"I don't know how he did it, but that's how he did it." Taiki chuckles as he twirls the Ace of Spades in his hand, remembering how Cayde did it the last time. Suzuka is sitting next to him, fiddling with her cabal gun, and Spe-7 finds herself tinkering with her minigun. The trio have found themselves in the tower, hanging just next to the wall with the traveler in full view.
"Still thinking about Cayde?" Suzuka asks.
"Yeah, kinda. I know it's been a few months since we lost him, but he left such an impression." Taiki replies. "At least we have some of his stuff and not some wannabe ruler."
"Yeah, you've got his ship and his gun, and I've got his cape." Spe-7 says. "Didn't Hawthorne get his pet chicken?"
"I think she did." Taiki chuckles. "I think everyone felt a little better with Uldren gone."
"Especially Ikora. She seemed more than ready to rip his head off." Suzuka says. "But you have no idea of how worried I was when you struck out like that... You were so cold and relentless, like you were just a war machine hellbent on destruction."
"That's because it was what the exos were first built for." A voice calls out, and the trio look to see a familiar one horned crucible handler standing over them. "I've been around way before your time, possibly even longer than Taiki here."
"I'm very aware of that Shaxx." Taiki says. "You've told me of your days as a warlord."
"Everyone was scared when the exos first came about." Shaxx explains to Spe-7 and Suzuka. "They weren't as... Benevolent as Taiki here. The old exos, when they were built, mostly knew nothing but how to wage war and kill their enemies in any way possible- if you were to put one of them in the crucible it would slaughter everyone there relentlessly and then some. Those were the old ones though."
"Is Taiki a newer model?" Spe-7 asks.
"If you could call it a new model then yes. Newer models feel more human in a sense, as Banshee had put it." Shaxx replies. "But that war machine coding still rests deep within him, dormant and untouched. Fortunately it will remain that way for as long as he's still a guardian." He adds, remembering the news he heard from fellow members of the tower, the rumors that the exo had gone back to that primal programming and massacred the entire population of the tangled shore in a bloody act of revenge. "...Are you sure you're all right?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for the concern though Shaxx." Taiki says as the crucible handler walks off.
"What did you do with that grenade launcher? I know you were using it on the shore." Spe-7 asks.
"Oh that thing? I got rid of it." Taiki chuckles as he brings out his sniper rifle. "I never really liked using those anyway."
"Grenade launchers or sniper rifles?" Suzuka asks.
"I meant the former." Taiki laughs, and then Zavala walks over.
"Hello there Taiki." Zavala says.
"Hello there commander. How goes your day?" Taiki asks.
"We've got a bit of a problem..." Zavala mumbles.
"Is it about me and the shore?" Taiki asks.
"Worse." Zavala replies. "It's happening on the moon."
"The moon you say? I thought we'd purged most of the hive on there, what's going on?" Taiki asks.
"That's what we had thought as well." Zavala replies. "Something is happening on the moon, and from what it looks like, the Hive are responsible." He adds as his ghost displays camera feed from a drone that was recently taken down on the moon. The Hive on there are almost immediately recognizable to Taiki- sporting red armor and spiked growths on said armor.
"What the hell..." Taiki says in shock. "We haven't seen these guys since Crota..."
"Who are they?" Spe-7 asks.
"They're the hidden swarm. We once had to face these guys when Crota was still around." Taiki replies. "And they're back. Did the drone catch anything else?"
"It's why I'm sending you three alongside other soldiers to investigate." Zavala says as the camera feed rewinds to show a gigantic temple. "They call it the scarlet keep."
"I see..." Taiki mumbles. "Who will be joining us in the fight?"
"Amanda will be leading the aerial troops, so expect lots of hawks to be giving you covering fire. We also have multiple drake operators at the ready." Zavala says. "The number of hive currently on the moon is so numerous that we have no choice but to go all out on them to curb their numbers. Once you find out what's inside that keep, we can draw back our forces and mitigate the lives lost."
"Understood." Taiki says. "When will we launch the assault?"
"Give or take an hour." Zavala replies. "I wanted to find you because you three could use a little extra aid." He adds as he produces three exotic engrams. "These may help you on your journey."
"Thank you." Taiki says as he receives one of the engrams and Spe-7 and Suzuka pick theirs out. The one that Taiki opens is revealed to be a chestplate with a piece in the center that glows with the element that he's currently using. He feels a burst of power as soon as he puts it on and he feels something explosive coming from the chestplate. "Huh, neat." The engram that Spe-7 opens reveals a set of gauntlets that look like they were forged from bones and coated in silver.
"What are these?" Spe-7 asks.
"I think those are... Ahamkara bones?!" Taiki asks in shock. "Zavala, when did somebody find the time to slay one?!"
"I don't know what that is, but they look cool!" Spe-7 says as she puts them on. She can feel a strange, almost ethereal energy coming off the gauntlets that almost appears to be channeled into her guns. Finally the one that Suzuka opens reveals a set of robes that resemble those of a dark magician. Once she puts these on she can feel a strange magic flow through her body, and all three look at Zavala with satisfied looks on their faces.
"Thank you commander. Just give us the cue and we can start the assault." Taiki says.
YOU ARE READING
Destiny 2: A Lost Soul
FanfictionTaiki and the equine guardians may have survived the Red War and defeated Ghaul, but as time goes on so does the rest of the world. With the darkness advancing on the traveler's location since it woke up, and with new people in the fray that aren't...
