To say the Farm's bars were rowdy at night would be an understatement. With the tension between the Farm inhabitants and the Guardians always at its peak, most bars had begun having designated fighting hours and areas, usually directly in front of the bartender. If anyone wanted anything to drink, they had to walk straight into the danger zone. Despite this, many Guardians walked in, seemingly without a care, and took their drink. Some were even bold enough to sit at the bar and enjoy their drink, often times deliberately slow. And this night was like every other night. The floor in front of the bartender was virtually empty, save for the wheezing Guardian, curled up into a ball in the corner of the danger zone, tending to a few broken ribs courtesy of the Farm residents. As the Farmer's (what the Guardians called them to spite them) were enjoying their triumph, a new Guardian walked in. From his cloak and armor appearance, he was obviously a Hunter. The Farmers all smiled to each other. The Hunters were their favorite type of Guardian to fight. Always cocky, always ready to take on anyone at anytime. All they needed was a little push. Sometimes, to the Farmer's delight, a literal one. The Farmers, three of them, all large men sporting the same crew cut as the rest of the Farm's makeshift police force, walked up to the Hunter, who had taken his seat at the bar, ignoring his comrade in the corner. His hood was still up, and his mask was still in place, a disturbing mixture of bone and technology that created a sickening view of a smiling Hive Thrall skull that seemed to be covered in Vex tech. The Farmers hesitated and took a closer look at the Hunter. His cloak wasn't as grand as some others they had seen. In fact, it was barely worth noticing. A simple black hood, with tatters of what was left of the cape barely reaching his mid back. Signs of burns and cuts, along with bullet holes, marked the cloak. His armor was similar to the helmet. What looked like a combination of Hive bodies and Vex tech adorned his own body. The Hunter tilted his head to the side, the single eye of his helmet glowing a soft white as he stared into the lead Farmer's eyes. The Farmer swallowed, remembering it's three against one, and did his best to calm himself down.
"What's a Hunter doin in a Warlock bar?" The lead Farmer asked. The bars weren't segregated, but hearing that it was a Warlock exclusive bar often made even the most calm Hunters snap in an instant.
"Getting a drink." The Hunter replied in monotone. The robotic voice that responded shocked the Farmers. What was an Exo doing in a bar? Getting a drink no less? The Farmers were caught off guard, but there was no way they were going to miss the chance to take down an Exo Hunter.
"You're an Exo, ain't ya? The hell you need to drink fer?" The lead Farmer pried. The Exo Hunter sighed and turned around to face them completely. As he did, they caught a glimpse of his weapon, laying lazily on his lap. It was a simple thing, in all honesty. A handcannon, gun metal black with two softly glowing purple eyes on the length of either side of the barrel, closed as if at rest. What caught their attention however, was not the gun. It was the magazine. It was a solid circle. Not like the ridged cylinders they usually see. The Hunter noticed the eyes on his weapon and picked it up off his lap. The Farmers all went for their own weapons, but the Exo put up a finger, causing them to halt in their tracks.
"Relax, fellas, it's empty. Didn't think to reload it before comin in here." He put the gun to his temple and pulled twice, the clicking settling everyone's nerves.
The Exo shrugged, "I didn't expect anything worth my time in here anyway." He said casually. The words sparked anger inside of the Farmers. It wasn't what he said. It was how he said it. He said it not as an insult, but as a fact. As if everyone knew they weren't worth his time.
"Is that so, friend?" The leader spoke, anger lacing his every word. He pulled out his own handcannon, A large behemoth of a thing, intricately designed with looping thorns leading to a blossoming rose surrounding the barrel of the gun. The Exo looked at the weapon impassively.
"Oh look, another Over Compensator. How cute." The Farmers ears burned as his comrades snickered behind him. His manhood had always been a sore topic, and they knew it. He pulled the hammer back on his gun and pointed it directly at the Exo's skull.
"Ya better choose yer next words carefully there, unless you want ta lose your head." The Farmer smiled. The Exo would have to back down. No bullets, and at this range? No one in their right mind would be stupid enough to continue to talk trash.
The Exo looked at the Farmer for a moment, then he spoke.
"Tell me, when your with one of your boyfriends over there, do they like the gun more than your non existent-." The lead Farmer roared in anger and fired off a shot, the recoil almost putting him on his back. The Exo was already moving before the shot fired. His head moved to the side, his hand flicking his gun, causing his circular cylinder to hit the floor. As it hit, it exploded into a cloud of purple smoke that disappeared as quickly as it appeared, taking the Exo with it. The Farmers looked in confusion at one another, before one of them was taken roughly to the ground, the sound of metal on bone resounding through the bar. The other bar inhabitants had stopped what they were doing to watch the event unfold. As the first Farmer was trying to recover, a blur of air moved in what looked like a kick into his jaw, dislocating it and rendering him unconscious. The move caused the Exo to revert to visibility, but with the way he moved, it didn't matter. His hand moved to his hip, where his knife sat in its scabbard, and pulled. The blade came out, but didn't stop where it should have, instead, it grew longer and longer, until it finally came free as a thin metal Ninjato, a blade from Pre-Golden Age lore of silent ninja assassins. The leader turned to fire another shot, but was stopped short as the Hunter brought his blade up in a rising arc, cutting cleanly through his gun like a hot knife through melting butter. As it did, the segment where the blade connected to the gun broke off, dematerializing as it hit the floor. The Exo followed the swing with a spinning back kick that sent the leader flying into an empty table, breaking it into pieces with a loud crash. The last Farmer held a small knife in his violently trembling hand as he stood alone against the Exo. The Exo never stopped moving. Never placing his foot on the ground after the kick, he brought it up in a kick, hitting the shaking hand of the final Farmer, then following the momentum of the kick, the Hunter used the small amount of air time he gained to switch legs and deliver a jaw shattering round kick. He sheathed his blade, only to pull it out instantly as a fully reformed sword. The Farmers blade was sent flying into the ceiling, where it stuck with a solid 'thunk', while the Farmer spun into the wall, his back hitting it before he sank to the ground. The Hunter placed his newly reformed sword at the Farmer's throat.
"See? Told you this wasn't worth my time." The Hunter pulled the blade from the Farmer's neck, sheathing it in its knife length sheath, then delivered a final kick directly into the Farmer's face. In a spray of blood, his head bounced back into the wall, his eyes fluttered shut, and he fell unconscious, just like his comrades. The Exo took one more look at the three and sighed before turning his attention to the Guardian in the corner. He was an Awoken Warlock, his robes draped around him like a blanket given to children. With the way he moaned and how he curled into a ball, he looked like a child as well. The Hunter stepped towards him, his boots the only sound in the bar. He came to a halt in front of the Warlock's face and crouched.
He stared in silence as the Warlock looked up at him with an unwanted desire to be helped. Warlocks hated Hunters, and Hunters felt the same. After a moment, the Hunter stood up with a grunt and did a small check to ensure all of his gear was intact and reloaded. The Warlock watched him with confused eyes before finally clearing his throat and speaking.
"H-Hey there, Hunter. You mind helpin out a fellow Guardian? I'm in a rough spot right now and-" the words never left his mouth. The Hunters boot crashed onto his throat, crushing it with an audible crunch. The Warlock gurgled a plea for help, reaching up to ask him to stop, but the Hunter paid him no mind, instead putting the barrel of his gun on the Warlock's hand and firing. The gun sounded like a canon, deafening the bar with its roar. The bullet went through the Warlock's hand and into his skull, silencing him quickly. The Warlock's Ghost appeared after a moment, confused and disoriented. It saw no danger. Only a Hunter with a blood splattered mask. Without saying a word, the Hunter fired again, directly Into the Ghost's eye, killing it and leaving the Warlock to his second death. The Hunter holstered his gun, then paid for his drink, apologizing for the mess before exiting the bar, the Warlock's body draped over his shoulder as if it were a cloak. He took the body into the woodland outside of the Farm, ensuring he was far enough away to not be bothered by the Farmers, and close enough that the Fallen or anything else would be well clear of him, and burnt the Warlock body. He watched the robes burn away, then the skin before finally all was left was scarred bones and ash. He watched the embers float away into the night sky, glowing along side the planets and the stars. His eyes rested on Saturn, and his mind replayed the battle between his Fireteam and Oryx.
He blinked away the face of the late Taken King and looked down to his gun.
" 'See no evil, and let no evil see you' eh?" The Hunter mumbled as his thumbs ran across the eyes of the gun.
"It's good for not being seen, give it that much." He chuckled as he holstered the gun.
"Figures it would. The name fits it at least. 'Now You See Me'." He stretched and laid down beside the fire, and with his eyes set on Saturn, he slept, unaware of the horrors being born on Saturn's destroyed rings.
Author's Note: Enjoy the story so far? Stay tuned, there's more to come!