[i]Chapter Twenty Two: The Well Part Two[/i] “The Vex are here!” Hunter warned. I spotted one of the crackling clouds formed by Vex teleportation near the spot Hunter and Drew were at, but another formed behind a hill between my Plate and Sierra’s where I couldn’t shoot. Guardian raised his auto rifle as we waited. Shooting rang out from the other two positions, but our set of Vex were still hidden behind the hill. After a few suspenseful seconds, a few Harpies glided over the ridge, only to be shot down quickly by the two of us. But immediately behind them came a Minotaur, which my HUD labeled as Praetorian. The Vex rushed forward, unfazed by our bullets even after its shield went down. A blast from its Torch Hammer made Guardian flinch, giving it the opportunity to make a dash for the Sync Plate. With a shout I leapt off of the column and slammed into the Praetorian, knocking it to the ground with me on top. Before I could push myself off, I felt the grip of the Praetorian’s free left hand around my back, and with a robotic roar it flung me to the side. I skidded across the ground and to my alarm found myself shooting off of the cliff’s edge. Lashing out, I caught a metal bar with my left hand and slammed down into the wall of earth and machine that formed the cliff, but did not fall. It took only a moment to climb back up, and I was relieved to find Guardian standing victoriously in the circle with the Praetorian’s totaled chasis on the ground. “These Pratato things aren’t going down!” Hunter announced over the radio. “Praetorians,” I corrected as I climbed back onto my perch next to the Plate, “They defend the Vault. They’re those tougher models I mentioned.” A streak of red hissed by my shoulder and I began exchanging fire with a couple of Hobgoblins below us. A huge block of metal had appeared in the mesh of Vex light that had appeared earlier, but more light was forming above it to build the next section. More lights and clouds began forming in the air all around. “Right team, watch your back!” I warned, and they turned just in time to face a Praetorian that had come in behind them. I picked off a couple of Goblins that had been approaching them from the front, then worked on some others that had come for our Plate. This time we got rid of the Praetorian quickly by throwing grenades at it. “Vex coming to the middle from our side!” Hunter warned. Spinning around, I spotted a few Harpies coming up the slope and eliminated them, but as I finished off the last a Praetorian moved into sight. I emptied my clip but it wasn’t slowed, and the Vex used a couple of quick teleportations to make it all the way up the hill. Just as I was about to resort to another tackle, Guardian slid out from the Plate and unloaded his shotgun on the Minotaur, knocking its lifeless body to the ground. As Guardian stood and reloaded, I jumped down and ran to the ridge to shoot down at a few Goblins that had just arrived. The two of us met back in the circle and shot at Vex coming from either direction. Suddenly, everything was still. Vex bodies littered the ground around us, and only a few more shots were heard from the other two locations before they as well stopped firing. No more Vex were coming. “What happened?” Drew questioned over the comms. Before anyone could respond, a beam of light shot over my head and into the middle of the door, making me flinch in surprise. The beam came from the tall spire that had formed between the three Sync Plates. It was exactly like how the final gate of the Black Garden had opened. After several seconds, there was a metal groan and the segmented circular door slid open starting at the bottom. Guardian and I kept our guns raised as we approached, but even after it was fully opened no Vex came out from the passageway. Looking inside, we saw a tunnel of stone filled with plants leading downward, running water audible somewhere inside. Footsteps announced the arrival of our four companions, who were all keeping their weapons trained on the door and the directions they came from in case they were followed. “The hell is going on?” Sierra looked around warily, clutching her hand cannon. “Where are the Vex?” Sally’s voice shook fearfully. “The purpose of the Vex we were fighting was only to keep us from opening the door,” I explained, not taking my eyes off of the stairs leading down, “The door is open, so they are no longer needed. Now it’s the job of the Vex inside to kill us.” “I was less freaked out not knowing the answer,” Hunter shifted uneasily on his feet. “Traveler, Will, you need some kind of sensor on that mouth,” Sierra muttered. “Last chance,” I told everyone, “Anyone who doesn’t want to go in needs to turn back now. I can’t guarantee survival, success, or escape.” “Lighten up kid, that’s always the job,” Warlock patted my shoulder as she walked past me to the stairs. “I got this man,” Hunter boasted as he walked after his teammate. “Don’t worry, this’ll be awesome,” Drew clapped my back as he joined them. I looked to Guardian and Sierra as they came up to either side of me. They both nodded with determination and walked on. All of their confidence encouraged me, knowing that I had such good friends and warriors with me, but I couldn’t help but worry. Together we walked downwards through the earthy depths, looping around the waterfall formed by a small stream cascading down from somewhere above. Warlock had once again placed herself at the head of the group, so she and Drew kept their guns trained on the path ahead while I kept watch from the back. I regularly glanced over my shoulder at the way behind us. “Ease up Will,” Sierra told me, noticing my fretting, “You said yourself the Vex back there would leave us alone.” “Others could come,” I reasoned, “And they could try changing the path behind us.” “They can do that?” Hunter exclaimed. “Not sure,” I admitted. “What kind of place is this?” Warlock inquired, “What makes it so important?” As she asked this, we came into an area where Vex technology once again became a visible part of the design of the tunnel. We stopped on a platform that looked out into a thin underground fissure and permitted access to another tunnel leading deeper inside. “Rush, where are we?” I asked. “This path is called The Trial of Kabr,” he answered. “Kabr… Okay, here is good,” I sighed. “For what?” Drew cocked his head curiously. “The explanation,” I responded, then looked to everyone, “This place is a world built by the Vex where they control everything. By our best guesses it exists on multiple plains of reality, if not all, and stretches through time and space.” “But that’s impossible,” Warlock mused, putting her fist to her chin thoughtfully, “The laws of physics couldn’t permit-“ “The Vex understand far more about physics than we do,” I interrupted, “So apparently this place is logically achievable despite how they’re using it to bend the rules. The Vault is important because it represents their ultimatum and because it is home to the pinnacles of their research and leadership.” “So big Vex to smash?” Drew translated. “I like the way you think,” Hunter chuckled. “Big and dangerous,” I confirmed seriously, “And the Vault in itself is just as dangerous as they are.” “Who’s been putting all this paranoia in your head?” Sierra rapped her knuckles on my helmet, “Buildings aren’t dangerous.” “Vex buildings are,” I pushed her hand away. “You mentioned earlier that the last person to come out of here was insane,” Warlock reminded. “Yes,” I nodded, “That was Pahanin, a Hunter who entered the Vault with Kabr and Praedyth. Pahanin is the source of almost all of my knowledge of the Vault, but Kabr was the source of all of his knowledge. It was Kabr’s intent to defeat the enemies within the Vault just like us, but only Pahanin escaped. According to what we were able to scrape from Kabr’s research and Pahanin, along with some data from the Ishtar Academy, it’s clear that the Vault and the Vex themselves can act as some form of contagion.” “Canta-what?” Drew was clearly having trouble following. “Being exposed to Vex and their architecture can destroy your mind and body,” I simplified, “So if anyone starts hearing or seeing odd things, tell me. If anyone hears one of the rest of us talking to themselves or saying weird things, speak up. If anyone feels sick, speak up.” “I think we get the point, mom,” Sierra mumbled, although she seemed a little put off by the new information. “So how can we avoid getting our heads scrambled?” Hunter inquired. “By getting in and out as quickly as possible,” I stated dourly. “That’s not comforting,” Guardian’s Ghost commented. “It’ll also help to not touch anything, especially not things you don’t recognize,” I added. “You really do need to get a filter, Will,” Rush sighed. “Now isn’t the time for sugar coating,” I replied grudgingly, “I wish we could come in here with a lighter mood, too.” Pt1: https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/249614104/0/0 Pt3: https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/249614215/0/0