Hey guys! I hope you all had a good New Years! I'm going to be back in school by the next time I update the story, so they might not come out as quickly as they have over break. But I decided to give you guys a treat! This is the LONGEST chapter so far in the entire story! So I hope it'll tie you all over until next week xD
Also, I realized that I'm 12 chapters in now, and I haven't said anything about the reviews I've been getting. Especially since I can't reply to the anon ones. So I wanted to thank all of you for giving me awesome ideas and advice. I'd love to be able to use all of your ideas, but I've got most of the rest of this story planned out. The end especially.
A few side notes as well: I've got a new poll on my profile if you want to take a look at it. I was just curious to see what you guys thought on the topic, and I might just use the idea of it in future stories that will branch off of this one. I'm also thinking of writing a side story that deals with Starr and her past that leads up to the events of the story. Just kinda flesh her character out a little bit. I'll let you guys know if and when I post it, but until then, let me know if you'd be willing to read it!
Anyway, I hope you guys have a good weekend! Enjoy the chapter! :D
"-all Fallen activity in the Kings Watch region of the Cosmodrome has come to a near complete stand still and it's leaving several Guardians confused and even disappointed to find nothing there to kill. However, some say that the Kell of the area is drawing back his troops in preparation for an attack on the Tower. However this is only rumors and stories, as there is no firm proof of this."
Teira scowled at the lady on the television. "Those Guardians spread those rumors, Seraph. I just know it!" She growled in irritation. "I'd like to give that news woman some 'firm proof' with my fist!"
"Calm yourself Teira. The Speaker said he would break the news to the Guardians any day now. Something like this has to be handled carefully." Seraph said, placing a hand on the girls shoulder. "Anyway, I just finished talking with Starr. Seems like Entity finally agreed to meet with us again. They'll be travelling to the Ketch tomorrow morning."
"Awesome. It's about time they met up with us again." Teira smiled. "Lets get back to the Ketch. I want to check on Erunan again." She said quickly.
Seraph rolled his optics. "His wounds won't heal if he doesn't rest enough, Teira. Can't you go an hour without being near him?"
"I can go a couple hours..." She trailed off hesitantly.
"Just give him some space." The Exo sighed. "Besides, we still have some shopping to do in the market. I did tell you that I would get you something for Christmas, right? May as well get it to you early."
"Spoil sport." She pouted, then groaned. "Fine. Lead the way."
Seraph inwardly grinned and led the way through the city that sat under the Traveler. He had insisted upon returning to get his friend out of the Ketch and stretch her legs a bit, as well as cure her stir-crazy symptoms. Christmas was also right around the corner, and she had been so busy running things at the Ketch to realize it. He had spoke of celebrating it, but she had declined for this year, saying it wouldn't be the same without her mom, and that there was just too much to do to worry about presents and the such.
He could at least buy her a gun for Christmas though.
"So when does your training with Kalyvaaz begin?" He asked as they walked along the sidewalks of the market.
"After the meeting with the Guardians. Soon enough, I'll be able to fight for myself!" She grinned.
"Well that's good. At least you'll know how to defend yourself if I'm away."
"Yep. Also means I can fight alongside the soldiers." Teira added cheerily.
"Hm, well if that's the case, then you may as well train with a sniper rifle. If you get too close to a Knight in a battle, then you'd be done for. Better to keep you away from the main part of the fight."
"It's a start, I guess."
"Right," He paused as they walked up to a gun shop. "Here we are."
Her eyes narrowed slightly. "You took me all the way out here, to look at old guns?"
"I took you out here so I could buy you some guns." He corrected as they walked in.
The door gave a little chime and an elderly man looked up from his television and coffee mug before he stood, disposing of the cigar that had hung from his white mustache. His eyes were squinted with age and he seemed to be in his late 60's perhaps. He leaned over the front desk curiously.
"Guardian." He greeted with a thick southern accent and a tip of his head. "What can I do for you and this young lady?"
"I came to buy her some weaponry. She's been wanting to learn how to shoot for the longest time, figured now would be a good time." Seraph half-lied.
The mans eyes flicked to Teira, who smiled sheepishly and gave a small wave. The man blinked at her.
"You're Elizabeth's little girl. Right?" He asked.
"Um, yeah." Teira answered.
"I heard about what happened. You have my regards, Teira. Here, since Christmas is right around the corner, I'll give you a special gun for free." He said suddenly, then turned around to open up a glass case behind him. After a moment, he pulled an auto rifle out and set it on the counter for Teira to see.
"This rifle used to belong to your father." The man stated. "Tell me, Teira, do you know how Guardians come to be?"
She gave a nod. "They're all people who had been dead before, and then revived by their Ghosts."
"Have you ever been told how your brother came to be a Guardian? You were only about a year old then, when it happened."
"My... my mom never brought it up. She never liked talking about it, and wouldn't let Brandon talk about it either. So no."
"I was there. He was only thirteen at the time, but boy was he a brave one." The man gave a hidden smile. "...Some Fallen had passed through the wall. Not many, enough to stay hidden under our radars. There were maybe about three or four of them. Your brother noticed them, and shouted in alarm. In the commotion, the Fallen shot him and he died from his wounds. However, only a day passed before he was revived by a Ghost."
"Wasn't he a little too young to be a Guardian then?" Teira wondered, now leaning on the glass counter.
"Yes, he was. And your mother was not the least bit happy learning that he was chosen to continue the fight as a warrior of the light. He insisted though, and Cayde took it upon himself to train Brandon how to be the perfect hunter." The man laughed. "Those two, I swear, after your father left you all behind... I'm sure Cayde was more of a father to him as that deadbeat of a man ever was. However, Brandon still held onto this rifle as a reminder of the man he vowed never to become."
Teira took the gun gingerly and ran her fingers over the top of it gently. "How did you get this?" She asked.
"Your mother sold it to me. Apparently you needed the money after things went south. I would assume that doesn't matter now though, does it?"
Teira picked up the weapon, looking it over carefully. "Well, you know a lot of things relating to my family. Have any info about Brandon's death? I was never told how he died because they never found his body. Only his Ghost and his cape."
"Well, that much is true. However I'm not sure how he died. Only that he was killed on the Moon all those years ago. I can only assume that it was the Hive or the Fallen residing there." The man said with a shrug.
"That's unfortunate, but thank you for the gun. I'll use it well."
The man barked a laugh and nodded. Then Seraph walked forward, wanting to buy a sniper rifle for Teira. He bought a lighter gun so that Teira could have a chance at carrying it at least, and they left after saying their goodbyes. Teira held onto the auto rifle with a tight grip, a thoughtful frown pursed on her lips as they made their way back to the tower. And they were unaware of the narrow-eyed glare coming from a pale woman, with bleached hair and sunglasses.
"Arcviss, how goes the search for Ferro's friend?"
"We have a lead, sire. A young girl that is the orphan of one of the scientists."
"Good. And I take it you have already devised a plan in luring Ferro out when the girl is killed?"
"Yes." Arcviss answered quietly.
There was a moment of silence, and then the mysterious man turned to his follower. He then stepped out into the lighted area of the room, revealing a young man with pitch black eyes and cracks around them just like the other corrupted Guardians. His skin was a tanned color and his hair was a dark brown color, cut into a slightly scruffy style that pointed up in the front.
"Tell me, what is this girls name?" He asked.
"Teira, sir." Arcviss answered. "Teira Reynolds."
The leader of the converted paused a moment. The name sounded familiar to him, yet he could not place the memory in which he knew the girl by name. Perhaps she was someone close to him in his past life. He shook his head and turned back to the darkness of the room. Arcviss looked up curiously.
"Is something wrong, sir?" He asked.
The man stayed silent a moment, then finally answered with a slight sneer. "...No. There is nothing wrong. Do what you must."
Arcviss hesitated, then gave an obedient nod and turned to leave.
Meanwhile, the leader stared into the darkness for several minutes. The memory was there, he knew the girl from somewhere, if only he could place where...
Evening approached eventually, and he gave up on trying to remember. He had a war to plot, Guardians to corrupt, light to drive away. There was no time to spend on pointless memories! So, with a growl, he stalked out of the headquarters and walked through the caves of the moon. Any hive he encountered hissed and fled, knowing who he was and that he was not a force to be trifled with.
He never knew who he was before, and he didn't care. He had a war to fight against the Traveler, he needed to make the people see that Humanity will end up just like the Fallen: to have everything one moment, only to have it ripped away when the Traveler leaves. The Darkness was trying to rid the world of the miracles and life-prolonging technology, there were hardships that they were ignoring, and it needed to stop.
He would not fail this war...
Later in the evening, Teira sat on the end of her bed, the auto rifle in her hands still. She examined every part of the weapon, learned from Seraph on how to clean it properly and she even tested its sights a bit in the cosmodrome. Now, Seraph was out working on missions and she was left alone with her thoughts, and the gun.
She let out a small sigh. She wasn't a guardian. So if she died while fighting... she was gone for good. She had no ghost to revive her and even if she did, she wouldn't be invincible. If a ghost was destroyed, then she was a goner. She hated it, but Seraph had been right. It would be safer for her to distance herself from the heat of the fighting. Although, she supposed it was better than doing nothing...
Teira pursed her lips and stood to go set the rifle in a safe area before she changed into her night clothes- a loose t-shirt and some shorts, before she crawled under the covers of her bed. She rested her head on the pillow, and waited for sleep to claim her. Meanwhile she thought about what tomorrow's meeting with the Guardians will have in store for her. Maybe some battle training? Who knew what Starr had in mind. She could guess all night long and never know for sure what would happen.
She sighed slowly through her nose and closed her eyes as her breathing became even and slow. Teira then drifted off to sleep, unaware of the corrupted Guardian sitting in her ship just outside of the radar range.
Scythe grinned as she took notes of her location in reference to the Ketch. The ship was huge, but those Fallen didn't stand a chance against the dark guardians. She picked up her radio and put it to her lips, still grinning.
"Reaper, I've sent you the location of the ship. Meet with Tomb and I in the old building and we'll discuss a plan. Got it?" She said.
"Loud and clear." Her comrade replied through his radio.
Scythe gave a laugh before she turned her ship around and flew back to the tower to meet with the other two. She couldn't wait to see the look on the girls face when they would storm into the throne area, eager to slaughter her.
But first they had to lure Ferro to the area...
She thought about it, and was disappointed to learn that the only way to lure Ferro there, was to force Teira to call him there. Scythe huffed in annoyance as her ship swerved to the left and headed for the Tower. She supposed they could just kill the girl afterward...
Eventually, she landed her ship in an open space on top of the abandoned building. It was an old factory, it seemed. There was a lot of old tech collecting dust in there, but she didn't care. A little dust never killed anyone.
Once inside, she met up with Tomb and Reaper. They looked up when she arrived and she sat with them.
"So she's keeping the Ketch in King's Watch? Should've saw it coming." Tomb grumbled.
"Any other place, and she would have had a war with other Houses of Fallen to deal with. So it's predictable, really." Scythe huffed.
"How did you find it so quick?" Reaper asked. "I thought it was my job to get the location."
"I saw her in the market today with her Exo friend. They were buying guns, no doubt so that she could learn how to use them." Scythe answered matter-of-factly.
Reaper gave a nod. "I see, well we had better hit the Ketch before she can learn then, huh?"
"Yes, also, if we're going to lure out Ferro faster, we need to avoid killing her straight away." Scythe brought up. "We should force her to call Ferro there, so we can ambush him when he arrives."
"But we'll need leverage against her." Reaper pointed out.
"...The Exo." Scythe said suddenly. "The one she was with today... They seemed to be close friends. We capture him, threaten to kill him, and she'll crack. I just know it."
"And how do you suppose we'll do that? I don't think he'll just let us capture him." Reaper argued slightly.
"The same way we caught Tomb. The guy seems to be honorable enough. Say I was trapped under some rocks in a cave and you need a Titan's help to get me out. Strike when his back is turned." Scythe said with a shrug as she looked over to Tomb.
"It would be a useful tactic. We capture him tonight, and storm the Ketch tomorrow morning." He ordered as he stood.
"Understood." The two answered in response.
"And here is my last bounty for tonight."
"...Bounty accepted." The littler robot replied as Seraph turned to walk away. The bounties would go into his database and the Vanguards would know of his progress to his next rank.
Tonight, like any winter night at the Tower, was chilly. However, as an Exo, Seraph didn't need to feel the sensations of such effects that would cripple organics. He was a machine, unbreakable in most ways, and more keen to his surroundings than humans and Awoken.
However, this night, his sense of duty would betray him.
"Guardian! I need your help! It is urgent!" A male voice called from nearby.
Seraph turned his head to see a human hunter jogging toward him, somewhat out of breath. The man had white hair and dark glasses on that matched the colors of his armor. Seraph scanned the man cautiously before acknowledging his words.
"What can I do for you?" The Exo asked.
"My friend and I were patrolling the cosmodrome and there was a cave-in. There's a large pile of rocks in the way that I can't lift. She won't last long in there either. I need the help of a Titan." The man explained quickly.
Seraph blinked at the man, then sighed quietly. "Alright. Lead the way sir. I'll help as best I can." He agreed.
The man gave a nod and led Seraph to the ship bay where they took off toward the cosmodrome. Seraph remained silent as he was led to an area where the rusted ships sat, normally over run with Fallen. However, there were fewer than normal. Seraph dropped out of his ship and into the area with the human hunter, then followed him over to a cave where many large rocks sat, blocking the exit. The human then called out to his friend.
"Vira? I've come back with help! You'll be out of there in no time!" He shouted.
"Oh thank the Traveler!" A woman cried back, holding a grimace at being called by her old name again.
Seraph then got to work, and effortlessly hefted a large rock out of the way. The human began to help as well, lifting the smaller rocks away as the woman waited inside. They lifted rock after rock for nearly a half hour. Eventually, the human began to help less and less until finally, Seraph noticed that he wasn't around anymore.
He straightened out his back and stood up straight as he looked around.
"Where did-"
He never got to finish his question before the rocks in front of him exploded with a dark force, and he was sent flying backwards from the impact of the explosion. He hit the ground hard with a grunt and he heard the woman shout out.
"Now Tomb!"
Another Exo then came into his vision followed a second later by a lightning covered fist. He had only time to give a curse before his processor shut down, sending him unconscious. And his world faded to black...
Teira huffed and tapped her foot on the floor as she sat in the throne room. Some fallen guards stood around, chattering to one another quietly. She had a frown on her face as she rested her head on her hand, in which her elbow sat on the arm of the seat. It was already nine o' clock in the morning, and Seraph still hadn't returned from his bounty missions yet. She was slightly irritated at him for staying out so long. He was a vital person in the making of this alliance with the Guardians, and knew how to keep peace way better than her.
She sighed softly, then looked up when Kalyvaaz entered the room. She stood, a hopeful face on her features as he approached. He stopped in front of her and slowly shook his head with a sigh.
"Nud aahrast eir semma noutra." He sighed. ["We could not find him."]
Teira processed the words she knew, and her face fell as she flopped back into her seat. She couldn't help but feel as if something was wrong, and caused him to not return. Maybe she was just being paranoid again, but then again, her paranoia turned out to be true with Erunan...
"If he doesn't make it to the meeting, that's fine. We'll continue to search for him afterward." She said quietly, getting a nod in response from the guard. "The Guardians will be here soon, I can't spend all day worrying about Seraph. He can handle himself anyway." She sighed hesitantly.
She wanted to worry about her friend. She was worried for him still. But she had to focus on the meeting first before she could focus on finding him. Teira went back into her brooding state as her thoughts wondered off again. Kalyvaaz went off to speak with the other Guards while they waited.
Erunan was already beginning to heal from his wounds, and he longed to get up and go back to his job, however, to his annoyance, Teira had not let him. She smiled, he was stubborn and hard-headed, brave too. She, though, had a duty to keep any more soldiers from dying out there. Although she had to give in a little, and she allowed him to roam around the Ketch for a limited amount of time when he wanted to move about. He had reluctantly agreed to that rule after Kalyvaaz talked him into it.
The doors to the front of the room opened up again and she looked up when one of the lesser Vandals came rushing in, out of breath, and went to Kalyvaaz to report something to the Guard.
"Siidr atal guardians veraan. Eir nid utali unesev aladis." He hissed. ["Some strange guardians arrived. Not the ones we're expecting."]
Kalyvaaz blinked and looked up to the doors, then to Teira. Then he turned to another small group of guards.
"Hiisaad nid Kell!" He ordered loudly before drawing his weapons and storming off. ["Protect the Kell!"]
Teira sat forward and blinked as she translated the words that she knew. What was going on exactly? Some guardians were in the Ketch, but not the ones they were expecting. How did they find the Ketch in the first place?! She stood up, curious as to what was happening, however a guard told her to stay put so they could protect her. She reluctantly sat down again and anxiously tapped her fingers on the arm of her chair. Her eyes flicked over to where the old sword sat, resting on the floor nearby the seat. She got up and grabbed it, just to feel safer. She knew it wouldn't block bullets though, but it was a start...
Ten minutes passed, and the doors to the room opened again, but nothing came through just yet. She stared at the doors, awaiting what would emerge, and she was slightly shocked to see a hunter and a warlock come strolling through. She watched them carefully, and a guard next to her snarled and went to draw his weapon.
"Wait." Teira said suddenly, putting a hand in front of him, and she narrowed her eyes at the newcomers. "What do you want?" She hissed.
"Your help." The hunter said darkly. "Call Proditor Ferro to a set location, and we will leave you and your Fallen puppets alone." He lied.
She frowned at them and stood from her seat. "Why would you want me to call Ferro? He's still at the Tower recovering from his injuries."
"We have some... unfinished business with him." The man growled, eyeing the sword in the girls hand. "Of course, you will have to come with us..."
The guard next to her growled, obviously uneasy just by looking at these guardians. She glanced at him, then to the guardians.
"...And what if I don't call Ferro..?" She said, a slightly nervous face on her features.
"Well, our friend Tomb will show you... Tomb, bring out our guest." The warlock called.
Teira's eyes flicked to the door, then she gasped when a titan dragged the limp body of Seraph into the room, and dumped him on the floor for all the Fallen to see. He was horribly damaged all over, as if he'd been run through a shredder, then dumped into a fire pit. Bits of his armor were missing, and damaged all the way through to his body plating and even pieces of that were missing. A section of his head plating, above his left eye, was peeled back, as if someone tried to gain access to his processor. Half of his jaw part was broken and dented and one of his optics flickered on and off, hanging by only a thin wire in his socket, having fallen out due to part of his face plate breaking away.
"Oh my God..." She breathed, a hand over her mouth. "What... What have you done?!"
"This, will be the fate of you and your entire army of Fallen if you refuse to do what we ask." The titan boomed, placing a foot on top of the barely alive Seraph.
Teira felt tears come to her eyes as she stared at her wounded friend, then her body began to tremble as she walked forward to face the three guardians. Her guards shifted nervously as she gripped the old sword in her hand, then she stopped in front of the group, her head high as she tried to keep her composure.
"I... I will agree to your terms, as long as you promise to leave Seraph here, and that this House of Fallen remains undisturbed by you." She said, her voice shaking.
"Wonderful. Come along little Kell. Ferro will have quite the surprise in store for him." The Hunter said, grabbing her arm and pulling her away roughly.
She looked back at the Guards as a few slowly approached Seraph and lifted him to a safer location, and the others stared after her, confused about what to do. Then she was dragged down the many hallways, some of which were littered with the bodies of Dregs and Vandals as they lay in pools of their own blood. She had to choke back a sob of grief when she saw so many of her followers, truly believing she could protect them, only to be cut down in the path of these merciless people.
When they reached the ship bay, she was shoved into one of the ships and stayed silent as they took off. She prayed that Seraph would be okay, that she would be okay too once this was over...
"You did what?!"
Kalyvaaz recoiled when Erunan shouted in his face angrily. He took a step away from the enraged Captain, his top set of hands raised.
"There would have been nothing I could do even if I had been there! The guards all said she went willingly to save us and Seraph." He explained quickly. "The other guardians will arrive soon, when they learn of what happened, I am sure they will help us rescue her."
Erunan huffed through his nose and paced on the floor of the medical ward, where Seraph had been taken once the kidnappers had left. The Exo had yet to respond to anything, so all they could do is wait until either someone could fix him, or he somehow recovered on his own. Kalyvaaz watched as Erunan paced around the room, the guard felt guilty for leaving his Kell, but there really was nothing he could do.
"Come, Erunan. We should wait for the Guardians in the throne room. They need to know what happened as soon as possible." Kalyvaaz offered quietly.
The Captain paused in his pacing and stared at the floor. Then he sighed and gave a nod before walking off with a slight limp toward the main room of the Ketch, Kalyvaaz in tow. All of the Fallen were silent when they passed, most cleaning up the bodies of the ones that were killed. They were almost to the throne room when Erunan spoke up again.
"We do not even know where they took her..." He growled.
Kalyvaaz placed a hand on his friends shoulder. "We will find her, Erunan. None of us will rest until we know our Kell is safe."
"...Your words offer little comfort right now, but I will pray that they are correct. And I will help in the search for her."
"But your wounds-"
"They do not matter. I have healed enough to fight again, and I will fight until I find her. You cannot stop me." Erunan snarled at the Guard.
Kalyvaaz remained silent, staring the Captain in the eye until the latter gave a snort and continued on. He watched his wounded friend for a moment. Not many on the Ketch knew of the growing relationship between Erunan and Teira, and for good reason. Not many would accept it. Accepting a human for a Kell was hard enough as it was. Bystanders would pass his behavior off as loyalty to the Kell, but Kalyvaaz knew what most did not. In the open, Erunan and Teira were friends, but behind closed doors... things were a little different.
The guard shook his head and followed Erunan to the throne room. Starr and her group would have to wait for their meeting to start. He could only pray that they would be willing to help find Teira...
"Ferro, I need you to meet me at this location. There are people here who need your.. help. Please hurry."
"You have an hour, Proditor Ferro." A man spoke up in the message. "Don't dally too long."
Ferro frowned as he listened to the message a third time, and he was certainly confused. It was most definitely Teira's voice, and she sounded terrified. However, what confused him the most was that she included two sets of coordinates. One sat in the western most part of Kings Watch, and the other rested in the mothyards of Russia. He tilted his head as he tried to figure out which one she was at, and why the other was in there.
Then it clicked.
Earlier that day, the Speaker had sent a message out to all Guardians, explaining that the House of Kings was withdrawing because they wanted to avoid any death while they formed a temporary alliance with the Guardians. Perhaps Teira had a part of it... She wanted him to go to the Kings Watch location first, if his hunch was correct.
The man leaped from his seat and he grabbed his hunters cape as he made his way out to the docking bay where his ship waited.
He then set out to the location in Kings Watch. The flight didn't take long, ten minutes tops. He arrived to the location, and was shocked to see a Ketch, sitting in an alcove inside a large rock formation, being pretty well hidden. He landed near the Ketch and observed from a distance. Was this the House of Kings perhaps?
Below him, at the bottom of the alcove, he saw a group of six guardians entering the Ketch. He recognized Starr, Raz, Echo, and Entity from seeing them in the Tower every now and then.
Ferro began to make his way down to the entrance and he followed them in only minutes after they disappeared into the ship. He walked along a few halls, some of which were stained with blood of the Fallen, but the bodies had already been moved. He followed the trail, knowing that the group he saw must have been just as surprised to see it as he was.
Eventually he began to hear voices, and he arrived in the throne room of the Ketch. He stopped as one of the Guards, donning what resembled as a Titan helmet, looked up at him. The Fallen in the room bristled and hissed, some drawing weapons. Ferro held up his hands, narrowing his eyes as Starr turned.
"Wait! Hold your fire!" She commanded, then looked to him. "Ferro? What are you doing here? How'd you find this place?"
"Perhaps it is because we face a similar problem." He brought out his ghost and played the message that had been sent to him. A few of the Fallen shifted when they heard their Kell's frightened voice play through it. "She sent me two locations. She knew you would be here, and that we could help her by devising a plan. The ones who took her are really after me, and if my hunch is correct... They are part of the Corrupted army on the moon."
"Damn. Those bastards were too scared to take you on in the Tower." Starr cursed as she folded her arms. "So what do we do then?"
Ferro thought a moment, then Echo spoke up.
"Ferro, they wanted to see you, no? Perhaps you could go see what they want. We could set up an ambush and strike them while they are distracted by you." He offered.
"We will help." Kalyvaaz agreed with a growl of broken english.
"They wanted to see me an hour after the message was sent, that means we have... less than a half hour to be there." Ferro brought up.
"Plenty of time." Raz said while cracking his knuckles.
"What's the location where you're supposed to meet them?" Starr asked.
"In the Mothyards. The locations coordinates were included in the message."
Starr thought for a moment, and she glanced over to Kalyvaaz as an idea began to form in her head. A minute passed before she stepped forward, everyone looked to her as she prepared to speak.
"Alright, I have a plan to rescue Teira." She began. "So this is what we'll do..."