#24 for your destiny oc bois 😘
The place was a desert. A literal desert, aside from a few arid bushes and trees, the snow glinted under the shy light of the sun. That eerie stillness was interrupted only by some wandering birds, shrieking as they flew high and majestic among threatening clouds.
That was an odd scenario, even for the Cosmodrome.
A chilly breeze ruffled Indrel’s milky hair as he walked along the walls of the structure as stealthy as possible to not alert any enemy, in sight or not.
He brushed a stray lock behind his ear, before tightening his grip around his scout rifle as Nox scanned the area thoroughly.
“I suggest you to be careful.” the Ghost uttered under his static breath, bouncing from the warlock’s shoulder to the other in a swift swing.
Indrel refrained the urge to roll his eyes. Sometimes Nox treated him like a child. He loved his Ghost, he really did, but he couldn’t shake that feeling of being schooled around from time to time.
Instead, he just puffed out a sigh and gave Nox a nod in confirmation.
It was not a casualty that the two of them were there, in Old Russia among all the places. Earlier that day, in fact, the warlock accepted to sort out the bloody diatribe with the House of Wolves on behalf of Petra Venj. They’d met in the Reef, where she asked Indrel to take the Silent Fangs down, Skolas's most lethal fighters. The warlock also promised her to avenge her loss, and Petra said she’d appreciated the gesture, even though it wouldn’t have gotten her eye back, unfortunately.
Before reaching the Cosmodrome, however, Indrel had to sneaked in the narrow tunnels of the Breach, way too familiar by now, just to find them filled with both high ranking enemies and traps. The Fallen had even set up mines, that the warlock had no trouble to trigger from afar without any harm using a combat bow.
That cordial welcome was just the beginning, and the warlock was fully aware of the danger that waited ahead.
A swooshing sound stirred him from his thoughts and he immediately jerked his head up to the sky.
“They’re coming.” Nox warned in an alarmed beep, shifting closer to Indrel’s head.
As soon as the awoken saw a big Fallen spaceship approaching one of the highest hills of the landscape, he took cover behind a rusty hut nearby. And started evaluating his possibilities.
“They are many.” Nox stated matter-of-factly, even if his tone edged on worry.
“I know.” Indrel muttered through clenched teeth, before taking another sneak peek at the battleground.
Dregs, Marauders and Vandals kept falling from the spaceship, together with Shanks and Servitors, quickly scattering around the area, followed suit by several high ranking commanders of the House of Wolves. Some minions hid themselves among the rocks, others got ready for an imminent battle reloading their weapons and sharpening their knives. The scratching noises they emitted echoed in the otherwise empty dale as the Captains barked orders to their troops.
Indrel surely didn’t have the advantage of numbers on his side, but he could work with that. He’d faced toughest enemies before, and could take these Fallen by surprise, playing smarter.
And once his mind was settled, nothing could stop him. Not even his voice of reason, that was his Ghost.
The latter’s sole eye comically widened when he caught a sly smirk curling up his features.
Solar energy already singing in his veins, the warlock let it flow beneath his skin, swirl under his fingertips. His heart was drumming in his ears, erratically, in excitement.
“Indrel.” Nox called him as he gave his Guardian a hard nodge on his temple. He couldn’t really be thinking about doing something as stupid as-
Because the awoken suddenly dashed from behind the crumbling bus stop to his left, aiming for the car wrecks.
“Indrel, wait!” the Ghost yelled in a whisper, then grunted clearly flustered when his Guardian didn’t wait for him. He vanished in a blur of blue just to pop out once again above Indrel’s shoulder.
That reckless motion caused the Fallen to whip their heads simultaneously in his direction, and it didn’t take long before the first shots roared in the air, along with battle cries and screeching noises.
Indrel dodged every bullet, to Nox's incredulity, as he ran to the highest spot, then crouched down behind a car and finished preparing a Fusion Grenade.
The bullets met the rusted frames like a tinkling cascade while Indrel took a deep breath, Nox swaying anxiously next to him. Then, he snapped to his feet, turned to his right and started running towards the enemies.
But as he was about to leap, his foot bumped into… something. Something solid and metallic. And in his way.