DWA: Hey all, again sorry for the last chapters delay, but this one I've been excited for!

Chapter 10: The Sword

Sara had had a dreamless sleep, which was more worrying than a nightmare to her. However she was in her casual clothes as she walked around the tower.

"Where is he?" She muttered. She had been walking around and looking for Blitz for some time now.

"I can call his Ghost." Seraph said.

"Sure sure." She said. Seraph looked away.

"Yeah it's Seraph, Sara wants to talk to Blitz…got it." He looked back. "He's down in the Gym."

"Yeah I was just trying not to be stereotypical." She muttered and jogged her way down. Blitz was lifting weights with Ash spotting.

"Hey Blitz." She said Ash pulled the bar up with Blitz and set it as Blitz sat up.

"Wassup Sara?" He asked.

"Got a job for ya." She said. "Wanna hear?"

"Sure!" He said.

"A job?" Ash said.

"So, and the guys hit the Worlds Grave and got so much, and we learned about a Shrine that's active." She said.

"To Crota?" Blitz asked.

"Something called Oryx." She said. Blitz looked to Ash, who shrugged.

"Could be higher in the chain." She said.

"So, wanna bust a Shrine?" She asked. A Ghost appeared by Ash, and it look beat up. Its shell was chipped, scarred, and even cracked.

"We need to know what we're getting into first." It said, a deep, worn voice. "Blindly running in gets Guardians killed, for good."

"Kora, it's not our decision. But I would like to know more." Ash said.

"Of course, Seraph?" Sara asked and Seraph appeared.

"Sending everything we got." He said

Jericho appeared by Blitz. "Got it, even a map right to it, Vanguards gonna like us when we crush the hive." He said excitedly.

"Jericho you're attitude-" Kora started before Ash pushed him gently.

"Fits Blitz perfectly." She said. "I'll go get ready." She said patting Blitz's shoulder and walking off.

"She's odd." Sara said.

"Ahh she's been a Guardian for several years. She's a bit more cautious, we needed that since me and Fluff are kinda reckless in a fight. I worry about Kora, what kind of Ghost keeps that damage?"

"Not a stable one…" Seraph said.

"Or maybe it's a reminder…" Jericho said.

"Of what?" Sara asked.

"We asked. And uh…well I've never seen a Ghost's light go red before…I dropped it so fast." Blitz said laughing nervously.

"Yikes…" She said. Blitz shrugged and walked out with a wave.

"Alsyf called. We are a go." Seraph said.

"Let's do it!" Sara said and ran by. She ran to the hanger and changed into her armor on the run. Alsyf and Theoduin waiting.

"So, they take it?" Alsyf said.

"Yep, Shrines getting Blitzed." Sara said.

"Awesome. Let's bust a sword." She said. The three got transmatted to their ships and took off for the moon.

"So, any briefing?" Alsyf asked over comms as they entered warp.

"Just from the Cryptarchs after we sent our findings. Take a listen." Silvia said. Master Rahool's voice came on comms.

"Long ago, the Moon fell to Crota, wielding a sword so dark it drained any light it touched. Crota sleeps now, but the sword, does not. The Warlocks think the Sword is in a chamber guarded by the Swarm Princes. If you face them and steal the sword, we can see that it is never wielded again."

"Sounds fun, find some princes make daddy Crota all angry and go home have a drink." Theoduin said.

"No one said Crota was their father." Sara said.

"Listen no God is gonna trust someone else's princes to keep a sword nice and safe. So, Crota's a bad father and we gotta spank his boys." Theoduin replied.

"Just shut up please." Alsyf said as they came out of warp.

"I'm taking us to the Hellmouth, I see an LZ that's clear enough. Near one of the Princes." Athena said. The ships flew by and dropped them off. A Guardian was nearby, a Hunter. The three started running before they came on comms.

"Careful Fireteam, Swarm Prince nearby." He said.

"That's our target Hunter." Alsyf said.

"Understood, happy hunting." The three looked back to see him waving before hopping down from the hill he was on.

"So the only way to destroy the sword is to kill the Princes. First one is, as Athena said, just up ahead." Silvia said as the three made their way to a ritual site, seeing Acolytes kneeling arms raised, their weapons hovering between their hands. The Swarm Prince walked around them, chanting.

"Theoduin?" Sara asked as she took aim with her scout rifle. Alsyf got out his hand cannon. Theoduin nodded and pulled out his rocket launcher and fired. The rocket slammed into the pillar in the middle of the site, all the acolytes dying. The prince looked up and roared, and Sara and Alsyf started firing as the knight rushed the group. Theoduin hopped up and whipped out his shotgun before rushing the prince and blocking its swing with the gun, pushing it to the side before blasting it twice in the head, the knight falling to ash.

"One down, I got the route to the others." Seraph said. The group reloaded and Alsyf ran off to take cover in the hills. Sara and Theoduin ran towards the waypoint, an opening into the side of the Hellmouth's inner tunnels. Before the two got into cover an Acolyte burst into ash, Alsyf had gotten to work, and gotten them shot at by Acolytes. The group cut through them quickly, even the three lesser knights in the way. They waited as Alsyf caught up. Seraph appeared beside them.

"Not to unsettle you all but. I'm tracking the sword via the Light of the Guardians its killed…" He said. The three looked at each other.

"It's further below." He said and vanished.

"For it to be that detectable…" Sara said as she ran ahead.

"That's a lot of Light." Theoduin said. Alsyf gave a shaky sigh into the comms. More a shudder.

They ran into a room, holes in the wall letting the group see the massive crater that is the Hellmouth. Thrall rushed them that were quickly mowed down, Sara focusing on a Wizard in the back as Theoduin rushed a Knight with a shotgun. The group of Hive fell quickly. They moved on.

"The sword is nearby." Athena said. "It's…dark."

They came up to a chamber, in the back, was the sword.

"There it is…" Alsyf said.

"Do you feel that?" Theoduin asked. "That, pressure, weighing down on our Light." He said.

"What…?" Sara asked quietly. She didn't feel that…

"For me it's…pulling. It wants my Light." Alsyf said fiddling with his hand cannon. Sara turned off her comms.

"Seraph…I don't feel any of that…I feel…lighter…more free." She said as she cocked her weapon.

'Maybe you're special.' Seraph remarked. Sara sighed and turned on her comms. The three started to go to the sword before a roar was heard.

"The Princes!" Silvia shouted. From the pool under the sword rose Thrall after Thrall. The group heard doors open as Hive surrounded them. The group didn't wait, and started unloading.

"The Princes won't come from some ruckus, someone needs to grab that sword." Athena said into the comms.

"Busy!" Alsyf said as he blasted a Thrall that got close.

"Not to be that guy!" Theoduin said headbutting an Acolyte. "But I don't wanna touch that thing." He said.

"I'll get it!" Sara said and pulled out her machine gun and walked towards it, mowing down the Thrall.

"Cover her!" Theoduin shouted tossing a Pulse Grenade at a group. Alsyf tossed an Incendiary Grenade at another group and fired at Acolytes, Theoduin dealing with Thralls. Sara stepped into the pool and ran for the sword. She grabbed the hilt and her world went black…except for her. She looked around in the inky blackness.

"What…what's going…on?" She asked. Suddenly there was a bright light. Looking at it, inside was inky black, which was pushing out and putting a thin layer on the light.

"What's going on!? Seraph!? Alsyf!? Theoduin!" She shouted. She suddenly felt weak, and fell to her knees. "What's happening…?"

Theoduin bashed the head of a Thrall, and saw them suddenly run from the exit.

"Sara has the sword!" Alsyf said. Theoduin turned to see Sara, sword in one hand, head seemingly down, and unmoving. The doors around her opened and three large Knights walked out, and right past her.

"Uh, Sara!" Theoduin said as he backed up a bit.

"Yo, Sara, mind helping?" Alsyf said firing on one of the princes. Out of the corner of his eyes, Theoduin saw Sara move, and in one swing, the Princes fell to ash.

"Holy shit." Alsyf said.

"That's powerful." Theoduin said looking at the armor of the Princes. "But, why did they walk by her?"

Alsyf walked over and patted Sara's shoulder. "Nice work." He said.

Silvia appeared by Theoduin. "Guy's something's wrong…Seraph isn't saying anything, he won't respond!" She said. Alsyf turned to Theoduin.

"Maybe he's thinking? Like shouldn't the sword be, ya know? Broken?…And Sara's quiet too…hey-"

Alsyf didn't finish his sentence as the sound of dark metal cleaving flesh was heard throughout the chamber. Alsyf fell to the ground, in two pieces. Sara looked at Theoduin. She seemed to roar into the comms as she charged Theoduin, who ducked under the swung, and side stepped another.

"Woah! Sara chill!" He shouted as he shoulder charged, blasting Sara with Arc Light as she flew back and hit a wall, before getting up, grunting and charging him again, swinging wildly. Theoduin pulled out his shotgun. "Sorry!" He said and fired, Sara blocking with the sword and swinging, sending a wave of Dark that slammed into Theoduin's gut, a burst of light blasting from him.

"Traveler! Fuck!" He said falling to one knee, the pain coursing through his circuits extreme. Sara walked up and raised the sword above her head, before gunshots rang out. Alsyf had gotten up.

"The fuck's wrong with you!" Alsyf shouted, gripping his hand cannon tightly. Sara screamed in pain and anger as she spun and ran at Alsyf, who fired more rounds into her, but it didn't slow her down as she swung in an uppercut, Alsyf jumping back and taking out his sniper and firing rapidly into her, Sara falling to her knees, and Darkness flowed from the sword into her, healing her.

"The fuck…no way this is her research…" Alsyf said.

"That's not Sara." Theoduin said and readied his rocket launcher. "Sara's a Warlock, not an animal!" He shouted and fired. Sara swung around and cleaved the rocket, causing it to explode, the sword getting a crack on it.

"We'll talk to her in a bit!" Alsyf shouted and raised his hand cannon up and was covered in Solar Light. Sara spun and Alsyf shot three times, Sara swinging to each shot and blocking the Golden Gun shots. She ran at him and jumped up and slammed the sword into the ground, sending shockwaves of arc energy at him, blasting him back. Theoduin came up behind her and put his arms under hers and held her.

"Sara calm down!" Sara slammed her helmet into Theoduin's, freeing her, then roundhouse kicked him, sending him flying in to the door at the other side of the room. "Holy fuck…that hurt…" He said as he slid to the ground.

"Sara can ya hear us!?" Alsyf said. Sara roared and rushed him. "That's a no!" She swung at him and he ducked, the sword cleaving a pillar, but cracking again. Sara kept swinging at him before Theoduin lit her up with Auto fire. Sara changed her attack towards Theoduin, jumping high up to the ceiling and pushing off and speeding to him. He rolled forward as she slammed the sword into the ground and spun as Theoduin turned to shoot, only for Sara to get a swing in and cut his weapon in half.

"Oh come on!" He said and threw a punch, only for Sara to catch it and throw it aside before grabbing his helmet and lifting him off the ground. Theoduin started punching her arm, and he was slammed into the ground. Once, twice, thrice, again and again, the crater getting deeper. Alsyf took aim with his sniper, but changed to the sword and shot his mag into it, the sword cracking more each time, it was barely held together. Sara threw Theoduin and ran at him, only to be hit by a shotgun, the pellets bouncing off her armor. She looked back, Theoduin's body glowing with Arc Light.

"Come on…" He said, his voice glitching and drawing out 'on'. Sara took off at him, Theoduin running at her. The two jumped up, Theoduin using Fist of Havoc, and the two collided, and a shattering was heard, the splinters of the sword falling away as Sara landed roughly on the ground, Theoduin doing a superhero landing, panting. Seraph appeared over her body.

"Ohhh what? What happened? I spaced out there for a second! Oh, Sara's unconscious…what happened?" He said looking around. Theoduin sat down and looked up.

"Sara tried to kill us." He said.

"What? That's ridiculous!" Seraph said laughing.

"Tried!?" Alsyf shouted. "I got cut in half!" He said jumping down. "Athena, send him the video footage." Athena appeared by his shoulder.

"Gladly." She said, surprisingly sounding rather angry. Seraph looked away.

"W-What the, I don't have…any of that. What is she…with the sword…" Seraph looked down at Sara. "I guess we need to talk."

"Wake her up!" Alsyf said.

"I tried! She's not responding, we have to wait. None of us leave here, without hearing from her…"

Sara awoke in that inky darkness, the light covering the dark.

"Wait…" She said. "The light cannot smother the dark…is that…me?" She said getting up. "That's my soul isn't it? More white than black but…why is it there?" She asked, to no one.

"Your fate, is uncertain." A voice said, much kinder sounding than what she's used to.

"Who's there!?" She shouted looking around.

"You, and every Guardian, makes their own fate. What you do, is yours to decide. Wake up. Your friends are waiting." It said.

"Who are you?!" She shouted as her worked became white, and she woke up, staring at the lights of the chamber. She groaned as every muscle in her body ached, even worse as she sat up. Everyone was staring at her.

"Uhhh, what?" She said.

"Sara…" Seraph said. Suddenly she was pulled up and spun.

"Ow ow ow everything hurts chill!" She said.

"I think I have the right when you cut. Me. In. Half!" He shouted.

"Wait, what?" She said.

"Sara it's true, you were rally trying to kill them." Seraph said and beamed a video into her mind, her with the sword…attacking them.

"I…that wasn't me!" She said. "I mean, it was but, oh fuck why?" She said looking at her hands. Theoduin put a hand on her shoulder.

"It's fine, it wasn't you. Whatever that was, was feral, using techniques that I guess you read on." He said.

"I wanna know anything you didn't tell us!" Alsyf shouted.

"Okay okay! You deserve that much. My dreams…well they've had voices." She said

"And what do they say?" Athena said, her calm demeanor noticeably gone.

"The Light cannot smother the Dark." She said. "I didn't get it till…now…I think I saw my own soul. It was bright…with…an inky darkness in the middle." She said. "And before I blacked out, it, pushed out." She said.

"That's cryptic." Silvia said.

"There's…no mentions of that in the Archives. Not even in the records of the Dredgens." Athena said, suddenly calm.

"So we have no idea, except that we dealt with something dark in Sara." Alsyf said and he took a deep breath. "Right, we can't tell the Vanguard, not unless this happens again." He said.

"Wait…why would you protect me?" She asked.

"Sara you may have killed Alsyf and kicked my ass, but that was not you. That was something else, maybe the sword, because you saw that while holding the sword. It's obvious you're Light." Theoduin said chuckling.

"Plus, you've literally never shown any dangerous tendencies before." Alsyf said. "I just needed an explanation, I got one, I'm fine." He said shrugging.

"Well, if it ever happens again, kill me." She said. "Not Seraph, just me."

"Obviously. Let's go and prepare ourselves for Ikora's stare." Theoduin said.

"Just let me do all the talking." Alsyf said.

"Oh no, last time Ikora stared at you, you were shaking." Sara said. The three transmatted up, and left the moon. Meanwhile, the large door opened to the chamber, hours later, and someone walked in as the lights turned down.

"Crota's sword, gone just like that? That's impressive." The person said, a male voice. "Things are, very interesting now. Perhaps…heh, or perhaps not. No no, of course not. It makes no sense!" The roar of hive could be heard, and the cocking of a gun.

"Pitiful fools, am I trespassing!?" He shouted. "Come on then, I need the practice!"

Guardians soon reported Hive, rushing out of Hellmouth entrances that day. It was a field day for Guardians, but many wonder…

What had them running scared?

DWA: Oh I was soooo excited for this chapter, and even though it was short I think I did my vision justice. Please tell me what you think! I'm excited to know!