What if? [DESTINY OC STORY]

15- Vulkan

The Astral Wrath hid behind the structure of pyramid tech, all hung around Kira who stared through her sniper scope and kept watch of Arjun. "They're just... talking." She told them, confusion lacing her voice. Vulkan and Azariah saw the same thing. It was easy to recognize how distressed Arjun was. The entire fireteam could feel it, and the reflected sorrow was impossible to brush away. "What's the plan?" Adriana questioned, kneeling beside the prone hunter. Griffin shrugged from the other side of Kira. "I would say take the shot." Vulkan shook his head. "No. Our mission is to find out where they are." Aurora gestured to the black blot in the distance. "We found them. What now?"

"We wait."

Griffin sighed. "I know they're your friend, Vulkan. But this might be the only chance we get to... to..." Azariah nodded, agreeing with the hunter. "Griffin's right, for once. They wanted to die, didn't they? It would be mercy to kill them Kira's way. It's quick, clean." Vulkan turned back to his warlock brother. "But in front of Elsie? Their lover? Besides," he turned back towards the horizon. "They can't die." Kira frowned, but didn't look away from her target. "Hold on- I thought you said they were Ghostless?" Vulkan crossed his arms, mechanical brows knit together. "They are. But it's like their Ghost is... a part of them. I saw what that sludge did to Rhulk. It... it enveloped him, fully. And when it receded, he was gone. I can only assume the same happened to Silver, as tragic as it may be."

Aurora gave her lover a peculiar look. "So how do we kill someone who cannot be killed?" Vulkan continued to stare, unsure of how to respond as he came to be at his side, arms crossed and mirroring him. "I don't know." He muttered, concerned. "I don't know."

"Vulkan, I think they see us."

Immediately the fireteam dropped to the ground. "How sure?" Vulkan questioned Kira, eyes darting back at her. "Pretty damn sure." Kira's eyes widened. "Fuck- they're gone." Griffin looked to the hunter, alarmed. "What do you mean they're-?!"

"Vulkan."

The exo's eyes drew back to the shadow standing over him. The fireteam was at ready in a flash, aiming their respective weaponry at the creature of black, whose hands were held up in surrender. Arjun's shadow seemed lengthened by the black oozing from them. "Don't get too close, but... but I want to talk to you."

The fireteam gave one another uneasy glances, all of which eventually settled on Vulkan as he stood, lowering his scout rifle. "I'm willing." Arjun gave him a pained smile, turning away and waving him towards the open expanse of snow. "If anything goes sour, I'll fire a shot to give you time to regroup." Kira told him through the comm. "Understood." He mumbled back in reply, albeit with a sense of distaste. With a deep breath, he turned to catch up with Arjun, jogging in his approach.

"Don't step into the sludge." Arjun called back to Vulkan as he came closer. "It's... it won't do anything good." They laughed sadly, voices echoing ominously. But there was no sense of malice in their tone. Vulkan only nodded, resorting to walking by their side rather than behind them.

Once they had gone a decent distance, Arjun stopped. "Vulkan, I've learned some things. A lot of things." Vulkan tensed, backing away. Off to a great start. He thought to himself. "What sort of things?" They curled inward on themself guiltily. "Nothing bad. I don't- I don't want to kill anyone or destroy humanity." They tried to joke and make light of things. "I've... met The Witness. I've obtained some of its memories along with Rhulk's and Oryx's and perhaps even Silver's. And I've learned things."

Arjun turned back to Vulkan, swirling black eyes haunted. Pyramid tech clung thinly to their cheeks and chest, giving off an odd orange glow. "This is nothing but a game to them, Vulkan." The titan frowned. "To who?"

"The Light and the Dark. The Gardener and the Winnower.

"This universe is simply a game of chess that they have both inserted themselves into as their own Kings. All they want to do is win. And- and-" Arjun began trembling, black dripping from them more thickly in their distress and melting the slush surrounding them. "And they won't stop! They don't care! And if one side wins- even if the Light wins and the game ends, we won't win! Humanity won't win!" Their voice made the ground rumble around them, glitching at moments, ready to break or crack. "Humanity will die. But not just humanity. Everyone. Everything. It will all be reduced to nothing as the Gardener and the Winnower wipe the board clean to start again."