To the Stars (Destiny)

Is this part of the Dark Below DLC?

I don't have it, so I don't really know what's covered in it.

The Omnigul fight that's going to happen is a part of the DLC, yes. I won't be including spoilers for the Dark Below DLC. This is my own spin on the DLC, considering how I had always planned for Drake to fight Crota, ever since I heard of Crota in the Beta.

Not to say it was my idea first, rather I want Drake to kill Crota, not the unnamed Guardian. Whether or not Drake kills Crota is an entirely different tale. I've been treating this story like a table top RPG. I come up with a list of encounters for the characters, and I roll a die. Each face of the six sided die lists a possible outcome for the characters.

That way, even I don't really know what's going to happen. Before this, I was going to have them go into the Vault of Glass raid, but the roll said differently.

Chapter 4: Ashes to Ashes

"That is an Ogre." Eris replied. "They fire Void energy from their eye that will rip you to shreds in a flash. Protect your Light, Guardians."

Diving out of the way, the Ogre launched a barrage of pure Void energy, splashing the ground where the three Guardians had once been standing. Nightmarish howls echoed throughout the hallway behind them. Lance turned in time to see a horde of glowing blue claws in the shadows running at them.

"We got other problems!" Lance roared, firing his Auto rifle into the darkness, watching the hidden beasts ignite into ashes from the bullets.

Drake and Lillian, however, were too focused on the Ogre before them. Drake poked around the corner, firing his Timur's Lash into it's face, causing the behemoth to recoil backwards. Running around the corner, lightning arched from Drake's right glove. Jumping up and using his jet, he flew up to the Ogre's face, slamming his electrically enhanced punch into it's 'eye'.

The Ogre convulsed for a moment, before taking a step backwards. Drake landed back near the doorway, Lillian and him firing their Handcannons into it's face. Roaring in pain, the beast lifted both of it's massive arms up to it's face, before swiping with one of them.

The swing narrowly missed Lillian, but hit Drake head on. The Titan launched off of his feet and into the nearby wall, denting the metal.

"DRAKE!"

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Meanwhile, in Siberia.

"So that really was Drake Stratus eh? Well, I'm happy for your kid."

"Yeah Kyle, me too." Caldwell smiled. "If I couldn't fight alongside my hero, I would at least want him to."

"Hold up a sec." the third Titan replied. "You guys find it odd that there hasn't been a Dreg or Vandal in sight?"

Glancing around them, the three Titans were surprised to see that not a single Fallen troop was about. They listened, the only noises in the old Russian landscape.

"Well, we're not in the Cosmodrome, we're in Siberia." Kyle shrugged.

"Dumbass." the third Titan shook his head. "Siberia and the Old Cosmodrome are right next to each other."

"Shuddup Kline."

"Enough, both of you." Caldwell sighed. "Zavala told me there was a Fallen Ketch near here. If that's the case, Fraxsis is inside. We kill him, and Drake will revere us as heroes!"

"COMBUSKIN! GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

"Nevermind."

Just before them, a masse of Fallen, unlike anything Humanity had ever seen, marched in the direction of the Cosmodrome. In the center of it all, a very large Fallen marched alongside his disciples.

"Fraxsis." Caldwell clenched his fist. "I will make Drake proud of me... by killing you."

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"Drake, get up!" Lillian roared, firing her Hand Cannon into the Ogre's face.

"I could use some help back here!" Lance growled, retreating to Drake's position.

"Ugh." Drake groaned, standing.

Stumbling at first, Drake rolled his head along his shoulder. Lillian paused for just a moment, staring at the Titan. Something was different about him, but she couldn't quite pinpoint it. In one swift motion, Drake slammed his right boot into the Earth beneath his feet.

Raising his right fist, the skinny, clawed creatures that had been pursuing Lance shrieked, lunging at him. As his right fist lashed for the sky, a pillar of fire exploded from the ground, enveloping Lance and himself.

The fire licked at the Ogre, causing it to retreat. Behind the behemoth, a small creature hovered, holding it's long, thin fingers in front of it's eyes. Omnigul shrieked as she floated away, her shriek ending with some sick, deranged laughter.

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Fire exploded from Caldwell's gauntlets, as he and his two companions charged at the masses of Fallen creatures. Lifting his right hand to his helmet, he formed a V formation, the two tendrils of fire swirling around his person flowed past the fingers, pluming into a giant line of fire.

Any Dreg or Vandals in the immediate vicinity were immediately roasted to dust. The Captains, Barons, and even Archons that accompanied them roared to the heavens, charging the three brave Titans. Kyle swung his arms wide, producing a Ward of Dawn, while Kline smashed his Fist of Havoc into the ground, producing a circle of electricity within the field.

As more and more Fallen walked into the bubble, the lesser their numbers fell. Caldwell charged past an Archon, jumping above a Baron's head, headed straight for Fraxsis. Producing the 'V' shape with his fingers, Caldwell flung another beam of fire at Fraxsis' face.

"KONISHGRAH! UUUUUUUMANNNNG!" Fraxsis chittered, backing away, pointing at him.

Caldwell smirked beneath his helmet, Fraxsis remembered all too well what his grandfather had done to him. It was up to Caldwell to finish what they had started.

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Lance and Lillian stared with interest as Drake stood there, fire swimming across his form. On his helmet, where his eyes would be located, two miniature horns of blue fire poured out.

His fists glowed a brilliant light blue color, the rest of his form covered by a force barrier. Cracking his knuckles, Drake took a step forward, the younger Titan's eyes widening as a fiery footprint was left in Drake's wake.

"Alright then, let's turn up the heat." Drake smirked, launching himself at the Ogre at a high speed.

Lance moved to assist, as Lillian stopped him, pointing behind them. More of the thin, grey creatures with glowing blue claws charged at them. More than enough to keep their attention.

Drake blasted off of his right foot, leaving a plume of fire in his wake, before smashing the Ogre in the face, burning it's carapace. Continuing his barrage, he held his grasp. Channeling the fire coursing through him, he concentrated it in a single blast, launching himself off of the Ogre.

The beast crumpled to the ground, slowly disintegrating into ashes, much like the little creatures keeping Lance and Lillian busy. There was a roar to his left, as an onyx black beast stepped forth, a sword in it's hand. Clenching his fist, Drake watched as the beast lifted it's spare arm, sharpening the sword off of it's forearm.

"Sardon! The Fist of Crota!"

"Heh. Not for long." Drake smirked, charging the beast.

Raising his Timur's Lash, he fired a single, fire covered round into Sardon's face. The Hive Knight roared in pain, as Drake moved in for the kill. Swinging his boot up and into it's chest, Drake landed on his boots, ramming his shoulder into it's chest, the fire lining his form singeing it's carapace.

Ramming Sardon into the wall, Drake only took a moment to glance at Lillian. He remembered his fight with Crota all those years ago, how he had failed to save her from the enormous Hive Knight. Fueling his rage, Drake grabbed it's blade, pressing his boot against it's chest.

Tearing the sword from the beast's grasp, he held it into the air, the pure Light flowing through him imbuing itself into the blade.

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"Uaaaaagh!" Kline roared from behind Caldwell, an Archon held his arms apart.

Caldwell stopped, as Kyle turned to help him.

"NO!" Kline barked. "Kill the target! Then get the hell outta here!"

As soon as he had said that, Kline produced a Lightning grenade in his right hand. Whipping his head back, he watched as a trio of Barons approached, four swords in each of their hands. Sticking the grenade to the Archon's chest, the three Baron's lunged simultaneously.

The electricity arched from the grenade, piercing a massive hole through Kline's chest, absorbing the three Barons. Kline smirked beneath his helmet, as the Archon behind him seized from the electrical currents, before the power of the grenade reduced him and his foes to ash.

Caldwell turned on his boots, jumping high above Fraxsis' sword swings. Chittering, the Fallen Kell sneered as Caldwell's form blotted out the sun. Roaring, Caldwell swung his fists down, the massive fire hammer he formed smashing down on Fraxsis' head.

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With the sword now filled with Light, Drake stabbed forward, Sardon's three eyes opening wide. Growling in it's alien tongue, Drake pushed the blade in further, putting his helmet square in it's face.

"Thanks for sharpening it for me. I'll be sure to tell your Master who it was that fucked him over."

Pulling the blade out, the Knight fell to the ground, it's body crumbling to nothing but bits of carapace and liquid darkness.

"Well, that was pretty fucking sweet." Lance nodded. "Why couldn't you do that before?"

"'Cause the Traveler didn't want me to." Drake said, stomping for Omnigul. "First, we kill Omnigul. Then we find Crota's skull, and then we kill that son of a bitch."

Lillian and Lance looked at each other, following the Titan, as he followed the Hive Witch further into her lair.

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Fraxsis chittered once, very quietly, as his body rocked back and forth on his feet. The fiery hammer, imbedded into his carapace, had clearly damaged his brain. Chittering one last time in defeat, Fraxsis fell to the Earth, Ether spewing from his wound.

Caldwell and Kyle stood there, the Fallen troops staring wide eyed at their master's death. Roaring to the heavens, the masses turned to fire on them. Caldwell and his last remaining friend smirked, their Ghosts trans-matting them back to their ships.

History had just been made.

Plot twist idea: The speaker is either Jeremy (somehow)

Second plot twist idea: The speaker is a much more advanced and humanoid avatar of the Traveler

I appreciate the ideas, Panther. But I'm not going to bother changing who the Speaker actually is, and while we don't know who or what he is, I'd rather not bother.

Thanks anyways.

"Don't you mean his soul?" Lillian asked, causing Drake to pause.

"Right." Drake nodded, holding a hand up. "Does anyone else hear that?"

"Yeah." Lance frowned, holstering his auto rifle.

The young Titan sprinted away from the other two, Drake and Lillian glancing quickly at one another. The sound they heard was not typical of Fallen or Hive. It was the sound of sobbing, followed by a screech of pain.

Drake and Lillian had finally caught up to the younger Titan, who stood in the lab's entrance. In the center of the room, a figure lay on the catwalk, their robe torn slightly. Steam flowed from their form, billowing above.

Drake's eyes caught Omnigul, the Hive Witch staring at the prone Guardian on the catwalk. Omnigul raised her arms, a cylinder of dark energy surrounding the figure. There was another shriek, easily more identifiable as a young woman's.

Lance's fists clenched, as he sprinted into the room.

"Lance!" Drake barked.

"We can't just let them do this!" Lance shouted back, glaring at Omnigul. "Come get me you bitch!"

Omnigul turned in air, swiping her left arm away, cloaking herself in a veil of darkness. The darkness cylinder around the young woman dissipating. Lance hopped up, using the rockets on his boots. Landing beside her, he propped her head up, glaring at the witch.

Omnigul chittered from within her darkness wall, attempting to summon another of the cylinders above them. Lance flinched, however, as a golden rocket smashed into her side, explosives branching out of the side.

Omnigul shrieked as the multitude of explosives honed in on her, chipping apart her carapace. Turning, she saw the two other Guardians in the doorway, both aiming similar rocket launchers at her.

Using her strange combination of a screech/laugh, she teleported above Lance and the other Guardian.

"Hey dumbass." Lance smirked, as Omnigul turned down to face him. "Our weapons don't hurt each other."

Omnigul seemed to understand, as both Lillian's and Drake's rockets smashed into her chest, right above them. Everything Lance had said was true, the only downside to the two rapid explosions above their head was the incessant ringing in his ears.

"Get... out." the woman said from beneath him.

"Guardians don't let other Guardians fall." Lance smiled from underneath his helmet. "That's the fancy way of saying 'No can do'."

"I'm... a Warlock." she coughed. "I figured... that much."

"Then figure this." Lance said. "We're getting you out of here."

The room around them, however, had made it obvious that that wasn't the case. Hive Knights, Thralls, and Acolytes poured from seemingly no-where, surrounding Crota's General.

Weapons pointing on him and the Warlock he was guarding, Lance shook his head. Omnigul doing a wicked chuckle from above him.

"Guardians make their own fate."

Thrusting his arms out, like Drake had done numerous times. Lance roared as Void energy seeped out of his hands, forming a Ward of Dawn around them.

Firing another duo of rockets, Lillian and Drake swapped to their hand cannons, keeping the Knights, Acolytes, and claw bearing Thralls at bay. Standing, Lance draped the Warlock around his shoulders. Jumping down, his Ward of Dawn offered both him and the Warlock a temporary mobile shield. Giving the both of them ample time to retreat to Drake's position.

Gently lowering her to the floor, Lance crouched beside her.

"Cover our backs, won't you?" he asked, handing her his Shotgun.

He couldn't make out the woman's face, but she nodded beneath her helmet, propping herself weakly against the wall. Her newly equipped Shotgun at the ready.

"I'll call if I need help, Titan." she nodded.

Taking his place beside Drake, and Lillian, Lance pulled the Auto Rifle off of his back.

"Well then?" Lance asked. "What're we waiting for?"

Stepping forward, Thrall and Acolytes rushed up to Lance. Using his newfound Defender techniques, he smashed his fist into a Thrall's face. The lithe, clawed creature floated into the air in a puff of purple energy, enveloping him with a shield.

Turning slightly to his left, he peppered a handful of Thrall, using the butt of his rifle as a blunt weapon. Preparing a Magnetic Grenade in his left hand, he threw it as hard as he could towards a Hive Knight, which roared in anger, the grenade sticking to it's face.

In a blaze of glorious purple light, the Knight was no more, but many more replaced it. Drake smirked beneath his helmet with pride, turning to Lillian.

"Well then, missy?" Drake grinned. "Are you really going to be upstaged by a Titan again?"

"Not on your life, supes."

Lillian pulled her sniper rifle off of her back, kneeling in a flash, firing three consecutive rounds into a trio of Acolytes advancing on Lance's position. Omnigul did her screech/laugh again, blue circles appearing in her hands. Holding them up, she fired blast after blast of Arc energy at the three Guardians.

Lance spread his arms out again, producing a smaller version of the Ward of Dawn. It wouldn't be at full strength, as his Light hadn't properly recharged yet, but it would be sufficient to protect them. After Omnigul's barrage of orbs painted the orb, Drake moved forward, Timur's Lash in his hands.

Grabbing a Hive Knight by the shoulder, Drake placed the heavy impact cannon under it's throat, firing twice. The Knight's head exploded, covering his visor with liquid darkness. Arianna, hidden within his helmet, extracted some of his light to dissipate the obstruction from his view.

Firing his weapon to his left and his right, Drake's eyes never left his target. Lance and Lillian doing their part to keep the Hive off on him. Raising his Hand Cannon, he fired a round at Omnigul, a fiery shield appearing around her.

"Huh, a Solar shield, eh?" Drake boosted himself into the air, grabbing the Witch by her throat. "Then I think it's only fitting that we burn the witch."

Omnigul tried to open her mouth from behind her face mask, as Drake's fist clenched harder. Fire exploding like little horns from beneath his helmet.

"Couldn't waken your master's soul?" Drake asked. "It's okay, he won't suffer for much longer."

Stomping his right foot, a pillar of fire, not unlike the cylinder of darkness she had just used on the Warlock, erupted from the ground beneath his feet, enveloping Omnigul.

Removing his fist, the fire engulfed the Hive Witch, as she twisted and convulsed in the fiery light. Reaching one of her hands out, it began to glow the shade of darkness she had once used, before her long fingers crumbled into ash.

Excellent work Guardians. Eris stated in the comm. "I know the location of Crota's fractured Soul, return to me at the Tower. Then you can truly finish this."

Drake cut the comm. before headed back to the others. The rest of the Hive creatures, after witnessing Omnigul's eruption, slowly sank into the Earth, dying from the lack of her presence.

Lance, instead of congratulating Drake on the victory, sprinted into the other room, where the Warlock sat. He was saddened, however, when he did not see her move.

"No. No no, nononono." Lance frowned, moving her head left to right.

"I would advise against moving her." a Ghost said, slowly floating up from beneath the Warlock's back. "She is alive, but we must see the Speaker. Immediately."

"Summon your Ghosts, then." Drake walked up behind him. "I dunno if this Warlock has her own ship, but it'll have to wait. Lance, she's hitching a ride with you."

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"This is a monumental celebration." the Speaker spoke above the crowd. "While the Darkness is still out there, the Light is growing stronger."

"Today, we celebrate the fall of Fraxsis, Kell of the House of Devils. But we also celebrate the fall of Omnigul, General to Crota, Son of Oryx. the Speaker nodded his head to the two fireteams behind him. "These Guardians continue to prove why we fight for our right to live among the stars. May the Traveler continue to guide them."

The crowd dispersed, as the Speaker turned to face them. But before he could arrive, Drake broke rank from beside his fireteam, to approach Caldwell. Standing there, the two Titans stared each other down for a time, before Drake smirked, offering a hand.

"You did well, Caldwell." Drake smiled. "Fraxsis was a giant pain in the battle of the Twilight Gap. You have avenged the deaths of numerous Titans, which instills great credit upon you."

"Thank you." Caldwell grinned. "I've always wanted to impress you, to fight along-side you."

"Me?" Drake chuckled. "I'm honestly nothing special, ask Lance. I live to serve the Traveler and protect the people. I don't live for whatever 'fame' I earn in the field."

"That's the true sign of a Titan." Caldwell nodded. "-And congratulations on you for taking down a high ranking Hive soldier."

"Indeed. the Speaker approached. "A congratulations is in order for both of your Fireteams. But at this point, there really isn't much for me to offer you, I hear that a new merchant has come to the Tower. Perhaps you should bring these strange coins many Guardians have brought to me, he might accept them."

Holding a sack up, the Speaker gingerly placed the vibrating bag into Drake's hands, expecting him to share the reward equally.

"Also, in regards to the Warlock you have saved from the Hive's clutches. She is much more stable. The Hive were working a ritual on her to drain her of her light, but with some help from the Traveler, we have set her back on track. the Speaker nodded. "You will find her over by the New Monarchy faction, near my quarters. Executor Hideo has been kind enough to allow her to rest there. Please excuse me."

Walking away, Drake turned to Caldwell, holding the bag over towards him.

"Here." Drake smiled. "A gift."

"I can't accept that." Caldwell pushing the bag at him. "Getting revenge for you was reward enough."

"You lost a member of your team, though."

"It was a tragic loss, but he had lost his Ghost long before anyways. Don't let his death deny you your proper reward." Caldwell's eyes flared. "We are fine on gear, thank you."

"Then allow me to make it up to you."

"Oh, you can." Caldwell smirked. "I heard you were going to be hunting down Crota. Kyle and I want in. The Moon is Hive territory now, and you're going to need every Guardian you can get if you want to fight him."

Drake pondered it for a moment, before nodding.

"Fine. I'll call for you when we need you. But at least take a handful of the coins."

"Negative." Caldwell shook his hand. "The entire sack for the right to be a part of your raiding party, that's all I ask."

Lance, during Drake and Caldwell's discussion, walked away, Lillian turning. Frowning, Lillian went to follow him.

"What's on your mind, kiddo?" Lillian asked, as Lance looked away.

"I just have to make sure the Warlock is okay." Lance bowed his head.

"Do you know her?" Lillian asked.

"No, but if there is anything Drake, or even the Titan Codex has taught me. All lives are sacred, and I've decided to devote my own to the protection of others."

"That's noble of you." Lillian smiled cheekily. "But I think it's 'cause you've developed a small crush on her."

"WHAT?!" Lance growled. "Don't be preposterous!"

The two walked through the next junction, past a crowd of Guardians. Turning the corner, they saw the familiar insignia of the New Monarchy faction. Approaching, Executor Hideo, leader of the New Monarchy, waved them over.

"Guardians, have you come to sign up for our noble cause?" the man smiled.

"Sorry, Executor." Lillian frowned. "We were the Guardians that saved the young Warlock that the Speaker left here?"

"Ah yes." Hideo smiled. "No worries, we in the New Monarchy firmly believe in choice. Yes, your friend is just inside the makeshift encampment behind me. Feel free to visit her at your leisure, until she's on her feet."

Lance nodded respectfully, walking towards the encampment.

"He's not very talkative, is he?" Hideo snickered, as Lillian rolled her eyes.

"He's just a bit distraught right now, thank you for your hospitality."

Brushing past a pair of New Monarchy representatives, Drake knocked on one of the doors, a young man poking his head out.

"Yello?" the man asked.

"You guys have a wounded Warlock in there?" Lance asked bluntly.

"We might, what's your business?"

"Who is it?" a woman's voice said weakly from inside.

"A nobody." the man asked, turning to face him. "Listen, she isn't 'in' to you, Titan. Now how about you bugger off."

"I see." Lance nodded, turning around for a second, before spinning as hard as he could, socking the cocky Warlock in the face. "Don't get 'in' my face next time, m'kay Merlin?"

The Warlock groaned, as another member of the New Monarchy ran over, preparing to attack Lance. The young Titan tensed, as a weak voice called from the middle of the room.

"It's okay, he's a friend." she said quietly. "The other guy deserved it."

Lance puffed his chest out, before brushing by the Titan who had meant to fight him. Walking over, he took a knee beside her bed.

"Hey there, how're you holding up?"

"I'm good. Thanks to you." she smiled.

Lance was awestruck about the young woman resting in the bed in front of him. She had soft, violet colored eyes, which scanned his face in an almost curious fashion. Deep purple curls cascaded from her head, all in all, she was a scientific marvel.

"Is it the purple?" she asked with a cute smile. "Believe it or not, it's natural. I didn't die my hair like this, it just... happened."

"It's awesome." Lance's eyes widened.

Surprising the Titan, the Warlock in the bed lunged out and hugged him around the neck.

"Thank you." she whispered into his ear. "Thank you so much."

"Of course." he smiled, returning the embrace.

Glancing to his right, Lillian stood there, arms crossed as she smiled at him. Nodding her head, she walked away, as the girl removed the embrace.

"I'm Chelsea. Chelsea Cloud." she blushed for a moment.

"Nimbus." Lance smirked, as she gave him a questioning look. "I think that should be your nickname. Nimbus Cloud."

The girl giggled, as he smiled back.

"My name is Lance. Er-" leaning forward, he waved her closer, whispering into her ear. "Lance Stratus."

"Wait, really?" she said, bolting backwards. "Like, the D-"

"Yes." he said quickly, avoiding the added attention of the other people in the room.

"It's okay. My great, great Uncle knew him. Actually fought alongside him on the moon. Jeremy Cloud was his name." she smiled.

"Would you like to meet him?" Lance asked, as her eyes grew wide.

"Would I?!" she beamed. "He's only my biggest hero, well, besides you."

Lance felt a little heat in his cheeks as she said that, begging himself to look away so she didn't see him blush. Waving it off, she sighed.

"Ghost says I should rest some more. But meh, I'm already feeling a lot better."

Turning his head, she chuckled, standing.

"I dunno if that's wise?"

"Really?" she smirked, placing a hand on her hip. "A Titan telling a Warlock what is and isn't wise?"

"I remind you this Titan DID tell you he would get you out of there, and he did. When the Warlock expressively told him it was impossible."

"Guardians make their own fates, remember?" she said, mirroring what he had said earlier. "I can't stay on my feet long, but I should be okay for a couple of hours. C'mon, let's go!"

The Speaker had likely given a writ to Ikora Rey, for the cloak that Chelsea wore did not resemble the ones she had worn hours before. Nodding, he began to walk with her towards the door, as the two New Monarchy members attempted to stop them.

"My body may be weak, boys." Chelsea said. "But my Light is not. Stand aside, he's taking me for some fresh air."

Looking at each other, the two men stood aside, allowing them both passage. Chelsea stopped for a moment, taking a deep breath, before walking over towards the hand railing, glancing at the Traveler in the night's sky.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" she asked, as Lance leaned against it, smirking at the incredible view.

"Yeah, reminds me why I fight." Lance nodded. "C'mon, he's bound to be visiting that new Merchant."

"Oh, you mean Xur?" Chelsea asked. "I didn't know he was back in town so soon. He likes to hide on the Tower. He's not afraid of business, he's just a very mysterious sort. I'm willing to bet he's down by Lord Shaxx and the members of the Crucible."

I remember when Chelsea used be just another name to me.

Now it's this...

Spoiler:

Edit: I got the reference, but the image is distracting due to it's abnormal size.

-Shad0wCha3r.

"I am an Agent of the Nine. You may call me... Xur." the cloaked figure said, Drake standing there, eyes shifting.

"Uh, Alright. My name is-"

"I know who YOU are, Drake Stratus. Or is it Sol now?"

"I've decided that there is no point in hiding who I am. Sol is more like a nickname now." Drake shrugged.

"Indeed. I know precisely what you'll need in the coming days, Lord Goldenheart of the Iron Lords." Xur said, reaching into his cloak, producing a small ball of light. "This is a mote of Light. I accept these as payment, but several centuries ago, a young traveling Warlock stumbled upon me."

"He did not speak much, but he offered it to me as payment for a peculiar item. This mote of Light was imbued with some of his Light, as he told me. He told me that he had peered into the Void, and saw you, Drake Stratus, locked in a clash that would determine the fate of Humanity. He told me to offer this to you, in exchange for a bag of my people's currency. It would aid you in your struggle."

"Did he mention his name?" Drake asked, as the man's bright yellow eyes pierced the darkness within his hood, small tendrils squiggling from the darkness.

"Indeed. He said you knew him as... Jeremy Cloud." Xur nodded. "He explained that he anticipated dark times for himself and his friends in the coming days, but he knew the Traveler would save YOU. He told me to wait for the one bearing the Iron Lord's coat of arms. He told me to search for Soul, which I misinterpreted as a Soul, not Sol."

"I see, I'll take it. Arianna?" Drake asked, Arianna appearing to transmaterialize the Mote of Light.

Passing the bag of vibrating coins over towards Xur, the tendril faced man faded back into the shadows, leaving Drake to himself. Looking over, Arianna clicked his shell in a blinking fashion, perhaps to silently convey her thoughts of confusion.

"An interesting one, that Xur, Agent of the Nine." Eris' familiar voice said from behind him. "I fear to tell you that the coming days will be no less dark than those you faced centuries ago, Titan."

"I'll be in good company, and Crota will be weakened if we destroy his soul, yes?"

"Correct." Eris frowned. "But I sense dark times for you. We went to the Moon with Vell Tarlowe, the Unshatterable. But he was the quickest to lose his resolve. You cannot. You MUST fulfill your Destiny."

"I shall." Drake nodded. "-And I'll come back."

"Once you've gone to the Moon, there will be no turning back." Eris' eyes flickered up to him. "Whatever business you have in the City and on the Tower should be fulfilled before you go to hunt Crota's soul, and the fractured God himself."

Leaving on that note, Drake stared as the huntress sauntered away. Frowning, Drake stared at the Traveler in the distance. Leaning over the rail, he felt a pair of arms wrap underneath his arms and around his torso.

"You okay, supes?" Lillian giggled, whispering into his right ear.

"Yeah, I'm just thinking about the days ahead. I don't like headed back to the Moon. But we've got to. It's our Destiny to prevent what happened on the Moon from happening here."

"We will, I have faith in you." she said, kissing him on the cheek.

"Still, we should visit Nathan tomorrow, before we head out." Drake said, his eyes cast to the City in the distance. "I don't want a repeat of what happened before."

"Am I interrupting something?" Lance asked from behind them, the two turning.

"Wow." Lillian smiled at Lance's shy guest. "Aren't you pretty? Nice score Lance."

The Young Titan's cheeks glowed red, as he shook his head.

"Chelsea just-"

"Chelsea? You even got her name!" Drake chuckled, stepping forward. "Now all you need is her number!"

"A-are you Drake Stratus?" the purple hair girl asked, moving around beside Lance.

"That's me." he smirked somewhat cockily, Lillian bashing him on the shoulder. "Well, it used to be. I go by Sol now. Just so I don't let it go to my head."

"I see." she smiled cutely. "I'm a huge fan."

"Hey." Drake shrugged. "The man you were just standing behind is my great great grandson. Little hell raiser killed an Archon Priest. He's should be your hero."

"Oh he is." she smiled, placing her hand in his. "I still can't thank him enough."

Lance snorted for a second, turning away from Chelsea, using his spare hand to clutch his nose.

"Egscuse sme." he said, scurrying away, while Lillian and Drake chuckled.

Chelsea stood there, confused as the Huntress and Titan Vanguards howled with laughter. They had noticed the blood shooting from his nose from the embarrassment.

"I don't get the joke?" Chelsea asked.

"It's nothing, Lance is just being adorable." Lillian smiled. "So, Chelsea, how're you feeling?"

"I feel amazing, better then ever." she smiled. "I didn't have many friends during my training. Warlocks preferred to read books, and stay secluded, then to socialize."

"Aw." Lillian smiled. "Lance is a good first friend. He's loyal as a dog."

"I'm going to go have a talk with him." Drake smiled, placing a hand gingerly on Chelsea's shoulder. "Glad to see you're well, Chelsea. It's great to meet you."

"T-thank you." she smiled, hugging him.

Drake's eyes opened wide, as he realized the color of her hair. There had only been one other family he had ever known, in the Warlock guild for that matter, that had hair like hers."

"By any chance, are you related to Jeremy Cloud?" Drake asked, as Lillian glanced over at him.

"Yep!" Chelsea pulled away. "He was my great Uncle. My grandfather told me the coolest of stories about him, how he fought by your side."

"Wait." Lillian frowned, as Drake continued on to follow Lance. "But, that would mean..."

"Nope!" Chelsea smiled. "I never died. My grandfather just lived long enough to tell me these things. You must be his good friend Lillian Evergreen. It's awfully nice to meet you too."

Continuing tomorrow, when I'm actually awake xD

Lance has a crush on Chelsea Cloud. Jeremy would have laughed his ass off for that one.
Idea: Hybrid class guardians. Think about it, Lance due to his ancestry should do that. Hell you could probably just do all three for him.

I think a lightbulb just came on for my story.

That's an interesting concept you came up with there. Hybrid Guardians are highly improbable, because the Traveler kinda 'chooses' your class. But the concept is definitely cool.

You thought of it, so you should use it!

And yeah, Lance has a hella crush on Chelsea. Jeremy would probably have joined Drake and Lillian in their laughter, but he'd also be helping Drake talk to Lance about it.

"So, what's up Lance?" Drake smiled, walking over towards the young Titan, who had placed himself on a park bench, crimping the bridge of his nose.

"Wad?" Lance asked, turning to face him. "Nudding."

"It's alright, kiddo." Drake said, sitting beside him. "I was in a position like yours at one point. I still remember those days fondly."

"Waddya mead?" Lance asked, the pressure on his nose obstructing his speaking.

"You can quite the act." Drake grinned. "You like Chelsea, there is nothing wrong with that."

Lance shifted uneasily on the bench at the Veteran Titan's words. Drake placed a hand on Lance's shoulder, looking up at the sky.

"C'mon, talk to me about it."

Removing his fingers from his nose, Lance coughed a little bit, using the back of his hand to wipe his nose.

"Before you showed up, when Zavala was trying to train me personally? I saw her, quite a few times. Because she was in direct relation with the Warlock Vanguard of old, Ikora Rey trained her personally."

"In fact, due to the fact we were both trained by the Vanguard, we encountered one another frequently. But also because of the way... Dad used to treat me, I was very standoffish."

"I'm completely aware of that." Drake said with a chuckle.

"Unlike your friend Jeremy, she trained to be a Sunsinger class Warlock. She had always mentioned having you as a hero. I never told her I was related to you, because at the time, I hated you."

"So, how'd you know it was her when we were fighting Omnigul."

"I didn't." Lance shrugged. "But I also hadn't seen her on the Tower in a while either. Whether or not it was her is completely irrelevant. I wanted to save their life."

"You're a good guy, and it sounds like she has a bit of a crush on you." Drake smirked, staring at the Traveler with his great grandson. "Someday, you should bring her to Lillian and I's spot."

"That's your place, I would never." Lance shrugged him off. "What should I say to her?"

----------------------------------------------------

"Ms. Evergreen?"

"Lillian. Or Lily, if you want." Lillian smiled, the two women walking side by side through the opposite side of the Tower.

"My grandfather spoke of you and Mr. Stratus. Uncle Jeremy had known about you two all along, despite wanting to hide it." Chelsea said, grabbing her own left shoulder in an uncomfortable fashion. "I was wondering... how did you tell Drake how you felt?"

"I didn't." Lillian smiled, placing a hand over Chelsea's on her shoulder. "He did."

////////////////////////

Centuries before.

"Drake and I knew each other as kids. His father would frequent visits to my father, whom was the Tower's main medic. I was always in my father's office, while my mother did her Vanguard duty."

"Ah, hello Mr. Stratus. I take it things are well with your son?"

"Yes." the man pat Drake on the head. "I just needed you to check out this tweak in my back."

"Lillian." the stern Doctor spoke, the young red headed girl peeking up from her magazine. "Your friend Drake is here, play nice, won't you?"

As the two men left, the two kids glanced at each other. Lillian's cheeks glowed red as the young boy walked over, sitting in the chair next to her.

"Hiya." he said with a smile. "Missy, whatcha reading?

"One of my favorite comic books. Superman." she smiled. "You know, your daddy kind of reminds me of Superman."

"That's because us Titan's are strong." Drake 'flexed' his arms for her.

"Then YOU can be Superman." she smiled. "Supes."

We spent a lot of time hanging out, when our parents were out and about. Things changed when his mother passed away, however.

"C'mon Missy." Drake chuckled, as he climbed down over the top of the cliff, onto the overhang that waited for them.

"I'm too nervous." Lillian shuddered, attempting to climb down after him.

"You don't have to be!" Drake smiled, holding a hand up to ease her down.

Lillian reached down towards her good friend, as her left foothold collapsed, sending her face first towards him. Drake extended his arms, catching her with a grunt, as he fell onto his back.

In the Russian evening sun, her dark red hair billowed in the frosty wind, as she stared down at him with her Amber eyes.

"Hey." she smiled, as Drake grinned.

"Hey." Drake replied, staring deep into her eyes.

Chuckling, Drake couldn't help himself as her cheeks gathered a red color from her embarrassment. Hugging him tightly, he held her carefully with his powerful arms, giving her a sense of comfort. They stayed there, in an unbreakable embrace that would withstand the sands of time. Gently stroking a lock of her hair out of her eyes, he sat back up, as the two of them sat on the cliff, feet dangling over the edge.

Crimson, orange, and lavender clouds rolled across the horizon of the sea in front of them. The Sun, and all of it's warmth, slowly descended across the edge of the water, as the two teenagers stared in awe, hands held.

"It's beautiful." Lillian said, turning towards him. "How did you find this spot?"

"I used to come here all the time, while my father ran missions in the Cosmodrome, my mother and I would sit here and have a picnic." Drake said, sitting with his hands behind his back, staring at the sunset. "After she died a few years back, I'd come here every now and again. Aiming to fulfill her final request."

"Request?" Lillian asked, turning to face him.

"Yeah," Drake replied. "She wanted me to bring a good friend up here, and share this spot with someone. A special spot, for a special person."

Smiling, Lillian twiddled her hands together, as she tried to avoid his gaze.

"You're going into the Titan's Guild soon?" she asked.

"Yeah, my father is pushing me to take up the family legacy. His father was the second in command to the Titan that first established the Titan's Guild. Our Legacy is to forever hold our position as Vanguard, or second in command, of the Titans." Drake said. "But just because I'm doing that doesn't mean we can't still be friends."

"Well, Jeremy was telling me earlier that he's being pushed into the Warlock's guild, and... my mother is pushing me into the Hunter's Guild." Lillian frowned, clenching her fist. "Something bad's coming soon."

"Then we'll just have to make sure we stop it." Taking her by surprise, Drake wrapped his hand around hers, staring into her eyes again. "There isn't a reason to be afraid. Life is too damned short to be afraid."

Tears gently streamed down Lillian's cheek, as she shuffled over to his position, resting her head on his chest. Watching seagulls fly to their nests for the night, Drake rested his hand on her shoulder, as the sun finally disappeared beyond the sea.

"You know the three Guilds can tolerate each other, but rarely work with each other, right?"

"Does that change anything between us?" Drake asked, raising an eyebrow. "If that's the case, I'll leave my family. I'll become a Hunter."

"No." Lillian smiled. "It just means that we won't be able to see each other that often."

"Then I guess we wait until we get some downtime, eh?" Drake chuckled. "It'll all be fine, trust me."

"I always do." she smiled.

Pulling the knife in his right hand from the rock beside him, he sheathed the weapon, admiring his etching. Turning her head towards the sound of the scraping, she saw their initials etched into the boulder beside them.

DS/LE

"Drake always had something about him that, even in the darkest of times, I felt complete, safe. That small boy from that Doctors office all those years ago, would grow into the man I fell in love with.

////////////////////////////////////////////

"So you see Lance. Anything is possible." Drake smiled. "All you got to do is talk with her. Get to know here a bit. If it's meant to be, it'll come naturally for you."

"Thanks-"

------------------------

"-Mrs. Evergreen." Chelsea smiled. "I'll go talk with him now."

"Go and get-"

-------------------------

"-her. Kiddo." Drake stood, as Lance worked his way back, Lillian and Chelsea walking back through the hallway to Lance and his location.

Lillian and Drake looked at each other, before approaching, wrapping their arms around each other in a tight embrace. It lasted for what seemed for like an eternity, but they were happy.

They would need it.

The next day.

Nathan smiled as Lance shuffled out into the main room, Drake, Lillian, and even Chelsea sitting on the couch.

"Sleep well?" his grandfather chuckled, Drake following his son's lead.

"Pretty good." Lance shrugged.

"Good, 'cause you'll need to be well rested." Drake nodded. "We're going to the Moon today."

"What?" Lance asked, turning. "But?"

"Eris gave me Crota's Soul's location. It's deep within the Hellmouth, that crater he formed centuries ago. I'm not giving that glowing blue bastard a second chance to revive himself." Drake clenched his fist. "He's what caused so much pain for this family, and we're going to show him what for."

"Oohah." Caldwell smirked, walking into the door, Kyle behind him.

"Dad?" Lance asked.

"That's right kiddo, this isn't a job for a three man fireteam." Caldwell smirked. "Us five'll be doing the job."

"Six." Chelsea said from the couch.

"Uh, no." Lance shook his head. "You're just barely recovering from your last run in with the Hive."

"I'm a Warlock." she smiled cutely. "We regenerate incredibly quick. If you're going, I'm going too."

"We can't ask that of you." Drake shook his head. "If that is the case, then Lance will stay here."

"Like hell I am." Lance growled, clenching his fist. "I'm not going to have you guys die up there."

"Then I'm going with you." Chelsea shrugged. "Simple as that."

"Out of the question."

"I have just as much right to go as the Stratus family." Chelsea frowned. "Crota killed my Great Uncle, and I'm the only remaining Guardian in my family. I'm going."

"Then it's settled." Drake stood. "If we can't convince you otherwise, then you come with us. But there is NO backing out, understood."

"Crystal clear." Chelsea nodded.

"Then I'll have a pot on for six when you all return." Nathan nodded. "Best of luck Guardians, may the Traveler guide you."

"-Nathan." Lillian glanced to the floor, the older man turning to face his mother. "Happy Birthday."

Nathan nodded, as Drake and Lillian gave their son a quick hug, before walking out of the apartment. Chelsea and Lance followed the lead of the Veterans, hugging the old man before headed out.

"Y'know, pops." Caldwell frowned. "I never treated you like I should've. You gave me life, you gave me a home."

"I was too blinded by my dreams that I didn't realize mother had died, or even my own wife. I'm sorry Dad." Caldwell finished, wrapping his arms around Nathan.

"You're my son. I'll always be able to forgive you. Even if you don't think it, those two will always love you." Nathan said, patting Caldwell on the shoulder.

Glancing over towards Kyle, the Titan shuffled his feet.

"Ah fuck it." Nathan said, cursing for probably the first time in his life. "Get over here, you're just as much a member of the family as anyone else."

Giving Kyle a quick hug, Caldwell and Kyle made their way out the door. Nathan frowned, pondering just how many of those six would make it back. Sighing, he walked over towards the table, laying out six cups. A pair of them specially made by his friend Ms. Holliday.

----------------------------------------------

In Orbit, Earth's Moon.

"Alright." Drake said. "Not that it's important. But considering how this is the work of two fireteams, if we are victorious, what will we call ourselves?"

"My Fireteam is The Fists of Ragnarok." Caldwell replied over the comm.

"-And we're Alpha Omega." Lance continued.

"Why not Fist of Destiny?" Chelsea asked. "Alpha and Omega have to do with Destiny as a whole, and we can borrow the Fist from Caldwell's Fireteam."

"Yeah." Drake nodded in the cockpit. "I like it."

"Now, let's talk strategy. Eris mentioned a plate we'd have to stand on at the precipice of the Hellmouth. It would slightly absorb parts of our light to construct a bridge. You might get dizzy, but it's not fatal... so she claims."

"She said we're to jump into the Hellmouth once the bridge is complete, the Light will guide the way."

"Did the crazy bitch mention anything else? I find it kind of fishy." Kyle asked.

"She was the one that, with the help of Toland the Shattered, imprisoned Crota's Soul. She also survived for YEARS within the Hellmouth, dealing with the Hive. I wouldn't blame her for going insane, would you?"

---------------------------------------------------------

Ocean of Storms, Earth's Moon.
Hellmouth.

To Drake and Lillian, it was bizarre standing here. Especially after all of these years. What had taken place here, what WOULD take place here. The two scanned the surface of the small hill they stood on. At the bottom, there was an ornate plate that seemed completely foreign to the area.

"That's gotta be the spot." Drake pointed at the disk. "If you start getting too woozy, step off of the plate. But make sure at least ONE of us are on at all times."

The six Guardians descended the hillside, Drake and Lillian pausing for just a moment. Turning to their right, they saw the very old debris of a shattered Sparrow. Not too far from the edge of the precipice, leading into the massive crater, a skeleton was visible.

"There he is." Drake shook his head, Lillian following them, the other four scanning for signs of Hive.

Kneeling down, the other four joined him and the Huntress at the skeleton's location. Drake shook his head, knowing full well whom this skeleton had belonged to.

"Hiya Jeremy." Drake frowned. "Hope you're resting in peace, old friend. I'll never forget your sacrifice."

Standing, he turned to the other Guardians.

"We'll get revenge. For friends, for family, for Earth."

Standing by the disk, Drake glanced back at them, before placing his right boot on the plate. Almost instantly, he felt a weighing pressure on the back of his neck. Taking another step forward, the pressure slightly intensified, disorienting him only slightly. The other Guardians watched, just to make sure it wasn't fatal.

Getting used to the pressured feeling, Drake stood tall.

"It's fine." he nodded. "Takes a second to get used to it. Keep alert though, Hive might be alerted to our presence with this thing."

Keeping Drake on the pad, the other five Guardians scanned their weapons across the 'mountains' of the Moon's surface, back the way they had came, and even over the cliff itself. They watched in awe as particles of hardened Light began to form a bridge over the massive Crater.

Lillian shuttered, she had died down in that crevice, hundreds of years ago. Drake whistled to her, as she turned. He nodded his head, attempting to comfort her from his position. When the bridge finally formed, ending towards the middle of the Hellmouth, a giant structure with a hole in the center of it formed.

"What now?" Arianna asked, as Drake stomped past the Guardians

"We go down."

Sprinting across the bridge, Drake jumped through the hole, the other Guardian's flinching as he did so. Caldwell shrugged, him and his son following Drake's lead. Chelsea, inspired by Lance, followed suit. Kyle turned his head towards Lillian, nodding in understanding, before following the others.

Lillian hesitated for just a moment, before glancing back at the skeleton on the ground behind her.

"For you, Jeremy."

Jumping into the hole in the bridge, green energy from the Hellmouth swirled around her. She wasn't quite sure, but she thought she could make out the very distinct howls of Thrall all around her. Before long, the green faded to total blackness.

She couldn't see a thing, not even the gun in her hands. Nothing. It reminded her of her first descent into the hole centuries before. Glancing downwards, bracing herself for a hard landing. Opening her eyes, however, she cocked her head to the side, as she looked at the other five Guardians.

There had been strange torch like things around them, with glowing orange crystals in them. Looking around them though, there was total darkness, a sight she was all too familiar with. Drake took a knee, scoping the pitch blackness directly in front of them. In front of him, two stone pillars seemingly rose from the ground beneath them.

What's more, in the pitch blackness in front of him, he could make out a red glow. It wasn't a pair of eyes, or the claws of any Hive. It was like a lantern that had been blown out.

"There." Drake pointed to the group of Guardians around him. "Eris mentioned something about the Light guiding us. Knowing the Hive, those lanterns will absorb a fraction of our Light, but will guide us through the darkness."

"But where is it leading?" Caldwell asked, as Drake stood, wiping the moon dust off of his armor.

Wrapping his right arm around Caldwell's shoulder, he pointed directly to the North-West of their position, above what could best be described as a silhouetted cliff. Just beyond that cliff was a wall of Light easily several stories tall.

"See that?" Drake asked. "I'm willing to bet we have to work our way up there."

"I'm catching lots of movement ahead, Drake. I'm estimating thousands of Thrall in bound." Arianna appeared in front of him, hovering to the edge of Darkness. "Also, this Darkness is really thick, I'm willing to bet that the longer you stay in it, the more sluggish your movements will be."

"Then we move fast, and we move together." Drake said, turning to the other five. "Stay together, watch our backs, and we should make it in no time."

"Did Eris make mention of anything else?" Lance asked. "Knowing the Hive, they'll likely stonewall us when we get up there."

"She mentioned a disk, similar to the one I was standing on earlier. If that's the case, everyone will hold their ground on that disk. It will likely form another bridge for us to cross." Drake nodded. "Just stick together, keep each other safe, and we can do this."

"I'm with you." Lillian sighed, before nodding her head.

Drake nodded, as all the Guardians prepped their weapons. With one last huff between them, the group sprinted into the darkness. Arianna hadn't lied, for every second they remained in that darkness, the slower their movements became. Reaching his arm out, he could hear the monstrous howls of the Thrall around them, their claws lighting up in the dark.

One-one thousand. Two-one thousand. Three-one thousand. Four. After the fourth second, there was a blinding light, only enough to deter the Thrall for a moment.

"Keep moving! Kyle, Caldwell, watch our backs!" Drake barked, the light of this lantern illuminating the next on their path.

"We're surrounded!" Chelsea exclaimed, as Lance stood in front of her, smashing a Thrall in the face with his Force Barrier.

For every second the Titans were surrounded by the light, even at a distance, the darkness lifted off of them, allowing them to move quicker. The process continued like this for some time, stopping after every other lantern to clear the Thrall nipping at their heels.

After what seemed like an hour, they had reached a lake of darkened water. Drake thought he had recognized this pool of darkness water. There was a meaty roar in the air, as a emerald green crystal emerged from the water, towards the center of the lake.

Flashing quickly, the crystal showed a Knight's face. Drake couldn't deny it, it was the face of Crota. She had mentioned that Crota's soul would be locked in a large crystal. Stopping at the next lantern, the one they had just been at exploded violently.

"Oh my god, they EXPLODE?!" Kyle roared.

"Do not lose hope, just keep moving!" Drake roared, as they continued across the stone walkway to the next lantern.

Not too far from them, the massive wall of blinding light illuminated the disk they would need to stand on. Ushering them all on, he lifted his Gjallerhorn off of his back, Lillian following suit.

"Caldwell, drop a Ward of Dawn. Use Weapons of Light!" Drake barked.

Caldwell thrust his arms apart, as the telltale Ward of Dawn appeared around them. The Void light in the sphere seeped into all their weapons, increasing the damage output of the ballistics. Drake stepped out, firing both of his chambers at the Crystal. The golden ballistics surged through the darkness, meeting their mark on the crystal.

As the secondary explosions rattled the side of it, Drake backed into the orb to reload. Thrall surrounded the orb, chittering beneath their carapaces at them, flicking their claws. The other Guardians stepped out for a moment, shooting at the crowd, especially keeping them off of Lillian and Drake, the Huntress and the Titan alternating their firing.

After several rocket blasts, the crystal floated higher into the air, a blinding emerald light escaped through the cracks in it, as it violently exploded. All the Guardians backed into the bubble, as shrapnel from the crystal cascaded on them, bouncing harmlessly off of the purple bubble.

Behind them, the bridge fully formed, allowing them to cross. Drake led the group across, the Thrall nipping at their heels. Turning as soon as he crossed the bridge, he watched as it disintegrated beneath Kyle's boots. After Lillian, Lance, and Chelsea finished crossing, they fired at the Thrall that were practically on top of Kyle. Caldwell panted as he made it across, the bridge almost breaking underneath Kyle.

Tucking in his head, the last Titan tried to run, as a Thrall clipped his ankle with it's claws. Hesitating for a second, the bridge collapsed beneath him. Drake dove forward, reaching a hand out. Kyle screamed, as his hand met with Drake's, nearly pulling them both down.

"No!" Drake roared. "You will NOT die like Vell Tarlowe!"

Grunting, Drake helped heft Kyle up onto the ground beneath them, Thrall literally crawling out of the walls to their left and right.

"Run for the Light!" Drake said.

The six Guardians sprinted for the giant wall in the distance, the Thrall continuing to howl, giving chase. Sprinting for all they were worth, they dove into the Light. It was a strange feeling that followed, almost empty.

After another moment of disorientation, they shook it off. Clutching their heads, the six Guardians had made it. Turning behind them, there was only a wall.

"What the hell? Where are we?" Caldwell panted.

Drake took a brief moment to look around, the area around them appeared to be a castle courtyard, seemingly floating in pure darkness.

"We're in Crota's realm."

"Being?" Kyle asked.

"I dunno." Drake shook his head. "The Traveler's Light is what teleported us here. We could very well be in the dimension between dimensions. We could be at the center of the Moon. We could be in the heart of Darkness. I just don't know."

"Then how do we get back?" Caldwell asked.

"We might not." Lance shook his head. "Unless we have enough Light to initiate another teleport all of us."

"Then I'm screwed." Kyle grunted, clutching his leg. "My Ghost got destroyed by a Thrall on our way through that maze."

"We'll find a way." Drake growled, helping Kyle to his feet. "You aren't beaten yet, Titan."

Kyle nodded, as Lillian scoped out the area with her Sniper Rifle. Glancing out, the courtyard looked mirrored to the other side. Frowning, she saw a pair of identical totems on each side of the courtyard. In the center of their half of the courtyard was another one of those disks. There was a massive gap between the two halves, so she deduced they would have to form another bridge.

"Drake, have a look." Lillian pointed. "The area is mirrored, but now we've got these strange looking Totems, two on each side. There is an outline for the bridge, and it looks like it's made of fire."

"I see." Drake nodded. "Same as before, folks. We step on the disk, we build a bridge, and we get across. Take it easy here."

Working their way down, they examined the area. It was eerily quiet, as if the Hive were waiting to ambush them. Drake stepped on the disk, while the other five looked around. Sure enough, the bridge started to form in front of him.

There was, however, a frightening hiss in the air. Peering to his left and right, the totems on either side of him started glowing red, orbs of dark energy forming above them

"OFF!" Drake roared, tackling any Guardian off of the disk.

Sure enough, the second he stepped off of the Totem, the orb started to shrink. But the bridge behind him started to disintegrate at a very fast rate.

What was worst, was that Thrall were pouring out of the many different ornate doorways they had noticed. Drake pondered it for a second, as Chelsea stepped up to him.

"What if we had teams of two on each monument?" she quipped. "Perhaps our Lights are what prevent those spheres from appearing?"

"It's worth a shot. Lillian, you're here with me on the disk. Chelsea and Lance, you take that totem up there, Caldwell and Kyle, take the other totem."

The Guardians split up into their three teams of two. Drake and Lillian stepped on the plate, as the totems began to glow. However, with the presence of the Guardians at the totems, they began to tame. The bridge formed behind the Huntress and Titan.

There was a deep roar from the main door behind them, up the flight of stairs they had descended earlier. Turning to face it, a massive, red and black armored Knight descended the stairs. The sword in it's hand was covered in a strange, dark flame.

Glancing at the fiery outline on the bridge, and back to the Knight that was charging at them. Drake nodded his head in understanding. Lillian and him lifted their rocket launchers. Firing two rockets, the duo cheered as the red Knight broke into a mess of liquid darkness and armor. Grabbing the sword, Drake stepped for the bridge, which had since fully formed.

Risking his life, he stepped on the bridge, the flames on his new sword disappearing, along with the ones on the bridge. Turning his head, Lillian kept the horde of Thrall at bay.

"Caldwell, get over here! Lillian, cover Kyle!" Drake ordered, as Caldwell jogged over.

"Caldwell, take this sword and cross the bridge. It's unsafe to do so without it." Drake said. "When you're across, stand on this type of disk, it must keep the bridge intact."

Caldwell nodded, taking the sword from his grasp and sprinting across the flame covered bridge. When he made it across, he held the sword up, indicating he was fine.

"Okay missy, you go help Lance and Chelsea. I'll go keep Kyle covered." Drake said. "Everyone on comm.?"

There were flashes of green in his HUD from all in attendance.

"Uh, I got a big dark blue Knight up here, my bullets are bouncing off of him!" Caldwell barked.

"You've got a sword, try that!" Drake replied, peering up the way.

Drake smirked as the seemingly invincible Knight was slagged in half by Caldwell's sword, before it turned to dust in his hands. Drake made his way through a swarm of the Thrall, Kyle holding his own at the Totem.

There was another roar, as another of the red Knights approached with a fiery sword. Drake found it incredibly stupid that the Hive would continue to send these flaming swordsman to try to stop them.

"Lillian, when the swordsman dies, go across!" Drake called into the comm. her green acknowledgement popping up. "Keep us covered from up there."

Sure enough, the swordsman went down in a flash, Lillian hefted the sword, and sprinted across the bridge. Passing it off to Caldwell, the Titan made mincemeat out of the blue Knight that appeared to stop them.

Her sniper rifle cracked numerous times in the void, Thrall on Lance's and Chelsea's side exploding into ashes. It continued like that for some time, the Guardians that made it across branching off to the opposite totems, leaving only Kyle and Drake.

"Alright Kyle, when that sword drops, run for it. I'll be right behind you."

"Negative." Kyle panted. "I don't have my Ghost, and my leg is all gimped. It'll only endanger the rest of you if I go. I'll stay here, take out as many as I can."

"You can make it!" Drake said, finishing off the red Knight.

"You're Drake Stratus. I can die happily knowing I died saving you." Kyle smirked, shoving him towards the dead Knight. "Go!"

Drake hesitated, as Kyle whistled at the Thrall, leading them away from Drake's position. Drake sighed, ripping the sword from the dead Knight's hands. Sprinting across the bridge, Drake didn't pass the sword off to Caldwell, slashing the sword across the final blue Knight's neck.

It's head landed on the ground with a sickening slap. Turning back, the sword in his hand crumbled to dust. Caldwell made a motion, as Drake held him back.

"He won't let you." Drake shook his head. "He'll be remembered as a hero."

Caldwell frowned as Kyle did, finally, become overwhelmed by the number of Thrall, his hand slumping down from between the horde.

Drake branched off to join Chelsea and Lillian, while Caldwell met his son on the opposite totem. Even without anyone on the disk, the orbs were now forming. Two very distinct roars echoed in the void, as the five remaining Guardians witnessed a pair of Ogres stomp in from their left and right.

Lance and Drake provided their groups with Wards of Dawn. Infusing their teammates' weapons with more powerful ballistics. Alternating in and out of the orbs, the two beastial creatures let our defiant roars, before slumping into a mess of ashes.

Much like the Hive had done when Omnigul's presence had ceased the day before, any remaining Thrall and Acolytes in the area disappeared in a miniature explosion as the two Ogres died. The giant door in front of them, leading into Crota's Castle slowly opened.

The five Guardians regrouped, taking a moment to breath, the Hive seemingly leaving them alone for the time being. They all glanced back, Kyle's body left in a heap on the other side, the Thrall that had killed him all dead.

"Guardians." Drake said, turning to them. "Keep your wits about you, remain vigilant, and no matter what, never give up hope. Guardians write their own history. So let's go make history."

Reloading their numerous weapons, the Guardians slowly made their way up the stairs and into the building. Ahead of them, a single, albeit large, winding hallway lead up and into the castle even further. A horde of Thrall laid on the ground, chittering in some sort of hibernation.

In the air, about midway through the hallway, Drake made out a strange purple diamond in the air. It was made of metal, almost like armor. Holding a finger up to his helmet, he began to tiptoe into the room, hoping not to disturb the horde. Of course, the moment he stepped into the hallway, the metal diamond erupted, showing a glowing purple core.

What was worst was the shriek it produced. The metal armor around the swirling ball of energy spun, firing purple projectiles at him faster than he could react. Jumping backwards, the Thrall all snapped to attention, sprinting at them.

While the other four dispatched the massive amount of Thrall, he pondered his next step. Moving in, the Guardians stayed with him, as the mechanical sentry shrieked again. Firing a Gjallerhorn rocket at it, the thing exploded, a strange moaning sound exploding from it as a cluster of five big purple projectiles slowly drifted towards him.

The Guardians all dove in separate directions, as the projectiles exploded on the ground where they had been standing. Groaning, the group was sore, but they were alive. Standing, the group continued through the hallway, the only feasible way they could continue, was downwards.

Jumping into the hole in the floor, they splashed into a small pool of that same dark water as before. Not trusting it, they were quick to exit. Drake's heart dropped, however, as he heard the familiar shrieking/laughter of Omnigul above them.

Walking forward, the five Guardians found themselves in the ruins of what appeared to be Crota's old throne room. If Eris' fireteam had made it to this point, they must have done a number on it. Perhaps the room resembled how Crota was, they weren't sure.

"Where is that coward?" Drake clenched his fist.

"Does anyone else really hurt?" Lance groaned, clenching his chest.

"Yeah, I do." Caldwell grit his teeth.

In fact, Drake felt it too. It was very similar to what the darkness felt like in that maze. Chelsea shrieked in pain, however, as eyes turned on her.

"It's a Deathsinger, like Omnigul!" Chelsea grit her teeth in pain. "This is the same ritual they use to drain our Light; The Liturgy of Torment!"

"Then we better kill that bitch, and quick!" Drake groaned, as the five of them turned around, seeing the cloaked Witch floating above them.

She did that strange mixture of a laugh/cry, before retreating into the room overlooking the throne room. To their left and right were a pair of stair cases leading up and into the Deathsinger's room. Opting to take the one on the right, Drake blasted a Hive Knight in the face with his shotgun.

Running into the hallway, one of those Shriekers opened up again, Lillian immediately blasting it with her Gjallerhorn. The five Guardians took cover behind the wall, the purple blasts from it's explosion shook the ground on the other side of their wall.

Caldwell charged forward, a fiery hammer forming in his right hand. Leaping off of his right foot, Caldwell held the hammer high above his head, before smashing it into her forehead. The Deathsinger groaned, using her strange magic to hold him in front of her.

Piercing his armor with her elongated fingers, she twisted, causing the Titan to shriek in pain. Doing a strange chuckle of her own, Ir Yut, the Deathsinger, raked the fingers down his torso. The remaining four Guardians moved forward, Caldwell raising an arm, shaking his head.

"You can take me." Caldwell grinned beneath his helmet. "But you'll never take my SON!"

Glowing a deep mixture of red and orange, the last four Guardians took cover behind the wall once more. The Solar Flare technique was a Warpath Titan's last resort. It expended the entirety of their body's Light to evaporate anything in the vicinity. At the cost of the user's life.

"Caldwell." Drake clenched his fist, the Hive having been eviscerated by his late grandson's technique. "I'm proud of ya. I won't let it be for nothing."

Lance stood there, frozen, as he glanced at the burn marks on the strange green crystal before them. The one the Deathsinger had been floating next to. Falling to his knees, Chelsea caught him, kneeling beside him.

"Let's just get this over with." Lance sighed, hugging Chelsea for a second.

"I agree." Drake said, glancing at the crystal. "That construct. It's similar to that crystal we broke in the abyss. Crota absorbs Light, so... let's see."

Walking up to the crystal, he noticed the same disk as before beneath it. As soon as he stepped on it, he felt his light become suppressed slightly. Gritting his teeth, he noticed the crystal started glowing with an insane emerald fire inside. His vision became distorted, but he was fine.

The other three joined him in the circle, with each new person, the crystal glowed even more vivid, the fire inside erupting only more. After a second, the disorientation faded, almost immediately. Peering out the arches, a shield of light formed, clearly to protect them from something.

The scattered remains of the guilded throne all hovered into the air, swirling in air, before conjoining with their fallen brothers. Stacking in the distance, two golden stone horns appeared before their eyes. The same Blue/Green Knight's face appeared between them in a flare of fire.

There was a flash of electricity, the giant floating sphere in the distance began to spin. In a flash of light, he appeared, standing between the pillars. Drake's fists clenched, as Lillian lightly hugged him, her lover glaring at the creature before him.

Crota was here.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EiiM3WvBdk

Just as massive as Drake had remembered him, the onyx Knight, however, had most certainly changed. Where a Knight stood solid and complete, Crota stood there, glowing blue like a ghost. Most of his body appeared to be missing, though it didn't slow the fractured Hive deity.

Pointing it's large, clawed hand up at him, Crota raised it's blade up at him.

"Yeah, I'm back." Drake growled. "I promised I would be."

There was a deafening roar from Crota, as the light shields to their left and right exploded, a flood of Acolytes and Thrall appearing. Lillian, Lance, and Chelsea set to work clearing out the wings, all four Guardians making their way out to Crota's area.

"Chelsea, Lance. Go back into that room. Try to keep his cronie's attention." Drake said.

"Bu-"

"Just trust me, Lance." Drake turned to face him. "That's all I've ever asked of you."

Chelsea and Lance looked at one another, before nodding. Turning to Lillian, he wrapped his arms around her firmly. Lifting the Gjallerhorn, Lillian handed it to Chelsea with a smile. The two younger Guardians didn't quite know what the two Veterans were getting at.

"Let's go get our revenge, eh missy?"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world, supes."

Holding each other's hands, they sprinted out into the throne room, Hand cannons blazing at the multitudes of Thrall encroaching on them. Lillian sprinted past him, her knife crackling with arc energy. Slashing through the crowd of Thrall in their path. Drake stomped his right foot down, as a pillar of fire exploded beside him.

Reaching in, he claimed the sword he had 'borrowed' from Sardon. Sliding it across the ground, Lillian paused for a second, throwing something towards him. Glancing down at the object he had caught, it was a mote of Light, not unlike the one Xur had given to him the day before.

"When the time is right, Supes." She smiled. "You'll know what to do with it."

Rushing towards Crota, she jumped in the air, electricity arching from her knife. Crota stepped backwards, his overshield having been overloaded by the pure Light she was offering. Pulling the Sniper Rifle off of her back, she landed on the beastly Knight's chest, firing several close proximity rounds into it's chest.

Growling with annoyance, Crota stripped the Huntress off of his chest.  Holding her up, he impaled her on his sword, before tossing her in a heap at him. Drake fell to his knees, as the giant sphere in the background expanded, taking on the resemblance of a green sun.

"W-why, missy?" Drake asked.

"Because you couldn't beat him alone." She said. "Throw me at the sphere. I'll do the rest."

"I can't, I won't." Drake shook his head.

"If you don't, it will kill you." She said. "All ends are beginnings."

Standing, Crota chuckled to himself as Drake gingerly lifted her.

"I still have a bit of fight left in me." she smiled. "I love you."

"I love you too, forever and ever." Drake said, a couple of tears streaming down his cheek.

Lifting her, he spun Lillian around and around in circles.
-------------------------------------------------

Drake chuckled as he lifted Lillian into his arms, spinning her around her father's office.

"You like Superman so much?" Drake smiled. "Then fly like him!"

Finishing the twirl, he threw her into the pile of pillows he had set up. She chuckled cutely all the way through the air, landing softly in the pillows.

Walking over to make sure she was okay, Drake offered her a hand, as she took it, wrapping her arms around his torso. Giving him a quick peck on the cheek, she giggled.

"You're cute, supes."

"You too, missy."

--------------------------------------

"You like Superman so much?!" Drake yelled loud enough for Crota to hear him. "THEN FLY LIKE HIM!"

Releasing his one true loves's hands for the final time, he launched Lillian at Crota's Oversoul. Purple void energy overtook her form, as she flew, fists first, into the giant sphere. From her point of impact, purple energy surged across it's surface, enveloping the ultimate weapon of Crota with her remaining Light.

Sure enough, the giant sphere disappeared, replaced yet again by the strange stone sphere in the distance. Lillian no-where to be seen, Drake's eyes cast to the ground, tear streaming down his cheeks. Holding the mote of Light in his left hand, he realized it was the portion of her Light she didn't use.

Clenching his fist over it, a massive, flawless shield appeared in his hand, as Crota stomped over towards him. Lance and Chelsea watched from the safety of the room, as Drake stared up at the Hive God. Sliding his sword across the ground, Arianna appeared over his shoulder.

"What are you doing?" Arianna asked, clicking her shell at him.

"I'm doing what I should have, centuries ago." Drake grit his teeth. "Go to Lance, bring him the mote of Light from yesterday. That's their ticket out of here."

"Their?" Arianna asked. "You're not dying today!"

"You're right." Drake grinned beneath his helmet at the Ghost. "I died years ago. It's just time I accepted it."

Marching towards Crota, the massive sword wielding Knight roared. Golden fire flared from around Drake, as he dragged the sword on the ground by his feet.

"I am Drake Stratus! Son of Kabr the Legionless! VANGUARD OF THE TITAN GUILD!" Drake's voice boomed throughout the void. "TODAY, CROTA; SON OF ORYX! YOUR REIGN ENDS!"

Jumping off of his right foot, the two sword wielding foes blocked the other. Crota, despite his massive size, was matched by Ascended Drake's strength, the shield in his other hand the one memento of Lillian he had left.

The two swordsman clashed their blades, glaring at one another. Crota swung, his sword attempting to absorb the Light that was Lillian's shield. Pushing back the parry, Drake went for the thrust, Crota's blade coming down on him.

"Guardian down."

Lance smashed his fist against the shield of Light, as Drake stood there, a sword imbedded in his left shoulder, about halfway down his torso. Chelsea cried as the Veteran Titan looked up at Crota, who glared down at him in bliss.

The creature's eyes opened wide, however, as smoke began to flutter out of the sword buried in it's chest. Drake smirked beneath his helmet, copious amounts of blood spewing out of his mouth as he did so.

"There's a reason they call me Sol." Drake said quietly. "So just fuckin' burn."

Fire began to crawl it's way up Crota's form, cracking it's already fractured carapace. Roaring to the heavens, a pillar of Light, easily larger than anything Drake had ever summoned before, crashed down on top of Crota. Enveloping the broken God, Drake fell to his knees, before laying prone on the ground, the sword imbeded in him crumbling to dust, as did it's master.

Lance fell to his knees, as the Hive around them evaporated into nothing. Quivering from the emotions welling up in him, Chelsea hugged him, tears streaming down her face as well.

"Asshole." Lance grit his teeth, Chelsea hugged tighter, Lance roaring louder. "YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE!"

Arianna, no longer bound to Drake. Shook her form with a frown, appearing before them. Glancing her eye to the ground, she looked back up at Lance.

"I'm sorry, I truly am." she clicked her casing. "He told me to give you a few things, before he severed our connection."

Appearing before Lance was the Handcannon Drake had been given by Lord Saladin. Along with that was a mote of Light, and Drake's own Gjallerhorn. Frowning at the objects, Lance refused to take them, his own Ghost, shattered as it was, floating beside Arianna.

"You there, unique one." his Ghost said. "My days are numbered anyways, and you don't have your Guardian anymore. I'll sacrifice myself, and the mote of Light, to get you guys out of here."

"I'm not leaving without him."

"I'm afraid you don't have a choice, look." his Ghost said.

Sure enough, Drake's body, having been removed of it's light, reverted back to the lonely skeleton that Arianna had found a year before.

His Ghost clicked it's frame, transferring all of his current items to Arianna's storage, along with the items on the ground, minus the mote of Light. Lifting the small orb of Light, his Ghost brought it up to their face. Chelsea placed her hand in Lance's, squeezing as there was a blinding flash.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Epilogue

Lance chuckled as Chelsea nervously tried to lower herself onto the cliffside. Reaching his hands up, he caught the Warlock when her hands inevitably lost their grip. Tumbling to the ground, the both of them laughed heartily, trying to stand.

Glancing at the view, the sun slowly began to set beyond the horizon, as the seagulls flew to their nests for the night.

"It's so pretty up here." Chelsea smiled. "Where'd you find this spot?"

"A friend showed it to me. Told me to keep it, to show it to a special person." Lance bowed his head with respect.

He always told me...

The two sat there for a time, until the sun finally sank beneath the horizon. Turning to face the girl with the purple hair, and the brilliant purple eyes, she blushed, before pressing her lips to his.

The red shelled Ghost appeared, flashing a small message in front of them. Sighing, Chelsea stood, glancing quickly at the stone to their right. Clambering up the rock face, she waited for Lance, who still sat on the edge.

Standing, the Titan paused for a moment, looking at the rock. Pulling his knife out, he sketched a few things into the rock, before standing once again.

No matter how bleak things got.

"C'mon!" Chelsea smiled. "Now isn't the time for rock etching, silly."

There was only one thing I had to do.

DS/LE
Withstanding the test of time.
Never will they be forgotten.

Admiring his handy work, Lance grunted, scaling the rock wall swiftly. Standing next to Chelsea, he thought he saw something out of the corner of his eyes.

Peering upwards, the two young Guardians stared in awe at the meteor shower that took up the night sky. All of the shooting stars, passing right by the Moon. Their attention falling on the Moon. But rather feeling sad, they felt empowered.

"You know how Rahool gets when we miss the bar-be-que." Chelsea smiled, changing the subjects.

Lance nodded, as she teleported to her ship. He paused for just a moment more, staring at the Moon above him.

Look... to the stars.

Shad0wChas3r wrote:Releasing his one true friend's hands, he launched Lillian at Crota's Oversoul.

That's cool. Just forget about Jeremy and Arianna, huh Drake?

Lol.

I have no words, I dunno why I typed that xD.

I'll go back and fix it so it makes sense.

You killed most of them off. Poor Nathan. The thought of Crota pointing at you should be scary but it is actually funny instead. Pointing match with Crota anyone?

Don't worry about Drake and the others. Knowing myself, I'll come out with an alternate ending that's a little less depressing in the coming future.

Shad0wChas3r wrote:Don't worry about Drake and the others. Knowing myself, I'll come out with an alternate ending that's a little less depressing in the coming future.

To be fair you do have a thing for reviving characters even when promising not to do so. This story also seems shorter than what you usally do.

Impanther wrote:

Shad0wChas3r wrote:Don't worry about Drake and the others. Knowing myself, I'll come out with an alternate ending that's a little less depressing in the coming future.

To be fair you do have a thing for reviving characters even when promising not to do so. This story also seems shorter than what you usally do.

In my defense, I've also decided that the death I gave them was not befitting of the character. Remember when the only thing Morgan died to was a Beam Rifle, yet he was the more prominent Halo character I had?

Besides, this would be an alternative ending, therefore it's not 'revival'. Not to mention the fact that Arianna technically didn't get destroyed, so if Drake REALLY had wanted to live, Arianna could've revived him again.

Like I said, it was a possibility for the future. This ending is canon, and will not be changed.

As for the length of the story, it may seem that way, because it's only four 'Chapters' long. But each of those chapters took up at least three or four massive posts each. On top of that, I had always planned this to be more of a short story, as compared to the other stories I write.

Not to say the others are novellas, but they are slightly longer than short stories.

Shad0wChas3r wrote:

Impanther wrote:

Shad0wChas3r wrote:Don't worry about Drake and the others. Knowing myself, I'll come out with an alternate ending that's a little less depressing in the coming future.

To be fair you do have a thing for reviving characters even when promising not to do so. This story also seems shorter than what you usally do.

In my defense, I've also decided that the death I gave them was not befitting of the character. Remember when the only thing Morgan died to was a Beam Rifle, yet he was the more prominent Halo character I had?

Besides, this would be an alternative ending, therefore it's not 'revival'. Not to mention the fact that Arianna technically didn't get destroyed, so if Drake REALLY had wanted to live, Arianna could've revived him again.

Like I said, it was a possibility for the future. This ending is canon, and will not be changed.

As for the length of the story, it may seem that way, because it's only four 'Chapters' long. But each of those chapters took up at least three or four massive posts each. On top of that, I had always planned this to be more of a short story, as compared to the other stories I write.

Not to say the others are novellas, but they are slightly longer than short stories.

No, Drake died when Lillian died. I guess you can say they died when Jeremy did.

Impanther wrote:

Shad0wChas3r wrote:

Impanther wrote:

Shad0wChas3r wrote:Don't worry about Drake and the others. Knowing myself, I'll come out with an alternate ending that's a little less depressing in the coming future.

To be fair you do have a thing for reviving characters even when promising not to do so. This story also seems shorter than what you usally do.

In my defense, I've also decided that the death I gave them was not befitting of the character. Remember when the only thing Morgan died to was a Beam Rifle, yet he was the more prominent Halo character I had?

Besides, this would be an alternative ending, therefore it's not 'revival'. Not to mention the fact that Arianna technically didn't get destroyed, so if Drake REALLY had wanted to live, Arianna could've revived him again.

Like I said, it was a possibility for the future. This ending is canon, and will not be changed.

As for the length of the story, it may seem that way, because it's only four 'Chapters' long. But each of those chapters took up at least three or four massive posts each. On top of that, I had always planned this to be more of a short story, as compared to the other stories I write.

Not to say the others are novellas, but they are slightly longer than short stories.

No, Drake died when Lillian died. I guess you can say they died when Jeremy did.

I think you're misinterpreting what I mean. The Alternate Ending for this story would be Drake, Lillian, Chelsea, and Lance all leaving Crota's Castle in one piece.

What I mean to say is that, perhaps at some time, I will write a What If scenario in which all four of the remaining Guardians actually survived the encounter with Crota, instead of the two that did.

Shad0wChas3r wrote:

Impanther wrote:

Shad0wChas3r wrote:

Impanther wrote:

Shad0wChas3r wrote:Don't worry about Drake and the others. Knowing myself, I'll come out with an alternate ending that's a little less depressing in the coming future.

To be fair you do have a thing for reviving characters even when promising not to do so. This story also seems shorter than what you usally do.

In my defense, I've also decided that the death I gave them was not befitting of the character. Remember when the only thing Morgan died to was a Beam Rifle, yet he was the more prominent Halo character I had?

Besides, this would be an alternative ending, therefore it's not 'revival'. Not to mention the fact that Arianna technically didn't get destroyed, so if Drake REALLY had wanted to live, Arianna could've revived him again.

Like I said, it was a possibility for the future. This ending is canon, and will not be changed.

As for the length of the story, it may seem that way, because it's only four 'Chapters' long. But each of those chapters took up at least three or four massive posts each. On top of that, I had always planned this to be more of a short story, as compared to the other stories I write.

Not to say the others are novellas, but they are slightly longer than short stories.

No, Drake died when Lillian died. I guess you can say they died when Jeremy did.

I think you're misinterpreting what I mean. The Alternate Ending for this story would be Drake, Lillian, Chelsea, and Lance all leaving Crota's Castle in one piece.

What I mean to say is that, perhaps at some time, I will write a What If scenario in which all four of the remaining Guardians actually survived the encounter with Crota, instead of the two that did.

I know what you mean but I was referring to Arianna reviving Drake once he was killed this time.

Ah, okay, I see what you mean now.

Shad0wChas3r wrote:Ah, okay, I see what you mean now.

By the way, You never did reveal who the sniper titan was. Or did you reveal who he was?