[b]Final Entry - Coded Alien Human - Ghost Location [i]Unknown[/i] - Guardian Location: [i]Deep Stone Crypt[/i][/b] They called it The Darkness... It was dark, I guess. I remember a strike deep into the moon with Ben and Jacob. That was dark. The stench of that place hasn't washed out of my base layer since then. I'm convinced that squishy headed monster held some kind of parasites and they're somehow a part of these clothes. They won't leave. And yet as bad as they smell, I don't want them to. But that's another story. This is something else entirely. When they appeared in the night I'd, well, we'd all gotten completely drunk at the parade; celebrating and what not. I never think those things are good for the Guardians. Sure they appease the masses, or what's left of them, but you never want to get that comfortable. Enough to enjoy that many drinks, lose your sense of surrounding and come back to base without a care in the world. And wouldn't you know it...that's exactly the time they chose to hit us. They were probably watching us that whole time. Laughing. Joking about how easy it would be. And it was. We've all fought the Cabal, but these Red ones are, well, they are an entity. Most of the garrisons we faced on Mars were scattered and leaderless. Only the big one they called Rockets McD***face was a pain. The rest were fairly easy to counter and went down quickly with a head shot and a spew of that oil from their pressurized helmets. I never saw their faces. I have seen them now. Trained, motivated and highly aggressive. New weapons and tactics. And their faces. Those faces. Full of rage aimed at us. We were not ready for this. I've never been kicked off of the tower and survived. We've all played games. All jumped to our deaths for sport. As I watched my ghost plummet a sinking feeling swept over me in a single rush of blood, and I realized it was my end. Their nameless leader towered over me. I could smell his breath emanating from his mask. His eyes glowed with an angry fire; his voice... He had a voice, and he spoke our language. It was so jarring that all I could do was cower. I've never been so ashamed. He spoke, but all I could think of was my ghost. For a moment all was quiet. Then the massive push kick off the Tower and all I remember is a sharp crack as I hit the ground. The Light hadn't fully left me and I was able to recover, stumbling down the small path around the base of the Tower. A fairly obscure platform down a small cliff had a Dead Orbit ship ready to go. I waved them to open up for me and they did. I fell in and blacked out. As I wake and write this last memoir, grimoire, I'm reminded of what it was like to be a Guardian. Waking for the first time. Taking down that first Fallen scavenging party. The smell of a place unexplored for centuries. Everyone loved their Ghost, but I found mine to be somewhat of a nuisance at times. He was always there for me, though. Sometimes I wonder if the Ghosts are fully aware of all that we are. All that we believe and all that we keep inside. They serve a purpose, but do they really understand why? I'm blacking out again and my thoughts are wandering. They tried to save me, but without my ghost there was no escaping this fate. It's alright for me, but for the rest of humanity... And all the allies. I can't fathom the devastation of the attack and all that occurred afterward which I did not see. Those eyes of fire. The sun is glinting through the cracks between this metal, and in this haze of purple energy I can just make out another ship coming in. A single ship. Where is the fleet? Not many could have survived. My last words are here. These ramblings. I will shut this journal in a capsule with a quick programmed trajectory for earth. If you have found it, I hope that when you read through it you learn something. There is so much out here, Guardian. More than many may ever know, or understand. My time of triumph has come and gone, but through our past deeds a new era has opened for you to make your mark. Make no mistake. You are the only savior of our truth. Fight until your very last breath. Rage against the dying of our Light. [b]Prolugue[/b]: The capsule is programmed and jettison. The Deep Stone Crypt calls this Guardian home. One story has ended. And another has just begun. It is time.

#finished It was over they had won. I looked out into the void of the reef and remembered the events leading up to this point. The Vex. An evil robotic race of monstrosities that had worshipped the dark heart in the center of the black garden, they had did this. We had thought that we were safe from them, they had great powers and machinery yet they never once made a move to attack the city. We were and insignificant threat to them so we thought they wouldn't attack us, or rather hoped to ourself's. I guess we got too big, too noisy killing their axis minds and daring to raid the vault of glass. They attacked the walls with a force the likes of which the city had never seen. They had created a machine monstrosity that overwhelmed our defenses. It had a design similar to Atheon yet it was pure black with four arms like that of a fallen kell, and three eyes like the hive, yet these eyes glowed a dark crimson. I don't know why they chose that design maybe it was to inspire fear in us but every time I think of that I wonder whether the Vex know the concept of psychological warfare. And this thing had one glaring difference that separated it from being a Vex, the radiolarion fluid. It didn't have what made the Vex even a little bit organic, it was pure machine. They fought towards the traveler right through the streets of the city and anything or anyone that got in their way, the city was burning, screams filled the air, and the streets were flooded with blood. We emptied our guns into the never ending mass of machines and watched as our guardian brothers and sisters fell beside us in a desperate hope to protect the traveler. They pushed us back and we were forced to retreat away from the traveler we were trying so hard to protect. Unsurprisingly they stopped pushing and gathered around the metal monstrosity as it stood underneath the traveler. I had to watch in horror as the thing emitted a black , wispy, smoky substance then sent it up to the traveler. The traveler was consumed in that darkness when I realized that the machine had remnants of the black gardens heart and shot it into the traveler transforming it into their new heart, then I watched as the light was torn from my body forcefully and painfully. I watched as that light too was consumed by that darkness, and I watched as my ghost become that dark black color while screaming out in pain and for help and turned to ash, blown away by the wind. We retreated out of the city, some stayed on earth while others, like those Dead Orbit cowards, left the system to be consumed by the vacuum of space. The Vex began to transform the Earth into one of their machines like Mercury. I watched as the Earth was slowly replaced with Vex technology and architecture, growing out like a cancerous tumor on the horizon. Then the cabal came, their empires' red legion came into orbit with their fleet and, after a few hours, opened fire on the Vex. The planet became a war zone between the Vex axsis minds, and the cabals' overwhelming military force. I watched as the planet burned and remnants of golden age city's were toppled to the ground and destroyed. Rasputin, the AI warmind, set up a safe zone in the forgotten shore shooting down any red legion ships that came close with orbital ordinance, while he gave us former guardians weapons the likes of which we have never seen. We began to hope again. That's when we learned Rasputins' true intentions as our new weapons shut down and Rasputin became unresponsive. He gave us ships, but not nearly enough for all of us. That's when I realized that Rasputin waited for there to be too many guardians for all the ships he had, this was a test, some sort of sick experiment to see what we would do, for what purpose I had no earthly idea. He might have wanted to give us hope in order to crush it, gave us a way out to see what humanity and light was left in usWe started killing each other brutally. He disabled our weapons so we would have to fight with our bare hands. I couldn't stand the sudden change, friends killed each other for ships, for a chance to escape. So, I left deciding to take my chances in the war zone that now was Earth. A few weeks later I stole a red legion harvester ship as it unloaded its crew onto the ground. I sent a distress signal to the reef and waited in low orbit watching the fires burn on the Earth below. I was picked up by two reef scouts who brought me back with them where I learned the status of the hole system. The fallen houses made a deal with the reef, afraid of the Vex and driven off of there respective planets, and their ketches floated in space protecting the reef from red legion warships. The hive just up and left, the Dreadnought disappearing from Saturns' rings and hive tunnels abandoned. Venus was transformed into a machine planet like Mercury, and the Vex and Cabal were still fighting over mars and now Mercury for whatever reason. Apparently the cabal wanted the traveler for themselves and attacked the Vex after they learned what they did. I sat in a bar watching the holo feeds trying to drown away my sorrows as former guardians burned images of the traveler in hate. That's when I saw it in the feeds and rushed over to Petra. "The cabal are planting fusion bombs in the Earths' crust!" I yelled at her "We have to do something before they blow the planet apart!" She looked back at me with unforgiving eyes, "There's nothing we can do guardian," she said uncaring, "Unless you suggest that we engage the cabal head on and get ourselves killed?" I looked back at her in disbelief clenching and unclenching my fists, before I realized she was right and left despair settling in my heart. All I could do was watch as the bombs went off and the Earth was torn apart. The red legions warships passed by the moon before they left the rest of the system to the Vex. As they passed by cracks formed on the moons' surface and green energy seethed from within. The moon exploded in a ball of green flames and taking out two of the cabal warships with it, one last trap set by the hive before they left. The Cabal, undeterred by the loss of their warships, left the system leaving us with the Vex. It wasn't the loss of the traveler that made me give up hope, or even the destruction of Earth, it was when I saw two men rob a 6 year old girl only to have her kill both of them a few days later. It was the now never ending cycle of pain and death that made me give up hope. The Vex haven't bothered us anymore deeming us insignificant again. Murders, robberies, and even suicides were no longer uncommon in the reef as more people gave up hope. I watched more former guardians, and city citizens alike, burned images of the traveler in the streets of the reefs' towns with hate in their eyes, renouncing the traveler. I sat on the edge of the reef staring out into the void thinking where it all went wrong. I then thought of the traveler, if it never came to our system none of this would have happened. The despair in my heart replaced with hate for the traveler as I joined the people burning the travelers' image.

#finished Nothing Left My breath came quickly as I crept through the damp tunnels, hand over mouth to reduce the sound as much as possible. Each cautious step I took made a soft scrape that caused me to pause for a moment and listen for the stirring of other life. If they could even be called life. I wished I was back in the days when you only had to worry about the Hive if you were on the Moon. After our Collapse the vile creatures had held only our Moon, festering and growing like an infection taking over the body. But in their quest to kill the Light and all other life, they clearly hadn't been satisfied with such a small prize. We found out the hard way that they had been mustering their strength, and by the time Guardians discovered Hive hidden underneath the Earth, it was already too late. They came like a storm, preceded by violent waves as they surged towards our shores. The abominations raised inside the Moon had been hard enough to deal with in the beginning, pushing through portions of our wall and killing swaths of Guardians, but even they were nothing compared to Crota. He came with a thousand of his Knights and marched upon the City as if it was already his. His blade was death and he was shadow, confronting one Guardian after another and killing them all in single combat. At one point some of us managed to rally, but even against all of our Light the butcher moved through as if wading through shallow water. By the time he reached the Traveler, hardly any Guardians were left. I was amongst them. No one knows how he did it, but Crota brought down our mighty protector, sending its broken husk crashing down to the earth. The Hive ate its remains, and the Light of the Guardians was snuffed out with that of the Traveler. Humanity was broken and the system fell to greater powers. The Fallen lost whatever footholds they had in the inner system as Earth was claimed by the Hive and Venus was consumed by the Vex. To the surprise of many, the Fallen and Awoken came to an uneasy truce, but even together they have been caught in a vice and only hold control of the Reef. Mars was a mystery, but it seemed that the Cabal were still holding off the Vex there. There was war between the Vex and Hive on several fronts of our worlds as the two fought over domination of the entire system. Any human that hadn't made it to the Reef was stranded on Earth, scavenging for the means to survive while surrounded by enemies. At first I had still called myself a Guardian, guiding and protecting others through a world that I could no longer defend until I could find them a ship to leave on…or until they were killed. I had given up several chances to leave in the hopes that those who I sent away instead would find refuge in the Reef and send help. Now there were no more ships to be found and no more Reef patrols to rescue the stranded. So I was left to die on a lost world. Eventually I realized that there was no such thing as a Guardian anymore. In these days I had been attacked and robbed by ordinary men and former Guardians alike. I knew that these former Guardians and citizens of the City were sad, broken, and scared, and that living on like that after everything they had been through could lead to selfishness and Darkness. But that didn't crush my hope for the future. What had convinced me that there was nothing left for me to be the Guardian of was a little girl who had taken my gun out of my holster and pointed it at me while her dad snuck up behind me with a knife. The attempt had ended with the father dead and with the lightly battered girl and mother whimpering as they watched me leave. This girl had been raised with Darkness in her by parents who cared more for their survival than the rightness of their daughter, and it convinced me that humanity had let itself give up all ideals of the Light. So now I wandered by myself, avoiding anything that stirred in this dark world. Movement was life now. The Hive, in all their cruelty and hunger, most definitely enjoyed knowing that humanity had been broken by them, even if they still hadn't managed to kill us all off yet. They burrowed into the Earth, their network growing everyday along with their reach across the surface and their appetite. That's where I was now: in the Hive tunnels. You were just as likely to run into Hive down here as above ground, but in the tunnels they didn't expect intruders. Although the Hive left no nook or cranny unused or unchecked, they couldn't be everywhere at once, leaving plenty of opportunity for an experienced warrior to hide. Occasional roars and shrieks from distant Hive kept me on edge, not that I needed the calls of hidden horrors to know I was on treacherous ground. Every now and then a small cluster of the Hive's strange, glowing crystals and green lanterns would be placed to illuminate the tunnels and caverns, reflecting off of dark pools and trickles of water that dripped into the damp depths of the earth. The stone was dark and oppressive, engulfing victims in its rough and jagged gullet as it dragged them into a maze of identical halls. No light pierced the eternal night aside from those created by the Hive, and no enemy trespassed into the endless labyrinth of death. That is, no enemy that had another option, had no experience, or had no substantial amount of lunacy. Luckily for me, I was a crazy warrior with no options who had done this a thousand times. Unluckily for me, each attempt was another gamble with death, no matter how good you were. A bone scraped the ground as my foot pressed down on its end, shocking me into a complete halt, breath caught back in my throat as I listened. Nothing. Letting out my held breath, I lifted my foot from the bone and placed it back down in a clear spot. I realized that my free hand had shot to my pouch protectively and I pulled it away. That was another thing. The bones. The remains of the Hive's victims littered their home; most were human, but the skeletal remains of all the other species in the system could be found, including those of the Hive. Despite understanding their ways of killing and infighting to grow stronger, I was always unsettled by how normal killing each other was to them. A scream rebounded to my ears through the tunnels, but it was human, not Hive. Cursing softly under my breath, I moved on at a quicker pace. They had found some prey, and I would have to get away in case some hungry Thrall began clustering around whoever they caught. It stilled hurt, knowing I couldn't save them. Counting my steps, I came upon a fork and turned left, taking note that they had dug out a third tunnel connecting at this junction. I had never seen what created these passages for the Hive, but they sprung up out of nowhere and left it clear that lesser Hive hadn't been the ones to scrape away at the dirt and rock. The only clues were the giant bones left in the corners of the largest caverns, each with ribs that towered above the height of men. But unseen monstrosities like that were too horrifying to think about. In a maze where everything looked the same, the only way to find your way through was to venture in repeatedly, counting your steps and going deeper each time until you found a new way out. I came to a cavernous room at two hundred and eighty three paces and adjusted my gait as well as my count because I was seven ahead of the correct number. Eventually the inconsistency would've grown, and being just a dozen paces off could get you lost in a place with so many tunnels. Of course, before entering the cavern, I pressed myself against the rocky wall and peaked out to make sure it was clear. All looked safe, so I took several steps inside. Claws scratched on stone and I raised my head to see a Thrall standing in the tunnel I was supposed to go down. Cursing my bad luck, I drew my hand cannon and ran down a passageway that I knew from my exploits, not bothering to shoot the Thrall. I had to save ammo. Feet pounding now that I didn't have to worry about silence, I stormed down the tunnel, searching for a place to hide since I knew this wouldn't lead out. There was nowhere that could keep me covered, so I continued on. Hungry and angry cries of Hive followed me down the hall until I came into a cavern that ended with a wall of white stone. No exits, no cover, nothing. Apparently whatever dug these places out had stopped when only half finished. The screams stopped, and I turned slowly to find the Thrall clustered just inside the cavern, a single Wizard floating silently above them. Raising my cannon, I backed up against the white wall, waiting to see what they did under the Wizard's direction. I wasn't surprised when the Wizard laughed, her grating voice making me wince in pain, but when the Thrall began chittering and gnashing their teeth excitedly I had to wonder what was happening. Then the wall moved against my back and I spun around. The massive bulk curled up into great coils of white, revealing that the creature had been stretched out across the cavern and creating the illusion that the room ended. The beast turned its head toward me, displaying gaping fangs. It was a Worm, only this one had grown huge. I gripped my pistol tightly as the Worm looked down on me, but I did not falter or try moving away. My left hand reached into my pouch and pulled out the single item I always kept inside. I looked down at my last reminder of the Light. The Ghost rested in my hand, cold and empty. After so long, I could still almost hear his voice, telling me "quit getting distracted and fight William". "Thanks for everything, Rush," I whispered to the husk of my first and best friend, then turned my eyes back up to the beast that now surrounded me with its coiling length and raised my weapon. I would die a Guardian, one last time.

[b]WARNING[/b]: [b] Possible Violent Descriptions[/b] in text. Story is hidden behind "Spoiler" out of consideration. #Finished [u]A World without Light: A 'Beyond the Forlorn Gap' short story.[/u] [spoiler]The library burned, and the heat tore a hole in Gwendolyn's heart. “They’re gone, Anu,” she said to the little green and silver ball cradled in the crook of her left arm. “Gone. What monsters burn books? Burn knowledge?” A drop of dark blue blood splattered on the green paint of the shell and left tiny blue marks across her dirty white sleeve. The sight of the motionless Ghost threatened her with tears. When was the last time she had cried? Gwen could not remember. Roars and grunts came from outside the shattered library doors. Gwen hefted her shotgun in her right hand and crouched behind a broken bookcase near the door to listen. They spoke in their own tongue, but she had been listening to their transmissions for decades. Inwardly she noted that the dialect was different, but if the Empire was as large as they surmised, this was hardly a shock. “This sector is clear.” A legionary reporting to a commander, judging by the syntax. “Did you account for the [Twilight] ones?” The word was an odd choice Gwen had not heard used in that way before. “They still show life-signs like the [Creatures]. And the [Constructs] are easily detected.” “The [Twilight] ones are naturals at remaining hidden, even without the Light. Sweep again, every room. Use the beast.” “I obey.” The legionary made a thumping sound Gwen took to be a salute. Something snarled just outside the door, a large animal perhaps. Then there was a scrabbling at the broken doors, debris being clawed at, followed by more snarls. The animal had caught a scent. Gwen considered her options. Barricade the door? No, that would just encourage the invaders to break it down with explosives, and the surviving manuscripts would go up instantly and cook her alive, not to mention consume what oxygen remained. Stand and fight? She was wounded, and though she had tried to Sing when she had regained consciousness, the Sun did not come to her call…and even if it did, that would just add more fire. The only choice was to wait. She backpedaled into the flickering shadows and watched the door. The animal dug its way through the remains of the door and into library, snuffling. It was big, red, and bristled with sharp points. Gwen made a note to catch one at a later date and vivisect it: large fauna had been rare in the system for centuries, and this was a brand new species that seemed at home in an oxygen-rich environment, unlike the legionary that had it leashed. The implications were fascinating. The legionary pushed his way into the sacred space, weapon sweeping side to side. He followed the red beast, observing its motions. The beast stopped and snuffled the point that Gwen had been crouching at near the door. The legionary lowered his bulk and touched the floor, wiping something up with his big finger. Then he looked into the room. “I know you are here,” he said softly, perhaps more to himself than anyone in the library. Gwen tried and failed to stifle a laugh at the sight: the legionary looked like a caricature of a fat boy and his ugly dog. An analytical part of her brain recognized the reaction as out of character, and suggested that the injury to her head might be altering her behavior. The beast raised its head at the sound and growled. “Show yourself, [Twilight] one,” commanded the legionary. Gwen flitted to another bookcase, this one between her and the fires, so it cast a long shadow. “Such an odd word you keep using. Why call me that?” The legionary halted and dragged back on the beast’s leash. “You understand our speech.” “My dear Cabal,” chided Gwen. She looped her shotgun's sling over her shoulder and gingerly crabbed one-handed up a bookcase that had been knocked askew to lean against the wall. “To defeat your enemy, first you must understand them. You know that to be true, as you clearly understand my tongue.” She crouched on the little space where the bookcase and the wall met, and the image of herself as a huge, blue spider dressed in white crossed her mind. The thought made her giggle again. The legionary advanced, letting the beast drag him forward a little. “I understand your kind perfectly,” he said. “Magicians and sorcerers who lack honor, cowering from their enemies and hoarding the gifts they are given.” Gwen hissed between her teeth and raised her shotgun in the direction of the legionary. “Gifts we were given, Cabal, but not just the kind you refer to.” “You do not call the Light a gift? Ungrateful.” He looked side to side, seeking the source of her voice. “It is why we took it from you.” “Oh, the Light.” Gwen really did laugh this time. “You are worse than the Hive. At least they understood what the Light and the Darkness were worth.” “And what is it worth?” The legionary had turned now, and narrowed his focus. The beast was growling at her corner of the room. “A means to an end. The true end. What you call Light is a paltry thing compared to the real gift the Traveler gave us.” “What gift?” The legionary sounded genuinely curious now. “It’s all around you." Gwen coiled and waited another moment for the legionary to step closer. "Or it was, until you burned it like the savages you are!” Then she jumped forward and pulled the trigger. The beast took the first shot to the head and dropped, its skull caved in from the short-range blast. The legionary had the presence of mind to sidestep, and the next shot scored his armor. He raised his own weapon and fired. Gwen spun and fell when the slug smacked into her. The legionary rushed in and raised a fist. Gwen rolled, still cradling Anu, and the fist cracked the floor tiles where she'd been a moment before. She raised her weapon and fired again, catching him in the knee. He collapsed, his armor spewing pressure gel. Gwen crabbed forward, blue blood dribbling on the floor, and pressed her knee against his chest and the muzzle of her gun against his helmet. “Savages!” She shrieked at him, her brain losing cohesion as her wounds spilled blood to the floor. “Light isn’t about fire and death! It’s not about the power to destroy or make worlds! It’s knowledge! Eons and eons of knowledge, trapped in the mind of a god that you and the Hive and the Fallen are all fighting over, while you burn the very means that could give it to you! Knowledge, you…you…[i]savages[/i]! This is a world without a Light, not because you took the Traveler, but because you don’t know Light when it you see it! You burned it!” Then she pulled the trigger. Gwen leaned against the corpse of her foe and tried to breathe. She was vaguely aware that CO2 levels must be increasing, and they were undoubtedly affecting her: even if she didn’t bleed to death she might suffocate. “Suffocate on the fumes of burning books. Oh, the irony Anu,” she said to her Ghost, and started giggling again. “Wait, is that actually irony?” She leveraged herself to her feet using her gun and began walking toward the door, swaying a little. “I wonder if the Cabal have a word for irony. I never thought to ask. Hey,” she said, turning around to look at the dead legionary, “do your people have a word for irony?” Then she walked out the door, still giggling, into the shadow of the Traveler. [/spoiler]

[i][b]Gone[/b] I come from afar, from a conqueror’s land, To a city razed by a conqueror’s hand, Buildings reduced to rubble and glass to sand And all its people were gone. Or so I thought, until I crossed the road And found half-buried beneath an old abode A city guard burdened by the concrete load And thought that its life was gone. Then the warrior raised his helmeted head And spoke to me in the tongue of the dead. And though I knew not a word of what he said, His sad message was not gone. And he said, “I cannot see! I cannot see! Darkness has blinded me! Darkness has claimed me! I thought my strength could protect my city, But everything is gone!” “I stood on walls and watched the sun climb the hills And burn the morning dew to mist that chills, But it’s been replaced with fog of war that kills, And our solar warmth is gone.” “And when the night came, the sky would shine with stars And heroes came from the inky reservoirs, But I nor they could stop your relentless wars, So our space heroes are gone.” “When day nor night could shine through storms, lightning flashed And lit the city through which the thunder crashed, But your storm darkens and now no light is splashed On wet tempests that are gone.” “I looked to my allies to lighten my heart, Mighty friends who were strong, disciplined, and smart, And though we stood together and played our part, All that we fought for is gone.” With his free hand he grabbed a piece and shook it. “This was my soul, my ghost – look at it, look it! It was my very last friend, and you took it! Yes, a part of me is gone!” “You monster! You terrible, cruel thing to fight, You doused the sun, broke the storms, stole the night, And left us to die in a world without light!” It cried that all hope was gone. The weakened warrior’s wailing sickened me, And one blow put it out of my misery. A world without light is nothing new to me And I don’t miss that it’s gone.[/i] #Finished

Everyone seems to be doing the Cabal, but I thought I'd do something different. This is set quite a while after the Homecoming mission, but features a different take on the concept. Any feedback is welcome. Enjoy! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I stared at the ash of the Tower, my weapon gripped tightly in my hand. There was only one other person in the rubble and destruction of the Tower, and he'd be dead very soon. So this was what it had come to. The Cabal may have stripped Guardians of their Light, but power exists in many ways. And it wasn't the Cabal invasion that tipped me over the edge - I had no love for the City or the Vanguard. But killing Orsa... It broke me. I can still remember him marching towards me. Me killing his friends. Him firing on me. Slitting Teben's throat. Moving in on Orsa. Shooting him multiple times. Him taunting me. Begging me to kill him. And so I did. They'd made a horrible mistake and it killed them. Killed part of me too. I've done a lot of things I regret, but Orsa and his friends were just kids playing with fire. Not really knowing the consequences. I made a choice. Knew the consequences. Stripping Guardians of their Light won't kill them, so it's up to me. I guess Yor was right all along. He's been dead for a long time, but Dredgen Yor still found a way to twist me from beyond the grave. I forged Thorn. I gave myself over to the Darkness. And it gave me power. It made me see Light for what it really is - short, fragile, destinied to be snuffed out by something or other. I've killed before, but this was the first time I relished it. They didn't stand a chance. I even managed to kill several of them before the Cabal took their Light. Thorn works best against Guardians wielding the Light, I'll admit. But they still fell easily enough for me. The scattered remains are hiding somewhere on Earth. Probably the European Dead Zone. I'll find them once I take care of the Tower's last Guardian. He was surveying the rubble, oblivious to the person hiding behind the collapsed pillar several meters away. He was a Titan - tough, intimidating and a master of combat. On his back was a grenade launcher and a hand cannon was holstered in his right leg. On his left was a sidearm. I didn't expect this to be easy. Suddenly, his head snapped round and he gazed at the broken pillar that sheltered me. If he looked behind it, I was dead. "I know you're behind there" I leapt out of cover, firing my gun several times, but failed to hit my target. I got to my feet and stared into his helmet, a steel grey colour with red highlights. "So you're the one who's been killing Guardians. Didn't expect it to be you." I remained silent. "Why?" "It's complicated. But we both know how this ends. You can't beat me. So run, and I won't kill you." I had no intention of fulfilling this promise, and we both knew it. He raised his gun. "For what it's worth... I'm sorry for what happened to you. But this is the only way." He suddenly fired his auto rifle, spraying bullets everywhere. I ducked behind the pillar again, but he ran forwards and leapt high into the air. I barely had time throw myself out of the way before the grenade launcher blew the pillar to pieces. I fired at him, hitting him in the leg. He screamed in agony and collapsed to the floor. I moved in for the kill. But he was still holding his grenade launcher at me. He fired it, and the explosion sent my shot off. Instead of going into his head, it went through the side neck. Blood dripped from his wounds. As for me, the explosion badly burned my face, chest and arm. The Titan slowly got to his feet while I was still incapacitated. I was just regaining my vision when he threw the grenade launcher at me. I dived to the side, but it still blew off most of my left hand. His grenade launcher had a self-destruct option, something I'd never considered. It was an effective tactic, but it didn't stop me. I staggered to my feet, Thorn in my right hand. The Titan quickly drew his hand cannon and fired several shots at me. The shots hit my left arm and hand, completely removing the hand altogether. I returned fire, hitting him in the shoulder and arm. He staggered backwards, stunned. And then I struck. Aiming for his head, I fired three shots into his helmet. He fell to the ground What I hadn't noticed was that his hand cannon was now pointed at my heart. And with his last breath, he fired. I collapsed to the ground, blood trickling from the fatal bullet wound that I'd noticed too late. It wasn't painful. It felt almost freeing, to be lifted from the crushing burden of life. I would never see a world without Light. At least not in this life.

A World Withoit Light Lets gather around the campfire And sing our campfire song Our C-A-M-P-F-I-R-E S-O-N-G song And if you don't think that we can sing it faster then you're... Wait! Patrick did you heard that? So dark and I can't see anything..... wait.... It's GARYYY! Gary's here!

My story for "world without light" It's dark. Send help. Flashlight dead. Need batteries. Cabal coming...can't see them...send batteries so I can see them and shoot their faces...and maybe a nightlight? It's too dark without light. #finished

You are having a hard time believing what is happening right now. You are also having a hard time standing, but considering that you're incased in 500 pounds worth of armor, you believe that's acceptable for now. A few minutes ago you were excited. Too exicited as your ghost said. "Stay focused. You're getting too excited. The civilians still need our help. Let's clear the next building." "You know, despite what you think you are really annoying sometimes." "If being annoying helps you focus then I'll be it." Bleh. You're always focused while in a fight. You really can't help with the excitement. How could you? You've spent your 60 years helping win small battles against whatever enemy threatens the city, and here you are. Being a part of the biggest battle of them all. You know all the stories about the Cities past. All the wars it's survived. Twlight Gap, Six Fronts, even Lysander's little rebellion. It excited you knowing that this was the modern Six Fronts. Clearing the house was easy. The Cabal were searching for the civilians when you burst through the door. Two Legionnares, a Phalanx, and one of those dog-things. Your Ghost said dog-things wasn't the proper name for them, but what does he know? You punch the closest Legionnare, distengrating him into a purple mist. After absorbing the slugs shot at you from the remaining two you throw a grenade. You smirk when it changes directing mid-air and clinges to the last Legionnare, taking him and the dog-thing into the void. The Phalanx panics, rushing you with his shield, but you have experience backing you. With a small sidestep you punch him one time. His bones audibly break. Two times. His life support fails. Three times. Death by blunt force trauma. The civilians, a family of four come out of hiding and begin giving you their praise. You nod and laugh, trying to hurry the conversation along so you can give them directions to the Vanguard perimeter. Still, you are excited. What you are doing is the same thing the legendary Pilgrim Guard did however many years ago. You tell the family that you can't escort them, fighting still needs to be done, and they leave towards the outskirts of the City. You take to the roof. Traveling from there would be much faster than in the streets you thought. "Looks like the Cabal have moved that structure into place around the Traveler." notes your Ghost. "Well, I'm sure the Vanguard already have someone working on bringing it down. Let's worry about our us." "Very well. I'm detect- Hold on. There's a city-wide transmission. Its a cabal signal." "Huh. Let's listen in." Your Ghost taps into the signal and broadcasts it into your helmet. Static for a moment. Then a deep voice. "Welcome to a world without light." The structure flares and a shield comes up between the six spires protruding from its center. You feel split in two. Your Ghost gasps and you both fall. You are having a hard time believing what is happening right now. You ask your ghost what's going on. There's no response. Doesn't take a Warlock to figure out what happened. Somehow the Cabal cut off the Travelers light. You feel sick. The pull you've always felt towards the Traveler is gone. You feel incomplete without it. At this point you realize what's at stake here. Humanity isn't just fighting for its survival like it always does. This isn't Six Fronts, or Twilight Gap, or even Oryx. Something much bigger is at stake here. With this resolution in mind you begin to strip the dead armor from your body. It's nothing but weight to slow you down. You pick up your weapon and secure your unresponsive Ghost in your pack. Someone took your light. You are going to take it back. You are excited. #Finished

[b][u]The Fall[/u][/b] The world felt inexplicably older, somehow. It's almost funny how quickly society collapses. A millennia of progress, toppled all at once; like some sick, sadistic practical joke played by forces above. It had been weeks since the collapse, and every time I looked up in the sky, I still expected to see the Traveler overhead. But it wasn't. The city used to keep us safe; its walls stood high against the armies of the darkness, and the guardians protected us. Life was simple, predictable, safe. I thought our golden age would never end; but I was naive. It was foolish to believe that the guardians that once kept us safe, could ever truly keep the armies of darkness at bay. A fool, that's what I am. A fool sentenced to wander the wilderness for an eternity, searching for a hope that isn't there. My feet were swollen, my back ached. It had been days since I last saw any resemblance of society. Many of the survivors had set up camps across the wilderness. I heard rumors of a place called the Farm, where many of those who's lives were destroyed by the collapse took refuge. It was a larger settlement, and with it came the promise of starting again. I spied one such camp in the distance. I began to trudge toward it, my feet pulling down on me, telling me that the ground was a much better refuge for the time being. But I continued forward, the blazing heat of the sun bearing down on me. Beads of sweat ran down my face, my eyes fought to stay open. Finally I had reached the camp. It was small, populated by no more than you could count on your hands. I was greeted warmly by an exo who identified himself as Zazz. I never liked the exo. It was something in their faces, like every emotion was cold and calculated; as if you only saw what they wanted you to see. I guess in a way we all wear our own masks. My mask smiled back at the exo. I accepted his invitation, whether out of gratitude or my own selfish lust for rest. I pitched my tent and laid myself out a bed. I was out cold the second my head hit the pillow. In the night I heard a voice. A voice, unlike a human voice. It was a screech. Throaty, angry, hungry. The sound pierced the stillness outside, splitting my ears as I braced myself to drown out the noise. The sound was close and unmistakable. Fallen. I bolted upright. Gathering my belongings as fast as I could. Another ear splitting screech erupted from the approaching fallen. It was closer. I began to stumble around my tent, in a frantic dash to reach for something, anything to defend myself with. My hand touched the stock of my only firearm, a single pistol. It was an older model. Cold and rudimentary, but it would suffice. A third screech ripped through the cloth tent. They were upon the camp. I stepped outside, pistol drawn. My gaze was met with the glow of eyes, too many to be human. The vandal's eyes met mine. He stood still, very still; he looked scared, in an almost human way. Too human. I fired a single round into the vandal's head. Its head evaporated and its soul left its body. It was almost beautiful, poetic in a way, the way the fallen passed on to the next life. There was no cry of agony, no bleeding out miserably on the ground; only release from the cold jaws of this cruel world. I looked down on its lifeless body, satisfied. The screams of the other survivors brought me back to reality. I grabbed my things and bolted out of the camp as fast as my legs would carry me. I didn't look back; I couldn't. When daybreak came I sat down on a nearby rock, my legs screaming for rest. I turned around. Where the camp once stood there was only a whisper of smoke. I let out a sigh of relief. Just then I heard the shuffling of feet. I looked behind me; nothing. I turned back down the road I had started on to be met with a sharp pain in my gut. Suddenly the ghostly form of a vandal began to solidify in front of me. In shock my eyes fell to my stomach, only to be met by a glowing blade lodged in my gut. My body fell limp into the sand. As my last breath left my lungs, I let out a simple prayer; for a simple death, a soul's release from its body, as the fallen. #Finished

Someone remind me to post my sweet nothings here, cheers in advance, darling.