I do not own Destiny or any of the characters.
New Problem
Hunter stared around at the Tower's main square, lines of light flashing through the air like anywhere the Vex controlled. And above them, it was dark and the moon was high, despite being almost noon. Hunter narrowed his eyes and headed for the Vanguard's briefing room, puahing the doors open with a loud enough groan to get all three's attention.
"Hunter!" Shrio smiled. "Glad you're here."
"What's going on?" Hunter asked. "Are we under assault by the Vex?"
"No," Zavala said. "At least, not yet."
"The Vex have somehow trapped the Last City in an eternal night," Ikora said. "But we've already found a way to stop it, or so we hope. A Fallen House called the House of Light have made an agreement for their Spilcers to help us free the Last City from the Vex. In exchange, we've agreed to give them shelter here in the City."
"There are Fallen in the city?" Hunter asked, right hand closing around the Ace of Spades' grip.
"I had my doubts at first, too," Shiro spoke up. "But these Fallen haven't caused any trouble. Actually, the one causing the trouble is Lakshmi-2."
"She has been very...outspoken about it beong a mistake to allow these Fallen into the City," Ikora said. "Her fearmongering has already caused one attack against the Eliksni, resulting in multiple of their Servitors destroyed and their Ether tanks emptied or broken."
"And how did they retaliate?" Hunter asked.
"They didn't," Zavala said. "Mithrax merely expressed his wish for peace, and Lakshmi expressed her support of the attack in a broadcast and called for the 'violent' Fallen to be driven from the city."
Hunter frowned. "This is going to be annoying, isn't it?"
"Probably, yeah," Shiro nodded.
Hunter sighed. "I'm going to go and see these supposedly peaceful Fallen for myself. I'll try not to kill them on sight."
"We appreciate your restraint," Ikora said. "I should warn you, though. Saint-14 and Lakshmi are headed to the Eliksni encampment now to discuss the attack with Mithrax-Kell. The Hero of the Red War is going to try and keep everyone calm."
Hunter groaned and nodded, leaving the briefing room.
Hunter frowned as he walked the the ruined area of the Last City that had borne the brunt of the Red Legion's assault. Fallen walked around almost calmly, though they all looked afraid, and he was on the receiving end of several worried glances.
"You're sure they're not a threat?" Hunter asked Elsie under his breath.
"They worship the Traveler," Elsie said. "They want peace."
"Alright," Hunter nodded, not fully convinced, but trusting her.
They walked over to Mithrax, the Kell of the House of Light, who was in a decidedly heated argument with Lakshmi, Saint and the Hero both watching in silence.
"Which Guardian brought them here again?" Hunter asked.
"The Hero of the Red War," Elsie said.
"Figures," Hunter sighed, stopping beside the Hero.
"You promised us your protection!" Mithrax snapped at Lakshmi.
"And you've had it!" Lakshmi snapped back. "We allowed your brood to squat and chitter here in our city, but still the Vex simulation persists! If you are displeased with how you have been treated for your failure, then I suggest you camp elsewhere."
"You didn't seriously expect the process of rewriting reality after the Vex already rewrote it once to be instantaneous, did you?" Hunter scoffed at Lakshmi, who glared at him. "What, did you think Mithrax would stomp his foot, maybe send out a pulse of Ether, and suddenly the Endless Night would just melt away, along with all of your problems? Are you seriously thst naive?"
"You should watch your tone around someone who could very easily make you the most hated being in the City!" Lakshmi snarled. "If the City were to find out that something like you existed in their midst, the Vanguard would have no choice but to eliminate you, or risk a full-scale uprising."
Hunter bristled instantly, but Elsie and Saint beat him to the punch, Elsie literally. Lakshmi stared at Elsie, stunned, as the light in her left eye flickered a few times before coming back on.
"You watch your mouth!" Elsie snarled. "You have no idea what you're talking about! You don't have any idea what Hunter's already done for this city, or what he'd be prepared to do!"
"You will not continue to speak ill of those you have never met!" Saint snapped. "I know what Hunter is and I trust him with my life!"
Lakshmi scoffed and stormed away, warping away after several steps. Saint sighed, turning back to Mithrax.
"We hear her broadcasts," Mithrax said. "But more than that, we feel the energy of her words in the air. Sharp as blades pointed at an enemy. At us."
"You cannot ask people to live alongaide their monsters," Saint said.
"Listen to me, now, Saint," Mithraax said seriously. "Let me tell you something about monsters. Once, in a city even grander than yours, we prospered. But it did not last. Our Great Machine abandoned us. And when we pursued it, you sent something back. A creature fueled by hatred. It tore through our Great Houses like they were nothing. And then, it came for the rest of us. Nowhere was safe from its insatiable rage. In its eyes, even the most innocent of Eliksni were still Fallen. It could die, but it would not stay dead. It would shake off the rot and rise again. And if it caught you in its crushing embrace, impaled you on its ragged chest, dragged you, screaming, into its foul shell, none lived to speak of these horrors. It called itself...the Saint. My people must now see the creature every day. It sees us. If we wish to survive, we must learn to live alongside our monsters."
Saint stared at him for a long moment before turning and warping away.
"He'll be okay," the Hero promised, then followed Saint's example.
Mithrax sighed wearily, and Hunter glanced at Elsie before speaking up.
"Mithrax?" Hunter asked.
"I am," Mithrax nodded. "How can I help you?"
Hunter looked around, frowning. "Were all of your Servitors destroyed?"
"We were only able to salvage a small amount of equipment and necessities while fleeing from the Vex and House Salvation," Mithrax said. "And during the attack, most of our Servitors were destroyed. Our last Servitor has been hidden from further attacks by the Vanguard for us. I am told it is in a location known as HELM, under guard of several Guardians. It is struggling to support us, but we will make due."
Hunter glanced at Elsie, who smiled knowingly and nodded. "If I could...give you an Ether generator, a small one that could stay hidden but could, maybe, be as useful as a Servitor, would you be able to keep its existence, and the method I used to create it, a secret?"
Mithrax nodded. "If you could use your...upgrades, to do that for us, we would be very grateful."
"Use my..." Hunter trailed off. "You know what I am?"
"An Eliksni Sacred Splicer could never mistake the true pinacle of machine," Mithrax said. "However, your secret is safe with me. Both of you."
Hunter looked at Elsie, who looked just as stunned as him, before they followed Mithrax into a nearby repurposed Skiff. Once inside, Hunter focused, SIVA flowing from his hand into the air above his palm. After several seconds of reshaping themselves and combining, they formed into a small sphere slightly bigger than a fist, looking like a tiny, black Servitor with a glowing red core. However, when Mithrax tested it by powering up a Shank with the Ether, it took only seconds.
"Even with a Servitor it would take longer," Mithrax marveled. "Truly amazing. You have my thanks, Guardian."
"My name's Hunter," Hunter said. "I should be honest, I don't trust you all not to be a threat. However, I'm willing to try."
"That is more than some," Mithrax said.
"How do you plan to stop the Vex?" Hunter asked.
"The Splicers use a tool, a glove powered by Ether, which allows us to enteri the Vex domain, what you see as lines of light around you," Mithrax explained. "However, we lack the power to combat the Vex. So, I gave several Guardians Splicer Gloves. With them, they will be able to enter the Vex domain, and possess the power to combat the Vex. We do not yet know what Vex is controling the simulation keeping the City in an eternal night, but we will find them, and the Guardians will kill it. Once they do, the simulation will end."
Hunter nodded. "Does a person need the glove to enter the domain? Or can they follow someone else that does have it in?"
"They can follow another," Mithrax said.
Hunter nodded. "I'll go with the Hero, then. But first, how many Eliksni are here?"
"Eighty seven, including our fourteen infants," Mithrax said.
Hunter focused, and his SIVA swarmed from his torso, forming into a pile of harnesses with glowing white lights on a large, triangular piece that would be positioned about where a human's heart would be then with a strap over each shoulder and one around the left side.
"What are these?" Mithrax asked.
"Protective barriers," Hunter said. "They'll recharge themselves, but they can only withstand a handful of shots. Even so, I figured that they might help protect your Eliksni in the event of a more...direct assault. At least, the adukts. I'm sorry, but I can't make one safe for your children. I'm not sure if it would be safe for them to wear one, so I doubt you'd want to risk it."
"This is more than enough," Mithrax said. "Thank you. You are a true friend of House Light."
"Don't thank me yet," Hunter said. "As I said, I don't trust you yet."
Mithrax nodded, and collected the barriers, leaving to distribute them to the other Eliksni. As he did, Hunter and Elsie warped back to their ship, then from there, Hunter warped to the Tower again, heading for Saint-14.
"The talk with Mithrax did not go as I had expected," Saint said. "He has given me much to think about."
"Agreed," Hunter nodded. "Where does being a hero of your people cross a line into being a monster of another's?"
Saint nodded. "Do you believe that we should ally ourselves with these Fallen? No, these Eliksni?"
"I'm undecided," Hunter said. "But they seem genuine in their attempts to help."
"And what of the other races?" Saint asked.
"Cabal, maybe," Hunter said. "Under the right circumstances. Where we stand at a truce with Caiatl is probably the best we can hope for there. As for the Hive, Scorn, Taken, and Vex, no. Kill them all. They're all creatures of Darkness, and would slaughter us all without hesitation or mercy."
Saint nodded. "I agree about them. Cabal...is an interesting thought."
Hunter nodded. "I need to go. Elsie and I promised to help the Hero with the Vex."
Saint nodded, and Hunter headed for his ship again. Just as he reached the courtyard, however, Lakshmi's voice spoke from the broadcast system, her face appearing on every holo-message board in the city.
"People of the Last City, the Vanguard protect us from enemies outside our wall," Lakshmi began, Hunter already annoyed just by her mocking, condescending tone. "But did you know that they also protect us from information? Did you know that the Fallen unleashed Vex on Europa? Did you know that they corrupted Guardians with the poisoned gift of Stasis, tempting them to wield the Darkness? These same Fallen are now inside our City, at the invitstion of the Vanguard. Ikora Rey knows this. Her Hidden spies report as much. Yet she continues to support these false alliances over her own people! Whether her lies are born of malice or incompetence matters not. What matters is thst I have gazed into the future and seen bodies in our streets! Make no mistake, an invasion is coming. And if we are to triumph, we must first take back our City."
The broadcast system powered down, and Hunter growled angrily, warping to his ship.
"Can I kill her?" Hunter asked.
"No," Elsie said. "Bear with it. She'll get what she deserves."
Hunter sighed, nodding. "Where's the Hero meeting us?"
"The moon," Elsie said.
Hunter nodded and flew away from the tower. Lakshmi would definitely become more of a problem before being dealt with. He just hoped she really was wrong about the Eliksni.
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