Destiny: Volume 1 (Completed)

Expansion 2: Chapter 2

          "Wolf Pack" is our name for 'em. Skolas' entourage—the ones closest to him. We hurt any one of them, we hurt Skolas." (Grimoire: WANTED: Wolf Pack)

          The following morning was calm and quiet. I ended up trying to call Mara again to apologize about my actions of yesterday but I couldn't reach her. After about ten or so failed attempts, I decided to go and see what Nick was up to. I knocked on his door and soon he opened it. He smelled like liquor. Wearing just a T-Shirt and some shorts. "Yooo. Whattup??" He said in his near drunk tone. I sighed and shook my head a little worried to even ask him to hang out with me. "Hey Nick. Are you busy doing nothing but drinking or should I just make my way?" I asked. He shook his head and stepped aside. Inviting me in. I walked inside to take a look at his home and of course it was a bit messy but the average person would say "It's an organized mess" or some weird excuse like that. "So...any plans today or are you just gonna be locked away in your room?" I asked. He sat down and let out a loud belch and sat his drink down. "I don't have any plans today." He said. I looked over at him. "Not having plans and not planning to do anything are two different things." I said. He sighed and shrugged his shoulder. "Fine. I'm not planning to do much today. I don't really want to. We've been going on crazy adventures recently and I'd like some time to myself to recover please and thank you." He said. I frowned slightly.
          "Well we wouldn't be going anywhere or doing anything dangerous. Just wanna hang. Maybe train some more with Lord Shaxx and see what else we can discover."
          "Sounds kinda boring."
          "Maybe go out into the Cosmodrome?"
          "Nah."
          "Venus? Maybe dig up some lore from the Ishtar Academy?"
          "No thanks."
          "Sir in front of the tv all day?"
          "That's a good idea. I'm down for that."
          I facepalmed and groaned. Royals lack of enthusiasm was just not fun to listen to. "Cmon dude. Let's just go out and have some fun. I'm bored and Mara is busy." I said. He stood up and opened his mini fridge and grabbed a slice of pizza. "Want some?"
          "You're completely ignoring me." I said. He sighed and sat down. Wolfing down his cold slice of pizza. "Look. I'm a bit over-the-top as you can see. Not really up for anything at the moment. Go find Gold or something." He said lying down on his bed. I sighed and left his room. I knew it would be hard to get him to walk around with me. Alex appeared. "You know, there is still stuff to do. Maybe a few favors with Ikora? Some bounties for the Vanguard? Crucible challenges with Shaxx?"
          "No. I'm all out of energy and fighting spirit for Crucible...although I could speak with Ikora about something that happened last night." I said as I began to walk towards the Vanguard. "What might that be?" Alex asked me. I stepped toward Ikora and she smiled. "Nice to see you again Guardian. Need anything?" She asked me. "I need a place to meditate."
          "Meditation. Well some good places that I would reccomended are places here in the Tower, a few spots in the Ishtar Region or even on Mars. Have you meditated before?"
          "No. Which is why I've come to you."
          "I see. Then I shall begin your journey into a world of infinite possibilities Guardian." She said with a smile. "She's basically talking about your brain." Cayde said chiming in. I laughed and soon Ikora walked back to my room. Bringing a few items with her such as candles, a book, and even a mat to rest on. She cut out the lights and lit the candles. I took the opportunity to clear out the middle of the room so she could lay down the mat and soon we sat in front of eachother. "Now. This doesn't have to be performed this way. Any Warlock can meditate in any condition as long as their light is connected and is stable within the mind. Meditation even allows for projected images of different areas to be seen. Kind of a trip into the past if you will. But it only works if your presence has been within the area you wish to see into." She said. I relaxed and soon we began. "Close your eyes now."
          I did so and began to follow the instructions of Ikora. Breathing in and out slowly soon I began to see things. Silhouettes of various different people but I couldn't make out who they were. At first I thought I was seeing people from my past. Before I became a Guardian. It was weird at first but Ikora guided me every step of the way. "Now then. I ask you, why did you request this of me?" She asked. "I had a dream last night. It shook me and made me worry. It was...almost scary. And I kept hearing a word. Taken..." I said. "Try and take a few steps back. Try and see what could have been troubling you." She said. I tried to look back to remember what I saw and soon I began to see a void. But not just darkness but it looked like a rift into time. I could hear the word again. Taken. I reached out towards it and when I touched it, it made a loud noise and I fell backwards. Snapping out of my meditation and falling out of my position. "Crap...what the hell was that?" I asked. She shook her head and turned on the lights. "That was interesting. Nothing I've noticed before in meditation." She said. She helped me up and blew out the candles and picked up her book. Writing down and recording data.
          "Well...thanks for the extra hand I guess." I said scratching my head. She smiled. "Of course. I'll keep things noted in this journal. If I find any correlation with any other possible info then I'll come back to you." She said. She left my room and I went to grab my gear. Armor, weapons, etcetera. "Where are we going?" Alex asked. I got myself dressed and read to go. "To Venus." I said. I put on my helmet and hopped inside my ship. Taking off towards the distant planet that I both knew so fondly, yet at the same time I could not remember. Once I arrived, I made my way to what was left of the Ishtar Academy. Finding a quiet area where the first attack happened and sitting down. Meditating. Seeking both knowledge about the various sources that were here, and knowledge about myself. I saw various different people. Hundreds of books. If this place was to still survive to this day, it would be wonderful and a powerful force that could push us into a new Golden Age. That's what everyone is hoping for. Peace in our time. I was soon brought out of my visions and state of peace by a familiar voice.
          "What are you doing?" Ox said. I smiled and stood up. "Nothing much. Just meditating." I said. He walked over and stood next to me. Looking around at the ruins of the academy. "So. You used to go here in a past life?" He asked. I smiled and looked over at him. "Yeah. I used to. This place holds lots of memories. Lots of beautiful days and nights full of text books. It's the reason I became a Warlock. I was so interested in what the world had in store for not just myself but for everyone." I said. I walked around and looked at the statue in he center of the room. "I miss it."
          "It seems so. But hey. You wanna come and hunt some Fallen with me? I've been doing a few favors for the Queens Guard." He said. I followed him out of the academy and we began riding our sparrows throughout Venus. "Hey Ox. Why is the Queen posting bounties for the Fallen?" I asked. We soon came to a stop and he looked over at me. "Seems like one of the Fallen houses are stirring up some trouble for whatever reason or another." He said. I loaded my weapons and we started killing Fallen left and right. Soon we saw their commander. A Fallen captain of the House of Wolves. "Haven't seen that color before." I said. Ox shrugged and summoned his Golden Gun. Firing a few shots into the Captain until it had finally fallen to its knees. The captain dropped its weapon and surrendered. "So now what? Bring it back to the Queen?" I asked. Ox shrugged and put a bullet into its head. Taking some of its cloaks and cloth to use as proof that the target had been killed. "The Queen isn't really looking for live captives. Just prof that things are going smoothly." He said. I shrugged and hopped on my sparrow and we continued hunting. Soon coming across a Servitor and a pack of Fallen Dregs. We decided to take it from a distance.
          "So. I was thinking about something recently." Ox said as he loaded his sniper. "What is it?" I asked. Alex summoned my sniper and I loaded it and sat next to Ox. "Remember that time we saw that Exo lady?" He asked. "Yeah. Why? You like her or something?"
          "I mean...for an Exo she's not half bad."
          "I guess so. But of course I wouldn't understand like you would. I'm not a robot and plus I have the Queen."
          "Lucky. I wish I could have the queen. Maybe you can ask for a--"
           "Ok I'm gonna stop you right there." I said aiming at the servitor and shooting. It stunned it and that bullet alone made its outer shell crack to the point it was ready to shatter. Ox took the second shot to destroy it and I picked off the Dregs that surrounded it. Once it was quiet, I hopped down and picked up what remained of the eye of the Servitor robot. Ox picked up some small containers full of a weird substance. I walked over and looked at it. "What's that?" I asked. "It's what the Fallen need to survive. Ether." He said. "Huh. Interesting." I said. Alex scanned it and then Ox packed it in a bag along with the banner of the Captain we killed earlier and then handed me the bag. "Here. Take these back to the Queens Guard. They're in the Tower but near the back." He said. I took the bag and put it on my back. "That's very descriptive but I guess I'll keep my eye out for them." I said as i saw my ship fly overhead. "You gonna stay here?" I asked. He hopped on his sparrow. "Yep. Still got a few things to do here. If you got time, I could always use a hand."
          "I'll keep that in mind. I'll see you later then." I said. I transported into my ship and watched as he took off into the woods of Venus and I set a path for Earth. Once I got back, I went towards the location that Ox gave me about the Queens Guard. I landed in the hanger and then made my way towards the back of the Tower. "There we go." I said. I walked over towards the woman dressed in armor with a pistol on her side. I sat the bag down on the desk in front of her and she began to look through the bag. "Good hunting Guardian. The Queen will be pleased." She said as she packed the items away. She sat a crate on the table and passed it to me. "What does the Queen need with these bounties?" I asked. She looked at me funny for questioning my own girlfriends motives. "Move along Guardian. The business of the Queen is none of your concern. You have your tasks." She said. "The business of my girlfriend IS my concern." I said. There was a pause but soon she recognized me. "M-Mr. Hargraves. I..."
          "Don't sweat it. What's going on?" I asked again. She sighed and pulled me to the side. "I'm usually not allowed to give details but...the Reef was attacked by the Fallen House of Wolves recently. It was an ambush. Mara Sov is ok but...she's angry. That's all I know." She said. "I would be pissed too. And these bounties?"
          "High Value Targets. The ringleaders of the House of Wolves. Most Guardians haven't bothered to do these because of how dangerous they are but I remember her telling of a group of Guardians capable of helping her. You were one of them."
          "Well crap..."
          "I'm out of time here today. I have to return to the Reef with these findings. If you'd like I can escort you. She probably wouldn't want to talk to anyone else."
          I didn't hesitate to accept her offer. I loaded my gear and got myself ready but soon I came across Royal in his gear as well. "Kinda busy right now." I said as I walked past him. He caught up with me and walked beside me. "What? Was it because of earlier? I was drunk. C'mon let's go shoot some things." He said. I rolled my eyes and walked to my ship. He stopped me. "Dude, this is something important." I said. He still stood in front of me. "I wanna go too. And I'm not taking no for an answer."
          "Royal, this is serious. At the moment this doesn't need to concern other Guardians. I'm going to the Reef."
          "Awww. You going to see your girlfriend? What, is it finally time for a booty call? Or maybe it's something else. Don't tell me you've become the new king or something--"
          "The Reef was attacked."
          "Oh...well that's...not good."
          I stepped past him and got into my ship. He hopped in with me regardless so I just sighed and followed the member of the Queens Guard to the Reef. We landed and upon our arrival we could already see the damage done by the Fallen. Soldiers wounded and sitting in various different places. Some of the place was a bit destroyed by plasma rifles and was being repaired by the various members of the Reef. Soon I was brought before the Queen and her brother. Mara was sitting in her chair. Her fingers tapping on one of the arms. She was hot tempered and impatient. Her brother stood at her side. I stepped forward and the guard left. Uldren was the first to speak as always. "How did you get in here?"
          "I was granted access by your bounty hunter." I said. I dumped the items of the enemies that were killed on Venus and Mara stood. "I want to help. But I want to know what happened." I said. Uldren stepped forward. "This scene looks awfully familiar. You do indeed owe us after our favor years ago in the Black Garden." He said. Alex appeared and floated between us. "With all due respect, prince, now is not the time." He said. Mara walked over. And moved her brother aside to stand in front of me. "Brother. Leave us." She said. Uldren reluctantly left and once the doors shut all was quiet. Royal was outside helping the Awoken during this time. "You would never open up to Earth. Let alone other Guardians. Why now?" I said. "I needed an ally when I first helped you. For times of desperation. For times like these. But this...this is different." She said. I looked into her eyes and she gave me a different look. Her eyes cried out for help and her facial expressing was a mixture of disappointment and anger. "Guardian...I need your help."