Short Story Contest #1

[b] Enjoy. [/b] [i] Of all the damn places this thing could've been, it had to be Europa. I hate ice. [/i] The Hunter's sparrow left a heated trail on the ice. She tilted her sparrow, and swerved it to the right. In front of her was, as it seemed, a three-story building. It was surrounded with ice. From the northern side, the ice looked as though it had been blown back, towards the building. The Hunter maneuvered her Sparrow closer to the building. [i]ROOAAR![/i] "Ghost. Give me a scan in a sixty-five meter radius." Instantly, a digital-white beam shot out in a circle around the Hunter. "Nothing." Her Ghost whispered to her. The Hunter took a breath, she grabbed the sidearm strapped to her thigh. She quickly checked its magazine. [i]Shit. Nineteen rounds total. Alright Kelsey, it'll be fine. You've still got that Icebreaker. [/i] Kelsey moved away from the building, and out into the ice-fields. She knew it wasn't wise, but she had to draw the beast out somehow, and this was the easiest way. But also the riskiest. [i]ROOAAR![/i] [i]The beast's roarings were getting longer.. and louder. Either it was getting louder.. or I was getting clo-SHIT![/i] The ice beneath the sparrow shattered, the crack could be heard on Earth. Europa was a satellite whose "crust" was strictly ice. What lay under was water, and because Europa had no atmosphere, the water could bring the temperature several hundred degrees on anything the moment it was touched, even a ship. Kelsey looked behind her, and she saw something... both beautiful and horrifying, It was a monster, a beast. This beast's scales were colored a nightmare-black, water leaked from its open mouth. The beast was shaped like a worm, but had only its shape in similar qualities. The creature's mouth was unhooked, a set of four fangs protruded from it, the fangs dripped with an indescribable liquid, but from what Kelsey saw, it was bright blue. The monster's scales were also penetrated by orange crystals, the crystals were glowing with a beautiful light. The glow almost took away from its horror, but its horror surpassed its beauty. Kelsey pushed her Sparrow to its limits, the air around her blowing back her cloak. [i]Come on, come on![/i] Kelsey, like lightning, turned her Sparrow, facing it towards the super-massive worm. "Ghost! Autopilot this thing, while I look for a weak spot!" "Uh, Madam, are you sure there even is one?" "No. But I have to look! Here." Ghost took control of the Sparrow, with a machine whose reflexes were faster than any human, as well as driving-skill, Ghost handled the Sparrow with ease. Meanwhile, Kelsey had to look with a naked eye for the beast's weak point. The worm dove under the ice, and on its butt was a shining purple set of crystals. [i]There.[/i] "Ghost! Try and steady this thing!" Kelsey drew her Icebreaker, and placed it on the stern of the Sparrow. She wrapped her legs around the carriage of the sparrow, and her bosom against the seat, and her feet were pushing the bow of the Sparrow. "Ghost, I need you to bait out this thing. I need it to surface, and go back into the water!" Ghost complies, and slows the Sparrow down. It listened, and waited. [i]Swish..[/i] Ghost suddenly puts the Sparrow into full speed, and behind the duo was the massive worm-like beast. "Ghost!" Ghost slows the Sparrow once again, and Kelsey lines up a shot. With Ghost already driving, she has no spotter, nor any way of calculating the time or wind. This shot was completely blind. [i]Bang![/i] The shot reflected off the worm's scales. The worm's mouth opened up into what looked like a smile, a devious, evil smile. The creature suddenly ducked under the water, and rose faster than Kelsey could see. [i]ROOAAR![/i] [i]BOOM![/i] [i]CRASH![/i] Kelsey lay on the ice, and placed her hands upon it. "Ghost?" No response. She repeated it. "Ghost?" Nothing. She rose, and noticed she still has everything. [i]But Ghost.[/i] Kelsey looked behind her, the ice-fields were in ruin. They were cracked, and torn. Like a sword from the heavens decided to cut it. "Ghost?!" Her voice got louder, and the plea got longer. She repeated it, with no answer in return. She repeated it again, nothing responded. She searched in the surrounding area, not a sign. Kelsey saw her Sparrow lying on its side, and rushed to it. She flipped it on its right side, and saw a small, black figure on the seat. She bent down, and picked the figure up. "Ghost?" Her voice choked. The figure disappeared in thin air, and left behind a trail of white-bits. Kelsey kneeled. She let her tears fall, and they dripped down the inside of her helmet. "Ghost." [b]Annd scene. Hope you enjoyed.[/b] [url=http://i.ytimg.com/vi/vXmo9xvQry4/maxresdefault.jpg]Inspiration For The Beast[/url]

When are you going to do this again? Send me a pm when/if you do

Some fight for themselves, hoping to live for another day. Some fight for the ones they love, hoping that if they die they'll make the world a safer place for the people they love. Others still fight for vengeance. Wanting to see the light leave their enemy's eyes, to see them bleed. Me? None of those. I have no instinct of self preservation. You should see some of my older cloaks. I have no loved ones. The few I've gotten close to have been long dead, and I don't need that pain again. I can't fight for vengeance, because I understand war. Two sides set against each other. Nameless nothings shooting at nameless nothings. So what do I fight for? Those that can't fight for themselves. I don't like pain; giving, taking, or just seeing it. I'm all too familiar with it, and nobody else needs to suffer through something like that. If I do need to fight, I go into a trance like state. I don't have guns, I have instruments of death. Each bullet might as well be inscribed with a name. A don't have grenades. I have blasts of devastation for what can not do with more traditional weapons. I do not have a knife. I have an extension of my arm, sharpened to a fine edge, ready to cut down all who defy me. One day I find myself patroling the jungles of Venus, trying to find spirit bloom for the tower botanist. Then I hear it. "Help! Someone, please help!" "There goes my afternoon", I think to myself. I hop on my sparrow and speed off in the direction of the cry. I come up to two novice guardians, one male one female. They are pinned down by dozens of fallen. The female has a dreg coming around the stone she's using as cover, but she's ready. One quick stab to the throat and if crumples silently to the ground. The male doesn't have the same luck. Four vandals armed with swords and camouflage rush him. He shotguns three down and goes to kill the fourth but the shotgun clicks empty. Even from my distance I heard him swear. The vandal pushes one sword through his abdomen, holding him up off the ground like a shishkabob. He looks to his left and calls out," I love you Julie." Then the wire rifle shoots square between his eyes. The titan collapses to the ground, dead. The hunter drops her pistol and screams a cry of anguish. She's more than a little pissed. She pulls out her knife again, only this time it's crackling with arc energy. Normally it takes some event for a guardian to get the ability to channel pure light. I guess the death of your lover qualifies. She's suddenly not there. I look over to the fallen and see them dropping dead with knife wounds or dissipating in the air. I finally get to her, bit there wasn't much I could do. One captain try to run, but I pulled out my rifle and put an end to that. She collapsed, likely exhausted. I survey the scene. They did pretty damn well for two freshly reborns. Then I see it; a crackle in the air behind her. I whip out my faithful revolver and put one shot in to the bastards head. She looks at me and wordlessly nods. I walk up to her and hold out my hand to help her up. She takes it, again without saying anything. Numb to the world, I thought to myself. I remember my first loss. I considered putting my revolver to my head and being done with this nonsense. My mentor slapped it out of my hand. Sometimes I wonder what would've happened had she not done that, what difference there would be in the world. "I loved him," she said, startling me out of my thoughts." I could've saved him." "No you couldn't have. Don't beat yourself up. Plenty of people die every day. The best thing we can do is make sure it wasn't in vain." I handed her my knife."You're pretty good with a knife. You'll be getting more use out of this than me."That was a complete lie. I had just honed it that morning."Come on, lets get you back to the tower. I'll buy ya a round of drinks." Comment if you want me to continue!

[i]So, after much deliberation, I decided to post my story back on here. And like I said before, this is my first attempt at something of this nature (in story). I also came to the realization that I was being too hard on myself. Anyway, here it is (again), enjoy![/i] I am enervated with killing...it’s all I ever do...and I can’t...I’m done. Capping the Cabal, vanquishing the Vex, hammering the Hive, and foiling the Fallen, I’m sick of it all. Physically and mentally drained, my slate grey eyes follow my hand canon, Misery, all the way to the carpeted floor of my ship’s cockpit. As I hurtle through this deep pool of eternal darkness that is space, I come to a bitter realization; I have nothing left. I’ve given everything that I had for the Traveler, for the people of the City, for my fellow Guardians. Endless shells of polished brass, countless numbers of enemies slain by my hand, and I can’t take it anymore. The spirits of the dead haunt my dreams, even though I can rarely find that sacred area of sleep, they still come. My ship bursted into flames as I entered into the planet’s atmosphere. The lonely little planet that floated carelessly amongst the stars, and out of the reach of the almighty Sun, Rabu waited patiently for me. The existence of this planet was thought to be a myth, a fable, and nothing more than a tiny piece of folklore spun by those in power to fool those without. Unfortunately, and all too often, my fellow peers fall into the lies and believe that, in place of this beautiful piece of rock, is blank matter. But, it is here where I knew that I would find [i]her[/i]. “All ends are beginnings…. Our fight is far from over.” I remember the gentility of her robotic voice as if it were only a few minutes ago. Her battered cloak covering her feminine metal frame, those little specs of blue light, that served as her eyes, scanning over me. It was a feeling unlike any other, and it is this feeling that has brought me here to her home planet of Rabu. I didn’t have any permissions or clearances to dock, but that didn’t stop me as my ship found an unoccupied space in the hangar underneath their city. I stepped out of my vessel, climbing over bars like a jungle-gym until my feet hit the steel platform where I was greeted by the inhabitants of the planet; Exos, lots of them, and all with their weapons draw, and pointing right at me. “Your kind is not welcome here, Human. How dare you defile our planet with your stench of death and loathing? If you wish to die so badly, perhaps you should go and dance with the Deathsinger…” This Exo was a male, and an ill-tempered one. “I do not wish to die, sir,” I said as I was unsure how to address him. “My only wish is to see--” but the bastard cut me off. “I have no interest in your wishes, Human, and as a matter of fact, I have no interest in seeing your disgusting, hideous face any longer than I already have. Shoot this man.” Their guns charged with an electric buzz, and I closed my eyes as I prepared myself for death. But it was that soft, sweet, robotic voice that rang out and into my ears instead of a pulse rifle blast. “Leave him be.” Her voice took me away to a place where I, at every waking moment, envisioned us to be. A green meadow that stretches as far as the eye could see, rolling hills, tall, yawning trees that would sway ever so softly in the wayfaring breeze, and her. The hard, cold unforgiving feel of her metal exterior against my bare flesh, arms wrapped about each other in a loving embrace… “Leave him be? You must be totally fried, woman. This man is a human, and he is trespassing on our home. This, as you know, is a serious crime punishable by death. If we let one human live to tell the tale, more will come, and the vermin will arrive in unrelenting hordes to infest and destroy, Rabu, just as they have done to, Earth.” “He’s come to find me, not to ravage our planet of every natural resource. And I would watch your tone you bucket of bolts, lest you forget, I outrank you.” The light of her eyes pierced through the one who wanted me dead, until she found me. “So, you wished to see me? Well, here I am. Come, we have much to discuss.” Her voice soothed me as it sent my heart to flutter like an angel with wings under my ribcage. With great haste, I stepped out of the murder-circle the Exos formed around me, and quickly caught up next to her. “Thank you,” I said, but I was nervous and afraid. My voice cracked and stuttered as I tried to speak. “I...I can’t believe that I found you...ever since that day in the Tower after the Heart was destroyed...I have hoped and prayed that I would see you again.” My words came out in a quick ramble of near-incoherent nonsense, but she turned, a smile could be detected in her voice. “I thought that you would…” something like sadness emitted from her vocal box. “But, you shouldn’t have come. I may hold a position of power on my planet, but I cannot save you.” “I didn’t come here to be saved, my lady, I came here because…” I couldn’t finish my sentence, how stupid I must sound. A mournful sigh came from her. “I know why you’re here, Caeli, and as much as this pains me to say; it cannot be.” “Don’t you see…” I moved my body in front of her, effectively stopping her from her walk. My hands, as if I were reaching for nirvana, found their place on her steel shoulders. “We don’t have to stay here. You can come with me, in my ship. We can leave right now, fly out among the stars where there is no one to say that we can’t be together. Your mysterious, distant, and sexy. You are the first thing that I think about in the morning and the last thing I think about before I drift off to my nightmares. You are the light that guides me through the dark, the beacon of life that I am so desperately clinging to...you’re all I need, you’re all I’ve ever wanted.” But her eyes did not rise to meet mine. Instead, she slowly lowered her head to stare at the ground. “Caeli...please...try to understand. I am not what you need. I am nothing more than flashing lights and wires. I--” I didn’t let her finish. My right hand moved from her shoulder to lightly cup her frosty, rigid chin in my palm. The blood surged through my veins as my heart pounded hard enough to burst, I didn’t care, I wanted this, I hunted for this, this is what I wanted… I carefully lifted her head, my gaze meeting hers, then, I made my move. Electrifying shockwaves reverberated through my body as my lips found the sweet-spot of hers. I closed my eyes as I floated into a utopia of unequivocal bliss, and this moment washed away all of the horrors, all of the bloodshed, it all melted away like an ice cube on a hot day. Whether she felt the same, or whether she didn’t, I would never find out. I felt the cold steel press against my right temple...and my last conscious thought, before the trigger was pulled, was, as it had always been; of her.

A small flame is dangerous. With each and every second that passes it spreads; consuming everything in its path. A small flame is dangerous, yes. But easily extinguished at the start. Much like a dream. Much like hope... His eyes slowly open, pupils grasping for what little remained of the star's light. Death's aroma hangs heavily in the air; whether it arose from the decaying flesh of those who could no longer bear this destiny, or from the despair of those too frightened to end their own suffering he could not be certain. Not that it mattered, none of it mattered anymore. He closes his eyes, the gentle darkness embracing him as he tries once more to leave his hell. A bell sounds off in the distance, cries of despair and agony accompany it's low tone. A piece coveted by none, conducted upon the reaper's scythe, slicing deep into the sanity of its audience. At least what is left of it. A few of them stumble to their feet and cry out in pain as they trip over the decaying corpses in their attempt to flee. In his mind they are fools for trying. Others weep and slowly rock back and forth, hands clasped over each ear. He doesn't blame them, he too had once tried to block out death's melody. To no avail. The unsightly duet is cut short as the ensemble fades in the distance. Only a handful remained, if only in body alone. His eyes open once more as shrieks of terror echo off in the distance. "I don't want to die. I don't want to die. Brother help me!" a woman next to him whispers frantically, repeating it as if it were a sacred mantra. Her sockets are empty, save for the maggots and filth that fill them. A sick and twisted prize for the Hunter responsible. He wishes it had taken her tongue instead. He sits up, his hair draped over his face, the charcoal tendrils concealing the smile that had crept over it. "Woman" he begins as his fingers dig into her throat "have you ever tasted the flesh of a Hunter?" His grip tightens as he begins to laugh "They said if I drank its blood I would become strong like the Hunters." He screams as the woman's nails dig deep into the backs of his hands, as she desperately tries to escape. "So I ate it, I ate all of it! But it wasn't enough, it still isn't enough. I'm so hungry, tell me why am I still hungry?" He sobs as the woman's hands fall limp to her sides; her face twisted in agony. His grip loosens and the corpse falls to the ground. He stares at his hand. It no longer resembles the rest of his body, the once soft tissue had come to resemble bone. Dozens of jagged blade-like pieces extend from his forearm. A fine point capable of tearing away at flesh rested at the end of each fingertip. "You...you're a monster! Just like those..those things out there!" A man screams as he stares at the other's arm. The man begins to crawl away, a trail of feces following behind him, tears streaming down his face. "Please just lea...leave me alone! I don't want to di-" the man is cut short as a jagged blade separates his head from his body. The other stands. His body filling with excitement as the creature slowly walks to retrieve the blade and claim it's prize. "I've been so hungry" he whispers as he begins to tremble. He can feel as the blood rushes throughout his body, his heart screaming out in joy. The hunter turns in the direction of the voice, all but too late. It's eyes fill with surprise and confusion as an arm similar to it's own pierces through it's chest. An emerald liquid spurts from the creatures mouth as it's world fades to black. "[b][i]FEED ME[/i][/b]" echoes throughout the darkness as the Hunter draws it's last breath....

(Sorry I thought I would submit a second story) - A DIFFERENT"T TYPE OF HUNT- Some Hunters scour the vast wastelands, all in search of that elusive prey. A Hive knight here, or a lowly dreg there, they all end up getting picked off one by one. Now why do they go through all the trouble you ask? Well…It was once said that Man was the greatest game of all, so just how much more thrilling is the game, when your victims have crushed countless civilizations of man under their feet. For those brave few, the thrill and the excitement must be the ultimate high. I on the other hand, seek a different high, for I am a different kind of hunter…A treasure Hunter! I’ve searched high and low from the plains of Teljiba, to the Herutich heights, all in the filthy name of loot and lucre. Along the way I learned two basic rules of successful treasure hunting: #1 Never assume there isn’t a shotgun behind the door, with a string attached from its trigger to the door handle. #2 Never assume that after 500 years that shotgun won’t fire. In fact, over the years I’ve lost more colleagues like that than I have fingers to count them with. I heard about its existence from an old trader, a vast military complex hidden deep within the ice fields of Annor. Protected by a War Mind it has remained untouched for centuries! At last, a virgin hunting ground. Not knowing of the dangers ahead, I departed at once all alone, and after two months, I finally arrived at its secret location…It was just as the old man had said, pristine, beautiful and ready for the taking. Images of vast weapon catches, or fuel tanks filled to the brim with glimmer danced through my mind. I walked up to its gates, something strange happened. <SMACK!!> It felt like I’ve hit my face against a wall. Reaching with my hands I could feel it, there was a wall, an invisible wall! No wonder why this complex had remained unmolested for centuries; it was protected by some great force barrier! I sat down staring at my new White Whale which was the Complex. If the ancients had such powerful defense systems such as these, how could the Darkness have beaten them? But then I saw it, a chink in its armor, there was a crack! On my first attempt, I heard a great loud voice echo “TURN BACK GUARDIAN 4, 3, 2, 1”…Everything went fuzzy and I died. Was that the voice and power of the Warmind? After Ghost had patched me up, it was time to try again. This time, I jammed my Sparrow inside full throttle! I must break past the barrier before the timer has run out. “Common!, Common!” I said as the warning sounds chirped from my Sparrow which was ready to explode. I had just about given up hope on this try, when BLAM!!! I had broken through.. Little did I know, not only did I break through the barrier, but I had also broken through space and time! Light would instantly turn dark; night would turn instantly into day. Objects would even suddenly distort and twist as I made my way through this great labyrinth. I finally saw the exit; it appeared as a white light though a doorway, but it was across a great rift, and as I walked closer, the ledge bridging the gap had vanished from sight. I thought to myself. “The ledge must still be there, for I know it’s there in the real world. I just must have faith that it’s there” … I leaped…Suddenly the whole world had come back into focus; I had fallen back into real space. Much to my dismay, this was a research station. It was full of computers and techy gizmos that I’m sure would enthrall the Cryptarch’s. There were some weapons, but they were mostly just junk, “maybe I can sell some of their parts and recoup some of my losses” I thought to myself. After many hours searching the dark corridors of the complex, all for the offset chance I must be able to find some left over glimmer; I accidentally tripped on an old bottle, which sent me stumbling down an elevator shaft, that ended up leading me to a room far below the base. Good thing I have Ghost to patch me up, every time I make a little life costing mistake. In the middle of the room, something has finally caught my eye. On a table was a large metal pre collapse Weapons Chest. I immediately got up and rushed over to it. Jiggling the lock with my Knife, I could feel the sense of excitement swell up in me. Even after all these years it still feels like Christmas when I open one of these things. After all, you never know what you’ll find, as I’ve seen everything from exciting ancient alcohols, to boring letters and books written by the ancestors. The lock breaks and the lid snaps open...Inside, is a gleaming white rocket launcher with gold accents. I have an eye for quality and this the best I have ever seen, but what is it? Ghost points out there is also an enigram in the chest with instructions on how to make it. He says it’s a prototype for something called Project Gjallarhorn, and it’s quite powerful. I can tell everyone is going to want one of these. I’m about to become a very rich man, maybe even rich enough to retire at the tower back on Earth. But only one question remains… “Now how do I get out of here?” The end

Growing up I heard rumors of its existence, the old men would stretch stories and spin it’s tales to the eager ears of children in the village. A lost world! One filled with vast riches and resources, abandoned by our ancestors in the great collapse. Some of these children grew into adults who could plainly see the absurdity of such stories; others left our little village with such great hopes and aspirations never to be seen again. I was one of the first ones, the non-believers… That is I used to be. I’m not sure, what age I was when my Ghost first awoken me, or how many days I wandered through the desert mindlessly until I finally came upon the village. At first they did not know what to make of me, as it had been many decades since they had seen an outsider. Some wanted to stone me, calling me a retrograde due to my skin did not share the same vibrant pinks, and blue hues as theirs did. Some after seeing my Ghost were deeply afraid of me, calling me the light of destruction, but one… an elderly widow took pity on me, lucky for me she was also the chief elder and her word was law. She took me into her home, she feed me and she even named me “Sitka” after a great ancient tree, I simply knew her as “Aunt” and my words could never express the love and thankfulness I had felt for her. As the years passed, I was happy there. I mindlessly tilled the ground under the hot double sun, oblivious to my surroundings and the seasons. That is until that fateful day when my Aunt had quietly gone to sleep, never to wake again. The whole town had shown up to her funeral, even the children. As the town all wept telling each other stories of how Aunt had blessed each others lives, I however sat alone in the darkness of my dwelling, simply staring at an empty wall. Suddenly there was a knock on the door. “May I come in young man?” asked the soft reassuring voice behind the long wooden planks. It was Annair the new Chief Elder.”Please come in” I responded, as I finally diverted my gaze from the wall into the general direction of the door. Annair who was huddled by age and hard labor, shuffled himself into the room and planted himself to the closest chair possible. Annair's expression turned grim “I’m sorry for your loss, we all loved her deeply but there is something we must discuss” he said. Concerned and puzzled by his statement I responded “What do you need me to help you with?” Annair then lowered his head in shame and quietly said “You will have to leave the village, it’s time” I stood back astounded. “Why, what have I done wrong?” I asked him with a raised voice. Annair slowly lifted his head to look me in the eyes. “Nothing, you have done nothing wrong” he responded. “Then why?” I pleaded with him. Annair’s expression had now turned sternly almost stone like “There is something deep inside you that cannot dwell amongst the living. The Darkness hunts your kind and devours all in its fury. It’s no longer safe for you to be with us” Deep down I understood what he meant. As the villagers aged I somehow remained the same, I had never even suffered a single day of illness. It was if every molecule in my being had defied nature itself, it was the epitome of the unnatural, it was my Ghost. Annair then presented a small metal case that was hidden amongst his cloak. “She wanted you to have this, but she asked that you do not open it until you leave the village” said Annair as he gently handed the box to me, he then added “Here is also something from me, go there and you may find what’s left of the ships that brought us here” he then handed me a piece of paper to which looked like a map. Annair watched me as I gathered a few of my things, and filled my water jug. Upon finishing, I shook his hand and thanked him for his kindness; I was leaving never to look back. From the desert I came, and now the desert I go back.

Yolk thos nuts our leader ⛳️

I was going to make a story but I feel like a failure today.

Well, here's the OP's entry. I won't put it into the poll--consider this a very long-winded bump. * * * The cold clawed at Vathis like ten thousand hands as he floundered through the windswept snow. Vathis cursed the cold and cursed the world and cursed the Captain who’d led them here, led them to die out here in this barren waste. He didn’t curse the thing they’d found. No, no. That might call it. He took a deep draught of ether and listened to the stories it sang, but now it whispered of prey and the chase, and he knew the stories were not his. The only sound Vathis heard was the wind, and the Earth animals’ mournful cry. Through the blinding snow ahead, he saw a tall, steep-sloped hill, and began to scrabble across the snow and ice towards it. The ether sang of the scent on the wind, of running fleet-foot across the snow, of pack-brothers joining in glorious song. Vathis redoubled his pace, and clutched his prize against his chest. He remembered Captain Skelsi, so proud of his discovery out here in the wild, so sure he had at last found a key to the Great Machine. A touchstar, faint but unmistakable, far beneath the mountains, far from the delvings of the other Houses. The prize would be theirs. None could steal it from them. Vathis hauled himself up the sharp rocks, the baying creatures closer now. He looked over his shoulder and saw them flowing across the ground, bright yellow eyes glittering in the night. He remembered when they’d found the touchstar, or it had allowed itself to be found, and found the thing which kept it, as old and bitter as the winter wind. Skelsi had died first, and the others, all save Vathis, who had fled, this one fragment of touchstar clasped to his breast. He stood at the top of the hill, crested by a large snowcapped boulder. He placed his back against the boulder, drew his shock pistol with his free upper hand, a knife in each of his lower two. The animals drew closer, circled him, fangs bared, growling to one another in anticipation. The ether crowed of victory, of red joy and white bones. Vathis awaited the inevitable. And then they drew back, turned and fled. The ether’s song was stilled. The touchstar in his hand throbbed, like something alive. Vathis heard a voice behind him. “You cannot steal from the dark,” said Skelsi, and wrapped his cold, dead hands about Vathis’ neck. His fingers bit like ten thousand cold claws.

The wire rifle shots whizzed passed her head, searing the sides of her helmet and making her hair stand up. The fusion rifle was dead. It's battery long since emptied, used to kill a dreg. Now the House of Devils was on her tail, and their vandals hunted her down and trapped her on the outside of the wall. The guardian slid behind some rocks and what her ghost called "cars" the guardian had a name but the guardian is not the focus of the tale. The rifle lay on its side, it's stock in view, the rest lay hidden under the car. The guardian slid the rifle out in desperation, she loaded one of her own sniper caliber magazines and cycled the round. The gun felt old. Clunky. Powerful. The guardian noticed an engraving on the stock. No. Land. Beyond. Shock rounds whizzed over the car and sent her ducking for cover. She poked her head up and fired a round into the chest of a dreg. It stumbled and fell. It was not as powerful as she thought, but it worked. She cycled the next round and blew the ether out of a vandal. The next shot broke the shield of a captain and sent him down in a heap of armor and cloak. No Land Beyond. Thus Reclamation must begin. Every round she fired became increasingly stronger. Soon dregs were left with holes in their chests and captains were stripped of their shields and their lives in a single thunderous blow to the chest. She worked the bolt after every kill and soon the captains and vandals stopped coming. The rifle. The No Land Beyond felt new. Reborn. The guardian returned to the tower that day. Despite the Fallen's best efforts. She restocked the No Land Beyond with sniper rounds and returned to the Cosmodrome before the Fallen could regroup. She slid the rifle just where she found it. Her ghost left a note "blazes the path to our Reclamation" Now the legend of the No Land Beyond circulate and guardians hunt for the rifle. The Hunter who first found it never gives information on where it is. She says "the rifle finds you." But she's long since been senile and her ghost was captured by a wizard on the moon. Guardians hunt daily and nightly. Some only leave the Cosmodrome to restock on ammo. For some, there is No Land Beyond the Cosmodrome. I understand it doesn't quite fit the "hunting on an alien planet" but I just wanted to get this out there.

The terrain felt strange under my boots. The rocks were...slightly spongy. But they wouldn't hinder me. The Queen wanted these Wolves dead, and I wasn't about to abandon the mission because of some squishy rocks. My glowing cape blew a little in the breeze. Breeze? There is no wind in space. A sound accompanied the stirring air; the sound of a Fallen dropship breaking into orbit. The Wolves were here. I quickly crouched and my invisibility activated, hiding my glowhoo. I pulled my rifle out, my beautiful Ice Breaker. Propped it on a rock. The Wolves were out and milling around now, three dregs, three vandals, one Major. Looked like a Captain. Inhale, exhale. Three times my finger squeezed the trigger; three shots rang out, and six Wolves fell, the dregs taken out by the exploding vandals. My camo deactivated. I stood, in plain sight, and put away my gun. The Captain roared at me, and charged, firing his cannon. My teeth gleamed, and the arc light danced around my body as I pulled out two wicked blades. The last thing these Wolves will taste will be the cold metal of my knives down their throat.

Macy found it in herself to remain frozen for almost three lifeless hours, but also felt compelled to suddenly lose sight of her focus for an object of a greater importance. Her mind boggled at the mere fact that her posture had been undisturbed for such a long time. It killed her to think of the slight aches she would have to endure once she returned to The Tower. Surely, the ensuing mockery and annoyance would be directed to her fellow companion. For all the glimmer and quiet this mission was worth, the least he could do was spur up their uneventful cinders with a douse of idle chitchat. "9...8...7...9...8...7..." Instead, the Hunter lying down next to her was making friends with the minds he conjured up for himself. They spoke nothing to him, but his talk was kept relatively short, given the dry state of the situation the two found themselves in. He held in his hands a messenger, one hand gripped tightly around the worn down handle and the other positioned nearby as to maintain the sniper's balance. A single eye peered through the weapon's magnified scope to a distant entity some few irrelevant measures away. It matter little to the Hunter how far his target was. His shots never strayed or succumbed to fear. Yet his whispered speech and feeble trembling spoke otherwise, perplexing the Huntress at his side. So she worked up the nerve to ask, finally giving in to the boredom that had consumed her fragile body lifetimes ago. "Would you just shoot the damn thing and move on before-" Silence was ejected along with a silver shell and a sender bullet. A sudden flashed caused Macy's body to shudder and her eyes to blink almost instantly. The crackle of condensed thunder created a barely audible whistling noise that left a thin trail of smoke. Jack relaxed, his body shaking after bearing the force of a rampaging Titan on his right shoulder. Said messenger had delivered its noteworthy statement in mere seconds, the rifle verbally quaked in glee once the receiver faltered. The quiet resumed its reign once the pair rose to their feet. Upon further inspection, Macy's unyielding stare caught sight of the creature her companion just decapitated. The beast of a Hive Ogre was an abomination of its own kind, known to threaten the stability of all if left unchecked. Cleaning up the enemies' messes was something general considered a last resort when bounties ran scarce. This on the other hand was something else entirely. A shiver fell down Macy's spine as she looked back to Jack, who was quivering despite standing upright. "That [i]thing[/i] down there, ugliest combination of scary and intimidating." "What if I told you that I couldn't take the shot because I was scared? It knew it, somehow sensed my fears and threw me into a mental battle of wits. It was winning." Jack attempted to describe. "What do you mean? Did that sniper kick the sense out of you?" "I saw things and in turn, it saw my triumph card. I acted before it could and got lucky." "Your triumph card, you mean your childish counting?" "9...8...7..." Jack spoke happily, "it reminds me that I have control over the situation. If I belittle the enemy from my standing at 9 to a lesser number like 7, I have the strength of 7, 8, and 9. The enemy is lower and weaker, thus making me stronger." A smirk grew on Macy's lips, "So you can count, big whoop. I know the whole alphabet backwards but you don't see me using that against a Devil Walker." "Call it childish if you like but it also has a more [i]frivolous[/i] meaning: 9 ate 7." Jack chuckled lightly to himself before motioning Macy to follow him. An unsatisfied shrug was the answer he got before the Huntress let go a dumbfounded sigh and began walking toward the horizon. [spoiler]As for a quick introduction: Hello, I'm Midas Cyeneus. I have been a member here for some time, but never had the time to contribute until now. I too hail from The Black Garden, just like SaviorsBlood, and I have written some pieces over there. Hope to add more here in the future :) [/spoiler]

As I was waiting in orbit on my ship, I saw a small light. I decided why not, and followed it. It ended up over Old Russia scanning what appeared to be skeletons. The I couldn't see, and someone was talking to me. My ghost on the ground. As I look down, I notice I have hydraulic fingers, and a ship crashing in the background. There's only one memory in my mind. Looking down on a Ghost and a skeleton. My exo skeleton. My new self not needing earthly things as food and water and air. I've become an exo, my old body burning in the ship. My conscious has been transferred to an exo. I am no longer a man. I am not Extinguisher-1 I'd like to give credit to a guardian who's name I've forgotten in the idea that exo's were once people. Also in the grimore.