Even The Fallen Can Rise Again Chapter 40
50 Years Ago, Year 3664House of Kings Lair, Earth, Russia, VologdaTwo figures slept side by side with one another. One was someone who spent many years proving himself to the House, conspiring with like-minded members of House Kings to bring about a new dawn for his people. The other was a scribe who for decades stood by the other, helping him see the fall of a tyrant and the end of the pointless war with Humanity. The Baron Peekis was beginning to stir from his slumber. Grumbling, his eyes opened, recognizing the surroundings of his private room. The air was filled with ether thanks to the ether pump sitting in the corner of the room. He slowly got up, his upper body exposed to the open air he was careful not to disturb the other who had yet to wake. His feet touching the floor, Peekis turned around to see his love resting peacefully. It made him smile.Vithras laid on her back with her hands resting on her stomach. Her chest rose and fell in a constant rhythm. Peekis heard her mumbling now and again while he put his armor on as quietly as he could. During that time, he thought about all he had accomplished to get where he was. All those years he spent working to undermined Peldaks' rule, gathering a loyal following while preventing anyone untrustworthy from discovering his plans."Peekis?" Peekis turned around seeing Vithras waking up, her hands moving to his side of the bed to only find the residual heat from his body's presence.He walked over to her, gently grasping one of her hands that was looking for him. "I am here." His voice was soft and reassuring.Vithras soon followed his example. With his help, she got off the bed, using two hands covering her bulged belly. She had worn her Kings scribe robes to bed, covering her body and keeping her warm. Standing, she took in the familiar scent of Peekis as he made sure she could stand. "I am fine. You needn't worry.""I know." Peekis couldn't help but worry for her safety. There was so much going on. His plans were close to coming to fruition. They had allies in House Kings positions across the system waiting for the time to strike, to see that the age when being call Fallen would end. And soon he could call himself a father.After replacing the ether tanks in the pump, they sat down at the table eating their food rations. They conversed on their plans after Peldaks' death, and Peekis became the new Kell of Kings. He would root out all the hate-filled and power-hungry Eliksni and put an end to all hostile actions against the Human city so they could start moving forward with cooperation rather than war. "You've done well to get us this far." Vithras complemented. "With you, our people will find themselves in the Great Machine's good graces once again.""I did not do it alone." Peekis was lucky to have found such trusted friends years ago. They helped him through his younger brother's death and worked with him to find more allies. "I would not be here if not for you.""Yes, you would. It's your destiny to lead our people to a new future."Peekis appreciated the voice of confidence, but in truth, he didn't believe in things such a destiny. He felt everyone made their own fate in life wherever it led. And speaking of futures, "Even if we achieve victory, there will be more work to do." What he spoke of was even if they overthrew Peldaks and made peace with the Human city, There were still more threats that sought to end them all. Such as those abominations living under the moon's surface.Just thinking about those creatures soured Peekis' mood. Memories flashed before his eyes making him rub the side of his body that had his burn mark. So many lost under his command. So much pain because of that damn witch!"Peekis?" Vithras sensed his discomfort."It is nothing. We must be ready to speak with Aepvis." They finished up their meals, turning the ether pump off they left side by side. That is how they would face the future, together against the machinations and pawns of the Dark, facing whatever untold minions it had in its possession regardless of where they hid to plot against them.Whatever the challenge, they would face it and prove themselves worthy to bask in the Great Machine's power just as their ancestors had long ago._____________________________________________________________________________________________________Present-day, MorningEarth, Last City, TowerPekis eyes opened up as he freed himself from his memories. He stood in the Tower hanger waiting for the rest of his team to join him. Around him, workers went about their usual routine, tending to the ships left in their care with Amanda Holiday keeping everything running smoothly. His back leaning against the hull of his ship, the Hunter mind processed the memories of recent events. When Cayde informed him that the Vanguard approved his request to venture into the Vault of Glass, they along with Kelly, Bitsine and the members of Hammer Scorch who were also invited to the briefing upon Burning Light's request and the Vanguard's approval due to their history with the former.After a considerable talk with the Vanguard, the six Guardians had their mission: Infiltrate the Vault of Glass and destroy its center. As a secondary objective, they were also to ensure that the Legionless Mind met its end as well for the Vex could not be allowed to control any amount of the Light, no matter how small. Bitsine and Crux were especially eager to get another shot a the Vex that had them beaten and destroyed their ships a while back. With the mysterious nature of the Vault, neither fireteams had much to go on, aside from what Pahanin wrote in his Errata. In it, he spoke of the reason they went into the Vault, the way to open the gate leading, and the Templar that that had decimated his team. Other than that, there wasn't much. In truth, most of the mission basically amounted to going in blind. But even so, this would not deter the Guardians. They've faced untold dangers before, and they were willing to do so again. Following the mission briefing with the Vanguard, they all went about to begin preparing for their mission and agreed to meet back up in the hanger. Pekis held Pahanin's Errata in his hands, going over the last chapter regarding the Vault as he waited for his teammates. Occasionally a hanger worker would walk by giving him a friendly hello that he would return in kind. The sounds of heavy footstep drew his attention away from the pages and to the Exo Titan approaching."Huh, I figured you'd be the first here." Bitsine sat down on a nearby crate, taking out several weapons from her inventory to inspect. "You all set?""Yes." Pekis closed the book, choosing to unsheathed his sword Fatebringer from his back instead to examine it again. He hadn't yet had the chance to test it in battle, but if the Nine were as competent of artisans as they claim, then he shouldn't be disappointed.Bitsine took notice of it. At the briefing, she saw the handle sticking out from under his cloak but wasn't sure what it was, but now she was. "You got a sword now? Where'd you get it?""A gift from the Nine." Pekis rested the blade on one of his palms, his fingers gliding on the refined metal feeling the faint power of void, his eyes tracing the line patterns etched into it."The Nine? You mean Xur?""Yes, he was the one to deliver it." Pekis swung it a few times in the air.Bitsine saw the sword looked somewhat similar to the ones that the Fallen used but it didn't give off the impression of coming off an assembly line like those. This one was more special than that. "I think it suits you."Pekis twirled it in his hand one last time then resheathed it on his back. The two of them waited for a few minutes. Bitsine attempted to make small talk with the Hunter with success with things like what he thought about the Last City but then when she tried to ask things about his time before he was a Guardian he brushed her off. "Okay, then." Thankfully they didn't have to wait much longer for two more members of their group arrive. "Hey, about time!"Crux and Avez approached with the Hunter in the lead. "What? You didn't think we'd miss this party, did you?""Well after that ass-kicking you got last time I figured you might be discouraged."Crux gave a half-hearted chuckle, "Not this time. And what about you? You almost lost your Ghost and got beat pretty good."Bitsine was silent for a moment, clenching her fists. "I'll make it pay for that!"Avez took a seat next to Bitsine, telling her, "Don't forget you won't be in this alone."Bitsine relaxed feeling Avez pat her on the shoulder. "Thanks.""And I get to inspect the new piece of hardware that you nearly bankrupted us to get." Soul materialize next to Crux. "Now where is it?" Crux point some yards away towards an AX19-SLipper Misfit jumpship parked in front of Pekis' Arcadia Class Jumpship. "Huh? I would have expected you to get something slimmer."Crux scratched the back of his head, "Well, there wasn't that many options.""Let's go see if its really worth what you paid for it." Soul floated off towards the ship, Crux following behind praying that she would be satisfied.Pekis watched the two of them wander off. They amused him. The way they bickered was humorous, but he was glad his relationship with Aepvis wasn't like theirs. He looked over to Avez who's own Ghost, Jade, was out and about looking down at the datapad he took out. "What are you reading?"Avez looked at him before saying, "Information on the Vex. Battle tactics, weaponry, things like that." He showed the screen to the Hunter, revealing an image of a goblin surrounding by several paragraphs of text, but It was too far away to him to read. "Why are you reading that?" Jade asked. "I already have all the data on the Vex you could need.""Just being thorough.""It's probably not going to do much good. We are going into the Vault of Glass, after all." Bitsine put her weapon aside. "Who knows what we'll find."Pekis monitored the area around them, seeing the hanger workers going about their business but the two Warlocks of their teams had still not arrived. "Where is Ellie?""She went to the Warlock libraries with Kelly. She said they wanted to go over the information the Vex cores had one last time." Avez looked up and down Pekis form, noticing a new piece of armor he had. "Pekis, where did you get that gauntlet?" He pointed at Pekis' lower left arm.Pekis raise said arm to his chest, looking down at the bones on his forearm. "A gift from Shaxx."Avez examined it more closely, recognizing that it wasn't made of standard material considering the skull. "Are those bones?""Yes, they are the bones of an Ahamkara."Avez raised a brow at that. An Ahamkara? He heard stories from older veteran Guardians, but he had never seen one himself. Some of the things he heard about them did, however, disturbed him. He was glad they had been hunted to extinction.Bitsine, having overheard the conversation, was a bit disturbed. She had heard things about those creatures and how some Guardians took parts of their bodies as trophies but turning them into armor seemed a little ghoulish to her.Pekis huffed. He heard Crux and Soul talk over by their ship. Judging by the way they spoke, Soul found the new ship they had to be sufficient. The sound of approaching footsteps drew his attention where the two Warlocks of topic joined their teammates."You're finally here!" Bitsine stood up to greet them.Kelly responded with a warm smile. "Sorry, we took so long. We were going over some information about the Vex."You are here now, that is what matters." Pekis walked over to them. "Are you ready?""Yup," Ellie said. "Got ammo, my weapons," She patted her body, "My new armor. I'm all set.""So am I," Kelly confirmed."Finally!" Getting up, Bitsine put her weapons back in her inventory. "I want to get this party started.""I suggest you don't get too excited, Bitsine," Avez told her. "We still have to complete the mission first before we can celebrate."Crux and Soul joined back with the others. "So are we gonna get this show on the road?" Crux asked."It would appear so," Soul answered, seeing that the others were ready to leave.They all came together in a circle, all their Ghosts out and about. "Sooo..." Crux started, "Anybody got anything to say before heading off?"The Guardians all looked at each other, unsure if they had anything worth saying at the moment. After some contemplating Pekis spoke up, "Perhaps I do." Everyone's eye's focused on the Eliksni. Pekis let the memories of his life flow through him. From his early years to the here and now, Pekis closed his eyes, and when they opened, he said, "Since I was a child, I've been forced to face many hardships. I have witnessed my kind commit many crimes against each other for power, seen mothers and fathers take advantage of their children; brothers turn against brothers. Even as we fight the horrid creatures of the Hive, we are told from birth that it is Humans that are the true evil that is responsible for how far we've fallen."Pekis took a death breath, "While others accepted how things are, believing the false truths that the elders preached I did not. I saw through their deception, seeing that their lust for power motivated their action, encouraging the hate and pirate ways that cursed the houses. I found allies that would stand with me, that would fight by my side against the Fallen Kells only to see them fall and my life ended."Everyone watch Pekis thoughtfully as his face turned sour after the last sentence. "And when I returned I could remember nothing, only what the spirits of my past could tell me. When I remembered my past, a part of me wished to give up and join my comrades in the afterlife, but then I remembered I have new companions that filled the void in my being." Everyone smiled, even the Ghosts if they could. Kelly took a step closer as he drew closer to the end. "Now as I stand with you all as we embark on a mission to destroy the heart of a Vex stronghold, I would like to say I am proud to have met you all and even if the mission ends in failure, it would be an honor to fight beside you to the bitter end."Pekis stood silent, taking another breath, pleased that he got that out. Though when everyone stared at him without saying anything, he feared that he might have overdone it. That is until Crux gave him a small applause. "Wow! that was really good!"The others soon followed his example, praising him for his words. Pekis smiled, making sure he wouldn't let it go to his head. Deciding now would be as good of a time as any, Bitsine took out a bottle and some glasses. "Anyone up for one last drink before we dive headfirst into the abyss?" Everyone agreed, and she poured each them a shot. They tapped their glasses together an emptied them simultaneously.With that over, they went to their ships. Pekis' lifted off the floor first. He took one last look at the human sitting behind him and went back to operating the controls. His ship was the first to exit the hanger with Ellie's second and rest following mear seconds after them. Exiting the perimeter of the Last City, they hit their engines full throttle until they broke through the atmosphere. One by one, their engines halted leaving the group floating harmlessly in space while the Ghosts input the coordinates for Venus. Then they each disappeared, the ships vanishing into the void towards the planet that held the realm where past, present, and future, had no meaning, where the sands of time were at the mercy of the Vex and hardened into shards of glass.______________________________________________________________________________________________Venus, Ishtar SinkThe five ships that left Earth exited the bright tunnel that took them across the vacuum of space. Looking out the windows of their ships' hulls that they met the familiar surface of Venus as they wasted no time entering the atmosphere following the coordinates to the Waking Ruins. Pekis' ship was in the lead flying low over the rust-colored ocean reflecting the light of the sun. The coast drew closer, at the last second Pekis pulled up, Aepvis activating the Transmate system, depositing the two Guardians on the cliff Pekis stood on only days ago.Pekis' feet hit the ground first with Kelly following half a second later. Aepvis piloted the ship back into orbit by remote control while the sounds of more ships incoming filled the air. The other four ships flew overhead one after the other, each one dropping off another Guardian. Ellie appeared behind them first with Avez second, Bitsine third and Crux last.The Light wielders stood side by side one another, all of them looking past the rocks and ruins sticking out of the ground and at the circular Vex doorway built into the foundation of the planet. Sixty years ago, six Guardians past through that doorway to face the evil stirring beneath Venus and only one came out as the only survivor in a long cycle. Would this time be different with the warriors of the Light emerging victorious, or would history repeat itself as the Guardians find themselves lost to the far reaches of time?After a minute of silence, Crux spoke up, "You know I past by this place dozens of times and I always wondered what was behind that door. Now I might die figuring it out."Avez placed a hand on his shoulder, "Whatever's inside, I'm sure we can handle it.""And if not, we can leave the Vex with one hell of a headache before we die," Bitsine said, joining Pekis at the front of the group. "So how do we get in."Aepvis was the one to answer, "According to Pahanin's Errata there are three sync plates, like the one we use to call the Gate Lord, that we have to activate at the same time to form the spire that'll open the gate.""What spire?" Bitsine didn't see anything of the sort."You'll see."Ellie joined Pekis at the front. "I think we'll need to split up into teams of two for this.""I agree," Pekis said, holding his hand out where his Ghost appears. "Where are the plates?""Sending waypoints now." Markers appeared in the HUDs insides the Guardians helmets. One directly in front of the gate, another left of the entrance and one more on the right."Kelly and I will take the center. Ellie, you and Bitsine take the left. Crux and Avez the right.""Sound good to me. Let's go" Crux took off to his position with Avez close behind. The other four split with their appointed partners. After a short jog, they were all where they need to be. Pekis and Kelly looked up at the giant door separating them from the inside of the Vault, acknowledging that when they passed through it, they were fully committing themselves to the mission. With the distance between the three teams at the sync plates, they would have to rely on their Ghosts for fluid communication. With everyone in position, the Ghosts created links to the sync plates, beginning the activation process. Just like what happened with the Gate Lord, rings of transparent squares rose from the ground up, each one making a bright flash upon completing. "Okay, it's starting. The spire is forming." Aepvis announced on the comms."What spire?" Bitsine asked."Check the courtyard." Crux watched from his vantage point as lines of bright lights formed a the top of a large pedestal like Vex construct in the middle of the ruins. The other Guardians joined in watching the lines slowly extend upward but didn't last long as flashes followed by black clouds started popping up around them. "Company!" Crux readied his Last Word, regrouping with Avez at the plate.The other Guardians readied their weapons as well, taking defensive positions behind whatever cover was nearby. Dozens of Vex feet hit the ground, their red eyes taking a moment to examine the surroundings around them, then with one mind marched on the Guardians' positions. Bitsine and Avez cast Wards of Dawn over their rings to provide additional cover for their positions. With Pekis and Kelly not being Titans, they would have to make do with goblins opening fire on their location. Pekis laid down fire with his auto rifle focusing on one side the Vex were coming from while Kelly dealt with the other. Kelly hovered in the air, throwing a solar grenade at a cluster of Vex, using her Conduit pulse rifle to pick off the survivors. Hobgoblins aimed from a distance while their charging counterparts were firing at the levitating Human. Kelly took a shot to the abdomen shield took the brunt of the hit; her body dropped to the ground, the Warlock returned fire taking off the heads of two hobgoblins. Their heads gone, the hobgoblins rushed the Warlock sparking from their necks, firing wildly without any accuracy. They were quickly dispatched only to be replaced by a dozen more Vex.On the left side, Ellie took cover inside Bitsine's Ward, the bubble protecting her from the barrage of Vex fire coming from her end and peaking out of the sphere with her Assembly II taking out any robot that got to close. Bitsine, on the other hand, took a different approach, getting up close and personal with her 44 Curtain Call, blowing away any Vex that got to close. Dropping two more Vex, Bitsine's shotgun ran out. Before she could reload, a goblin came at her swinging its arm, but she avoided the blow. Closing the gap Bitsine struck it with her fist, making a hole in its chest, ripping out wires and circuits causing it to shut down.Crux was jumping every which way avoiding Vex fire from all directions after Avez's Ward of Dawn had succumbed to Vex firepower. His Last Word fired shot after shot with each Vex he downed would be replaced seconds later. Avez mowed down Vex with his Jolder's Hammer, looking over at the spire seeing that it was halfway complete. "How much longer do we have to hold out!?""A couple more minutes!" Jade said. "Just keep the plates secured!""No problem." Crux threw an incendiary grenade; it bounced once right next to Avez's feet traveling a few yards farther, taking out a trio of Vex that were getting closer to the Titian. "Crux!" Avez said, after feeling the edge of the blast."What!? Keep your head in the game!" Crux stopped moving to reload. Inserting a new clip, he took an explosive energy shot to the chest, blasting him away."Crux!" Turning around, Avez saw the culprit. Now joining its smaller counterparts, a Praetorian, heavy armored Vex Minotaurs designed to retake control of the sync plates, marched firing its torch hammer. "Damn it!" Avez unloaded his machine gun on the Praetorian, its shields proven to be much stronger than the standard Vex variant. It got closer to the plate, making Avez met it halfway with his body crackling with arc power. Kicking his feet off the ground, he tackled it with his shoulder. The Praetorian's shield took the brunt of it, ensuring it survived when it fell to the ground. It raised his weapon again, firing one last shot before Avez jumped up, bringing both fists down crushing it into oblivion. "Crux!"Crux's body laid dead on the ground, Soul hovering over him to begin the revival process. Before Avez could get over to help another Touch Hammer round hit him. "Damn it!" The Titian witnessed another Praetorian come at him with a small legion of Vex backing it up. Their combined focused fire proved too much for him as they overwhelmed Avez shields.The other Guardians manage to hold their own against the new advisories the Vex sent. Pekis pulled out his sword when his rifle proved to be ineffective. Getting close, the Praetorian swung its arm, Pekis dodge it, moving to the side he brought his sword down cutting the metal arm like butter. After losing an appendage, the Praetorian stepped back, not fast enough because Pekis quickly closed the gap, severing both it legs causing it to fall over on its back. With it still alive Pekis impaled it through it mind core, twisting the blade then pulling it out, the aura of void around it burning off the radiolaria, preventing it from corrupting the sword."The spire is disappearing!" Aepvis told Pekis."What!?" Taking advantage of the short moment of peace, Pekis looked towards the spire to see that construct that was about 2/3 done was now reducing in size. "What's happening!?""Crux and Avez's sync plate has been taken by the Vex! They're reversing the construction process!"Kelly finished off another squad goblins, rejoining Pekis after hearing the situation. "What do you want to do?""I'll hold our position; you go help those two. Retake that plate."Kelly equipped her SUROS Regime, "Got it!" She made a break towards Crux's and Avez's position leaving the Hunter to hold the plate on his own. More Vex approaching with another Praetorian in front. Pekis switched out his auto rifle for his Lord of Wolves, readying his sword for more.Ellie and Bitsine were holding their own. Bitsine's Ward of Dawn gave out forcing Ellie to get mobile. She stood atop a small pillar, firing her Dragon's Breath at the crowds of Vex approaching leaving behind a column of fire hot enough to melt any Vex simple-minded enough to step into it. Bitsine tackled a Praetorian that got to close to their plate for comfort. After getting the rundown on them from the others, she made sure to make them a priority target. Her body crackled with power, bringing her hands down on its chest, breaking the armored body open, exposing the electronics inside. It attempted to grab her, but instead, she grabbed its arm, tearing it right off. Bitsine finished it off with one last attack then move on to the next. "How's everyone doing!?""Good so far!" Ellie fired another rocket into an incoming Praetorian, blasting it into pieces. The explosion shredded other nearby Vex into pieces, burning their bodies into nothing."I am holding!" Pekis threw a scatter grenade to keep some lesser Vex at bay while dealing with another Praetorian. He shot off its head with his Lord of Wolves causing it to malfunction and leave it vulnerable for when he sliced through it midsection. The spire continued to deconstruct. "Kelly, what is your status!?""Working on it!" Kelly launched a Nova Bomb that split into three separate explosives, clearing out Avez's and Crux's position of Vex for the time being. She used her light to resurrect the downed Guardians, and together they reactivated the sync plate restarting the construction process. "It's working!" Walker told his Guardian. "The spire is forming!""Thanks for the Help." Crux said."No problem."The Guardians continued their fight. When she was sure Crux and Avez could hold out on their own, Kelly regrouped with Pekis, just in time too because there were becoming more Vex than he could handle by himself. The spire formed bit by bit every second the battle raged. Vex fell in droves, throwing themselves at that the Guardians who didn't hesitate to unleash their Light. "We're almost there!" Aepvis told Pekis who had put his weapons away and begun focusing his Light. Two arc swords formed in his hands, his body surging with power, he moved like a blur cutting down Vex left and right at a rapid pace. Try as they might, Pekis was too fast for any Vex to get a good shot. Pekis teleported from his position, reappearing above a Praetorian trying to rush the sync plate and sliced it in half down the middle. "How much longer!?" Kelly asked, taking out a goblin with her Frenzy fusion rifle."It's done!" Walker told her. Just as he said, the spire that had been forming was now complete, standing tall above all the Guardians."That's great but what about these guys!?" Crux finished off a Praetorian with a golden gun turning his attention to the Hobgoblins taking potshots at him."I have an idea!" Soul announced on the comms. "I could use some help, though!""You got it!" Aepvis and the other ghosts got to work helping Soul hack into the Vex network. The Guardians continued to hold the Vex from undoing their work, buying their Ghosts the time they need. The spire started surging with power, emitting a glow from the power build-up. "Here goes nothing!" Soul said, then the energy stored up was released in a pulse that spread throughout the Waking Ruins. On contact, every Vex caught in the pulse overloaded, sparking, going haywire they dropped to the ground their circuits burning out. The Praetorians had higher resistance, but they too suffered from internal damage caused by the pulse. Their sensors and movement crippled, they became easy pickings for the Guardians who finished them off.Then it was over. The battlefield littered with bullets casings and Vex bodies. The Guardians wandered around, checking to make sure they were dead. "So, what just happened?" Bitsine asked, kicking the head of a Goblin."We hacked the Vex network to cause a power surge in the spire that we could use as a type of EMP to disable the Vex." Bitsine's Ghost said."How did you managed that?" Kelly questioned, examining a dead Vex. "Aren't the Vex immune to EMP attacks?""They're shielded against regular ones, yes, but we used the Vex's own energy to make a pulse strong enough to bypass their defenses," Walker informed. "We also managed to temporarily disable their transmat system so we shouldn't see any more Vex out here for a while."Before any more could be said, the spire began to activate once more. A beam emitted from a lens at the top, hitting the center of the circular door leading into the Vex realm. The Guardians met back up in front of the Vault's entrance, hearing the gears inside the door turn until it opened up. The panels making up the door slide open in a circular motion, revealing the inside of the Vault. The Guardians all stared into the rocky cave leading into the Vault. To cross the gate was to leave their own reality and enter the one that the Vex had control over.Crux looked to his comrades, asking, "Sooo... who goes first?"No one said a thing, only Pekis taking a breath stepping forward. He walked past the gate entrance his feet touching the dirt inside the Vault. Turning around seeing his comrades still standing around, he said, "Well?"Bitsine was the first to follow. "And into the beyond, we go." The rest of them followed suit, crossing the threshold into the Vault of glass.'Spire activated. Perimeter defenses breached. Paracausal entities detected. Calculating appropriate response.'The doorway behind them closed up, the metal plating spinning back into position and locking into place. "What just happened?" Crux asked."The Vex locked us in," Soul answered, grimly."Can't you open it back up?" Avez questioned.There was a moment of silence as Jade tried to access the Vex network. "Can't. they blocked our access. No turning back now."A foreboding feeling lingered among the group. They were trapped now. Stuck inside the Vault of Glass with no way to go but deeper inside towards whatever the Vex had in store for them."Come. We must keep moving." Pekis went ahead, gesturing for the rest of them to follow him. They did so, allowing Pekis to take the lead through the rock caves. None said a word. Their pace was slow and cautious. The air thick with suspense as the Guardians expected an ambush only for none to come. "Sooo..." Crux started, hoping to lighten the mood, "Anyone know any good stories?""Stories?" Kelly said, looking behind her at the Hunter."Yeah. We might die here, so maybe we could hear one last tale. Bitsine, Avez, Ellie, any of you guys have one?" The Guardians Crux called either shrugged or replied with a simple no. "What about you, Pekis?"Pekis continued leading the way, contemplating his request. "What kind of story?""I don't know. Something to get rid of the dread. I don't think anyone in the City has heard a Fallen story before so you must have something."Pekis made a rumbling sound thinking about it. "When I was a boy, my uncle would tell me tales of our people's journey to this system.""that'll do.""Centuries ago, long before I was born, As my people traveled from world to world, plundering ruins left behind by the Dark, searching for the hope lost to us, we were plagued by demons.""Demons?" Kelly inquired, interested."Yes. Whenever we settled on a planet to find resources, some of us would begin hearing voices. Whispers calling out to us, luring the most weak-willed using the voices of loved ones. Many who sought them out never returned with those who did come back changed, having gone mad from getting to close and were executed. These creatures followed us for generations, continuing to corrupt the weakest of us with their lies and promises of wishes even after we found this system. One day one of them attempted to corrupt my uncle, and for that, he personally tracked it to its lair, slew it, bringing its head back to the House as a trophy. The House hailed him as a champion and an example for all those that were targeted by its kind." Pekis ended the tale with his head held high, proud of what his uncle accomplished. It seemed to have a similar effect on the others. Their confidence bolstered, they marched onward, ready to blow whatever the Vex had in store for them to hell. The one exception being Avez who became lost in thought. Ellie took notice, "Something wrong?""Its nothing. It just that the creatures Pekis described, they sound like Ahamkara.""Ahamkara?" Pekis lifted his lower left arm, examining the bone on his gauntlet. "Did he really..." The path they walked on ended, leading them to a deep dark chasm. The Guardians joined Pekis at the front examining the canyon before them, its length stretching beyond what their eyes could see in the darkness of the vault. A breeze flowed through carrying dust and dirt through the air, making the cloaks of the Hunters wave gently.Crux stood at the ledge looking down at the seemingly bottomless pit below them. Mimicking a whistling sound, he said, "I hope we don't have to go down there.""I don't believe we do." Pekis jumped off the ledge, landing on a floating platform yards away. Stomping his foot several times, he gestured for the rest to follow, pointing out more platforms hovering over the chasm making up a pathway leading farther into the Vault."That's... convenient," Kelly said, hesitating to follow."I guess this is the way the Vex roll out the red carpet," Avez said, being the first to follow Pekis."This has got to be a trap," Soul told Crux who then followed Avez.Landing on the platform, Crux cheerfully said, "Of course it is. That why we're going to spring it! Unless you have a better idea?" Soul stayed quiet, indicating she didn't. "Alright, then."Pekis continued gong ahead leading his comrades through the platforms that Aepvis noticed followed a pattern that matched the one Pahanin described in his Errata which made him uneasy. The platforms led them to a series of ledges sticking out of the rock walls, leading them further down the gorge until they reached an extended platform acting as a bridge leaving only a small jump separating them from the location Pahanin wrote as the Templar's Well. The Templar's Well, the same place where Kabr's team was decimated, within their sights. Pekis recognized it from Pahanin's drawings, as well as the door in the back leading deeper into the Vault. "That is where we must go."Kelly stepped forward, inspecting the area of the Templar's Well. It was separated into three flanks; left, right, and center. Large columns connected the floor to the rock ceiling with smaller one dotting the area allowing for plenty of cover with small floating platforms hovering in place over the chasm. There didn't seem to be any sentries or guards, but that could change quickly.Pekis didn't wait. Getting a running start, he leaped falling quickly he used his Light to slow his descent getting closer to his target. Pekis' feet hit the ground, and now he stood staring down the center of the Templar well, the doorway they needed to use on the opposite end from where he was. The other Guardians followed suit, landing around him, weapons ready for anything.'Paracausal entities detected. Calculating appropriate response. Standby........ response determined. Initiating purge sequence.'"So, what now?" Bitsine asked, not seeing any enemies. That soon changed when they heard the electronic wail of one of the most dangerous Axis Minds in existence. Appearing from a flash of light, hovering In front of the only way forward, a Hydra of vast ontological power. The Axis Mind responsible for guarding the inner sanctums of the Vault of Glass, the one that had scattered Kabr's fireteam to the far reaches of time, made itself known. "The Templar." Pekis glared at the Vex he recognized from a drawing in Pahanin's Errata. The Vex Axis Mind that the power of the Vault flows through. An entity that exists outside of time and can thus manipulate reality in accordance with the designs of the Oracles.The Templar light blue eye did the same to them while going over records regarding the Vex's previous encounters with the Guardians. Three metal spheres spun in place, hovering close to the Templar, glowing in a similar color of its eye. The fireteams raised their weapons when a flash of light emanated from behind them. After turning around the bright light dimmed, revealing a Vex construct that Ellie immediately recognized. "A conflux!?"Just as she said, a Vex conflux fully materialized, same as the ones on the surface that the Vex attempt to sacrifice themselves to. Two more flashes appeared on the left and right flank, revealing two more confluxes. The Templar had yet to engage in offensive protocols so Ellie's Ghost, Dex, Took the opportunity to scan the conflux near them. After several moments he concluded, "Oh, uh yeah, whatever happens, don't let too many Vex sacrifice themselves to these things."The Templar let out another wail, priming its heavy guns for combat. "What happens if they do?" Bitsine asked, searching for cover."To put it simply, We'll all be wiped from existence." Dex finished then disappeared, returning to Ellie.The Templar's weapons started to glow with energy. "Scatter!" Pekis ordered. The Guardians did as he said, moving from their position just as explosive energy rounds struck where they were moments ago. As the Guardians went to different locations, The Templar summoned its legions to root out the intruders while it stayed in place to monitor the center flank, sending its hordes to sacrifice themselves. Dozens of Vex headed the Templar's call. Goblins, Hobgoblins, Minotaurs, and Harpies all came out weapons primed.The Guardians responded with gunfire. Pekis, Ellie, and Kelly managed the left flank taking cover around the conflux on their side. Crux, Bitsine, and Avez did the same on the right, taking out every Vex that encroached on them. The center flank remained unoccupied by any Guardians due to the presence of the Templar rendering it open for Vex to march up the center stairs, splitting up flanking the two teams of Guardians with a third detachment heading to the conflux in the far back.Bitsine was the first to notice when she received an energy shot to her side. "Crap! They're flanking us!" Bitsine turned her gun to her left, taking out the Goblin that shot her first then the rest."I'm a bit busy!" Crux was at the front making use of his Last Word, finishing off a Minotaur with the last few bullets the hand cannon had and when it was empty, he switched to the gun in his other hand. At first, he didn't like the Havoc Pigeon he received from Shaxx, but he was turning around. While it didn't have the same punch as his other weapons, he found a creative way to make up for it. Since he didn't have a free hand to reload the Last Word, he had Soul handle it using transmat tech to remove the empty clip and insert a fresh one. While she did that, Crux used his sidearm to keep the Vex at bay, damaging or killing any that he could and when the clip ran out, he switched over to his reloaded Last word while Soul repeated the process with the sidearm. "I'm am liking this thing!" Crux twirled Havoc Pigeon on one finger."Good then keep it up." Avez joined Bitsine in taking care of the flanking Vex using his Invective shotgun to take out the closest ones. As he pumped his gun, he got shot in his back. "What the!?" turning around the noticed a Hobgoblin standing on one of the floating platforms firing a line rifle him. "Damn it! they got snipers!" On the Left flank, Pekis and the two Warlocks were in a similar predicament. Hobgoblins took potshots at the trio of evading Guardians that were contending with squads of Vex trying to pass them to get to the conflux they guarded. Kelly and Ellie threw scatter grenade to take out a Minotaur, a cluster of Goblins and two harpies. Out of ammo, Pekis kick a nearby goblin into a wall. It charged its hand with void power, but before it could use it, Pekis pulled out his sword, severing its arm with an upward slash then decapitated it. The Vex went haywire, but stopped after Pekis sliced its body in half. He reloaded his For The People, holding onto his sword just in case when he noticed some Vex heading towards where the rear conflux was. "Shit!" In all the commotion Pekis had forgotten about the rear conflux that they had left unguarded. "Hold the line!" He told the two Warlocks before heading to the rear."Got it!" Kelly said, using her Conduit pulse rifle to fire on the sniping Hobgoblins while Ellie dealt with the others.The Templar spotted Pekis and opened fire but missed every shot. He made to the rear just in time to see two goblins in kneeling positions, their bodies glowing as they began sacrificing themselves. "Damn it!" Pekis fired his rifle, destroying the first one before it could finish, but wasn't fast enough for the other. Its body vanished, turning into energy that fed the conflux connected to the Templar.'Energy supplement detected. Insufficient for total erasure protocol.' As the Templar ran calculations through its mind, the Guardians continued to hold their own against the seemingly endless onslaught of Vex and began unleashing their light. Bitsine charged in, bringing her fists down creating an electric blast that destroyed a squad of Vex. Ellie leaped in the air, Her Nothing Manacles gauntlets glowing bright with void as she fired a Nova Bomb at the Vex lines. Even Pekis, now being the one to guard the center flank took it up a notch when face with two Minotaurs coming for the conflux forming his arc blades and went after them with speed only the Legionless Mind could match. In seconds the two Minotaurs were cut to pieces then the Hunter turned his forward to the next dozen of the Vex walk up the stairs. Now its sights, the Templar focused fire on Pekis, having recognized him from Vex archives and viewed him as a priority target. Try at is might, Pekis proved to fast for its weapons as he cut down more Vex.Realizing the Templar was the most significant threat, Pekis threw one of his arc swords at it. On contact with the Templar's shield, the sword vaporized into nothing doing nothing to damage the Axis Mind in any capacity. Pekis cursed. Pahanin wrote that nothing his team tried could breach the Templar shields, but Pekis hoped that his own power might be able to pierce it."Let me try!" Crux created an opening to flank the Templar, His body burning with solar Light; Crux shot his Golden Gun. Just like with Pekis' attack, the bullets did nothing. "Crap." Crux was shot several times in the back, breaking his shields. "Crap!"'Standard units ineffective. Unable to retrieve sufficient energy levels.' With the Guardians being able to hold the confluxes, the Templar began redirecting the energy in manage to obtain to an alternative method. 'Initiating Negation Protocol.'As Bitsine was mowing down Vex, she noticed something new enter the playing field. "Uh, what are those?" Amidst the sounds of battle, Bitsine eyes were focused on some form of deform Vex Goblin. First appearing in the Center flank twitching, headless Goblins began appearing behind their completed counterparts. As opposed to standard white, the mind cores at their centers glowed a sickly green color, and upon detecting Bitsine, they started firing slap rifles wildly with no real accuracy as they charged her with fanatic devotion. Kelly was next to lay eyes on the Fanatics. Their half damage appearance and green mind cores were just as Pahanin described. These Vex, The Fanatics whose sole purpose was to sacrifice themselves to mark intruders for the Templar's Ritual of Negation, appeared in higher numbers. Kelly killed one then after which it exploded splattering everything in its immediate vicinity with green radiolaria. Thankfully Kelly was well outside the blast radius, taking a few steps back as she saw a mist rising from the green fluid on the floor. "Whatever you do, don't touch the green stuff!" The warlock warned as more Fanatics came at her."Noted!" Crux kicked a Goblin away, finishing it with three pistol shots to the chest then pointed his Last Word Searching for a new target. That's when he saw the Fanatics first hand on his side. Two of them detected and came at him. He took the first one out before it got close but didn't have enough time when the second was a foot away and started crackling uncontrollably. Guessing what it was about to do, Crux jump away just before the Fanatic self-destructed. The hunter managed to get away in time. "That was close!"Pekis maintained a safe distance using his Stranger's Rifle to pick off the Fanatics. A small pool of green radiolaria formed at the center of the Templar's Well making it next to impossible to cross by foot. Kelly activated her Sunsinger and started throwing solar grenades like crazy. The miniature suns created a dead zone that the Vex couldn't survive in, but not even that wasn't hot enough to destroy the Fanatic radiolaria that still lingered on the ground.Ellie moved forward, pushing the Vex back, littering the floor with shell casings. She was so in the zone that she failed to watch her flank. A Fanatic got close to her and before Ellie could react it self destructed. Ellie was blown on her back by the explosion, recovering from her daze, she realized the green goo had covered her. She could feel it cling to her with a mind not to let go. "Shit! they got me!" Ellie struggled to get the stuff off her to no avail. She was marked!"Damn it!" Kelly gave her covering fire telling the rest of them, "They got Ellie!" Her announcement was met with swearing and other dissatisfied outbursts. They all knew about the effect Vex radiolaria could have, including that of Fanatic radiolaria. But the negativity was only found on one side of the fight.'Paracausal entity marked for negation protocol. Beginning power build-up for intruder erasure. Standby...' Templar began amassing power to complete the Negation Ritual. All those marked by the Fanatics would be wiped from existence. But then something unforeseen happened. 'Warning: Network intrusion detected. Unknown power surge, source unknown. Attempting to isolate.' The build-up of energy within the Templar slowed down as it diverted power to deal with the surge. 'Error: Unable to isolate.'Ellie managed to get back to her teammates. Kelly and Avez gave her cover, pushing back the Vex lines while she continued trying to rid herself of the mark. Pekis did his best to hold down the center flank avoid fire from the Templar while Bitsine and Crux held the right. Bitsine threw a pulse grenade to take out a group of goblins when her radar warned her of something behind her. She turned around and without thinking fired her shotgun. The Fanatic she killed exploded, releasing the green goop that marked her for negation. Bitsine slipped on the amount that spilled on the floor wiping the front of her helmet she saw covered in radiolaria. "Fuck!"Crux took some time from killing Vex to check on Bitsine. Checking to make sure the conflux was safe for the time being he went over to Bitsine's location, finding her on the floor covered in Radiolaria. "Shit, they got Bitsine!" Kelly and Pekis took that news to heart. Their long-time friend and comrade was at the risk of being erased from time. When the Vex tried taking advantage of the confusion, firing on Bitsine's fallen form, Pekis left his position to help. Bitsine's shields went down, and she took two-shot to the back getting up. Her armor protected her, but she still felt the heat burning into the metal. Pekis arrived keeping her covered while she fell back to the rear. Just like Ellie, she was having no luck getting the stuff off her and fear that this might be it. Even their Ghosts were at a lost. From what they could tell the radiolaria wasn't just stuck to them on a surface level but it was working its way inside their armor, the energy it gave off going further marking their own bodies as well, making it impossible to remove. They would erase from time, the newest victims of the Templar's power over time.But what the Guardians didn't know was that a crack in the Vault's defenses was aware of their plight. Feeling their beings being tainted, it sent out a portion of its power to give them hope. 'Error: Unable to isolate energy surge. Redirecting power to negation protocol.' The Templar refocused its effort into the ritual of negation, now with two marked targets.The Guardians started to feel the pressure. Only four were left fighting the Vex off while the other two continue trying to cleanse themselves, even attempting to use their Light but were unable to remove the mark.As the Templar neared maximum power and all hope seemed lost, something happened. In the center of the Templar's Well, there was a bright light. The Templar was the first to see it. A well of Light matching the energy signature of the surge that breached the network now found its way to the physical realm of the Vault. All the Guardians and Ghosts took a moment of pause under fire. What they were feeling through their Light was different than anything they had before. Ellie and Bitsine especially were feeling something. The well of Light calling to them, tugging at their Light, drawing them to it. Like its alive."Ellie, I think we should go to it." Bitsine's Ghost told his Guardian. He was aware of the risks, not only of the ever-present Vex firing on them but of trusting a well of Light that's signature was similar to a certain Vex's. But this Light didn't feel corrupted. It was as pure as any Guardian's would be and Immensely powerful, but where was it coming from? Could there be another Guardian somewhere in the Vault?Ellie and Dex had a similar conversation. "Screw it!" With no other options, Ellie took her gun and made a break for the Well. Bitsine did the same, and both marked Guardians ran for the center gunning down any Vex that got in their way. Their teammates gave them covering fire, unsure of what they were planning but something about well of Light made them have faith. The Templar reached maximum power, its body glowing, about to complete the ritual. It spotted the two marked Guardians running down the center heading for the well, firing its cannons to stop them. They dodged everything it threw at them with their teammates trying to draw its fire, but the Templar wasn't interested in them. Mere moments from erasure, Ellie jumped into the well feeling the comforting presence of the Light envelope her. Bitsine entered seconds later just as the Templar released its energy, sending a pulse that would erase all those marked for negation from the timeline.Everyone shut their eyes as a bright light washed over them. It was over in moments. The Templar released the energy it had built up completing the ritual, but something was wrong."What just happened!?" Bitsine and Ellie stepped out of the well of Light, still alive and well. Everyone was shocked, including the Templar who was having a difficult time comprehending what just happened. Somehow that Well was strong enough to cleanse them of the mark.'Error: targets for Negation protocol remain within timestream. No miscalculations detected in programming.' The Templar scanned the two Guardians finding that they both were cleansed of the mark. In all the time the Templar had existed, no intruder had been able to rid themselves of the mark. There could only be one explanation. Running a scan on the Well of Light it came up with one comparison. 'Energy signature matches rogue anomaly. Location: unknown.'As the Templar contemplated its next course action, the two cleansed Guardians rejoined their allies who were still baffled by what happened. "Ellie, what happened?" Avez asked."I'm not sure. I was drawn to the Light, and then I felt it wash over me.""That Light destroyed the radiolaria that stuck to you," Dex explained having monitored the whole thing. "You're clean now." But what he didn't get was how that Light could do what Kelly sighed in relief. So did Pekis glad that Bitsine was okay now. But the battle was not over yet as the Templar summoned it most devastating weapons. The sound of a deep echoing ring made everyone's ears perk up. It was loud enough to be heard amidst the heat of battle, different than the sounds of gunfire and explosives, and gentle enough to almost be considered musical. The sound was repeated in a higher tone than the last and only lasted a moment just as before. Hearing this Pekis took an elevated position, taking out two Hobgoblins trying to snipe him then looked around for the source. In a few seconds, he spotted something in the far back of the Templar's Well. A yellow flash of light appearing, emitting the sound he had heard before. It was bright, shining much like a star in the night sky. But Pekis knew that this star was not there solely to sing to them. The music they made was a prelude to something far more sinister. And if not dealt with would be the last thing any of them would hear again.
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