13.5, in which the Vanguard show their stuff, and Gendo pulls a Palpatine.
Ultra Sonic 007
Trying to keep things simple~
- Location
- Colorado
The four Blades split apart, going for one Guardian each.
"HO-JEEZ!" yelped Cayde-6, leaping backwards as the Knight swung its foul cleaver with abandon. "Rude much?!" he yelled, withdrawing the marred and weathered surface of Ace of Spades. "Open wide!"
Saint-14 growled, his fists surging with Void light; with a delicate manipulation of those surging energies, the Ward of Dawn emerged not as a protective dome, but rather a cross the stretched outward, its four ethereal arms blocking the Knights from reinforcing each other. Four one-on-one fights against dread servants of a Hive Prince: a fitting scenario, judging by the Titan's clenched fists. "Die, foul beast!"
Osiris sighed as the Blade of Crota approached, its wretched jaws wide with fury. A swing, and a miss; the Warlock Vanguard had moved with an impossible grace, dodging the foul sword of the Knight. An instant passed, and he was at the beast's side, hand plunged into its torso. The man didn't say a word; he simply triggered a Scatter Grenade within the wound, and watched casually as the Blade's body seemed to burst apart from within in a shower of purple sparks.
Eris saw all of this within her peripheral vision, but couldn't concentrate on them, so focused was she on her own opponent. Snarling, the cleaver came down in a massive overhead swing; rolling to the side, her invisibility field activating before she completed her motion. All the while, her mind was furiously going over the ramifications of this attack, even as Rose tried to calm her with a soothing litany of chimes. These beasts...are only the first wave. She quietly circled around the Blade of Crota, which was swinging its weapon around wildly to try and strike her. She withdrew her shotgun, its form shielded from sight. Then we have no choice but to break it. Right as her invisibility faded, she threw a Flux Grenade at the Knight's head.
CHOOM!
The beast scowled at the sudden burst of electricity, and turned right as Eris's shotgun - lined with chitin from Hive ships, cut and formed into a menacing shape - was pressed into its face. "Die."
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.
Three shots from Swordbreaker, and the Blade's head was no more.
xxxx
/Elsewhere/
Dredgen Yor tilted his head. "...perhaps one more will do. Someone special, this time."
"ANOTHER TRANSFER SO SOON WILL RENDER THE PORTAL UNUSABLE FOR AT LEAST FORTY HOURS OF A STANDARD EARTH DAY."
The former man shrugged. "Time isn't a concern. Not in the grand scheme of things."
xxxx
/Vanguard Headquarters, the Tower/
The Ward of Dawn faded right as the last Blade of Crota perished, the crown of its head perforated by multiple shots from a hand cannon. Cayde-6, standing atop the Knight's shoulder, let the headless corpse fall right before he rolled off, jumping to his feet in a flashy jump. "...huh. That happened."
Saint-14 rubbed his knuckles, letting the energy of the Void vaporize and spot-clean the Knight guts on his gauntlets. "This was an assassination attempt."
"Key word being attempt," cautioned Osiris. "I believe the sudden appearance of Pahanin and the four Knights was the most important aspect; the residual Light from the Traveler has always been enough to prevent Hive from teleporting within even ten miles of the City, much less the Tower. Which leads me to believe that Dredgen Yor has found himself another MAGI." The Warlock's lips curled. "...how...vexing."
" X| "
Eris grimaced; events were churning, and beginning to escalate, and why were the whispers not fading-? "...there is another...what is it...and why..." The Hunter suddenly jolted. "A hated name...Urzok..." She whirled around, staring blankly down the hall. "The Speaker!"
xxxx
/The Speaker's Observatory, the Tower/
The man once known as Gendo Ikari, formerly known as the Warlock Rokubungi, and now only known as the Speaker, watched the Traveler in silence; with a practiced eye, he observed the ripples it made upon the fabric of existence, and where those ripples intersected and faded. It was a delicate dance, between the Light and the Darkness; he pondered its current condition, and all the events that had led up to this point.
The reclamation of SIVA had been useful, to be sure...but he wondered if it would be enough, to get what really mattered.
'We have company,' said Fuyutsuki.
I noticed. The sudden emergence - as if from nowhere - of a speck of Darkness, roiling with cruelty and gleeful rage, would have been nigh-impossible to ignore. Sighing, he turned around, right as Knight in yellowish armor emerged, his body shimmering with a protective Arc shield. "Seeking to strike at the Traveler's Voice? Kill a figure of public importance, introduce panic and strife to the people of the City? A valid tactic."
Urzok, the Hated, sneered, and began charging up the steps.
"One could even consider it a declaration of war."
The Knight howled, and raised his blade.
"But it's not."
The Speaker raised his left hand, and gave a visible demonstration of the Light that he had once wielded so constantly as a Warlock: lightning erupted from his palm, surging into Urzok and launching him into the wall above. "You consider yourself the vanguard for a new campaign of extermination." He ignored the Knight's pained howls and enraged thrashing, continuing his merciless electrocution. "But you are nothing more than a pawn...and if the player of the game is out of their depth...then pawns are nothing more than obstacles to be swept aside." His left hand glowed even more brightly, and Urzok seemed to vanish beneath the electrical storm. "And in this game...I aim to win."
The Stormtrance faded, and Urzok's ashes crumbled to the ground.
The Speaker looked up, right as Eris Morn and the Vanguard - along with a glowing cavalcade of curious Guardians and onlookers - entered the observatory. "So. Am I the only one who's had to face a Knight this day?"
"...no," said Eris, staring quietly at the remains of the Hated Knight.
"I see." The Speaker looked over the crowd, directly at Osiris. "I trust you won't let this stand?"
The Vanguard Commander chuckled. "And who do you think you're talking to?"
"HO-JEEZ!" yelped Cayde-6, leaping backwards as the Knight swung its foul cleaver with abandon. "Rude much?!" he yelled, withdrawing the marred and weathered surface of Ace of Spades. "Open wide!"
Saint-14 growled, his fists surging with Void light; with a delicate manipulation of those surging energies, the Ward of Dawn emerged not as a protective dome, but rather a cross the stretched outward, its four ethereal arms blocking the Knights from reinforcing each other. Four one-on-one fights against dread servants of a Hive Prince: a fitting scenario, judging by the Titan's clenched fists. "Die, foul beast!"
Osiris sighed as the Blade of Crota approached, its wretched jaws wide with fury. A swing, and a miss; the Warlock Vanguard had moved with an impossible grace, dodging the foul sword of the Knight. An instant passed, and he was at the beast's side, hand plunged into its torso. The man didn't say a word; he simply triggered a Scatter Grenade within the wound, and watched casually as the Blade's body seemed to burst apart from within in a shower of purple sparks.
Eris saw all of this within her peripheral vision, but couldn't concentrate on them, so focused was she on her own opponent. Snarling, the cleaver came down in a massive overhead swing; rolling to the side, her invisibility field activating before she completed her motion. All the while, her mind was furiously going over the ramifications of this attack, even as Rose tried to calm her with a soothing litany of chimes. These beasts...are only the first wave. She quietly circled around the Blade of Crota, which was swinging its weapon around wildly to try and strike her. She withdrew her shotgun, its form shielded from sight. Then we have no choice but to break it. Right as her invisibility faded, she threw a Flux Grenade at the Knight's head.
CHOOM!
The beast scowled at the sudden burst of electricity, and turned right as Eris's shotgun - lined with chitin from Hive ships, cut and formed into a menacing shape - was pressed into its face. "Die."
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.
Three shots from Swordbreaker, and the Blade's head was no more.
xxxx
/Elsewhere/
Dredgen Yor tilted his head. "...perhaps one more will do. Someone special, this time."
"ANOTHER TRANSFER SO SOON WILL RENDER THE PORTAL UNUSABLE FOR AT LEAST FORTY HOURS OF A STANDARD EARTH DAY."
The former man shrugged. "Time isn't a concern. Not in the grand scheme of things."
xxxx
/Vanguard Headquarters, the Tower/
The Ward of Dawn faded right as the last Blade of Crota perished, the crown of its head perforated by multiple shots from a hand cannon. Cayde-6, standing atop the Knight's shoulder, let the headless corpse fall right before he rolled off, jumping to his feet in a flashy jump. "...huh. That happened."
Saint-14 rubbed his knuckles, letting the energy of the Void vaporize and spot-clean the Knight guts on his gauntlets. "This was an assassination attempt."
"Key word being attempt," cautioned Osiris. "I believe the sudden appearance of Pahanin and the four Knights was the most important aspect; the residual Light from the Traveler has always been enough to prevent Hive from teleporting within even ten miles of the City, much less the Tower. Which leads me to believe that Dredgen Yor has found himself another MAGI." The Warlock's lips curled. "...how...vexing."
" X| "
Eris grimaced; events were churning, and beginning to escalate, and why were the whispers not fading-? "...there is another...what is it...and why..." The Hunter suddenly jolted. "A hated name...Urzok..." She whirled around, staring blankly down the hall. "The Speaker!"
xxxx
/The Speaker's Observatory, the Tower/
The man once known as Gendo Ikari, formerly known as the Warlock Rokubungi, and now only known as the Speaker, watched the Traveler in silence; with a practiced eye, he observed the ripples it made upon the fabric of existence, and where those ripples intersected and faded. It was a delicate dance, between the Light and the Darkness; he pondered its current condition, and all the events that had led up to this point.
The reclamation of SIVA had been useful, to be sure...but he wondered if it would be enough, to get what really mattered.
'We have company,' said Fuyutsuki.
I noticed. The sudden emergence - as if from nowhere - of a speck of Darkness, roiling with cruelty and gleeful rage, would have been nigh-impossible to ignore. Sighing, he turned around, right as Knight in yellowish armor emerged, his body shimmering with a protective Arc shield. "Seeking to strike at the Traveler's Voice? Kill a figure of public importance, introduce panic and strife to the people of the City? A valid tactic."
Urzok, the Hated, sneered, and began charging up the steps.
"One could even consider it a declaration of war."
The Knight howled, and raised his blade.
"But it's not."
The Speaker raised his left hand, and gave a visible demonstration of the Light that he had once wielded so constantly as a Warlock: lightning erupted from his palm, surging into Urzok and launching him into the wall above. "You consider yourself the vanguard for a new campaign of extermination." He ignored the Knight's pained howls and enraged thrashing, continuing his merciless electrocution. "But you are nothing more than a pawn...and if the player of the game is out of their depth...then pawns are nothing more than obstacles to be swept aside." His left hand glowed even more brightly, and Urzok seemed to vanish beneath the electrical storm. "And in this game...I aim to win."
The Stormtrance faded, and Urzok's ashes crumbled to the ground.
The Speaker looked up, right as Eris Morn and the Vanguard - along with a glowing cavalcade of curious Guardians and onlookers - entered the observatory. "So. Am I the only one who's had to face a Knight this day?"
"...no," said Eris, staring quietly at the remains of the Hated Knight.
"I see." The Speaker looked over the crowd, directly at Osiris. "I trust you won't let this stand?"
The Vanguard Commander chuckled. "And who do you think you're talking to?"
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