[spoiler]For the next few Wednesdays, I will be posting parts of the standalone shortstory, [u]Dakota Jones and the Scholars[/u]. The collective of parts can be found in the [u]Strength of the Pack: Battle of Two Towers[/u] table of contents.[/spoiler] Dakota Jones put on a t-shirt as his ghost, T.C, played a message, "Come on, Dakota, hurry! I think we've convinced Master Jal!" "I'm hurrying, I'm hurrying..." Dakota said quietly to himself. He opened his closet door and gleamfully looked over his warlock armor. He threw on his pristine white coat, the Purifier Robes. Afterwards, a gold plate in the shape of wings materialized as a chest plate. The warlock pulled on his two gauntlets and shifted them around. He reached up and took down his white and gold helmet, but instead of putting it on, he tucked it under his arm. "I don't believe Master Jal is going to agree to this..." T.C. said as he followed Dakota out of the door of their apartment. "It'll be a miracle if he does," Dakota replied before sliding his helmet on. He looked to his ghost, then walked down the halls. Dakota looked around the campus. Warlocks walked up and down hallways, some searched for books, and some sparred with each other. This tower, designated mainly for warlocks, was the college of many classes and training halls for several fireteams. Dakota pushed open one of two large, wooden doors. Four warlocks were already standing around. "So nice of you to finally join us," one warlock, Isaiah Ford, smarted off at Dakota. Dakota scorned his friend. "What do we have here?" He asked after standing in attention, arms locked together behind his back. The warlock had his feet far apart, making Dakota seem like an even larger man than he already was. Six feet and three inches tall. The star apprentice and second in command, Brian Mandel, held up a holotablet showing a very iconic structure. "Master, I believe we're ready!" Everyone else held their breaths. The arch-warlock, Master Jal, turned to Brian and stared at the hologram. "We have lost several Guardians to the Vault, Brian! I don't plan to lose you all to it, as well!" He was very aware of the dangers that hid in that Vex stronghold. "Master, we won't be as careless as our predecessors. We'll do what we always do: observe, adapt, and defeat!" Brian replied, getting a bit cocky. "You think the Vault is some endgame mission?! Something to beat, then move on? Not even Kabr's team could conquer the Vault!" Master Jal snapped on his pupil. Brian shied back. "The Traveler will help us succeed where they failed. And we shall succeed in their honor," the warlock, Clara Ford, Isaiah Ford's sister, said after stepping forward. Dakota stepped up beside Clara. "Please, Master. There is no telling what the Vex are doing down there, and another day debating is another step closer to completing their plan..." Master Jal looked at his four eager students. He sighed heavily. "...For Kabr's team..." "For Kabr!" Everyone yelled back. The fireteam entered the hanger, each carrying weapons and ammo. They packed up their starfighters and prepared to leave. "What do we have here?" Asked a Guardian while walking down a flight of stairs. The team of warlocks froze, then turned to see who it was. Master Jal exhaled after holding his breath. "Cayde! Thank God it wasn't Ikora," he said. The warlock looked to his students, then back to Cayde-6. "An unsanctioned op that requires breaking into a Vex stronghold.?." He gave an unconvincing smile. "Why haven't I used that on Zavala?..." Cayde said to himself. "Aaanyways... Stay safe. Speaking of Zavala, I have a pissed off titan to avoid!" Cayde walked out of the hanger as calmly as he walked in. "Really? Just, really?" Isaiah asked out of sheer awe. Master Jal shrugged his shoulders, then continued to pack up his equipment. Everyone jumped into their ships, then ignited their engines. Flames shot from the ships, and thanks to Newton's third law of motion, gave off thrust to propel the jumpships out of the hanger. As soon as the warlocks were clear of the tower, they shot out of the atmosphere and waited in orbit. The fireteam of five was transmatted to the lush surface of Venus. Ahead of them, sitting atop a slope, stood the infamous gate into the Vault of Glass. Isaiah gave a long, shrill, whistle of amazement. "Well, what are we waiting for?!" Brian exclaimed before running to a slope that led to the gate. Soon, everyone else followed. The team reached the gate, but they were already beaten to it. A hunter, only standing because he was propped up by the door, was repeatedly knifing the metal device. "Let... me... in!... Let... me... in!..." he said in a slurred voice. The Guardian had been trying to find a way in for days, and now he was just completely exhausted. "Would be a hunter," Dakota said with a huff. The other warlocks laughed. "Need some help?" Master Jal asked as he approached the Guardian. The hunter struggled to lift his head up and look at the team. He stumbled as he tried to walk towards them. "If... if you think... you're smart enough to get it open..." Dakota and Isaiah shared looks with each other. "That's just offensive," Isaiah said. "Come on, we could use a six," Master Jal said as he waved him over. The hunter tried to walk, but collapsed to the ground after one step. Everyone, concerned about the Guardian, shared looks with each other, then stared at the passed out Guardian. "Now, what do we do?" Isaiah asked as he threw his arms up. "We could shoot him... Maybe his ghost will revive him in a more healthy state," Brian said as he looked to his teammates. He pumped his shotgun, then aimed it at the body. "What?!" Master Jal shrieked. "We can't just shoot... Oh, wait... Never mind, go ahead," the arch-warlock took two steps back. [b]Pow!![/b] After a moment, the hunter returned from a blaze of Light. He stood up and looked around. His gaze landed on one warlock. "Did... did you shoot me?!" He exclaimed. Brian looked down at the shotgun he was gripping tightly. Everyone else turned to Brian as well. "No matter," Master Jal said. "We need your help," The hunter, still shooting Brian a disgusted look, crossed his arms. "What do you need me to do?"