Light. Exploits; Book I.

Part 16. Bitter Victory.

Meriva.
I remember that name now and am thankful she is dead.
She was brutal. I could tell by the Light smeared upon her cuirass.
She defied the Light by decorating herself with shards of dead Ghosts.
How much ammo you got? I ask calmly as my brain is shuddering.
Half... A clip. Sar winces.
My Invective didn't regenerate ammo yet.
I got 3 shells... I grimace.
Meriva eyes us.
Her icy blue pupils glowing behind the slits of her mask.
I feel a terrible piercing as I stare at her.
She nods her head and the Vandals bum rush us.
A dozen angry swords and twisted claws.
Screeches and cries in a forgotten nobility.
I hear as Sar unloads his Regime and he starts to punch and break his foes.
I bob and weave, plugging my shots surgically and pushing and bending them.
They cry as their bones break.
Scream as they die.
They lay before us dead as now all that is left is the 3 of us.
You think she did this on purpose? Sar asks.
She twirls her slender, bony fingers around her whips.
Yeah... I do. I reply as she snaps one of them, sending out Arc light.
She clicks her tongue, lashing out a wicked, viscous, hissing growl.
The wind brushes past my cloak.
Under Sar's Mark.
Meriva wore a cape, and it wafted too.
I felt the Void Light surging in my arms.
She rushed at us silently.
Unnerving.
She was calculating.
She lashes at us and we separate.
Sar weaves and is able to plant a Storm Punch to her ribs.
I see her vibrate as I leap and kick her head.
Mind she is almost 9 feet tall.
She hisses as we land, bracing for her next move.
She eyes us.
Reads us.
She lashes at me.
I reach out my hand and take her whip.
It's Arc burns me and I wince and grit my teeth as it bites at me.
Sar charges her and takes an arm.
He punches her repeatedly as he grunts trying to get me free.
She defies him and sends me the other whip and catch it.
I feel my body fading away.
My Ghost afraid he couldn't fix me.
I fell to my knees, blood dripping from my nose and eyes.
She shakes Sar off and trots at me maliciously.
Defiance.
She wishes to make a mockery of us.
And she is succeeding.
I feel the Arc cease and she lifts me up with her sword.
I see her wrist and look up and peer into her eyes.
She knows I'll live.
She wants me to remember this pain.
This failure.
Sar lays into her ribs, I can hear them breaking.
She tears the sword out of me and drops the sword and lifts Sar up and throttles him.
Shakes him so hard I hear his armor straps snap.
Until his Ghost falls out.
Before my blood filled eyes, she stomps his Ghost.
Shards of it hit my helmet and plink from it.
I'm appalled.
She was so quick.
Like she'd done it a million times.
A million times Light.
That's how much she's killed.
She then roars as Sar screams as she rips him in two.
My Ghost is full of Light and rage.
Void Light resonates in me as I scream  and climb her massive form.
I hold open her mouth and scream as I throw a massive Nova Bomb down her throat.
It detonates in her stomach, until she faded away in purple smoke.
I regain my control and look at Sar.
He's gasping as he tries to raise his head.
I walk to him slowly.
Oww... He gasps.
God... Damn this hurts... He winces.
I look at him.
Sar... I say softly.
I know... He replies.
My Ghost tries to numb his pain.
I back talked Lord Shaxx once in a Crucible exercise... He gasps.
He picks me up and rips me in half and tells me "the Darkness won't be kind! So neither will I!" He says with a low, pained laugh.
I look at him as his breathing steadies.
He's calm.
He's ready.
Hey... He says looking at me.
Yeah?... I whisper.
Don't go dim. We don't tell you all the time. But Titans... Any Titan would do anything for any Warlock... He says softly.
I look at him and absorb his words.
He was being kind.
In death, even a Titan can show manners.
I smiled and replied I won't. For you. I promise, as I take his hand.
And he died.
He stopped breathing and I stood up.
I melted the body in Void Light and placed it in a small vial.
Sentinel walks in, Cabal blood spattered on his armor.
Hey, where's...he says as I stop him.
I shake my head and he bows his head.
You kill it? He says softly.
Her... I reply.
And yes. I did.
He nods and walks back outside.
He'd make his way home.
I had good news for Cayde.
Bad news for Zavala.
Kind of like I am now.
But Cayde owes me.
And I woke from my dream to be back in the soft air of the Tower.