Chapter 3 - Long Overdue
Act VI - Wintertide
[On-Route to Venus]
As the tunnel of light blurred the solar system before my very eyes, I sat back in my chair while Morbin's own jumpship soared beside mine, the two of us left moments ago. Ghost decided to do the briefing for me since Morbin was the one given the details beforehand.
"The House of Winter, their Kell, Draksis, has been hunted by Guardians for years even when Cayde increased his bounty after numerous raids on jump-ship convoys using guerrilla tactics," Ghost illuminated my knowledge on their actions, while Morbin spoke through the radio
"Their greed is as much a threat as their blades. That's what Zavala said which I'm inclined to agree." He still sounded very adamant about the House but why? Though I guess that's why I'm here, to pry
"Yes, well anyway, if the report that a fireteam tagged him and the coordinates are correct, they should be held up in a network of caves located in the Cinders." With the debriefing, I knew it wouldn't be long before we arrived back on the jungles of Venus
Landing in the Headlands, I prepped my HUD on my helmet as I saw Morbin take off on his Sparrow, my yell lost in his dust as I grumbled and called out my own, speeding off as Ghost adjusted my HUD for me, the marker for the coordinates popping up.
"He's acting like the day we met him... an ass," I muttered, speeding through the Guardian's forged trail leading to the Ember Caves, the Fallen preoccupied with their patrols through the sulfur pits and caves, of course, Morbin takes the initiative to combat them head-on
The Dregs cried out, alerting the Vandals atop the balcony as Morbin easily disposed of the lesser Fallen with ease. By the time I glided up to the metal deck overlooking the valley, he had already thrown the Captain over the railing, blasting the Vandals away while the Dregs ran for the underside of a bridge, leaving me to avoid stepping on their corpses.
"Pathetic, can't even so much as defend a cave," Morbin pointed out
I just gazed at him flatly. "Really, wonder if that has something to do with the crazy Warlock trying to punch them, hmm?"
"Perhaps ~LET THEM BURN!~." He mused, then Ghost spoke up
"This must be the way into their Lair, but... with how extensive the caves are there could be thousands of Fallen in here," I doubt that Winter had that many Ghost. "Hey, after fighting a Hive-God in another dimension, I'm open to any and all forms of severity."
Without another word, Morbin took the lead in pursuing the banners of the Fallen down into the depths, they were cramped and narrow, the perfect way to hide an entire House. Old floodlights kept the tunnel illuminated, and any commotion was gone, say for the odd drip of sulphuric water or vocational stone crumbling under my boot.
Deus: Ceres, can I share something with you?
The unorthodox message caught me by surprise, but that didn't seem to matter to Morbin at all. It was Deus, and it wasn't often he'd outright communicate through text, but I wasn't going to outright refuse. Nodding, I knew the ghost was watching me from wherever he was in Morbin.
Deus: He won't tell you, partially he doesn't see the 'logic' in boring you with a sob story - He's an idiot at times
Clearly. I nodded and the messages kept rolling.
Deus: Morbin has never liked Fallen, but the House of Winter is worse in his eyes, and I'm inclined to agree, but not to this... obsessive extent, but he never was one to listen when it obstructed his goals
Deus: Houses have what is called 'Splicers', a sub-faction dedicated to bioengineering, unraveling technology, and enhancing the Eliksni species' evolution. They're the brains
I nodded softly, traversing the caves within Morbin's shadow, his hand taut against Judgement. I readied my own rifle, the Fallen bearing the light blue mark coming into view.
Deus: It was the battle of the Twilight Gap when it happened, among the Fallen is a mercenary that has taken so much from so many people. If all factions across our system had a common enemy, it was Him.
Diving down the slope, Winter cried out at the intrusion, Wire Rifles burned and flared, bolts spat at the ground next to me as I retaliated, taking down the Vandals across the upper lip of the cavern, meanwhile, any Dregs caught in Morbin's way were met with powerful buckshot and a fistful of Void as they were sent hurtling into one another.
Deus: Taniks the Scarred. He took me during the Battle of Twilight Gap, sold me to Winter's Splicers.
While my horror grew, so did my own ferocity against the Fallen. Shanks swarmed the pathway leading to the elevated land, I drew my CLG and stuck it between them, watching scrap and embers shower the strange pools below. Morbin glided up, his fist shoving his own grenade into the cavity of a Vandal, his arm tossing it back into the arms of a new kind of Fallen, himself tossing aside the body before it could explode.
These Vandals wore thick, silver armor, banners markless, one stood in the back, Wire Rifle crackling to life as I evaded the bolt and shoved a Dreg off the edge. The other three surrounded Morbin, blades drawn to his knuckles, having put Judgement away.
"The Kell's Guard is here!" Ghost gasped, clearly, this was a good sign. However, Deus' messages continued as I took out the Vandals above, weaving behind a crate while my rifle tore verticle bursts through their armor, stray shots striking my armor as I leveled my sight
Deus: If Morbin, Eva, and Summer hadn't found me Morbin might not still be alive today since they almost found a way to block out my Light entirely, sadly, they removed my ability to speak before they could rescue me.
Deus: I admire Zane's will to persevere and sustain his friends' memories, but Morbin isn't like that, they took me from him, the one being he trusts the most, and now, he won't stop until he wipes them off the face of the system.
To exemplify this point, I turned my attention to the Kell's Guard and Morbin's furious resolve. Two pounced, blades drawn to the right as the first struck his left forearm, Morbin shoved him back and twisted his arm between the four blades, locking his fingers around the Fallen's neck. The second collided with a void pulse, his body sliding into the wall.
The third ran to free his brethren, so Morbin spun back on his right foot, throwing the Guard into the other, Morbin ran over to the recovering Guard and kneed him back into the wall, shoving his mask into the rock and dragging it through the grainy stone and across the gap, the three Guard tumbling into one another.
Even as stray bolts from the fourth Guard up top continued to burn into Morbin's armor, he didn't so much as flinch, lifting his right-hand high, gathering and twisted the space into an unstable sphere of Void Light. Even while his face was obscured by his helmet, I could feel the hatred from here.
"Don't worry, I have enough Void for the rest of your pitiful kind," He slammed the sphere between them, the three shrieked but it was all in vain as their bodies were torn apart in a blinding flash. Shaking my head I drew Zenobia and heard the 'beep' of the lock as the rocket roared across the caves, landing dead center in the Guard's chest, the cluster charges blowing the remaining Dregs away
"Draksis is here, finally," Morbin almost sounded exhausted when he said that, I still kept my mouth shut, I needed to know he wasn't going to end up like me, where I started to push away everything for a suicidal goal. "Let's move,"
"Right," I replied, keeping pace as we trudged through the caves and sulfur pools, from the haphazardly placed crates and supplies it was clearly a temporary stop for Winter. "Hey, Morbin, tell me something?"
"No," His blunt reply almost made me trip into the large pool next to us as were pushed for the light outside the caves, The Cinders laying just beyond the cavern as the 'bang' and harsh dust kicked up from docking Skiffs reached my ears
He then jabbed a finger back at me. "Don't you start. This is why I didn't want him coming along because then I'd have to put up with two voices," He pulled away, turning around. "If you can't suck up and deal with a simple assassination then go home, Ceres."
Now, this was starting to bother me. Steeling my nerves I pulled him back around. "You know, you've turned into a real ass about this. I'm all for helping anyone, but this... obsession with the Fallen, it's-"
I almost yelped at the sight of Judgement's barrel lined to my neck, the very sight of the rustic contraption poised to me had my heart frozen, and my hand couldn't so much as lift my rifle to push it away. Would he... really kill me?
"You have no right saying that," His words were low and cold, but while caught off guard by the threat, I still held my ground
"Yeah, I don't, want to know who knocked the sense into me? My friends, you did too!" I challenged, grabbing the barrel of Judgement and pushing it to rest where my heart was, though I could feel it racing a mile a minute. "I'm your leader, you friend, you can trust me too."
His hand wavered, but I felt like passing out. "I failed, I failed Ceres, and it cost Deus when it should have been me."
My head shook, helping to push Judgment back against his chest, my hand placed against the chamber gently. "I did too," And I won't ever truly forgive myself. "But that's why we're still here, to make things right,"
He moved away, stepping out into the widened maw of the Cinders. "No promises, but... I will keep that in mind," With that said he walked away, and I slumped against the wall, head spinning
"That was close." I was about diiie...
"Hurry up!" Morbin's voice boomed as I shot upright
"Yes, scary Warlock man!" Sometimes I wonder if my mouth will get me killed someday
"A Ketch!" Ghost was elated, and I too felt a thumping in my chest at the sight of the massive, bronze-colored flagship docked in the basin. "So the House of Winter has been here the whole time, the Kell's gotta be inside."
With a light-blue stripe down the hull, the Wintership Simiks-Fel hovered over the bubbling sulphuric lakes below, vapor rising to the crackling, electric-blue storm above. They were waiting for us, and while I'd feel confident with a wise-crack from Zane, I know for a fact the two of us could handle this.
"This is it, the most cautious House is now up for grabs," Judgement was locked and loaded, the feeling of anticipation was growing around Morbin, and I guess I felt it too, if we could take down a House then our foothold on Venus would grow considerably. "Let's not keep them waiting any longer."
We descended the cliffs, the Fallen now alert as I flew down from the ledge above them, Verdict driving a Dreg deep into the soil as I cracked another with my flaming fist, knocking the Dreg into Morbin's wave of flames that roared within Lord of Wolves, splitting the Fallen completely.
One Dreg scampered off, crying out as the cliffs chanted, and far below us, guarding the platforms leading to the docked Ketch, a Captain and Servator led a small gathering of Vandals and Dregs into position, the snipers already striking the cliffs we ran across.
While I took the pathway, running while taking quick burst shots at the Dregs, I could only watch with unsurprised bafflement as Morbin dove off the cliff, firing a massive Nova Bomb down on the Fallen below, many saw this powerful force looming down like a purple sun, but it was too late. I just turned to avoid the flash, but many small blasts caused Venus to tremble.
Bursts of sulphuric steam shot from geysers in the area, and as I jumped through one I slammed my fist into a Vandal, blasts him and his companion away with three chains of bullets. While the crust of Venus reacted poorly to Morbin's sudden attack, most of the Fallen were scattered now, and his Hammerhead tore ribbons through what remained, a purple veil coating him as bullets bounced off his Light.
I did the same, harnessing Enhance to beat the last Dregs down with the butt of my rifle. A knife sunk into my shoulder, so I spun around, pulling the Dreg with me as I lined my rifle with the Servator, its slow blasts crashing into the ground inches from me. Backing up I pressed the Dreg against the rock behind us, unloading the last of my clip into the machine as ether ruptured in the air.
Spinning I dislodged the knife, snatching it between us and sinking it through the Dreg's throat, its body hanging there as I took a step back, then frantically evaded the gunfire from the deck of the Ketch, falling in beside Morbin who was reloading his machine gun at a leisurely pace.
"Thirty-four down, only another several dozen to go ~PERSISTENCE IS DEATH!~," He was counting!? I banged my head back on the crate, reloading too
"Alright," I sighed, "Let's count them down."
"...We were supposed to count...?" Don't you start, Ghost
[Venus | Ishtar Sink | Wintership Simiks-Fel]
The last of the Kell's Guard fell with the Servator, both landing in a heap before me as I threw away my empty clip, the barrel still smoking.
Exasperated would be an understatement, "There! Anyone else want to jump out!?" I cried to the vacant halls now lined with bullet holes and the occasional splatter of ether. We had broken through the lines of defense inside the gargantuan Ketch, but they were numerous
Most of the decks we entered were loading bays, hallways and the last was a control station of some kind, monitored by a 'Pilot Servator', it was massive and just stared at us which was kinda creepy. Morbin was by far the most vicious, he steamrolled through the Fallen with me covering his blindspots.
"Up ahead is the throne room," Thanks, Ghost. "I know you don't need it but, be cautious, this is a Kell."
"A Kell that will be another corpse under my boot," Morbin muttered, but then headbutted the locked door, his hand tapping the hollow frame. "Cute," He raised his shotgun as I immediately grabbed it and pushed it down
"Wait-Wait-Wait, let me..." He stared at me for a long time, then stepped back with a nod as I reeled in his anarchic side
Behind this door was the first Kell I'd ever witness, and if what people have told me of them are true, they claimed that title with power or intelligence, Draksis has both. But I've faced worse, the rein of Winter ends today.
My hand reached for the console for Ghost to hijack, but then a 'pop and hiss' of the door brought the final room to light, and to the shadow cast in spotlights at the far end of the throne room. "Did he... open the door?" My query was met with a dark chuckle from Morbin
"He wants us to fight ~I WILL TEAR HIM APART...~ with great pleasure." That will never not be creepy
"I'm sorry, but when you laugh I only feel chilly," I rubbed my arms to demonstrate the hidden goosebumps
We walked inside, the massive hall filled with more of the same, a large Servator fixed in the corner of the room, consoles and command stations leading up to a large throne, where, the Kell Draksis stood up from, lifting his Shrapnel Launcher. He wore silver armor like this Guard that watched with omnivorous eyes.
However, his colored robes and scarf were a dark red, like the Devils, though the Winter mark was present on the cape. His helmet was fed with two tubes to his mask, and a pair of large, U-shaped horns jutted from his temples.
Slowly, he raised his arms and did a short but courteous bow to us as the door sealed itself behind us quickly. While Morbin merely scoffed at the Fallen, raising Judgement, I put a hand on my heart and did a small bow of my head toward the Kell, seeing him make a few soft words to his Fallen before rising, weapon locked and with a howl to his kin.
The battle commended with a barrage of molten slugs that burrowed into the walls, myself and Morbin split to hiding behind their consoles as the Kell's Guard vanished, but a faint outline of their bodies traversed the throne room.
"Incoming!" I dipped back at Ghost's call, four blades sunk into the grate, slashing upright as my legs jutted upright, knocking the Guard back. Spinning on my back and into the air I drove my right boot down, disarming the Guard for Verdict to pump a single slug between its collar bone and chin
I brought Verdict up with the butt of the stock deflecting another two swords, the others slashing my chest as I ran between a large wall and a console, the Fallen's swords skewering the metal in vain to reach me as I pumped the slide and brought Verdict to puncture its chest, another one-handed pump and the pellets tore through the cavity entirely.
Grabbing the dead Guard I swung it by the arm and threw it into the stealthy Guard behind me, its attack disrupted for me to line the barrel for a backblast of buckshot to the mask. With the Guards slumped over, I turned to the rhythm of slugs melting the hull of the Ketch, Morbin gliding between the many console stands as Draksis followed him, yelling in a deep, Fallen accent.
Morbin rolled out of hiding, drawing Lord of Wolves as the molten barrage tore into the unsuspecting Kell, he warped away, but had to quickly wipe away the slag that already ate away at his armor, his eyes locked to my hammer as it collided with his cheek, my hand grasping it from the air as I glided away, unloading an entire clip of my rifle into his face.
He brought his foot down, and the force blasted me toward his throne. Draksis warped from another bombardment of Morbin's, appearing to backhand the Exo into the upper-level of the walls, grabbing his foot and tossing him carelessly into the adjacent wall as he warped again, this time to level his launcher with me as I yelped under the searing heat that nicked my back.
I took a note from how Dimitri reacts in tight situations in the Crucible. Keeping my head low I glided briefly to the wall, running up for two steps, then with a large burst of Light I propelled myself over the Kell and his launcher, pointing my rifle down for a barrage of bullets, breaking a horn and tearing the cloak as I landed, tossing my CLG to blind him.
Morbin flew in from seemingly nowhere, body all aglow as the lilac light built and flourished over the throne, with a spin, he sent the Void screaming into Draksis, splitting into several smaller spheres that splashed and twisted the floor under the Kell as his agonizing roar was drowned under the intense light and static noise.
When the dust and the ringing in my ears ceased, Draksis knelt down, clutching his bleeding chest as his hold on the Shrapnel Launcher trembled, eyes heavy but remained fixated to us both, making one final remark in Fallen tongue.
I heard Ghost hum, "He said... 'Winter will last, the Howl has been made, Kin will unite', that's odd?" I was as confused as Ghost, was it a warning?
Morbin chuffed, leveling Judgement to the Kell's forehead, a sharp 'click' evident of a single slug in the chamber. "Die a worthless pirate or a whole crew, I don't care." He pulled the trigger and I, for once, looked away, merely seeing Draksis' form slump to the ground under Morbin's merciless execution
"What he said... you think the Fallen are planning something?" This wasn't something I'd just let slip by, the last time they fought as one it nearly meant the end of the City
"No, the Fallen can barely get along, and if so, then it's by force," Morbin replied, Deus appearing to glance over Draksis, then to Morbin, displaying a simple smile. "I... thank you, both of you."
"Really?" I pouted somewhat. "All I did was berate you."
"And not try some cliche line, instead you insulted me to get my attention," He held a thumb up. "I approve of a direct method, but next time maybe shooting me would work more effectively."
I put my hands up. "And risk you retaliating? I'd rather fight Dimitri in the Crucible." I paused, then shuttered. "Brr, you know what? Nevermind."
"You want to get shot by the crazy lady?" Ghost asked somewhat unsure and concerned. "I don't want to be shot by the crazy lady."
~Double Down!~
Shaxx cried out as Dimitri nocked another arrow, dipping behind cover from the counterfeit Thunderlord as it rained lightning down on her team. Then, Dimitri sneezed, shaking her head. "Oi, who's talkin' about me!?" Her teammate just shook his head, unable to understand what she meant
"Draksis was one of the worst plagues this system has ever seen, without him, Winter will fall apart and their hold on the Academy will fall apart," Ghost summarized our result, while Morbin took his place on the Kell's seat, shuffling around to get comfortable as I tried to stifle a laugh at how ridiculous it looked
"U-Um, I think you're a b-bit on the short side," I had Ghost sneakily take a picture of him posing menacingly on the seat
"It is a little rough to sit on ~I AM KELL OF WINTER, I AM... DEATH~" Leave it to Kreig to sign off with an edgy remark. "I wish to take this seat with us."
Deus displayed a flat-eyed stare, and I clicked my tongue. "Yeaaaah, I don't think we have the room for it, buddy."
Morbin slumped. "Shame..."
To Be Continued...
Draksis is down, and a looming threat is upon us, but Morbin's vendetta is far from over, and Ceres has her hands full. I hope you enjoyed, seeya in the next chapter Guardians!
Next Chapter: A Standard Striker Day
While Ceres and Morbin go off on their mission to Venus, Taka is left to her devices, just the way she likes it.