[i]Chapter 23, The Maze Part 8 (final part)[/i] “I’m getting sick of playing king of the hill,” Sierra grumbled, having joined us and seen that we would be keeping the Vex away from yet another asset. I happened to prefer letting the Vex come at us while we held a defensive point, but I didn’t bother voicing my opinion before the six of us leapt across the platform from either side to reach the Conflux. A Hezen Protective Minotaur appeared from the light and immediately took concentrated fire from everyone as it began walking down the stairway. Even after its shield went down the Minotaur pressed through the onslaught, but it didn’t get far before Guardian reached it and smashed the Aegis against it. The large Vex’s body crumpled under the impact, clanking to the ground and then laying still. A warping sound came to life behind me, and I turned to see a Precursor Minotaur stepping out of the future Gate that I had just been in. More gunshots rang out and a glance to my left revealed that a Descendant Minotaur had arrived from the portal to the past. Hezen Protective Goblins and Hobgoblins were filling into the cavern from the tunnels next to the Sync Plates. Roaring angrily, the Precursor Minotaur stomped up to me and brought its heavy arm down as I raised the Aegis. I winced from the force, but was able to hold against the blow and then do a full spin to bring the shield swinging around into the Vex. Its chassis bent like a tin can under the impact, and a driving blow with the face of the Aegis killed it. Blinking in surprise at how easy that had been, I looked at the device on my arm. This thing was incredible. “Space magic,” I whispered with a grin, knowing that was how Drew would explain its powers. A Hobgoblin stepped around one side of the Future Gate and a Goblin on the other, so I dispatched them quickly before looking over my shoulder to check on the others. Guardian had shifted over to the Past Gate and was plugging it up like I was with mine, and the others were taking care of the Hezen Minotaurs that kept appearing at the top of the stairs as well as suppressing the Goblins and Hobgoblins. Another Minotaur stepped out of the Gate in front of me, and I dove back into battle. We continued like this for a short while, Vex parts piling up at my feet and around the Conflux we protected. Eventually, the two Gates closed and new Vex stopped flowing into the chamber. Swatting a Hezen Goblin over the side of the platform, I watched it fall for a moment before turning to look over the now quiet arena. I stood near the left Sync Plate where I could look out to the Conflux in the center and the Glass Throne beyond it. Drew was up next to the Gate on the right side. Everyone else had ringed up around the Conflux to keep it clear while Drew and I had cleaned up. All the Vex chassis left were still, and for several seconds all was as lifeless as their cold metal. In a shimmer of white light, the Conflux disappeared. “Guardian, the Aegis,” Guardian’s Ghost drew everyone’s attention to the Titan’s arm, which was suddenly unoccupied. Looking down at my own arm, I found that my Aegis had disappeared as well. Its weight and form had just slipped away, like fog rolling down a mountain slope. “Shouldn’t some giant Vex be coming out to stop us now?” Hunter asked for all to hear. Everyone waited, but still nothing stirred. Deciding it would be better to join the others, I jumped onto the small platform that hovered in the hole in the center of the room. Before I could jump again to reach the others, a low hum filled the air and the shards of glass twinkled with soft light for just a moment. Weapons snapped up to the triangular structure at the top of the steps, but nothing came for us, so everyone looked to me since I had moved last. “Uh,” I held my hands up unsurely, worried I would accidentally cause something else to happen, “I think we all need to stand here.” Guardian looked up to the glass hanging above us, then back to me. Silent as ever, he jumped across to me. As his feet touched down and the Glass Throne began to glow again, images flickered across my vision. They were all Guardians, taking their places amongst us on the platform as the rest of my raid team joined me. I saw many versions of Guardian himself land next to me, as well as myself and Guardians I both knew and didn’t know. I saw men and women, humans and Exos and Awoken, Titans and Warlocks and Hunters. I saw Crag and Veronica and Trixie, then Keis and his friends. It was as if thousands of Guardians had joined us for this fight, and I could vaguely feel their Light and determination swirling in the air around me. Then the Glass Throne came alive with light, and they were gone, leaving just the six of us to face whatever horrors came from the heart of the Vex’s domain. Just six warriors against the pinnacle of Vex thought. Six Guardians, against Atheon. Ch23 Pt7: https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/251014284/0/0 Ch24, The Glass Throne: https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/252636990/0/0 ToC: https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/212710816/0/0 [i]I hope everyone who read this enjoyed it! I may only write in my free time, but I work hard to because I want to make something that others and myself can enjoy. Honestly I’m hoping to pick up some new readers now that Gallery is gone and us writers have been forced into Lore (so many people have left since TTK, it’s no wonder oldies like me are left with only a few loyal readers. Btw to all my Loyalists out there, I love u guys and thank u for all the support)[/i]