If you missed the last episode, you can find it [url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/222011974/0/0]here[/url], or if you need to find a previous episode, you can find them all in the [url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/220441594/0/0]Master Post[/url]. Please give a bump, upvote, or leave comment if you enjoy this and any other chapter! *** Machine gun fire pounds the wall over me – I keep my head down, moving quickly, bolting for cover – Thundering footsteps ahead – I hug the wall tightly, pulse rifle raised, as I crouch down, blending in with my surroundings – Two Guardians charge past, moving with single-minded purpose toward my companions – as they keep moving forward, I lean out from the wall and let a series of short bursts loose from my pulse rifle – the Guardians fall to the ground, their Ghosts hovering over them patiently. “[i]Nice one, Djido![/i]” Salas calls over the comm. “[i]Where’s the last –[/i] “ “[i]I could use some help out here![/i]” Avi bellows, gunfire puncturing his words. “On my way, Sal and I will box him in. Copy that?” “[i]Copy[/i],” Salas says. “[i]I’ll take left, you take right.[/i]” “Moving in.” I jog ahead, crouching low, and hug the outside wall – the scorching sun beats down on the worn ruins of Mercury, blinding me with light – “Avi, where you leading him?” “[i]Don’t know, I keep losing him, he’s popping in and out –[/i] “ Gunfire interrupts him, and the line goes dead. “Avi?” I call out. “Avi, report!” “[i]He’s down,[/i]” Salas sighs. “[i]Bastard got ‘im. Still two on one, though.[/i]” “Not if we’re separated, we need to regroup, meet me – “ Salas starts yelling over the comm, firing wildly –  “Salas!” The line goes dead, and I feel a trace of fear running down my spine. [i]This guy’s good….maybe too good….[/i] I run down an alternate corridor before crouching again as my invisibility clicks on. I can feel the light growing within me, but it’s not enough yet to overwhelm my remaining opponent, and I don’t know if he has his. Thinking quickly, I run my inventory through my head – [i]One grenade, no rockets or shotgun shells, all I’ve got left is my pulse rifle and my brains. Now what –[/i] A clinking, rolling sound echoes around the corridor – by the time I realize what it is, it’s too late – I run, but the blast picks me up and hurls me across the arena. As I land with a grunt, all the wind knocked out of me, I see the remaining Guardian charging, firing, completely focused and terrifyingly silent in his attack – I raise my weapon, but before I can even get a shot off, the Guardian sends a quick burst, puncturing my helmet. Everything goes dark, and then I hear my Ghost calling me. “….come on, Djido, match is over – “ I open my eyes, and I can still feel where the bullets went through my skull…. Looking around, I see Avi and Salas walking toward me as the horn blares, announcing the match over. I can’t tell through his helmet, but from the way Avi’s walking, he looks pissed. “Congratulations to our winners,” Brother Vance’s voice calls out, echoing around the arena. “That was our last match, Djido!” Avi calls out angrily as he approaches. “Last chance, and you screwed it up!” “Hey, you’re the one that died and left us hanging,” I retort angrily. It’s only been a few weeks since we were all teamed up together, and I’m still getting used to my partners. “After you fools ditched me!” Avi yells, getting close enough to shove me. “You ran off, ya moron!” I yell back, pushing me off. “Don’t blame us for your stupidity!” Avi swings, and his fist collides with my helmet – I immediately see red and advance, raising my own fist to strike him back – But before I can land a blow, I feel the dematerializing sensation, and Avi, Salas and I are transmatted out of the arena. We emerge back in our ships, Brother Vance’s voice speaking over the comm. “[i]Three losses means a completed passage,[/i]” he says. “[i]Yeah, thanks, Djido![/i]” Avi yells over the ship’s comm. “[i]You must learn to work together,[/i]” Vance says, sighing. “[i]All of you.[/i]” “[i]If they wouldn’t keep screwing up – [/i]“ “[i]Avi,[/i]” Vance interrupts, an edge to his voice. “[i]All of you.[/i]” Avi finally goes silent. “How can we do that though if we get kicked out after three losses?" “[i]We will secure you new passage so you can continue to practice[/i],” Vance says. “[i]But remember what the purpose of the Trials is – continued passage without victory does none of us any good.[/i]” We all silently contemplate his words, Avi surely still blaming me and I him. But we won’t ever win, won’t ever get any better if we can’t learn to work together…. “It was my fault, Avi,” I say suddenly, knowing he’ll never be the first to apologize. “I should’ve had your back.” “[i]Yeah, you should’ve,[/i]” Avi retorts angrily, but after a moment of silence, he finally says. “[i]But I guess I should’ve done more, too. You did take the other two out.” “Yeah, Djido, that was nice,[/i]” Salas chimes. “Good, now that we’ve got that out of the way, how do we get back in?” “[i]Return to the Reef,[/i]” Brother Vance says. “[i]I will grant you passage to start over again.[/i]” “[i]Start over?![/i]” Avi cries. “[i]But we FINALLY got five wins – [/i]“ “[i]The rules are the rules for a reason[/i],” Brother Vance tells us, and I can hear Avi biting back his tongue. The comm clicks off, and there’s nothing to do but return. I spool up my ship’s jump drive and prepare to take off. “See you guys back in the Reef, I guess, then." “[i]Meet you there[/i],” Salas says. “[i]Sure, whatever,[/i]” Avi gripes. The stars extend before me as we’re all pulled into warp space – Not even an hour later, we’re back at it again. It’s been this way for weeks, ever since I decided to join Brother Vance’s crusade. As I crouch next to Avi and Salas, all of us keeping closer this time, I try to think about how many times I’ve died in just the past few weeks alone. [i]It has to be in the hundreds[/i], I think with a sinking feeling in my stomach. [i]Enough to drive anyone mad…[/i] Avi takes the lead, hugging the wall and gesturing back to us. “They’re posted up. Sniper team just waiting for us to make a move.” “They probably know the arena then,” Salas moans. “Lucky we’ve got invisibility,” I nudge him. “Get your knives ready.” “What the hell good are knives gonna be?!” Avi hisses. “I’ve got an idea,” I tell them. “We’ve gotta make them move. I’m gonna run out in camo and try to draw them out. Salas, you cover the corridors and use your knives to keep the takedowns quiet. Avi, find a hiding spot and snipe any you see that come after me.” “Bad plan,” Avi whispers, shaking his head. “If they’re a sniper team, they’re all covering each other’s blind spots. And they’ll probably see your ruse as a trick. I’m tired of dying.” “We all are,” I tell him, trying desperately not to think of how many times I had died... I shake my head, pushing it away. [i]Thinking about it will only drive me mad.[/i] “All right,” I sigh to Avi. “You got a better idea?” “Yeah,” Avi smirks. “If they’ve got the whole arena scouted, we just wait ‘em out.” “Huh?” Salas asks, confused. “These events are [i]timed[/i], if there’s still no winner after a few minutes, a capture zone appears in the middle of the arena – “Wait, wait, wait,” I interrupt him. “You knew this the whole time and you’re only bringing it up [i]now[/i]?” “You always rushed off before!” he answers, thumping my head. “I’d always call after you when we transmatted down, but you’d always rush off without listening!” I think back briefly, almost forgetting where we are. [i]Had I?[/i] I wave exasperatedly for him to continue. With a supreme smirk, he does. “First team to capture the zone wins. We don’t need to kill all of them, because once they see we’re waiting them out, they’ll keep two snipers posted on the capture site and send one guy in to take it. So you go invisible and just post up on the zone and wait for their scout. Salas and I will watch the others so that when the first guy fails they’ll have to go – all while you’re capturing the zone.” I nod appreciatively. “That’s not bad, that could work.” “Of course it’ll work,” Avi declares arrogantly. “As long as you two don’t screw up.” I roll my eyes behind my helmet, but keep it to myself. “All right, fingers crossed then. See you guys on the other side.” I turn invisible and sneak away as Avi and Salas take off for their own spots – A few minutes later, it’s all over. The other team transmats out of the arena as Salas cheers and Avi dances, all of us celebrating our win. “Congratulations,” Brother Vance’s voice chimes pleasantly in our helmets. “Teamwork is the key to this exercise. It seems as if you three have finally found a dynamic that works.” “That’s right!” Avi cries happily. “Just keep followin’ my lead and we’ll be at the Lighthouse in no time!” But as Avi and Salas celebrate, a nagging suspicion enters the back of my mind. [i]Just keep followin’ my lead…[/i] Basically what Ghost told me when he found me. Pretty much what the Speaker said when I finally met him in the Last City… Even what Brother Vance told me, in a way. [i]Brother Vance just wants to teach us[/i]. [i]Teach us what? How to kill and be killed? Like we didn’t already know that. Soldiers take orders. Warriors fight for a cause. What’s my cause? Why do I still not know?[/i] I push the voice away as jealousy born from me being shunted a follower as we transmat back to our ships and prepare for the next match. It’d be petty and selfish to let something like that harm the new dynamic we’ve finally found. We’ve found something that works – But as we enter the arena for our next match, I find it difficult to look at Avi, to reconcile with the directive I keep finding myself hearing: [i]Just keep following. Just keep being a follower.[/i]