[b]Heyo, did you know that music really helps when writing up these chapters? Just makes the ideas flow. I like to listen to Epic music, Two Steps From Hell, Audiomachine, that kind of stuff, but I like other genres too. What do you guys like to listen to?[/b] [b]As always, here's the Index:[/b] https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/128755126/0/0 [u]Chapter 19: [i]Fire & Screams[/i][/u] A loud droning sound shook the ground as the thin veil of the atmosphere was pierced by millions of pieces of debris. Rorschach and the remaining Fallen soldiers rushed outside, their eyes set in horror as they witnessed the Ketches of the Ash fleet descend in balls of fire. Ventryx stood, her stance wavering slightly, “No…it can’t be.” Rorschach looked to her, a fear in his eyes, “Ventryx, are those….” “Ours? Yes. That was the fleet.” She said gravely. The Fallen stared at the sky in fear and shock. What would become of them now was unknown now that their only way of escape was blown out of the blackness of space. Taliks held onto Rorschach, and he her. Greevis, Jevik, Randor, Ventryx, and numerous Vandals stood, frozen in the uncertainty. Taliks spoke up unsteadily, “What are we going to do now?” The Vandals shook their heads; they had no answers. Ventryx, however, spoke, hollow and unforgiving, “We go to deeper into the Cinders, to Ash Coves,” She stepped forward and turned to her comrades, “If the evac plans were right, there should be enough Skiffs for all of us to make it out. We can regroup with whoever survived, and go to…I don’t know somewhere safe.” A voice rang out from the group, “What about the war? We can surrender to Winter, perhaps they will spare us with our lives?” there were multiple voices asking the same question, and giving temporary solutions. Jevik sneered at this, “Surrender to Winter?! Are you mad? The war is over my friends, we have lost. Our best chance is to flee.” The Vandals nodded their heads in agreement to this. The group was split, one side proclaiming the kindness of Winter, the other not wanting to risk any other loss to their people. “You want us to run, to be cowards?!” Randor growled, stepping into Jevik’s face, “Running away would do us no good, and you know it.” Greevis agreed with Jevik, speaking out against Randor, “It is our best chance to survive, yes? That is what we must focus on if we are to rekindle our people’s Fire.” “Don’t get cryptic with me, Greevis.” Randor scoffed, “But fine, you clearly show where you stand, so I’ll be on my way. Anyone who wishes to join me and accept the mercy of Winter is welcome to do so.” With that, the Vandal stepped onto the worn path of dirt and rock and began walking back to the Ember Caves. The group who wished to surrender to Winter looked around, then one by one began walking behind Randor. Jevik shook his head, as he watched them go, muttering to himself. Ventryx snarled shouting at Randor, banishing him from the Ash. “C’mon,” she said, turning to those who remained, “Pack whatever you can carry, and only bring what is necessary, we leave immediately.” The Fallen stood there for a moment, seemingly in a daze. They soon snapped out of it when Ventryx barked at them again, and they scrambled for their belongings. Rorschach and Taliks walked back into the cave together, and then went their separate ways to grab whatever they had. Rorschach lumbered over to where his shock pistol rested: on a small alcove just above a crate with radio antennae sticking out of it. He reached up to where his gun was, his fingers quickly finding its worn handle. Bringing it down, he inspected it. There were scratches and scorch marks from his short time in battle, and he ran his small, leathery hand over the cold, metallic surface. The spikes that barely jutted out above the barrel were dull and blunt, incapable of causing any sort of harm. His four eyes shone blue and blinked slowly, saddened by the recent events. He couldn’t wrap his head around all the things that had happened; they were the last of the Ash. The Kell and Prime were taken out by Guardians, how that was possible, he didn’t know. Perhaps he underestimated their power, or maybe he overestimated his own. But at least Prelik is alive, he thought, though it did little to replace the sadness. In a mere couple of months, he had been found by Ash, recruited into their ranks, and now fighting a war. He had worked so hard, learned so much, and for what? To fight a war he was destined to lose? To lose comrade after comrade? No, he couldn’t dwell on that. [i]But why not?[/i] It was what he wanted, wasn’t it, to stop fighting over something as trivial as land. Oh, but this was more than land, this was for a planet, an entire planet. And it would allow the advancement of his people on the Great Machine, and the people who it chose to protect. But why did they want it, the Fallen that is. Why did his people think that the giant orb was so important? Did it give them strange abilities like it does with the Guardians? So many questions swirled in his mind, and he just stared at the piece of technology in his hands, like it would magically give him all the answers. And that’s when he heard it, a quiet pinging sound, like the kind the Navigators in the Ketches would have when they were searching for something. He perked his head up, the tuft of black hair on top waved smoothly as he did so. He heard it again, that pinging sound. It was coming from one of the many tunnels that this cave broke off into. He started walking to the origin of the sound, not quite sure what was in store for him. Thinking the worst, he brought up his pistol, with his long finger on the trigger. The ping rang out again, this time louder and more echoey. Rorschach continued walking, deeper into the tunnel, until he got to a small room-like structure, almost completely covered in Fallen banners and cloths. He moved the banners to the side, and entered the room. There, he found a device on the ground. It was small and circular with different buttons surrounding a shaft that projected a shimmering holographic image. This was what was making the pinging sound. Rorschach, curious as always, went to pick up the device, but immediately dropped it, rubbing his hand where the steaming metal had burned him. As the device clattered to the ground, an image of a humongous Fallen leader appeared, and began boasting, his voice bellowing and echoing in the tight walls of the room. “Draksis?” Rorschach gasped at the message. The Kell of Winter stood tall and proud, with thick armor and a burning Shrapnel Launcher. His face was horrible, uglier than anything Rorschach had seen before. It was scarred and disfigured; the wrinkles of the old leathery skin were distorted and misshapen. This amalgamation of a Fallen, this grotesque monster, was the nemesis of Rorschach’s House, and it wasn’t hard to imagine the kinds of things he had done to deserve that title. It started to speak again, and this time, Rorschach payed attention. “…Randor, haha, you have served me well. I didn’t think you’d be able to hack into our frequencies and merge them with the Ash fleet’s own. Alas, you delivered, and I’m sure you saw that our counterattack to their diversion went smoothly. Now, I can finally wipe out the Ash, and you, you will be honored greatly, remembered as: Randor, Honorable Informant of the Kell. Come to me when you can, and I can deliver on my part of the deal as promised.” The message immediately shut off, leaving Rorschach in a dimly lit cave, with information that frightened him more than the appearance of the Kell. What just happened? Rorschach replayed the message in his mind, unbelieving of what he had heard. [i]Randor, you sly traitor.[/i] [b]Part 2:[/b] https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/182561262/0/0