Snow blistered Saladin's face as he trudged through it.
His boot ended up dragging more in front of him with each step, each one getting increasingly difficult. Meanwhile his pack navigated through it with ease. Each of their steps were precise, planned.
The Iron Lord didn't mind the snow, however. What distracted his mind was the dead silence. The only sound that was present was the crackle of his torch, sparking about in random directions. That was when he reached the small brazier he had set up. It wasn't anything fancy, fashioned out of sticks and some fuel. But it would have to do.
That was their lifeline; the fire. It dated all the way back to humanity's beginning and would follow them until their end. But to an Iron Lord, the fire was what fueled their weapons, what kept them going. They would draw the power from the flames and empower the weapons.
The Lord looked up at the wall. Desolate. Empty. But it was torn open by an unknown force.
You know better than that. This is nothing unknown. Saladin said to himself. He would hope it wasn't a familiar threat, but it was looking to be the latter.
The wolves kept walking forward, to the massive schism in the wall when Saladin noticed something in the distance.
Beady red eyes, staring daggers into Saladin and his pack. Right in front of him. "Halt!" he shouted at the wolves. Instantaneously, the wolves stopped and perked their heads up. They began smelling their environment when they detected the threat. They started growling at their enemies.
Then, one by one, the eyes began to step out into the open, becoming forms. Fallen.
Their bodies were modified. Along most of the Fallen's torso was a red vine-like substance almost consuming them. Their legs were gone, replaced with pegs of some sort and their weapons were surging with red nanytes.
"SIVA." Saladin said to himself.
The growls from the wolves intensified as Saladin raised a large empowered battle axe, his Ghost materializing a helmet on Saladin's crown.
"Charge." He ordered silently as he ran to the crowd of Fallen.
He was met with a shock dagger, and he had deflected it just as fast as it had appeared and shoved the blunt side of his axe into the Fallen's head, killing it. He swiped to his right and incinerated another 5 dregs, just as a shot ricocheted off of his back.
He used his form to slam straight into the culprit. A Vandal with a rifle raised.
Saladin's blow managed to knock the helmet right off of the Fallen and tossing his form into the snow ahead. A shock knife was buried inside his back, but didn't send any pain. As Saladin noticed, his armor was plated and thick.
Before he had time to respond to the attack, a Sabre was swung at his form at the front. Saladin raised an axe at the blade as he felt the blade behind be removed, following the sound of a wolf snarling.
The axe threw the sword right out of the Fallen's hand, just as Saladin swiped again at the Fallen himself.
As the onslaught continued, a large rumbling was coming from deep inside the wall's tear. 6 stomps at a time.
Saladin backed up as his wolves continued growling at the threat, as the majority of the Fallen began to back up as well.
Then, a mighty roar. From the same place he heard the stomping.
After the roar, a presence. Saladin saw what was making the sounds and the intimidation. It was a six-legged Fallen. Infested with the nano-tech. He began to stare it up and down, examining a weakness for the Fallen, but could find none.
Regardless, he would have to find one during the battle. The mechanical Eliksni began to charge Saladin, forcing a defense from the last Iron Lord.
One of the metal legs struck right in front of him, causing Saladin to jump back and counterattack. He swung the axe as hard as he could, trying to pierce through the metal but the axe itself merely bounced back, right before it had even touched the leg. "What…"
The Fallen smacked Saladin with another leg, throwing the axe out of his hand and causing Fallen to begin to attack his exposed form.
One dreg stabbed down at the lord, only to be met by one of his wolves ripping the head clean off with a mighty clench of its jaw.
Saladin took off after the axe again, shouting into his comms for backup. "Shiro!" He pleaded.
The Iron Lord slid through the snow and gripped the axe again.
"What is it?" A voice boomed back. Saladin then informed Shiro of the circumstance. "I need immediate backup. Ping my location and get a trace on me." Saladin ordered. "Got it. On my way."
That was when the mechanical being began to… laugh. It bumrushed Saladin and his wolves, grabbing Saladin with a swipe of its hand and holding him close to his face, shouting right at the Iron Lord.
"Bah! You think your Iron Temple is safe anymore? That is where you are wrong. Sorely mistaken. You will not last any longer." The Fallen spat.
Saladin began to wriggle in the Fallen's grasp, trying to free himself but the grip just got tighter. He could feel the SIVA around him begin to nestle into his armor, as if trying to get a hold on him from the inside and tear him apart. He wouldn't let it.
He began to shake more violently, still trying to free himself as the attacker began to laugh more.
That was when bullets began to pepper the mechanical spider-like Fallen, causing a small amount of distress in his actions.
He began to back up, as Saladin's Ghost adjusted his ship's course to pick up Saladin and make a retreat. That was when a projectile was thrown.
He looked at it. A red ball of surging SIVA tech, almost unstable. He could tell it was dangerous, as the very form seemed to be waiting to explode. It surged and moved in mid-air, glowing a bright white as it made its way to Saladin.
Having no choice but to try and counter the attack, Saladin leaped after the object and caught it in his hands. The tech didn't seem dangerous to him while he was holding it. It had a soft feel to it, as well as a warm energy.
All around him, shock pistols and wire rifles attempted to land on Saladin, and some did. They merely scuffed his armor, however, and caused no real imminent damage.
That was when the mechanical Fallen raised a weapon to Saladin. That one would probably hurt.
"The ship is ready!" The voice of his Ghost shouted.
"Transmat me on!" He shouted back. It was then that he disposed of the bomb by tossing it back at the Fallen, aiming at the larger one.
As his form was rematerialized onto his own ship, he noticed something odd about the bomb's reaction on the Fallen.
It caused the SIVA particles around it to shake violently, some disappearing. It appeared to have damaged the force field around the enemy. That was its weakness. The bombs. SIVA was dangerous to itself.
That was when his form was teleported into the pilot seat in his ship.
The Iron Lord could feel the bullets peppering the bottom of his ship, causing small vibrations and no doubt posing a threat to the ship itself. Before any more could damage it, he pounded the thruster and took off with blazing speed.
…
"You know, I've never seen someone carry that many weapons. I knew the Fallen were scavengers, but that's a bit excessive, don't you think?" Krastis asked. Iksis turned his head away from piloting the ship and faced the Psion. "Would you rather die with no weapons in hand, or die with all of the weapons?" And with that, he turned back to driving.
Meanwhile Ak'tal gripped his sword tighter and Krastis held his blaster a bit closer. It was the only weapon they had, their only tool.
"Approaching the landing zone." Iksis informed. Krastis nodded to himself, standing with Ak'tal to face the opening doors. They felt the Skiff turn to the right and slowly make its way to the ground below, parking completely as the doors opened up and the three began to pour out of it.
Outside was calm and cold. Snow hit the ground slowly as they all examined their surroundings.
The Skiff had landed on a barren ledge, overlooking most of the Cosmodrome. Old abandoned and rusty shacks littered the Earth's surface. Beyond them, more snow and old artifacts of the Golden Age were stowed away.
"So this is it." A Ghost chimed out. It was Ak'tal's.
In front of them there was a slight dip in the terrain. It was as if a ravine had been crafted, and there stood a bridge of some sort.
The bridge of course was completely maimed and destroyed, leaving the group no chocie but to trudge through the dip and possibly be ambushed.
"I don't like it. I'm reading minor head signatures all around this area, as if a large group of scouts are just… watching us. But the Fallen stronghold is just across that ravine." Another Ghost informed.
Krastis began looking for other options. He found none. All of them were vulenrable to attack and ambush, so they would just have to go with what they had.
"I say we split up. Akkie and I will go across and you stay behind and give us sniper support." Krastis ordered. Iksis nodded and pulled out a wire rifle, preparing a magazine of bolts and giving them the 'go ahead'.
Ak'tal raised his sword up so it was resting on his shoulders, allowing it to be swung in a moment's notice. Krastis raised his rifle and began traversing down the hill.
"The signatures are getting more packed together, as if more are grouping up. I'd suggest moving faster." Krastis's Ghost alerted. Krastis took the advice, rushing through the snow and kicking a majority of it up in his wake.
As he moved, so did Ak'tal. And apparantly the signatures. "They're getting closer!"
Then, a single bolt from a wire rifle echoed throughout the space. It was as if the world stood still, just before it had all erupted.
"Run!" Iksis screamed through Ak'tal and Krastis's comms. They took no hesitation in shoving both feet forward in the snow and rushing as bolts from wire rifles hit to their left and right.
…
Ashur landed first. Then came Theriad and Marcus. Each of them stuck close together as they watched their ships fly overhead, right into orbit where they would wait for pickup.
Of course, Theriad had to say something about the blistering cold on Felwinter Peak. "Last time I felt this cold was… wait. I've never felt this cold."
"Then we should get moving." Marcus suggested. The rest obliged.
They walked on the top of a mountain, making their way through the white snowstorm that was on them. It made everything hard to make out and led to Theriad almost tripping down the side of the mountain. It wasn't until long that they made their way to a small lift complex. They could see it out in the distance, with a few barely made out figures standing at it. Fallen.
"Theriad, can you get a shot off?" Ashur asked. Theriad shook his head, explaining, "No. Can't see anything through this maelstrom. We could probably get closer, however. I doubt the Fallen can see us."
Ashur followed his suggestion, crouching down closer to the snow and moving with care.
Soon enough, they approached the relatively large group of Fallen and sank down into a snowbank to avoid being seen. "There's no way we can engage all of them, especially with the snow. But if we can get closer, we can pick them off. They're at the same disadvantage we are with this much snow." Theriad said, partly shivering in his words.
Ashur sought through his plan, finding it was best for their engagement. He was the critical thinker of the group, usually the one coming up with the plans. Something must have shifted with Theriad that lead him to coming up with the plans and...well… actually listening to his head for once.
Theriad was usually headstrong and brutish in a sense. He had no filter and didn't care about what the repurcussions of his actions were. The typical Hunter.
Then there was Marcus. He used his strength for the well-being of the group, rather than just his own self-preservation. He preferred to support the group rather than obliterate the enemies right off.
They slid down a snowbank as silently as they could possibly manage, reaching the bottom with a large pile of snow that had built up from their slide. Theriad peaked out above it to see if any of the Fallen had been alerted. None had.
He reached to his side and pulled out a Hakke sidearm, complete with outlandish green and blue coloring and a small muzzle attachment that silenced his shots.
Marcus and Ashur soon held the same pistol in their hands, their Ghosts transmatting it into their palms after requesting it.
"I can probably get a Tether out." Theriad suggested. "No. Don't. This is just a greeting party. You're gonna need it for the real thing." Ashur combatted. Then, marcus pulled out a simple suppressing grenade. It could blind their enemies and confused them, and it would prove useful here.
Gathering a small wad of snow with his hands and forming a ball out of it, tossing the snowball to a nearby Fallen who turned instantly.
From there, Marcus tossed the suppressing Grenade into the dead center of the group while the Guardians crouched away from the blast.
When the explosion went off with a relatively silent sound, the three dove from cover and began mopping up targets with their sidearms.
Theriad put a bullet straight through one's skull while Ashur focused energy to snap one's neck, leaving Marcus to beat a Vandal's head in.
Without much effort and time, the Fallen were dispatched and the group was free to move to the lift's building without resistance.
Inside the building it was barren of snow, but still cold. There wasn't any doors or the like to keep the snow out, but miraculously it stayed on the outside.
Towards the edge of the tram building, the dropoff the size of a mountain fall awaited them. Right in front of the fall.
The three climbed into the ancient looking tram as the Hunter pressed the button.
"This doesn't feel right at all." Ashur's Ghost chimed. It was right. The old rusted look of the tram wasn't convincing, but when you finally stepped inside and feel the rusted tram sinking lower it makes for a seemingly unsafe trip.
Finally, after a few seconds of the motor began to squeak into gear, the tram began moving at a snail-like pace.
They followed the tram through a small canyon of sorts, through two narrow sections of the mountain. The path looked pretty straightforward as far as the three could tell. It was just a simple tram to the top of the Peak.
As they waited for the slow tram to move faster, they began a conversation.
"Felwinter Peak, huh? What's Saladin and the other Iron Lords doing during this?" Marcus asked.
"That… is a story I must tell you about at a later date. All that matters now is securing Felwinter Peak." A voice boomed through. It was Saladin Forge himself.
"But if this is so important, why aren't the Vanguard protecting it?" Ashur's Ghost chimed in. "I have you three here, don't I?" Saladin asked. "That, and this place and its well-being is my responsibility. Not theirs." He continued.
The group all looked at each other but nonetheless remained quiet.
That was when the grinding of the tram began to raise in volume. It began to shake and jerk violently, throwing the three Guardians all around the inside.
The group was thrown to the right when they reversed their momentum, throwing themselves forward again to maintain balance but it was all to no avail. The front half of the tram snapped clean off, severing its connection to the wire and sending the group off balance through the tram.
"Jump!" One of the Ghosts ordered. That was when the door of the tram slid open, beckoning for the group to tumble out of it.
Marcus and Ashur threw themselves out as fast as they could, leaving Theriad to retrieve his Ghost and leap out.
The tram disconnected from the track and threw Theriad to the ceiling of the cart, disorienting him as the tram fell to the canyon floor.
He focused energy from the air around him to create a solid surface, leaping off of the air particles and doing so again, just as he reached a ledge that he gripped with all of his force.
Theriad was hanging from nothing but a single handhold, waiting for one of his partners to retrieve him. Soon enough, Marcus helped Theriad up and the group began scanning for more options to get to the Peak.
To their front was the beginning of a ledge. It looked to be able to scale across the whole mountainside. It would no doubt have another path for them to climb up.
"Let's go." Ashur said. Carefully, they kept to the wall of the ledge to avoid their inevitable deaths if they slipped. They inched and slowly lurched their way to an opening, a place where the wall of the ledge stoped and opened up to an upward hill they could climb up and possibly reach the Iron Temple.
They continued up yet another hill, reaching the top of it and seeing that the entrance to the Iron Temple was right ahead of them. A large set of double doors stood ahead of them. The insignia on it was two hands brandishing a large battle axe of some sort, complete with engravings all over the door.
Theriad walked to the door, giving it a slight push and opening it.
The hinges creaked and Marcus had his gun up with Ashur, ready for anything on the other side of the door.
Of course, there was nothing right in front of them, but a large crashing sound was eminating from somewhere in the distance.
They crossed the makeshift bridge ahead of them fashioned from ropes and wood, reaching the courtyard for the Iron Temple and seeing their enemy straight ahead.
"It can't be…" Ashur muttered. Marcus himself backed away in shock at what he had just saw. Only Theriad stepped forward.
"Sepiks." He silently whispered.
"That's not possible." Saladin echoed. That was when the large servitor turned to them, facing them from the high ground of the top of a set of stairs. "We're spotted!" Ashur shouted. That was when a large blast of the Servitor's energy was shot, landing right where the Guardians were just standing.
This blast was red, however. And it seemed to have been more powerful. "What was that?" Theriad asked. Saladin answered. "I'm afraid that is SIVA. Defeat Sepiks, now!" He ordered.
Theriad took out a sniper rifle, landing a few shots right in the Servitor's eye.
The machine took a dash to the right, shooting another red blast as the group ran from it. "We need the high ground!" Ashur analyzed. Theriad nodded, rushing forward in an attempt to blitz the servitor off of the higher level of the stairs.
What he didn't account for was the numerous Fallen that would appear, seemingly climbing right up the mountainside or jumping off a higher ledge.
Theriad raised a knife, jamming it straight through the Fallen's skull as it fell.
But the knife encountered more resistance than it usually would. The fallen also seemed to be made of something else. It was crimson in color, and it wrapped itself all around the Fallen's body. It seemed to be modifying him, but at the same time consuming him. Like the technology was just using them as a host… like they were the parasite.
"What the hell?" Theriad asked, pausing during the battle while Ashur and Marcus did the same, gawking at the new enemy.
"Do not pay it attention! Kill the Fallen and Sepiks! It must not escape!" Saladin boomed. Theriad snapped back to work instantly, mopping up the other Fallen that held him at gunpoint, rushing back up the stairs.
Every so often, a Fallen would leap down right in front of him, only to be thrown off the side.
The Hunter was making progress up the stairs while Marcus and Ashur focused their efforts on the Fallen that were appearing, but not on Sepiks.
Theriad reached the last level before the higher ground. He had to think of a plan to get Sepiks down, but he hadn't all this time. He was simply standing in the open with no real means of getting the servitor to move.
"Marcus! Ashur! Move up the-" Theriad started.
He was cut off from a blast hitting right in front of him, throwing him straight into a wall and undoubtedly breaking some of his bones.
He looked up just in time to see another blast coming straight for his form, with all intents of hitting this time.
At the last second, Theriad threw his body forward and the eye blast smacked into the rock wall behind him. Small pebbls and gravel flew on him, but he was more focused on the servitor at the moment.
"Theriad! We're being overrun! We need that high ground, now!" Ashur shouted.
He spared a moment to look at the two. They were holed up in Marcus's Ward of Dawn, with shotguns at the ready for the massive amounts of Fallen that were surrounding them.
Before he looked back, he saw Ashur summon the electricity within, unleashing a shockwave of energy into the group.
Theriad raised a gun to the Servitor's eye, just as another blast shot out at him.
With a split second of reaction, Theriad threw his body to its side, the impact of hitting the ground releasing his gun from his hands.
He didn't want to take the time to retrieve it, but instead went to Plan B.
Summoning all of the energy he could possibly manage, he drew the void bow he'd become so familiar with, loosing an arrow at the Servitor as he leaped to it.
From there, he pulled his knife and let the electricity surging through his body empower it, as he lashed the Servitor's eye maliciuosly.
He heard the screams and emergency sounds of the Servitor ring out, just as he began to channel solar power with the last bit of strength he possesssed.
Forming a gun made straight from the sun's rays, he plunged it into a small chink in the Servitor's armor, pulling the trigger and sending a blast straight through the Ether collector.
But the Servitor didn't die, it instead took advantage of Theriad's weakened state and dove straight to the ground with the Hunter attached to it.
The metallic object released the Hunter on the ground, preparing a shot from its eye for it while Theriad remained motionless.
From there, the sound of machine guns peppering metal took to his ears, and the Servitor turned its attention.
Marcus and Ashur made it to the top of the stairs, unleashing all they could on the Servitor as it backed up slowly, unable to make out another shot on the group.
Deciding that the Servitor had enough, it simply disappeared, leaving a tainted transmat materialization in its wake.
Theriad only heard mumbles of what had happened. Everything was white sound until that point.
"Where is it going?"
"Sensors report the Cosmodrome. Devil's lair."
"That's where Iksis and his fireteam is."
"Go! Now! We've lost three Guardians today if you do not make haste!"
Author's Note:
Hey guys. I'm not dead. I actually got SUPER carried away with this chapter. It was originally going to take a different direction, but I decided to keep it the way it is.
Anyways, this was going to be super long, like even moreso than it is now, but then I realized just how long this chapter was itself and how long it's been since I updated. I used to be on the first page of Destiny fanfics, but I got shafted to the second place from my inactivity.
Don't forget to review, especially with critiques and suggestions.
Also, how would you guys feel about a seperate storyline for Ashur, Marcus, and Theriad? Kind of like a prequel to this series about each one's beginnings and where they started as a fireteam, including the downfall of Crota, destruction of the Vault of Glass, and another one I've been thinking of.