Destiny 2: Frozen In Time

Chapter 19: The Mage, The Fighter And The Thief

As the alarms continue to go off, the exits to the Morning Star are walled off and Fallen emerge, seeing Taniks alongside the trio of guardians.

"We're helping you guys!" Spe-7 calls out as the four try to find Taiki. "Where did he go?!"

"Rapture..." Taniks replies. "Only way out. Atraks will try... But guardians hard to kill." It's then that Taniks slows down a little bit and lifts his head up, as if sniffing something. "I smell Eliksni blood... He is near."

"Let's move. I don't want to know how many he's killed." Gold says as the four pick up their pace, with the mercenary resorting to scuttling on his arms to keep up. When the four finally reach Rapture they see none other than Taiki and Atraks duking it out- with Atraks on the losing end...

"That hand cannon... He's still using Cayde's weapon..." Spe-7 mumbles.

"Cayde... A name I have not heard for so long..." Taniks says. "The prey uses it's weapon?"

"I almost didn't recognize it... That's how far gone he is..." Gold replies. "Let's help out."

"But we can't destroy Ghost." Suzuka says. "Even if we manage to kill Taiki himself, Ghost will just revive him... Taniks, is there a way to ensure complete destruction?"

"Only one way." Taniks replies. "We must crash..."

"Wait... Crash?" Spe-7 asks before realizing the magnitude. "We're going to crash the entire station with him in it?" Taniks only nods.

"That is... If Atraks survives." Taniks says.

"Let's keep her alive then. Let's move!" Suzuka replies as the trio moves in to support Atraks and the Fallen. Taiki simply whips out his sword, the throne cleaver tainted with darkness, and he begins mowing down the Fallen troops that emerge.

"Look out!" Spe-7 shouts as Taiki slams his blade on the ground and tendrils emerge like disembodied hands. While the trio moves in to personally fight Taiki, Taniks provides covering fire with his scorch cannon arm, going down on one knee to increase his chances of hitting the fallen guardian. Ghost notices though, and he begins firing at Taniks, shooting more red lasers at the mercenary.

"What the?! It can fight?!" Taniks shouts in his native tongue. It's then that Taiki finally manages to land a hit, sending the trio flying. "Oh no..."

"Gah!" Suzuka shouts as she struggles to get back up.

"Your time ends here." Ghost says as Taiki slowly walks forward with his sword. Atraks slowly walks back, aiming her shock rifle at the fallen guardian, but all that does is make him charge- and with one mighty swing Taiki decapitates the Fallen exo, sending her shock rifle flying into Suzuka's hands.

"...What do we do now?" Spe-7 asks as she slowly gets back up. It's then that everyone hears blaring sirens and a change in gravity."

"WARNING! WARNING! ORBIT HAS BEEN DESTABILIZED! WARNING! WARNING!" The sirens blare on.

"We must go... Now!" Taniks says as the three guardians quickly get back up and follow Taniks out of Rapture. Unfortunately Taiki is also after them, but by the time they reach the end of the tunnel everyone's vision blacks out as the station crashes. All of the normal Fallen troops that were in the station did not survive, but emerging from the rubble are the equine trio.

"Ow... That hurt..." Suzuka mumbles as they get out. "Where's Taniks?" Her question is not quite answered as Taiki also emerges from the rubble not too far away from them, and he begins shooting at them with the corrupted Ace of Spades.

"Waah! He's still trying to kill us!" Spe-7 yells as a wild bullet hits a pile of rubble and Taniks himself emerges. He appears to have survived the crash- albeit having been forced to fuse his lower body with a heavy shank, and he begins firing at Taiki with his scorch cannon once more.

"I don't believe it! You're alive!" Gold says as the trio rushes over to Taniks' side, and they all begin focusing fire on Taiki with their heaviest weapons- Suzuka in question manages to figure out the workings of Atraks' rifle and uses that in tandem with the others. Taiki eats hundreds- if not thousands of bullets, but all it does is make him angry as he unleashes the darkness within him, encasing his right arm in the red tendrils, and when he punches Suzuka she goes flying, pinned to the wall with red tendrils.

"Gah!" Suzuka shouts. "I'm stuck!"

"Suzuka-chan!" Spe-7 yells as she brings out her rocket launcher and attempts to blow Taiki away. She fires her rockets in tandem with Taniks' scorch blasts, but another punch also sends the equine hunter flying into the wall- and the same could be said when Gold attempts to take him out.

"All that leaves now, is you." Ghost says as Taiki encases his other arm in the dark tendrils. The fallen guardian then proceeds to tear Taniks apart, ripping the heavy shank's propulsion system apart with his bare hands to ground the mercenary- and for the first time Taniks is scared for his life as Taiki proceeds to dock him of all of his mechanical arms, leaving him completely defenseless.

"No..." Suzuka says as Taiki punches Taniks in the face to spite him.

"Who... WHAT are you?!" Taniks asks, but the fallen guardian simply shoots him in the head, silencing him for the moment.

"I think we're done here." Ghost says as he and Taiki vanish, and it's clear that Taniks will not survive for much longer. When the tendrils holding the equine guardians in place go away they quickly rush over to the dying mercenary.

"I... Have never seen such power..." Taniks mumbles.

"I don't think we have either." Suzuka says. "I'm sorry... We couldn't save Atraks... And now you..."

"No... Don't be..." Taniks replies. "I live... For the fight... We all do..."

"I still can't believe it..." Gold says. "One moment we were all trying to destroy you, and then it's gone from that to working with you, to destroy our friend."

"The hunt... Is always different... Never the same." Taniks replies before coughing. "I... Will not breathe much longer..."

"...At least you went out fighting..." Suzuka says.

"Promise me this..." Taniks replies. "Promise me... Kill that... Thing." Suzuka only nods in response. "Now please... Let me join Eramis... And House Salvation..." Realizing what he wants, Gold hands her hand cannon over to Suzuka, allowing her to do the deed.

"I understand..." Suzuka says as she aims the weapon at Taniks' chest, where his heart would be. "We'll be sure to put Taiki in the ground for you... This might sting a little..." And with that Suzuka closes her eyes before pulling the trigger.