It'd only been a few minutes since he'd engaged the jump drives, but it'd felt like an eternity. Apprehension welled up inside of him as the flurry of colors from the tear in space-time danced in his silver eyes. He shifted, nestling further into his cloak and crossing his arms as he ran through the information he'd gathered during the long weeks prior. Entry strategies, excerpts from the Pahanin Errata, insider information from the Future War Cult and all known data supplied from the Vanguard. It all whizzed through his head like code through a CPU.
A terminal to his left displayed route plotting and other status visuals for the ship's systems
/Destination lock/
Venus, Ishtar Sink
Transmat zone
Ishtar Academy - Confirmed
Waking Ruins - Error
Ember Caves - Unavailable
Citadel - Error
/Venus approach imminent, jump drives disengaging./
A shudder passing through the ship's hull jolted him from his thoughts as the jump drives cycled down and dropped them to a cruising speed in Venus' orbit. Upon registering the vibrant planet before him, he reached to grab his helmet from the stand to the right of his seat, pulled back a few stray locks of his black hair and slid it over his head, allowing the HUD to load in and visuals to synchronise before taking the ship's controls in his gloved hands.
He aligned his ship with the guidance lines of the post-jump trajectory with the Ishtar Sink, steadying the ship and easing the flight stick down as he dove into Venus' thick atmosphere. The ship began to shudder and shake as he plowed through the thick, yellow, rolling clouds of sulfur. Shortly afterwards, he broke through the cloud layer and evened out his descent. High rocky peaks and lush valleys stretched out to the left while the land smoothed out straight ahead as well as to his right. Glowing blue rivulets and pools of sulfuric lava poked through the pale Venusian rock, soon becoming unidentifiable streaks of blue as his ship sped towards the Ishtar Academy.
He flicked a switch on the control stick with his thumb, and engaged the ship's autopilot before he rose from his seat and walked towards the back of his ship. A small space awaited him with a gun rack on his right devoid of weapons save for one scout rifle and a sniper rifle. The back wall a few meters away houses a locked doorway, a shelf and a small workbench littered with datapads, sapphire wire and weapon parts. An open doorway on the left wall lead to his quarters.
He retrieved his Proxima Centauri scout rifle and Epitaph sniper from the otherwise empty weapon rack and re-stocked on ammunition synthase kits.
[ We're nearing the Ishtar Academy, Kalek. You ready for transmat? ] The digital voice of his Ghost chimed through the comms.
He breathed a thin sigh before responding "As ready as I'll ever be."
His sniper had vanished into his micro-storage so he simply secured his Proxima to his back and stood, waiting for the familiar tingle of trans-materialization.
He didn't have to wait long. Moments later, his limbs began to tingle and he closed his eyes as his vision grew brighter and the sensation of floating filled his gut. Opening his eyes, he dropped a couple feet out of the air and surveyed the environment around him.
A soft drizzle splattered tiny droplets onto his visor and thin rivulets of precipitation ran down his cloak. The remainder of the scenery shared the same wetness, several crates stood piled nearby glistening with moisture and the Vanguard banner flapped lazily on a post next to them. A path carved by repeated Sparrow traffic snaked out of a pass to his left, curving towards a bend to his right leading to the various buildings of the Ishtar Academy.
He sensed a staticky form materialize just shy of his shoulder and glanced over to see his Ghost peering at the path with its singular glowing optic and characteristic Intrusion color pattern.
[ The others have probably already gathered at Campus 9 by now. We should hurry. ] His triangular nodes rotated and twitched as he spoke.
"Can't wait to hear what Garen has to say about us being late." His tone betrayed the message of his words, as they were devoid of enthusiasm. "Set a waypoint to Campus 9, Adonis."
Just before his sentence ended, a pulsing grey marker and distance counter appeared on his HUD.
[ Way ahead of you. ] His ghost's voice became less distorted as it vanished into his suit's systems
Letting out an amused puff from his nose, he pulled his hood over his helmet, summoned his Sparrow and brought his leg over the air where metal plates and machinery were actively filling in. The engine whirred to life with a tease of the throttle before he shot off down the path, a green trail streaking behind him in his wake.
Thin streams of water trailed outwards on his visor as the environment blurred around him. Blurs of the Venusian lava pools streaked along his peripheral vision and bright orange pools of water and sulfuric acid splashed violently as he sped over them. Whizzing through a cavernous tunnel, the pathway eventually gave way to a more open space with House of Winter's sentries patrolling near one of their outposts on his left. Deciding to air on the side of caution, he took a sharp right over one of the collapsed rock formations, darting between tall stone outcroppings until the path narrowed once more.
He continued towards the rendezvous location, zipping through ravines, thick canopies and Vex architecture. Taking his eyes away from the path ahead only the gaze at the massive Vex Citadel, a towering monolith of metal and carved stone, reaching high into the clouds, its top far too high to see as he passed by the highly populated area. Continuing down the path, he eventually spotted the small pathway through two smooth walls of stone leading to Campus 9. A cluster of figures had gathered just outside of the walls and a twinge of surprise flashed through him.
"Huh, thought we were meeting inside the facility." He mumbled
[ We were… ] His Ghost's voice showed equal confusion as they approached the group of four who now began looking at the new arrival.
Kalek slowed his Sparrow as he closed the distance before jutting his foot out; kicking the back end out into a sliding stop a few meters away from the group.
He dismounted and made his way over to the others.
"You're late." The gruff comment came from a heavily armored Titan in the center of the semicircle. Clad in white and red armor plating; The tri-scored sigils of the New Monarchy stamped on various parts of his armor, and an exceptionally large scratch marring the face of his helmet.
"I'm aware." Kalek responded dryly, intentionally avoiding the Titan's steady gaze.
"And why is that?" His probing question had a bite behind each word
"I made a stop to the Cosmodrome, had to pick up some Spinmetal for a couple of last minute upgrades." He kept his tone calm and dismissive as he responded, only to be met with a ridiculing retort
"You do realize that both the Vanguard and Crucible Quartermasters sell those, right?"
"Back off, Garen." The command came from a Warlock leaning against the wall bordering the footpath to the group's far left, inspecting a small glassy sphere in her grasp. Her voice was calm, but authoritative. She had an air of power from her stance, from her armor, from the metal 'feathers' atop her Light Beyond Nemesis helmet, to the prestige of her Goldspiral armor shader. "When you were new to the Vanguard, it took you weeks before you could afford that Shadow Price. Kalek's probably trying to gear up before using his Vanguard marks for convenience items." She looked up at Kalek from her item, "That about right, Hunter?"
[ Spot on, Aihri. ] Adonis chimes in as he materializes above Kalek's shoulder.
"Yes, thank you Kalek. Really appreciate it." Kalek's sarcastic response received a chuckle and a shake of the Warlock's head as she resumed her task. Garen simply scoffed and began glancing around at the dense foliage around them.
Settling against one of the short spires of rock he folded his arms, closed his eyes, and waited for the final group member's arrival. He attempted to address his feelings, to calm his nerves.
It's just a long strike. A strike without knowledge of what's coming. A strike that has not been completed successfully and those who have attempted have never returned…
[ Your heart rate is elevated. Whatever you're doing, I don't think continuing is a good idea. ]
"I was trying to calm my nerves.", he mumbles beneath his helmet.
[ Well, you're definitely doing something wrong. ]
"You don't say?"
[ I do, Actually. ]
An amused exhale "What am I gonna do with you?"
[ I have an extensive list of things you shouldn't do with me. ]
"Is punting you off the Skywatch on that list?"
[ … It is now… ]
The distant whirr of a Sparrow's engine interrupted the normal sounds of the area and brought his attention back to his current situation. Opening his eyes, he turned to peer around the stone he was leaning on and saw a fast-approaching Sparrow, its blue trail streaking behind.
Moments later, the rider hurriedly kicked off of their mount and jogged over to them.
Robes, fancy armband, composed stature. Definitely a Warlock.
His eyes narrowed ever so slightly, noting the lithe frame and swaying gait
Female.
"Sorry I'm late," He was taken aback when she spoke. Her voice was light, accent like that of most Awoken, but something about her felt familiar. "had some sparrow trouble on the way here. I can't blame it though, the transition from glassy Moon sand to sulfuric acid puddles is quite drastic."
The idea settled in as the pieces quickly fell into place. Coming from the Moon, female Warlock, energetic attitude. He'd worked with her before, but he didn't think their reunion would be on this treacherous occasion.
"Arana." It was intended for himself, but still caught the newcomer's attention. She stopped and turned to him surprise on her body language.
"How do you know my name?" She inquired.
A slight smile wormed its way onto his features as he responded, "We've worked together before. On the moon a few months ago. I was subbed into your fireteam when Ikora tasked you and one other to take down Ph-"
"-Phogoth... " She finished his sentence as the memory became clear. "Yes, I remember you now. It'd be hard to forget an experience like that… Kalek, right?"
"Bingo."
She eyed him up and down behind her helmet "You've changed. Finally got away from that tiny cloak, I see."
Heat filled his face as the remembered the comically short beginner's cape the Vanguard had loaned to him during his first month.
"I couldn't find a replacement, okay? Cayde's excuse is that it 'gives us a glimpse of the ever so humble nature of us hunters'."
Which all of us know is complete bullshit
Their conversation was broken by Garen's announcement. The Titan was looking down at a sheet when he spoke. "It's about time we start packing up. I'll take a quick head count and supply check before we make our way to the Waking Ruins. Aihri. Kalek. Arana…"
Garen looked up at each one as their name was called. A calm authority in his voice and actions.
Kalek, unmoving glanced at each as their name was called as well. Memorizing and creating associations with each name. As the others collected their belongings, he compiled all he knew into each fireteam member
Garen: Defender Titan, aligns with New Monarchy. Faught alongside the Titans of the Iron Banner in the Battle of Six Fronts. Likes to be in control. General irritant, but his experience is valuable.
Aihri: Sunsinger Warlock, loyal to the Vanguard. Good friends with Ikora. Fair and easy to get along with. Highly experienced, very powerful, weirdly insightful and craves knowledge.
Dale: Gunslinger Hunter, Slightly more experienced than Arana and I. Usually can't get him to shut up, strange that he's so quiet now. His nerves are probably getting to him as well.
Arana: Voidwalker Warlock, her ghost, Astrid, found her around the same time Adonis found me. Interestingly enough, she shares a likeness with Aihri- Eh, I know who she is, moving on..
Romulus-4: Striker Titan, seems to be…
His eyes began to wander towards the Titan.
I… don't actually know much about him… He's quiet…
"Alright, let's get moving!"
Garen's call brought him from his thoughts. He pulled his weapon from his back and joined the others as they filed into a sort of line. Garen and Aihri took point at the front. Dale hung behind Romulus in the middle and Kalek brought up the rear next to group had fallen silent as they traveled, the only sound being that of their gear clinking and rusling, and the soft crunch of boots on the dirt path.
As the group rounded the upcoming bend, he glanced over at Arana who was currently fiddling with one of the buckles on her robes. His gaze lingered a moment too long, as she caught his eyes and looked back at him.
"Is there something on my face?" She inquired jokingly
He shook his head, amused "You have a helmet on, Arana."
"With the way you were looking at me, I had to double-check."
"To be honest, I didn't quite expect you to be here, much less the fact that we'd be working together so soon."
"Well, being the best of the up and coming Warlocks definitely helped ease the decision for the Vanguard. My work on the Moon helped uncover valuable information on the Hive gods and their rituals. And you say 'so soon' like our strike on the Summoning Pits was a few weeks ago, it's been months."
He nodded slightly "The best, huh?"
"Well, I don't think Ikora picked me just because of my looks." She finished with a playful tone
He opened his mouth to respond but was interrupted by Garen's voice
"Heads up, Guardians!"
Following his order he brought his gaze from Arana back to his surroundings.
His Ghost popped out to catch the sight. [ There it is. The Waking Ruins… ]
The dense canopy the path had carved through gave way to a large open section. To their left, sheer stone cliffs dropped off into the vast, vibrant sea. Glistening orange from the toxic Venusian chemical compounds. To their right, a clearing sporting perfectly shaped rectangular stone outcroppings dotting the area. An enormous, round door seemingly made of a gold-tinted metal sat embedded into the rock above before them; an intensely burning white light at its center. It looked around 70 meters away with two pathways stretching outwards towards the cliffs like arms eager to grasp the setting Sun. On the smooth stone just in front of it, lay a large ring made of the same bronze colored metal as the Vex bodies, its diameter wide enough wide to fit six people shoulder-to-shoulder.
Sync plates. The data from the Archives said there would be three, but where are the other two?
He looked around the door, and pathways stretched out to each side. The right passageway rose upwards, its cracked stone steps leading up to a collapsed platform with the second sync plate housed at the top, nestled beneath a large, degraded transport gate. He looked back to the door and followed the second pathway down a more natural path. It trailed beneath a stone overhang with vines and vegetation filling the area around the metal plate.
That should be all of them…
His eyebrows furrowed when he looked down at the large square slab of stone that lay a few meters ahead of him. It was larger than the sync plates and held two large circles, perfectly carved into its surface. Lines inlaid into the smooth surface intersect and cross through the circles and out to the stone's edges. In some places the rock had been worn away, showing the machinework of the Vex beneath.
That must be the spire pedestal then…
He slowly approached it and kneeled down to run his finger through the smooth crevasse. The stone hummed with energy, a tension that weaved through his fingers as he touched it. Spreading up his arm and to the back of his head, a faint static began to fill his head and his vision began to fade out of focus. A distant voice echoed through the noise. "I am not lost…"
The static grew louder and an electronic buzz began to join the cacophony. He screwed his eyes closed, his eyebrows furrowing as he fought the unseen. He heard his name being called repeatedly a mix of fear and urgency full in his chest. He pulled his hand back sharply and opened his eyes, but he saw nothing but the dark for a few seconds. Elements of his vision began filtering in from the dark and be became aware of hands on his shoulders. He looked over his shoulder and found himself staring into the V-shaped patterns of Arana's visor.
"You alright?" She inquired, her voice laced with concern.
He turned back to the pedestal and stood. His hand twitching and his mind still shaken. "Yeah… Yeah, I'm fine." He lied.
He looked up from the pedestal and turned towards Arana. A grey, distorted figure in the corner of his vision caused him to do a double-take, only to find the scenery around him absent of the unknown figure.
Arana leaned slightly closer, confusion creeping into her voice "You sure?"
He took a moment to respond before giving a shaky thumbs up, "Adonis, you alright?"
The response came from over his comms. His companion hadn't materialized outside his suit before the incident. [ It's difficult to think straight for now, but I'll be alright ]
He nodded slightly in understanding "Okay." He turned to Arana, "Where are the others?"
She stuck her thumb over her shoulder, pointing towards the cliffside. "Dale's over at the downed transmat zone to try and get it up and running again. Vex interference has been scrambling any uplinks over there. The rest of them are preparing to separate into groups of two and start the assault so we'd better get moving."
Kalek nodded and began to make his way back to the remaining three fireteam members, Arana following closely behind him. It was Aihri who saw them approach and inquired lightheartedly,
"Where'd you two disappear to?"
"Just inspecting the Spire pedestal." A light shrug from Kalek, his mind still buzzing.
Her chin dipped slightly and her voice became more stern, "Be careful around the Vex channels; the machines are not as grounded as you might think."
As she finished, Dale rejoined the group and Garen spoke up.
"Alright Guardians, this is it. Quick overview of entering the Vault: hold all three sync plates to raise the Spire and open the door. Once you've taken a sync plate, do not let the Vex near it. If even one of them take control of a sync plate, the sequence will be broken and the Spire will begin to deconstruct. Watch for Praetorian models, they resemble Minotaurs but larger and darker. They are the most aggressive and should become the highest priority once they are spotted. No exceptions. We'll split up into three teams of two; one team for each plate. Stay with your partner at all times, the Vex's core combat processes involve overwhelming numbers."
Garen paused and looked at each of them in the vague semicircle they'd formed before continuing,
"When you reach your plates, wait for my signal to initiate the construction sequence." Another pause, "Good luck to us all."
With that, he turned and sped into a light sprint towards the middle sync plate, with Aihri sticking just behind him. Kalek and Arana glanced at each other before they turned to make their way to the left sync plate, while Dale and Romulus began scaling the collapsed rock to reach the right sync plate.
The left path began as a shallow rise from the side of the cliffs, winding through the dense foliage much like a smaller version of the path they'd used to get to Ruins. With each step, his nervousness increased and upon reaching their destination, Kalek stood just outside the border of the sync plate and waited for Garen's command. The only sounds being the soft trickle of water across stone, the wind rustling the wide leaves of nearby plants and the low buzz of the Vex machinework embedded in the surrounding rock. A stagnant energy filled the air, building in tension as the seconds passed. After what seemed like an eternity, Garen's voice came in through the comms.
"Initiating on my mark. Three, two, one, mark!"
As ordered, he stepped inside the circle and it began to glow white along its intricate engravings and scratches. The tension lifted from the area, concentrating at a single point near the cliffs. Readying his scout rifle, he turned to face the strange occurrence. A bright blue spark of energy erupted to life and intensified in the air and within seconds, a thick black fog began rolling outward from the energy source. Multiple red lights began to appear behind the fog and started to approach the couple before revealing themselves as the piercing scarlet optics of Vex Goblins. The robotic legion marched forward with intimidating persistence, their thin, humanoid frames clanked mechanically. There was an unsettling vibe about them, their vaguely humanoid figures offset by their large, intense optics, luminescent white mind cores exposed at the abdomen, fan-shaped heads and angular faces devoid of humanoid features.
A squeeze of the trigger sent one of the mechanized frames staggering, another shot destroying its fan-shaped head. Sparks began flying and electricity arced through its frame as it charged angrily towards their position. Taken aback by its unusual behavior, his next shot missed and he was forced pull behind cover as the Goblin sent several shots of red energy whizzing by his head.
He pulled his knife from its sheath and dashed from behind the rock, thrusting the blade into the approaching Goblin's belly, scrambling the glowing white fluid of its exposed mind core. The liquid spilled over his hand as he withdrew the blade.
The lifeless frame fell only to reveal another Goblin charging a pulse wave in its outstretched hand. He saw a growing glow in his peripheral vision accompanied with the electrical whirring of a charging fusion rifle. He launched himself backwards as a flurry of six violet bolts of void energy tore through his assailant's bronze frame, its components dissolving into nothingness as the void consumed it.
He glanced over at Arana to see her unleash another blast of plasma into the group of enemies. A distant mechanical chirping caught his attention and he whirled around, rifle at the ready to see a group of Harpies quickly approaching the sync plate. Their bodies comprising of three roughly triangular pieces of metal, the ends frayed back like fins hovering around a singular red optic attached to its central body mass and a few snaky metallic tendrils trailing behind their floating forms.
"Harpies behind us!" He called out before bolting towards them
Sliding into a crouch behind the supporting columns of rock, he channeled the light within him into a bright sphere of arc energy. He then threw it into the group of Harpies and within a count of a second, a singular bolt of arc lightning chained from one of the floating Vex to another, each Harpy exploding from the overload and showering its components over the area.
With the coast clear, he rose and looked back to Arana finishing off the last of the Goblins nearby; not a trace of combat aside from the empty fusion cell lying near her feet.
"Harpies are down," He inspected the pathway leading up to the Vault door, "any sign of Praetorians?"
"None so far." Arana's voice responded over the comms
The echoes of explosions and gunfire signified the others' battles near their sync plates were still raging. He gazed over across the clearing to the collapsed platform where Dale held off a large Vex model, most likely a Praetorian, its void shield glowing brightly from the damage it was receiving. Dale danced around it, while continuously peppering it in auto rifle fire, blowing off its shield and allowing the rounds to penetrate its frame. Meanwhile Romulus could be spotted high in the air, his body coursing with arc energy as he slammed down into a cluster of Goblins. Their bodies obliterated in the electrified blast from his fists.
[ Look, the Spire is forming! ]
Adonis' comment brought his gaze over to the center of the clearing. He stepped around the rock column blocking his view to see the glowing white scaffolding of the spire rising. A three-dimensional grid of data and energy forming the frame for the stone and machine of the Spire itself. A large metallic sphere was the first solid object to form, slowly materialized near the top of the scaffolding. A sort of emitter facing the door began glowing as the remainder of the tower began materializing from the bottom up.
"Kalek, we've got a group of Hobgoblins warping in." Arana called for his assistance over the comms and he turned to engage the incoming threats.
He holstered his scout rifle to his back and summoned his sniper rifle. Aiming down the scope, he spotted the wave of Hobgoblins marching from the fog they came from. Their angular heads, trading the Goblin's fan-shaped tops for two foot-long protrusions pointing left and right, swiveling in search of targets. He lined up the scope's reticule with one of their mind cores, waiting a moment to steady the shot before pulling the trigger. The bullet sliced through its torso, the force shattering the components and destroying its core in a spray of milky-white goop. Its legs and body collapsed as two separate pieces and the unit beside it turned its piercing glare to Kalek. Within an instant, a high-velocity bolt of bright red energy grazed his left arm, scorching his armor; a gentle graze compared to the damage of a direct impact. He exhaled sharply at the pain as he dove behind the column of rock to his left and slowly peeked around the cover. A flash and he reflexively pulled back into cover, a line of energy scorching the air his head once occupied. Pinned behind cover, he lowered himself into a crouch and focused on being silent, elusive, invisible. His form began to fade, colors draining from his armor becoming more and more transparent until mere seconds later, he was barely visible. His movements as light as the air and his appearance just as so. He lightly dropped down into the clearing, and made his way to down to the cliffside where the Hobgoblins had set up. He was now crouched behind a boulder, formulating his next plan of attack from behind the six Vex.
"Kalek, I need that sniper cover! They've got me pinned down and they're definitely not letting up anytime soon!"
Precision bolts of solar energy hammered into Arana's cover and a nervous urgency worked its way into his gut. His focus wavered and his invisibility began to wear off, becoming increasingly visible he transferred his energy and focus from his stealth to the raw power at its peak within him. Vaulting over the boulder, he ignited in a flash of white-hot electricity. Bringing his dominant hand back, a brilliantly charged blade of arc light filled his grasp. He hit the ground running, quick as lightning, he lunged at the first Hobgoblin within reach, his blade easily slicing through the metal. He darted from one target to the next, effortlessly switching his grip on the hilt with each swipe, ruthlessly slicing in a fluid, trancelike state. Within seconds the assaulting group of Vex were no more than smoldering piles of scrap metal. The energy coursing through him collapsed and Kalek returned to a normal state, showing minimal signs of fatigue.
He looked over to where Arana was stepping from behind her shelter, "It wasn't exactly what you'd asked for, but it worked."
She picked her way around the dead Vex. "Yes, I'd say that did the trick."
"Impressive, Hunter."
The voice over the comms came from Aihri. "You have the makings of a dangerous Bladedancer. I see now, why Cayde picked you for this assignment."
Kalek and Arana exchanged glances, neither previously aware of their onlooker by the central sync plate and carefully returned to their own. Kalek glance back over at the incomplete Spire, the faint glow at the emitter had become more prevalent, now beginning to cause a glare on his visor.
"What Aihri said may be true, but you two need to put some spark in your step!" It was Garen this time, anger in his tone. "You're gonna have Vex closing in on that plate any second! Get a move on!"
As much as he didn't want to admit it, Garen was right. There were probably Goblins steadily marching onto their position and would de-activate the plate without hesitation. Kalek quickened his pace to a run with Arana on his heels. Just as predicted, a group of Goblins and Harpies split off from the larger group attacking the middle and were making their way towards the two Guardians. Arana took the lead, throwing a compressed orb of void energy into the group. It shattered in a small explosion, releasing a barrage of several void blasts, carpeting the area in explosive void light. Those caught within the blast began to glow brightly and combust in a blooming explosion, causing a chain reaction which thinned the Vex's numbers considerably. The remainder were picked off by Kalek's precision shots to the mind core.
Before they had time to take another breath, the electronic screeches of Harpies could be heard behind them. Kalek whirled around and spotted the two floating forms peeking around a rock face nearby the sync plate. He broke into a sprint, firing at them as he ran. His shots missed their intended marks, ricocheting off of the Harpy's angular body plates and it simply withdrew behind the rock.
Wait a minute… Vex never retreat...
He slid to a stop, but the trap had already been sprung. Four Harpies darted out of cover and entered an attack position, their body plates flared outwards and their snaky tendrils writing in the air. They opened fire, rapidly blasting at Kalek and Arana as they hastily retreated. Kalek had launched himself backwards, but suddenly a forceful strike from behind connected. Hard. Pain shot through his torso, his rifle escaped his grasp and his course changed abruptly; smacking into the nearby wall. Spots flashed in his blurry vision and his hearing regressed into a dull roar of explosions and screeches. He repositioned himself onto his hands and knees, attempting to identify his assailant. It didn't take him long as it manifested in a large Vex model towering over him, a hand-held cannon in its right hand. Its broad shoulders, burly limbs and thick metal plating darker in color than the previous models he'd seen. A Praetorian of the Hezen Protective order. It brought its left hand back, its metal fingers straightened to act as a wedge in a downward slice. A stream of focused solar energy sliced into the Praetorian, its shields flared violet as it absorbed the damage but the impact caused it to stagger, giving Kalek a chance to scramble from beneath it.
Regaining his equilibrium, he looked around hastily and located his rifle a few meters away. He pushed into a standing position and began to move towards it, but he whirled around, drawing his knife by reflex at the sound of mechanized footsteps behind him. The Praetorian wasn't finished with its attack, lunging at him once again. He side-stepped away from its jab and returned with a slice of his own.
Its shield warped around the blade but still denied penetration, the strike bouncing back harmlessly.
Damn, gonna need some serious void power to pop those shields…
The Minotaur began backpedaling, it's torch hammer primed to fire devastating void blasts at any moment. Realizing it's intentions, he stayed about four feet back, too close for the its blaster but just out of range for its deadly slice.
"Arana, you think you could spare a grenade?"
"If you'd asked five seconds ago, I would've said yes. I don't have the energy to summon another, and the Vex just keep coming!"
The distress in her voice was highly evident, and taking a hasty glance over to where she was dishing out hurt in copious quantities. A spherical vortex of hungering void energy swirled and consumed any Vex within its reach. Meanwhile, the Warlock floated about seven feet above the legion of Goblins, their rapid fire bolts whizzing by her. Lining herself up, she brought her right hand across her chest, void light filling her enclosed fingers. With the void energy coursing through her she swiped her hand back, casting a row three explosive void projectiles detonating on contact in a brilliant series of explosions. The glance lasted less than a second and to his relief didn't jeopardize his life. The Praetorian suddenly charged forward, altering its attack pattern to a relentless barrage of slices and jabs. Kalek backpedalled, ducking, parrying and swerving around its stiff strikes. Knife against metal sounded for several long seconds before another intensely focused stream of solar energy sliced through the Praetorian's shield. The shot continued through the shield this time, into and through the Praetorian's head; destroying it as its components combusted on contact to the intense energy.
Shocked, by the abrupt end to his encounter, he turned to see the origin of the shot and saw the faint form of a Warlock crouching on one of the rocks beside the central sync plate.
"You looked like you could've used a little help." Aihri said lightly.
He looked back down to the smoldering heap of metal at his feet. "Well, you weren't wrong.." He suddenly remembered the image of Arana casting her Nova Bomb at the Vex legions "..but I'm not the only one who could use some help."
He quickly turned and bolted down to the open area where explosions echoed, marking Arana's continuing struggle. The dust had just settled and just beyond the countless Vex frames, two more points of entry marked an even larger onslaught of Vex marching in. All throughout the Guardians' battle, the Vex had been probing for weak spots, and now that they'd found it they would strike with overwhelming force. Kalek considered pulling out his sniper rifle and picking them off from his current position, but decided against it and took off to assist Arana, sliding into a crouch behind a collapsed pillar segment and laying down fire into the wall of machines. Almost immediately he was pinned down by Vex fire and he instantly regretted his decision against sniping from afar.
"We've got heavy Vex numbers converging on the left sync plate," He called over the comms, "Arana and I are going to need some serious help; we can't keep them down forever!" With that, he threw a skip grenade over his cover into the Vex, the grenade shattering into several arc seekers which tracked and detonated on their targets, knocking out five more vex along with the four Arana had worked down.
"Adonis, keep watch over the sync plate, we can't have another Praetorian getting behind us again."
[ On it ]
His ghost quickly materialized and flew back towards the sync plate receiving little attention from the Vex onslaught. He popped in and out of cover, taking out Goblin after Goblin as Arana did the same. He was vaguely aware of the conversations the Veteran Guardians were having in response to their request, but his attention was fully enveloped in the wall of machines by the cliffs. The forty seconds it took for the remainder of his comrades to arrive seemed like several minutes. A spark of surprise flickered in his mind when Aihri's Solar flare ignited the Vex marching in from his left. His gaze snapped over to see her float down from one of the many stone spires, her outstretched hand encased in flame as she struck one of the Vex with a wind of arcane energy pushed from her palm. Its frame combusting, falling backwards into its allies. After this, she slid on one knee into cover and engaged in the firefight. The mechanical roar of a Praetorian pulled his attention away soon after and he whirled to his right to see exactly what he expected… for the most part. It was a Praetorian alright, but its head was blown off entirely, its shields were down with its components sparking, and it was charging, firing unpredictably into his and Arana's cover.
"Praetorian coming from the cliffs! Damaged and unpredi-" He cut his sentence short to silence a scream of pain as three searing shots from the main Vex group landed on his chest and shoulder. He dropped behind cover and turned the face the enraged machine just in time to see it decimated. Without warning, an astounding amount of force plowed into the large Vex frame. The ironclad figure of a Titan destroyed it with a shoulder charge with the force and sound of an artillery cannon. The machine's broken frame toppled over, landing a couple meters back and the Titan immediately moved on, pulling his auto rifle from his back and laying down a hail of bullets into the Vex.
He spoke and the characteristic sound of the Exo's digital voicebox came through the comms. "Praetorian is down. On your feet, Hunter." His speech was short and strong. Commanding, and Kalek followed. Grunting from pain, he heaved his weapon over the stone to return fire. The Vex numbers had thinned significantly, with only a Praetorian, two Hobgoblins and four Goblins still left standing in the sea of frames. He focused his fire on the Praetorian, aiming to take down its shields while it was busy blasting at Dale as he joined the fight. Its shields flared intensely with each shot and it turned angrily towards Kalek. With its back turned, Dale seized the opportunity, he thrust his hand into the air, calling forth the light and in a burst of heat and light, a gun filled with the power of the Sun came into being within his grasp. He leveled his sights and fired three times. Kalek flinched with each shot, feeling the power more than witnessing it.
One. The Praetorian's shields decimated. Two. Molten shards of it's shoulder's components and servos showered the ground. Nothing remaining but a seared arm hole. Three. Its center torso destroyed as the round pierced it's exoskeleton. Its frame collapsing in a mass of partially intact parts and molten metal.
Dale lost his glow of heat, and his weapon faded away as his power waned. He looked directly at Kalek and nodded in thanks. Kalek returned the gesture and looked around to see that the remaining Vex had fallen.
"Adonis, any trouble by the plate?" Kalek inquired.
[ None, don't you think I would've told you if anything went wrong? ]
"Never hurts to ask."
A gruff call came over the Guardians' comms, "If you all are done, there are still quite a few stragglers to take care of over here!"
It was Garen, and as Kalek turned towards the central plate, a luminescent semicircular violet shield encased the white ring. Garen stood inside, his arms outstretched, the void filtering through his fingertips holding the barrier against the Vex's solar barrage. Hobgoblins perched at the far right sync plate laid down suppressing fire onto Garen's position and Goblins moved on both the right and middle plates.
[ Oh, by the way, our sync plate has finished its sequence. ]
"The Spire should almost be fully formed." Aihri called, "One last push, Guardians! Toss grenades to the middle if you have them and split into groups of three!"
"On it!" He barked the response as he tossed his compressed arc light into the group of Goblins surrounding Garen. He turned sharply and followed as Arana and Romulus ran to climb up to the third sync plate. Picking up speed in a sprint, he leapt up from rock to rock, scaling the collapsed stone. Romulus launched himself high in a powered lift, while Arana floated upwards and pulled herself over the edge.
Romulus pulled another grenade from his belt and chucked it into the group of goblins. After a second, it detonated with a sharp blast of light; scrambling the Goblins' optics and causing them to cry out electronic screeches and attempt to seek cover. With the Vex vulnerable, the trio let out unrelenting fire into the drones until every frame fell.
"Right side is clear!" Arana called over the comms, "We're coming down now!"
She took off down the right side path, the middle plate easily visible from their high position. Kalek glanced at Romulus and followed, running down the path through the bleached stone pillars and mossy ground, rounding a stone outcropping, they rejoined the rest of the group who were standing around the center plate, metal plating and bodies littering the ground around them.
"Looks like you missed the party." Aihri stood in the group of three, twirling her hand cannon around her finger; a slight smirk hidden behind her helmet, "If you could call it that."
Kalek looked around at the dead Vex as he responded, "Shortest party I've ever heard of."
"I suppose you're right, especially after being so used to- " The ground began to shake violently and the sound of metal on stone cut off Aihri's comment.
The group turned one hundred and eighty degrees to catch a view of the fully formed Spire. The four story tall structure stood menacingly in the center of the rocky clearing. Its dark metal surface a stark contrast to the vibrant sky and surrounding foliage. The final wisps of its white scaffolding vanishing and the only traces of energy within it focused in the glaringly bright emitter. Sections of the Spire shifted and rotated; pieces sliding into place until its shape became more distinctly rectangular. Smoother edges cased its figure, and less dirt filled its cracks. Then, the Spire fell silent for several seconds. Just long enough for Kalek to take a breath to speak only to be stopped with a brilliant flash of light originating from Spire's emitter. The group shielded their eyes and when they looked again, a beam of white light stretched between the Spire and the Vault door. The ground began to shake once more, and a deep hum filled the air. The radial facets in the domed surface released, one by one with heavy thuds, sinking into the rock wall as centuries of age made the door's internal mechanisms creak and groan.
Kalek let out a gasp in awe as the circular barrier opened, the bottom segments winding around its circumference opening from the bottom up. The plates stopped at a quarter-circle, leaving the the Guardians staring into the gaping maw of the Vault entrance. The path ahead lay black, darkness tainted the air before them; sending a chill down the Hunter's spine.
He looked to his right at Arana who was clutching her fusion rifle as she stared into the depths. Her Ghost, Astrid, floated at her shoulder to capture the moment. Adonis followed suit, and not long every Guardian's companions were present and attentive. These six were making history. Stepping into unknown territory; the realm of the Vex. Once they go in, there's no turning back. He looked back at the door where the rest of the team still stood and slowly walked up the shallow steps, coming shoulder to shoulder with Aihri.
"Well…" She started, "Once more into the breach."
Her voice was solid, but she still stayed unmoving. Nobody spoke as the gravity of the task ahead of them weighed like bricks in their guts. Eventually, Garen turned halfway facing the others, pausing, and turning back to the wide doorway.
"Let's go." He spoke lowly. Hints of fear laced his short sentence. However, he wouldn't show it physically. He took the first steps towards the door and the rest of them followed. He heard the voice one more time "I am not lost." Kalek swallowed once, shared a glance with Arana, and stepped through the threshold of the Darkness.