The Darkness Within - Chapter 1 - Bounty Hunter - Part 1

[url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/115763402/0/0]Prologue[/url] [b]Day 1, 10:31 - Venus[/b] I had found myself growing ever more restless over the past four months. I spent many nights at the shooting range, trying to refine my skills with all kinds of precision weapons. I took as many voluntary assignments as I could fit in my schedule and went to other planets as often as possible. Shooting, killing, running, hiding, and more killing. Having something to do made me think less. Thinking less made me less miserable. I was only the shadow of the person I used to be. I had been told that some people in the Vanguard called me “Demon” behind my back. But I didn’t care. My body was a machine. I only ate to keep me alive, and I was only alive to keep my promise to him. “What happened to you...” I had asked myself that question over and over and over again. I was obsessed with the idea of going out to find him, or his body, but all my requests for an expedition, to where his signal was last received, had been denied. Going alone would have been the same as committing suicide, but giving up was not something I was willing to do. If I had learned something from the time we spent together, then it was not to give up. [i]Fire the fields, the weed is sown Water down your empty soul Wake the sea of silent hope Water down your empty soul[/i] I opened my eyes and looked out the window. It was cracked and dirty. The elements had done their part to transform this once beautiful building into a ruin. I could see the yellow skies of Venus outside. The clouds were moving fast and it seemed almost like a storm was approaching, even though there was not a single drop of rain. I could see the ocean in the distance and a giant volcano looming over everything. This part of the city had been hit pretty hard by the collapse. The building I was in used to be a laboratory, at least that is what I gathered. The Isthar Collective had once run this place, but not anymore. I was sitting next to a fifth-floor window, overlooking what used to be a road below. The plants moved gently in the wind, ever so often interrupted by a sudden gust. Maybe in another time I could have enjoyed it. But now was not that time. I looked at my watch to confirm what I already knew. It was time to do my job. I switched off the music and got up from where I was sitting, picking up the sniper rifle that was leaning against the wall. I took a few deep breaths and leaned with my back against the same wall, carefully peeking out the window. If I didn’t get spotted this would be over quickly. Watching the road below, I waited. Shallow, slow breaths, I could have almost heard my own heart beating, if it wasn’t for the wind outside. Then they appeared. A gang of Fallen from the House of Winter. Two Vandals, four Shanks, several Dreg and the Captain. They were moving very slowly, wary of their environment. Fallen were hard to surprise from close distances, they always moved and acted with heightened precision. They chose this passage for that very reason. It was hard to get a clear shot from a distance, that is why I hid myself so close to their intended route. I waited. They were approaching from a problematic angle. The glass and the wind would make it really difficult to put down my target in one shot. The Captain had killed many Guardians in a strike we launched a few weeks ago. He was determined dangerous by the Vanguard and had to be taken out. A combined assault was too risky, so it was turned into a solo job. I usually didn’t like to take assassination missions, too much time to think. But the Vanguard specifically asked me to take care of it, having heard my recent reputation for precision. I had reluctantly accepted and now I was here. On Venus. In front of my target. I took a step back, assumed shooting position and raised the heavy sniper rifle so I could peer through the scope. It took me a moment to find my target again. He was careful, moving slowly, making it even easier for me. I waited for them to pass by the building. I kept his head in the cross-hair, slowly stepping along the window to correct my angle. I could hear the sound of several pikes approaching. I checked the wind for a last time, then I lined up the shot, held my breath, confirmed my target and pulled the trigger. The gunshot echoed through the empty building, the window cracked and the Captains head exploded in a fine mist. The heavy recoil shook my body, an all too familiar sensation. I lowered the rifle and checked again. The Captain was down, he was dead. His companions were looking around, trying to find my position. I knelt down and activated the cloaking device. It only lasted for a few seconds, but I managed to stow away the rifle and made my way towards the door unseen. I could hear the Fallen screaming and arguing. Now all that was left to do was to get away clean. I ran up several flights of stairs to get to the roof. I could still hear the commotion on the streets, as well as the sound of doors being kicked in. They must have started searching the area. I had to get out of there before the Shanks started checking the rooftops. I ran towards the edge of the roof and made a leap to the next building, when I heard a loud bang. My body was thrown to the ground with force. I didn’t manage to break my fall in time. My helmet slammed into a pipe and I got dizzy for a moment, after which I quickly turned around to lie on my back and see what had happened. A Fallen ketch had warped in, almost directly above me. It must have been a coincidence, they couldn’t have known my position. Alas, now they knew. Before I even managed to stand I raised my auto-rifle. “Now that is what I call a bounty...” [url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/137364484]Chapter 1 - Part 2[/url]