. He thought that whoever this was, he was serious about wanting Samus dead and wanted it done at all costs. Sylux then said "I'll take the bounty... for this and other reasons."
Unbeknown to him, already several other hunters had agreed to the bounty... including Thul... and more would soon join them. They were already preparing for the hunt, and many had already contacted the shadowy figure, while others planned to only after they finished the job.
Meanwhile the contractor fell back into his chair and began to wheeze in pain, holding his side in pain. He slowly said to himself "Why... why did I become this... why couldn’t I have just died... this isn't living... this isn't... living... she will pay for this." before doubling over in agony, his cloaked form appearing nothing more than a shadow on the ground.
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Samus' ship soon arrived at Kros Anes, and ADAM immediately awoke Samus and Jane from criostasis. Samus then deactivated the autopilot and took over the controls of the ship, piloting it towards the planets surface. Her landing zone was a simple clearing just outside a small forest beside a large mountain range, which was were the phazon meteor and the Federation ship had landed. Samus noticed that though the Federation ship was visible, there were no signs of any crater consistent with a meteor crashing into the planet.
As Samus, who was in her suit, and Jane exited the ship, ADAM said "If you need a little more firepower, you know who to call... take care, lady." Samus smirked at this before continuing on to the Federation ship. As they walked through the forest, their presence caused numerous Zoomers, Gleeks, and Shren to scurry into their burrows and nest... but it also alerted a more dangerous threat.
They both soon reached the ship and immediately knew something was wrong. One marine was pinned to the side of the ship by several shards of what appeared to be phazite, only inches away from a massive hole in its side, still glowing blue along the edges from whatever shot it down. Another marine had two spears stuck in him, and right next to him were four marines all pierced by multiple phazite shards. Whatever had attacked them had apparently known they were coming.
Jane suddenly tapped Samus' shoulder and motioned to a group of nearby trees. A trio of marines were hung upside down from its branches of one of the trees. Their weapons had been removed, as well as their armor. By the looks of it, they had died after being hung, and not by phazon.
Sudden movement caught both their attentions. A small, robed bat-like creature stood by the trees, cowering behind them. Samus said "Come out, we both can see you. Who are you and what do you know about what has happened here?"
The small, 5 foot high alien said "I... I am Nios... I know what happened here, but we must move, they will be back..." and with that he motioned to a small cave. Samus and Jane followed him wearily.
Inside the cave, Nios said "About a week before... an orb of blue fire crashed into the Templar grounds. As we approached it, a being exited it, a mighty one. It... it claimed itself a god... and that we were the chosen race. Many didn't listen to it and fled the area... but some stayed, including the one who became his high prophet, Val. The being proclaimed that... that it needed sacrifices... a pit was created around the flame it came in... and the 'heretics' were fed to it. My... my brother was taken... and I only just avoided his fate... please help us... please..."
Samus said "This being... was it like the pha... er I mean the flame. Did it look like it was made up of it?"
Nios nodded, saying rapidly "Yes… yes it was... just like the liquid flame... except for its core... and its glowing eyes.. they seemed to pierce our very souls."
Jane and Samus nodded at this, and then Jane said "Can you bring us to these Templar grounds?"
Nios shuddered for a moment, but then said "Yes... but we must remain quiet or they will find us. Val's crusaders have been searching this area for more of us 'heretics' so that they may be... purified, as they say."
And with that they moved carefully through the underground passageways of the cave. Various glowing fungi covered the walls, illuminating nesting Shriekbats which had patches of bioluminescence on their skin. Paying no attention to them, they continued forward, avoiding Zoomiks, an underground relative of Zoomers covered in glowing spikes and bearing poisonous fangs. They eventually reached the cave exit and found themselves overlooking a large temple with a courtyard dominated by a massive bowl filled... with phazon... and surrounded by a crowd.
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Several Mook in green armor, most likely a form of phazite, surrounded the bowl and a group of "heretics". One with a spear jabbed forward, forcing one timid looking non-believer up a small flight of stairs until he was on the rim of the bowl. The guards, who had been chanting, suddenly went silent as a robed figure appeared on a platform in front of the temple. He wore a massive crown upon his head, made of pure orange phazite, and wielded a scepter shaped like the central body of Metroid Prime.
He said "Heretics, behold the sacred liquid fire, giver of life and death. A living entity, you have been judged unworthy by it for your lack of faith. Your punishment shall be that you are to be fed to, consumed by, and then become one with it. As you are incorporated into it, you shall be purified and join the great one. Let the sacrifice BEGIN!"
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