[b]Episode Four[/b] Fourteen stood on a hillside overlooking a forest of towers. It took him and his team on Sparrows half a bloody day to reach this settlement deep in the wilderness, mostly because their faction didn’t have enough glimmer to purchase a jumpship. They had traveled here once before and it had taken the same amount of time. After failing to annex the tribe in this location, they had at least managed to convince them to accept an archaic radio device meant to send out distress signals if they had required any sort of assistance. A high frequency alert was picked up last night. Fourteen and the Saints continued on down the hill towards the vine-infested buildings from a city long lost. Automobiles rested on the streets, abandoned. Doors open, keys rusted into ignitions. Most had been swallowed up by hungry foliage or had sunk into the very earth itself. “I forget,” said Two. “Where is the tribe’s building again again?” Fourteen pointed. Four corpses rested on the broken concrete across the street. They were too late. Firelight didn’t twinkle in the windows of the prehistoric apartment building. Curious children weren’t sneaking peeks at the strangers. There weren’t even the barks of dogs. Instead, it was replaced by a sinister silence. Fourteen released his Ghost. “Send out your Ghosts,” he ordered. “They will examine the building for life.” Ten Ghosts took off like a flock of birds and entered the building through a broken window. Minutes passed. They returned and tapped Fourteen’s Ghost in turn to transfer the data they had collected. “There are no signs of life, Guardian,” said the Ghost. “Preliminary scans suggest no one in the building made it out alive, but there is one odd inconsistency. The humans didn’t die from the Arc energy of the Fallen like we had previously suspected. They fell from assault rifles and hand cannons.” Fourteen frowned. “Another tribe probably killed them.” “No,” it countered. “We discovered a Warlock bond belonging to Concordant.” Fourteen roared and smashed his heel into the ground. The faction had lured them here, killing innocents in the process. But for what reason? Father Ulrich and two Saints had stayed behind in the city… “We must leave,” said Fourteen, his Sparrow materializing. “Ulrich is in danger.” [i]Skiff, incoming[/i], said his ghost. The Fallen dropship slipped out of stealth as its booming engines filled the air, launching flaming missiles at them. They missed and turned the rusted cars into fine powder. Vandals and Dregs leapt from the ship, with a rumbling Servitor lowering itself to the ground. Fourteen shook his head. He didn’t have time for this rabble. He released his Light in increments, creating a variation of the Ward of Dawn. Ten circular forcefields bobbed in the air before him and moved at the command of his fingers, back and forth, deflecting the bolts of Arc energy back at the aliens that continued to attack him. They disintegrated themselves. Not many titans had this ability, though this was why he was a Saint. “Finish them, Nine!” A burning hand cannon of crackling flame formed in the Gunslinger’s outstretched hand. Blazing rounds finished off the last of the Fallen as they dissolved into cinders, despite the defensive systems the remaining Servitor supplied. Fourteen charged the machine. Spheres of Void energy shot from its center glanced past his violet shields. The Exo sprinted and ran his arm into the Servitor, ripping complex circuitry and ether pockets in the process. The large automaton crashed to the ground. Fourteen looked back at the Saints and gestured for immediate departure. *** The stained glass panes of the chapel had run together like honey over the eons, but the scenes depicted were still recognizable after a fashion—most had showed a hand guiding the universe towards creation and life. Now they were shattered. The fragile wafers of antiquity had been dashed across the ash-soiled floor. And only half of the chapel had remained after the fire. Most of it had crumbled away like a house made out of paper soaked in oil, along with most of the Inner City district. Guardians had rushed in to keep the fires from spreading, but it had been too late to save the impoverished area. It had been too late to save Father Ulrich. His corpse had rested on a makeshift altar, burned beyond recognition. Fourteen had averted his eyes from the small, charred body. Saint-6, not far from the priest, had his limbs torn away from his body, his Ghost crushed like a bug beside him. Then, finally, Saint-7’s split torso had been leaned against the wall. Fourteen kicked open the doors to the Tower. Guardians stood to block his path. “We are truly sorry, Saint,” said one. “But the Consensus meeting convened an hour ago. No one is allowed inside until it is over. Security protocols, I’m afraid.” “So be it.” The Exo lunged forward, taking the collar of the Warlock guard and hurling him against a wall. Guards began to draw their weapons, but the Saints moved faster. Within seconds all were unconscious. Fourteen moved towards the forum and shoved the set of doors open to reveal the shocked faces of the faction body. “Do you speak about what happened in the Inner City?” asked Fourteen. “The fires and innocent deaths? Or did the petty news not reach your collective ears yet?” His eyes searched the room and ended at the podium. “Speaker?” The Speaker raised his hands to stop the guards. “I have heard about the tragedy, yes.” “Then I call for the immediate imprisonment of Concordat.” “Even if they were responsible, it is too late, Saint,” he replied. “They left.” Fourteen’s eyes flashed white. “What do you mean, they [i]left[/i]?” “They left the City and will not be returning, I suspect, anytime soon.” Fourteen cast his eyes down in his shame and failure. Concordat was probably light years away now, off to some forbidden haven. If he could not avenge Ulrich, he would see his duty to the end—in a crusade that will be told generations from now. In war. [b][url=http://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/90052905?lc=1033]EPISODE ONE[/url] [url=http://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/90406891/0/0]EPISODE TWO[/url] [url=http://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/90776215/0/0/1]EPISODE THREE[/url] [url=http://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/91747434?lc=1033]EPISODE FIVE[/url][/b] [b][url=http://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/93735794]EPILOGUE[/url][/b] [i][b]DISCLAIMER: ALTHOUGH THIS STORY HAS BASIS IN LORE, MOST OF WHAT TRANSPIRES AS THIS SERIES GOES ALONG IS PURE FAN FICTION. TAKE THIS STORY WITH A GRAIN OF SALT. THE EXOS HAVE BEEN RENAMED INTO "SAINTS" BUT HAVE DIFFERENT NUMBERS (AMOUNT OF TIMES THEYVE BEEN SYSTEM WIPED) CONCORDANT AND LYSANDER ARE CANON, FATHER ULRICH AND THE MACHINE SAINTS ARE NOT. NEITHER ARE THE FACTION LEADERS. [/b][/i] [b][url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/100362914]DESTINY FAN FICTION ARCHIVE[/url][/b] [b][url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Clan/Forum/823422]JOIN CLAN FOR FAN FICTION UPDATES[/url][/b]