Guardian Huntsmen

Sunset

Sapphire's POV:

Smiling, I looked at the Fallen. They took a moment before shouting their war cries and I responded with a grenade of Light. It blew up, taking around twenty. The Fallen barrage became too thick to stand out in the open in, so I dove into cover and landed right next to Jaune and Pyrrah.

Jaune tried to peek out, but quickly pulled his head in when a bullet pinged off the cover a bit too close for him. "That... is a lot of people who want to kill us."

I stood on my knees and began to shoot, using as much cover as I can. "Fallen! They are scavengers that'll kill civilizations if they stand in the way of salvage."

Pyrrah growled, then stood up to shoot several Fallen before ducking back down. "How did we get ourselves into this?"

Jaune looked at her. "Hey! It was your idea to run away from those super creepy Grimm and instead come here! Now, we're surrounded on both sides!"

Inside my helmet, my eyes widened. "Wait, super creepy Grimm? Oh no..."

Suddenly, a loud screech came across the battlefield, scaring the Fallen. In my head, Peral gulped.

"Guardian? Move."

I nodded, then sprinted out of cover, shooting the Fallen as I did. Suddenly, Hive began to blast me, or try at least, and then I became the focus of two forms of Darkness.

This is NOT my idea of fun!

"Tell me about it!"

Rolling forwards, I dodged an accurate shot from a Knight's launcher, then turned and sniped it. Leaping into the air, I ran on a wall for a grand total of one second, then fell to the ground.

"That was kinda cool."

Sprinting into the tower, I saw a massive hole in the ground. This weird black gooey substance ringed it and I shrugged.

"YOLO!"

Smiling, I leaped down the hole and landed with an echoing thud. My armor absorbed the shock, allowing me to walk it off. Wandering around, I found a big black blob. Curious, I asked Peral.

"Yo, Peral. What is that?"

"Your doom."

I chuckled. "Not funny, Peral. Peral?" I looked around, scowling. "Peral, you're not being funny here."

I looked around to not see my Ghost.

"PERAL! GET OVER HERE NOW!"

He didn't answer.

"P-Peral?"

"Your Ghost will not help you. Your friends will not help you. They will not come. Your Vanguard will not come. You belong to me, Guardian. You and your will! FOR I AM ORYX, THE TAKEN KING!"

The orb dissolved to reveal a Hive creature very similar to a Knight, but bigger and... kingyer(?). Parts of him flowed with some strange cosmic energy very much like the stuff that ringed the edge of the hole I jumped down and other parts looked rotten. He summoned a sword formed out of this cosmic energy and strode towards me. Panicking, I raised my rifle and began to shoot and back away. My bullets pinged off him and he continued to stride towards me.

"Pathetic. You can't even hold a candle against the Guardians that defeated me once before. Who do you think you are, trying to hold your own against me? You are no one."

I looked up at him. "No. I am a Guardian."

"Then die like one!"

He slashed me across the chest, which sent me flying across the cave and into the rocky wall. I hit it with a bang that could be heard on the surface and beyond. My body fell to the floor and I struggled to look up.

Oryx loomed over me, hand outstretched. "Your will belongs to me."

I felt a dark worm enter my mind, trying to tear me apart. In pain, I closed my eyes, tears rolling down my cheeks.

Ruby... I am so sorry... Please... Forgive me.

"Now now, you still have a chance."

My eyes snapped open and fell upon a man in black.

He smiled at me and offered a hand.