Act IV - Sorrow and Acceptance
Chapter 5 - Vault of Glass: Wayward Path
[Templar's Well, Ishtar Sink, Venus]
*Pew-Pew-Pew-Pew-Pew-Pew*
"Run!" I screamed, falling flat on my face while scrambling behind the wall next to the front middle stairs
"There's like a million of them!" Vlad followed in quickly to the left side, red beams striking the conflux being reconfigured, atleast over a dozen Vex from Goblins to Fanatics marching toward the staircase below
"What the hell!" Spouting off my hatred, I shot back, causing a chain reaction of Fanatics to burst into puddles of unstable, green energy, while Goblins swayed through the light, head clanking to the ground from Vlad's scout rifle doming them, myself taking out the Mind Cores while they're stunned
Toward the gateway leading further into the Vault floated the largest Hydra I've seen to date. The body was white with a blue eye. The chassis was far more elegant with horns atop the chassis, suspending a strange orb between the tips, two smaller ones were hovering under spikes protruding from its lower body, while a massive shield protected it. The Templar, it existed outside of time itself, having a connection to the Oracles that allowed it manipulation over reality within the Vault, so if we messed up, we'd die.
~We're pinned down - but still holding-Ack! ~DIE. DIE. DIE!~ Morbin bellowed through the coms, a thunderous crash of bullets from his machines gun rattled the air to the far lefthand side of the Well. Currently, we were on the final step instructed by Zane and Summer, these Vex were now throwing everything at us, Fanatics caught a few of us but that pool of energy quickly nullified the effects of the taint
~Now would be a good time for these confluxes to finish whatever it is they're doing!~ Taka sounded exhausted on her end, blasts from the Templar keeping the right side in a pincer attack, but they were managing to stay alive and keep most of the faster foes at bay. ~Ceres broadcast the next step of this Well, just encase we can't catch a break in between!~
"Can you cover me?" I peered over to Vlad, the Exo slamming his fist against a Goblin, his body cast in a fierce, golden glow as his gunshots punctured through Vex chassis like cannons, so by that interpretation I'd say he's got us covered for the time being. "Ghost?"
"On it, transmitting the recording to an open channel." Seconds later, the coms were filled with Summer's soft, mature voice again
Summer - Okay, recording three of Fireteam Caelus. If you're hearing this then chances are a strange, musical note was heard in the area, if so, find the glowing golden box and destroy it, many of them will appear across the arena, alongside Vex, around thirty-nine. Two waves of three, two waves of five, two waves of seven, and one wave of nine. These are called 'Oracles' and... they can erase you from time itself
Shadis - Summer, Echo's ready to move out now... are you...?
Summer - *Soft Sigh* Yeah... yeah I am - just finishing up...
Shadis - Alright, I'll get the rest ready then *Footsteps move away*
Summer - *Sigh* Honestly am worried about this, a strange place like this isn't natural, time flows so erratically, apparently these lights we keep seeing are the remains of Ghosts or echoes of Guardians from alternate realities, lost in time and stuck in this endless labyrinth - Really makes you think. Summer signing off
Again, we were left with answers and dread over what truly happened to their fireteam, but right now we needed to retake this Well from the Vex. Standing tall I raised my hand, bringing down a hammer with a 'clank' and warmth against the frigid Vault. Sliding down the stairs my arm swung upward and crashed against a Goblin, sending shrapnel coursing through the group in front of me, melting them down to scrap.
Gliding over the pools of energy, I slammed my knee into another Goblin, grabbing it and hoising the chassis around my left bracer, deflecting Hobgoblin rail shots from afar. Another laser struck the chassis, blasting it away and throwing my left side backward, so I used the force to twirl around, hammer skating across the ground as I flung it toward the group near Morbin and Sparrow, creating a fireworks display of brass and fire.
*Thunk!*
I reeled forward in pain, a Minotaur slamming against my back, throwing me into a roll. Spinning on my knees I craned right back around and raised my arms high, locking its arm again while its blaster rose to my face, hooking the claw against the arm I brought them down in a slant, throwing it off balance and crashing the hammer through its skull with an upward heave, slamming the Minotaur into the ground. Turning to my left I smashed a hammer into the ground under me, seeing two more Goblins consumed by fire, while I landed on another's shoulders, my weight crushing it while I swung left then right rapidly, searing two more in flames.
There was one more Minotaur. Pressing my feet against the wall behind me, my legs hurled me over the stairway leading toward the cleansing pool, slamming my heel through the chest of the second Minotaur, my Light fading away as to not overtax my body. Yet my radar blared crimson with the sights of a dozen Vex looming over me, Fanatics blasting me backward as they stomped their way upwards, bodies twitching erratically.
*Pop-Pop-Pop*
Raining from above came several Solar orbs, all rupturing into miniature novas to tear through the swarm of Vex, Vlad landing next to me, hand shoved through the eye of a Goblin, overclocking it with Light and throwing it back down the flight, seeing more scrap metal rain down in smoldering chunks. Say for a number of Fanatics that appeared before him, all beginning to glow brightly, his feet locked in place.
I shoved my body back with my elbows, the several Vex exploding around Vlad, yet my fear dissipated at the sight of his body soaring above me, Harrow saving him at the last second possible. The two touching down a few feet from me. "Thank you."
"Think nothing of it." Harrow bowed his head, the three of us seeing the other confluxes finally fade away, along with any remaining Fanatics. Any reason to celebrate was put on hold for now, my arm raised high
"Stay focused and fan out! If you see a golden cube destroy it or it's all over!" At my command, both Harrow and Vlad took up points near the front left and right, standing between the stairs, while I remained in the very middle between the crossroads and stairs leading toward the pool of energy
*UUUUAAAAHHHH*
~He doesn't sound all that happy about us not-not existing~ Morbin let out a mirthless remark, with the Templar appearing near the gateway, eye locked to me so I quickly backpedaled up the stairs and behind the pillar to counter his arc blasts, to my surprise, a flash of gold assembled before me with an audible piano note
Not holding back, I fired several burst rounds through the glowing Vex cube, shattering it, then two more of the black notes played through-out the Well, the golden glow seen from my elevated point. My radar flashed red, without thinking I stepped back, two red burns striking the ground, so with a flick of a CLG, I tossed it down below, creating a small ball of flames to keep the Goblins back for now.
Ducking, an arm swung over me, I spun around, pinning it with Stranger's Rifle, then the Templar let out another scream, a blast of dark energy flowing through me, yet I remained unaffected. Balling my fist I slammed it through the Minotaur's core, pulling out a mass of the Mind Fluid and twisting my arm to fire two bursts through the remains of its core, sending it sprawling to the staircase.
Over and over in waves of Vex came the Oracles in numerous sequences, Vex, of course, attempted to postpone our sweep of the machines, alongside the ever-looming presence of the Templar, it wasn't easy, you dwell on the fact that one wrong move meant the end, you would be trapped in limbo or just... gone, no one could remember you, the very remnants of who you are remain in physical form but the emotional connection is gone forever.
At first, I thought this happened to Zane's team, but from how he spoke of them, it sounded too emotional unless he had something that evoked the feeling alongside the loss of his friends. If not, then... what was waiting for us past this gateway? Did they know we were coming? Or have they already found hundreds of ways to end our lives? With the Vex I can't help but feel my skin crawl at thoughts of time and space.
~Hobgoblins on the outside!~ Over another sequence of 'Dings', Vlad called out the Vex flanking us, taking this time to focus on supporting the rest I ran toward the back again, the majority of the Well in my sights, I turned toward the outside, seeing Hobgoblins lurking on floating chunks of stone
Raising my rifle I carefully took single bursts, forcing the Vex into a cooldown period, the moment they stood tall something made a satisfying 'Pluck' noise, a high-caliber round piercing the Hobgoblins with neck-breaking speed. Satisfied, my attention shifted to the Goblins coming up the stairs in front of the Pool. Cracking my neck, I aimed slow and steady, taking down the small wave of Goblins that started to divide and move for the others too focused on another group or an Oracle.
*Ding-Ding-Ding-Ding-Ding-Ding-Ding*
As Summer retold perfectly, the Oracles appeared in a large number, another appearing down below, with a slight slide, I skated down the stairs, slamming my knee into a Goblin, throwing it against the Oracle, with my rifle high I shot blindly into the alien technology, disrupting the flow, yet the cloud of gold revealed something unseen, a brass fist to slam against my chest, pinning me to the corner of the wall.
The fist, far smaller than a Minotaur, but packing the same momentum and force threw me against the adjacent wall, my body slumping against the stairs, gunfire still booming all around me. I scrambled up a few steps, avoiding the foot that shattered stone, seeing the thick leg molded to form a smooth, brass shin and thigh, a black boot worn by time.
The figure stood like a human, coated in brass armor with plates thickening against the knees, shoulders, and around the upper torso and neck, a faded, rugged, ultramarine scarf tucked inside. A blade ran along the biceps and thighs. Large rivets jutting from the elbows, while black matterweave protected the figure's exposed joints. Atop their head was a helmet designed like a thinner Goblin, a disk arch attached to the scalp, while a large, crimson eye stared down with no sign of compassion in how 'IT' stood.
"unknown|frequency|eradicate." That wasn't a human voice, or it was just... twisted, an amalgamation of Vex integration and vocal cords pulled like a marionette of the Vex. The right arm folded back, and so I raised my rifle, deflecting the fist that knocked me further up the steps
"Guys! Take care of the Oracles! I have some... thing, trying to kill me!" I relayed, rolling to the left, then pushing up against the wall and back on my own two feet, avoiding the metal entity as it broke through stone, the build and that familiar mark draped to IT's waist made it clear this thing mimicked a Titan
~Qué?~ Sparrow sounded perplexed, and so did a number of them, Oracles appearing in my line of sight, but without a clear shot I couldn't be much help
"I'm more than happy to give you all a detailed explanation, AFTER, we avoid being erased from TIME AND SPACE!" How hard was it to understand that I didn't have the luxury to talk - Ahh! I was thrown back to where the first conflux used to be, now without my rifle and left with this Vex Titan charging toward me with murderous intent
~Leave it to us, Ceres, just be careful!~ Taka assured my woes and I spun my legs high, slamming them both against the Vex Titan's jaw, spinning around and landing on my feet to deliver a punch to its head, only it caught my fist and threw me back a few feet, clearly unphased by the strikes
*Ding-Ding-Ding-Ding-Ding-*
Again, more Oracles materialized, yet without this thing out of my way I had no other choice but to rely on my team to hold down my section. Drawing my knife, me and the Titan circled each other slowly, its arms low, but head completed transfixed to me. Ghost, what is this thing?
"I... I don't know, I'm picking up faint traces of DNA, but most of it is consumed by Vex coding, it... was human!" Ghost's vocalized shock had me hesitate a little, it was human... once. Spinning my knife around I lunged for the Titan, striking down then twisting back around to slice upward, my blade did little to scrape the armor, an arm wrapping around my right, twisting down to disarm me, followed by his hand locking me, bending me down and shoving a fist against my stomach over-and-over again, blood coughed up in the process. "Ceres!"
"Tisk!" My body burned with a radiant glow, my strength straining against the groan of foreign metal as I blocked his fist, twisting it left while I rose against his lock, snapping something in his forearm. Now kindling with fire, I swept a leg under his, grabbing him by the collar and tossing him across the area, body crashing against a pillar, while I charged forward, slamming his head against the stone again with a knee
It's leg swept under mine, body rising to slam his boot against my stomach while I tumbled, hearing the cybernetic steps crunch toward me. Rising to my feet his fists came down left then right, followed by a kick to my forearms, I blocked his right hook with my left, slamming my other fist into his helmet, grabbing his nape and smashing his head against my knee, making him stumble.
The Titan recovered immediately, leaping into the air for a roundhouse kick so I bound over it with a frontflip, spinning my knife out to slash across his back, only for a hand to coil around my wrist, bending me down slowly for his right fist to crash against my side, using his overbearing strength to lift and swing me across the area and back against the wall next to the central stairs.
Shaking the spots from my eyesight I yelped while rolling to the left, narrowly avoiding the foot embedding in stone. The two of us stood our ground, my arms raised at his approach. He barreled my way with a right hook so I deflected it, repaying him with a punch to the visor, bending under his next swing, my body leapt up and around to slug his face with my boot heel, landing on my toes as I sprung forward, tackling him against the wall nearest the chasm.
Hooking my fingers under his helmet, I threw him down, although an arm reached back and shoved me against the wall too, while his limbs bent around in a grotesque and inhuman manner. He pried my fingers off, crushing them under his foot as I winced from the pressure applied, followed by a sharp knee to my visor, shattering the plate, a shard of glass slicing just below my eye. Then a set of arms lifted me and threw me toward the chasm again, my legs dangling off the edge while I sunk my fingers into the cracks to stop myself.
The Titan stomped over, pushing his foot down on my left hand, my strain wince making it clear he broke a few bones, but nothing could compare to the dread of seeing the endless abyss below, and his attempts to throw me toward its endlessness. I reached up, coiling my fingers around his shin to pull myself up, this freed my left hand, now dangling near the cliff while his right leg moved toward the edge, sending more of my weight over the abyss, my feet flailing desperately to find some form of footing.
Think Ceres, think or you're dead! My head darted in any direction for a possible sign of salvation, the embers of my body beginning to dwindle since I no longer needed enhancement of strength while flailing over the side of a bottomless chasm. This can't be how I die, right? After everything, I'd died like this after spouting off how we'd all make it back alive, I can't go back on that vow now.
"Kch, don't think I'm going to die just yet," My left hand grazed something on my belt, a flash of realization in my exposed, right eye made it all the more clear to this Vex. Glaring through my broken visor and strands of hair, I held a firm grip on my belt, pulling up sharply through the torment of broken bones rubbing against each other
"want|out|eradicate." I had no idea if that was some ploy to lower my guard, or if whoever became this abomination was, with the last remnant of their soul, trying to beg for an escape from this slavery. I pointed high, shoving the barrel against his abdomen
"Eradicate this." I pulled the trigger, Hard Luck's powerful recoil threw my arm back, while the round punctured the armor, pulling me to safety from my hand still clasped around his leg. Bending my elbow, I pulled the trigger again, sending the Vex Titan back against with a shot to the shoulder, a successive third shot to the neck, tearing the scarf apart and exposing wires and metal inside
He stumbled toward the steps, a glimmer of another Oracle brimming against his armor and my eyes. Prying the helmet off my head, I leveled Hard Luck, arm still burning brightly, firing twice and bringing the Vex to his knees, joints and artificial muscles torn to pieces. Ghost appeared, healing my hand as I rested the barrel softly to the Vex's head, he didn't move, arms within reach of my body, yet no command was given, no words, nothing, just an emotionless gleam of the eye.
*Blam*
The last shot in Hard Luck threw it back, body crumpling against the stairs with each tumble, the bullet gaining a small remnant of my enhanced Solar Light to pierce the skull and shattered the Oracle behind him, the Templar screaming again as a wave of energy passed through, I was alive, so were the five other dots on my radar. While the Oracle dissipated, the body of that unknown Titan refused to move, the eye having died out on impact with the ground again.
"Rest easy, Titan," With a soft voice, I slung Hard Luck on my belt and grabbed Stranger's Rifle from the ground, dusting it off while running a hand through my hair. "Sorry about the helmet, Ghost."
He sighed. "We can replace it later, use this for now." In a flash, an older Knight Type 1 replaced my broken helm
~Last sequence coming up!~ Harrow called out, and I raised my rifle once more, seeing the Templar focused on someone else for a change. I hopped up onto the elevated corner of the stairs, getting a clear view of my Oracle, and one toward the far left, even another just a few feet in front of it near Vlad. ~Are you well, Ceres?~
"You know it, now let's end this trial by fire already!" Rallying everyone again, the Oracles came alive with a 'Ding' of many different pitches
"The Vex, they're finally vanishing!" I was elated, falling back against the stairs facing where the pool of cleansing once bubbled, the others all joining me in the center. Vlad and Harrow sat down on the stairs with me, checking over their equipment. Taka and Morbin were looking at some engrams they acquired, alongside some strange materials called 'Ascendant Shards' and 'Ascendant Energy', I did have a few of those too. Last was Sparrow, who sat near the gateway, legs swinging over the edge
"So, what now, Ceres?" Vlad inquired, Ghost appearing to bring up the next file for our final test, but with the Templar gone I doubt it would be for long
Summer - Okay, by now, implying no one has been erased by the Templar, you should finally have a chance at the big guy. Why do I believe he'll still be here? Because his kind of Axis Mind can be replicated countless times, but they only ever need one to guard the gateway, otherwise interference would slow progress, something the Vex surprisingly hate
Eva-2 - That I can relate to! Now, are we ready to go!?
Summer - Yes, are you okay, Eva?
Eva-2 - *Sigh* Y-yeah... just not lookin' forward to telling Marco's friend that... you know, all of that
Summer - It's okay, just go wait with the others, I'll be there soon *Sounds of feet moving away*
All eyes turned to Taka, seeing her hands together tightly with her head bowed, it wasn't fair for her to find out this way, that Marco... I had no right to try and say sorry, it wouldn't do much good other than making the fact more transparent. With a nod, Ghost continued to play the record.
Summer - By now, you should have noticed a shield where the pool of cleansing once was-
If by some strange humorous timing, under Sparrow's shadow grew a radiant, golden glow. We all stood on our guards, seeing a diamond-shaped shield appear made of brass. Prongs jutted from the tips while a dark marine hourglass remained fixed to the face of the buckler. A strange Light resonating across the shield itself.
Summer - I bet it probably just appeared, it has a funny way of doing that, maybe it was his last little joke to the Vex, or for us now more than ever. The Shield of Aegis, the moment you acquire it the Templar will lock onto its Light frequency, before that, however, everyone should make their way to the floating island toward the far right of the shield, there you'll be safe
"She's right," Morbin pointed ahead. "I can see one in the smog, we use the other islands to hop across."
Summer - When you choose who will take the shield it should be made clear on how it works, it did for me-
How would it clarify anything? It's a shield with Light imbued within it, maybe it was written on the shield?
Summer - Take it and use it to cleanse those of the Mark of Negation, that will disrupt the Templar's ability to erase you, when you overclock it with your Light you'll gain the power to create a dome-shield, a forward-facing shield or a blast so powerful it can disrupt both the Oracles and the Templar's shield, giving you ample time. This is Summer signing off
"So, who will take it?" Sparrow finally spoke our thoughts, my eyes lingering on the glow, it was faint, but I felt this Light somewhere before, recently too
"Not me, I don't do defense," Morbin muttered, already walking in the direction of the floating lands, with Taka in toe, not saying a word to us, clearly she needed some time to process everything, I can't fault her there
"I would, but... well, being in control of Vex tech rubs me the wrong way," Vlad raised his hands, clearly not wanting to try. "If anything, you take it, Ceres."
"You sure? What about you two?" I was unsure so I motioned to Sparrow and Harrow. Sparrow waved his hands profusely, standing back up to walk around a wall and out of sight
"No es posible!" Okay, so his distrust in a shield brimming with a strange light and made of Vex hide certainly did put people off, I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel the same way. With a defeated turn to Harrow, the Warlock simply put a hand on my shoulder, his answer was clear although it did sting knowing they all shouldered it on to me
"Think nothing bad of this, Ceres, we were all affected by the Vex in our own ways, to touch something unknown of the Vex, even with a strange form of Light is... hard to say yes to," I took a few steps forward, his hand slipping from my shoulder
"That's fine, I understand that just... promise me if something goes wrong that one of you will run in a take the shield, if you all die because of me I... won't be able to live with myself," A risky choice was laid out before us, and I had to make the choice to press forward, even if what Summer said was true, it still didn't make the uneasy feeling go away
"I assure you, this will work, Ceres," With that comforting answer, he and Vlad ran off to join the others, this plan was all we had against the Templar, so I'm praying it works
"Here we go again, messing with something we don't understand," Ghost murmured warily, and I forced a smile
"Sometimes, Ghost, you just got to roll the dice." Confidence rising for a second I reached out and grabbed the shield, feeling the wave of Light vanish all around me
One. Two. Three. Four...
"Huh, I'm okay," Blinking at the anticlimactic effect, I rubbed my hand over the hourglass, the weightlessness was surprising given how heavy Vex chassis are
"I have destroyed myself to do this." I nearly dropped the shield at the appearance of the Vex Titan before me, hunched over... The Aegis? I glanced at my arm, seeing it still present on my bracer, then back to the Titan, his voice wasn't a mesh of Vex coding spliced with rotten vocal cords, it was rough, deep too, and tired
A memory within the shield's Light!
"They have taken my Ghost. They are in my blood and brain. But now there is hope." His Light was dying, arms casting a faint hue against the brass face, body trembling a little as he continued to draw every ounce of Light from his being into the buckler. "I have made a wound in the Vault. I have pierced it and let in the Light. Bathe in it, and be cleansed. Look to it, and understand."
"From my own Light and from the thinking flesh of the Vex I made a shield. The shield is your deliverance. It will break the unbreakable. It will change your fate." The Titan stood proud,, raising the shield as if to... offer it to me? "Bind yourself to the shield. Bind yourself to me. And if you abandon your purpose, let the Vault consume you, as it consumed me."
His helmet gaze to the shield, then back to me, a solemn pitch in his voice. "Now it is done. If I speak again, I am not Kabr." He vanished without a trace, the heavy silence broken swiftly by radio chatter
"Ceres! Run!" Taka screamed in fright
"What the hell are you waiting for, run!" Vlad scolded
"~TURN AROUND, RED LADY~!" Morbin warned me, so without thinking I sprinted up the stairs with gusto, panicking at the sound of lightning shaking the ground under me
*UUUUAAAAHHHH*
I had been transfixed on the memory that the Templar traced the signal to me! Pushing off my left foot my body soared over a flock of Harpies whirling down from the far left stairway, instinctively I drew the shield back, my body lurching forward with a powerful burst of Light, shattering their chassis completely, overcoming the shock quickly, I ran up the stairs and saw the tip of the Well, pointing straight to a floating island. Taking in a breath I bound off and over the chasm, swinging my legs to gain some kind of traction.
With a battle cry, my body tumbled onto the platform, feeling a heavy wave of energy pass through me, sending an abrupt shift of perception to my eyesight, like color and image started to bend and stretch, I needed to keep going, I needed to move now or we'll all be dead!
My fingers sunk into soil up above, hoisting my body onto the highest point on the island, from there, I jumped for the smaller platform below, forcing my body to brace and roll. From there I stood a small running start off the final lip, using my Light to boost my glide farther over the void, a hazy yellow hue starting to thicken in my vision, with the rest all watching anxiously, some of their arms out toward me. I needed to cleanse us now!
Folding my arm, I saw the frame expel light between the prongs, creating a large, diamond shield, while the haze lifted, the Mark of Negation was gone, but the metallic roars and soaring Arc blasts reminded me that the Templar had tracked me here. Slamming forward, the shield dispelled a large wave of Light, the strange haze lifting from the others who let out a collective sigh.
"Cutting it close, aren't you?" Morbin humored while I panted, his hand out to lift me back up. "Here it comes..."
"Long-Range up on the small pillar! Everyone else stands behind it or on the platform with me!" Wasting no time, Arc blasts struck the platform, hitting me as I raised Aegis, the damage fried my nerves, my hands numbing a bit, but the shield expanded, holding back any other charges
From this distance, I caught the glimmer of Red Oracles, but those were quickly dispatched by Vlad and Sparrow using snipers, while Taka, Morbin, and Harrow waited for the Templar's shield to go down, luckily I had that remedy. Placing my right hand atop my left, feet firmly planted while collecting a large portion of Light within the hourglass, a strange ticking of a hand blaring in my ears.
"Now, Guardian!" My eyes shot wide at Ghost's signal, Aegis sent forth a rush of Light through the darkness of the Well, the shockwave of Light sailing far across the chasm before finally crashing into Templar, his shield came down in a shatter of coded glass, and while Vlad, Morbin, and Sparrow drew from their reservoirs, dispensing an aurora of fire, and mystical matter, a red barrier ensnared me, Taka, and Harrow. "We've been detained, use the shield!"
Seeing Taka raise a Grenade Launcher, I put my hand out to her. "Don't! It's like a Defender Titan, it'll kill you!" She lowered her weapon, instead, she followed mine and Harrow's lead in smashing it with our fists, Aegis shattering the bind, freeing all of us. "Together!"
"Here, since mine won't really be useful at this range," Taka offered her hands to my shoulders, white light resonating over me as though to overclock my Light, which made all the small aches and burns numb, while a buzzing warmth filled my very soul. "Give him one for me."
"On it! Morbin!" He stepped in beside me, hands burning with Void Light again, while Harrow and Taka used weaponry, but we needed to hurry, Templar's shield was starting to reconstruct itself
"~HERE COMES THE WINDUP!~" Morbin/Krieg screamed while I craned my body back, my body on fire while metal and embers corralled into my palm again, but far more fierce and unstable
In a bombardment of Void, his Nova Bomb coiled tenderly around my hammer, the two leading the vanguard for the grenades and rocket that pursued the heat source. At the last instance, all our targets struck Templar, breaking down a large portion of its chassis, one of the horns snapped off, while an Arc Cannon was damaged, causing sparks to fly from the muzzle.
*UUUUAAAAHHHH*
"Ceres!" A number of my team warned me, so with a heavy breath I channeled more of my Light into the shield, finding my knees to be drifting near the ground from the amount of Light I've stretched so far, the Darkness Zone did little to aid in that regard
"Here," Again, the drain had vanished, Harrow's own hand on my shoulder whilst I stood strong once more, the Aegis burning bright, rekindling its former, enthralling radiance
"Thanks... everyone to me!" We corralled near the pillar, avoiding the flak from Templar, Sparrow still knocking out the Oracles as they emerged. With the shield risen high, we basked in the afterglow, our vision clear again. "Get behind me!"
Taking to the front lines, I braced with Ageis raised, followed by a series of powerful strikes to the screen of transparent light, the Templar summoned more Oracles, trying in vain to erase us in seconds, but gunfire from snipers above me took care of that problem. We needed to put an end to this before we used up the remains of our Light, the more time wasted is more gained in the Vex's favor, how long would this strategy hold out?
"Everyone get ready I'm dropping the shield!" Not waiting around for a response I condensed the Light into the hourglass, a clock hand ticking with each additional wisp of my Light infused into Kabr's
Kabr... he gave up everything to try and stop the Vex and nothing of his legacy remains anymore, just his armor, recently used to assault both Guardians outside the Vault and me, and his shield comprised of Light and Vex, a weapon to change fate itself. If you, beyond this darkness, can hear my thoughts, please, give me your strength as you did for Summer and her Fireteam, and for those who have perished to get even this close to the Vault.
"Let me shoulder your burdens too," With a whisper and my eyes wide open, the massive blast of disrupting Light sailed through the air, slamming against Templar, bringing the shield down. With a slight pull, a net surrounded me, Sparrow, and Taka, the three of us quickly unloading a magazine into the barrier. "Hit it with everything you got."
"Alright!" In unanimous agreement. The sharp 'ching' of two snipers rung, the barrel of a black and red machine gun, Hammerhead, loaded beside me alongside Harrow's Unwilling Soul and Taka's Proxima, I myself flew into the air, drawing swiftly my white, red, and gold Zenobia D, a powerful Arc rocket launcher of Hakke
Thunder blared in my left ear, with two sharp 'bangs' every two seconds, with the pluck of grenades, with all of our CLGs masquerading as shooting stars in the void. My rocket pushed me back with a powerful gust of force, the flurry of colors cascading down over Templar's massive form, breaking down Arc cannons, and shattering those spheres of his.
Each splash of lightning from grenades and my rocket, accumulated with towering pillars of fire, while the grasp of dark matter hooked into his chassis, keeping the Templar frozen to the perpetual forces of another bombardment of the same damaging forces, eroding the brass and tearing through the Mind Core hidden from sight. With a sudden flash of blue light, the cracks split and widened across his form, breaking apart the torso, turrets flying off its sides along with the head that collapsed in on itself, the body finally falling apart in a blinding burst of molten shrapnel and fluid.
For a pregnant pause, no one spoke, the reality of the situation slowly became apparent by the weight of Darkness lifting for the time being, and the Aegis... it was gone! We completed the trials were finally over. A number of us finally let out a cry of bliss as Morbin patted my back, our ghosts appearing to greet us.
"While that was a ridiculously reckless plan... well done." CT acknowledged me, my head nodding once with Ghost and Deus appearing again to dispense a number of engrams at our feet, along with more Ascendant materials
"Enjoy!" Ghost floated aside, all of us taking a few materials, and an engram each, say for Sparrow who lifted from the collection a new weapon, a bronze sniper rifle with a small receiver and black barrel and underbelly, small red lights decorating the rifle. Inscribed on the stock was a name, 'Praedyth's Revenge'
"Perfección." Sparrow chuckled, having Torus replace his old rifle with it instead, in my hands came a new shotgun, a from the looks of it I had myself an upgrade from my Sidewinder, though it had been helpful all this time, this one might serve me better
It copied the same bronze and black coat, a rather smooth, rhombus frame with red lights along the frame, although I no room on my back to use it, I instead held it out for Ghost to store for the time being. "You sure, we could need it?"
I shook my head, patting Hard Luck. "I don't want to cripple my maneuverability, having a rocket launcher already does that, and having two weapons on either thigh would be weird to walk with."
"Ceres," My head turned, facing Taka who looked a little less tense than before, her voice soft. "Thank you for helping me find some comfort over Marco's death if I hadn't have come here I..."
Moving closer, I wrapped my arms around her softly, my head resting on her shoulder. "I know, but... you won't have to do this alone now, promise."
"*Sniff*... I know," I let out a relieved breath, her hands wrapped around my waist tentatively. It was clear who Marco was to her, I didn't need her to tell me the obvious. "Thank you, everyone."
"We all came for a chance at revenge, excluding Sparrow and Ceres, but despite that, we're all in this together, we'll slaughter every Vex in this tomb," Vlad vowed with a fist closed against his breastplate. "This makes one, so let's make it five more, right?"
"Agreed." Sparrow tuned in with Harrow, their ghosts in agreement silently
"What a touching moment." Morbin ruined the moment, but it did make us laugh, Deus, shaking his shell
[The Gorgon's Labyrinth, Ishtar Sink, Venus]
The pathway led deeper and deeper into a world unlike Venus' lush environment and blue, volcanic horizon. This place seeped with darkness, the Zone in effect again after only a small venture into the depths. The walls had steepened, jutting high into the murky smog above us, our vision was impaired, so our ghost lit the way forward.
"This really is a tomb..." Taka murmured, sticking close to the group while navigating the steep slope down, the two walls finally breaking apart into a large section up ahead, past spots of grass and water that had somehow survived down here without sunlight or nourishment
"...This could be a problem." Morbin had stopped ahead of me, pointing ahead toward the monstrous size the cavern had broken into. Gone were narrow walls, and cramped spaces, now the world had broadened out atop a large cliff, hundreds of feet below us was the ground, with no plausible way across from up here besides down. "Walls are too sharp, can't climb across."
"No other way to go other than down, perfect," Harrow tisked, walking along the edge to peer down with me. "Any thoughts, Ceres?"
"Not much other than down, best we look at some other recordings; Ghost?" Moving away from the anxiety-inducing edge, Ghost appeared from my palm with a... solemn gaze, shell lowered at the top as if to be disheartened. "Ghost?"
"I... well, just... be prepared for this one," I didn't like how he phrased that, but we had no other choice but to trust in what Summer's Fireteam had done to get this far themselves, at the cost of Marco though
Shadis - *Sound of grunting* Bloody machines...! Zane, you good!?
Zane - *snarky tone* I just had my face used as a surfboard, how are you!?
Shadis - Hmm, fair point. Summer, how's Echo and Eva?
Summer - Fine, but that was cutting it too close, even by our standards, yet the Gorgons didn't seem too phased by the noise we made, strange, maybe they track by movement?
Shadis - Could be. Ahem, if you're hearing this, then the Gorgon Maze is up ahead, and it may be the worst part of this place-
That brought a shiver to me.
Shadis - There are several of these Harpies inside the Labyrinth, if one spots you then you have around ten seconds to kill one, your welcome if they haven't replaced it by now, if you don't, then the same thing with the Templar and Oracles, you'll be erased-
"~WHY WITH ALL THE LUST FOR THE ENDBRINGING!?~" Riveting, Kreig as always
Shadis - Inside this recording is a documented map that took around two hours to pinpoint, maybe less if... *sigh*... heh, you know, if by some chance you're hearing this, Blitz, you should know that I have never seen a bookworm go down with such bravado, hehehe...
"Marco..." Taka spoke warmly at that, was that her nickname?
Shadis - There we was, he took a hit for Echo that did some... lasting damage on himself, with a weapon gone, his back to the chasm, you know what he did? The ballsy Warlock did the most Titan-thing I've ever witnessed. He leapt high into the air, the Templar's shield was gone so he hooked his fingers behind its head and pumped that SOB with so much Arc energy that it fried its processor, it couldn't even summon a single Oracle or reconstruct the shield, I don't know how he did it, but that took the Templar down, but... well, without any way to free his arm, combined with the blood loss I'm sure you could figure it out
Shadis - He was a good guy, not much of a fighter but he sure showed us, and all Guardians that the Light is limitless in what it can accomplish. He said to me one thing, I don't get it but, I sure hope you do, Blitz. 'From Me To You'. This is Shadis signing off
All of us turned to Taka, now sitting with her legs over the cliff. She didn't speak, only moving to sit down by the ledge and toward the shrouded maze below. I approached her, CT appearing too with a glance to me, then to her Guardian. I can't imagine how she was feeling, just because she was confident didn't mean it could stave off the pain she felt, that was a cold, hard fact.
"Marco was quite an egghead, even before we met, he didn't fight often so that made him less likely to join up with others, 'what use do Guardians have for one that can't even fight'?" With a halfhearted voice, Taka shook her head. "I didn't see that way, I knew he could fight, he just picked his battles, and Shadis saw that too, probably why he joined them - Hmm, he was very happy that day, couldn't stop smiling."
"I bet him and Ghost would talk for hours about things neither of us could understand," I added lightly, Taka chuckling a little, her hand rubbing against CT's shell. "Hey, after this is over, maybe you, me, and Dimitri could go for that drink, Dimitri does owe me one after all?"
"Heh, she does, doesn't she?" That brought her confidence back, though the feelings she harbored were still fresh in her tone. "You know, Dimi and Marco aren't so different, both have pretty bloated egos when they want to show off."
"That's true," With a small laugh, I tapped her shoulder and hopped off the edge. "The last one down's paying for the first round!"
"You cheating little runt!" Vlad scolded from up high, following after me while Morbin used Sparrow like a surfboard, the Spanish Guardian bellowing out insults in said language, yanking the Exo off. The rest soon followed me down
~Okay, I've crossreferenced all your HUDs with the map overlay~ Vlad's ghost, Skoll, informed us with a 'super unpleasant' voice, though now it made sense how Vlad's ghost got along with his bluntness. ~I'd appreciate it if you don't get erased~
~Was that a joke?~ Ghost questioned yet no reply came
~Yes, a poor choice too~ CT agreed
~Sí~ Torus too
They all followed my lead, with our ghosts sadly turning off the lights as to not attract the Gorgons. The first part was simple, followed the trail toward a large stone mound between two Gorgon routes. Trudging through a stream we jogged slowly without our weapons on hand, though I did keep my right hand close to Hard Luck.
Hugging the left cliff face the six of us saw the mound and proceeded to climb, hearing something moving ahead of us. My hand raised high their footsteps stopped, and Morbin moved in close for us to gain a better scout of these Gorgons. Peering over the rock we saw something crystal white saunter on by with an icy-blue eye. It was a Harpy, only a white and grey tone with a blue eye, and while tendrils.
"That's... mildly unsettling." I nodded to Morbin's observation, the Gorgon floating on by. I waved my hand forward and the six of us carefully made our way down, seeing the route highlighted orange for sprinting, we booked it across the way, the incline beginning while rocks formed sharp, black walls between us and whatever Gorgon's wandered by
I stopped with my back against a small rock, holding my fist down so that the rest crouched against the two rocks, seeing the same Gorgon fly by with its back to us. Sparrow then waved something in front of us, a Smoke Bomb. I nodded quickly and he slammed it down, the effect forced the Gorgon's plates to split apart, eye pointed directly at us, or where we passed by without it seeing us, a collective sigh as we moved far away and continued down the route.
The Smoke Bomb's effect wore off and the six of us quickly scrambled up the ledge, avoiding a spotlight from a nearby Gorgon, but no alert sounded. This was bad, now two of them were surrounding the rock we rested on and the next we needed to jump to. Waiting anxiously, the two Gorgons went on their journey, completely unfazed by us making our way down, though someone slammed into me, making one of their spotlights stop suddenly, the gaze slowly turning toward our direction.
"Dammit, our straps are stuck!" Taka alerted me in a hushed tone, the rest stopped prematurely as I turned around and saw Taka and Sparrow struggling with their locked straps, all while that gaze slowly drew closer, yet no one dared to move, all silently begging for an answer I struggled to get out
"I-I, Vlad, go, I'll help them!" I yelled in a whisper, running back to try and see the problem, but in this dim cavern it made it harder to see, and that blue gaze now projected off the rocks behind Sparrow, giving me some light but not enough to quench the staggering beats of my heart, sweat pouring down me as I tried desperately to free them both. "Sparrow, hold still!"
"I'm trying!" He wasn't, he was panicking like the rest of us, his hands against a rock to try and pull the bind loose
"No other way then, huh?" Taka replied, her knife slicing across her side with a strained wince on her end, steam rising from whatever warm liquid split between us, did she just... cut herself!? Without warning the two of us were shoved between a fissure, Taka eyeing the spotlight above that moved in a slant toward her, so with a final wave she ran off down a different route, hand to her side
~I'll take the long way, meet you there~ I had no room to argue as that Gorgon flew by, causing my heart to rise in my throat and my stomach to sink deeper into my insides, the two of us strained against the stone, praying to go undetected. It never looked our way, say for the pointed chassis spinning against the fissure, a tendril snaking between the stone and my helmet
The eye was trained on the pathway dotted with blood, so instead, it closed its shell and returned to its normal route, both of us breathing heavily while Sparrow pushed me out first, his hand waving for me to grab it.
"She saved us, I owe her a great debt now," I could agree to that too. No longer struggling to stay hidden, we regrouped with the others as I took point again, wondering if Taka was okay the whole time
We waited patiently, the Gorgon slowly shambling by the exit, a small crevice in the stone, leading further into this massive, hollowed-out earth, transformed into a citadel for these machines and the Vault. After it moved far enough away we leapt down, me and Morbin staying outside to watch everyone's backs as they moved into the small area, but we needed to wait, if Taka was nearby she'd be coming here and if it's from the northern sector she won't see the Gorgon if it comes back around.
"This is risky, and rather pointless since she can find it herself," I shot Morbin a look through my visor, but he shrugged, completely unfazed. "I'm not saying we leave, I'm saying we're at risk of a Gorgon spotting us out here."
"Then we'll go back inside when that happens, wait, then come back out, simple." I made it sound simple in theory. In reality, it would often be disappointing
*UAH!*
Every vessel in my body froze, head shakily craned with Morbin's toward the sound and glare of metal. A Gorgon stared emotionlessly in our direction, eye beginning to glow brighter with a horrendous red infecting my pupils. The pressure rippling through my body was too much to turn away from, nor did we have a choice, we... we were going to die down here.
"W-We forgot a path!?" Morbin struggled with his words, the red consuming us more and more with the six seconds mark... seven... eight...
With a spin, Hard Luck rose directly at the eye, my finger ready to pull down on the trigger in microseconds, a pump of a shotgun following in unity. If this was the end for the two of us, so be it, but no one else is going to die, no one! I'm sorry, Gho-
*BOOSH-SPLATT!*
My apology cut short by the unexpected something startling the Gorgon's gaze from us, a knife plunge between the eye and ring around it, causing an unnatural spasm to occur, that bright light flickering against a hand holding down the knife, tendrils caught around a set of arms and legs caked in blood. N-no way...
"T-Taka!" I yelled back, the others all stopped to look back, shock visible in their movements
"Holy hell..." Sparrow gaped, coming to run up beside me with the rest. "Free her, quickly!"
"Get me a clear shot and I will." Harrow insisted, trying to aim for the tendrils with a sidearm, albeit with hesitance
"Come on, hurry up!" Vlad beckoned her to leave the Gorgon behind, but those tendrils, they had her in a lock, and so did her knife, pumping more and more Arc through its body that kept the Oracle's power at bay, saving mine and Morbin's lives. Just like what Shadis said... no... no-no-no!
"Leave it and run!" Harrow called her over, waving his hand to reach out to her with my own hand. All of us yelled for her to turn around and run, run as fast as she could toward us, away from fate, away from death no one would recall
"Gah!" Taka coughed, her right arm held tightly to her side, blood dripping from the deep gash lathering her arm in crimson. "Sorry, but, I... I refuse to let a-anyone die a-a-again."
"Burn the binds with your Light!" Morbin ordered me, but was stopped by Taka's hand flinging blood our way, her fingers curled up say for her index, pointing past us and toward the cave system ahead
"...Go..." That single, desperate word had my resolve shatter, as my hand reached out for Taka, tears blurring my vision as I desperately tried to grab her past Morbin who now held me back, even though I screamed for him to let go, to save her while she was still alive, but a part of me knew better, that stupid, but logical side to me that knew why she wouldn't budge from the Gorgon. "Finish this fight... for everyone here."
"Please... make it... the end... of this," I can't, not without all of us, without my best friend! Taka, please don't die! "Until next time."
"Taka! No! Just take my hand, please!" She didn't turn back, instead, her right hand pried into the shell of the Gorgon, allowing her knife to sink in deeper, body charged with Arc that slammed wave-after-wave of indomitable force through its being, disrupting that terrifying gaze from erasing us. "TAKA!"
I could barely see her now, shadows and my own tears making it hard to see, but I didn't imagine it, the sight of her body, and how it flickered transparently against the rocks.
. . .
Shadis - If you've made it through the Gorgon's Maze then you've survived having your own reality erased. In any case, by now you've entered the final stage before we believe will be the Vault itself, although you need to cross a chasm by hugging the far wall, not looking down may help in this regard
Eva-2 - *Yelling from afar* Yeah, it seems that way from here! It might be a straight path to the Vault!
Summer - Take point, we'll be there shortly! Come on, we need to keep moving
Zane - I agree with Echo, it just feels... wrong, why were the Gorgons so... docile?
Shadis - Whatever the case, we cannot give up yet. Shadis signing off
Again, we were given instructions, but none of us talked as we moved, sure, we communicated to keep ourselves from falling off the sloped edge, but after leaving Taka... the fact I remember her name means she's alive, for how long I didn't know, but I also wanted to go back and save her, with every fiber of my soul, but that would go against her wishes.
"Hey, you doing okay?" I turned my head back, my body up against the wall, facing the void below, how easy it would be to fall right now. Harrow looked to me, clearly concerned for my well being. "I know it wasn't our intent to leave her, but-"
"We remember her name, everything she's done for us, that means she's alive," I was a little blunt about it, but I just... left her there, of course, I feel torn up about it. "I... just want to end this so we can go back for her, the longer we take the more likely she'll..."
"I know, but do not burden yourself, we all left her behind, even if none of us wanted that." Again, Harrow wasn't upset or angry with me, earnest, even now
"Thank you, Harrow." We continued across the cliff, my thoughts slowly aligning with the task ahead of us. "Ghost, how much farther?"
~Just a little more, the lip should bend inward soon, just... watch your-~ Again, Sparrow screamed as his ghost just flew past me, reviving him on said bend with a few choice words for him, something like 'idiot' in Spanish. ~How is it that we've made it this far?~
"Pure, hard luck?" I guessed, patting the weapon in question, though that brought a collective groan from the team
"You've got to stop spending time with the Worst One." Morbin's bitter reply, with a 'boo' from Sparrow, made me pout
"I thought it was good; Jerks." Finally tree of the slippery edge, one-by-one we stepped into the open passage against the walls, the shadowy outlines of Vex portals and spires on the dark horizon was an omen for what awaited us, traversing the walls and between the cracks like snakes, moving down to the final layer of the Vault, my feet touching solid ground with safety walls all around us
All of us gathered together to hear the last of two recordings, the dark, triangular pathway ahead of us illuminated by red cracks in the metal pillars.
Summer - I'll cut straight to the point. This last part is quite simple. Inside our two portals, one to a desert another to a jungle, destroying all the Vex inside the Vault will trigger them to activate, next, send in two people each portal with a thirty-second timer shared between them, in that time, both portal teams need to nearly kill a Gatekeeper, once you do that, one leaves to aid the two outside in defending the portals' confluxes from being shut down by Praetorians
Summer - The people still inside are to kill their Gatekeepers at the thirty-second mark, collecting an Aegis placed in both timelines and leaving to cleanse themselves of the Ageis time distortion before it erases them along with the shield. After that, well, we're about to find out ourselves. Summer signing off
"Seems easy enough, though I'm getting sick of hearing the word 'erase'." Vlad grumbled, pointing to himself. "I'll go after a shield, who's with me?"
"I'll go," I offered, realizing that whoever stayed outside would have to fend off both portals from the Minotaurs. I went to raise that point, but Morbin already stood out
"I'll handle both confluxes with ease, unlike most Warlocks I happen to be nimble ~I WILL DANCE WEARING THEIR CORPSES!~, yeah, what he said." While risky, we had no other choice, and Sparrow's Golden Gun or Shadow Shot would help whoever went in a portal too
"I will volunteer to go with him, seeing as our numbers are stretched for this encounter." He made a good point, and no one was interjecting to the idea so we had our gameplan
"Ghost?" He swayed my way. "We might not have another shot at this or a moment to breathe so, play the last recording."
"Understood, playing now, and... o-oh..." Again, that didn't help us stay calm, but being so close to the climactic fight didn't make it any easier
Shadis - *Gunfire and coughing* O-oh, that's bad... really... messed up *coughing continues*, Zane, get out already
Zane - What!? No-no-no-no, after what happened to Eva - I-I can't-
Shadis - Yes you can! *Shoving sound* You're by far the fastest of us all, you have a better chance at getting them both out of here, Summer's got no Light left and no ghost, and with Echo out cold she'll need you... do this for me, as a favor
Zane - I-I can't just leave you... so get up!, Shadis *desperate grunting*
Shadis - Heh, you're a good kid, now go! *Sounds of footsteps echo away* I-I have... transferred these recordings to... R-Rika, she'll know what to do... Atheon planned this, played us for f-fools - trapped Eva in one of the timelines... somewhere, I don't know where
Shadis - I-If you're... hearing this, Atheon will warp a number of you into a portal, desert left, jungle right, use that callsign for your team to keep you safe, take the shields and use time against that glowing bastard *ragged coughing* hehehehe... finish what we started...
Shadis - Zane's probably going to be the only one getting out of here, Summer knows this, Echo too, I do. H-He'll probably be seen as a coward, treated poorly without u-us there... so... to whoever finds these recordings, if you've made it this far, show t-these machines how fate is not there's t-to control... show the world, that Zane... if not for him... we'd have died down here, he never ran... he kept our legacy alive... f-for that... i-i-is something... no one... can change... *soft breath*
"Oh my..." Harrow was speechless
Vlad held a hand to his visor's mouth, clearly lost for words too. Morbin rubbed a hand over his helmet. Sparrow crossed his hand over his chest, muttering in Spanish. And I... I get it now. Stepping down the hallway, footsteps followed after me while my heart burned with so many conflicted feelings, all aimed toward Atheon.
"This machine thinks it has control over our fates, our destinies," I slammed my foot down, turning with my rifle at the ready. "Atheon, it took so much from all of us, I don't need to hear anything else, I don't need someone to tell me the story of what 'they' believe happened down here! And I've had enough of this spite toward what Zane was TOLD to do, even against his own wishes, he WANTED to stay and fight, but if not for Shadis, he would have died with them too."
Putting a hand on the triangular doorway, the symbol came to life with a faint, sky-blue glow, a rumble shaking the ground under us. "This tale of sorrow ends here and now."
"Until the bitter end, live or die," Morbin concluded, stepping up with me
"For the future." Sparrow chimed in
"Let's see what awaits us together." Harrow too with confidence
"I have learned alot from today, so much more than months of constant spite and self-loathing, but no more," Vlad spat angrily, the doorway starting to creep open, his rifle raised tightly. "Summer. Shadis. Eva. Echo. Marco... Zane, I'll avenge you all."
To Be Continued...
Holy Mother of God this took a week to write! I couldn't split part of it into parts 1 or 3 due to pacing, so this was the result, a chapter to cover the bulk of the Raid, with alot more still to come, so, feels everywhere! I hope you enjoyed, seeya in the next chapter!
Next Chapter: Vault of Glass - The Time is Now
After an hour of battles and hardships, the Raid Team has made it to the Vault of Glass, with only two more obstacles in their way, the very fate of their pasts, presents, and futures rest solely upon themselves.
Author's Notes: Yeah, screw defending ANOTHER conflux after getting the relics, let's just get to the good part, eh? Also, no update for next week since this chapter took alot of effort to create. And Happy New Year!
