Now, a different voice sounded. Kalara guessed it was one of the Cryptarchs.
"Long ago, the moon fell to Crota. He wielded a sword so dark, it drained whatever light it touched. Now Crota sleeps. But the sword does not.
The Warlocks believe the sword is in a chamber gaurded by the swarm princes. If you face them and steal the sword, we can see that it is never wielded again."
The narrative ended and they were out of warp. They teleported to the planet, and now Zanthyr's Ghost spoke. "The only way to destroy the sword is to kill it's makers, the Swarm Princes. One of them is said to gaurd a ritual site near the Hellmouth. We'll challenge him first.
The four summoned their sparrows and went up the rise. Gavin boosted his sparrow and went straight, right into a small crater. The others turned left and stopped, hoping there wasn't a sudden ravine or something.
A couple seconds later, he came up over the edge grinning. "Don't say anything." he called as he passed.
Unfortunately, he was looking at them and not the giant boulder he ran into. Kalara laughed as they caught up.
They hurried on, anxious to get things going. The road curved right, and Gavin slowed, making the others almost run into each other. Kalara looked left. That was that low barrier she'd ran her sparrow off of so many times. He turned right, the rest of the team following.
Up and around the winding roads they went, until "what the-" Kalara fell into a shaded area, but realised it was only a shallow crater, and the wall in front of her was just the shadowed slope of the crater. "Whew."
as she caught up, she heard Zanthyr's ghost say over the comms "The ritual site is just up ahead."
They went around another bend and up a slope. Sure enough, there was a large and somewhat deep crater. A spire with a glowing green orb of energy atop it was surrounded by several sectioned walls.
"This is where we'll find him. Hope you're ready."
Kalara checked her assault rifle. "Always am."
"Let's get 'em." Zanthyr hefted his rocket launcher.
"Really? Isn't that a little overkill?" Kalara huffed. Saniya laughed in the background. Zanthyr pouted slightly. Gavin patted his shoulder. "Just don't aim that sucker at me." and he jogged into the circle.
The first group of Thrall came from the right. Kalara ducked sideways and fired. Three fell, but more were pouring in after. Gavin appeared from above, slamming down on the thralls from above with his powered punch. Saniya fired in the opposite direction. More right. Zanthyr grinned and fired. All three gaurdians shouted and dove out of the way.
The explosion sent thralls and acolytes flying in all directions. Kalara threw him a look of disgust as an arm bounced off her, spraying ether as it went.
A pair of acolytes appeared from the left, flanked by more thrall. Gavin ran up and started punching. Saniya double-jumped onto the barrier behind them and started picking them off with her sniper. "Heads up!" she called. Gavin joggged back into the circle. "Big Bad 'n Ugly's coming."
Kalara summoned her supercharge. And a golden hammer appeared in her hand. Gavin looked at her. "Wait, is that- did you.." he looked at it then at her, and tilted his head. "Really."
"Whoops, sorry, wrong super." Kalara shrugged and ran forward, throwing the 'flaming hammer' at the hive Knight. Behind her, Gavin ran around the center collumn to punch it from behind. "What am I supposed to use?"
Here, want it back?" she went to toss it to him and sent him flying. He slammed into the wall.
"Ow."
He picked himself up, shook his head, then ran forward and kep punching.
"SORRY!"
Saniya jumped down, summoning solar energy to her super, hit the knight and jumped away over it's head before it could strike back.
Zanthyr was standing back at a distance, reloading. "Oh gu-uys." They all backed up, and he fired.
The hive knight roared and fell.
Zanthyr's ghost said "One down.I'll lead us to the others."
Their H.U.D.s had a white triangle pointing back the way they came. Once they were up out of the crater, they summoned their sparrows and were off down the road again.
Around the curving trail to the left, a building had been carved out of the side of the lunar mountains. Off their sparrows they went, Kalara and Saniya dodged left, the two titans went right. Zanthyr ducked into the center of a group of thralls and started swinging. Gavin took out three acolytes.
Kalara ran up to the first thrall. "Hey thrall, have a facepalm!"
Whack!
Saniya giggled "That's a good one."
Kalara's knife came out to slash a thrall and stab the second. Then she 'face-palmed' it just for good measure. They headed in and turned left, going down a set of steps. Kalara said "Oh look, more hive. suprise suprise. Not." She slashed one Knight while Saniya palm-struck the the other end of the room, the hive knight put up his shield. Gavin and Zanthyr both ran up and waited.
It's shield lowered, and it reared back to strike.
WHAM!
Both struck simultaneously, sending it flying.
"Race you to the next one!" Gavin called, and took off down the hall. The others caught up and they turned left.
Zanythr's ghost said "Not to unsettle you, but I'm tracking the sword by the light of the gaurdians it's killed."
Gavin grimaced inside his helmet. "Even if Jarin isn't here, we still need to destroy that sword. If it's a gaurdian killer, it's just as bad as Jarin's gun."
"Right."
the ghost added "It's further below."They hurried down more steps and around another corner, through a small room and glanced to the left. Large windowlike openings lined the left wall. A squealing roar sounded. More hive. Kalara went left again, Gavin following. Zanthyr and Saniya took out the ones coming through the door.
Kalara took out the acolytes, while gavin tossed a grenade at the Knight hiding behind it's shield. Down more steps, more taken. Saniya ran forward to take care of them. Zanthyr's ghost said "The sword is close. I can feel it's power.
They turned left, into a large room with two balconies off to the left. further on, in the center of the room, a huge chain ran from the floor to the ceiling.
Taken were everywhere, scattered throughout the room. the ghost said "Clear them out." Gavin ran up and punched three thralls. "Save your supers for the princes."
Zanthyr pulled out the rocket launcher. Saniya ran left, then came running back, doing a jump-glde. "Wizard." she called. Zanthyr turned and fired. The wizard screeched "What wizard?
After the last thrall and acolytes had been punched into oblivin (and shot), the group walked over to one side. A huge sword floated there, vibrating with dark energy. Zanthyr's ghost said "Grab the sword. That should lure them out."
"So, which one of us takes it?" Saniya asked.
There was a moment's pause, then "I will." Gavin started to reach for it.
"hang on." Zanthyr stopped him. He looked at Kalara. "I mean, you know." he made a head-motion towards Gavin. Gavin turned to him "Do *you* want to take on Big Bad and Uglies in there? 'cause I know where I stand in the light. And not to brag, but I'm a level fourty. You're what, umm "
"36" Zanthyr supplied.
Gavin nodded.
Zanthyr took a step back. "If you guys trust him, I will, too."
Saniya nodded. Kalara said "I trust you, Gavin." and then to Zanthyr "It's going to be all of us fighting. Not just one."
Zanthyr nodded.
Gavin reached out and took the sword. He took a couple steps back, feeling it's weight and swung, He twirled, swinging again. He smiled. "Let's do this."
A roar sounded from ahead of them and about twenty or so Thralls and Acolytes poured into the room.
Zanthyr power-jumped sideways onto one of the balconies.
Kalara's knife came out. She lunged, twirling as a second wave came from the right. She smirked She ran and slid past the group, tossing of a grenade as she passed.
Saniya went left, catching the thralls headed for the balcony steps. She stuck once, twice, brought up her rifle and took down three acolytes in one spray. Four acolytes tried to jump from the balcony across from Zanthyr and he laughed as they missed, dropping to the floor where Saniya took them out. More came up the steps after.
"you just can't jump, cause you're not me." He power-jumped to the opposite balcony, whirled, and fired his rocket launcher. The Thralls went flying.
Gavin eyed the form rising from the floor hatch ahead. "Get ready, guys."
They jumped down to where he was. The first Hive Prince roared and came at them. Gavin lunged, getting in two shots before jumping back.
Kalara activated her supercharge first, a flaming dagger the length of her forearm asppearing in her hand. She ran right, getting behind it while Gavin still had it ditracted. Zanthyr launched himself into the air, firing his rocket launcher as Kalara struck.
Sanira activated her super as well, channeling light energy into a brilliant swirling orb that made the air around it quiver, then launched it straight at the hive prince. It staggered back. Gavin struck again. Once, twice, and overhead strike.
Kalara slashed at it again. It turned, giving Gavin a perfect target. Kalara kept swinging. Gavin fired. Zanthyr felt the shell whiz past as he shifted his weight to strike agin. The creature roared so loud he thought he might go deaf.
The hive prince fell.
Zanthyr's ghost declared "Well, I think we have their attention now."
More noises, then more hive forces. Gavin waded into the largest contingency, sending thralls flying left and right. Saniya ducked as one flew over her head "Watch it, will you?" but there was no malice in her voice, just mild amusement. She palm struck one, whirled and caught a second with her auto-rifle, then jump-glided across the room to get an acolyte hiding vehind one of the pillars.
Zanthyr switched to a machine gun. Four more fell. When the last of them were cleared away, the group looked at the floor hatch. Gavin muttered "One more."
Kalara smirked "We got this."
Gavin looked over at her "Just like old times, huh?"
"Yeah, but without you calling me rookie all the time."
Gavin laughed.
Kalara looked beside her. "Okay. Saniya, get up high with your sniper. Zanthyr, circle around opposite me. And have your super ready.
"Okay." He said slowly. He wasn't sure when she had become team leader, but apparently she had a plan. He ducked left, leaving Gavin in the center of the room to take on the last hive Prince. It started towards him.
"Any time, guys." he backed up. It launched an energy bolt at him.
"Get him!" came the cry, and Gavin leapt forward, swinging the sword at a downward angle, he whirled, swinging again. A shot rang out from above, catching the hive prince in the head. Saniya reloaded.
Behind the hive Prince, Zanthyr activated his super. The hize Prince struck, and Gavin felt the impact against his chest armor. He stumbled back, but stayed on his feet. He swung again. And so did Zanthyr.
and they kept swinging.
Kalara jumped in, slashing at it, ducking as a huge arm swept past, Saniya snapped off two more shots from above.
The creature roared.
Gavin took a step back, and did an overhead strike, just to be sure.
They could hear the crack of it's skull being crushed by the weapon of it's own making.
It fell, and the ground around it trembled under the mighty weight.
They stood there for a second, just taking in the victory. Then Gavin tossed the sword onto the ground next to it. He nodded to Zanthyr. "let's see to it nobody ever holds this thing again."
Zanthyr leapt up and came crashing down with his fist of fury. The sword fragmented, never to be used again.
They walked towards the center of the room, still searching for signs of their now-insane teammate, but there were none. Gavin sighed. "Let's get out of here."
They teleported back to their ships.