The Titan felt for something to grasp when the timestream threw him on to solid ground; he stumbled to his feet, groping blindly as his vision tried to clear up. Something grabbed at him roughly and he reacted violently, startled, by delivering a solid strike into the center of the mass. It howled before disappearing into the void and the area fell hushed, previously full of shrieking and demands he couldn't understand, and then he heard something akin to soft singing and he blinked rapidly in the bright lights.
Something took his wrist gently and he tried to shrink away from it as the singing got louder and the room became uproarious once more. He looked around, seeing nothing but a clash of colors, jerking the thing's grip away from him as he edged away.
He didn't get very far when a golden glow appeared off to his left, delivering a sage form that he couldn't even begin to decipher. Two strong forms stepped in front of him and the world descended into chaos; he couldn't comprehend what was happening, the timestream leaving him all but blind and oblivious and soon he was knocked down, pain traveling across his body before he completely blacked out.
Callixtus swam in and out of consciousness, the colors swirling again as his Ghost spoke within his mind, trying to coax him out of his haze of pain and weakness, he could feel himself being dragged along the ground roughly; he heard garbled voices, maybe even screaming and gunfire at one point, he can't remember, and then he snapped awake with a gasp and a dizzying rush of blood straight to his head before he sat up abruptly. He blinked slowly, peering around the area in momentary confusion before looking at himself for any injuries, satisfied that they were at a minimum of tiny cuts and bruises.
Thank the Traveler, whoever threw him into this cell hadn't figured out how to take his armor off although his hands were bound in front of him by some strange looking cuffs. He began tugging at them lightly, testing their strength and durability when he suddenly felt something heavy and invisible roll over and through him, causing him to shiver and mutter curses under his breath: it appeared there was a minuscule influence of the Darkness on his captors. Enough to be felt but not enough to cause any lasting damage on his being but he was wary of its presence.
Ghost? Callixtus prodded around in his own mind before coming across a presence that was not his own. Ghost, where are we?
Unknown. The Ghost replied almost immediately. Sort of. I tried to take some scans of the nearby area, see if we could get a hint of where we are. Nothing but dust and echoes outside; I'm making the assumption we're on some kind of space station. Doesn't look like anything the Fallen or Cabal would have although it appears to have some kind of resemblance to the Awoken. I highly doubt they'd keep you in their dungeon or prison, you're a trusted guard of the Queen Herself..
Yet there appears to be Dark influences about. The Titan drew himself to his feet, walking forward to inspect the faded purple barrier that separated him from breaking free. Touching it, he stepped back in surprise when it wavered and allowed him to fully calculate what the material was. I did not know plasma barriers were still used, most everyone has upgraded to either Hardlight or the three Light elements, right?
Yes. Ghost agreed slowly, humming in thought. Perhaps we've stumbled across some pioneers or maybe a very lost and very old fireteam. There are many reported to have been lost.
Well, we need to get out. I do not like this, it is too- the Guardian was cut short with a verbal yell when a furry humanoid slammed itself in front of his cell with a roar. He jumped back, crouching low and reaching for a weapon that wasn't there. The humanoid alien was akin to an ape if the Titan's memory served him correctly and it let out a bellow, its teeth snarling and gnashing as beady black eyes stared at his visor.
They stared at each other for several tense minutes before the alien turned away and barked something in a garbled language; soon, shouting and growling started up as another ape-like alien appeared, dragging a small creature behind it. Opening the cell quickly, the first ape grabbed the creature harshly by what looked to be a neck and threw it into the cell and closed it before Callixtus could lunge forward and escape.
The two alien comrades then spat at the cell before laughing in their guttural voices and storming away, leaving Callixtus to move to one end of the cell and crouch low, watching the other creature with a curious but deadly gaze. It was covered in brown armor, a mere coughing lump, but when it got on all fours and then to its feet, Callixtus saw that it was in fact Human. Granted, a comparably small one to the Human Guardians or Humans Callixtus had seen in general but they were Human nonetheless.
The Human was probably scraping 6'1 in the least and was a male with tawny brown eyes and rather dark skin; he dressed in poor combat gear, armor that looked like it belong in the pre-Golden Age era, not very protective from the looks of it and heavy. No wonder he had been caught by those brutes.
The Human had turned to him, staring at him with caution but also curiosity and an almost friendly look. Finally, he opened his mouth to speak but all that tumbled out were more garbled words although the words appeared to be noticeably smoother than those of the aliens. Still, it made no sense, sounding more like as if he were attempting to sing yet couldn't produce a song to save his life. This left Callixtus furrowing his brow and tilting his head as if he could listen to it better, trying to make.
Ghost, what in the world is that Human saying? The Titan thought as the Human made several gestures, continuing to speak in that garbled language of his.
I...don't know. It sounds like a very ancient commontongue. The little light replied, confusion evident as it worked to rearrange and decipher the language barrier they had slammed into. Yes, the tongue this Human speaks in is one used long before the Golden Age. I've seen it before but ever since the Traveler arrived, I've only been updated with the recent dialects. I can piece some of it together but in order for me to fully translate, it's going to take some time.
Alright, do what you can. I do not think I will be able to stand this type of tongue any time soon; it sounds unnatural and painful.
Maybe if I could find some kind of digital dictionary or... Ghost mumbled, its presence fading as it went off deeper into the Guardian's mind to observe and translate in peace. Callixtus turned his attention back to the Human who had taken to sitting with his back against the wall, continuing to babble, seemingly unaware that the Guardian had long since stopped listening.
Hey, Ghost's presence was faint but there, and while I'm doing this maybe you could, I dunno...work up some of your energy to do a jailbreak.
With that pointed out, Callixtus looked at the corner of his HUD where it displayed his supplies and sighed. It was slow going; with no Orbs and the slight hindrance of the unexpected sliver of Darkness, it would certainly be a while before a Super Energy was built up. For now, all he could do was sit back and stare longingly at the hall in front of him as the Human continued to talk in the background.
Callixtus practically jumped about a foot in the air when he heard a loud nasally voice talking in broken sentences. The Human appeared startled but then shrugged when the Titan began stretching; Callixtus frowned when he realized that he had fallen asleep, had he been sitting there for that long? Turning to face the Human, he listened intently on the voice, only being able to pick out very simplistic words here and there.
So that voice was the Human's in the commontongue. Unfortunately, to the Guardian's poor ears, it was like listening to a scrambled communication, only being able to pick out a word here and there. At least the Ghost worked quickly on unscrambling the language.
Looking at his charge, he felt a surge of excitement as he realized there was only a sliver of it to go and then he could test it out against the plasma barrier.
You ready to go, Ghost? Callixtus asked as he got to his feet, startling the Human once more with his sudden movement.
Whenever you are, Guardian. I've already located your weapons as well as other Humans, I can set a NavPoint once you get out. The little light answered smoothly, its presence filling Callixtus with a familiar comfort. I'll continue translating; I've discovered the most used words these Humans use, it should be easier once I get into the flow of things.
Good. I cannot stand hearing this broken conversation anymore. All the Titan received was an amused hum as his HUD pinged with the notification that his Super Charge was ready.
"What's - on?" The Human asked, looking concerned. The Guardian simply guided the other to the far end of the cell, motioning for him to stay put before turning to the purple plasma barrier. "What are you-?"
Callixtus didn't bother to explain as he inspected the barrier from afar; he didn't exactly have a whole lot of jumping room but that could compensate with how far he could jump. A good shock would do.
Making sure his back was touching the wall, Callixtus let the Light gather beneath his feet, transforming into Arc energy before he sprang forward, hands clasped together into a giant fist as the energy spiraled and crackled around him, snapping at the air before he crashed against the barrier. The energy surged forward into a powerful wave, tearing down the barrier, across the hall, and into the next cell.
Soon enough, overwhelming, shrilling alarms blared as Callixtus turned towards the stunned Human and dragged him out of the cell and down the hall. They didn't make it far when they finally ran into one of the brutish aliens standing guard. With a roar, the brute charged towards them with the intent of crushing one of them against a cell wall; Callixtus pushed the Human out of the way before lowering his shoulder and sprinted towards the raging beast.
At the last second, the Titan called forward a burst of Arc energy and threw his spiked shoulder into the brute, caving in the light armour, coating his shoulder in crimson blood, and tossing it aside with ease.
Once more, Callixtus turned and grabbed the shocked Human, who simply stared at the dead alien before looking over at it and giving him a confused but awed gaze, and led him down the hall towards Ghost's NavPoint, revealing some type of room used to store the prisoners' items.
He let the Human go as soon as he saw his weapons laying flat on a table; he holstered Hawkmoon and Thorn, favouring the Crusader I for now. He allowed Ghost to gain control of Icebreaker and Murmur as he took control of the Invective; his machine gun chirped a cheery greeting as he picked it up along with Gjallarhorn and an old FWC rocket launcher he'd never been able to let go of, not that he was particularly fond of the faction itself.
Satisfied that he was armed up once more, he turned to the Human to find him standing ready with a strange purple weapon that had pink crystals sticking out of it, the weapon itself having been grabbed from a nearby weapons' rack. The Titan smirked, that weapon was nearly as big as the Human's torso.
By the Traveler's Light! Ghost exclaimed, its presence a thunderous hurricane as it overwhelmed Callixtus with its own excitement. The last time I saw that weapon was during an antique showing displayed in front of the Traveler! What is it doing here?!
There are several more displayed on that weapons rack over there, Ghost, what do you mean 'antique'? Callixtus questioned as he gestured for the Human to follow him, slowly creeping out of the room and outside of the brig.
The door opened automatically as soon as Callixtus approached it and he was met, face-to-face, with yet another new alien. It was bird-like and skinny and hunched, wielding a circular shield that was clipped at the edges on the left and right on its left arm and carried a black, circular weapon with a glowing green tip at one end of it, which happened to be pointing in his general direction; the creature squawked in surprise but didn't have time to fire its weapon since Callixtus decided to greet it by detaching its skull. Irritatingly enough, there were several more of those birds waiting and Callixtus barely had enough time to dive out of the way, growling when green energy washed over his shield.
Pulling out the Crusader I, the Titan made quick work of two of the birds as the Human stuck enough of the crystals into another that the damnable thing actually exploded into a cloud of pink and blood and guts.
Make sure to pick up some of those crystals if you ever find another one of those. Ghost quipped. They'd have a field day with that thing back at the Tower.
I am not going to lug around dangerous, explosive crystals. Callixtus retorted as he and the Human sprinted through the halls and into a large circular room.
The Titan speculated this was the rest of the brig as it went several floors down and up; an island stood at the centre of each floor, held up by three bridges with a beam in the middle of it. He walked into one of the other rooms, easily dispatching the birds and strange, little, grunty creatures with packs as the Human looked through the controls. The cells shut down and four more Humans joined them, grabbing various weapons from the corpses around them.
Yet you hold an absurd amount of grenades and elementally dangerous weapons.
I am wholly capable and knowledgeable of the weapons I carry, Ghost, there is a subtle difference that I am not willing to mix up.
The two mentally bickered as he and the Humans ran around the area, gathering more and more Humans that were unfortunate enough to get captured by the violent faction of aliens.
By the time they left the last cell, Callixtus counted at least fifteen Humans with him, varying in size and appearance but all wearing the same armour and seemingly familiar with each other.
Alright, area's clear, guess we should look for a way out of here now. Ghost suggested as Callixtus climbed into the strange elevating beam. Heading straight up and out of the brig, the Titan landed in a huge empty room with only one door leading out of it.
Cautiously approaching it, he watched as it slid open and the sound of gunfire, plasma, and the dying met his ears. Someone was up here. Or maybe it was those jawless Vandals again, they appeared to be against the others and he had run across several of their battles.
But the aliens used plasma-based weapons so the sound of gunfire threw him in a loop. He supposed it also threw him into the attacker; he had walked out into the area, the Humans splitting off to see if they could find an exit elsewhere, powerful in that group of theirs, and taken down several of the bird creatures and Vandals when he turned the corner and ran headlong into a green armored Titan. He stumbled back momentarily before bringing out the Invective and aiming it at the other, gauging the other's reaction.
Apparently the other Titan, who actually didn't look like a Titan whatsoever in Callixtus's opinion, had the same idea and was currently point their own rendition of a shotgun at him, golden, placid visor staring him down to which the Titan returned evenly.
He was unsure how long they would have stared at each other but when saw the familiar shimmer in the air behind the strange Titan, signifying an invisible figure, the Guardian lunged around the soldier just as the other did the same and the pair simultaneously shot down the assassins.
Callixtus peered warily over his shoulder and, once more, met the gaze of the golden visor, nodding in time with the other. A temporary alliance.
Who is that? Ghost wondered softly.
Not a Guardian. Callixtus reassured as he reloaded the Invective and fell into step with the armoured Human. He is familiar though. Do you suppose he was another one lost within the Vault?
A possibility. Wait. Callixtus paused, prompting the other to turn and stare at him. I'm detecting something attempting to integrate into my system. It's not a Ghost but it is an artificial intelligence.
A Warmind then? The Titan wondered, frowning as he continued walking, the other falling into step once more next to him. What are they trying to do?
Gain access to my systems. It's...no wait, she's practically throwing questions at me. Her code is originating from that Human's suit. I'll attempt to counteract by integrating with her code.
Callixtus merely grunted in acknowledgement while Ghost's presence disappeared once more as the Titan and the Human engaged with the brutes and its squad of birds and grunt-like creatures. It wasn't difficult and the firefight lasted only several minutes, ending with the Human curb-stomping two of the birds and Callixtus shoulder-charging the lightly armored brute.
Alright, I'm back. Ghost chirped, strangely satisfied and pleased with himself. Her name's Cortana, she's, surprisingly enough, not a Warmind but she is an Artificial Intelligence. She's an ancient model, however, so it was easy to bypass her encryptions and firewalls...I am beginning to question where we are though. Her models went extinct shortly after the Great Ascension, the time before the Golden Age. We need to get out of here before I draw a conclusion, however.
Looks like we are almost there. Callixtus reassured as they exited the halls and came onto a giant landing that revealed a giant ship in the distance, elegantly designed. Across the landing were spores of some kind along with a strange-looking alien, a bulbous creature sucking at its neck. We might be able to get answers from here.
I think we just got them. Ghost whispered, almost as if it were frightened by the sight of the creature, as they approached the alien, the Human kneeling down and ripping the bulb from its neck. We all know what that is. The Traveler told stories of them once before. Those...parasites. The Grave Plague.
But if the Plague still exists. If it is here... The Titan trailed off as he stared at the ship, glaring at its design as the alien spoke, its words meaning nothing to him as he couldn't understand it although its voice was familiar, in the same sing-song-like voice that he heard when he first arrived.
Everything else became faint and muted as Callixtus stared at the spores, at the ship, and at the dying city around them. It hit him as if he were being resurrected for the first time: he was out of breath, disoriented, and frightened. He was where no Guardian should be.
This is the Great War.
Edit 4/21/15: Enjoy my editing. I made it slightly less crappy.
A/N: Questions? Comments? Critiques? Feel free to leave a review or PM me.
Thanks for reading.