Destiny: The Legendary Hunter

A/N: THE TYRANT RETURNS, and asks for, REVIEWS! (Source: Trust me bro)

-

[Mercury]

The scorched dunes of Mercury hissed under the sun's constant glare, its harsh solar winds had baked its red soil into brittle muddy clay. Its landscape was now a downland with brittle clay sedimented into crescent ridges at the foot of its plateaus. 

A lone figure crouched beneath the jagged edge of the plateau. His cloak billowed as a gust of wind brushed past him, showering the foothills with a wave of fine dust.

The hunter adjusted his visor and placed a sniper rifle ahead of him, wedging its body between two rocks. As the hunter took in a breath, he trained his scope on the foothills of the plateau.

Red dust cascaded down the plains as Vex constructs marched in unison, angular and precise. But as he flicked his scope across the battlefield, the bulky silhouettes of the Cabal appeared.

The Cabal were not a subtle people. Their hulking frames and hard shells proved that their bloodlines had been bred for war. But despite their brutish strength, the Cabal were not foolish. Through their militaristic way of life, they'd been able to build the largest and strongest interstellar empire.

Even now, they continued to cement their foothold in the Sol system. Mars had already been claimed by their legions, and Mercury was simply next on the list. 

The Cabal forces lumbered forward, their heavy boots crunching ground with brutish rhythm.

The hunter's eyes narrowed. The open plateaus of Mercury served as a battlefield for the Vex legions and the Cabal. Initially, the entire Sol system had expected the Cabal to take over Mercury within a matter of days.

But what no one had expected, was for the Cabal to clash with a species so far removed from the essence of the world, that they held no fear. Not a single soul had expected the Vex to stand their ground against the empire.

And from what the world had seen, the Vex were truly the antithesis to Cabal's military regime.

The ground beneath the Hunter's boots shuddered with a deep mechanical growl.

"What the hell…" he murmured.

He looked up. His breath caught.

A massive orbital structure shifted into view, casting a long, unnatural eclipse across the battlefield. From the edges of Mercury's distant orbit, an orbital railgun—sleek, dark, and ancient—pivoted toward the surface like a sword aimed at the heart of the planet.

The Hunter barely had time to react.

A shriek tore through the sky as thousands of glowing metal rounds blazed toward the surface in precise, surgical arcs. As they struck the ground, the air turned to fire. Everything, went up in flames.

The Vex never saw it coming. Neither did the Cabal.

From his perch, the Hunter's visor filtered the heat and debris, but even then, the light was blinding.

He hit his comms.

"This is Vanguard scout Shiro-4. Mercury's under orbital bombardment. Cabal and Vex forces just got wiped out. Source unknown."

—

[Tower, Last City]

The City's Vanguard room was awash in pale blue light. The holo-table pulsed with dozens of projections—flickering planets, fire-markers, and sensor traces all across the system.

Four locations pulsed into view. Mars. Nessus. Io. Mercury. Red markers blinked and disappeared in real time on their surfaces.

Zavala stood with arms crossed, jaw tight. His eyes tracked each impact site one by one.

"We have visual confirmation on six strikes in the last hour, no confirmation on ten other strikes." a technician reported. "Targets were active combat zones between enemy factions."

"Rasputin, it seems he plans to announce his return on a grand scale." Zavala muttered.

Cayde leaned casually against the console "I mean… you release a warmind back into the world, what else do you expect? But this guy's really dropping orbital death like it's Tuesday."

Zavala sighed. "He's not foolish. Rasputin probably plans to bombard our enemies further away from earth. Besides, what we got in return for releasing him, was worth it.."

The Titan tapped a command into the holo-table. The City's new network node flared to life—its digital map now branching far beyond the Tower's original reach. Dozens of surveillance clusters and subnets rippled across Earth and beyond.

He narrowed his eyes. "The City's infrastructure—it's stronger than it's ever been."

Cayde whistled low. "With this much juice in our hands, there's not a soul left on Earth that can match us in information."

"Or surveillance," Zavala added.

Just then, the war room doors hissed open. Ikorra strode in, robes dusted with sand. Her Ghost blinked beside her, feeding real-time uplink reports into the terminal.

"The relays are confirmed." she said. "Looks like Rasputin didn't catch whatever we did. Or, perhaps he accepted it and chose not to bother."

Zavala nodded and stepped to the side, giving her space at the table. "We can't let this opportunity go to waste."

Ikorra raised an eyebrow. "You've got a plan?"

Zavala's eyes gleamed with resolve. "Not yet. But with this reach, we can coordinate every lightbearer across the system. Now, we're no longer blind. No matter which front we choose to focus on, our forces will follow."

Cayde grinned. "You know, that really rings nice in my ears. But what's really the plan?"

"Whatever it is, we'll need to hurry it up. Rasputin may not act on our orders. But everyone in the system will find out that the attacks were launched from earth. When that time comes, we'll need to be ready." Ikorra chimed in.

Zavala brought up a new display—one that displayed Earth's divided sectors controlled by enemy factions.

"The plan?" Zavala paused, "We need to take back what is ours."

Cayde chuckled. "Finally. Something interesting."

Outside the Vanguard chamber, the City lights pulsed with life. The system was about to change. And the Vanguard was ready.

-

The Devil's Lair groaned with mechanical echoes.. Sparks flew from loose wiring above as heavy footsteps thundered down the central corridor.

Aksis rampaged.

Each stomp of his augmented limbs made the floor tremble. He hissed as cloud of ether flooded the room. He spoke, his voice echoed in the lair as if it was laced with static.

"You had one directive," Aksis growled, "Find the Warmind. Find Rasputin."

He halted before a lone Fallen captain, who had already dropped to one knee in shame. The captain's cloak was scorched, one eye flickering with a failing optic. He didn't lift his head.

"We tried… Great Archon," the captain stammered, his voice meek. "We searched every node, every hidden bunker. We couldn't track the network's expansion fast enough. The City was ahead of us."

Aksis said nothing. Then he sauntered towards the Captain, and began circling him in silence.

Aksis heaved a breath, towering over the Captain like a stalking predator. His head twitched once, then again. Sparks spat from the servo joints around his shoulders.

Finally, he stopped and his eyes narrowed.

"I see now. You failed," he said, voice low.

A jolt ran through the Captain's body as he seemed to lower his head further.

"You failed… because you are weak."

Without another word, Aksis grabbed the captain by the throat and hoisted him into the air like a rag doll. The captain struggled, claws scratching helplessly at the Archon's reinforced grip. Other Devils nearby froze, uncertain whether to intervene or look away.

Aksis's sharp claws dug into the Captain's skin. He squirmed, winced in pain and struggled in his grip till blue blood dripped down the floor.

Aksis's other hand crackled to life as he gripped the Captain's arms. "You are weak, because you have not embraced the truth."

He tugged, tearing off two arms in a brutal motion. The captain shrieked—Aksis stabbed his mouth with his claws, ripping out the tongue. "Quiet!"

Then, he flung him across the platform.

The Captain slid across the floor with harrowing scream, a smear of deep cerulean trailing behind him. He didn't get up. Several vandals nearby jolted forward instinctively, rushing to the downed captain.

"Stop!" Aksis barked, his voice booming.

The vandals froze.

Across the lair, the hiss of pneumatic doors sounded. Aksis raised a claw and gestured toward his personal workshop. From the shadows, a group of Devil splicers emerged, their robes laced with wiring, faces half-masked with cybernetic tubes and glimmering eyes.

"Take him," Aksis ordered, turning to them. "Use everything we have."

The splicers didn't speak. They moved like surgeons, efficient and quick. Two of them dragged the bleeding captain by his remaining limbs, while the others administered ether-suppression to keep him alive.

"He will serve as proof," Aksis growled, watching them vanish into the lab, "that failure is not an end."

Then Aksis turned his burning gaze to the rest of the chamber. Dozens of Devils stood in wait—captains, vandals, and dregs alike. No one dared to move.

His mechanical limbs twitched again, blue electricity arcing around his form.

=

A/N: Thank you for reading! Read ahead on my Patre*n!

patre*n.com/Writers_Ablood