WARMIND LIMBO

We screwed up the House of Winter at the Academy's Archives, then we messed around with the Vex and their Nexus Mind (which was a Hydra) in the Dig Site, and we even annihilated the Kell of Winter and their Archon Priest. As rewards, we found old journal pages belonging to Toland the Shattered. Rasputin even gave Lilianna a hand cannon from the Hellmouth, as sort of an apology for Leviathan's death.

After that, we found a Vex Cyclops just outside the Waking Ruins, took its mind core to a research station. The station, which was Campus 9, was full of fully-functional Golden Age tech. After examining the core, the Vex began to close in. First came the Harpies, then the Goblins, after that were Hobgoblins, and finally came the Minotaurs and Hydras. That's when we learned that a Gate Lord could be found and drawn out, but only if we screwed up the gate system. We progressed further, killing all of the Vex Gates leading up to a place called the Endless Steps. First, we had to descend down our set of stairs, loop around to the next set of stairs, and ascend those. It was there, on a relatively small platform, that we summoned a Gate Lord.

It came out in pieces, then it assembled itself, and pounded the ground with its feet. 3 stories tall, Minotaur shape and build, and very, very angry at us. It started shooting its torch hammer, and we ran away. Lilianna was firing her pulse rifle, but couldn't puncture its armor. In fact none of us could even dent or scratch it, even with our heavy weapons. Rasputin lifted himself on top of a pillar, and launched himself onto the Gate Lord using his Fist of Havoc, landing a dent on its chest. He fell to the ground. The Gate Lord tried to crush him with its foot, but the Warmind shouted, "NO!" raised his hand, palm facing the foot, and created a Void force-field big enough to house the three of us. The Giant crushed his own foot against the might of the Void shield, and stumbled back. I hurled a Nova bomb at the Gate Lord, cracking its metal armor, allowing for Lilianna to shred the rest of the plating with her Arc Blade, then used her Golden Gun to ignite its Radiolaria, and blow it up. Ras and the Hunter were exhausted after what they did. But something did pop out of the body of the giant: a Fusion Rifle with Warmind designs, and the Gate Lord's eye.

We approached the downed Gate Lord. I handled the new Fusion Rifle and Rasputin examined it. "That's my Pocket Infinity! It must've learned about the Gate System while it was lost in it."

"And why does this matter?"

"Because of the Vault of Glass." The Warmind turned his attention to the Eye. "Strange, it's whispering something." I looked at Lilianna, but her face said the same thing: I don't hear anything. Rasputin picked up and held the Eye. He pressed it close to his "ear", then it glowed an ominous red. Ras began to scream, "HEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLP MMMMMMEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Then he fell to his knees, and fainted.

The Hunter asked, "Can you bring him back?"

"I can try." I placed a hand on his head, and closed my eyes.

I could see everything. The Warmind had untold secrets inside his head, waiting to burst out. His mind was similar to that of the Earth: evolving memories as people, wide and expansive storage represented as countries, folders as houses, circuitry were roads, undiscovered parts as forests, and successes were the mountains. I found Ras on one of the roads, looking at the Eye with intrigue. "Max?" he asked, without turning his head. "Ras, come back to us."

"I can't, it is amazing!"

"Please, we're worried about you."

"Even Lilianna?"

"Even the Hunter."

He turned around. "I must learn about the Vex. I penetrated their firewall, broke into their Citadel, and rescued 227 simulations of four Ishtar Scientists. The same sims wanted to go back as explorers, and I went with them. I found new labyrinths in the Vex Gate System, yet I was never able to procure a specimen for studying. Knowledge is power."

"Then let me help." I took the Eye, and heard it say "84 North, 32 East, Meridian Bay," over and over again. "Let's go, Ras!" And we exited out of Rasputin's Limbo.

Lilianna greeted us with an "About time!" and "Where the Hellmouth were you guys!?"

I responded with a "Warmind Limbo," and "Where is Meridian Bay?"

At first, no one answered. Then Rusty broke his silence by saying, "Mars, territory of the Cabal. And no one can get past their Exclusion Zone."

"Well then," said the Hunter, "Let's go break it down!"

Primus Sha'aull stood at the Vex Confluence. It was his victory, and he wasn't going to give it up easily. He built a large fortress around his prize, and doubled the guard at the surrounding checkpoints. He himself, Sha'aull, kept a close eye on it, and even though he told everyone that it's for sustaining the power supply, the Primus had ulterior motives surrounding the various Vex relic sites. He wanted to invade the Black Garden, he wanted to consume the Dark Heart, he wanted to become The Darkness.