So sorry for not posting this yet. I've had very little time to work on this chapter because I'm still trying to get everything ready for scholarship applications and other stuff, so thanks to those who are still reading this (especially those with the reviews, positive and negative and funny). Speaking of reviews, I've been told by some that this story is going along nicely.
However, I have received a review asking who Clyde is. I believe I specifically stated that Clyde is Jax's Ghost, because I like to think that guardians name their Ghosts. No, Clyde is not a typo of Cayde (even though Cayde is awesome), Clyde is a main character in this story.
Also, I realized that I may have called Eris a Warlock in the previous chapter, even though she was a Hunter. In this story, she was somehow converted into a Warlock to practice Hive magic. Now, let's continue with the plot.
Disclaimer: I don't own Destiny or any of its characters, that belongs to Bungie, yadda yadda, I only own my OC's.
No Longer Lost To Light
Chapter 3
Eris Morn
All she could hear were the fading screams of hordes upon hordes of thralls chasing her as Toland half-dragged her to his supposed safe zone. Her left leg had been torn open by too many claws to count, her chest had been scratched and stabbed so much that her skin showed in several areas, and her helmet had been shredded leaving her head bare. Toland showed similar signs of battle, but he somehow retained his boundless energy Eris knew him for, even though he barely said anything now.
As they reached the last lantern, she ventured a look back, hoping to see some kind of proof that some of their team was alive. Even though her new eyes gave her "night vision", she couldn't discern anything giving her hope, only endless thralls and acolytes searching for the two guardians.
"They can't smell us anymore," Toland suddenly spoke up. "I managed to weave our path through the remains of the lanterns enough to break up the trail."
Eris let out a long breath and stretched her limbs—until she felt something pull and fell down. Toland collapsed beside her, panting slightly, and that was when she got a good look at the wound in his side.
"I take it the Swordbearer nicked you?"
He looked at her, confused, before staring down at the blood streaming out his side. "Just a little bit, but the bite of those swords can leave nasty wounds." He snorted, before adding, "They might smell better if they took proper care of them, but hey, what can I expect from undead aliens?"
Eris let out a short snort of laughter, before pulling herself up. "We need to get going," she began. "The Thralls will catch our scent again, and we'll be waiting like lambs for the slaughter." Gesturing to the faint light in the distance, she continued "We need to get back to the Vanguard—" before a howl interrupted her.
Toland glanced behind them, then turned back. "It's just up there. Once we're out of their reach and back into the light, we'll be fine." He started towards the circle of light, when an enormous sword slammed down centimeters from the grizzled warlock's face.
Eris bolted out of her bed covered in sweat and panting. She looked around her room before sighing and getting up to get something to eat. 'Thank the Goddess,' she thought. She had hated sleeping ever since that fateful mission in the pit.
Getting dressed, she started to reminisce about to the events from the previous day. Crota's death, Fireteam Excalibur—it all seemed so distant. She wished she could forget it all had happened.
'No need to dwell on that,' she thought. 'Ikora still needs that report on Wizard teleportation. Might as well add that to the agenda.'
Due to her quarters being separate from the Guardian apartments, the walk to the Hall was a bit of a long one, but she did not mind. It gave her some peace and calm, since no one else walked the same paths she did. At least, not previously.
Unfortunately, as Eris was lost in her thoughts, she failed to notice a shadow coming around the corner, colliding headfirst with its owner. She began falling backwards, but before she could hit the ground, strong hands caught her.
"I must apologize, I was not paying attention…" she droned off as she caught a good look at her rescuer: the last member of Fireteam Excalibur, Jax-42.
"It's no matter, Ms. Morn." That deep, rumbling voice shook her out of thoughts as he lifted her upright. "I too should have been more careful." Straightening his robes, he looked at her with a slight smile on his face. "What exactly brings you to this part of town?"
"I was, er, on my way to see Ikora. I have reports to turn in." She then noticed something strange. "The patrol roster for Mars has you listed for today, yet you are here." Crossing her arms, she continued, "I believe an explanation is in order."
He chuckled, a rather calming sound in Eris' opinion. "Shaxx said he wanted someone to help test out a new Crucible mode. He told me it reminded him of football."
"Football?" Eris questioned, causing Jax to tilt his head slightly and raise a quizzical eyebrow. "You've never heard of it? An interesting sport from the Golden Ages of humanity, but the rules have somehow stood the test of time. Maybe if you come by, I can teach you."
"Perhaps later." She started off on her original path before the Guardian spoke up again. "Hey, um…" causing Eris to turn around. "Would you mind some company? I've got to check in with Shaxx and Arcite for a reward for helping, and since we're both heading to the hall, I was wondering if you would like someone to talk with?"
Eris was surprised to say the least. Never in her entire career as a guardian did she think someone would want to talk with her in a non-professional manner. "Well, I suppose that a little company wouldn't hurt."
He threw a slight grin at her, walking up to her side. They walked in silence for a minute, but then he decided to break the silence, something she was grateful for.
"If you don't mind asking, how did you get those?" he said, gesturing to her eyes. "A Hive ritual adapted for Guardian use so I could escape the pit. Toland…" she replied, zoning out after mentioning her former partner.
Jax noticed her pause, saying "It's fine. You don't have to go into detail." He looked ahead, sighed, then continued: "I read all the reports, since I was tasked with finding ways to get in and around that hellhole."
Eris was unsurprised. She had looked at his records as well, and had seen a great deal that intrigued her. It was only natural that, being Fireteam leader, he would have been the most intelligent and strategic of Fireteam Excalibur. But he also was an extremely powerful warrior, and were it not for his bond and robes, she could have mistaken him for a Titan he was so tall. His record both in the Crucible and out in the field was impressive.
"I too have seen the reports regarding your activities of the past," she spoke up, surprising him. Jax did not expect to get much of a reaction from the silent and cryptic Awoken sorceress. "Some of them do seem a little too far-fetched, however." He raised a questioning eyebrow (something uncharacteristically human of an Exo), asking, "And what exactly do you have doubts about, Mrs. Morn?"
"You singlehandedly slayed the House of Devils' Archon within two days of your resurrection. That alone would catch the eye, but then you somehow managed to destroy the Black Garden's blight not more than six weeks later. Also on your own, might I add." Jax could tell that she was probing him for answers, but he sensed no harm in her intentions, so he decided to fulfill her demand answers.
"I was surprised about that as well, but on the other hand, I think Clyde had to revive me quite a few times before I managed to kill the Garden." Before Eris could respond, a voice from inside Jax's robes spoke up: "24."
"Clyde?" Jax reached into a pocket in his robe, pulling out the aforementioned Ghost. "24 times, and that's not counting when you were screwing around with the new sparrow." He turned to look at Eris. "I tell you, this one's almost too much for me. His little daredevil antics drive me insane, and that's not even the worst of it!"
The Awoken sorceress turned her gaze to the Warlock, who seemed to have a sheepish look on his face. "He seems to act more human than normal. What did the Traveler do to this one?" she wondered. Before she could further think about it, a voice jolted her from her thoughts.
Jax-42
"Hello, Eris. I see that you've brought one of my students with you," Ikora stated in her usual neutral tone. Despite how the other two Guardian classes view her, the Warlock Vanguard was like a mother figure to Jax. He saw his Vanguard teacher in the highest light of respect. Of course, there were times when he had disobeyed her, including when he set out after the Black Garden. But no matter how angered she would get at his sometimes reckless behavior, she would calm down and try to listen to what he had to say.
"Good to see you too, ma'am," he responded. He glanced around, before setting his sights on someone waving their arms at him. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I kinda need to talk to a certain Crucible handler and his Quartmermaster." He walked over to Shaxx, who he noticed was holding something in his hands that looked suspiciously like a gun. "Alright, what have you got for me now, you big oaf?"
Even though he couldn't see his face, he knew the titan was giving him his famous mix of a frown and a glare. "I found this piece of devil's work laying in a heavily guarded outpost on Mars. I thought it was a piece of absolute shit, but it's much more than it seems." With that, he handed Jax the weapon. "It's an auto rifle." He was unimpressed, but something seemed off.
"No, it's not an auto rifle." Shaxx looked around, like he didn't want anyone to see. "Come on, let's go test this out." The Exo was intrigued now. What was so special about this weapon?
Ten minutes later, they arrived at a practice zone where Shaxx sometimes held simulation tests for Guardians to train. "Okay, so why are we here?" Jax asked. "To show you the full ability of this thing." He flipped a switch and simulation Fallen started appearing around the Warlock.
Thinking quickly, he aimed at the rifle at the nearest enemy and planted his finger on the trigger. A burst of three rounds came out. "A Pulse Rifle?" the Exo thought. The burst killed the Dreg, but the rest of the Fallen simulators dropped behind cover. As he scanned the room, Jax noticed he was surrounded in a reddish hue. Before he could further question it, a Stealth Reaver Vandal appeared from nowhere and slashed at him, dropping his shields halfway.
He reactively struck out at the Vandal with a fist of glowing Arc energy, stunning the soldier. He quickly fired two bursts into its head, killing it. It was then he noticed that his shield was charging at a rather quick pace.
Shaxx stopped the simulation, and dropped down beside the Warlock. "Now you see? That thing has a lot of potential, and I could think of no one better to have it." Jax turned to the grizzled Titan with a look of surprise.
"Me? I—" It was then he noticed the dried blood on the front of the weapon, near the suspiciously-sharp bayonet. "Why is this on here?" he said, gesturing to the claret-stained barrel.
Shaxx sighed, saying, "Read the inscription on the handle." The Warlock did so, and was met with a sight that caused him to go cold inside.
"Red Death."
"Uh-uh. No way in hell am I going to take that." The Warlock started walking away, before Shaxx grabbed his arm. "Jax, you listen to me. That weapon has an ability that most Guardians would kill for. In fact, some did!" Taking a deep breath, he continued: "Just because something may seem ugly, distorted, and marred on the outside doesn't mean it's not worth it." He paused, and before Jax could say anything else, he laid down his trump card.
"Besides, if you're going to turn down a weapon because of its past and scars, what does that say about you and Eris?" The Warlock looked at him with a shocked expression on his face. "Wait, what? What are you saying? Why did you bring her into this?" Shaxx shook his head.
"You know, I know a lot more about what happens in this tower than you might think, Guardian. Some of that knowledge concerns you and my sister." To say Jax was surprised would have been an understatement. "Eris is what?"
"She's my sister, and I'll be damned if I let you two get together if that's how you're going to treat her." Jax then realized the full meaning of what he had said. Sighing, he looked around the room, before saying, "Fine, I'll take it. I apologize about what I said. I had no idea…"
Shaxx tilted his helmet, before snorting. "Don't worry, I know you didn't, but you can tell a lot about someone in the small things they say and do."
Jax was about to press more questions, but Clyde stepped in, saying "If you two don't mind, I just received a message from Zavala that he wants to talk to both of you." Pausing, he added "He also said that it's urgent, so I'd hurry up."
Jax looked at Shaxx, who shrugged. "What the hell? Let's go see what my idiot commander has for us this time."
And that does it! I hope you like what I did with Red Death. I thought that would be pretty cool, since it's despised by the Vanguard more than any other weapon Xur sells. Anyways, you know the drill. Rate and review, the whole shebang. Peace!
