You've all been so patient with my slow updates lately, so I'm immediately starting up Part 3! This takes place after the events of the Curse of Osiris expansion and I'm been so looking forward to writing this. Hope you all enjoy! -AFKai
In all her days as a Guardian, Frea had done a lot of traveling. Usually by Sparrow, sometimes by the occasional Pike she wrestled off some Dregs, and most recently by tank. But never had she flown by Titan shield. It wasn't the most graceful sight as she screamed through the air and crash landed into a pile of Vex bodies. The door behind her closed shut just as the hem of her cape passed through its threshold, the Sentinel shield that was her peculiar transport got knocked out of her grasp and ricocheted around the interior walls until the void energy creating it finally dissipated.
"Frea? You ok?" Dex's voice echoed from a small hole in the middle of the vault door.
"How was the landing?" Another voice, this time belonging to Aner's, called out.
Shaking off the metal bits sticking to her armor, the huntress climbed to her feet with a groan and stumbled back to the doorway. She lifted herself so she could peer through the small diamond shaped hole at the Warlock and Titan standing on the other side. "When I said I needed a quick way inside, that wasn't what I meant, Aner."
He shrugged. "But you did make it."
"Yeah, yeah." She sighed and dropped down. For nearly a week she had been searching for this room, or more specifically for the creator of the immense source of Traveler's Light that was weaving its way through the Infinite Forest. They had their suspicions of whom the Light belonged to, but not the reason why he was in the stimulant future, the darkest timeline created by the Vex.
"I still don't get it," Aner said from the other side. "My Master may have loved a good fight, but he wouldn't go out of his way to start one. So why would he be here?"
"Why not? There's no Guardians in this simulation, no Light or Traveler. If I had the free time, I'd want to spend my weekends crashing this place too," Dex replied.
"I'm going to explore further in," Frea cut into their chatter. Whatever they said back to her was lost as she stepped away from the door. Her Ghost appeared over her shoulder, shining a light across the mountains of Vex bodies thrown against the walls of the room.
"Wow," it mumbled next to her ear.
Something soft crunched under the huntress's boot and she stopped to peer down. A daisy, its stem now broken, laid next to her heel. Bending, she gently plucked it from the ground. The splash of color from the petals was a stark contrast from the rest of the cavern. Rusted metal and corroded rock decorated the floor and ceiling, yet somehow tuffs of flowers and grass were growing out from underneath the robot carcasses.
"I've never seen greenery in this simulation," she whispered, rubbing the stem between her fingertips.
"There's Light up ahead."
Her gaze lifted to see that there was indeed a faint glimmer of white shining in the middle of the room. Tucking the daisy into her chestplate, Frea silently crept around one of the towering piles of metal and gasped. An Exo's body hovered over a blossoming bed of flowers, adorned with purple wrappings and placed with care, its hands crossed over its chest. It was a memorial.
"Is this..." She started, unable to finish her thought.
"It is." Her Ghost fluttered around the body, scanning over the dusty armor. "Saint-14. His Light is gone."
All the energy in Frea's body seemed to be ripped away as she sat down next to the shrine. "I don't get it. The Light we followed felt so alive. How could it have come from this?"
"I don't know. Saint was an odd Guardian and his power was almost limitless, he overflowed with Light."
Crossing her arms over her knee, she rested her head against her forearms and stared up at the corpse. "You met him before right, Ghost? What was he like?"
"He was charismatic. The type of person you'd follow into battle without question," someone else next to her answered.
Springing to her feet, Frea reached for the knife on her belt. She inhaled a relived breath when she met the glowing gold eyes of Osiris's reflection. "Still following me, I see." Her hand dropped as the shimmering image walked by her.
"Of course," he chuckled. "You have a knack for finding things that my reflections cannot."
"My reflections?" She raised a brow. Every time she ventured into the Forest, Osiris would send one of his phantoms to watch her. Normally they would refer to themselves in third person whenever she got the chance to talk to one.
The fiery figure sighed as he looked over the body of Saint-14. His hand hovered over it, as if he was too afraid to touch the armor. "Shortly after the Battle of Twilight Gap, he chased me here in the Forest and must have gotten trapped. Such a waste."
"I'm sure he knew the risk. Don't blame yourself, Osiris."
The Warlock moved his eyes to meet hers. "If I don't, then who will?" With a spin of his coat tails, he turned away from the body. "Don't linger too long here, Frea. This simulation is unstable around Guardians, we can't have you getting trapped like Saint...or worse."
"What could be worse than dying here?" She grumbled as he vanished again. Osiris's cryptic tendencies drove her mad sometimes, she had a feeling it was because he didn't get out often enough. Time was funny inside the Infinite Forest. Depending on the location, she could spend days inside while only hours passed outside. It was convenient for exploring but trying to adjust back to the real world when she stepped out of the portal was often jarring.
"Frea. Over here."
Turning on her heel, she met up with her Ghost. Something on the ground had the little bot's attention.
"What is it?" She asked.
"A gun," it responded. Her gaze landed on a shotgun sitting against a pile of Vex husks. The weapon stuck out strangely, not a single hint of rust or corrosion marred the metallic surface. She scooped the gun into her hands and tested the weight. Something clinked inside the barrel, a sign of the mechanisms being broken, most likely from overuse judging by the charred end of the muzzle and dented stock. Her fingertips ran over the number XIV engraved above the trigger. "There's a note attached."
"Read it for me?"
The Ghost's frame expanded and twisted as it deciphered the message attached to its scan.
"I never found Osiris, but I've killed enough Vex to end a war. And they, in turn, struck a fatal blow: they completed a Mind with the sole function to drain the Light from me. It worked very well. Don't worry. It took them centuries to build, keyed to the unique frequency of my Light. And I sit atop its shattered husk. I mourn that I will never reach the heights you have. To me, you represent everything a Guardian can become. Yours is a thriving City. So different from mine. My whole fourteenth life I fought to make my City yours. I never finished. All I have left is this weapon. The Cryptarchs say you crafted it yourself, built it out of scraps and Light and sheer will, inside the Infinite Forge. I'll make sure it finds its way back to you. When you gave it to me, I swore I would make it my duty to follow your example. I'm still trying. —Saint-14"
"Ugh." A splitting headache stabbed behind Frea's eyes and she looked away, shaking her head as the pain disappeared just as quickly as it came.
"Guardian?" When her vision focused again, her Ghost was floated in front of her visor, its concern clear in its eye. "Your Light just flickered for a moment. Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I just-" She ran a hand over her helmet. Every sense in her body was suddenly agitated, like she could feel an attack coming, it was suffocating. "We need to get out of here." Strapping the shotgun to her back, she gave one last look at the body and pulled the daisy out from her chestplate, placing it upon the Exo's clasped hands. "I'm sorry I couldn't come sooner. Rest in peace, Saint."
Whatever Dex and Aner were talking about halted when Frea returned to the door.
"Hey!" The Warlock hollered when he heard her footsteps. "See any buttons or a way to open this thing up over there? We couldn't find anything."
She searched around and ran her hands over the stone carvings surrounding the entrance, of course finding nothing. The Vex weren't keen on convenience.
"I don't see anything," she called back.
A scuffling sound from the other side could be heard and a moment later, the gleam of a Titan helmet poked out from the tiny hole in the middle of the door.
"Frea," Aner said, his tone lined with concern. "Where's Saint?"
The huntress broke her gaze away, looking down at the floor. "He's dead. I'm sorry, Aner."
A sound like a sigh escaped his visor as he glanced away. "I figured as much, honestly...but thanks for finding him at least. How are you going to get out now? The interface we hacked earlier is gone."
Another head popped up into the opening. "Can I join the party?" Dex jested.
"Do you mind?" The Titan snapped, pushing the Warlock away. "There's not enough space on the ledge for the both of us."
"If you weren't so damn big then this wouldn't be a problem!"
They struggled together, sending rocks tumbling down and then suddenly they were gone from Frea's view. She didn't have to ponder long when a crash echoed on the other side of the door.
"Argh!" She heard Dex shout. "You tore my coat!"
"Relax. It looks better that way," Aner snorted.
Groaning loudly, Frea rubbed her neck, feeling a new headache forming there. "Boys...boys!" When they finally quieted down, she continued. "Head back to the Tower. I'm going to see if my Ghost can teleport me out of here."
"Is that a good idea? You'll automatically be transported to the nearest major Light source and who knows where that is in the simulate future," Dex said.
"It's my only option. If I'm lucky then I'll just end up next to you guys."
"You could always kill yourself. Maybe your Ghost will fit through that hole," Aner offered. When the whole fireteam went silent he added. "That was a joke."
"I see your brother's humor doesn't run in the family," Dex curtly replied.
"Just go on. I'll join you guys soon," Frea yelled. When the sound of their footsteps become too far for her to hear, she turned back to her Ghost. "Alright, let's go."
The little bot nodded. "Hang on tight." A second later, her entire world lit up like a beacon and then vanished. She now stood in the middle of a wide cavern, Vex architecture still surrounded her, but at least she was longer trapped in the tomb. "Huh, that's strange. We should have ended up somewhere where there's Light, but there's nothing-" The Ghost went silent for long enough to worry the huntress. She followed its line of sight and froze. Across the spacious cavern fought a Titan against an onslaught of mechanic Vex. He moved with a grace unlike she had ever seen, his tactics and style was old fashioned, yet effective in dealing with his enemies. No doubt he had many years, perhaps thousands, of experience to lean back on. "Guardian!" Her Ghost's warning snapped her out of the trance and she deftly rolled to the side, dodging a Minotaur's stomp. Reaching behind her back as she recovered her footing, she pulled a thinly curved sword from its sheathe and slashed apart the buckling at the Vex's ankle. The Minotaur fell to a knee with a groveling sound and the huntress used the opportunity to drive Quickfang into the glowing core in its midsection, ending its life entirely.
Letting out a long breath, she whipped around to return her gaze to the mysterious Guardian, but found him no longer ahead of her. "Where the hell." When she turned back, her eyes landed on the barrel of a scout rifle pointed so closely to her helmet that could see every scratch and scorch mark covering the surface. She gasped in surprise and knocked the gun to the side with her free hand just as a bullet grazed through the edge of her hood, adding a new hole to the snowy fabric. Confusion clouded her thoughts as to why this Titan was suddenly attacking her and it gave him an opening. "Oof!" She grunted as his fist connected with the unarmored section of her torso and she went down like a sack of bricks, the wind knocked right out of her lungs. The barrel of the scout rifle was on her again, this time pointed directly over her heart.
"Drop the weapon or this time I won't give you the chance to dodge," the Titan commanded.
Frea could immediately tell by the robotic subharmonics in his voice that the stranger was an Exo, but something else had her attention more now that she had a better look at him. He donned the exact same armor set as the one she had just seen on Saint's body in the simulate future, it was newer and less rusty, but still had the same cracks running along the surface.
"No way."
"Saint?" Her Ghost materialized over her shoulder, its eye glittering brightly. "Is that really you?"
The strange Titan twitched, his gun inching away from Frea's chestplate. "You again. I thought we sent the Ghosts away to prepare for the Fallen's attack."
"But," the Ghost stammered. "That was hundreds of years ago, before Six Fronts."
Tired of having a gun pointed at her, the huntress grabbed the rifle and yanked it out of the Titan's grasp, sending it skittering across the floor. Before he could go for another weapon, she planted her sword into the stone and raised her hands. "Look. We're both Guardians. There's no need for any hostilities."
"Are we?" Saint's hands stopped over the pistol on his belt, but he didn't pull it out. "We're in the Infinite Forest. How do I know you're not some Vex creation? And a bad one at that." He thrusted a finger in her direction. "What kind of armor are you wearing? You're so tiny...and since when did anyone other than Shaxx use a sword?"
Frea's hands slowly dropped, her fingers twitched with irritation from the Titan's rude comments. "Listen here, you crazy-"
"Saint," her Ghost cut her off. "The Vex cannot replicate Guardians. You can sense her Light, correct? We're real."
His head tilted to the side, the frill adorning his helmet followed the movement. Finally, after a few tense seconds, his guard seemed to relax as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Fine. Tell me Hunter, why are you in the Infinite Forest? I thought only Osiris knew how to get inside."
"First of all, my name is Frea." Climbing to her feet, she brushed the dust off her gear and retrieved Quickfang to sheathe it. "And secondly, shouldn't I be the one asking the questions? How are you alive right now?"
She flinched when the massive Titan suddenly stepped up to her. Only a few measly inches from her visor, his helmet moved up and down her body, inspecting. "Your Light is too powerful for a new Guardian...and strange..."
"Frea," Ghost hummed in her head. "Something's not right, he's younger than the body we encountered in the Vex tomb and he mentioned something that happened centuries ago."
"Are you saying what I think you are?" She quietly questioned. "Is that even possible?"
"Maybe. Osiris did mention the Forest being unstable, perhaps that means time travel is possible...or some form of it."
Returning her attention back to the Guardian before her, Frea reached into her hood and unlocked the seals to her helmet. Exposing her head, a delicate weak spot, like this was a small symbol of trust, she hoped it would put the Exo more at ease. It definitely surprised him at least, enough so that she could see his shoulders jump when her eyes met his visor.
"You mentioned the Fallen attacking the City. How so?" She asked, her voice now louder without the interference from her helmet.
"The House of Devils has been testing our new walls since they were finished two months ago. We believe they plan to attack any day now, so I've come to retrieve Osiris for it," Saint said.
The huntress shared a look with her Ghost. House of Devils. New walls. The Fallen were in no position to go to war with the Guardians in her time...because he wasn't talking about her time. "The Battle of Six Fronts?" She hesitantly inquired.
He nodded. "The Cryptarchs are predicting the Fallen will approach in six waves. I didn't think that was common knowledge yet."
"Saint," she extended a careful hand toward him. "I need to show you something."
The Titan was quiet as he sat at the end of the cargo ramp, his feet dangling over open air. Frea guided him out of the Infinite Forest and flew him to the Last City to explain everything. He declined her offer for a tour around the new Tower and instead watched the bustle of people below from the safety of her ship.
"Everything is so...worn down," he whispered when she took a seat next to him. "Old and beaten, yet I've never seen the City so full of life."
"Yeah," she agreed, looking out over the buildings.
"How many years has it been after my time?"
"Well, Six Fronts hasn't happened for you so I think a few centuries? I'm not sure."
"And I'm assuming there's been many wars between then and now?" He asked.
"Naturally. We just got done with-"
"No spoilers," he interrupted. "I don't want to know the details." With trembling fingers, he reached up and removed his heavy helmet, setting it aside so he could stare at the Traveler with his own robotic eyes. "I've dreamed of a City like this. Where Guardians and people lived together in harmony, unafraid of each other. Just knowing that it eventually comes true." His gaze lowered to meet hers, a smile dancing across his face. "Thank you, Frea."