Chapter 4
Forgotten Shore
It had been a full day since fireteam Undaunted had arrived at the Forgotten Shore, and Tobias was bummed out to say the least. He had yet to actually contribute in any of their engagement with the Wolves.
He had been nervous at first with all of the statements that he could be killed, but now he found himself getting anxious. He wanted to help out too!
Briggs was an excellent commander, directing Niko and Diana flawlessly, but Tobias always seemed to be relegated to providing cover fire for them and nothing else. And even that was a struggle with how bad his aim was still. He had been missing his targets in the Crucible as well the day before, but Aaron attributed that to the opposing Guardians high mobility. They didn't give him a chance to even aim properly. But now he had the opportunity to fire at targets that weren't nearly as quick as the Guardians, but he was still missing.
His Proxima Centuari II felt natural in his hands; he could line up the sights with his target. But controlling the recoil after each shot was the problem for him. Landing a second, third or even fourth shot was next to impossible for him.
"Tobias, I said lay down some cover fire for Niko!" Briggs boomed at Tobias who drew in a sharp breath as he looked down the sights of his scout rifle, taking aim at the pair of Captains that were pursuing their Hunter. Tobias didn't hesitate to pull the trigger, unloading the entire magazine, but he failed to draw the attention of the Fallen Captains. "Diana, help him out!"
"Sorry my aim is such crap." Tobias said to Niko as the two of them stood alone on the shoreline. It was Niko's turn to spare Tobias some of his knowledge as a Guardian.
"Don't be hard on yourself Tobias." Niko said as he shook his head.
"But you were in trouble earlier and I couldn't even help you out." Tobias reasoned with him, causing Niko to throw his head back with a hearty laugh.
"Please Tobias, I could've taken down those Captains whenever I wanted to. To tell you the truth, Briggs told me to act as bait to test you." Niko explained, causing Tobias to drop his shoulders as he stared at Niko incredulously. "You failed to say the least."
"Wow, I suck." Tobias stated.
"I won't disagree with you there, but that's why they gave you to me today." Niko explained as he took some distance from Tobias. "Diana told me you're pretty skilled with space magic. But it's pretty clear we need to brush up on your weapon skills. So I'm going to train you as a Gunslinger."
"Man, teach me anything." Tobias said. He just didn't want to be utterly useless in battle again.
"Alright then, we'll start with this. The trump card for us Gunslingers." Extending his hand toward Tobias, a gray pistol formed in his hand causing Tobias to raise his eyebrows in surprise. Niko raised the small weapon over his head as it twinkled, causing it to become ignited with flames. The Hunter then lowered it and took aim at a large boulder nearby. Firing just once, a thin stream of flames was unleashed that cut right through the boulder, leaving a clean hole through it as though it were paper.
"Daa~ng!" Tobias exclaimed as he dashed over to the boulder to examine the work of Niko's flaming gun. "What was that?"
"Golden Gun. I'm not a particularly big fan of it, but there's nothing more satisfying than incinerating your enemies with this thing." Niko stated with a grin as the pistol returned to its previous state, allowing him to toss it to Tobias. "Now you give it a try."
"What do I do?" Tobias asked.
"Channel Solar Light into it."
"The heck does that mean?"
Niko frowned a bit, trying to think of how to explain this. He could tell that Tobias was more a Warlock than a Titan or Hunter. He didn't think instinctively like a Hunter. This had to be broken down for him.
"So you have to…kind of gather your energy, and stuff it into the gun." Niko explained, scratching the back of his head. This was actually his first teaching assignment. He had never really given it much thought as to how his abilities work.
"I…don't get it." Tobias replied shaking his head as Niko approached him, taking back the pistol.
"Just watch me then. You'll get it after you see it a few times." Niko said as he began to demonstrate Golden Gun for Tobias. He went through the process of channeling Solar Light into the weapon about three or four times before he returned it to Tobias, motioning for him to give it a shot.
Tobias looked down at the gray pistol nervously. He still had no clue what Niko was telling him to do. His only hint was to, 'gather his energy'. That had to be similar to the mechanics behind a Nova Bomb.
Tightening his gut, Tobias began to gather his strength and funnel it through his arms and into the pistol, and the weapon roared to life!
"Haha, nice!" Niko called out as soon as the pistol became engulfed in flames, but Tobias immediately threw it at the ground
"Ouch! Damn it!" Tobias exclaimed before blowing on his hands which had been burned.
"Wait a sec, did you just burn yourself?" Niko asked, getting a nod from Tobias as he continued to blow on his hands.
Niko frowned a bit. He had never heard of a Hunter burning themselves with Golden Gun.
"Guess there's a first time for everything." Niko mumbled.
They gave it a few more attempts, but it became to Niko that Tobias was struggling to control the Solar Light he was using.
"Alright then, I guess we'll move on to something else." Niko commented, causing Tobias to perk up.
"Wait, I almost had it that time." Tobias said although his hands were killing him.
"Don't worry about it Tobias, I think it'll be better if we give something else a try." Niko pointed out.
"Oh, so we're going to work on my aim then?"
"Well we can't fix that in a day. I want give you something you can use in our next fight." Niko explained, getting a nod of agreement from Tobias. "Golden Gun may not be your strong point, but I think Arc Blade might suit you better."
"How come?"
"Well it's the best ability we've developed. Forget anything else you learned, Arc Blade puts all of them to shame." Niko said, getting a chuckle from Tobias. Niko loved Arc Blade. He could talk about it for hours if he had to.
"What makes you say that?" Tobias asked him curiously.
"Arc Blade goes beyond just granting you weapon like Golden Gun. It improves almost every aspect of you physically speaking. You have to heighten your senses to the highest degree, and then take almost all of the Light you can muster and pump it into your muscles for speed and toughness. The key there is almost all of your Light. You won't be able to wield a weapon like an assault rifle, so that's why we keep so many of these." Niko explained as he removed a small blade from his belt. Taking a moment to study Niko, Tobias could see at least three more of these blades on his person. One tied to his right forearm, another to his left bicep, and still another on his belt. "This will become your primary weapon. Whatever Light you have left over, you covert it into Arc Light and cram it into your blade."
Niko then began his demonstration, crouching a bit as his body gained a teal hue. But now that he was focusing on Niko, Tobias could see everything. The already large and burly Hunter seemed to grown some more as he muscles expanded, filling out his garments. Niko then deactivated Arc Blade, returning to his usual size as he approached Tobias. He then tossed up the tanto he was holding, allowing it to spin in the air before he caught the blade of the weapon fearlessly, extending the handle toward Tobias.
"Give it a shot." He said, motioning for Tobias to go ahead. Recalling what he had seen Niko do each time he had used Arc Blade, Tobias lowered his posture and clutched the handle of the tanto tightly. Taking in a deep breath, he rid his mind of any thoughts.
"Heighten your senses to the highest degree."
Closing his eyes, Tobias held his breath for a moment. Then he exhaled, and suddenly he heard a gust of wind. Opening his eyes slowly, he realized that it was nothing more than the sea breeze. But it was so much louder now. He could hear the waves crashing against the shoreline in the distance. He could hear Niko as he took a soft breath. Looking out at the horizon line of the ocean, Tobias marveled at how clear his vision was.
"Whoa." Tobias exclaimed as he looked around. He could see everything!
"It'll take a little while to get used to it." Niko commented, getting a nod from Tobias who then looked down at the weapon he held, ready to take the next step.
Gripping the handle, the muscles in his arms became tense as expanded along with the blade. Tobias then raised one arm with the tanto in hand, examining it as a bolt of electricity escaped from it. It was just like when Niko had used Arc Blade!
"Awesome!" Tobias exclaimed as looked toward Niko, but the Hunter was on his back, kicking the air as he roared with laughter.
"Ghost, get pictures! Diana is going to get a kick out of this!" Niko bellowed as his Ghost took shape, beginning to collect snapshots of Tobias.
Tobias had succeeded in activating Arc Blade…but only in his right arm. Niko couldn't help but laugh as when he saw Tobias' right arm which was larger than its counterpart, glowing in a teal color. He looked like some unholy creation.
Niko continued to demonstrate Arc Blade for Tobias, but Tobias didn't advance any farther from this point. All of the physical boosts Niko had been talking about only applied to his right arm which was a waste for Tobias considering how much faster and stronger Niko had become when he was using this ability. Niko reassured him that with more practice he would get the hang of it.
With a sigh of irritation, Tobias dropped down to the ground, placing his hands on his lap. He wasn't contributing, and he wasn't improving either. How was he going to protect the Traveler, or fight the Fallen in this pitiful state? He had to at least learn something today…
"Say Niko," Tobias began, getting the attention of the Hunter. "Diana said that Warlock and Hunters use Blink differently. How do Hunter's blink?"
"That's kind of an odd question, but I guess I can take off my helmet to show you." Niko replied as he reached up to deactivate it.
"No no, I mean Blink as in the teleportation thing." Tobias interjected.
"Oh, well you didn't capitalize it." Niko pointed out with a shrug.
"Huh?" Tobias said.
"Niko, you're breaking the fourth wall here." His Ghost said to him.
"Never mind that." Niko said, shaking his head. "Anyway, why the interest in Blink?"
"You said you wanted to teach me something that I can use in our next fight. I suck at Arc Blade and Golden Gun, and I can't Blink the Warlock way yet, so I thought maybe you could show me the way Hunter's do it." Tobias explained to him.
"I bet Diana told you that Voidwalkers are the masters of Blink right?" Niko asked in him, getting a nod from Tobias. "Well that's a load of crap."
Tobias stifled a laugh. This really was hot debate between the two of them.
"So unlike Voidwalkers, we Hunters don't need any gimmicks to use Blink. Our Blink is built entirely off of our physical prowess, something Warlocks lack." Niko added snidely, a smirk concealed by his helmet. "Warlocks may actually teleport using Blink, but Hunters can cover just as much ground in the same space of time."
"Awesome, so what do I have to do?" Tobias asked, and Niko seemed to perk up at this.
"This might actually work for you. It's just like how I told you to gather your Light for Arc Blade although for whatever reason it gets trapped in your arm. You just have to gather it in your feet for let it loose the moment you decide to move. You can close the distance between yourself and an enemy, just like that!" Niko exclaimed as he clapped his hands together audibly.
"So I just focus, on my feet." Tobias repeated as he looked down, stretching his toes a bit. Taking a short breath, he began gathering his power into his feet. It took a few moments, Tobias began to feel lighter. Like a feather, no, like he was floating! "And now I just take a ste-"
As Tobias took a step forward, he was suddenly several meters away from where he had just been standing. He had only, 'blinked', and suddenly he was here. Turning around to look back at Niko, Tobias felt a smile creep up on his face as the Hunter gave him a thumbs up.
"Pretty sweet right? Let me show you a couple of tricks to go with it." Niko said as he motioned for Tobias to come back to him.
Tobias was in the middle of his night watch over their small camp site. It wasn't much for them. Briggs' ship was resting down within the cover of a small canyon, but they still wanted a pair of eyes watching over the ship with the sun setting. Briggs and Niko had gone out to do some more scouting, expecting the Fallen to be more active at night than during the day. And Diana had been inside the ship completing some other task that Briggs had given her.
He had spent the morning with Niko. And around noon time Tobias was entrusted to Briggs. And in all the time had spent with Diana and Niko, Tobias had never come back exhausted. But just a few hours with Briggs and he was gassed.
"I'm sure Niko and Diana have explained how they wield the Light. But as a Titan, none of that applies." Briggs said sternly as he stood in front of Tobias. "They used the Light to create weapons. Titans use the Light on themselves, and become living weapons."
Briggs was ruthless as a teacher. He wasn't easygoing like Diana or Niko. He held Tobias to the same standard that he held his teammates to despite his inexperience. Briggs explained everything to him just once. He demonstrated everything just once. He never repeated anything for Tobias.
In fact, Tobias was beginning to wonder if Briggs thought he was an Exo. As if he could store all of this information into his memory banks and recall it whenever he would need it. In the end Tobias could only shrug as he lay back on the ground underneath the ship, taking a moment to study its intricacies. But that quickly came to an end when the ship began to hum before the base opened up, allowing a ramp to extend down to the ground.
Rolling over onto his stomach, Tobias found himself right beneath the ramp, completely hidden from Diana who was coming off the ship.
"Hmm, I thought for sure Tobias would be out here. Maybe he went along with Iggy and Niko." Diana noted out loud as she began to walk off, heading toward the shore nearby. "Ghost, lock up the ship for me."
Tobias remained silent as he watched her go, jumping up to his feet once she was fair distance from him.
"Tobias, what are you sneaking around for?" A voice asked suddenly, causing Tobias to jump out of his skin. Whirling around, he discovered that it was Diana's Ghost who had found him.
"Oh, uh, nothing really. I haven't got much to do right now." Tobias replied as he looked in the direction Diana had gone.
"Do you want to know where she's going?" Her Ghost asked him curiously with a twinkle in its eye. Tobias was a bit taken a back at how observant this small thing was, but he could deny his curiosity. As far as he knew, Briggs has left them both orders to stick with the ship. "Follow me."
The small drone took the lead, guiding Tobias to the shore where he took a moment to admire the scenery. The moon was shining brilliantly tonight, reflecting off of the dark waters of the Forgotten Shore.
"There she is." Her Ghost noted, spotting Diana standing at the edge of the shore where the rocky coastline and the water met. The two of them watch silently as she raised a hand to the back of her neck, deactivating her helmet to so that she could feel the cool breeze on her face. Shaking her head a bit now that her hair was free, Diana ran a hand through her locks to loosen them out before she snapped her fingers.
Then she began to move, spinning on her toes so that her back was to the water. Tobias raised his eyebrows as his breath was stolen from him. At was almost as if Diana was sparkling in the moonlight as she moved, demonstrating some dazzling choreography. It was incredible to watch her as she moved, moving so freely with every step she took.
"Ahem." Diana's Ghost said, gaining Tobias' attention.
"Hmm?" He said in response.
"I suggest returning to your post Tobias. According to my sensors Briggs and Niko are returning to the ship, and Briggs is not a fan of someone who leaves their post." Diana's Ghost pointed out to him as it began to zip away, heading back for the jump ship.
"But what about Diana?" Tobias asked as he looked back at once more.
"Oh please, she's Briggs' favorite. The most she'll get is a slap on the wrist." Her Ghost commented in response, nodding itself as a motion for him to follow. "Since you're new there's no telling what Briggs might do to you though…"
"Oh, well I don't think I want to find out." Tobias muttered as he darted off as well, returning to his post.
Thankfully he made it back before Briggs and Niko had returned, giving him time to drop down onto the ground once again and lay back. He still didn't know the team well, but he was beginning to see why they were held with such high regard by the Guardians he had met in the Tower.
There was no denying that each of them was immensely skilled out on the battlefield. The Fallen whom Tobias could barely fight at the moment were nothing more than child's play to them. In fact, Niko and Diana had time to crack jokes at each other as they fought. Was this lifestyle really that easy for them?
Hearing the roar of a Sparrow, Tobias perked up and looked around, spotting two approaching lights in the distance. The radar within his helmet immediately identified them as Briggs and Niko for him who he greeted as they pulled up alongside him.
"We're back!" Niko called out as he jumped off his Sparrow. Briggs however remained silent as he took a few moments to expect the state of his jump ship. And eventually his gaze settled on Tobias who stood in front of it.
"I see everything is in order. I'll relieve you for now Tobias. Go get some rest." Briggs said as the ramp to the ship descended, granting Tobias access to the main chamber.
"Oh, thanks." Tobias said with a nod. He was still exhausted from training with Briggs. There was no way he was going to pass off an opportunity to get some sleep. Briggs watched as Tobias disappeared into the ship before he looked toward Niko.
"Do you want to go find something we can burn?" Briggs asked him, getting a nod from Niko.
Briggs, Diana and Niko were all seated around the small campfire that Niko had set up for them. There had been plenty of spinmetal around the area to keep the fire steady as they admired its colors. Silently they listened to the crackle as it burned, allowing themselves to relax for the time being.
"So…" Niko began, breaking the silence. "We've all had a chance to work with him now. What do you guys think?"
"Since you asked you might as well go first Niko." Diana said as he motioned for the Hunter to take the floor.
Now that each of them had-had their own private session with Tobias, they all had a fair amount of time to determine what he was capable of.
"The first thing that really stood out to me, is that he really can channel all types of the Light." Niko said, marveling at Tobias' ability. "I didn't think it was possible, but, he shut me up today."
Diana snorted at this. Niko always had a sharp tongue, similar to the Hunter Vanguard who had trained him. Tobias wasn't aware of it, but he had completed quite a feat.
"But even though he can channel any type of Light, I noticed that he has a lot of issues with Solar Light." Niko revealed. "I don't know, but he seems very uncomfortable using it."
"I noticed the same thing when he was channeling Arc Light. His level of control is all over the place." Briggs added, getting a nod of agreement from Niko.
"But he clearly has mastery over the Void." Diana pointed out. Diana had only seen him in action a few times now, but it was clear to her that he was a brilliant Voidwalker.
"That's true. He clearly favors the Void." Briggs agreed. Tobias was also superb when using the Ward of Dawn. "But for him to have such control over Void Light, but to struggle with the other two…it just, baffles me."
"Void Light is the toughest to control." Diana said with a small smirk as she looked toward Niko. "That's why Hunters don't use it."
"What was that Diana, I can't understand you with all that crap coming out of your mouth." Niko shot back.
"Like you're one to talk." Diana retorted while Briggs just stared at the two of them, expressionless as always.
"You two just can't resist taking stabs at each other." Briggs stated, shaking his head as he brought their little exchange to an end.
"It's all in good fun, right Diana?" Niko asked her sweetly.
"Of course Niko dear." Diana replied as the two of them gave Briggs some toothy smiles. The Titan only shook his head in response before refocusing the discussion.
"I think that, even with his struggles at the moment, Tobias' potential far outclasses all of ours combined." Briggs stated, causing the two of them to become serious once again.
"What makes you say that?" Niko inquired; surprised that Briggs would make such a statement.
"The most obvious reason you brought up Niko. He's capable of using the Light to its fullest. That alone makes him more versatile than any Guardian who's ever lived." Briggs acknowledged. "It doesn't matter how proficient we become with our abilities, having access to everything puts him on an entirely different level to the rest of us."
"Iggy's right. I mean, I'm only a Voidwalker. Both of you have two classes are your disposal. But Tobias could have five, or even six." Diana noted as she looked in up wonder. "He could really be something special. Could you imagine what it would be like if he masters every class? That would be amazing!"
"It's certainly a possibility. But Tobias has a long way to go." Briggs stated as he folded his arms in front of his chest.
"Yeah, no kidding. Did I tell you guys he can't even hold a Golden Gun?" Niko asked them, getting a chuckle out of his teammates at this. "But in all seriousness, I'm just going to hope for the best. I really want to see Tobias once he's got some more experience under his belt."
In all the decades Niko had spent as a Guardian, this would be something that he has never seen before. He couldn't wait!
Briggs' Ghost suddenly materialized in front of his face, staring straight at the Titan. But Briggs remained expressionless despite the surprise.
"Ikora Rey has sent out a distress beacon to all the Guardians in the area along with this message." His Ghost stated as it opened up its shell to replay the message that had accompanied this distress call.
"This is the Warlock Vanguard Ikora Rey. I requesting aid from any Guardians in the area. My team and I have uncovered the Silent Fang within the Cosmodrome Wall leading a force of Wolves." Ikora explained for them. "Petra Venj has already confirmed that they are targeting the House of Kings. We cannot allow a Fallen House to fall under Skolas' rule!"
"You've heard our orders, let's move out!" Briggs declared.
"Ugh, it's only been like five minutes." Tobias mumbled as he stretched a bit having been rudely awakened from his slumber. He was just starting to drift off into a deep sleep when his new teammates suddenly came storming onto the ship, calling for him to wake up as they disembarked for their next mission. "What's happening?"
"Ikora reported the presence of the Silent Fang within the Cosmodrome." Niko explained to him. "We're going in to take them out!"
"Who's the Silent Fang?" Tobias asked curiously. Their name sounded pretty cool.
"Among a Fallen House, there are special soldiers that work directly for the Kell. In the House of Wolves, they're a group of assassins who do all of Skolas' dirty work. And aside from Skolas himself, they're the most vicious and merciless members of the Wolves." Diana added.
Tobias only furrowed his brow in response. They had already told him that the House of Wolves was ruthless, yet the three of them were toying around with the opponents they had faced so far. They didn't seem dangerous at all. But then again, he had yet to have a taste of the real action…maybe this was his chance.
"Ikora, we're approaching the wall right now. Do you copy?" Briggs asked over the comm line, expecting a response from the Vanguard Mentor.
There was a brief moment of silence before some loud static broke out.
"This a very dangerous battlegrou-" The static cut her off for a few moments. "They have Servitors jamming our-"
"This is bad." Briggs stated. "They must have detected her distress beacon so now their jamming our communications with their Servitors. Gather what you can from what she says, because aside from that, we're going in blind."
"You'll be fighting in the dark-" Ikora continued. "-manders are present in the wall. Engage with caution-"
There wasn't much else they could understand from Ikora, except for the last thing she got out before her signal went down completely.
"Stick together Guardians!"
"Tobias, this isn't going to be like the last few battles we've had. I hope you're ready to fight and scrap this time." Briggs said as he took a moment to glance at Tobias. Their eyes met for a moment, and Briggs could see that Tobias wasn't shaken at all despite this recent development. Like he welcomed the thought of their approaching battle.
"Bring it."
Outer Wall
Breach
Tobias leaned back, looking straight up as a marveled at the enormous wall that loomed over him. It was incredible, stretching for miles in both directions. He could only imagine what such a large structure had been built for.
"Tobias you better hurry before we leave you behind." Niko called out to him as he waved him over. Following the faint silhouette he could see, Tobias joined up the rest of the fireteam.
"Alright, this is final prep. Are your weapons fully loaded?" Briggs asked as he began to go down the checklist for everyone. "The direct line of communication between our fireteam is still available to us despite the Servitors, so stay tuned to this channel for the time being."
"Right." Diana said with a nod while Briggs studied Tobias. Their newest team member was staring off into the distance.
"Tobias, are you alright?" Briggs asked him.
"Yeah." Tobias replied with a nod. Briggs continued to stare at Tobias though, causing both Niko and Diana to do the same.
"Does everyone have night vision enabled?" Briggs continued, receiving a nod from Niko and Diana.
"Wait, night vision?" Tobias asked as he tilted his head.
"Yeah, helps you see in the dark." Niko said with a chuckle.
"Thanks captain obvious." Diana muttered as she approached Tobias, placing a hand on his shoulder to push him down so that he was on eye level with her. "The interface for our gear was designed with the intention of Ghosts handling most of these duties. But Tobias doesn't have a Ghost."
"So you're looking for the manual override?" Briggs asked her as she placed her thumb on the side of Tobias' helmet.
"Whoa." Tobias exclaimed as the world suddenly turned green for him, but now he could clearly see his surroundings rather than relying on the moonlight.
"Tobias, were you going to inform us about this?" Briggs inquired as Tobias looked toward him, finally facing the rest of them.
"Well I thought it was like that for all of you." Tobias replied. He figured that through their many battles they were capable of fighting under any condition, even in total darkness.
"And this is exactly why you have teammates. To make sure everything is in order before we go into battle." Briggs stated as he motioned for them to follow him he approached the entrance to the wall. It was small doorway although the door had been ripped out of hits hinges and cast aside. "Come on, let's get moving."
"What are we rushing for?" Niko asked since Briggs hadn't covered the entire checklist like he normally would.
"There's other fireteams entering the wall as we speak. I'd hate to miss out on the action." Briggs replied calmly as they began journeying up the stairway.
"Oh yeah, now we're talking!" Niko exclaimed. "You must be itching for a fight with how weak the Wolves at the Forgotten Shore were."
"That's one reason." Briggs stated as they continued up the stairwell, heading up to the higher levels of the wall. "Ghost, have you detected any enemy movements so far?"
Briggs' Ghost immediately took shape in front of them, illuminating the small area they were in.
"As you said, there are already a number of fireteams within the wall. Based on their movements I think it's clear that they've engaged the Wolves on the on the higher levels which is where we're headed." His Ghost explained, getting a nod of thanks from Briggs.
"Good. Set a course for the closest fireteam here. We'll meet with them to get a better understanding of the situation." Briggs stated as they arrived at the top of the stairwell, stepping out onto a small platform that acted as the entry way to the heart of the wall. The center of the wall had been hollowed out, and filled with scaffolding that hung from the walls and ceilings, as if the construction of this wall hadn't been completed. "Across the bridge."
Connected to the platform they had stepped onto was a long bridge that took them straight across to the other side of the wall.
"Be careful though, this bridge isn't the most stable because of the-" Briggs' Ghost began.
"Look, over there!" Niko exclaimed suddenly as all of them eyed the corridor on the other side of the bridge. They could see a female Guardian get knocked out onto the bridge, followed immediately by the snarl of a Captain as the beast stepped out onto the bridge as well, accompanied by a particularly large Vandal. Neither of them gave the Guardian a chance to recover as they hounded her, pinning her against the banister of the bridge which began swing back and forth in response.
"Come on, they might need our help!" Briggs barked as he took off in a sprint, racing toward the enemies. The rest of the followed as quickly as they could, maintaining their balance even as the bridge swung back and forth.
Putting his head down, and his shoulder out, Briggs charged straight at the Fallen Captain, slamming himself into its chest with such tremendous force that it was sent flying back into the corridor it had come from. The Vandal was clearly surprised by the sudden interference, allowing the Guardian to take advantage of this distraction. Slamming her palm into the Vandal's abdomen, she unleashed a blast of Void Light that sent it tumbling away in the same direction as its partner.
"Hah, thank you." She said with a sigh of relief, getting nod in response from Briggs as the rest of the team joined up with them.
"What happened to their rest of your fireteam?" Briggs asked her.
"They're dead." She replied in a deadpan. "Their Ghosts are in that corridor ahead. That pair of Fallen right there are no joke. They've already tore through a pair of fireteams."
"Dang man." Niko said softly.
"According to my database, they match the appearance of two targets from Petra's bounty list. Drevis the Wolf Baroness, and Grayor, the Wolf Assassin." Briggs' Ghost pointed out. That would explained the struggle against this pair. According to the information they had received from Petra, these two high ranking members of the Wolves along with one other had been hand selected from among the Silent Fang to become the commanders of this task force by Skolas. Only the strongest and most vicious members of these already dangerous assassins would be entrusted with such responsibility.
Straightening up, the Guardian took a step forward before wincing as she placed a hand on her side, covering the wound she had received fighting them.
"You're hurt." Diana noted as she studied her fellow Guardian.
"Tobias, take her back and have my Ghost check her wounds."
Tobias inhaled sharply at this, tightening his grip on the handle of his Proxima. There were two high value targets right in front of him. This was his big chance to see how he'd fare against a real threat, and once again he was being sent away from the action. But…there was also a life on the line right now. No matter how much he wanted to fight, he couldn't ignore someone who was hurt.
"You got it." Tobias said as he offered the Guardian a hand to help her along. She only glanced at his hand for a moment before motioning for him to put it down.
"I'm not that weak." She responded as she turned to begin traveling across the bridge toward the side where Undaunted had come from. She walked with a bit of a limp, trying to ignore the pain that spiked through her torso with each step she took.
"Let's go!" Niko hollered as he sprung forward, pulling out his tanto as he moved to engage the Vandal that stood on the edge of the bridge. Diana and Briggs followed Niko, leaving Tobias to look at their backs as they charged into another fight without him. Taking a deep breath, Tobias then spun around to join the female Guardians as they went in the opposite direction.
But a piercing howl sent a chill down Tobias' spine as he whirled around to see what was happening. Diana, Niko and Briggs had pursued the two Silent Fang commanders into the connecting corridor, but the Baroness began screeching suddenly. A pair of vandals jumped down from above, landing on the end of the bridge where they blocked off Diana, Niko and Briggs, locking them into the corridor they had entered.
"What the?" Niko exclaimed as he turned to look at them. But the two Vandals had a different agenda at the moment. Drawing their wire rifles, the aimed them at the thickly coiled wires that held up the bridge. They fired their weapons, snapping the wires which whipped out wildly in response.
Tobias gasped as he suddenly felt the bridge disappear from beneath his feet. The Guardian shrieked as the two of them began to plummet down into the depths of the wall.
"Tobias!" Diana shouted in disbelief that-that had happened so quickly. Before she could try to act though the two Vandals cut her off, readying their weapons for the fight.
"Focus Diana, we have to win this fight here." Briggs stated as he motioned for her to focus on her opponents. "Tobias can take care of himself, I know that much."
"Gosh, you're really heavy!" The female Guardian muttered as she strained herself, tightly gripping Tobias by his forearm.
They had been free falling for just a few moments before Tobias found himself in the care of the Guardian that he was supposed to be taking care of. She had managed to take a hold of him midair stop their descent by a means that Tobias didn't quite understand. He could feel a sudden burst of energy from her before they slowed down, gradually approaching the ground floor. Although the extra weight from Tobias was dragging them down faster than she wanted to go.
"Get ready to hit something!" She called out for Tobias. And just as she had said, they eventually hit the floor. Tobias had soundly landed on his stomach, and would also act as a landing pad for the Guardian who had saved him.
"Thanks for the save." Tobias said as she rolled off of him, breathing deeply. "Are you okay?"
"Don't mention it." She replied, waving off his thanks. "I'm spent though."
"Right, we were supposed to get you checked out before the bridge fell. But now Diana's Ghost is all the way back up there." Tobias noted as he looked up. Even with the night vision, he still struggled to see where they had fallen from.
"Actually, I'm already with you." A voice said, causing the two of them to look around in search of the source. Diana's Ghost took shape in front of them. "The moment Diana gave me the order to join you, I transferred myself to you."
"Well at least something is going our way." Tobias mumbled as he rose to his feet, glad that he at least had a guide.
"Wait, something's approaching you guys!" Ghost declared as they felt a small gust of wind. Tobias glanced around, but there multiple corridors leading to the room they were in.
"Behind you!" The Guardian shouted, but it was already way too late for Tobias to react. Tobias received a heavy blow to his side with so much force behind it that it ripped him from the floor and threw him clean across the room. Crashing into the wall, Tobias grunted before he dropped to the floor with a thud.
That hit really hurt, even with the armor that he was on. But a shriek from the Guardian he was pair with forced him to rise up in a hurry. Looking up, he could see that their attacker was a Fallen Captain, and for the first time, Tobias felt his heart racing as he stared at the beast. It was huge and burly in comparison the Guardian who it held by her neck with just one of its hands. Gasping the, the Guardian raised one hand, trying to summon a weapon from her Ghost, but the Captain took a hold of her forearm and snapped it before she could fight back. The pain she was experiencing though was completely forgotten as the Captain began to squeeze down on her windpipe mercilessly.
"No!" Tobias roared as he charged at the Captain. But his efforts were fruitless. The Captain swatted him away with one arm once he got close, sending him skidding away on the floor. Feeling shaky from this hit, Tobias could only look up to watch as the Captain crushed the neck of the Guardian. Her body went limp in its hand before it tossed her aside, much to Tobias' horror as it set its sights on him.
He was next!
"Focus Guardian, or your fate will be the same as hers!" Diana's Ghost called out to him. But this plea fell on deaf years. Tobias' heart was pounding and his mind was in a fog.
He had been so eager to fight not even five minutes ago. But his stomach dropped at the sight of the dead Guardian across the room from him. This wasn't like all the other times, where he had one of the members of Undaunted there to quickly correct the situation. He wasn't strong enough, and he was alone.
'I'm…going to die.' The realization was bone chilling as Tobias crumbled under the pressure.
Three days. That's how long he had been alive. Three days ago he had woken up on Diana's ship. Three days since he had met with the Speaker. A two days since he fought in the Crucible. One day since he had officially joined Undaunted on the field.
"I knew that he was a great hero, and of his many great talents on the battlefield…"
Some hero…
Even though his vision was unfocused, he could see the corpse of the Guardian who he had failed to protect. His first assignment as a Guardian was to have her wounds checked out. Now she was dead. He had only been training for a day now, but if he had fought with even a sliver of that training, that Guardian would still be alive. This was, unacceptable!
"Guardian!" Diana's Ghost shouted at Tobias as he rose to his feet. The Captain lunged at him now, raising one of its massive hands and stretching out his fingers to show off its claws.
Tobias could only hear a white nose as the world seemed to slow down around him. He couldn't go out this way! Even though it was only a few people, they had already invested time and energy into him. It would all be going to waste if he died in such a pathetic way!
His gaze became sharp as he focused on the Captain that was already in front him, thrusting its arm toward him to palm his head and likely crush it. Raising one hand, Tobias managed to intercept the Captain's attack, using his forearm to steer away this strike from his head. The Captain quickly realized that it had missed though, and was prepared to follow up with another attack.
"Heighten your senses to the highest degree."
The Captain spun, raising its leg to throw out a roundhouse kick at Tobias' neck. But he had no trouble reading the movements of the Captain. It was moving so slowly. He had all the options in the world at the moment. He could block the kick with his forearm, but the Captain was still strong them him, so that might not end so well. Ducking sounded like the best idea. Dropping low to the ground, Tobias fell beneath the attack before sweeping the Captain off the one leg it stood on, clearly catching it off guard. It couldn't even respond as he thrusted his palm into its chest.
The Captain was sent spiraling away into the wall on the opposite of the room, leaving Diana's Ghost in awe as it watched. Where was all of this coming from?!
Tobias remained crouched on the floor, reaching for the tanto that was strapped to the back of his belt.
"Are you sure you want to give this to me? I can't even use Arc Blade properly, so what's the point?" Tobias asked Niko as they stood in the main chamber of Briggs' jump ship, approaching the outermost wall of the Cosmodrome.
"You may be the worst Hunter I've ever met, but you never know what could happen out in the field. Who knows, you might be desperate at some point and need to pull something out of your ass." Niko stated, causing Diana to cringe.
"As if you couldn't make it sound any worse Niko." Diana said to him, getting a chuckle in response from him as he placed the weapon in Tobias' hands. Looking up at Niko, the Hunter gave him a wink for reassurance.
'I can do this.' Tobias said to himself. Removing it from the sheath, he summoned all of the Light that he could, feeling the power well up within his chest. But a thought ran through his mind.
"We use the Light on ourselves and become living weapons."
Briggs had said this as he introduced Tobias to the abilities used by Titans. Niko had taught him about manipulating the Light to enhance his weapons. But Arc Blade required that he do both!
Taking in a deep breath, Tobias began to channel the Light through his blood stream. The power that he had felt building in his chest began to course through his veins, traveling throughout his entire body. He felt powerful, as if just taking a step would make the earth move beneath him. Tobias felt a smirk form on his face as he raised the tanto, eager to see what this glowing blade was capable of.
Diana's Ghost observed in bewilderment as Tobias had perfectly replicated Arc Blade. This was far from what Niko reported. Tobias burst forward, racing toward the Captain with his newfound speed, readying his blade to attack. The Captain had barely gotten back to its feet before its eyes became wide at the sight of Tobias rushing toward it. With a howl it raised an arm to defend itself, but Tobias easily bypassed this small defense and pinned the Captain against the wall with the blade in its torso.
The Captain gave a pained roar as Tobias spun the blade, releasing a pulse of Arc Light. The Captain began to tremble before it threw its head back; its body becoming bright blue before it was vaporized, vanishing completely from right in front of him.
Tobias exhaled as relief washed over him. Turning around, he put his back against the wall as he finally began to feel his legs shaking. But he had done it. He had beaten a Captain all on his own.
"Nice work Guardian!" Ghost exclaimed as it hovered over him. "Now quick, if you hurry, we can still collect the Ghost of the other Guardian."
Tobias remained silent though, listening to his heart as it thumped loudly. It had been blasting in his ears just a few moments ago, but now that the tension was starting to disperse, he could hear his surroundings again. All he could think about was this small victory over the Captain. He had come so close to giving up and accepting death, but somehow he had prevailed. Was this what all of the Guardians were going through? Their lives were constantly in danger, and every threat could kill them instantly. But it was…kind of fun. Tobias closed his free hand into a tight fist which he hit against his chest a few times.
"Whoo!" He hollered at the top of lungs, his shout echoing.
"Guadian!" Ghost said sharply, getting his attention.
"What!?" Tobias shouted in return before shaking his head. He was in the clouds, but slowly coming back down to earth.
"I said, you have to collect the Ghost of the Guardian who just died."
"What for?" Tobias asked as he Arc Blade faded, returning him to his normal stature.
"If a Guardian is killed, they can be brought back provided we obtain their Ghost and its Light isn't drained." Ghost explained to him.
"Wait, so she's not dead?"
"I believe the correct answer is, not yet."
"Awesome, let's do this." Tobias said as he returned the tanto to its sheath before rushing over to the body of the Guardian. But he was shocked to see that her lower body was missing, and her torso was gradually disappearing. "What's happening to her?"
"Her physical form will fade away. Her Ghost has been housing itself in her for protection at the moment. Once you retrieve it, we'll be able to restore her form with the help of another Guardian." Ghost explained as her upper body disappeared completely, revealing the Ghost who had been hidden within her head. Placing his hands around the small drone, it looked up at him, studying him intently with its optics before it vanished.
"What the?" Tobias exclaimed, looking around in search for the Ghost.
"It's okay; it's inside of you now." Diana's Ghost stated.
"Alright, let's get to work on bringing her back then." Tobias said as he rose to his feet.
"I wouldn't advise that in our current position." Ghost replied.
"Huh, why not?"
"Based on your short history with us; I think it's safe to assume you've never revived a dead Guardian." Diana Ghost stated.
"Uh, no I haven't." Tobias said slowly.
"It takes time to learn how to provide a Ghost with enough Light to revive their Guardian. We're already in a tight spot at the moment, especially since you were shouting like a maniac just now so I'm sure the Fallen are moving in on our location." Ghost said, and right on cue the hold of a group of Vandals proved that the enemy was closing in on them.
"My bad." That was all he could come up with.
"Indeed. But for now, we have to find a way back to the rest of the fireteam."
"Right." Tobias said with a nod of agreement as Ghost began to move, leading him toward one of the corridors.
"She's a long way up from us. It's going to be difficult to get back up there with the Fallen tailing us." Ghost informed him. "I think we should follow Briggs' plan and meet up with another fireteam rather than moving alone."
"Sounds like a plan. Point me in the direction of the closest fireteam." Tobias stated.
"Well actually, the closest fireteam is another solo Guardian." Ghost pointed out. "And it appears that this lonely Guardian is Ikora Rey."
"I-kora." Tobias said, trying to attach a face to the name. "Have I met this person before?"
"Yeah, you did. She's one of the Vanguard Mentors, the best looking one in my opinion." Ghost replied. "Not that she has much to compete with."
"She's alone now?"
"It looks like she's locked in a tough fight. She'll probably need back up and with her help we'll have no trouble getting back to Diana."
A/N
Right now I'm just kind of following the Destiny canon that we have in game, and putting a little twist on it, you know, a little spice. Like this chapter was based on the 'The Silent Fang' and 'Ruling House' missions. But I have plans that go far and beyond what we have in game that I can't wait to get to, including lots of theories about subjects that aren't really covered in game. So until then my fellow Guardians, I hope you enjoyed and I'll see you next time!