[spoiler] Disclaimer: This post is Fanficiton, which is allowed in #Lore as declared by dmg04, link here: https://www.bungie.net/en/Forums/Post/249545832?sort=0&page=0&path=1 AND here: https://www.bungie.net/en/Forums/Post/250620673?sort=0&page=0&path=1 You are well within your rights to instantly downvote, but there are a few things I would like to state first: 1) If you wish to no longer see any of my posts, please block the tags #Fanfiction or #ringer7. By doing so you will never again see any Fanfiction from me in the future. You can also simply mute my profile if that’s preferred although I am #lore Titan Vanguard so you may miss some lore. 2) Downvotes, based on friends' and my observations over the last few weeks, actually help keep a post in trending as they count as engagement. Cheers! [/spoiler] ..Continued From Part IV. Around the Will of the Mountain lay a mass of fallen foes. The snow crunched beneath his boots as he made his way to the skiffs that had brought these invaders to the mountain, his mountain. The man stopped a few feet away from the Fallen ships; he regarded them for a moment before making up his mind on what to do with them. Taking long strides to get to the first one, he opened up a side panel on the Skiff's side. He rummaged through the satchel at his side for a moment seeking for a small, box shaped device. Finding it, he strapped the the little box to the Skiff panel and stepped slowly away from his handiwork. The rigged Skiff was lying peacefully in the wet snow as the Will arrived on a ridge overlooking the Skiffs. He raised his crossbow like weapon to his to his eye and and took a deep breath. His finger gently squeezed the lever as a bolt of energy dashed to meet the improvised explosive on the ship's hull... ************************************************************************************************* [i] The Last Devil stood still as the mountain itself as he watched his Skiffs go up in flames and cinders. The explosion from one caught the others and soon a sound as of thunder filled the air with fire and fear. "Fools," the great Fallen thought. There was no farhomimg who they were dealing with, the Last true Kell! And by rights, did that not make him the Kell of all kells? Dusk was filled with fear and swollen in the vain promises of a dreg. And what about this news he had received about a reformed House of Judgement? The pathetic less-than-Dreg that ruled could never be a Kell. No traitor to his own kind could ever hold that title. And so Thelksis remained, the Last and greatest of the Kells, and these human sloats were nothing compared to his might. [/i] ************************************************************************************************** Footsteps echoed outside the entrance to the Kell's quarters, loud, heavy steps that rung with purpose. Ringer-7 stepped up to the circular door. Beside the Titan lay the corpses of dozen dead fallen who had tried to jump him as he turned the corner; they had killed him in fact. However, since when did death stop a guardian, much less this one? Ringer's comms crackled to life as his tactical support, Erica Lockhart, the cryptarch, buzzed in. "You need to override the main power conflux in the central loop to open the door, it's heavy duty, it won't be easy." Ringer was about to reply when Stedi, his loyal ghost and companion spoke up. "What if I try to open with my light beam? That usually works?" Before either Erica or Stedi could continue, Ringer drew his long sword and stabbed it into the crack between the door's halves. He ran it both ways along the lining, breaking any restraints that might hold the door closed. When the final bolt snapped, Ringer used the blade as leverage to crack the door open enough so that he could use his foot to force the door open the rest of the way. "It's open, Erica," Ringer stated. "Didn't take you as long to override the system as I thought. I'm almost impressed " came the cryptarch's reply. "Uh-huh." Ringer stepped into the Devil Kell's quarters to find it dark and seemingly empty. The titan knew better than to think it was safe, for he had seen more than enough campaigns to know nothing is as it seems...and that all's fair. The moment Ringer set foot in the room he was pounced on by a beast of an Eliksni. At full height the Devil stood thirteen feet tall due to his lustful consumption of ether. The full force of his muscle and armor knocked Ringer straight to the ground. As he hit the ground, Ringer took his sidearm out from his holster in a lightning fast motion and proceeded to fire three rounds into the monster's side. "Giaagh, Sloat!" The Last was more enraged then in pain or anguish. Nonetheless, in response Thelksis used one of his lower arms to backhand the guardian away from him and across from the room. "Ungh!" Ringer's leg cracked under the impact which he made on a viewing port's sill. Ignoring the creaking metal of his own limb, Ringer stood up an continued to lay in as many rounds as he could into the thick hide and armor of the Kell. ************************************************************************************************** Just outside the doorway to Thelksis' room was a small creature, watching eagerly. It's name was Ririksis, the dreg, the branded. That Kell in there had branded his lower arm stubbs, a sign that he would never be allowed to regrow his Eliksnihood, and for this he hated the Last Devil. He had been branded for a misunderstanding. Yes, he had spared and helped a guardian briefly, but only for selfish gain. Of course, there was that small matter too that Ririksis would not admit: the guardian had spared him first. Ririksis slinked into the open door, being careful to make as little noise as possible, and he succeeded. The only way a smart dreg could survive in this world was by deception and wits, and Ririksis was a smart dreg. He took in the scene unfolding before his eyes: the guardian was standing against the viewing port at the far end of the room, while the Kell was roaring as he charged head first towards his foe. The guardian was lightning fast as he landed shot after shot into the Kell's helmet. Ririksis knew better than to think that this would spell the death of the monster, but it would enrage him. The Titan drew a sword as his opponent closed the gap between them. The Sword was broad and long, halfway up its length were jutting spikes, meant to catch the blade of an opponent. The bright point of the weapon was tilted to the rushing Kell's neck. The next moment passed in slow motion for the Titan, the Kell, and the small docked thing: The Kell swung his massive swords down on the Titan's, breaking his defense in one fell connection. The Dreg saw where this was going, the guardian was going to die, and conversely that meant the Kell would live. That, that was unacceptable. The Dreg silently ran up to the towering monolith of an Eliksni, dagger in hand. He had to learn to be silent in the wilds, for it was the only way a dreg could last any length of time. As Ringer held his sword inches away from his face, Thelksis' wild eyes glared hatred and triumph as his own nearer the Titan's neck. Suddenly, the Titan became aware of a ripple of blood and ether pouring out from the Kell's left leg. Ririksis twisted the blade as his shock dagger made contact. "Erhaha! Lirsoveks! Sloat!" The small dreg laughed raucously as he stabbed the one who had docked and branded him. " Erhhahahaha! " The "mighty" Thelksis staggered back as his knee felt the piercing pain of the dreg's message. He fell to one knee, his blades falling to his side and away from the Titan. Thelksis knew that to lie in such a State meant certain death at the hands of a guardian, so he opted for the last available option open to him. He pulled back his hand with its wicked blade and sent it at Ringer with all the force he had remaining. The blade caught Ringer on the torso, cutting his shoulder deep to the circuits and sending him crashing through the window. From their position, the two Fallen could see the Titan as he plummeted to the snowy ground. Slowly, almost comically, Ririksis turned to face the Monster he had injured. The name Devil was never more appropriate then in that moment as the giant Devil stared down the diminutive Ririksis. For a single second Ririksis accepted his fate and pictured himself, docked of his head. Then a furious emotion enveloped him and he knew he could not allow himself to suffer under this demon's claws again. As Thelksis' hand reached for Ririksis' neck, the Dreg threw himself out the window that Ringer had been flung through. The Last Devil silently limped to the the broken viewing port as the two falling specks disappeared in the clouds below... ************************************************************************************************* Continued Below...