Chapter 33
"Come on guys, I don't know what you're seeing but it's just an illusion!" Tobias screamed at his teammates, but his cries fell on deaf ears. Raising his tanto blade to parry away Niko's, Tobias raised his leg and gave the Hunter a kick to force him back. "Come on Niko, I know you're strong enough to break free!"
Tobias had been locked in combat with all three of his teammates for several minutes now, evading or blocking their attacks as best he could. Striking them down was out of the question at the moment. He could feel how weak the Light was in here, just like on the Dreadnaught. A serious injury could mean death, and death for them here was permanent. His only option now was to try his best to entertain them until they broke free from the illusions like he had.
"That one is quite resilient, isn't he?" The Wizard noted as it peered down at Tobias from Ir Anuk's shoulder. He had been grazed and nicked by the powerful attacks his teammates had unleashed upon him, but this didn't seem to affect him. He was determined to see to it that his teammates escaped the illusions as well.
"That is the one who killed father." Ir Anuk stated.
"I see. So he is the new Vessel of the Light. It's no surprise he broke free from my illusion then." The Wizard said. "But he wouldn't dare unleash his power on his teammates, so he will fall eventually. He can only entertain us for so long."
Niko blinked, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hands for a moment. Obviously something was wrong with his eyes. Opening them again, Niko looked around a second time, but his setting was still the same. He as in an amphitheater, with tall stone columns that were decorated with palm branches and the people that filled the seats were all dressed in white robes. He was back in ancient Athens!
'How did I…get back here?' Niko asked himself.
"The jury has decided, that Nikolai Kostas, is guilty treason against the city of Athens." The judge declared, causing Niko's eyes to widen as his attention became focused on the man in front of him.
"Wait, what?" Niko exclaimed as he realized where he was. The day that his execution had been decided.
"You are to be put to death tomorrow." The judge continued.
Niko looked down for a moment. Did he travel back in time? How did he get back home? And if he did somehow return, that meant his beloved was here…
'Angela.' Niko said as he looked up. He had to see her!
All of a sudden a two pairs of large hands took a hold of his arms, restraining him as the audience that filled the amphitheater clamored. Niko began to squirm, trying to break free from the grip of the two guards that had taken a hold of him, but they were just as strong as he was, and they had no trouble restraining him together.
"Get moving." One of them barked at him, earning a sharp glance from Niko. But in doing so, Niko caught a glimpse of the tumultuous crowd behind him. It was clear that the court's ruling had left some people confused. Others were outraged, but in the middle of all of this, Niko's gaze became fixated on one man.
He was an older man, clothed in the finest linens as proof of his wealth and power. But the snide smirk he wore made Niko's blood begin to boil. He would never forget this man. The father of his beloved.
Alastor.
They made eye contact briefly, and Alastor's smirk grew in size. He then raised one hand, giving Niko a wave as the guards holding him began to push him forward, taking him toward the exit of the amphitheater. Waiting for them outside was four horse drawn chariots, the largest of which Niko was tossed into. The two guards then bound his wrists and ankles together to ensure that there would be no resistance from Niko during their trip.
"Hyah!" One of the guards bellowed as he cracked his whip. The horses immediately took off, and the other three chariots followed behind them as well.
Resting on his side at the back of the chariot, Niko looked up at the two guards that stood in front of him.
"You guys, you fought in the war too." Niko said to them. "You know this is all a lie."
"We're just following orders." One of them said in response.
"Whose orders? I've done nothing that would make the court come to such a decision on their own." Niko exclaimed, hoping to shed some light on the situation.
One of the guards opened their mouth to speak now, but the other gave him a nudge with his elbow before shaking his head. Niko could tell that they were keeping quiet, but why?
It wasn't long before Niko found himself resting against the far wall of his cell, unable to find a comfortable spot on the rocky floors. His cell was nothing more than a small cave that had been barred off. The floor was hard, and as the sun dipped into the horizon, his cell grew dark. There was no fire or anything to provide him with light or warmth. He was just alone and cold.
But why was this happening? He had participated in the Peloponnesian War, and they had returned victorious. How could he be charged with treason for defeating Sparta?
"Psst." There was a small whisper, causing Niko to perk up. But in the darkness, he couldn't see the person at the entrance to his cell.
"Hello?" Niko asked softly.
"Niko. I'm sure you're wondering what's going on." The voice began.
"Hell yeah I am." Niko responded.
"No one here is going to tell you though. They've all been paid to keep quiet about this."
"By who?"
"Alastor." The voice stated. "He's paid off everyone. From every member in the court, down the last guard that'll see you before your execution."
Niko knew Alastor didn't think highly of him. Alastor didn't approve of the relationship that Niko had with his daughter. But to go so far as to have him executed…?
"Why is he doing this?" Niko asked, but there was no response. "Hello?"
There was nothing but silence, so Niko could only assume that they had left him. But now he knew everything that he had needed.
This was Alastor's doing. Exhaling, Niko felt a surge of power run through his body for only an instant. But this power manifested itself in his right hand, as nothing more than a small crackle of electricity. Closing his hand into a fist, Niko shut his eyes.
Feeling a pair of hands grab onto his clothing and hoist him up, Niko opened his eyes to find one of the guards dragging him out of his cell. It took Niko's eyes a few moments to adjust to the sunlight as he was tossed out of his cell. It was already morning!
Once his vision finally cleared up though, he found himself resting in the middle of seven soldiers. All of them were wielding large sabers and clad in battle armor. They didn't want him to even think about fighting back.
"It's execution time." One of the soldiers declared as he pointed his weapon at Niko.
"So you all were paid off too?" Niko asked them as he rose to his feet.
"That's none of your concern." One of them stated before stepping toward Niko, but one of his partners stepped in front of him, raising a hand for him to wait.
"He's as good as dead anyway. Why not fill him in?" He suggested.
"So it's true." Niko stated, receiving a nod from them.
"Alastor lined all of our pockets with all of the gold we could want." This soldier explained to Niko.
"But why?" Niko asked.
"Are you really that dense? Think about it."
"The king himself was going to handpick you as general of our armies once Alastor stepped down."
"Plus I'm sure he doesn't want his daughter running off with you either."
"You're threatening to take everything that man had gained. You drove him to do this."
All of the soldiers were speaking to him at once, showering him with reasons to explain Alastor's motivation, but this only frustrated Niko. What gave Alastor the right to all of this?
To take Niko's life just to preserve his livelihood…that was just, wrong!
Niko raised his head, letting out a scream to the skies above. This silenced all of the soldiers at once, causing them to cringe as well from the sheer volume of his voice as it bellowed. Several crows that had been resting in the trees below took flight, startled from the sudden noise as well. After a few moments he lowered his voice, and opening his eyes again, they were almost…electric. But this went unnoticed by the soldiers that stood around him.
"Alright big fella, this is the end now. Rest in peace." The soldier declared as all of them readied their weapons now.
All at once, they lunged forward, thrusting their blades at Niko who looked around at them with wide eyes. This wasn't going to end here.
All of them had slowed down considerably, giving Niko ample time to study each of them so that he could plan a course of action. They had covered almost every escape route he could use. Almost, all of them.
There was a small gap between two of the soldiers approaching on his right, and he would use this to his advantage. Niko sprung at the two soldiers he had been watching, turning his body to slip through their blades without even being touched. All of them stared in shock that Niko had actually escaped their assault.
The first of the soldiers to shake away their astonishment dashed at Niko whose back was turned them. Raising his saber, he jumped with the intention of using all of his weight to sever one of his Niko's arms. But Niko took one small step to the side to evade this attack without even seeing it. Then Niko grabbed the hilt of his saber with one hand while delivering his elbow into face of the soldier, forcing him to release his weapon.
Now in possession of a sword, Niko swung out at the soldier beside him, separating his head from his body with just one clean action. The remaining soldiers stood frozen now at the sight of Niko as he gained a blue hue, and the saber he held now began to crackle with electricity as it glowed as well.
"What the hell?!" One of them exclaimed as Niko seemed to flicker for a moment, raising his weapon slightly. Niko then lowered his sword as he began to walk away from the group. All six of the remaining soldiers collapsed to the ground with several deep wounds that had been inflicted onto them in an instant.
"Alastor, you will regret this." Niko stated softly.
Rubbing her eyes a bit to clear up her vision, Carmen furrowed her brow as she pulled her hands away from her eyes. They were smaller than she remembered…How did that happen?
Then she looked up, checking her surroundings. She was in her old bedroom, in the small home that she spent her early childhood in. Throwing off the sheets that were on her, Carmen climbed down from her bed and made her way over to the exit of the room. But as she arrived at the door, she saw that she was barely the same height as the doorknob, and she was quickly realizing what was going on.
'No, it couldn't be that day…' Carmen reasoned with herself as she opened up the door, stepping into the short corridor. It led to their kitchen, and as Carmen approached this room she could smell the breakfast that her mother was preparing.
"Carmen, I hope you got out of bed chica!" Her mother, Victoria, called out to her. Carmen stood in the entryway to the kitchen, her mother's back turned to her. She then spotted her baby sister Maria, seated in her high chair beside the table, cooing to herself.
"I'm uh…already here mom." Carmen responded as she stepped in now, heading for the table.
"Wonderful, and your papi will home any minute now." Her mother said, motioning for Carmen to have a seat. "I'll be done in a minute."
"Where did he go?" Carmen asked her.
"Last night, there was some activity outside of the settlement. But I doubt it was anything we have to worry about." Victoria said as she glanced at her daughter, deciding to change the subject. "I can't believe you're eight years old today."
Her mother had turned to give Carmen a smile, which she returned nervously. But now she had heard all the information she needed. This was indeed the day she dreaded most. The day she lost her life to the Fallen.
"Um, mom…? Is there any way that we could go out of the settlement today?" Carmen asked, causing her mother to tilt her head as she looked at her.
"What for chica?" Victoria asked her in return.
"I-I don't know, a nature walk." Carmen suggested, shrugging her shoulders. This caused her mother to laugh.
"Since when do you care about nature?" Victoria inquired with a grin.
"What? I always have." Carmen exclaimed. "I like trees and…stuff."
Victoria only snickered for a few moments, curious as to what her daughter was up to now. She would see how far Carmen was willing to go with this.
"Either way Carmen, you'll have to talk to your father about that." Victoria stated.
"Aww, really? But you know he'll say no!" Carmen pointed out to her.
"Maybe if you talk to him about it Carmen." Her mother replied.
"That's just a waste of time. We both know what he's going to say." Carmen reasoned with her.
"Then I guess you're not too serious about this then." Victoria retorted, eager to see how Carmen would respond now.
"So then, what can I say?" Carmen asked. What could she say to convince her father that they should leave the settlement?
"Maybe you should mention that it is your eighth birthday." Victoria suggested. "And that rather than some fancy gift, you want to spend some time with us."
Carmen sat there for a moment, thinking about Victoria's pitch. That sounded pretty reasonable! But would something like that work?
Suddenly though, the front door to their home was thrown open, causing both Carmen and Victoria to head over to the entrance to the kitchen. They could see Carmen's large and burly father gasping for breath as he barged into the house, rushing into his room.
"Cariño, what's the matter?" Victoria asked as she approached the entrance to their bedroom she shared with her husband. He was on his stomach at the moment, pulling something out from under their bed. It was a locked case which he lifted and placed on the bed, pulling a necklace out from under his shirt with a key tied to it. Unlocking the case, he opened it up, revealing a sizable shotgun that had been contained within it.
"Get the girls, and get going." He stated to her as he opened the chamber of the weapon, loading it with ammunition.
"What-what's going on?" She asked him.
"The Fallen are coming. You have to go, now."
"And go where?" Victoria demanded to know.
"We noticed the Fallen were beginning to gather a few days ago. There weren't many options, so we contacted the Vanguard and arranged for this settlement to be relocated to the Last City." He explained to her as he now began to head back for the front door.
Victoria was speechless now. She had lived in this settlement for decades now with her husband. The people that lived here had survived outside of the Last City for ages, and they had grown accustomed to living without any assistance from the Vanguard. The fact that the men of this settlement had turned to the Guardians only meant that this was beyond anything they could stand against.
Seeing the expression chance on her mother's face, Carmen could tell that the Fallen attack was about to begin. She was too late to change anything! If only she had woken up earlier…would that have even changed anything?
"Carmen, get your shoes on, we're leaving." Her mother stated as her father approached the open front door. Hearing a stomach churning scream, her father peered outside, spotting the Fallen flooding into the settlement.
"There's no time, go out the back!" Her father bellowed as he slammed the door, placing his back against it.
Carmen gasped, her blood becoming cold as the familiar scene unfolded in front of her. Her mother was already in the kitchen, collecting little Maria from her high chair and making her way to the back entrance of their home. Her father was leaning against the front door, waiting for the inevitable. And once again, she couldn't do anything to stop it!
"Carmen, go with your mother!" Her father snapped at her, motioning for Carmen to follow Victoria.
"I…I" Carmen muttered as she glanced back at her mother and sister, and then to her father. She was filled with uncertainty. She couldn't bear to see this happen again, but what could she do to stop it? She was powerless.
"Carmen, you can't do anything here. Just follow her mother!" Her father barked before cringing as something from the outside slammed itself against the door. "GO!"
Even though her father had braced himself for the next hit, he was tossed aside as the door was thrown open, revealing a Fallen Captain. It howled as it stepped into their home, stretching out its sharp claws.
"Carmen, hurry!" Her mother screamed from the back door, Maria in her arms. It was everything Carmen knew. But…she had to make a difference this time. She couldn't let this happen! Not again!
Everyone present was astonished to see Carmen turn orange, becoming consumed in fire. Then she reached out in the air, taking a hold of the grey pistol that had formed. As soon as she had a proper grasp on this weapon, it became engulfed in fire just like her. She took aim, and didn't hesitate to pull the trigger.
Resting on his side, her father was in awe at the sight of the Fallen Captain being reduced to ash by none other than his daughter. And as he made eye contact with her, her once dark eyes were now a fiery amber color as she glared at where the Captain once stood.
"Ca-Carmen, are you alright?!" He exclaimed as he scrambled over to his daughter.
Carmen though, could only stare at the Golden Gun she held in shock. She could use the ability signature to Gunslingers. She had her powers! She could fight! And she wouldn't let the Fallen threaten everyone that she loved ever again!
"I'm going to…kill them all." Carmen stated darkly, clutching her weapon.
Diana rose up from floor, her head spinning. She was struggling to get a grasp on her current location. The only thing she could identify was the color red, and that was because it was everywhere. What was going on?
Hearing a scream, Diana was forced to come to her senses as she got back on her feet, recognizing her position. She was back on the Amethyst Reef Station…during the Reef Wars. Fire was everywhere in the room around her, but the first thing that caught her attention were the bodies scattered around the room, the floor around them stained red. She then noticed some movement.
Across the room, there was a Fallen Baron accompanied by a group of Vandals, all of which surrounded the only civilian that was still alive.
"Please, don't kill me!" He begged as the Vandals raised their weapons. Before they could fire though, one of the Vandals slumped to the ground with a bullet in its head, causing the entire group to turn around in search of the opposition.
Standing on her feet with her sidearm raised, Diana quickly sized up the group as they now focused on her. The Baron howled, pointing at her which caused the surrounding Vandals to rush into action, rushing at her.
There were two Vandals left, along with the Baron. This was nothing she couldn't handle. Ducking beneath the first Vandal who had pounced at her, Diana then engaged the second one, blocking a double right hook that it had thrown at her with both its right arms. Diana then buried her knee into its abdomen, causing the Vandal to hunch over before she spun around it. Now standing behind the Vandal, Diana kicked its back which sent it stumbling into its partner. She then fired away with her sidearm, pelting them with bullets which caused both of them to drop to the floor with a thud.
With Diana's back turned to it, the Baron didn't waste this opportunity as it rushed at her, raising its dual sabers to impale her. Diana gasped as she felt the blades penetrate through her torso, her vision becoming blurry for a moment. The Baron then removed its blades, dropping her down on her side.
Diana drew a pained gasp, biting down on her lip in frustration for getting so caught up with just two Vandals. Looking down at the wound on her torso, Diana placed her hand on it, expecting to see it return stained red from her blood. But the wound was dry. In fact, the pain was fading already as well. Raising her upper body a bit, Diana saw that there was no wound now, despite being skewered by a pair of sabers. It was as if she had never been hurt.
She was…still a Guardian.
Peeking over her shoulder, Diana could see that the Baron had already turned away from her, assuming that she was going to bleed out. Now she would return the favor.
Returning to her feet, Diana unsheathed the two daggers that were strapped to her waist, dashing toward the Baron's back was turned. Raising one of the blades, she buried it into the back of the beast, causing it to howl in pain as before it whirled around in search of its attacker. But after spinning around, it failed to find Diana who was in the air above it. Dropping down onto the shoulders of the Baron, Diana quickly closed her legs around its neck and threw herself backward, sending both of them to the floor.
The Baron roared in disapproval, reaching for Diana with one of its hands, she quickly took the remaining dagger she held and pinned its hand against the floor. The Baron began to flail itself wildly in pain as Diana crushed its windpipe, but she was far from finished with her opponent.
A purple aura began to grow around Diana as she placed her hands on the head of the Baron.
"Annihilate." Diana whispered before the two of them became engulfed in Void Light. Once the light faded away, Diana found herself standing on her own two feet looking down at the palms of her hands. She was very experienced channeling Void Light, but this was the first time this power felt so foreign to her. As if she was experiencing this for the first time.
Shaking her head a bit, Diana focused on the task at hand.
"Our family. None of them made it off of Amethyst save for you…They're all gone."
Diana could vividly remember the moment that Petra had shared that information with her. It was the start of a whirlwind of events for Diana that eventually led to her death and new life as a Guardian. But now she was back on Amethyst. She could stop all that from happening.
"Thank you so much!" The Awoken civilian exclaimed as he rested at Diana's feet, an expression of awe on his face. He couldn't believe that he was still alive despite having so many Fallen surrounding him just moments ago.
"Get to an escape pod." Diana said as she motioned to his means of escape that were on the opposite side of the room.
"But what about you?" He asked as she turned away, heading toward the exit.
"I still have lives to save." She stated before rushing off into the corridor. She could remember exactly where her family had been lodging on Amethyst. If she hurried, she could find them before things got too crazy.
"Any civilians within the station, evacuate immediately!" The reminder came over the intercom again as Diana sprinted through the halls. If she was remembering correctly, there were transports from the Royal Guard waiting outside the station for the escape pods. As long as she could get her family to one of them, they would be safe.
Arriving at the residential area, Diana could see that there were numerous Paladins, along with a member of the Royal Guard leading them. Approaching the group, they immediately saluted to her.
"What's the situation here?" Diana asked as the guard motioned for her to follow them as their small squadron began to move.
"This area has already been evacuated. All of the civilians have been moved to a nearby hangar. We've run out escape pods in this area so we've contacted the Royal Guard to send a larger transport her to pick them up." The guard explained, getting a nod of approval from Diana.
"For the time being we just have to patrol the areas connecting to the hanger. The Fallen are all over the station, stay on guard." One of the Paladins added as they arrived at the hangar where Diana could feel the unrest in the crowd. The attack on the station had happened to suddenly, but they were fortunate that the Paladins on board responded so readily. Countless lives could've been lost if the Awoken weren't so protective of their domain.
Taking a moment to scan through the crowd, Diana eventually spotted a group of familiar faces, allowing her to breathe a sigh of relief. Her family had made it.
Glancing at the guard who stood beside her, Diana watched as she looked up, nodding her head in response to the message she was receiving.
"The transport is coming in now. We don't have a lot of time though." The guard stated as she called for everyone's attention. The Paladins took charge in giving direction to the crowd as the transport arrived, landing in the hanger for the civilians to board.
"Don't run over each other, there's room for everyone!" The Paladins called out as the transport was quickly filled. Once they were sure that everyone was on board, the Paladin's gave the pilot the all clear to disembark.
"We'll be heading to another residential area now, are you coming with us?" The guard asked Diana as she watched the transport rise up, exiting the hangar now.
"Yeah, I'll help out." Diana replied with a nod before wincing at the sound of static across their comms. "Ouch, what was that?"
"Interference." The guard replied. "This is Captain Tano, what's going on out there?"
"Fallen reinforcements. We're taking a beating out here. They have a Ketch approaching the station now. We don't have the numbers to engage them!" One of the pilots outside called out.
"Reinforcements." Tano said softly before whirling around to look out the hangar where they could see the transport journeying out. "Call back that transport, they'll get annihilated out there!"
They all turned, barking out orders at the pilot over the comms to return to the hanger. But before the pilot could even make sense of what they were saying, he was dead. The transport exploded as a Fallen Skiffs plowed right through it. Diana and the Paladins stared wide eyed at this scene as the fiery explosion faded away, leaving behind scrap metal and the charred remains of the victims within.
Diana felt her heart stop as she dropped to her knees. Even though she was here. Even though she had found them. They all died anyway…
Diana let her head drop, enraged that she hadn't put any forethought into what was taking place. She hadn't done anything to affect the outcome. All she had done was put herself in a position to witness their deaths now. It felt as though the room was beginning to spin as swayed back and forth.
'Yes…let the hatred consume you.' A voice whispered to her as Diana closed her hands into tight fists. She wasn't even trying to channel Void Light yet she could feel it traveling through her body, like never before! It like someone had opened a floodgate as this power enveloped her.
"Whoa, what's going on?!" The Paladins exclaimed as they jumped away from Diana. The air around her had become heavy as a dark purple aura began to swirl around her, lifting her into the air.
It was though Diana became ignited in Void Light before she burst out of the hanger into the dead of space, looking around at the battle that was taking place outside of the station. She could see the Fallen spacecrafts bombarding the station, shooting down any Awoken ships that tried to intervene. And approaching the station was the enormous Fallen Ketch.
"I will, destroy them all." Diana stated as she charged toward the Fallen Ketch.
Tobias drew in a few deep breaths as he looked around at his teammates who surrounded him. His predicament was getting worse by the second as he shot a glare at the Ir Anuk and the small Wizard that was seated on her shoulder.
He had been doing everything he could to avoid his teammates as he tried to develop a plan. But they were steadily making this task more difficult.
Fighting alongside them, Tobias had seen each of them annihilate their opponents on different battlefields, endlessly spamming their abilities with no regard for their opponents. But now he was on the receiving end of this. This was nothing like the spars he had-had with them from time to time. They were actually trying to kill him here.
Diana darted forward, approaching Tobias from his blind spot where she threw out a side kick into his torso. Taking this blow, Tobias stumbled a bit which left him wide open for Niko to jump at him, slamming his knee into chest. Tobias groaned as he hunched over in pain, but Niko followed up with an uppercut to his chin, stunning Tobias so that he had no response for the haymaker that sent him to the floor.
"Oh, that one looked like it hurt." The Wizard chortled as she observed the battle between Tobias and his teammates. Jumping back to his feet, Tobias was glad that his helmet had absorbed most of the blow from Niko. Niko's physical strength was second to none, and Tobias was certain that Niko could've knocked his head clean off his shoulders if not for his helmet.
"Damn, I have to do something to snap them out of this." Tobias muttered, recalling the statement from the Wizard earlier.
"They can't hear you dear. Each of them is caught in one of my illusions at the moment."
His teammates had been unresponsive to his pleas. It was obvious they couldn't hear him, but how did they end up like this? Who could do something like this?
"You called Oryx your brother. Just who are you?!" Tobias shouted at the Wizard, but movement out of the corner of his eyes caught his attention. Niko, Carmen and Diana had all dashed at him, ready to unleash another combination of hits on him. However, they all became frozen in place the Wizard raised one hand, as if to halt all of their actions.
"Since you have served your purpose for me, I will grant you this much." The Wizard began as began to float once again, lowering herself to the floor. "I am Savathun the Witch Queen, master of deception. As I said, Oryx is my brother."
"So you've come to avenge him." Tobias concluded, gaining a chuckle from Savathun.
"On the contrary. I hold no grudge against you for killing him. I actually must commend you for completing this task." She responded, surprising Tobias. How could she be thankful that they had killed her brother?! "Now…I must collect the power you all have gained from my brother."
"What do you mean? We didn't gain anything from killing Oryx." Tobias stated.
"Oh, you Children of the Light are so innocent. You couldn't even begin to understand the repercussions of what you have done." Savathun responded with a soft chuckle. "You stepped into our domain, a realm where only those who have power, and seek more of it will remain standing. You showed your strength, conquered one of our strongest, and then left his throne vacant. For doing such a thing you've gained the attention of the entirety of the Hive Pantheon."
Tobias only furrowed his brow. None of this was making sense to him.
"So there are others, that are as strong as Oryx?" Tobias questioned, but Savathun waved off his question.
"Unfortunately, that's all of the talking I'm in the mood for." Savathun stated as she lowered her hand. His teammates began to move again, and Tobias found himself being swarmed by them once again.
Raising his forearms, Tobias blocked a punch from both Diana and Carmen, and summoning all of his strength, threw them away from before staring up at Savathun and Ir Anuk. If his teammates were locked into these illusions, then he would have to eliminate the source of them.
Summoning his rocket launcher, Tobias took a hold of the weapon as it was placed on his shoulder, already prepped for fire. Quickly taking aim at Ir Anuk's shoulder were Savathun rested, Tobias fired a projectile at them. Neither of them bothered to move as it closed in, exploding as it made contact with Ir Anuk which left a large cloud of black smoke.
But rather than check to see if this attack had done anything to Savathun, Tobias had to grab his tanto to parry a pair of throwing knives from Carmen. Upon completing this action, Tobias whirled around to block Niko's blade now.
"Oh, you guys are being so annoying right now." Tobias muttered as he batted away Niko's blade a few times before the Hunter retreated, leaving Tobias a bit confused. But it didn't take him long to realized that Diana was on the attack now, firing at him with her fusion rifle. Diving to his side to avoid being hit, Tobias rolled across the floor a few times before he could transition right back to his feet where he actually had a moment to glance up at Savathun now that the smoke had cleared away.
Low and behold, Ir Anuk and Savathun were completely unaffected, still observing him as he fought with his teammates.
'Okay then, looks like I'll have to pull out all the stops.' Tobias said as he recalled his training with the Traveler. He couldn't have pictured a better situation to bring out the Radiant Light than this one.
Diana, Niko and Carmen all jumped at him together, but Tobias clapped his hands together, creating a thunderous boom and a shockwave that blasted away the three of them from him.
"Oh, what's this?" Savathun noted as Tobias became engulfed in the Light. His robes and gear became pure white as he now shined brilliantly. Savathun nodded slowly, impressed that she could feel the power of the Light despite the fact that they were present in her Throne World.
Tobias separated his hands, taking a moment to stare at them before looking down at his clothing. He was completely white again, just like the previous times he had used the Radiant Light. Looking up at Savathun now, Tobias smirked at bit as he bent his knees and launched himself at her. In an instant he had closed the distance between them, allowing Tobias to reel back his hand to deliver a punch to Savathun. But his hand met with an invisible barrier that surrounded her which stopped his approach.
"Ah, ah, ah." Savathun said as she shook a finger at him. But this didn't stop Tobias.
Pushing forward even harder now, the barrier surrounding Savathun became visible as he applied more pressure to it. Both Savathun and Ir Anuk were surprised by this, and then, the barrier cracked. Her shield shattered as Tobias burst forward with all his might, snatching Savathun off of Ir Anuk's shoulder and pinning her against the ground a fair distance from everyone else.
Holding her neck with one hand, Tobias raised his other and surrounded it with Void Light, preparing to trap her within the vortex of a Nova Bomb. But as he lowered his arm to unleash this power, there was a flash of light.
"Uh, what the." Tobias mumbled as he stumbled backward, his vision blurry. What the heck just happened?
Blinking furiously, Tobias vision came back enough for him to see the upper body of Savathun floating in front of him, but her lower half was missing. Did he do that? He couldn't recall what had happened after calling for some Void Light just a few seconds ago, but clearly he must have landed a clean blow on her. But Savathun shrieked at him in now, as she became surrounded by a red aura, causing the room to quake.
"Now you've gone and done it!" Savathun screamed at him as her lower body began to regenerate, replacing it as if it had never been lost. Only two people had ever succeeded in laying a hand on her in combat, and that was her two siblings. Yet…this mere human had done the same! How could this be?! "Your allies will pay the price for this!"
Raising her hand once again, Niko, Carmen and Diana all dropped to their knees, holding their heads as they cried out in pain.
"What are you doing to them?!" Tobias hollered at Savathun as she rose up into the air again, returning to Ir Anuk who had approached them.
"Your friends have been reliving the day they lost their lives as people. But I had granted them to opportunity to take vengeance of those who threatened them. Now though, each of them is suffering because of you, but out of the four of you, your pain will be the worst!" Savathun stated as she pointed at him.
His teammates became silent now as they stood up straight. Niko drew his tanto, but unlike their previous engagements, Arc Light was coursing through him. Carmen became engulfed in flames as she summoned her Golden Gun, and Diana's open palms became lit with Void Light.
All three of them were serious now. Fighting as if their life was depending on it. He could only imagine what they must have been seeing in these illusions.
Niko dashed forward with the increased agility from Ace Blade, but it was nothing Tobias couldn't track thanks to the Radiant Light. Catching Niko's forearm to stop his attack, Tobias spun to toss the Hunter away from him before he focused on Carmen and Diana who jumped at him together, unleashing their abilities onto him. Sprinting away, Tobias dodged their attacks handily, impressed with his speed while in this form.
Coming skidding to a halt on his feet, Tobias looked up at Ir Anuk and Savathun who had taken some distance from the group of Guardians. They must have been expecting this fight to escalate.
Noticing that Niko was approaching him again, Tobias grabbed his tanto and spun around to block Niko's attack once again. But as their blades met, Niko was sent flying backward with a shout of pain. The Hunter hit the ground rolling like a rag doll, eventually coming to a stop where he remained motionless.
Tobias stared at Niko with wide eyes, shocked that Niko had been sent flying so far. He only intended to block at attack. He had only put in a little force to make sure he wasn't overpowered by Niko, but to send him so far…
'Tobias, try to hold back a little.' The Traveler said to him.
'I was though.' He replied.
'Even more. The gap in power between yourself and your teammates is very large at the moment. You could risk seriously hurting them or worse.' The Traveler pointed out.
Tobias sighed inwardly with relief as Niko began to return to his feet. At the very least he hadn't hurt him seriously. But now Tobias knew that he needed immediate results in this battle. A prolonged fight would only give him more opportunities to unintentionally hurt his teammates.
He needed a way, to immobilize them all, for just a moment so that he could go all out on Savathun.
'What about that stasis field thing you were telling me about? Why are they still moving?' Tobias asked the Traveler within him, realizing that one of his newest abilities wasn't doing a thing for him right now.
'It is in effect. Your teammates have simply nullified it with their Light.' The Traveler responded.
'They can do that?!' Tobias exclaimed.
'You have the freedom to strength the effect of the field on different targets. By applying more weight to them so to speak, you'll be able to freeze them.' The Traveler explained. 'It's clear to me though that each of them are ready to fight through whatever you do them, so be careful with how much you apply to them.'
'Alright, I can do this.' Tobias said as he stared at his teammates. He would stop all of them in their tracks, and then finish off Savathun to free them. Hopefully this would be as easy as it sounded.
Taking a deep breath, Tobias expanded his Light, causing him to glow even brighter as he forced Ir Anuk and Savathun to shield their eyes. Bathing the room in Light, Tobias gave a shout as he focused on Diana, Niko and Carmen, and he felt a small portion of his strength disappear. But as he looked toward his teammates now, he found them all lying face down on the ground. All three of them remained motionless thankfully. This was his chance.
Glancing over his shoulder at the due of Ir Anuk and Savathun behind him, Tobias turned to face them now, ready to take down both of them. But his trio of teammates all began to scream, quickly gaining his attention.
"NO!" Diana screamed as she fought against the heavy force that rested on top of her. It was like someone had placed two metric tons on her back in an effort to keep her down. But this wasn't enough to stop her.
Slowly, she, Niko and Carmen began to rise back to their feet, leaving Tobias astonished. Why were they fighting so stubbornly? Just what were they seeing in these illusions that made them so desperate? He was only trying to save them, but immobilizing them must have turned their illusions into nightmares.
"I'm sorry guys. This is only for a little while, so just stay down!" Tobias shouted at them as he extended a hand toward them. A distorted and transparent pillar was dropped down onto each of them, slamming them all back to the floor once again, but this time it was clear that they wouldn't be moving.
He would make their suffering end as quickly as possible as he returned his gaze to Savathun and Ir Anuk. Clapping his hands together once again, Tobias' hands became surrounded in Void Light as he summoned a bow and arrow. Taking aim with this weapon at the floor in front of his opponents, Tobias released his hold on the bowstring and let the arrow fly.
Landing just below Ir Anuk and Savathun, the arrow of Void Light anchored itself to the floor before throwing out a pair of tethers, latching onto Ir Anuk with ease. But Savathun swung her hand, dashing away the tether that had tried to capture her before looking at where Tobias had previously been standing. He was gone though.
"I'm up here." Tobias said as he floated above Savathun with a Golden Gun in hand, aimed down at her. Recognizing this weapon as something Carmen had used earlier against Tobias, Savathun quickly abandoned her spot on Ir Anuk's shoulder as he pulled the trigger. Ir Anuk's entire arm was incinerated from the beam of white flames, leaving her to scream in pain as Savathun stared at Tobias. He was definitely leaving up to his status as the person who killed Oryx.
Savathun's shadow on the floor began to expand first, and then it actually rose up from the ground, extending toward Tobias. Morphing into multiple hands as it raced toward the Guardian, Tobias found himself entrapped within Savathun's shadow as she dragged him down to the floor.
"My original intention was for you to best your teammates, and gather all of my brother's power into you so that I could claim all of it. But you're proving to be a greater foe than I had anticipated." Savathun explained as she approached Tobias, her three eyes twinkling with a green light.
"You'll have to do better than this then." Tobias said as he threw out both his arms, shattering the grasp Savathun's shadow had on him. Noticing as Tobias' Light became electric around him, Savathun took note of how much power he was gathering into his right hand which began to crackle with electricity. Tobias then leapt into the air, cocking his fist back as his whole body became coated in Arc Light.
As Tobias neared Savathun, he couldn't help but be amazed with the Radiant Light. While he was using it, he had mastery over both Arc and Solar Light, allowing him to confidently use a Fist of Havoc for the first time. And he was certain that this devastating blow would be enough to finish of Savathun. But there was a sudden chill that passed over the entire room before Tobias was blinded sided and sent to the floor, shocked that something had hit him.
"Ho ho, what do we have here?" Savathun noted as her eyes became fixated on the person that had intercepted Tobias and knocked him aside despite his fearsome power.
It was Diana, standing on her feet again, with her arms hanging limply on at her sides, focused on Tobias. A black aura surrounded her though, gradually expanding. As she took a step forward, the floor beneath her sunk in a bit as proof that despite the weight Tobias had put on her, she was still willing to fight.
"You've got to be kidding me." Tobias exclaimed as he stared at her, getting back on his feet. Diana flexed her fingers, which became absorbed in Void Light as she went to attack Tobias. "Diana, stay down!"
Tobias had a brief moment to look out of the corner of his eyes, where he could see that Niko and Carmen were still on the floor. They were still down, yet Diana still insisted on trying to fight. What could be driving her to such an extreme? And why did her Light feel so…dark?
Raising his hand once again, Tobias knew that he couldn't afford to have any sort of distraction. That could be the difference between success and utter defeat. Dropping his hand, Tobias increased the weight on Diana tenfold, but it was in that moment that she vanished from his sight, slipping into a seam in space.
'Oh…crap.' Tobias said softly as a second seam opened up in front of him. Diana had Blinked to him instantaneously, reaching out toward Tobias with one hand. Placing it on his shoulder, Tobias could only gasp as his demise unfolded.
Just the weight from Diana's hand snapped his shoulder, dislocating it. But this pain was quickly forgotten as Diana unleashed a burst of Void Light onto him, followed closely by the pillar he had summoned being dropped down onto both of them.
'Tobias!' The Traveler screamed as he and Diana hit the floor, being pummeled into a sizable crater around them.
Tobias couldn't even describe the pain he was experiencing. Everything was broken, shattered, destroyed, but only for a few moments. Tobias though had blacked out while the Radiant Light restored him physically, but then it faded away, leaving him in his normal state.
"Hmm, that was interesting." Savathun said as she studied Diana. During that short exchange, she sensed the Darkness coming from within Diana, granting Diana the strength to move with the tremendous pressure Tobias had placed on her. Savathun could see the Light in Diana plain as day, but the Darkness was within her as well. These Children of the Light were certainly the most interesting ones that she had encountered so far.
But in the end, they would also be the last that she would meet. The Vessel of the Light now rested before her, ready for her to claim both his Light, and his power.
"I… I am now the strongest there is." Savathun declared as she approached Tobias, raising her hands. But she quickly came to a stop and looked up sensing a new presence in her throne room.
"Do you feel that?" Ir Anuk inquired, despite the pain she was in.
A silhouette came crashing down at the center of the throne room, resting on one knee before it straightened up.
"What are you doing here?" Ir Anuk as the newest arrival looked up at them.
"Who are you?" Savathun asked curiously, sensing something familiar within this new person.
"I was once known as the Wrath of Oryx." He began as the Darkness flared up around him "But with the Taken King dead, I have no use for such a title."
"He was there when father was slain." Ir Anuk pointed out.
"Oh, so this is who I heard so much about." Savathun said as took a moment to observe Titus, the human that had been Taken by Oryx. Ir Anuk had mentioned him in passing to her, leaving Savathun to wonder if this man would ever dare to oppose her. She never would've expected him to come to the High Coven, but while he was here she would deal with him now. "What a belligerent fool, appearing before my throne uninvited. I see you've inherited more from Oryx than just his Heart."
Titus' gaze became sharp at this as he hesitated for a moment.
"You thought we wouldn't notice. I can feel my brother's presence within you." Savathun said as she pointed at Titus. "You claimed his Heart, didn't you?"
Titus exhaled, and then he smirked at Ir Anuk and Savathun.
"So what if I did?" Titus asked as he now stood on Ir Anuk's remaining shoulder. His arm had been morphed into a saber, which he had pierced through Ir Anuk's neck before even she knew what had happened. Savathun whirled around, shocked that he had moved so quickly. But this surprise turned to admiration as Ir Anuk burst into black dust. For Titus to eliminate her so handily, he was indeed a fearsome opponent.
"I thought my brother was foolish for creating you. But I understand now. You were his contingency plan, in case he were ever to be killed. You would carry out his will." Savathun said as she watched Titus descend to the floor, snatching up the remains of Ir Anuk which was nothing more than a small brown fabric no larger than his forearm.
"No." Titus stated as he shook his head. "My path, is my own."
A/N
And that's another one in the books. My last installment was over a month ago, so I had to slide in a chapter this month or I'd feel guilty. So thanks so much for reading/following/favorite-ing ( Yeah, that's not a word ) my fic.
Destiny 2 Beta came and went. I hope none of you missed it, not that you would've missed much. I was a little underwhelmed, hoping for a bit more than what we got, but I'll take what I can guess. That first campaign mission was awesome, and if the rest of the campaign reaches that standard, I think we're in for something amazing. And I absolutely loved seeing the Vanguard Mentors out on the field with us. The day I get to fight alongside a Zavala, Shaxx or Cayde-6 AI, I'm going to lose my mind. But until that day, I happily take what I've got.
I see the beta falling under so much scrutiny, some of it deserved, some of being a little overboard, the rest of it being blind hate from that crowd of salty folks ( you know who I'm talking about ).
Now I'm not going to sit here and tell you that the beta was awesome, I already said I wasn't the happiest duck when I finished it. My abilities were on cooldown for what felt like ages, my super took forever to charge, and I didn't get to see the Farm! That last part you can ignore, but in my honest opinion, I felt pretty weak during the Strike they gave us to play, thanks in no small part to the fact that my abilities were basically never there for me to use. There was a comment on a video I was watching where someone pointed out that all of the whining and moaning throughout Destiny 1 about balancing abilities and subclass has now resulted in them making Trickle a permanent modifier in PvE to balance it for PvP. Really hoping that this is something they address before launch, or that they already have something in place to speed up ability cooldowns. But other than that, I'm still on the Bungie bandwagon and anxiously waiting for Destiny 2.
If you bothered to read all that, I'll stop talking now tell you to enjoy the rest of your day, so long Guardians!