[b]Episode Two [/b] Sunlight radiated against the preserved slabs of stained glass set inside the chapel, casting projections of the images therein onto the white marbled floor. They were beautiful. Father Ulrich had found these windows in the heart of the wilderness many years ago, left behind in an ancient church. He brought them back to this city and built, with his own two hands, a small chapel in the most poverty-stricken area he could find. Fourteen had to admire the man. But he did not believe in his religion. He used to believe it was because he was a mere Exo—a war machine with little processing power left to have faith in something bigger than himself. Then, he realized, that there just wasn’t a god in this forsaken world. No true god would have left them when the Darkness came to claim their souls. If anything, Fourteen believed, with his whole being, in the man standing outside of the chapel feeding the poor and telling them that one day, everything would be better. Many stories and tenets had been lost from what the father called Christianity. There wasn’t even a book. Yet, he had gleaned enough to know that helping the poor and doing good was all that was required to be an adherent. He developed a following, but needed more help. The priest had found the Exos even deeper into the Wilds, deactivated and broken, most likely from a failed mission. Father Ulrich had never said anything about it, but Fourteen suspected it took days upon days for the tiny man to bring them all back into the city. An Exo weighed hundreds of pounds. Fourteen wondered at the feat. And if that wasn’t wonder enough, he had repaired them somehow---repaired their Ghosts, and energized their sealed cores made from a powerful super alloy, bringing them back to life. So with that new life, came new names. Saint-14 was the original Saint. The Exos had given the father permission to rename them, as most were so badly damaged, they couldn't even remember their names, much less how many times they had been system wiped. The priest took inspiration from Fourteen's name, calling them Guardians named after those who had deserved higher honor in days of yore. Indebted to him, Fourteen and the others served him. They served by helping the poor and crushing the Fallen that pounded at the walls. Their deeds spread and they came to be known as the Machine Saints of the Last City. Not soon after, the Vanguard stepped in. They claimed the Exos were their lost special force. Father Ulrich had opposed them, saying that Fourteen and the Exos had the choice in whatever they wanted to do. Of course, they chose the father, denying the Vanguard of one of the most powerful Guardians left in the world. This would, in turn, make everything harder for his new faction: Great Absolution. Screams and the blaring of guns drew Fourteen out of his reverie. The Exo rushed out of the chapel and found the crowd of hungry citizens dispersing in the wake of violence. Concordat Guardians appeared over the rooftops and down the streets. Thirteen and Twelve, their battle robes billowing in the wind, aimed their assault rifles at the Hunters on the buildings, while Two and Four stood blocking any of those who came too close to the chapel. The rest guarded Ulrich. Lysander approached. “What is your business here, Lysander?” growled Fourteen, gripping his twin hand cannons, triggers pressed. “If you wish bloodshed, I’ll happily give it to you and your own.” The man smiled. “I’ve just come to talk.” “The bullets smashed in the ground say otherwise.” “The peasants were in my way” said Lysander with a twisted face. “And they smelled ghastly.” He gestured to his Guardians and they lowered their weapons. “Let me talk to the priest.” Fourteen’s eyes blazed white. “So talk.” “Well if you insist,” he said, running his hands through his greasy, black hair and turning his eyes to Ulrich. “I want you to stop trying to bring in the wilderness tribes. I want you to stop feeding the poor and leave this area. You’re a nuisance, old man.” Fourteen raised his hand cannons and so did everyone else. A hand rested on his arm, lowering it. Father Ulrich stood beside him and bowed. “It is nice to meet you, Lysander,” he said. “I do not doubt your loyalty to the Traveler and to the Speaker, but you’ve no authority to come here and spout orders at me. Leave.” Lysander spit on the ground at his feet. “My faction wants to rid this city of the poor and of the wilderness tribes. It is the only way we can really flourish and prepare for the Darkness that will soon return. I will burn these raggedy shacks to the ground, myself, in due time. If you’re still here—If you still try and bring back savages, then you’ll burn too.” “The nerve!” yelled Saint-2. Receptors barnacling her head quivered from anger. Lysander ignored the female Exo, turning away back down the street. It was laughable how the man thought the Exos would let him hang a threat over their heads and walk away unscathed. Fourteen holstered his hand cannons. He launched into the air, robe and spun gold swirling against the wind. He landed in the midst of the Guardians, knocking two humans out with well-placed clips to their temples. An Exo charged him. Fourteen deflected his bone-shattering fists with a gentle palm and grabbed his arm, flipping him into the ground. He crushed his metallic leg with his foot. Next, a Warlock sent out a missile of fire, but with a tip of his head, Fourteen dodged the attack and shoved the fool head-first into a wall. He spun and seized Lysander’s neck, giving a threat of his own. Sweat ran down Fourteen’s hands. “Please, don’t kill me,” begged Lysander, eyes wild with fright. His pants turned dark, and seconds later, the dirt ran warm with his piss. The man’s trembling hands grabbed Fourteen’s wrists and struggled for air. The Exo scoffed at his weakness. Fourteen dropped the sniveling fiend and watched him scramble away with his horde of soldiers he pathetically called “Guardians.” He would not come back. He knew if he did, he’d receive a snapped neck in return. [b][url=http://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/90052905?lc=1033]EPISODE ONE[/url] [url=http://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/90776215/0/0/1]EPISODE THREE[/url] [url=http://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/91176944/0/0/1]EPISODE FOUR[/url] [url=http://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/91747434?lc=1033]EPISODE FIVE[/url][/b] [i][b]DISCLAIMER: ALTHOUGH THIS STORY HAS BASIS IN LORE, MOST OF WHAT TRANSPIRES AS THIS SERIES GOES ALONG IS PURE FAN FICTION. TAKE THIS STORY WITH A GRAIN OF SALT. THE EXOS HAVE BEEN RENAMED INTO "SAINTS" BUT HAVE DIFFERENT NUMBERS (AMOUNT OF TIMES THEYVE BEEN SYSTEM WIPED) CONCORDANT AND LYSANDER ARE CANON, FATHER ULRICH AND THE MACHINE SAINTS ARE NOT. NEITHER ARE THE FACTION LEADERS[/b][/i]. [b][url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/100362914]DESTINY FAN FICTION ARCHIVE[/url][/b] [b][url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Clan/Forum/823422]JOIN CLAN FOR FAN FICTION UPDATES[/url][/b]