The New Vanguard: Chapter 9 - Showdown of the Century 2.0

Transcript of Destiny 2 Fan Fiction- Chapter 9

Transcribed by: Sara Bankemper

Narrator: [ominous music] Word spread quickly. Soon the tower was brimming with Guardians and civilians all trying to get a good seat for the biggest crucible match anyone had ever seen. The dual between Lord Shaxx versus IKora was more of a legendary story than anything else these days. Maybe there were a few Guardians left who were there, but those people were nowhere near the Tower today. Every screen in the tower was tuned to the coming battle. Guardians gathered around Eververse and Kadi like never before. The food shops in the Bazaar were suddenly doing record business and running out of food. I stood near where Lord Shaxx would normally be officiating the day's Crucible matches looking out over the city. Some of the remaining Redjacks stared at their screens and pads preparing for the coming match. I could feel a different buzz from the city and Tower. This was the breaking point for most people. We had lived in a constant tense state of preparing for the unknown. We had no idea what the Darkness planned in the coming months. They drew closer to Titan, Mars, Mercury and Io. They sent their marionettes to war with us. It didn't matter how many times I ran through the Garden of Salvation, I never found any new answers. Maybe I was looking in the wrong place, but I always felt drawn back there. My thoughts were interrupted when Ikora walked up.

Ikora: "I see they chose Vostok. At least it's far enough away from the civilians that no one will get hurt."

Narrator: ...she continued as she grasped the railing next to me. I looked over to her not quite sure what to say, and I was surprised at what I saw. Ikora seemed less content now than in recent memory. I wasn't sure if she was happy or sad or mad, but I could feel a coming tidal wave of pent up emotion from her. The screen buzzing to life behind me snapped me out of the trance. Lord Shaxx's booming voice shook our bodies even miles away, and through a TV screen. Shaxx stood in the middle of Saint and Zavala. The two combatants stared intently at each other through their helmets. In the background you could see the towering peaks of Vostok with the buildings and walkways of the arena all around.

Lord Shaxx: "Saint-14! Zavala!"

Narrator: Shaxx looked back and forth at each of them.

Lord Shaxx: "You have agreed to a no weapons, no time limit and no score limit. The first one to yield will be declared the victor."

Narrator: Shaxx turned and leapt up to the highest point above what was Point A in a regular control match. He could see the B Point from his position. Saint looked up at Shaxx and as he went back to Zavala, he was met with a large fist to his face that sent him flying back through the wall around Point A. It was on. The match went back and forth for a considerable amount of time. Neither Warrior would go on a kill streak of any significance. They traded blows and kills for what seemed like an hour. Back and forth, back and forth. Over and over they beat each other with their fists and shoulder charges and supers. They flew around the mountain like eagles and then dove at each other stalking their prey. At one point they had worked their way around the map and back near Shaxx. He stood above it all with his arms folded, never flinching at the devastation around him. The shock waves of two massive Titans destroying buildings of rock formations was nothing new to him. He remained motionless in the face of it all with all eyes on the battle in front of them. The crowds in the Tower roared back and forth at the action. They had never seen such power on display and such ferocity of devotion from two Guardians in the Crucible. Then something shifted. Perhaps I was the only one who saw it, but Shaxx dropped his arms to his side and started walking across the roof toward the cave opening near Point B. Saint and Zavala were locked in a wrestling match at that moment on a bridge to the main building. The next thing anyone sees is a flash of light and a massive thunder crash on top of the two combatants, instantly killing both of them. The tower suddenly grew quiet. All the cheering instantly stopped as the air crackled again with powerful surges of electricity. The wood bridge smoked as the singed wood creaked under the massive load of the Crucible overseer. It had been weakened from carrying all the weight of battle. Lord Shaxx got both ghosts and leapt back up to Point B where he let Saint and Zavala both resurrect themselves. They stood there silently for a moment looking at Lord Shaxx.

Lord Shaxx: [sounding frustrated] "Enough!! This petty squabbling is pointless."

Narrator: Zavala turned back to Saint, ready to fight on. Saint took a slight step back and lowered his shoulders ready for more. Shaxx stepped between them and shoved Saint further back down the steps. Zavala grabbed Shaxx by the horn on his helmet, pulled him aside and charged after Saint. This blatant disrespect was something Shaxx hadn't faced in a long time, even from Zavala. I heard an audible gasp from the Tower crowd. They just saw a side of Zavala that had never surfaced before, The side of a man who bore the weight of the survival of the human race for so long that he was about to break under the stress of it all. Zavala stood back up, ready to end this battle. When he saw Saint kneeling at the bottom of the front steps, he charged at Saint with all the pent up fury that he held in his heart. The betrayal of Uldrin burned his soul deeply, but the loss of Cayde hurt more. I looked over at Ikora as Zavala charged in. She lowered her head and covered her eyes as Zavala connected with a shield bash sending Saint flying across the arena toward Point C. His limp body rag-dolled against what was left of the wood structure. The crowd in the tower erupted in a loud chorus of boos. Even those who had previously been protesting Saint in the hangar were expressing their deep scorn for what had happened. Why Saint chose to kneel and be attacked like that, they couldn't comprehend. This wasn't the Saint-14 we all knew and loved. He had relented. He had yielded in the face of combat. Zavala charged after Saint's body. Saint had rezzed and was again kneeling just beyond Point C waiting for Zavala to find him. Zavala rushed in and grabbed Saint by the collar, and flung him off the cliff side of the cavern below. He stood there for a few seconds, watching the body fall through the mist. After losing sight of the body Zavala glanced at his hands and then up to the Traveler as if he was asking the question one more time.

Narrator: Again, no answer came. He grunted and charged toward Point A where Saint was waiting again. Zavala charged toward a kneeling Saint-14, screaming and growling louder and louder as he approached. Zavala hit Saint again with the full force of a shield bash sending Saints lifeless corpse through the stone wall to the path below. Zavala's screaming turned into gasping, and then into the shrieking realization of what was happening around him. Wails of despair bubbled up to the surface. The roar of years of bitterly swallowed anger poured out of his soul and into the mountain air. He flung his helmet away and cried like a Titan would with loud screeches of lost fire team members fueling his sorrow. The loss of his silly friend Cayde igniting the burning pain of the final death. It was more than he could bear. Zavala pounded the stone foundation of the building that was, at one time, point A. Over and over he slammed his bloody fists into the rocks. Pieces of the building flew up and around him as the gazebo lost its integrity and crumbled. Now it was a roofless husk of a structure that creaked and yawed alongside this heavily burdened soul, finally letting it all out. With the fury of one million burning mauls, Zavala cried to the Traveler like he had always wanted to, but he never let himself feel before. He lived for the city and he would die for it. He is a Titan meant to protect those who can't protect themselves. Why wouldn't the Traveler just answer him this one time?! The pounding stopped and the dust began settling. The sobs of a broken heart had subsided for the moment when a small light shone through the cloudy sky and on to Zavala's chest. He leaned back, spent and beaten from the inside out and screamed aloud.

Zavala: [screaming as if in pain] "Whyy? Why won't you just tell me?!"

Narrator: Two stout figures appeared in the midst of the rubble. They stood behind Zavala as he quietly sobbed to himself over and over. Saint and Shaxx looked up at the sky to see the Traveler overhead. The pieces of its shell had stopped swirling around the sky for a moment and parted, making room for the Light to now cover Zavala. Saint walked over to Zavala and reached down to him. Zavala looked up at Saint and saw the Traveler behind him. Zavala saw the light enveloping him and Saint. The light expanded and began covering the whole area as Zavala reached up to Saint. Saint pulled Zavala to his feet and hugged him hard. Zavala collapsed into Saint's arms for a moment as the light filled them both with a new strength and energy. I was as stunned as those around me. What we had witnessed would not truly be understood by most for a long time. I turned to Ikora to get her thoughts, except she wasn't there anymore. I quickly looked around and didn't see her among the throng of people standing silently in the Tower. I began pushing my way through the crowd toward the hangar. Amanda needed to hear this.