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originally posted in:Destiny Fiction Producers
8/26/2018 7:23:22 PM
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The Dark Guardian - Chapter 28: Deals with Devils

Location: Dreadnaught, Savathun's throne Ian's POV As Ian strode up to the doors to the throne room, he was gripped by a sense of finality. Once he stepped through those doors, he wouldn't be leaving until his quest was complete. If he died, then so be it. Without hesitation, he pushed the doors open and marched in, Redeemer at the ready, to be greeted by- nothing. The room was empty, save for an imposing throne carved from osmium. The second Ian was inside, the doors slammed shut. The sound of clapping echoed through the air. Ian whipped his head around searching for the source, but he was still alone. Suddenly, there was a crackling noise as Savathun appeared, still clapping. "Well done! You've done exceptionally well, exceeding even my sister's expectations. She thought you would fall long before now, but even I was surprised when you bested Para. You've grown incredibly strong in the Sword Logic through your little crusade. I think you're finally ready to take your place at my side." Ian was confused. He had carved a bloody path through her Walkers, and the Witch-Queen of the Hive was not just congratulating him, but offering him a position of power? "Why are you praising me? I slaughtered your lieutenants, yet you're offering me power?" "But of course. You killed them, thus proving that they were unworthy to be part of the Last True Shape. Their failures have been purged from this universe. To prove that such powerful beings were not worthy of life merits a seat at my High Coven, and you have earned that honor in it's entirety." Ian didn't know how to feel. On one hand, he was horrified that his actions merited approval from one of the darkest creatures in the universe. On the other hand, such an offer was intoxicating, and Savathun had already given him a taste of the power he would receive when he had been her servant. Then he remembered what he had done as a Walker, why he had killed his friends. They had committed terrible crimes, and he had killed them to stop them from committing more. With that, Ian's course was decided. "No. I won't serve you or your twisted plans." Savathun laughed. "Don't be so hasty, my dear Ian. Even if you were to walk away from this encounter, you have been permanently marked by your actions here. You used your knife to slay Sara and Cameron, along with countless others. Take a moment to observe the weapon now." Ian drew his knife and looked it over. It was far from the pristine condition it had been in when he had first woken up aboard the Dreadnaught. The blade was rougher, more worn, and it had accumulated a number of new scratches. But despite all the damage it had sustained, the edge of the knife was sharper than ever, almost pleading to be embedded into an enemy. It was unsettling. Savathun's voice snapped Ian out of his reverie. "So you see it. The change in the blade. Perfected by endless killing. And the changes can be seen in you, Ian. Reality itself retreats from you in fear. You would be scorned by your brethren, exiled because of your power. Better to stay with me and grow in strength. You know that the Traveler has fled from every system it has cultivated. It is cowardly, weak, like the Light it represents. Those under its protection are equally pathetic, and their weakness cannot stand up to the Sword Logic. Stand with me, and you will not join them in death." Ian stood firm. "It's a good offer, and I'd almost believe you, except for one small facet of the deal. If I accepted this gift, then I would be violating the Sword Logic you hold so very dear. You should know, you made the same mistake when you first accepted your pact with the Worm Gods." Savathun smiled, but there was no compassion or tenderness in it. "Very good. You're smarter than the rest of your friends combined. But if you still reject my offer, than you shall be tested. Prove that you are worthy of life!" With that, Savathun snapped her fingers, and Ian was suddenly stabbed by a sword that had materialized from nowhere. The sword dissolved into nothing, leaving no visible mark, but Ian was still wracked with pain. Savathun floated closer, cackling at the sight of a Guardian suffering at her hand. "Do you like my weapon? Starcutter was forged by my sister for the purpose of slaying champions of the Light such as yourself. I leaves no mark, yet the damage remains. It also strikes at the source of your power, your ties to the Light." Ian gritted his teeth, forcing himself to fight on. "A neat trick. What do you think of mine?" Ian pointed Redeemer's tip at the the Hive god, blasting a searing beam of Light that hit Savathun in the shoulder. The Hive deity roared in some unknown language. She extended her hand out to the Hunter, and Ian was lifted by some unseen magic and brought before her. Savathun snarled, and Ian was hurled the length of the throne room. "Insolent mortal fool! I have destroyed whole star systems by myself! My hordes have extinguished entire galaxies! I am an avatar of death, and you think you can kill me?! This is my Ascendant Realm, where I am strongest!" Ian somehow mustered the energy to stand. "The same could be said of Oryx, and he was slain in his throne world. He fell to the weak, cowardly protectors of Light." Savathun sneered in contempt. "Oryx was a fool to come here. In his haste to avenge Crota, he acted like a rash father, not as a king, and thus he paid the price. Crota had already proven himself to be a failure. But Oryx's death left a void in need of filling, and for that I must thank you. Someone needed to take the mantle of Taken King, and if Guardians wouldn't accept it, then who else should take the power but myself?" Ian's eyes widened as he realized what she meant. "No..." Savathun cackled as a ball of unearthly black fire coalesced in her palm. She then cast the orb at Ian, striking the wall behind him and opening a gate to some otherworldly place. "Yes, it's true. Behold, the power of Taking!" Ian began to struggle as a pale tether of energy gripped him and began pulling him towards the tear in space. But despite his best efforts, whatever force that held him wasn't letting go, and the Hunter was pulled through.

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  • Edited by TexasJedi_705: 8/27/2018 12:14:45 AM
    Ian was floating in a black void punctuated only by white pinpricks of light. As he assessed his predicament, he realized that throughout his ordeal, he'd held onto Redeemer. The weapon gave Ian a measure of comfort, but it did little to ease his worries. Suddenly, a massive dark, undulating mass materialized in front of him. IT did not have a mouth, but Ian heard IT's voice nonetheless. IT spoke in a deep, booming rumble, as if two planets were colliding. And as IT spoke, Ian knew that he was in the presence of the Darkness. [b]YOU ARE A HUNTER. AN ELUSIVE RANGER OF THE CITY. NOTHING IS HIDDEN FROM YOUR GAZE. YOU HAVE BEEN TAKEN. SET DOWN YOUR KNIFE. LET YOUR HOOD DOWN. YOU NEED NOT WATCH FOR DANGER HERE. WHAT INSTINCT GUIDES YOU? WHAT CUNNING PRESERVES YOUR LIFE? THE VANGUARD DEPENDS ON YOU FOR INFORMATION. YOU ROOT OUT BASTIONS OF ENEMIES. YOU PROTECT THE CITY WITH YOUR REPORTS. BUT NO ONE PROTECTS YOU. YOU ARE ALONE, EXPOSED. YOUR LIFE HANGS BY A THREAD. YOU MUST ALWAYS HAVE A PLAN TO SURVIVE. THERE IS A KNIFE FOR YOU. IT IS SHAPED LIKE [SUSTAIN ME]. TAKE UP THE KNIFE. FEED UPON THE STRENGTH OF YOUR FOES. TAKE YOUR NEW SHAPE.[/b] Ian considered the offer. Everything IT said was true, but if he accepted, he would be enslaved, with the only escape being death. And to him, death was preferable. "No. I won't" The mass considered his response, and Ian realized that he may have been the first to reject the offer. [b]THEN YOU SHALL BE DEVOURED.[/b] Ian screamed in agony as his left arm was coated in shadow, his light being greedily fed upon. As the Dark coating spread further, the Hunter slashed at the mass with his scythe. An inhuman roar reverberated through Ian's head as the thing reacted to his assault. As the corruption began to spread faster, Ian noticed a shimmering rift in front of him. Desperate to escape, Ian dove into it and fell at the foot of Savathun's throne. His landing wasn't the best, and he heavily damaged his legs, preventing him from walking. The sound of his impact drew the Witch-Queen's attention. When she saw Ian, her eyes widened, the she began to laugh. "Oh, now this is truly impressive. Not only have you escaped being Taken, you did it by cutting a wound in reality. It's almost a shame you're about to die." As Savathun drew her sword, Ian heard a sound that filled him with an indescribable joy: footsteps. His Ghost had come through! Filled renewed confidence, Ian spoke for the first time since escaping IT. "Savathun, I will now accept your surrender on behalf of the Vanguard." She stopped in confusion. "What are you talking about? You're all alone here." Ian laughed. "Not true, I'm afraid. Zero and his team are coming for you." "Impossible. They don't know how to get here." "Wrong again. When I first woke up with my memories restored, the first thing I did was send my Ghost to find Zero and tell him how to get here." Voices could be heard on the other side of the throne room doors. Savathun was visibly scared, yet she smiled. "It truly is a pity you chose the Sky. You're a killer after my own heart. Until we meet again, Ascendant." With those parting words, Savathun disappeared just as the doors opened, allowing the Guardians on the other side only a fleeting glimpse of their target before she vanished. All they were left with was a badly-wounded Hunter propped up at the feet of the throne. But a Warlock alerted her teammates to a potential threat. "Taken! At the base of the throne!" "That's no Taken, that's a Guardian!" Ian's Ghost took the opportunity to interject. "That's my Guardian! Don't shoot!" The Warlock fired back with a very strong point. "Both of you, look at his arm!" Everyone, Ian included, looks at his left arm and immediately saw why the Warlock had mistook him for an enemy. His entire arm, from his shoulder to his fingertips, resembled the arm of a Taken champion. Ian sighed in resignation. "I knew I wouldn't escape unscathed." Zero strode up to the Hunter. "You sent your Ghost to tell us how to get here? After Ian nodded in affirmation, he continued. "Okay, few questions. One: what happened to your arm? Two: who are you? Ian sighed again. "What happened with my arm was I got pulled into a Taken rift, but escaped. As for my name, I am Ian, former Walker." As soon as Ian revealed who he was, nearly every gun in the room was pointed at him. The only Guardian who wasn't aiming at his head was Zero, despite the urging of his Fireteam. "Former Walker? How does one even-" Ian cut him off. "It's a long story, and I'd really like to stand up, so if you could let my Ghost do his job..." After some silence, Zero ordered his team to stand down. As soon as the order was given, Ian's Ghost swooped in and repaired his legs. Soon, the Hunter could walk again. "So, you'll be glad to know that the Walkers that have been bothering you are dead. I killed them." This announcement was met by surprise and skepticism. When asked for proof, Ian directed them to the location of the bodies. A small group volunteered to go find the remains. Once the team radioed in with confirmation, there was much celebration. Zero took Ian aside while his team danced and struck various celebratory poses. "You've done the Vanguard a great service. If you want to return to Earth, then I think I can make it so you won't be shot on sight." Ian took his time replying. "That would be nice. I think I would like to go back." Zero nodded. "I'll see what I can do. Well done." As the group made their way off the Dreadnaught, Ian was filled with hope for the first time in a long, long time.

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  • Bump!

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  • Wait, is this the finale?

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