Destiny: Legend Untold, Chpt 14 Pt 5

[u]Chapter Fourteen: Bread Crumbs[/u] Part Five "So much for indestructible," I inspected the damaged chasis. "Indestructible can have meaning other than the durability of a body," a voice called from behind us. Rush and I turned to find a figure clad in blues and greys standing behind us, glowing blue eyes looking out from under her hood. The Stranger. "Oh boy, here we go again," Rush rolled his eye. "What are you doing here?" I asked after shooting a glare at Rush. "Searching," the Stranger answered flatly. "For what?" I inquired. "No time to explain," she looked like she was about to say more, but suddenly tilted her head down in concentration, speaking quietly to someone else, "Yes, I'm listening." "Someone's talking with her again," Rush observed, "There's still no trace on the signal." "They're not here, missed the timing by just a few minutes," she suddenly answered a question unheard by us, then her eyes found a Vex chassis on the ground that had clearly gotten its central container crushed, "We'll get it right next time." "Next time? Missed the timing?" I questioned her. She ignored me, apparently still speaking with someone else, "Yes, they're the other ones...I don't know either...I'll tell them the same thing." Her eyes finally moved back up to meet mine. She seemed to be analyzing me, or maybe thinking ahead on what she thought would happen. "Oh so we ARE worthy of her attention," Rush exclaimed sarcastically. "Nothing should be ignored, Little Light," the Stranger glanced over to Rush for a moment, not seeming to notice his offended look, before focusing on me again, "You didn't meet him here?" "No," I answered, understanding that she meant The Guardian. "It will be soon," she seemed to assure both me and herself, "You must follow him further. To the Black Garden." "The Black Garden?" I asked. "The Black Garden!" Rush exclaimed, "You're kidding!" "What's the Black Garden?" I looked at Rush accusingly for withholding information. "Somewhere I knew you would want to go if you ever heard of it," Rush huffed defensively. "It is correct, it is dangerous," the Stranger interjected, then gestured to the Vex laying at our feet, "It is their home; a birthplace of evil. You know how to find the Garden?" "The Awoken," Rush seemed discouraged by his own answer. "You mean we just have to go back and ask Zavala or Rahool or someone? They all know?" I asked in confusion. "No, we need to go to the Reef, where the Awoken live at the edge of the Light's reach," Rush responded. "The Awoken, wavering between the Light and the Darkness. A side must always be taken," she paused for a moment, seeming to wonder why she had chosen those words, "Even if it's the wrong one." "Can you help us reach the Garden?" I requested. "No, my path is my own, I've interfered enough," she refused, "Find the Awoken and follow the other. He will tell you of the task ahead, and he may need you when the time comes." "May need me?" I questioned. "Nothing is certain," she shrugged me off. "'He will tell you'?" Rush seemed to be trying to figure out wether to laugh or groan, "Clearly you don't know the guy very well." "You found us on accident this time, and you don't know if I will be with the other, so why bother setting me on this path?" I pried for more information, feeling the same doubt as Rush. She pondered that for only a moment before replying, "Because you are an exception. As she finished speaking, the room darkened and the air several feet above the ground was filled with crackling clouds surrounding small orbs of light. "They've sent more," the Stranger's head snapped around, "I cannot delay. Fight Guardian, be stronger than those who have fallen to them." With that, she turned and took a couple urgent steps away from us, disappearing in a flash not unlike transmat. But as her form faded, others began to take shape within the clouds surrounding us, red eyes and pixelated bodies falling out of suspension to the ground below. The first of them landed with a solid '[i]thunk[/i]', followed by several others, their parts whirring as the knees bent to absorb impact and then straightened again. A dish-like head in the shape of a fan turned towards me, the glowing red eye at the bottom seeming to take everything in as the mechanisms behind the small circle of glass adjusted their focus. Stepping forward with the smooth rotation of several mechanical components, the closest Vex lowered its right arm from its upright position to level a gun at me. This action occurred in a series as every Vex that touched the ground turned to focus on me. "Whoa," I gave a low whistle at the display, "Flawless performance." "Now's not the time to be admiring the robots sent to kill us!" Rush reminded me, disappearing from my side. "Right," I stepped back from the advancing Vex slowly, sliding my right hand down to my hip where my hand cannon rested, "So do these things have a language, or feelings, or...?" A glowing red streak flew just past my head from one of the Vex guns. "I'd rather not take the time to find out," Rush replied. "Right," I chuckled a bit, mostly at my own poor timing. Springing into motion, I drew my cannon and fired off several rounds, aiming for the red eye of each Vex and managing to blow the heads off of most of them. Electricity crackled over the mechanical bodies of those that had been beheaded, and they twitched jerkily, but none of them fell. In fact, after a moment, all those without heads began to charge me rather quickly and aggressively once they had recovered, carelessly stepping over the shattered plates of their own heads. "Heads don't work heads don't work heads DON'T WORK!" Rush flipped out at the sight. "Noticed," I grunted as I batted one of the machines away from me, trying to think of a way to actually damage these things. Then I recalled the Vex dead on the ground around me from the previous Guardian's battle, the images of their broken and empty stomach containers still fresh on my mind. Without delay I rammed my fist into the containment unit of the next spastic Vex to reach me, the framing breaking easily under my strength and spewing the white liquid out all over my arm. The body fell instantly, all the lights on it dimming and the crackle of electricity ceasing. Backpedaling now to get some space, I put a bullet into the liquid containers of each Vex, and was honestly a bit surprised that most of them flat out burst open when shot, flinging their limbs and shards of their main bodies out in all directions along with a splattering of the strange fluid. Soon I was the only thing left standing, reloading my gun as I inspected the damages around me and had my Light heal my wounds. "It's like popping water balloons," Rush seemed amused as he also inspected the little bits of metal strewn across the ground, "That was too easy. You would've expected them to send more than just a few." Moments after Rush spoke, more of the shimmering clouds formed above us, muting the glow of several brilliant white orbs. "Spoke too soon," I commented as Rush disappeared once again. "Oh do shut up," my jinxed Ghost grumbled. ___________________________ Link to Ch14 Pt4: https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/229276676/0/0 Link to Ch14 Pt6: https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/229277104/0/0 Link to ToC: https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/212710816/0/0