Instinctive: A Destiny Short Story The Fallen show an astonishing level of organization and adaptability, especially for a race that has been broken apart as badly as they have. If Humanity has anything in common with them, it’s those two things. Everyday, the moment the sun rises, casting its ethereal splendor onto the husks of buildings abandoned from the days of Humanity’s golden age to the sand, a small group of Fallen exits the building they occupy, to patrol the area, hunting for prey that wanders too close. Prey being guardians, and this group has made a high enough body count that action is being taken against them. The best way to cause disorder is to cut off the snake’s head, and this snake has a head not to be taken lightly. A Fallen Captain, old, strong, and merciless, many guardians have become a victim of his. Everyday he leaves the relative safety of the occupied building to lead his patrol on a thorough search of the surrounding area. I know all this because I have been laying in wait on the balcony of an apartment across from the entrance for 7 days, peering through my scope, learning and waiting. The sun crests the hill behind me, and the Fallen leave their fortified position just as a sandstorm begins to creep into the area. Within a few minutes the group is completely blinded, and the captain becomes separated from the main group. This is a chance I have been waiting for, I stand up, fixing my scope onto the Captain as the cloud of sand breaks, and the Captain looks up. We look into each other's eyes. I am a hunter of The Last City, and I can see that my quarry knows the instinctive fear that comes from being prey.

the white sun beat down, wind howled through ancient ruins, sand against buildings like water over stone. the Titan called Auxiliary Opinion sat within a long deserted room atop a spire like building, a relic from the world that was. She flicked the power supply on her external radio. It had been nothing but static and wind for days now. Auxiliary Opinion motioned her helmet to enter an artificial night. She ran through old data banks stored in the suits memory, she saw loved ones. She saw home. ***** The sound of grating steel interrupted unsavoury dreams. The Titan’s suit kicked her out of safe sleep. Her vizor undarkened and the hud flicked back on. A strut from the building’s exposed innards had buckled under the stress of the wind and fallen against a supporting wall. Auxiliary Opinion glanced at the suitcase sized timer next to her, four minutes. she pulled herself up on her wounded leg, the burn stretching from near her groin to her left knee. It split and bled as she moved. three minutes. Looking out over the Buried city, windswept and smoothed by the tidal sands, she wondered about the rest of humanity, how had it come to this? On the red earth below tiny figures moved in strange patterns across sand. she no longer hated them, the universe after all didn’t care which species won out, any more than which stars burned out. for one impossibly long minute Auxiliary Opinion stood at the very edge of the crumbling building, teetering in the wind. the white sun cast long shadows on the chalky floor. sixty seconds. She thought of stepping over the edge, of free falling as the blast engulfed the city but even as her suit told her of the rising radiation levels in the atmosphere, even as the Cabal hurriedly moved for their ships in the storm of noise and static, all she could do was stifle the growing scream in the back of her throat. A scream which said that ten thousand hands built nothing but sand. Three seconds and Auxiliary Opinion died screaming.

[b]The Chase[/b] The ambush began without a warning. Our guests tried to be sneaky, but some patrolling Legionnaires spotted them by chance. They probably got careless. Shortly after hearing the sound of gunshots, our contubernium was called to arms. We were assigned to reinforce the bulwark of the Buried City, once an important capital during mankind’s Golden Age. But it has belonged to the Cabal from a long time now. It’s understandable they were upset. We had claimed Mars from our enemies by force, and planted victory banners on their graves. Yet I pity them, because we aren’t going anywhere. This sand-covered land is our home now, and we won’t give it back. Not without a fight. We made our stand between the pillars, at the main entrance. There were ten of the so-called “Guardians” in the vicinity, but the fight didn’t last for long. From the safety of my comrades’ daunting shields, my rifle quickly filled up the battlefield with bullets. The sands of Mars gave birth to an improvised red graveyard. Everyone relaxed, yet I had the feeling something was amiss. Indeed, there were only nine bodies. Eager to impress my Centurion, I swore to hunt down the lonely survivor by myself. However, that was easier said than done. After two days of a cat-and-mouse game, the thrill of the hunt was starting to fade. I was so exhausted that I had no choice but to make a break. I removed my helmet, allowing the warm breeze of Mars to soothe my fatigue. But the wind carried something else besides relief; a trail. I picked a handful of red sand and sniffed it through my nostrils; the intruder was indeed nearby. I roared in anticipation. The chase was far from over.

“Rough are we suited, Wander through vanities great, climb life’s mountain, feel sorrow’s weight. I curse what life has given me, a hunger I cannot sate, and then upon my last, I join the stars, forgetting sorrows past.” That was a poem my mother recited for me whenever I was having a tough time. It meant that everything, no matter how difficult it may seem now, will end up being okay if we tried our hardest. Sister still has her ring. That is the only thing we have left of mother’s. Sister lost mother’s scent a few weeks ago. Still, I remember it well. It had a certain sweetness. Not of fruit, but more like sugar cookies. “Brother” “Yes?” “Do you think momma joined the stars?” My eyes start to burn. My chest feels heavy. Though I had tried in the past, I cannot keep sister from seeing my tears fall. Sister lays staring at me with a puzzled look. I turn away to hide my face. It only made her feel guilty. Mother wanted me to take sister to the trucks once the invasion began. I had argued, but mom always got her way. She stayed behind to gather some food and supplies. I never met her at the shelter. Once the shelter had been decommissioned, sister and I took our rations and began heading back to our home. I found mother there in our apartment. She was not breathing. Her limbs were intact, but she had been burned from forehead to stomach. I never told sister. It has been a week since sister and I last ate. And before that we were already suffering from malnutrition. Sister has red bumps on her back, arms, and legs, and she won’t stop itching no matter how many times I tell her to. Tonight we are sleeping outside the old station. I don’t know what we are going to do tomorrow. I don’t know where to find sister some food. I can’t even find her a blanket to sleep under. I have never felt lonelier than I do now. I wish this hadn’t happened. I wish someone could help. I wish tonight our sorrows would end, and sister and I could join mother, among the stars.

“Tristan!” The Warlock commanded, “Go east and find thee high ground. We need thou to stand guard while we cross the grounds and await the others.“ Looking upon his comrade he sighed. Splitting up their fire team wasn’t ideal, but there wasn’t much time before the Cabal would march upon them. Hunter, yet human, the Warlock knew he could rely on his trusted friend having fought beside him many battles. “You just watch where you put your feet Tin Cup” Tristan replied, tapping the barrel of his sniper rifle against the metal helmet of their young companion. And with a nod towards Ommin the Warlock, he disappeared. “Heey!” Gareth shouted after him, “I can watch out for myself!” Son of a legend, Tristan and Ommin had sworn to guard their comrades’ son. Now of age, the young Titan was eager to proof himself worthy a guardian, desperate to erase his mistake of stepping onto a mine on their last mission. Out of nowhere with a loud clunk a bullet ricochets of Tristan’s helmet. The Warlock didn’t flinch but chuckled in amusement. “Aha! Tristan awaits us.” “Wait!” Gareth panted, clambering to his feet, “That was Tristan? He shot me! That -” “I belief…” Ommin turned to Gareth, searching for the right words “he was, as you say, trying to get through your thick head. Our battled worlds are drenched in eagerness of lone wolf cries.” “We guardians, while destined to become legends we do not rush into our deaths. Do we not fight for our survival?” “We’ve got company” the Warlock’s ghost announced. “And I do not mean a tea party.” “Let us pray the Traveler favors our fortune and the brave…” and with a last look to the east, as if searching for his friend, Ommin stormed up the steps.

[b]The Buried City[/b] [i]248 words[/i] [u]by Meg Trast[/u] Few have witnessed tragedies in such numbers as I. Born longer ago than most remember, I have seen generations live and die. Love, discord, war, famine, struggle, survival...these things have all come and gone, and in these hundred years I have never been so lonely as now. I have never been so empty. The warm sun serves as my only comfort, between brisk winds, harsh sand, and empty, quiet, dark nights. The nights are longer with each setting of the sun. My planet is dead. I fear I may be dead. Have I died? Broken, shattered, and sinking below the surface, do I still serve a purpose? I've seen not a soul for longer than I can recall. I once was full of life. I remember lovers, and children, and I remember hope. Then war came. It was a near-instant death for all present. The lucky few escaped, leaving me to rot and whither and wait for their return. Have I not awaited them patiently enough? Where are the masses who once held me near and dear? I wonder these things, the sun again setting on the horizon. The night will be cold with an all-too-familiar loneliness. As the nights turn to months, and the months to years, I begin to feel abandoned. The years will soon be decades, and sand will blow over me for a century until there is nothing left, and if I'm lucky I'll be remembered as little more than the Buried City.

Started a new topic: 'Till Death We Stand

Started a new topic: 'Till Death We Stand

Started a new topic: 'Till Death We Stand

We always thought this place was uninhabitable, turns out it was, just not for the reason we thought. So why are we here? We are going to thin out the number of Cabal fighters to aid this ongoing war. The com system crackles to life and Jack, our resident Titan, informed me that Phase One was complete. "Excellent, Sean check-in and we will begin Phase Two." I said in my most gruff and manly voice hoping to inspire confidence on this would be suicide mission. "Locked and Loaded!" was the highly enthusiastic and sarcastic response I received coming from the final member of our team who was posted across the sands of the square where I now hid. No time for cowardice now. I leapt up from my cloth covered hole in the dirt and began broadcasting my voice into the valley knowing full well that I was to receive no less than a full Cabal battalion. A stupid move that I was sure to regret, as soon as the first Cabal showed its armored head I ran into the structure. Once I was inside I took up my second position and laid down suppressing fire holding them at bay. "THAT'S ENOUGH!" Sean bellowed into the coms as he abandoned cover and ran to aid his fireteam. Taking his cue in stride Jack sent some grenades forcing the last Cabal fighters into the structure and then detonated the charges effectively sealing off the building. "NO! YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO WAIT UNTIL HE GOT out!" Sean screamed his voice already cracking with sadness. "I made a decision, if he got out so were they and that was more than we could handle." Sean snapped “I didn't want to do it.” "Gentlemen, gentlemen, a seasoned Warlock can do more than lob balls of arcane energy"

[b][u]"An Awoken's Epitaph"[/u][/b] From the shards of tattered dreams, I rose - unwilling. Tossed upon tides of pain that flowed and ebbed and left me searingly awake. And more revoltingly - alive. It was then I saw her, for the first time. She greeted me while my mind was shattered and in fragments. She spoke in a soft manner while the sky was dusk and I was eager to listen. I know nothing of my past but a visage of my former self she hinted in her expression. My mind was nulled and stricken with apathy of the outside world but I was more concerned with the present. She was cold and yet comforting. She asked if I remember the world or my creators. I once knew beauty and peace and now the new terrain is uncharted and barren. I attempted to remember my old life but all I know is the voice in my conscious and the ache in my flesh. I live but yet I hold no purpose. There is no context clue or memoir I could look to but then there was her... She knew.. She knew more then I... Her skin was pale with a blue tint, her eyes black with long serene blue hair. Her voice soothing and delicate. Then in shock I pondered to take a mental note.. She was not breathing but alive. She wore a black as night cloak that covered from her mouth to her legs. I paused to analyze my surroundings and then I looked in her direction and she disappeared from sight. I had questions and so I gathered my thoughts and sought to find her in the once beautiful scenery now a windy wasteland surrounded by building formations and sand. She was gone the second I looked away and then looked back in her direction.. I did not fear her nor did she worry me. I now knew 1 of 3 things.. She knows more then I about myself and I couldn't comprehend my creators or the last known memory I remember of a war being waged in my last moments of life.

I finally made it to the structure, our destination. I know it's the right building because of all the spent ammo and the two dead Cabal on the steps. I'm late because "Crow," my jump-bike, malfunctioned so I, of course, crashed - which handily explains the dull throbbing in my left wrist. All of a sudden I recall naming our bikes and Rook noting mine and saying "All crows are liars," with a strange expression on his face. No idea what he meant. Bastard. Anyway, PJ must already be in there. That Titan bastard is probably doing his thing, charging into the unknown as recklessly as usual. He's been in my Fireteam from the beginning, putting up with my methodical and tactical approach to doing what we do. Okay, putting up with me yelling "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!" All while helping to extricate him from sticky situations. We've been lucky. It seems to always work out in the end. And it is nice having the enemy completely distracted by him... Ah, I see his bike, "Swervo." And there, I kicked it. I'd spit on his seat if this atmosphere wouldn't kill me. It's almost worth it. As I get closer, I see that some technology here still has life in it. Some lights blink, some screens light up in the lobby of this... Whatever this is. Is this a mall? And then I get a burst of static in my ear. Heavy panting and "Lofty, ya there?!" "Yeah, I'm fine, thanks for asking. Are there more where those two came from?" "You have no idea, they have some kind of.." -BOOM- "Hoo! That was CLOSE! Ha HAA! Get in here! And don't make that face." I sigh. I make that face. I run inside.

300 thing

Sorry but I had to go over the 00 thing

Into the deep horizon, past the dunes of the Vermillion, and into the plains of the Torrid Valley. Were the sand settles into place, and the wind echoes between the boulders protruding from the dust. There is small home resting under the sun. It's wooden panels shriveled of all moister, and it's walls setting in the direction of the wind. A silent home with no signs of life, only the one clean hat that rests on the wall of the porch. The only thing that isn't covered in sand, and isn't sun bleached either. A man comes from inside the 100 small structure and takes the brown hat. A guardian of the last city of earth, a legend in the making! He looks toward the horizon and takes a moment to breath. Over the vast horizon distorted by the heat, "a forgotten city" he growls. "Might find something useful, maybe get a line in to central command?", he's been MIA for days now broken communicator. As his body relaxes, and warms in the heat of the day. He begins his exodus back home. Hours pass and he manages to make it to the city. He eases his way through the old streets, quiet not to alert the many beasts of the wild. "A watchtower there's gotta be something in there." He makes his way into the old sanctuary." This damn place seen better days, there might be something up top gotta move fast." He finds a old terminal, "Finally got get the out message out about the mole." When suddenly a gunshot roars, " Joshua you didn't think is gonna let you go and tell everyone about my little secret?" Joshua holding on to the little life he had left! " Danny you damn traitor, how,,, you knew I made it,,, how did you know I'd be here?" Danny put his gun to Joshua's head," I know you better then you know yourself Josh I know you'd never pull a gun on a fellow Guardian not even a traitor, I'm sorry but I can't let you tell the council about my trade with the Fallen, I'm sorry partner." Before Danny can pull the trigger the window illuminating the room breaks and a bullet makes its way through Danny's head. "To bad you don't know my new partner she's less forgiving! Alisa rushes to Joshua in time to administer first aid. " How'd you now were I was?", "I put a tracker in your helmet." Joshua looks at her in question. " Why?" Alisa says " I was assigned to you to watch you the council thought you were the mole". "Bastards". Alisa continues " you say me before Danny put the gun to your head?" "I say the reflection off your scope, need some work." Alisa tightens the dressings on his wounds "Shut up.

It ends a bit abruptly... but it is already 150 words over the limit XD. As Kier circled above the crumbling city his transmitter clicked on. "Kier, good to see you in the area." He recognized the speaker immediately, Orion was an old friend. "Orion! Its been a good while. What are you doing on mars?" "I was sent by the warlocks council. They think an artifact, a clue to the collapse lies in this dead city." "Why are they so obsessed with the collapse. It is in the past, we should be expending resources to win back our planets not hunt ancient artifacts that may or may not teach us about an irrelevant history. Rebuilding is important, not finding out how we fell." "Regardless how you feel about it, that is why I am here. What are you doing?" "There was a report of a cabal hunting party in the area, I'm looking for the hunter that sent out the report, and the cabal themselves." "You and a hunter take out a hunting party on your own? Tell you what. Come down here and I'll help you find this hunter and take out these cabal, if you in turn will help me find this artifact." "Deal." Kier landed in a small plaza near the north side of the desolate city. As the back hatch of his space fighter lowered he could see Orion emerging from the low building occupying the plaza. He waved a greeting as he moved to join his old friend. Orions long warlock coat was dust covered and he looked as if he hadn’t seen civilization in some time. “How long have you-” Gunfire erupted from the tall buildings to their left. Both guardians dove for cover behind an old slab of concrete. “The Travelers Shadow! How did they set this up!” Kier shouted over the Cabal fire. Just then, a loud shot rang out from the buildings to the right and Kier caught sight of the sun reflecting off a long barrel. The Hunter. The shooting from the Cabal stopped briefly. Kier and Orion took advantage of their enemies brief hesitation. The Warlock flung a nova bomb at the windows where the fire was coming from, as Kier run pulled his shotgun out and jumped flying into the second story window of the crumbling building. As Kier landed he called for his ghost. The small drone came flying from his ship. “Stairs, Ghost, I need stairs.” The ghost whizzed down the hallway without a word. “I found them, Uploading them to your display now.” came the ghosts whimsical voice over the intercom. “Thank you, now make contact with that hunter and patch him through to the same frequency as Orion and I. We have Cabal to kill.” And that is how Orion, Kier, and Tera first came to work together. They went on to become a legendary Fireteam.

We have been wandering through the desert for three damn days... our strength diminishing quickly. My fire team had crash landed on an unexplored area of mars. We had been flying to the buried city when unexpectedly our ships stopped... Just -blam!-ing stopped and plummeted towards the ground below. The hunter sustained a bad head injury and the warlock can barely walk from numerous leg injuries. I myself was not injured as badly because of my thick armor, but I have a dislocated shoulder. The constant sandstorms only make matters worse. We have to stay very close to ensure that we do not get separated. Hours go by, without and end suddenly the hunter stops and looks through his damaged rifle scope. "The Buried City," he says. It's our only chance. We might find meds and a place to rest. We press forward. Soon the warlocks legs give out and the hunter and I help support his weight. Painstakingly we reach the outskirts of the city. My fireteam can't go on. We need to stop in one of the buildings. The hunter offers to go look for meds. I stay behind with the warlock. Hours pass, and the hunter doesn't return. The warlock is getting worse. I leave him with his gun. A risk, but there is no choice. It doesn't take long to find the hunter. He is impaled to a wall in the center of the city. I stare in horror at his body. My friend and ally... Dead... I don't know what killed him, but I need to return to the warlock! I run as fast as my damaged body can. I rush into the building and see the warlock resting. I tell him the news... He stands shakily and grabs his gun. We come to an agreement and I grab mine... Then the wall caves in... I am thrown against the wall and covered by debris. I see the warlock being lifted by a tall figure... But it isn't Cabal... Or fallen... Or hive... It's something else... Something much worse. I see the warlock pulled away and my consciousness fails. I awake in a dark room. Stuck to a wall with a dark sticky substance. Next to me I see the warlock. Then comes a slithering noise, and the [i]thing[/i] appears right in front of me. It then grabs my shoulder with its foul limbs and wrenches it! I scream in agony. The wail gives the thing a sense of satisfaction. It then goes to the warlock. I know what is coming... The thing watches me then rips the warlock from the wall. He watches me sadly as the is stabbed through the heart by the beasts barbed tail. In my helmet I shed a single tear. I know my time is coming now... No one will ever know how we died here, or how much danger they are in from this horrific demon. This is my last thought as my life is ended.