A/N: I suppose everyone must hate me right now, I don't even remember how long it's been since I've posted anything. And for that I'm sorry. I could offer a million excuses as to why I haven't updated in months, but they would be worthless. And I will continue with The Sound of Madness, it is almost ready for another update, but I cannot guarantee anything as I have been struggling recently to create anything more than these rag tag ideas.
And on the topic of ideas, here's a story that I've recently pulled out after playing through Destiny: The Taken King once more. Lovely game by the way, and in my opinion worth it. Depending on feedback, I might attempt to write this along with the SoM, so all you faithful followers who have stuck with my unloyal ass, thank you. You are truly amazing to do so, and every new follower I receive, thank you as well.
Please do leave a response, they are key to inspiring me into writing more. I'll take everything, just please do think before you post something. I haven't had any problems with it before and I would like it to remain that way. Everyone who has followed me since the beginning I thank you sincerely and hope you are unafraid to reach out to me. I'm considerably better at responding to PM's and inquiring reviews than updating my stories sadly.
There is a Knife for You, and it is [Beginnings]
It was an accident, a fluke. She was never supposed to have been there, deep in the undercroft of the moon. Vivid memories passed through her mind: the Hive Tombship that crippled her when she was about to leave orbit, her abduction by said Hive, and the sword that split her Ghost in two as a single tear left a solitary trail down the side of her cheek.
Now here she was, a Guardian without her ghost, surrounded by darkness with no light left to illuminate her world. The only luminescence that penetrated the nearly tangible darkness around her came in sickly shades of green and the malevolent, verdant eyes of her Warden. The Hive Acolyte jittered at her incoherently.
Her cell was a simple one. Empty of matter except a simple sheet of metal protruding from the walls and a hole in the corner about the size of her fist which she used to dispose of her excrements. Her black and gold cloak lay in a heap at one end of the metal sheet, the patterns of wolves now indiscernible as were much of the decals on her armor which was scarred and burnt. Her helmet was torn off when she was captured, shattered in the hands of the leading knight, forcing her jet black hair tumble down to one side.
She had been here for days, how many was impossible to tell, but she knew it was at least a week since she last ate. Guardians may be able to last longer without the necessities, but without food or her ghost she was a long ways off from fighting shape. Her black hair was matted with blood and came down in wiry strands, her face was filthy, covered in grime, and her eyes, which used to be a vibrant purple, were now fragmented and dulled.
She sat against the frigid metal, resigned to whatever fate she received. She wouldn't give any information, even if she could speak in the Hive's jittering language. Despite being defeated, she would not be broken. "You'll get through this," the voice of her Ghost rang through her, and she could imagine his phantasmal form floating around her. A phantom smile appeared on her face, and she steeled herself the best she could for what she knew was to come.
But there was nothing in the universe that could prepare her for what was to transpire, the bone chilling silent scream that tore through her throat at the sudden assault on her conscious. The world around her was awash with a scorching blue fire; a cold scaled claw grasped the backside of her head and she felt it pull her through the metal wall behind her.
She tumbled through a void filled with scattered ethereal white flame which flittered about the darkness. She was moving at such speeds that her skin felt as if it was peeling off, her eyes glued open by the force. She could have sworn she saw faces flash in the darkness, forlorn and familiar, friends and family from a life she could remember. Words were spoken, incoherent to her in the rushing darkness, their meanings slipping past her. So.. much… she thought, only being able to form fractured thoughts through the pain, All.. mine..? Before she could even begin to process anything else, everything stopped, and darkness consumed all.
xXx
Oryx examined the unconscious Guardian at his feet. He had taken her from one of the lower class Tomb Ship's cells and brought her here, the ethereal fire still lingering in the air and clinging to her form. The hatred for this being rolled off of him in malevolent waves, the rage he felt towards it and it's species for the death of his son, Crota. His dreadnaught ship was already moving to attack, but now he could see the opportunity that was presenting himself at his feet. An opportunity he would not pass up on.
And with a wave of his hands, white and black flames surged around the guardian, and then she was his.
Taken
Cayde-6 sighed. It was that type of day for the usually charming exo hunter. Everything had gone awry recently, especially after the recent disappearance of one aspiring Guardian, a hunter who Cayde-6 had met through his friend Tevis. She was quite the quick learner, and she was one of the first hunters Cayde-6 had seen who was able to conjure a dusk bow before she managed to use a golden gun or summon an arc blade.
And now even Tevis was missing. He had went out to investigate some activity that was centered around the Vex timegates on Venus. Tevis had sent the message to Cayde-6 before leaving without waiting for the response. Cayde-6 has always liked the old man, but the Vex are vicious and Tevis is alone. Cayde-6 needed another Guardian, and he needed to find them soon.
So he began to watch the channels, listening to the chatter. A fireteam had invaded Oryx's prison and killed Alak-Hul, but there was no hunter, just two Titans and a Warlock. News had recently come to him that a fireteam had recently discovered another way to enter the Hive's ascendant plane through the Court of Oryx. He looked through the members of the team. There was a Titan from the Firebreak Order, Striker orientated; there was, interestingly enough, a Stormcaller Warlock. No doubt one of Ikora's disciples. Cayde-6 recalled that there was a tendency for Stormcallers to fail their initiation, being consumed by the power they attempted to harness. Then Cayde-6 read the third member of the fireteam, a lone Bladedancer who Cayde-6 had heard a few months ago was rising through the ranks of the Crucible, and even earning a small amount of recognition with the Iron Lords.
His name, at least according to the information the Vanguard, was Anton. There was no last name, as those became rarities with the revived. Often there memories become blurred, or strong reminders to the past became problematic, so Guardians often chose to forget and move on by leaving their family names behind. He didn't blame them, Cayde-6 had been around along time, or at least his body had. The memories of Cayde-5 have long since been erased, and not once has Cayde-6 ever wanted to remember them. Perhaps it was instinctual, some sub-routine in his system that prevented his conscious from wondering too deep into the void which itself had created.
Cayde-6 turned away from the monitor he was using, his Ghost quickly shutting down the terminal. As his Ghost quickly flitted to his side, Cayde-6 spoke to it. "Bud, find me that Guardian. I need someone to find Tevis, and I have a feeling he's gonna be needing help here soon," he stated, his voice holding none of his usual sarcasm.
The Ghost turned to him, blinking his one glowing white eye at his Guardian. "Relaying the message to his Ghost as we speak. Meanwhile, what are your plans for Oryx? Eris is becoming more and more restless, it won't be long before another incident happens."
Cayde-6 shuddered, remembering the time when Eris was sent into a fit by the mere presence of Crota when he first entered the Sol system. She rambled for days about the impending darkness, none of the Vanguard, or even Tethys-3, one of the six guardians who defeated Crota, were able to get her to talk coherently. However it all ended when she left for the Reef, where she apparently talked to the Queen, Mara Sov, and convinced her to attack Oryx's dreadnaught full force.
"Please don't remind me," Cayde-6 said while shuddering slightly. "I don't need there to be more chaos than there already is."
Cayde looked around, noticing that none of the other Vanguards were with him in the room, which left a noticeable void in the room. "Ghost," Cayde-6 said, his voice rising with an unspoken question. "Where are Ikora and Zavala?"
"One second," his Ghost muttered, his shell spinning as a few faint beeps could be heard. "They are reporting to the Speaker with Eris Morn, there are reports saying that Oryx has been forced out of the physical realm. Apparently the Zavala approved the mission, operating name: Regicide, led by Fireteam Bellum."
Cayde-6 hummed thoughtfully, processing the news. "So they did it, they defeated Oryx and pushed him back to the ascendant plane. He's not gone, far from it, but at least now we can focus on weakening his Taken army." He paused, before moving swiftly down the hallway towards the Speaker's tower. He called out over his shoulder to his Ghost, "Make sure Anton gets my message! I need to go talk to Zavala and Ikora and see what I can do to help with the assault on Oryx's ascendant plane! Alert me when he responds!"
The Ghost let out an audible sigh, before whirring in the air as a light blue ball appeared around him. "Sir yes, sir. Tell the tiny robot to do all the heavy lifting. Everything will be ok, not a problem. A thank you every now and then wouldn't hurt."
xXx
Venus. The world of mayhem, of beauty and death ever clashing in an elegant dance of light and dark. Where Fallen skiffs crowded the skies and the Vex congregated in the defense of their few remaining time gates. The sulphuric air had long since become toxic to the human species, leaving no refuge or shelter from the hostility of the planet. Only Guardians, Fallen, and Vex dared step foot on this treacherous planet.
Now, new creatures had begun to take over. Never ending waves of creatures, seemingly originating from an endless supply. And they were Taken. For every one that fell, whether to a Fallen Captain, the infinite Vex, or the near invincible Guardians, more would arrive. Yet, their leader was defeated, driven out of the physical plane and into hiding. The Taken were cut off, Oryx's will confined to the Ascendant Realm. Somehow, something else had seized control of the mantel left behind by the absence of the Hive God.
Anton watched as a small platoon of Cabal scoured the Endless Steps, where the legendary Fireteam Dominus defeated the Vex Gate Lord and took its eye to access the Black Garden where they defeated the Dark Heart. Whatever this Tevon guy was doing, Anton thought, he shouldn't have gone about it alone. But neither should Anton, who was beginning to make his way towards the Vex Gate carefully.
Being a Bladedancer had its uses. His cloaking abilities allowed him to slip past quite a few Taken and ascend the steps and arrive at the summit. What he saw there was not what Anton had been expecting. Yes, he saw the obvious Taken, but they had formed two lines and stood at attention, their typically twitching and flickering forms standing stock still. At one end of the precession was a Vex Hydra, possibly one of the Vex Minds assigned to monitor the Gate and repair holes in the complex web of Vex Networks. To see it bound was odd, but not as bizarre as what, or who, began to approach the Hydra from the other end of the assembled Taken.
It was a Guardian, or at least what appeared to be one. The humanoid before him was clad in obscure hunter armor that was missing a few key components. For one, this "hunter" was missing an identifying piece of gear for all hunters: a cloak. Instead of the long piece of emblazoned cloth, the being had inky, dark, black hair that seemed to shimmer as it moved. The plates of her armor was black, with the occasional shimmer of silver or white. It walked past the assembled Taken soldiers, approaching the Vex Mind and Anton felt the Darkness around him increase, becoming a smothering veil which surrounded him.
The figure raised its hand, and the signature whitish blue and black fire of the Taken surged around the appendage. The energy leapt towards the Vex mind, and Anton could swear it screamed out in pain. The noise was sharp enough to cause him to clutch his head in agony as his vision turned white and his ears felt as if they were about to burst. When the noise finally stopped, Anton was on his knees with his head pressed against the ground and his hands on his ears. As he looked up, he noticed that the Vex Mind was gone, most likely taken, and the all of the other Taken were staring in his direction. It was also then he noticed that his camouflage had become inactive.
Well just shit. It was his last thought, before one of the Taken let loose a battle cry and they charged.
