(Oneshot)
To be Cabal under Ghaul's rule, was to be more than a soldier. Under Ghaul, you were a tool bent on conquering worlds in the name of Cabal might, a Sledge hammers to break down the walls of your opposition. But, given enough time - and enough walls - and eventually, even Sledge hammers would break…
On the floor of forced ingress unto the Hive Dreadnaught, a Cabal Legionnaire lay bare. He barely opened his one good eye; the other had been blown off his face by a Hive Boomer shot, and looked to the ceiling of the hull breach the Skyburners' ship had formed. Oil now bled from the empty space as he lay there on his back, his armor and bones crumpled in and crushed by something far greater and far more savage than himself, for he was a lowly Legionary of the Sky Burner's Oath. He and his Legion were ordered to hold this beachhead 3 years ago, and do little else. Despite everything that had befallen them, on this day, he knew the Skyburner's had finally failed their mission…
…then, he heard it…
*chomp*
*chomp*
…the sound of Chewing.
The Cabal looked around to see a great beast of mammoth proportions lumbering over his similarly crushed up companions. It was called a Hive Ogre…or, at least, it resembled one. The creature had had a saddle fastened to its back and some odd contraption bolted to its face. In it's free hand the Skyburner's last Valus, Valus Ta,omb, lie limp, mangled, and mulched.
Huge chunks had been torn out of the Valus. His head was missing too. The Beast was leisurely chewing on the Valus' body as it scoured the rest of the ship, looking for survivors or food, there was seemingly little difference to it. Around it, several beasts of unknown classification roamed the battlefield, tearing and ripping at his friends. As far as Hive biology went, they stood somewhere between Knight and Ogre, though this was the first time anything like that had been noted.
The creatures hissed and tore at his dead allies in Ravenous manor. The Legionnaire could make out their strained whispers, calling out to someone or something named 'Bahren-Seth'. As if on cue, off in the distance, he stood. Overseeing the final wave that had snuffed out the Cabal's Brethren.
Large for a Knight, he was draped in Crimson cloth that hung from his back in a regal cape-like fashion. His armor seemed to jut from his very body, silver and alien in design. His chest was the only piece of architecture that the Legionary could identify, it was clearly the chassis of a Vex Hydra, much like the ones he'd been briefed on, its singular eye still fading and blinking occasionally. At his waist, shards of several Gjallarhorn launchers adorned him. The Gjallarhorn was a weapon of absolute legendary proportions, even to the Cabal. And here, it'd been shattered and reduced to nothing more than an ornament for his sash in a statement to any that said to all who gazed upon it that said: 'I've bested the Light's strongest weapon.'
There was no doubt about it, he was the leader, Bahren-Seth, and he had bested the Skyburners without even trying.
'Although', the Cabal thought to himself, 'he'd done it when their supplies, deployments and morale were at their lowest. Were we at our full might, we would have taken him.'
Beside Bahren Seth, two others stood. A Knight classified amongst the Hive as a Warpriest and an Acolyte, both were wearing similar silver armor…and all of them were vulnerable.
The Cabal reached for his Slug launcher with his remaining hand and struggled to lift it up. If he could take them out, then perhaps the sacrifice of his entire regiment would have not been in vain. So, he struggled and strained to lift the gun, cables and fuel lines tearing from the remainder of his body and hissing black oil, which made noise that the Ravenous had begun to take notice.
The Cabal was aware of the Ravenous, but he didn't care. He wanted to take the shot, to make it count one last time for his fallen brothers. He struggled and he strained, his depth perception was gone, that only meant he had to focus his aim even more.
The Ravenous started to move towards him, hungry and craving. But he disregarded them. His sights were on their leader, and his still beating heart wanted him dead. His finger wrapped around the trigger and with all his might he squeezed.
*click*
The Cabal's stomach sank as nothing came out. He tried again…
*click* *click* *click*
Still, nothing.
The Cabal took another look at the weapon, its body was bent and contorted, and its magazine was moved to an angle. The once proud slug rifle was like him, broken, contorted and, perhaps worst of all, defeated.
He dropped his arm and gun to the ground in anguish. The loud clanging of broken armor and weaponry had fully garnered the full attention of the Ravenous. The hulking beasts came screeching and howling as they piled atop him and began to eat the rest of his body. He could feel their teeth and claws tear into his flesh, but he dare not cry out in pain. Instead, he reached down to his belt and grabbed one final parting gift: an incendiary grenade.
"For the Might of the Cabal!" He roared out in his mother tongue through his shattered throat as he detonated the grenade, blowing himself up and incinerating several Ravenous. They did not care however, charging through the flames to chew on and devour his flesh, burning alive as they did.
The sight had garnered the attention of Bahren himself, turning his head for a second at the scene, then turning back and moving along, there was work to be done, and he would not waste a moment more. He pet his Ogre, Meltrok, as he, his warpriest and Acolyte moved on.
"Tell me about the weapon." He commanded, his voice seeming to echo about the ship.
The Acolyte answered, a certain confidence present in her own voice. "Intriguing." They began speaking with the voice of a female Hive. "It would seem they were constraints built of Paracausal energy, designed to bind the current plane with the Ascendant one. No doubt designed by Oryx's Daughters."
"Can they be fixed, Ventri?" Bahren asked the Acolyte.
"Indeed. I would only need Mahren's expertise in the Paracausal."
"Excellent." Bahren stroked the spikes on his chin "Once she and the Blade 3 return, you are to get the weapon back online.
"At once, my liege."
Suddenly, terrible screams filled the air and the howling dark crept into the Hull breach. Taken tore themselves into reality and moved on Bahren Seth's forces.
The Warpriest, who had been silent until now, stepped up to speak. "Taken. It would appear the Scheming Sister has caught wind of our presence."
"It would appear so, Rendsora "Bahren said, parting his cape and drawing from his waist the hilt of a blade.
His Warpriest, Rendsora, unsheathed and ignited a war axe with Vex energy while Ventri drew a weapon that had the appearance of a Hive boomer crossed with a Vex Line rifle.
The Ravenous put themselves between their king and the Taken, while the Ogre Meltrok lumbered behind them all, priming the cannon fixed to his face. "Send them howling back to her." Bahren commanded, igniting the massive blade of his sword with pure white temporal energy.
The Ravenous howled in delight as they charged the Taken. Taken thrall shifted forward to meet them and the two groups met in battle. The Ravenous tore them apart and contorted their bodies, sending them right back out of reality.
Bahren raised his blade, gathering the attention of his pet Ogre, Meltrok, and trained it on the Taken forces, sweeping it across. He was giving Meltrok a command, one which Meltrok happily obliged. The grotesque charged his face cannon and trained it on the Taken, blasting out a continuous beam and dragging it across their offensive line. The remnants of the beam exploded out in a wave, combined of Arc and Void energy. Taken Phalanxes moved forward to protect the Taken Knights from the blast. Shields in hand, they held the line as Meltrok finished his attack. The Knights looked out over the Phalanx line and spit fire out onto the Ravenous, burning them, but it did not stop The Ravenous from tearing their Thrall apart.
Ventri moved atop Meltrok's back to take aim with his 'Boom Rifle'. The long, insectoid-like body of the Architect contorted around Meltrok's hide, allowing him to take aim at the Acolytes and Taken Centurions attempting to flank their position. Ventri fired, destroying the lot of them with massive blasts of Arc Energy.
With their bases covered, Bahren believed it was time to go on the offensive. He looked to Rendsora, who nodded in agreement without saying a word. Rendsora dropped his cape to the floor and took the Axe in both hands as he leapt into the air while Bahren charged his blade. Rendsora came back down with a mighty thunder clash, scorching the floor of the Breached hull, annihilating the line of Phalanxes, and igniting anyone not strong enough to still be standing. He had made an opening for Bahren to attack.
Bahren charged his blade and dashed into the air at full speed and slashed a wave of white energy out at the Taken Knights, it struck them and instantly turned them to dust. Bahren landed beside Rendsora. He deployed a silver shield with energy blades at its edges from his left arm and tore into Taken with sword and Shield alike. Rendsora joined him, slashing and destroying any who would come too close.
The two fought back to back, killing off the taken army and pushing them back. With cover fire from Ventri and Meltrok, and advancement from the Ravenous, they were able to commit serious damage to the Taken. The Forgotten continued to fight until they heard yet another Screech in the air, a silver Tomb ship flew into the Breached hull and out of it, Mahren Seth and her Knight escort arrived to turn the tide.
"Did you miss me, Brother?" She gloated to him from high in the air as her Younger Brother fought below.
"Be silent and deny them access to this space!" Bahren commanded.
Mahren obliged. She held her arms out and began to pull at Reality itself, fashioning it into Slivers of simulated paracausal energy to be wielded. First, she simulated a space without the Taken's ingress, halting more Taken portal forms sprouting into being. With Taken forces unable to come through, the Rest of the Forgotten began to push up. Together, the King, the Warpriest, the Pet, the Architect and the Blades fought. They killed all of the will-less creatures, until only a single Taken wizard remained.
Bahren grabbed the Wizard by her head with his shield hand and crushed it, helmet, skull and all, until she was torn of this realm and sent back into the howling dark, leaving only Bahren and his forces. With the space won, they stowed their weapons and conversed with one another.
"They tried to flank you from the sides," Ventri noted from atop Meltrok. "They were more organized this time, much more effective."
"Then she has finally begun to master the Taken mind in her possession." Rendsora added, sheathing his axe.
"All the more reason to tear her largest source of power from her hands." Mahren said, descending on them all.
"I take it your sudden return means you did not find anything of note upon Crota's Warmoon?" Bahren scoffed.
"Unfortunately, no. As foreseen in the warp gates, we've landed in a timeline in which it was never completed."
"I suspected that might be the case. I just wished to be sure. We still have this Dreadnaught to commandeer for our own."
Mahren looked about at the inside of what was once Oryx's Ship/fortress and cringed at its vain purpose. "Such a waste of life. But I suppose it will do."
"Ventri has need of your expertise, you two are to fix the weapon."
Ventri leapt down from Meltrok's back. "Ma'am" She greeted the Confidant.
"It will be done, my Brother." Mahren said with a hint of distaste, turning back to Ventri. "Lead the way, Architect."
Ventri nodded and they were off on their way.
Bahren turned to Rendsora. "Let us go to the Altar." He commanded.
Bahren and Rendsora traveled past the Trenchway and to the Altar of Oryx. There, at its entrance, stood statues of Ascendant Hive that read Oryx, Crota and Nokris.
"Nokris?" Bahren asked.
Rendsora could give no answer, as neither of them had known about Oryx's second son.
"Regardless. Their statues are an affront to me."
Bahren drew his sword, igniting it. And, with one swift wave, he cut the three statues down, allowing them to fall and smash into pieces. T
The King and his General continued to Oryx's throne room. Off in its corner, a machine still brimming with Hive Ascendant energy. At the other end, a balcony and in its center, the emplacement for Willbreaker, Oryx's sword. Shards of the blade's hilt still lie on the floor beside the blade itself, untouched for years. The king smiled, this was perfect. Here before them was everything he'd need to fire the weapon, all they needed was to fix the weapon and plot a course…even so, the smile quickly faded from Bahren's face. Still, somehow, he was not yet satisfied.
"Is something the matter, my Lord?"
Bahren tilted his head up to the sky and looked out into the Rings of Saturn, bits of Awoken and Hive ship still littered the view. "The Hive…" He began, strumming his chin spikes. "They have Forgotten us. It is only through time and will alone that we continue to exist. Yet, we would be their savior?" The King said, somewhat repentanent.
"We've all looked upon the past of the Hive, we have killed so many to feed these accursed worms…all for power that cannot be used unless we continue to kill. How many worlds would Oryx have brought down with us if he were not destroyed? How many more does his Sister plan to take? Our race is a plague upon this system…one would not need to look further than this wreckage to see that my words are true." He motions to the rings of Saturn, littered with ships and awoken bodies. "We are entropy. Chaos, in it's simplest form."
Rendsora could see his king doubting himself and stepped forward. "You mentioned our Race's past." He started. "What about our future?"
"Full of death and Ruin. However, this time it'll be ours."
"And yet, we were not a part of it." Rendsora said. "We were not a part of this timeline either. When we escaped the Totems of Annihilation in Oryx's Throne world, we entered the Vex Network unsure of our future. And when we exited it, we shattered a vault of Glass and became masters of our own destiny. Right now, you've put us on a collision course with Savathûn and her scheming might, our future is uncertain there as well. But so is everyone else's."
The General put a hand on Bahren Seth's shoulder. "We're writing our own destiny as we go on. You are our Forgotten King, Bahren Seth. The Author of our Destiny. We cannot absolve our race of our sins but, once we've dealt with Savathûn and her Sister Xivu Arath, you will be the master of the Hive's fate. You will find a way to rid our race of these accursed worms as you have us, and you will change the fate of the Hive as we've foreseen. Our destiny is bright with you at our head, but you must remain strong if we are to survive. I will aid you every step of the way."
Bahren looked to his Warpriest, with his head held high and a renewed confidence.
"To the uncertain future then. With swords and minds sharp. Go now, any of Oryx's Hive you find still aboard this ship, you will make them synonymous with Forgotten. Should you find any of Savathûn's Hive, then you will allegiance by way of the tongue. If they are stubborn, then you will end them by way of the blade."
Rendsora nodded. "It will be done." He said before leaving the Altar, and Bahren to himself.
Bahren looked out unto the rings of Saturn and took his blade in hand, igniting it. He stabbed it into the same spot the late Taken King had placed his. "I will take the mantle of King and claim it in the name of The Forgotten."
'A Forgotten King.'
Oh, how he adored the irony in such a title.
End of Oneshot
End of Story 6 - The Forgotten King