The two Guardians quickly traversed the rocky plains and thick jungles so prevalent on Venus, thanks to their Sparrows. Jadis had spoken nothing since the two had left the ship, and rode silently ahead of her companion. Behind her, Tempest's mind was churning. He had been formulating and considering thousands of ideas and suggestions as to what Jadis could be possibly doing, but he would always reach the same roadblock: why was she keeping him alive? The Hunter was already a powerful and formidable adversary on her own, and if she felt outmatched she would never consider stooping down to accept the help of someone like Tempest. At least not willingly. Until Tempest could figure out her motives, he would be ensuring the woman would never leave her sight. As their Sparrows coursed over a rocky slope, they were met with a foreboding sight. As far as the eye could see was a colossal forest, made up of massive trees as tall as some of the ruins that made up the abandoned Academy near the Ishtar Cliffs. The roots and trunks were curled and twisted among the bodies of its wooden brethren, creating an imposing barrier that resembled something akin to a thick wall of brambles. As Tempest dismounted his Sparrow he could only marvel at the creation of a marvelous sight. He made a note to return to Venus again, to further study this forest. "Any particular reason why your "friend" would choose to live in a place like this?" asked Tempest. "Just make sure you don't get lost." Jadis said roughly. She began to walk briskly towards the twisted trees, Tempest close behind. ………………………………………….. Even with his vast expanse of knowledge, Tempest could only imagine how a forest such as this could be created. The roots, branches, and even the very trunks of the trees themselves were wrapped and coiled around each other to form masterful, intricate designs that only nature itself could provide. Of course, it made traveling through the forest a great hassle. The twisted forms of the trees made for a mazelike series of openings through their twisted forms, some so small even a Ghost could not squeeze through them, and others so large two Fallen Skiffs could pass through side by side without any trouble. Tempest had tried to keep track of where he had been going since entering, but soon it not only became impossible to tell not only where he was, but when. Distance through this enormous maze seemed to be warped, and with the little light that seemed to pierce through the canopy of the forest, time itself seemed to be standing still, waiting with a bated breath. This forest...was an ageless wonder, seeming to defy the very laws of space and time. If he hadn't just recently been through a bout of torture, he may have been able to appreciate Truth's adept sense of direction. After some time, the two Guardians stepped out of an opening from between the trunks of two trees and dropped down into a very large clearing. Here the trees had grown and interwoven among one another to form a roof of interlocking roots and branches. Unlike the rest of the forest, the trees hadn't seem to spread themselves any further across the ground, and enough light penetrated from above to form a lush layer of grass. Pieces of machinery and weaponry were scattered across the clearing, and a ramshackle hut composed of scrap metal and wooden planks stood precariously in the corner. Sitting in the center of the clearing, legs criss-crossed together, was a single man. Even though his robes were muddied and torn, a single insignia could be seen shining proudly across his back. "That's the symbol for the Praxic Warlocks..." gasped an astonished looking Tempest. "I thought their order died out decades ago..." "They're are a few of us still roaming the system." responded the man. "I just happen to be the most accessible." The man stood up, and turned to face Jadis and Tempest. The first thing noticed was his halo of white hair, colored with long streaks of red and orange. He didn't seem to be old for a Guardian, maybe in his mid-twenties, but his eyes ruined the image. They were like miniature suns, unknowingly broadcasting massive amounts of power and knowledge. The man may have been young for a Guardian, but he was very old indeed." A sudden realization hit Tempest like a wave, and his eyes widened as he began to address the new figure. "You're La--" "Lazarus." finished Jadis, completely unfazed by Tempest's sudden state of bewilderment. "You know, one of the last known disciples of the Praxic Warlocks, an order said to contain some of the most powerful Sunsingers to have ever lived, et cetera, et cetera..." At that moment, Tempest became truly horrified. Tempest was a master Voidwalker, and could do things with void energy that many Warlocks could only dream of. However, he figured that Lazarus would be able to match his own abilities with his own solar oriented powers. If both of them were to fight against one another at full strength, the battle would be, catastrophic, to say the least. At least now he knew why Jadis wasn't worried about Tempest turning on her. Lazarus would be around to keep him in check. "So, looks like you need another Warlock's help in order to do your dirty work. And yet from what I know, you planning on eradicating them. You sure do hold yourself to double standards, don't you Truth?" "Eradicating Warlocks?" Lazarus gave Jadis a questioning look. I didn't think you were capable of taking it that far. Itami seems to be crazier than I thought." "What the hell does any of this have to do with that psychopathic bastard?" retorted Tempest, his voice beginning to rise in volume. Tempest's mind was roiling like the ocean during a grand storm. All of these questions, and there was only one person who could give him the answers. As Tempest stepped forward toward the Hunter, Lazarus's palm splayed outwards. His eyes began to blaze like an exploding supernova, and a ball of fire slowly grew in his hand. Tempest had to take a large step back before Lazarus would lower his state of sudden hostility. Jadis looked unfazed. "Maybe if you sat down to listen, I would tell you." Tempest just gaped at her. He turned his head to look at Lazarus. The Sunsinger simply nodded. With no other viable options available, Tempest sighed and began to make himself comfortable on the lush grass, as he prepared himself to hear how Jadis's betrayal of the Tower all began. ………………………………………… Yamishtin admired the hidden ship. Tracking the Hunter and Warlock to Venus was one thing. Figuring out that the two had hidden their ship so obscurely under a rock overhang was another thing entirely. Now he had to figure out where they had gone. After having his Ghost pick through the surprisingly heavy amount of security placed on the ship, Yamishtin scoured the place thoroughly, searching meticulously for anything he could use to track his target. After searching the cargo bay, he finally found what he needed: a single strand of blue hair. Carefully clutching the single stand of hair, Yamishtin pulled out his MIDA Multi-Tool, the needle of the attached compass spinning around erratically. He draped the hair over the compass. The needle spun into an invisible blur inside its casing before it came to an abrupt stop, pointing straight to the east. Yamishtin smiled. "My MIDA Multi-Tool is stupid. Pffffft, yeah right! Thanks to this baby I'm about to earn myself a Xurday shopping spree. Time for the hunt, to begin." [b]Sorry about all the multiple posts. I tried to post it as a single installment, but it was too big! I hope you enjoyed it. If you expected some action, I do apologize. Trust me, there is going to be a LOT of action coming up, but I've had many people asking to give them something other than action, so I do hope I delivered. Chapter 6 should be out sometime next week, so either continue to check this post, or check out the chapter index in the link below. Thanks for reading! [/b] https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/116093772/0/0 [i]Here is the link to Part 6! Enjoy.[/i] https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/116982822/0/0