The ancient buildings of the Venusian ruins hummed with a faint echo of life. As the sun set over the surface of the Ishtar Sink region of Venus, a city once teeming with life now laid in a quiet calm. Where once neon light beamed out of every window of every skyscraper, now only darkness resided.Where the music of daily life sang through the alleys and roads, now only silence. Standing alone, in the center of it all, one could almost feel the presence of the lives that once called this place home. But in the distance, whispers stirred.
Then they grew.
Louder and louder, until they became screams of metal and machine. These creatures, the Vex, broke the peace of the dusk-colored city as they roamed the surface with the single-minded goal of unstoppable expansion. Two of the monstrosities, lackeys known as goblins, wandered within the ruins. Hiding above them unseen stood a guardian, a titan, waiting for his moment to strike. His name was Dexter. He was a wolf, heavily armored with metals that allowed for a great deal of flexibility without sacrificing durability. His black chestplate matched the color of his fur and his greaves glowed ochre on his knees and shin guards. Wrapped around his waist, beside his black and yellow tail, was a piece of cloth known as a mark. The symbol on it was a mark of prestige for Dexter and had been ripped from his last kill. He was a bounty hunter and it was for this reason, Dexter had travelled to Venus.
As the goblins shambled beneath him he drew his gun, aiming his sights on one. A moment of silence passed as he observed them. It felt like an eternity, but then he saw his opportunity.
There was a click and in an instant bullets flew through the air. One of the goblins turned his head in time to see the bullets pierce through his ally, a mechanical scream cried out and the other goblin turned to find their attacker. It was too late, the Titan was already upon him.
WHAM!!
In an instant, the goblin’s body was completely crushed as the Titan slammed into him from above. The remaining mechanical beast, though missing its head, was still responsive and scrambled to pick itself up. Enraged it tried charging, but was met with a hail of bullets. Steel limbs were ripped from sockets and all processes were terminated.
“Easy,” Dexter muttered as he began reloading his gun. Titans were renowned for their mercilessness and he was no exception. These goblins, however, were not why he was here. As he finished reloading a high-pitched clicking echoed through the ruins. Ducking behind a nearby pillar, Dexter prepared for his real target. A Fallen captain by the name of Braxis. With an extra
pair of arms, the insect-like alien struck an imposing figure. Surrounding him was a squad of fallen vandals, no doubt the captain’s lackeys. To signify his rank, Braxis wore a long red cape that billowed behind him in the sparse Venusian wind. The clicks continued as they communicated caution to each other. They had noticed the remains of the Vex Dexter had destroyed. He was outnumbered, but he still held the advantage of surprise.
Their footsteps grew closer and closer. For Dexter it was now or never.
The Fallen kept a watch on their surroundings, suspicious of what they could find. All was quiet. The wind worked its way through the ruined alleys of the city. One of their squad was busy examining the remains of the Vex. From the carnage it was easy to tell it was the work of a guardian. That was all the vandal could discern before he was incinerated in a blast of fire as he was hit with a grenade. Braxis turned immediately and fired. His bullets glanced Dexter as he shot out from cover and retaliated with fire of his own, striking down another of the fallen’s squad.
“Two down, three left…” thought Dexter as he zipped across the rubble and rushed into another vandal, knocking him over and gunning him down. His mind felt complete focus. He was in his element. Then Braxis appeared before him in a flash. With a lock on Dexter, he teleported and brought his energy blade straight across Dexter’s chestplate. He gasped as the blade struck him and staggered back, Braxis followed readying his blade for another strike as the sole remaining vandal prepared to shoot if Dexter tried to sidestep his captain.
With all the strength he could pull together, Dexter pushed himself up into the air over Braxis. The captain reached up to slice him through, but he was too slow. The fallen vandal fired as Dexter began to arc towards him. His bullets hit, but the titan would not relent. Dexter fired back and crashed into the vandal. Thanks to the strength of his suit, Dexter was able to push himself up as if he had never been shot. Below his feet, the last of the captain’s squad laid motionless.
“One left…” Dexter muttered. The captain and titan stared each other down. Both waiting to see who would make the first move. For a moment, Dexter could swear that Braxis looked to be at peace despite losing his entire squad. Perhaps they both liked a challenge. That moment passed and Braxis began to teleport. Dexter was ready this time. With a swift click of the trigger the captain’s head was severed from his body. The fallen’s life sustaining substance, ether, vented into the Venusian atmosphere as his body fell.
Reloading his gun once more, Dexter approached the body of his enemy and ripped off a piece of his tattered cape.
“Another one down.” He whispered as he added a new mark to his collection.
Art by  angiewolf
Amazing story by  sigcutio