Blank Slate Ch.5: Better at Fighting Than Thinking

Table of Contents https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/225386550/0/0 Our boots crunched softly in the freshly fallen snow as we made our way through the desolate town, cutting through the otherwise silent air. Snowflakes drifted across my view as I inspected the ruins. The buildings were ancient and crumbling apart where they weren't already toppled over. "The Fallen are scavengers," Blanc said, her voice carrying through the silence, "They dig around in places like this, trying to find Golden Age relics, resources, trinkets, or anything that could be used against humanity." "What do they look like?" I inquired. "Ugly," Salem chuckled. "That description is vague and subject to opinion," I replied, "I need more definite information." Salem sighed as his Ghost chimed in, "Their body structure is similar to that of human's, but they have four eyes and arms. They wear masks that pump ether, a liquid that keeps them alive, like food and water. Their armor is the colors of whatever House they're from. The House of Devils and House of Kings live on earth. The Devils wear red and Kings wear gold." "Tell KS about the units," Salem called, inspecting the inside of a nearby building. "Right," his Ghost continued, "Their lowest rank is Dregs. Dregs have their two lower arms docked, which means removed, and have small amounts of armor. All other ranks are higher than Dreg and have all four arms. Second are Vandals. They wear more armor and are rationed more ether, causing them to become slightly larger than Dregs. Next are Captains. They are rationed more ether, and become notably larger. Their armor is strong. "After Captain is Baron or Baroness. They get a little more ether, and are skilled and smart. After that, there are special ranks. Archons, Archon Priests, and others that get large amounts of ether, making them very large. They wear various forms and amounts of armor. Finally is the Kell, the leader of each House. They get the most ether and wear various armor. Fallen have a few different types of guns, and shock blades, which are knives and swords with electric blades. And some have cloaking. The Fallen have multiple machines and vehicles. They have small hovering Shanks, that are built to fight, and Servitors, which are large and spherical. They are the source of ether, and each House has a massive Prime Servitor. You should kill one if you see one." "You should kill any Fallen you see," Salem called from inside the building, "Come check this out!" I entered the dilapidated structure, Blanc and Salem's Ghost floating close behind. Telling by the shattered remains of furniture, someone had lived here. There was a doorway in the back corner, and I stood in it. Salem was at the side of the room, standing over a large rusted metal box with a lock. "Did you actually listen to that whole explanation?" he asked, "Without spacing out?" "Yes," I answered. "Wow," he said, "Congratulations." "What's that box?" Blanc inquired. "This thing is still intact," Salem said, kicking down on the padlock, which shattered on contact, "Mostly. There could be something in it." He bent over and pulled up the lid. Inside was a stack of books, corroded into dust, and a smaller metal box. Salem pulled out the second box. It had been protected by the larger one and wasn't very weathered. "Whatever is in there could still be intact," his Ghost gasped. Salem broke off the padlock with a little more effort and opened the lid. He groaned and pulled out a tightly plastic-wrapped packet of thin paper books, "Great. More books for the Warlocks to read. Who on earth would go through so much trouble to preserve these." We studied the cover of the first article. There was a sketched image of multiple people holding swords made of beams of light. A character that wore black armor looked especially interesting to me. "WHAT?!" Salem exclaimed, "This says it's a comic book! Like the things children read down in the city!" "Were they valuable during the Golden Age?" Blanc pondered. "I don't know or care," Salem moaned, "Of all the things that survived the Collapse. What are these? The title says Star W-" He was cut off by the sound of crackling electricity. Without thinking, I turned and grabbed an arm that was swinging a blade at me. I rolled the assailant over my back, dropping it on the ground, then planted my foot on its throat. I saw a blur of movement out of the corner of my eye and caught the wrist of another attacker. It swung its other arm at me, and I caught it, too. An electrified dagger clattered to the ground. I took in the assailants. They both wore red armor. The one clutching futilely at my boot had four arms. The one struggling to pull its arms from my grip had only two arms and less armor. "House of Devils Dreg and Vandal," I deduced. Blanc and Salem's Ghost had vanished into our armor matrixes, and they were silent for a moment, until Blanc shakily answered, "Yes, Keis." Salem crossed his arms and said, "You were listening. That was very impressive. You sure you weren't fighting anything before I found you?" "Yes," I replied, "Should I terminate these Fallen." "Uhm.... yes?" Salem's Ghost answered unsurely. I quickly pressed down with my foot, crushing the Vandal's neck, then turned to the Dreg. I hadn't been able to test my Energy Drain on anything other than bricks and plants for a month, and I was eager to test my abilities. The Dreg's wrist guards quickly crumbled away in my grasp, and it tried frantically to escape me. I released one of its arms, and raised my hand. Before the Dreg could move, I struck it with a Palm, and my Energy Drain dissolved it into wisps of Void, giving me a surge of power. Caught up in the moment, and holding on to the feeling of strength, I left the room to check for more enemies. As I stepped into the first room, I saw another Dreg standing outside, peering through the front door. I raised my hand, and the hand cannon Salem gave me materialized in it. I pulled the trigger, and the Dreg fell to the ground, clutching its chest. I walked outside, putting a second bullet in its head. Apparently, their heads were pressurized, and the Dreg's head exploded without a trace. What I assumed was ether spewed from around the neck with a hiss, vaporizing in the air. I looked down the ruined street, but saw no more Fallen. The Devil You Know vanished into my Inventory as Salem joined me in the street. "Everyone was right," he muttered, "Warlocks are really freakin' scary..."