The ~SIVA Crisis

The Rocketyard,

Old Russia, Earth

Cold.

It was cold.

Very cold.

The freezing rain hadn’t subsided since I had awaken from my slumber two hours ago. Although it was light rainfall, it had proved to be a burden to Paledon and I as we plowed our way through the ice and snow accumulation. There was at least two feet of snow impeding our way though, but it wasn’t anything we couldn’t handle.

As we traversed through the Rocketyard, we didn’t find any threats in the immediate vicinity, stunningly. Usually there was Fallen and Hive warfare in the abandoned factory/warehouse area, which had derailed cargo trains, gigantic metal tubes that acted like short tunnels, bent metal catwalks (overhead), and warehouses that were already raided of their contents. But instead of having to fight our way through (which was quite nice for a change) we were able to make it through unscathed. Everything was so silent. I suppose it was too cold for the Hive and Fallen. Couldn’t blame them. I’d rather be snuggled up to Paledon in my bed than be out here working.

Though as much as I hated being out here currently, the Rocketyard brought back many memories of my past. In fact, this was the place where Orion and I met. A week after my Ghost found my in the Jungles of Venus, I was assigned to patrol this area for any major threats, and Orion had the same task. At the time, we weren’t in the same fireteam, but that didn’t stop us for helping each other. Word got out that a major Servitor (for the House of Kings) was dispatched to distribute ether amongst its house. Orion and I eliminated the thing before it reached its drop point. It was at that pivotal moment when he and I decided to levy in a fireteam together and form our own.

We did everything together. Missions, Patrols, even some Crucible. Oh, those were the times. How I wish I could just relive the moments he and I shared; I’d even be willing to trade my soul just to see him again. For one day, even an hour.

Just so you know, I rarely go in-depth to the history of Orion and I. For good reason too.

There was a reason I never stepped foot in the Rocketyard, unless I had to, like now. The place often drowned me in memories I refused to recollect, out of fear that it would haul me into the past, someplace that wasn’t for me. But knowing that I had Paledon by my side made it easier for me; if I had gone alone, there would be many detours and reminisces of the past.

Onward to the important stuff now…

Paledon and I reached the wall breach, a wide opening leading to the interior of a facility. Inside were ruined control panels with smashed monitors, and thick red wires trailed alongside the walls of the structure. A staircase was to my right and there was a corridor to my left that should lead to the Plaguelands. “So,” I said, giving Paledon a glance. “This is the place?”

“Yep,” he said as he trotted his way in, not paying special attention to me. As much as I hate to say this, Paledon was different on the field. More serious and self-focused on the mission. I couldn’t blame the guy, but sometimes humility goes a long way.

I gaited over a bundle of wires, being careful of my footing. “So what is all this? Why does it look like something took a bite out of the metal wall? Looks like there’s teeth marks on the edges…”

“Again, I don’t know,” Paledon said intensely. “Pathernax said the Plaguelands are this way. That corridor will lead to a place called Foundry 113. Then the Lord’s Watch. He’s waiting for us to show up.”

“And here I thought this would be a fun experience. Let’s just get on with it then,” I said, my heart sinking, and passing by Paledon without exchanging eye contact.

“What’s up with you?” he said.

“Nothing. Just want to get this mission done and over with.”

“Alrighty then.”

“Hold up,” I said, looking over at the array of monitors in a column like shape. I motioned my way to them, wondering if there were any logs on what the Fallen were up to. “Ghost, scan the terminal and collect any logs you find.”

“Understood,” Ghost said, then went to work.

“Paledon, did Pathernax or Karbil scan this terminal for any info?”

“I don’t believe so, no,” he said making his way to me. “I don’t see how it’ll help us though. We already know enough on what’s going on. What makes you so certain there’s anything useful on there anyway?”

“A Hunter’s hunch. All instinct. I had to learn to survive in the Jungles of Venus for a month. Intel was my best friend. This will be too.”

For the next ten minutes, Paledon and I leaned against the computer terminal, our arms crossed, patiently waiting if there was anything Ghost could scrounge up.

A click. A beep. A loud noise sounded, sending both Paledon and I jouncing. The monitors lit up and displayed a flashing SIVA symbol with white noise in the background. “I got some logs you might want to check out later,” Ghost said, moving to me. “According to one of them, there are red clusters scattered throughout the Plaguelands that could help us greatly understand SIVA. It might be worthwhile to spend time looking for them.”

I patted Paledon on the shoulder. “See, what’d I tell you? Now let’s get a move on.”

For the next little while, Paledon and I were quiet and reticent as we journeyed out way through the corridor (there were metal catwalks and bent metal everywhere, along with wires); neither of us were open to talking or sharing whatever was on our minds. The air was tense, making me feel uncomfortable and distant.

Still, though, I kept my mouth shut and composure in check. I knew, deep down, Paledon was focusing on the mission. As a Titan, it’s his duty to protect the Last City from all threats. If he didn’t follow through with the oath he had taken, there were draconian laws in place for those who defiled their pledge to the city; so, to an extent, I understood his serious demeanour.

Sometimes I wondered if I was even compatible to being with a Titan. As friends it’s foolproof, but different classes in a relationship was considered strange to some since most are contrasting opposites, as far as personalities go. As a Hunter, I was a natural clown, a jester who makes smart jests and clever retorts; we often made the job fun and executed it with style. Titans were often the ones to do everything by the books. And Warlocks were…well, Warlocks. Each class had their own discrepancies toward one another.

Eventually we came across Foundry 113. We were standing on a collapsed bridge. There were shipment containers everywhere and some of them had that SIVA symbol plastered unto them. There was a huge machine gateway that had an orange core in the centre, and a metal stage lead upward to it; but currently it appeared to be sealed, inaccessible. Oh, and there was snow. Of course there was. You probably already knew that.

Splicers inhabited the area, but they weren’t a threat as of yet. Many of them were docile and dormant, as if they were being commanded by something or someone. Paledon and I jumped down from the bridge and landed in the snow.

“Pathernax,” Paledon said, walking ahead of me with a sway. “We’ve at Foundry 113.”

Pathernax spoke over our comms. “I’m in the Lord’s Watch.” Static took over for a moment. “There’s lots of Fallen here.” Gunfire. “They have a spider tank enhanced by SIVA. We need help!”

The comms went dark.

“Paledon!”

“I know, I know,” he said, readying his machine gun. “Can you cloak us so we can slip past these guys?”

“Follow me,” I said.

I sprinted for the nearest piece of cover, a metal shipment container. With out back padded against it, I peeked around the corner and noticed a Vandal on patrol. “We got a couple tangos at 3 o’clock. Wire Rifles.” I veered my stare over to the left and noticed a higher ground we could jump up to. “We can get around by jumping up there.”

Without saying anything else, I tossed a smoke bomb at our feet, causing us to go invisible. I jumped up to the higher ground, and Paledon followed suit. His Titan Lift alerted the surrounding Fallen, and they directed their attention to us. But no matter! They couldn’t see us. Luckily, for the both of us, I had made very concentrated smoke bombs for longer invisibility duration. If my craftsmanship was any good, we would be invisible for at least two more minutes.

“Let’s go,” I said, jumping into a shipment container that was open and suspended by some crane. I slide out the other side and landed on the ground as did Paledon. We ran for the opening in the wall with warped metal along the edges. Good lord, did the Fallen have a fetish for metal or something?

We ran through the opening, leading into another corridor, not breaking stride; at some point, we had to crouch and keep our head low as the metal inside was to our height. Being knocked out was the least of our priories right now.

Soon, according to my tactical visor in my helmet, we reached the famed Lord’s Watch. In front of us was a big metal tube, and in the distance was a small bronze-coloured building. We headed for the stumpy structure and saw Pathernax (he was wearing his Obsidian Mind helmet this time) blink past projectiles that were trying to track him in the air.

Ah, yes, blink. What a useful airborne, evasive ability, be it against the Darkness or against other Guardians in the Crucible. A skilled enough Voidwalker Warlock, such as Pathernax, or Bladedancer Hunter  can eventually learn the ability, which allows one to open a rift in space and travel through it, effectively teleporting from point to point. It wasn’t a long range ability by any means, as that would take tremendous amounts of energy and knowledge to master.

As we reached the threshold of the building, Pathernax noticed us by paying us a quick glance then quickly returning fire to whatever was trying to kill him. I glanced over to my left and noticed a devastatingly enhanced spider tank (more formally known as a Fallen Walker) augmented by SIVA. These things were destructive and were a huge threat to anyone patrolling. I mean, they’re a tank with eight legs, armed with a deadly cannon with lock-on missiles, and a mini turret on its front.

Many Guardians viewed spider tanks as “Easy impediments to take out”; but these tanks were not to be taken lightly, especially now since they were augmented by a corrupted power. Great, a 40+ ton war machine enhanced by the powers of SIVA. On top of all that, there was a Captain and some Vandals overseeing their assault.

Pathernax teleported his way to us, as we sought behind the small building for cover. There were glassless windows, which didn’t help since enemy fire could easily pass through them. “Oh, man,” I said over the gunfire, “so far this place, the Plaguelands, is great. Think it would make a good vacation?”

“Hunter, you’re not helping,” Pathernax said with a grunt. “We have to take out the spider tank or else we’ll all perish by its impressive weapon systems.”

“Where’s Kabril?” Paledon shouted, returning some fire to the enemy.

“Scouting the rest of the Plaguelands for intelligence and mappings,” Pathernax said, following in Paledon’s footsteps. “I thought he would’ve returned by now, but I guess I was fallacious. Look, can we converse later? Right now, we have a major situation on our hands and it is imperative we—”

“Shut up,” I said, peeping through the window opening, then lowering my head right after the enemy opened fire. “We get it. We gotta take the tank out. Paledon, Pathernax, you two worry about the tank, I’ll get the Captain and Vandals.”

“Hunter, wait!” Paledon said.

But it was too late.

I used a smoke bomb for invisibility, backflipped my way to the rooftop, then turned around, armed with my weapon. I leaped downward, meeting the snow again.

The spider tank was idle, awaiting for its next target, its prey, so it could lock onto it and destroy it with impressive, cataclysmic firepower. Though their insect-like design gives them an eerie, almost lifelike quality, these heavily-armoured monstrosities are purely robotic, not self-controlled. It had a mind of its own. These things even had a mine dispensers to provide close defence against dismounted infantry, and an on-board Shank foundry produces armed repair drones.

Pretty freaking sweet, huh? The Fallen, that is.

Anyways, exposure caused me to alert the nearby Fallen, their weapons readying to be fired at me. For some odd reason, I began to ponder the reasoning as to why the Fallen deployed a Fallen Walker here, of all places. What could possibly be so vital here that they would need one?

Didn’t matter, actually. What did matter was that I got out of this alive.

The spider tank moved its many legs in unison, moving its long barrel at me. Behind it was a devastating cannon charging up, no doubt at me. I shadestepped to the side, dodging the projectiles trying to kill me. If I hadn’t moved, I would’ve been toast, much like the burnt marks in the ground now.

“Ha! Is that all you got?” I said, sliding a few grenades toward the threat. “You’re going to need more than that to KO me.”

Soon Paledon and Pathernax entered the battleground, their weapons on standby. Pathernax wielded an Auto Rifle with him, though what one I couldn’t tell, while Paledon was using his Thunderlord.

The spider tank was still, as were its smaller brethren; the Captain and Vandals were stepping up, their weapons drawn, ready to fire.

I gave a glanced at my fireteam members and nodded, not saying a word on what the three of us should do. We already knew. Because we were Guardians.

We opened fire.

The Captain teleported, red matter streaking in the air, to the left, and the Vandals fired their tracking Wire Rifles—their shots putting a moderate dent into my shields; they were specifically aiming for me. I guess word got around in the Fallen House that I was responsible for the death of some of their fellow mates.

I jumped up, ultimately evading my assailant’s second onslaught, then met the ground once more. I opened fired with my Boomer, putting it in overdrive this time as a means of experimentation. It worked beautifully.

The Vandals didn’t go down without a fight, though. Many of them were still standing after the barbarous treatment I presented them. “Ghost, how about we change this game up a little?” I said. “Give me Lord of Wolves.”

“Will do!”

In my hands was the Lord of Wolves, once again. The weapon was a fountain of merits, a familiar friend who helped me conquer so many threats in the past. I brandished it and charged headstrong, dodging left and right, and opened fire. The rumbling roar of the weapon sent a sense of satisfaction through my very body, giving me a better understanding of why I do what I do.

Paledon and Pathernax were keeping the Captain busy, and for good reason too. We didn’t want a repeat of what happened to me last time.

I stared into the Void and charged up some more Vortex Grenades and chucked them at the Vandals’ feet. The singularity of the grenade drew the Vandals closer to its core, causing them to repeatedly stagger, their efforts to escape proving to be vain, much like the event horizon of a black hole.

“Hunter look out behind you!” someone shouted (I couldn’t tell if it was Pathernax or Paledon, given how loud the battleground was).

On fleet instinct, I jounced my gaze behind me and saw another Vandal strike me with a melee attack that sent me reeling. Staggered. I was exposed. I could potentially falter and have to be revived. It didn’t come to that though.

Because I prevailed. Even though the pain had seared through my legs, as if I were touching magma, causing them to tremble, I stood, my teeth gritting. Sweat trickled down my body and my breathing was heavy. Choppy. As if I had the wind knocked out of me.

I continued to suck up the outward pain, recovered quickly, and sought to assail with a mean vengeance. Tempered and determined, I snatched the knife from my belt, rotated it around on my fingers as if it were a message to the one who struck me down. Nothing beats the sharpness or relentlessness of a Hunter’s blade. We were naturally gifted with knives.

I cloaked myself and charged forward, seeking out the Vandal that assailed me. When I found the target, I lunged toward and drove the knife inward, perforating the Vandal’s armour and eventually skin; my left hand was holding its back as if I were giving it a hug of affection. I could feel its entrails with my knife. I’m sure you already know this, but being the sadistic shitlet I was, my hand gyrated the blade around, the Vandal excruciated by the pain. I could see its eyes begging for forgiveness, for redemption, for humility. But I ignored all its emotional pleas as its cries brought tears of happiness to my eyes, and I eventually ripped the knife out of it and watched my enemy tumble to the ground—ether seeping out from its wound.

With my blade back on my belt, I sought retribution in all quarters to those that were attacking us.

Pathernax and Paledon had assisted in the killing of the second Vandal, but the Captain proved to be an utter nuisance, if I had anything to say about it.

For some odd reason, the spider tank wasn’t smiting us with its weapons, which was very odd and scary. It was like it was waiting to strike at any moment we least expect it.

No matter. Our main focus was the pesky Captain.

I drew close to my foe, dodging all the shots that were being directed at me. At some point I drew power from the Void without realizing it and threw a few Spike Grenades, which sent damaging Void Light in a cone shape. The Captain staggered a bit, sent reeling back, giving me the opportunity to strike with my weapon.

I ran forward, while Paledon and Pathernax covered me with automatic fire, clearing the Shanks that were deployed by the idle tank. An executed roll. A loaded weapon. The strength of a Hunter. I slid in the snow with my knees, after evading, then stopped my slide with a foot, and held my weapon up with one hand.

Fire! Fire! Fire!

The Captain was badly hurt, but he still didn’t go down without a fight. There was red matter, little bits of SIVA around, forming a protective shield. A red spiral of energy was sucked up by him, causing his health to go up slightly. Our target became enraged. Think of it as something being juiced up to hell and a whole lot harder to kill.

I retreated back to my allies, who were reloading their weapons. I did the same for good measure before turning around once again and retrieving my Boomer, hoping it would do the trick. With Lord of Wolves stowed on my back, this couldn’t possibly go wrong.

The Captain had brandished his weapon, and the spider tank reignited itself, its legs moving in unison once more, and directing its awesome firepower at us.

Paledon had drawn Light from the Void and deployed a Defender bubble. “This will protect us.”

“How do you expect us to kill such a monstrosity?” Pathernax asked, chucking a few Scatter Grenades (they broke up onto smaller particles that cause small explosions) at the tank. “We’re severely lacking on firepower here.”

“No we are not,” Paledon said, exiting his bubble to unleash a few rockets at the tank. “Hunter, come here and help unload on this thing.”

I exited and Pathernax followed suit, doing his best to keep the Captain busy.

I shot countless shots of my tumultuous weapon without ever having to reload. That’s a first. Usually this thing had to recharge, but somehow it changed. No complaints!

“Guys,” I said, my weapon firing rapidly, “I gotta be honest. We ain’t doing jack shit to this tank. It’s too strong. We need something more.”

“Well, what do you suggest, Director of the Clovis Bray Complex?” Pathernax said with his smug voice.

“Hardy har har. Very funny you clown. I was going to suggest you use your space magic or whatever it is you Warlocks do when you go haywire.”

In truth, I knew their power all too well. Warlocks were such a pain when it came to the Crucible. Their powers were so formidable and destructive.

“You mean my ultimate?”

“You know what I mean!” I said over the tank’s fire. “We also have a Captain on our tail.”

“So why don’t you challenge the Captain then?” Pathernax said. “You’re always so confident with everything. Supercilious and pretentious too.”

My patience was running dry. “Oh is that so? Do I need to remind you of the times I saved your ass?”

“Déjà vu.”

“Will you two shut up?!” Paledon finally roared over the barbarous gunfire. I wasn’t sure how he did it, but he placed another bubble to protect us. “All you two are doing is bicker about this and that. How about we work together instead of acting like a kinderguardian? Pathernax, go do your thing. Hunter and I both know you’re the one who’s always so cocky and forthright. Why don’t you take on the tank then?”

“Fine,” Pathernax said, blinking out of the bubble and unto the open battleground.

Paledon and I followed suit and we unloaded our firepower on the enraged Captain. The SIVA shield proved to be resilient. “Hunter, use your Light. Tether it.”

I stared into the Void without fear. With a calm mind, I drew the powers of Void, from the endless, vast space of nothingness. An influx of power coursed through me, sending chills down my spine. My hand wielded a bow of Void.

“Strike now!”

With an arrow on the bowstring, I drew it back then released. The arrow traversed in the air and struck the Captain, stupefying him.

Paledon and I walked forward with our weapons, and unmercifully struck the Captain to the ground. His head was blown off—sending ether up in the air like an erupting volcano.

For a moment, we revered in the Captain’s valiant attempt to strike us down; and although he failed with noble conscience, his efforts were not in vain. These highly enhanced Fallen were not easy to smite.

Onward to the tank!

We noticed a Pathernax blinking everywhere, in and out of space itself. The spider tank had been locking onto him unmercifully though it wasn’t anything our Warlock friend couldn’t handle. He was a wizard, a know-it-all type guy, a strategist (to some extent; still to this say I question his tactics on the battleground).

Still, though, he was a worthy adversary to compete against.

For a second, he blinked again, but stayed in the air somehow. I guess he was getting ready to channel the Void, much like what I do. Channeling the Void was something harder than it seemed; and yet Paledon can use two subclasses, something extremely rare amongst Guardians.

Pathernax brought both his hands together, one over, one under, as if he were conjuring space magic (that was exactly what he was doing) and I felt a roaring surge of energy course through the ground itself. A ball of Void Light began to shape, form, in his hands; soon it became unstable and erratic in his hold.

He threw it.

The sphere of dark energy, or Nova Bomb, lanced out from his arm and made a beeline toward the spider tank, who was unable to properly brace itself for impact. Pathernax’s space-spell was rapidly moving toward it, and eventually collided with the tank; the bomb exploded brilliantly with the force of a collapsing neutron star—in a huge flash of pure, purple light.

Pathernax landed on the ground.

The site was unclear, given the explosion had strewed snow all over the place. I covered my face to block the bright flash of white light. Paledon did too. But Pathernax stood still, weapon drawn, his vestments blowing in the wind.

As the explosion dissipated, the spider tank became visible once more. It was still standing, getting ready to fire its next barrage of attacks. But there was something divergent about it. One of its legs appeared to be severely weakened, as if damaging it would cause it to collapse and—

“Impossible!” Pathernax shouted. He looked right at us. “How is that possible?!”

How rude. Right in the middle of my narration. He’s really going to do that? Why I never…! The nerve of this guy!

“We don’t know,” I said. “But look at its leg. It’s weakened. If we take it out, we might just have a shot at taking this thing out.”

“Let’s do it,” Paledon said.

We stormed forward, directing all out firepower at the weakened leg. Some of us chucked a few grenades for good measure, though it was hardly necessary. Soon the spider tank faltered, and the armour casing its front left leg blew off. Its orange core was exposed, giving us the chance to wipe it out.

We unloaded on it.

Nothing but automatic fire rocked the battleground.

“It’s working,” I said between shots. “Just a little more…”

The spider tank proved to be an extreme challenge, but it wasn’t anything my team couldn’t pull off.

The tank discharged a catastrophic Arc wave after its demise, sending us flying back in recoil.

The last thing I saw was snow falling from the sky.

Ishtar Cliffs

Ishtar Sink, Venus

(In the Jungles of Venus)

The humidity of Venus was unbearable and stifling. The night air was thick with hanging dew, and every breath was like breathing in a thousand anvils. The moonlight reflected off the glistening beats of dew that hung from the tips of verdant, dense vegetation that surrounded Orion and I.

Venus was a place you either loved or hated. Simple as that.

Rainfall was a continuous affair, hence why it was so humid. The Jungles and Vex architecture was what made this place so beautiful. From the literal sky-high citadels, to the overly dense jungles that made it difficult to traverse through, and even the acidic lakes, along with the active volcanos on the faraway shores…

The place was beautiful, but was a death sentence if you ever got stuck here.

Currently, Orion and I were blending into the dense jungle, with the help of ghillie suits Eva Levante crafted for us. We were patrolling an area dominated by the Fallen as word had gotten out that a major Baron for the House of Wolves was going to show himself. The reasoning as to why was unknown to us, but then again, anything was possible with the House of Wolves.

They were wild and eccentric.

The mission we were assigned was simple: Take out the Baron and his goons, then flee.

I didn’t quite understand the reasoning behind killing the Baron since Skolas was already captured and sentenced to the Prison of Elders, leaving the House of Wolves without a Kell. The house was disjointed and almost disbanded for good.

As we crawled through the dense grass, we spotted a Skiff ripping through the atmosphere. “Hey,” Orion said. He was a Hunter, like myself, and wore the armour Variks crafted for us. “Look over there. The Baron.”

I looked through Orion’s Wire Rifle scope; raindrops stuck to the lens, and streaked along the glass. He had gotten the thing from some dead Vandal awhile ago. He sought it out because of how much they hurt. And boy, let me tell you, do they ever. “I see him. I still don’t understand why we can’t drop this. I don’t see a reason in killing him.”

Orion looked at me with eight eyes. Just kidding. His helmet had eight eye-holes on it, making him look like a spider. “Because we should? The House of Wolves were so much trouble. We should take out their lieutenants before they pull off another trick of theirs.”

From what I could tell, the Wolf Baron was speaking with a Baron from the House of Winter, the main Fallen House that occupied the Ishtar Sink. “Is that?”

“Yeah,” Orion said, moving a tad closer for a better look. “My best guess is that the Wolf Baron wants security from the House of Winter.”

“Pfft,” I puffed. “The House of Winter is as disjointed as your two front teeth.”

“Hey now, don’t be dissin’ my two front teeth. They may be crooked, but they work.”

“Sure they do.”

He playfully pushed me to the side, but to no avail didn’t move me. “Shut up.”

I revered in his steadfast determination to take out the Baron with his prized weapon. It was one of the reasons I adored him as a friend. His ambition never backfired on him, nor did it display negative impurity to his character.

I loved him as a brother. Always had, always would.

But I always feared losing him. Even now. There are always times in our lives when everything seems to go wrong when, despite our best efforts and for no apparent rhyme or reason, tragedy strikes; and there are times when everything goes just perfectly; but I never believed in the concept of perfection as it was something that can’t retain its own existence. Nothing is ever perfect in our universe.

The way I see it, life doesn’t have to perfect, it just has to be lived.

Not even our God, The Traveler, is perfect.

Sometimes, before I drift off to a sleepy dreamscape, I wondered why I was so lucky to have a friend like him. As in, what did I do to deserve such a gem? He was always there for me, through thick and thin, just like what true brothers would do for one another.

For a moment, I was shaken out of my thoughtful trance. “Hey, Hunter? Noodlehead!”

I shook my head to clear the sappy thoughts from the mind. “Yeah?”

“Maybe you’re right. We should leave the Baron alone. The House of Wolves have already been through hell. How about we show them some mercy for once?”

Eek! Why did he have a big heart? “Uh, sure. That works.”

“Great, now that’ll give me time to show you what I found out here. C’mon.”

For the next little while, we plowed through the dense jungles with a machete, which we found laying around on some workshop bench in one of the facilities in the Shattered Coast.

Eventually we came across a Vex Temple, covered by years of entropy. A temple in the jungle? Me likey.

The temple appeared to be constructed of the blackish-grey material the Vex used for their architecture. There were a few glassless windows, and there was a staircase leading up to an open entryway. “What is this place? Why haven’t I come across it? Or anyone else for that matter.”

“This is an ancient site the Vex used to use. And because,” Orion said, pushing aside some big leaves, before looking at me, “it’s ours and no one else’s.”

That was it. This was going to be the end of me. My heart was going to explode. Why, oh why, was I this lucky? “Okay. Show me the way.”

We trailed up the staircase, my gaze wandering to scout every inch of the lingering pulchritude that was Venus. I remember the day my Ghost had found me in the jungles; apparently, I was under a tree for whatever reason; my best guess was I studied trees in my past life, if I even had one; I couldn’t remember anything beyond my revival. Perhaps it was better that way.

When we reached the threshold and ambled our way in, there were all sorts of Vex scattered every which way, though many of them were dead, thankfully. The last thing we needed was some Hobgoblin shooting us up the ass with a Line Rifle.

There were burnt firepits to the right and left of me, along with vines making their way through the structure. Groundcover somehow found its way through the temple grounds; how plants managed to penetrate through the hard ground, I had no idea; their strength was unbelievable. I suppose years of discord were to thank for that.

As we traversed through the open corridor, we came around a room that had a gigantic, rotating crystal shard, surrounded by a white, translucent energy barrier—undoubtedly formed by the Vex. I went forward, trying to surpass it, but to no avail was just recoiled back. “What in the ever living hell is that thing?”

Orion stepped up closer to it. Wafted a hand, feeling the energy barrier. How did he…? “I dunno. I found it while patrolling one day. Came across this temple. Saw the artifact and it snatched my curiosity.” He turned his gaze to me. “Remember when I said I wanted a paradise once we ward of thee Darkness for good?”

I motioned toward him. “Yeah, of course. We were both wasted that night. You even had to put me to bed because I was so drunk, I couldn’t stand on my two feet.”

“So you remember then?” he said, nudging me with an elbow. “Well, Hunter, I think our paradise lies right with this crystal.”

“How so?”

“I don’t know.”

I laughed. “So how do you know this’ll be our paradise, silly?”

“Because…I have hunch that it will. This had to be a Vex creation, clearly. But by the looks of it, this place isn’t exactly blooming with Vex. They’ve abandoned whatever this thing is. Somehow, I believe the crystal can channel some sort of energy to our minds and something with our memories. I was thinking if we uncover its secrets, we can hook both our minds to it and share one single conscience. That way we can live together in a dreamworld we both create. It’ll be our own worlds, away from all this pain and hurt we experience in this world.”

Never once had I seen Orion so deep and in tune with his thoughts. It was alien to me. Scary, even. The way he was speaking deviated from his normal self. Right now, he was so passionate, so direct, so…forthright, like he wanted this more than anything for the both of us. I wasn’t opposed to ditching this life, for one that can easily thrive with a spliced mind. We could be happy forever.

All the pain, misery, even apprehension would be non-existent. Maybe we would have a perfect world together.

“What makes you so certain that this could do something with our minds?” I asked.

“It’s the Vex. They all run off one mind. I dunno, I just thought this could somehow channel our own minds,” Orion said, taking a seat on a nearby rock, away from me, and resting his arms on his lap. “I just thought you’d be a little more enthusiastic to crack the barrier with me so we could live a happy life together.

“C’mon, don’t you want the same? I thought you remember that fruitful night. You know how we get when we’re on the bottle. There’s no bullshit spewing between us. Just the honest truth. You know very well that you want this paradise, just as I do.”

My heart sank into the deepest abyss. Had he thought I wasn’t going to go full circle with this? Of course I was. “Hey now. Don’t be like that.” I went over to sit with him. “I know I don’t seem excited, but believe me I am. I’m just a little skeptical, is all. We know nothing about this crystal. Hell, we don’t even know how to shut down the barrier.”

“I know,” Orion said, his voice distant and somber. “But normally when I show you something, you’re all for it. Now it seems like you’re indifferent. As if you don’t want to do things with me anymore.”

“Now where in the hell would you get an idea like that?” I took his hands in my own. Felt them. Squeezed them. “Orion, I’m sure I already told you this, but you’re my brother. We may not be blood-related, but that doesn’t matter. I love you for the crazy adventures we’ve gone through together, and because of the person you’ve become.

“We’re going to crack this barrier open and see how we can get this shard to work. If it does what you say it could do…let’s make this last adventure the best one we’ve ever had. Whadda say?”

He glanced up at me, and if I had to guess, probably wearing the biggest smile right about now. “You mean all that?”

“Of course I do, you big goofball.” Playfully, I nudged him off the rock, and he fell to the ground.

“Oh, you’re going to pay for that,” Orion said, getting up and getting ready to chase me for a game of tag.

The Lord’s Watch,

Old Russia, Earth

My mind was fuzzy. Unclear. It pounded harder than a drummer would on a set of drums. As my vision swam into focus, the material world slowly synchronized from the once metaphysical world my distortion rendered. At one point, I had to shut my eyes from the bright light that was coming from my left. Eventually, I braced myself for a piecing pain in my eyes, though I used a hand to block out the light.

Soon, when my vision fully recovered, my eye caught site of Paledon and Pathernax sitting next to a lit firepit.

“Well, well, look who decided to finally wake up,” Pathernax said, his voice smug. “Have a good knockout, princess?”

“Shut up,” I said, trying to stand up, but only to collapse on my own weight. “Shit.”

“You look quite the toll from that tank, Hunter,” Paledon said, crawling his way to me. He put his hands on my shoulders, and brought me in for a hug. “I’m just glad you’re alright.”

I repaid him with a warm hug, too. “Right back at ya, buddy.”

“Honestly? You two are really going to exude homosexuality in front of me?” Pathernax said, dragging his words longer than necessary.

“Oh, simmer down, will ya?” I said, drawing from Paledon. “We’re just hugging.”

“That’s what they all say.”

“That’s enough,” Paledon said, his voice hinting annoyance. “If you got a problem with us, there’s an exit right there.”

“Ha, very funny. Now, shall we get back on track?” Pathernax said. “Kabril should be here anytime soon with mappings of the entire Plaguelands. That should help us pinpoint where we need to strike and possibly when.”

“But that doesn’t make sense,” I intervened. “There are countless places the Fallen could’ve set up shop. There’s SIVA everywhere. What we need to do is—”

“Guys!” a voice in the distance sounded. I could hear heavy breathing too. As if someone got the wind knocked out of them.

“Kabril?” Paledon said. He got up, and undid the seal to the cave, let Kabril in, then sealed the opening once more. “So happy you found us. What’s up?”

“The Fallen…” A deep breath. “They have heavy artillery set up in some abandoned military bunker. It’ll be impossible to get other Guardians in if we don’t take them out.”

Kabril was an Awoken Hunter. Towering at least six feet tall, she was a force of nature, a Bladedancer always using cloaking abilities to slip past enemies without diving in on the fight. She had joined my fireteam sometime during the Taken War, when Oryx threatened everything in the Solar System. Kabril, to me anyways, was a mysterious person, someone who I always believed to have some hidden agenda or ulterior motive. Right now, she was decked out in Hive armour she found laying around, near the Hellmouth.

Although she was part of my fireteam, I didn’t often work with her, and if I did it was for good reason. Usually I’d jam Pathernax and her together, as the two seemed to be a pair that worked well together. Paledon, on the other hand, adored her; he had always had a thing for Awoken, though as to why I didn’t know. Awoken were strange beings to me.

“So,” I said. “What are we going to do?”

“Well…” Kabril unrolled a map of the entire Plaguelands. Did she really render a map with charcoal? Impressive. “We need to head north of here, which will lead us to a place called the Bunker Triglav. That’ll connect us directly to the Splicer’s Battery, where they’ve set up shop. We need to strike now or else any hope of stoping the Splicers will be lost.”

“So what do we do now?” Paledon asked. “Do we all strike or what?”

“No,” I said. “We should split up. Pathernax, you’re with me, Paledon and Kabril, you two go collect more information regarding this place. We move out at dusk, when everything has calmed down a bit.”

“Alright,” everyone said collectively.

For the next little while, we were reserved to ourselves—not open to readily expressing what was on our mind. It wasn’t often my fireteam and I were jammed together, especially when I got decommissioned by Zavala, after Oryx’s defeat. It was awkward to put it bluntly. Even when Paledon was here, there was the harrowing, crippling sense of discomfiture. Kabril and I were distant, and Pathernax and I were on shaky terms, given what had happened on the Dreadnaught.

I couldn’t blame them, though.

Later that day, when the crepuscular sky bloomed, we departed from our cave and endeavoured to our respective tasks. The sun was just below the horizon, and shafts of orange light spanned around the collection of cirrostratus and cirrus clouds, setting them ablaze. At some point, the clouds were black and silhouetted by the sun.

I was standing on a rocky cliff as I watched the sun set. Pathernax made his way to me, stood by me. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” I said.

“It is.”

Arms crossed, I peered over at him. “You ready?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be.”

We jumped from the cliff and headed in the direction of the Bunker Triglav. We didn’t exchange any talk, though. Usually Pathernax was distant with me. Not open. Or chatty. He was the type of person to get the job done, with little to no small talk, even though I believed small talk was what got us through most things that came our way. A little bit of human interaction goes a long way.

By the time we reached the bunker, the sun had fully set below the horizon, marking the time of night. The stars were out, and the lit our path with never-ending light.

On the way there, I paid Pathernax with furtive glances, being careful not to draw attention to myself. Though, unlikely, despite my best efforts, I was caught. Silly me. How the hell does a Hunter get caught? We’re suppose to be the surreptitious ones.

“So, you want to elucidate to me why you keep looking at me? It’s very unnerving,” Pathernax said as he trailed up a hill that had tall stone pillars with snow on them.

“No reason. Just thinking to myself is all,” I said. “Do I need a reason for looking at you?”

“Yes, you do. You must get a warrant from the local police in the last city to look at me. Otherwise I’ll catch ugly.”

I stopped in my tracks. Puffed. “Really? Did you really just make that remark.”

He, too, stopped. “Yes, I did. Didn’t your brain process that information?”

“You know what, I need to jump over this rock and smack you in your peasy ass head, that’s what I need to do.”

“Well, you know, you’r arguing over a foolish retort. Not my problem you can’y handle a bit of criticism.”

I walked ahead of this fool without another word.

Pathernax was the type of guy to whack you, verbally, with witty comments and comebacks. It was one of the many perks of being a Warlock, I guess. With their big book words and clever retorts. Always being the know it all of the group.

When we actually got to the Bunker Triglav, there was a giant rocket on a launch pad, along with a control tower. There was a facility with a giant generator to our right and a huge, closed door to our left. We noticed a bunch of warfare going on between Hive and the Splicers. “Hive? What are they doing out here?” Pathernax asked.

“Hmm,” I mumbled. “How about I go up to them and ask them? I’m sure they’ll be willing to hear me out.”

“Hey, guys,” Pathernax said over the comms, then moving closer to get a better view of the environs.

“Yeah?” Paledon and Kabril said collectively.

“There’s Hive activity here in the Bunker Triglav. Did you know anything about this Kabril?”

“No, I didn’t,” she said, then static following. Then her voice again. “When I went through there, all I saw were Fallen Splicers. That’s it. Nothing more.”

“I think we should exhume whatever’s going on there. But later. What do you all think?”

“Sure, it’ll be something to consider. We have to strike the Fallen down at every possible angle,” Paledon said. “The city needs the security.”

“Fair enough. I’ll report this in to the Vanguard during our briefing. Pathernax out.”

“So what do you think we should do, then?” I asked.

“Well, we could assail the threats, or we could take the easy way and slip past them with your Hunter magic.”

“Well, well, well…would you looky here. Pathernax actually thinks Hunters are useful.”

“I always did, you imbecile.”

“Whoa, now. What kind of talk is that? Not nice talk, that’s for sure.”

“Oh, bite me.”

“Again with this,” I said as I moved forward, my weapon drawn and ready for combat. “All I need to do is pull the trigger once.”

“You wouldn’t dare!”

“Well, my finger does have a habit of it slipping so…”

Pathernax sighed and put a hand to his forehead. Sighed incredulously. “Alright, alright. Hunters are the best of the best and you guys are the most useful class. There, you happy, now let’s get a move on, we’ve wasted more time than we should have.”

“See was that so hard?” I said, signalling my partner to follow me.

“One more thing though before we translocate around the surrounding area.” Pathernax got in the way of my trail. Placed a hand on my Boomer. “What’s with you and that thing? How do you get it to work, and have you cleared its usage with the Vanguard?”

If I wasn’t wearing a helmet, he would’ve seen the most dramatic, stupid look on my face. “Of course not. And how, I dunno. It speaks with me. Look, all you need to know is that it works, alright? Now can we get a move on?”

“I don’t trust you with it. It’s alien, I tell you. I don’t see any justification for using a weapon of sinister origins.”

My finger slowly squeezed the trigger, enough to get a shot charged up, but not discharged. “My finger is slipping.”

“Okay, I’ll silence myself.”

Without exchanging another word, I lead Pathernax through the Bunker, using the schematics of the vicinity Kabril had whipped up for us. Luckily for me I had a photographic memory. It came in handy sometimes. The place wasn’t that large, though it had threats that weren’t going to be easy to take down. Hive Knights, Splicer Servitors, and Captains ruled the grounds, all of which were ruthless foes. They were far from an easy challenge, though they weren’t anything I couldn’t handle; but when you have all three of them together, it was a death trap.

Over the barbarous, roaring noises of gunfire, we ran headstrong toward the nearest sight of cover, a snow rock, albeit it hardly provided ample cover. We squatted down to keep a low profile, and when the coast was clear, declared we move forward. When were underneath the launch pad, I placed my back against the concrete wall. There was a Dreg firing at a group of Acolytes, but it didn’t take noticed of us. I crouched for a moment, gathering my composure, then whispered, “I’m going to scout the control tower. See if there is any intel or anything we can use to our advantage. Stay low, and stay out of sight.”

Pathernax nodded, crouched, and stayed put.

I cloaked myself with a smoke bomb, rushed up a short flight of stairs, double jumped my way up, then made my way up the control tower. I grabbed the knife from my belt and readied it for a quick stealth kill, if it ever came to that. As I ascended the stairs to the top of the tower, where there were multiple glassless windows, a Vandal caught my sight; luckily it was opening fire at a distant enemy and didn’t take notice to my presence.

Crouch walking, I threw my knife in the air, sending it spinning, then caught its handle. Sneaking up, I executed a disarming kick, sending the Vandal’s weapon flying, then muffled its cries with a hand before driving my knife through its torso, silencing it. My blade pierced through its tough armour, and within a matter of seconds…dead.

“Ghost,” I said, stowing my blade, “check for any logs on these terminals.”

“Will do.”

“What’s this…?”

In the corner of a computer terminal, there was a red glowing fragment. “Ghost, scratch that. Scan this.”

“Scanning now.”

As Ghost went to work, I wondered if Pathernax was alright down there. Even though I had some beef with the guy, I still cared about him; if I didn’t, he wouldn’t be on my fireteam. I remained crouched to keep a low profile. Before I knew it, Ghost had scrounged up some intel. “These are the dormant SIVA clusters I was talking about earlier. I got a log about the Clovis Bray Complex. Would you like to hear it now?”

“Later will work. Right now, we have to take down that military bunker the Fallen are occupying.”

“Right,” Ghost said, moving his way to me. “I’ve marked the coordinates on your map by the way.”

“Thanks buddy.”

I made my way down to Pathernax who was still, amazingly, alive. “Find anything?”

“Yep, I said. A SIVA cluster. Something about the Clovis Bray Complex.”

“Interesting,” Pathernax said. “Did you decipher anything from it?”

With both of our forms cloaked once again, we ascended the flight of stairs and ran in the direction of the facility with all the generators. There were a bundle of shipment containers, and even single ones scattered about in the snow.

By the time we reached the facility, our invisibility was nigh of wearing off, so I took the liberty of using another one. If there was one piece of advice I could give to Nightstalkers, it’s take more smoke bombs than necessary. It’ll either save you or kill you. Me? I like to play my cards and chances.

We slipped past the group of Fallen, and climbed the stairs, putting us on the second level of the facility. Veins of SIVA wires were trailing alongside the walls, too. The entryway leading to our area of interest caught our sight, but there was a red energy barrier blocking the path. “That’s not good,” I whispered. “Hmm. Ghost, got anything that can get this barrier down?”

Ghost materialized in front of me. “Yes, I do. There are shield generators around us. Two at most. Look for a tower of SIVA energy, then  take them out. That should destabilize the barrier.”

Pathernax and I discovered the energy nodes in no time. We were able to destroy them without attracting attention, which was a bonus for us. The entryway lead us a room with flashing overhead lights and an abandoned office. Must’ve been the office of the place, I had no idea.

We found ourselves in another expanse, with one giant generator, leading to another corridor with shipment containers. “This must be the place,” I said. “‘Splicer Battery.’”

“So what’s our move now, Hunter?” Pathernax asked, his back against the wall, his head peeping around the corner.

“Disabling the guns. If we don’t, there’s no chance for us to get air support.”

“Should we get Saladin on the line? He could help us big time,” Pathernax said. “We need intelligence before we run in, guns blazing.”

“Alright, fine. But let me do they talkin’.”

“Fine.”

“Saladin,” I said over the comms. “We’re at the Splicer Battery, where they’ve reactivated ancient artillery weapons. It looks like they’ve used SIVA to bring them back to life. What do we do to shut them down?”

There was silence hanging in the air for a moment, but then a voice sounded over the comms. “Look for a central SIVA node inside those emplacements! Destroy that and it will break the Fallen’s hold on the gun.”

“Guardian, it’s Shiro. If I didn't know better, I’d say the Splicers were creating a beachhead. Something of this scale could be used against the City. You need to take them out as soon as possible!”

“Got it,” I said. Then the comms went silent. “You heard them. Let’s strike!”

“Hold on, Hunter,” Pathernax said, getting in front of me.

Just as I was about to do a dramatic entry to slay the Fallen! Why you little… “What is it, dear?”

“Do you really think we can handle this? I mean something to this scale…it’s pretty extreme for only two Guardians.”

“Pathernax…we took down Oryx for goodness sake. Have some faith. C’mon, no more nonsense. I thought you were the bright and brave Warlock?”

“I am.”

“So far you haven’t shown that,” I said.

“You calling me chicken?” he asked, readying his auto rifle, as if a way to show me otherwise.

“Yes.”

He charged in, and I followed suit.

There were three heavily armed artillery weapons, enriched by the powers of SIVA. They were firing munitions in the distance, toward the city. They were trying to strike us, it seems.

When we entered the field of snow, a Fallen Skiff showed itself by ripping through the atmosphere. Fallen Shanks, Dregs, and Vandals were sent down, but they were hardly a threat at this point.

Pathernax blinked in the air, threw a Scatter Grenade, creating an onslaught on mini explosions, causing most of the Shanks and Dregs to falter.

“Careful with those Shanks!” I yelled over the uproarious gunfire. “They hurt!”

“Pfft. You make it sound like I can’t deal with a few pesky Shanks,” Pathernax said, opening fire.

“Don’t come crying to me when you’re hurt.”

“Will you help me out?!”

I opened fire on the foes, being careful not to scare precious over there with my “alien weapon”; I ran forward and conjured up a few grenades for good measure, though it was hardly necessary since Pathernax wiped all the enemies out before they had a chance to do anything.

“See? What’s I tell you?” Pathernax said, gloating over his paltry victory.

“We’re not out of this yet. Path, Vandal behind you!”

Pathernax teleported away before the Vandal had the chance to strike him with a melee. “Pfft. You have to be more agile than that.” Pathernax aimed his weapon then opened fire, though the Vandal was cunning and dodged the oncoming fire, forcing Pathernax to reload momentarily, giving the Vandal enough time to open fire.

I could see Pathernax’s shield with the help of my tactical visor: It was critical, no doubt from the high impact of the Vandal’s weapon. Wire Rifles, man. They hurt. Always have, always will.

I lunged forward, putting myself in immediate danger, taking the hits, which should allow Pathernax to recover some of his shields; Warlocks were known for having high amounts of recovery. I, on the other hand, was lacking the latter; my overshield was severely dented, but I remained resolute to take the damage for a friend.

“Hunter, move out!” Pathernax shouted.

I shadestepped my way out of the fire, then unloaded my weapon. The Vandal staggered backward, giving Pathernax time to strike back with a fully loaded weapon.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

The Vandal was decapitated and ether shot out like a rocket.

With the first wave of enemies gone, I noticed a shiny relic floating between the void of the two artillery cannon. “Is that a Scorch Cannon?”

Pathernax motioned his way to the hovering relic. Examined it as if it were a strange new thing to us. “It is…but it seems to be infused with Arc energy. A Shock Cannon, perhaps?”

“Is it useable?” I asked making my way over, only to see another Skiff dropping in more reinforcements. “Shit, there’s no time.” I stowed my Boomer. Picked up the Shock Cannon. “If it backfires and kills me, get ready to revive me. Got it?”

“Understood,” Pathernax said.

“I’ll deal with the guns, you get the reinforcements.”

With that, I ran forward with a new relic, a powerful beast of destruction. It was a shoulder mounted weapon—a lightweight craft, elegant even; they shot lobes of energy that detonate on impact; they can even expand into a bigger lobe if charged by the weapon’s mechanism, resulting in a deadlier explosion. They stick to surfaces if charged, too.

Though, because I didn’t hold a charge, the shot of mine didn’t even do moderate damage; if anything, it dazed the enemies, giving Pathernax a few seconds to strategize a plan of attack (literally).

I steered my jumps to the far left, noticing another relic on the leftmost artillery, but paid no attention to it. I crawled inside the bunker, where the controls for the weapon surely were; a large bundle of SIVA wires were all over, covering the entire wall and ground.

The SIVA node that needed clearance caught my eye, and I shot it once with the cannon, causing its destruction; but unfortunately, there was a Captain, armed with sharp Shock Blades.

I dodged the oncoming attack, being thankful I wasn’t sliced to a million pieces. Protection was in my favour for survival, but when I looked over, the Captain made another move—lunged toward me, sending me flying back in recoil. My back met the wall real hard, sending a pang of agony through me. Some of my armour was slashed and torn, though it wasn’t anything I couldn’t get fixed. My shields were dented too. My enemy backed up a bit, as if to give me a chance to recover.

I launched a lobe at the Captain and kept my finger on the trigger; the lobe grew larger with every other second passing, though the weapon somehow became more unstable the longer I kept my finger there.

So I released my finger.

A devastating explosion sounded and a blinding flash of blue light irradiated, and the Captain disintegrated into small Arc particles.

Wow. Maybe I should keep this thing too. Works wonderfully.

Oh, and if I hadn’t said it already, the gun ceased operation. Only two more to go!

When I exited the bunker, I ran headstrong, cloaked this time, and found my way in the second bunker. Destroyed the SIVA node and the Captain, then did the same for the third.

By the time I had finished disabling all the guns, Pathernax had managed to clear out most of the enemies, though there were still plenty standing. “Pathernax,” I shouted on my way to him. “Catch!”

I flung the Shock Cannon at him; shockingly (no pun intended) he caught in, mounted it on his shoulder, then opened fire.

I got a hold of my Boomer once more, then found the high ground and opened fire downward, before realizing there was another cannon that I could use; so I quickly grabbed it, returned to my spot, and took advantaged of such a beautiful weapon. I shot a Servitor that was attacking me, then charged up my projectile; within seconds, it exploded, tearing the Servitor into multiple pieces.

Pathernax seemed to be enjoying himself with the weapon as well. He was teleporting all over the place, launching shots at the enemy, and making them go boom.

Soon there was nothing left for us to kill.

Everything was dead and silent.

I regrouped with Pathernax and said, “That went better than expected.”

“Tell me about it. Why did they only send in a handful of troops?”

I shrugged. “Beats me. Why, you want more to kill or something?”

“No I was just saying—”

“Fallen incoming!” my Ghost shouted.

A Fallen Skiff was en route to us, and it was carrying a spider tank. “Another one? Seriously?” I glanced at Pathernax. “You just had to say something didn’t you?”

“Hey, don’t blame me. I’m not to blame for this bad luck.”

“Oh, yes you are,” I said, getting behind the nearest thing to cover. I peeked over. “Well, c’mon, if you stay there, you’ll be smoked.”

Pathernax jumped into cover, and we braced ourselves with another spider tank.

It was aiming right at us, its cannons in fully charged and opening fire.

For a second, I was struck by shellshock. Everything around me froze; the intensity of today had left me exhausted, both mentally and physically. I just want to be done with today, go to bed, curl with Paledon and forget this day had even happened. The world thwacked a deafening ringing noise to my ears. Pathernax was speaking to me, as if to say my name or say something; my best guess was he wanted me to make a move on the tank, or else we’d be wiped from the face of the universe.

It was only a matter of time before Pathernax shook me out of my trance. I cleared my head with a shake, then said, “What?”

“We need to do something now. I ain’t doing this alone. I need your help.”

“Alright, what’s your plan, then?”

“We strike together with our Light. Then do as much damage as we can with these cannons. If it works, we’re getting out of this alive. If not, we’re both dead.”

“Or, we can call for Paledon and Kabril to come help us,” I said, lowering my Shock Cannon from the shoulder.

“No, I’m sure they already got a handful of problems already. Besides, it’s best not to worry Paledon.”

“Why’s that?”

“Think about it, silly.”

“Oh. Right.”

“So how about we strike now, before our cover is shredded by that thing?”

“Alright but follow my lead.”

With that, we vaulted out of cover, invisible, waiting for the right moment to strike. The spider tank was idly waiting for us, its prey, but we were out of its and the amidst Fallen’s line of sight; we hid behind a shipment container. I peeked over the corner, looked back at my partner. Nodded.

I exposed myself to in the open and readied my weapon.

I fired a few times, putting the weapon in overdrive without having to reload. I did a roll to evade the enemies’ impressive barrage of attacks; they would need a lot more firepower to knock me down.

This Hunter wasn’t going down without a proper fight or retribution; with the Light, nothing could go south.

I was a lone Hunter, in the wilderness, warding off the immediate threats as best I could. At some point, I faltered to the ground as the tank had unleashed its cannon attack on me, but I quickly retaliated with a calm mind; I readied to draw from the Void—rendering temporary immunity from attacks—my best friend, my companion, my brother; a surge of power coursed through me as I channeled the infinite dark mater through and to my core, giving me a bow of Void energy. I drew the arrow back, aimed it at those who had wronged me when I was war-weary and mentally drained; every single one of them were tethered to a Void anchor, allowing my companion, Pathernax, to sweep in and draw from the Void from the Traveler’s pool of Light. In his hands was an unstable bomb of Void energy. He threw it at the group of enemies and the spider tank, causing everything to perish in the blast.

Nothing but silence erupted the battleground.

Pathernax and I stood still. We were both blocking out the snow and debris with a hand. The spider tank exploded and collapsed under its own weight; small patches of fire were scattered about.

I exhaled deeply. “We did it.”

“Yeah, we did. Put it here, pal.”

I high-fived my partner, smiling under my helmet. “We make a good team. Aside from me giving you shit, I forgot what you really are capable of in battle.”

“Likewise,” he said. “We should report back to Saladin and the rest of our comrades. Let’s go.”

We left the ruined place, and I followed Pathernax out of the complex. We were in the Bunker Triglav, though there was significantly less enemy presence. The Hive and Fallen had retired from battle, by the looks of it. Everything was quiet. Too quiet.

“Paledon, Kabril,” Pathernax said on the comms. “We’ve successfully dispatched the Splicer’s hold on the artillery weapons.”

There was that harrowing silence once more. There was no response on the comms.

“Paledon, Kabril, do you copy?” Pathernax said once more.

Nothing.

I stepped up and beat Pathernax to his third punch. “Paledon, Kabril, are you there?! Paledon!”

Silence.