Halo 2 Forum
This topic has moved here: Subject: Halo short: Gaurdian of the Luminous Key
  • Subject: Halo short: Gaurdian of the Luminous Key
Subject: Halo short: Gaurdian of the Luminous Key

Phoenix is dead, long live Phoenix!
Is it?

Nooooo........
Bad Humans.
Stay
Cant wait for tomorrow

  • 02.15.2006 1:53 AM PDT
  • gamertag:
  • user homepage:
  • last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT

Wow thats awesome. That Watchman thing is clever. So we will have to slay the young again, joy!

  • 02.15.2006 3:32 AM PDT
  • gamertag:
  • user homepage:
  • last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT

...................wow....................
..............................................
.............................................
amazing soul cant wait 4 the nxt bit

  • 02.15.2006 11:40 AM PDT

TWP - Assistant Director
Blade Runner: #00124A
- - - - - - -
My Novel, available on Amazon.com

Homepage

Finale, coming at ya!
**********************************
"Gaurdian of the Luminous Key"
Finale
Mount Sinai Basin
3117 BC

Elena, with her mother and father, dismounted their camels and gazed into the side of the cliff. The air was cold and damp, and the stars were washed away by a thick nighttime fog. They had not been traveling long; two days by land, they then crossed the Gulf of Suez near the Red sea, and another two days on land. Elena had been to many surrounding areas but never had she seen such a place. The mountains all around seemed eerily black during the late hours of the night, and with numerous outcroppings. Many valley’s and hills surrounded several peeks, and the region was unpopulated; void of nearly all human life. They walked further in, toward what appeared to be the tallest of the mountains.

“Father, where are we?” Elena asked as she gazed around the valley.

“We are here.” He simply stated.

“But surely we are still within Egypt’s Reach?”

Elena’s mother turned to her, “Yes. Where better to keep something important, then under the nose of those that would look for it.”

Elena smirked at this and then looked back over her shoulder; something was bothering her. “Father…”

“I know.” He simply added. “It is unlike the Watchmen to follow us this far. They were to remain at the Red Sea.”

“Perhaps the rumor was true.” Elena’s mother sighed softly to herself. “To believe that the Watchmen would do such a thing.”

“What? What is happening…” Elena curiously mumbled.

Elena’s father spoke up. “We were warned by the head’s of several Watchmen tribes that some of their brothers are not content with being mere Watchmen. After all these years of protecting the secrecy of the Reclaimers and the Luminous Key, they have begun to want more involvement. The elder Watchmen attribute this to the youth. I do not know their intent, but they know the punishment for coming near the Ark.”

“There was a time when wondering tribes would nest at the base of this mountain, but they would move on.” Elena’s mother spoke. “I would watch them come and go. There is a difference between coming near the Ark and looking for it.”

Elena then added, “Those that search for the Ark must die if they come to close.”

Her father embraced her lovingly. “This is as far as we will go. From here, you are on your own. If we go any further, I fear the Watchmen will learn of its location.”

Her mother then hugged her and kissed her on the cheek, “Head toward the southern side of the mountain, you will see two boulders sitting side by side. Climb across these boulders and climb directly to the top of the mountain. Then you will feel it, the Luminous Key will guide you from there.”

“They are coming.” Elena’s father added. “Go. We will deal with them.”

“No, I will not let you fight them alone.” Elena gripped her sword, but her father stayed her hand.

“You have excelled beyond both me and your mother, fighting these Watchmen will be pointless for you. Go. We will be fine.” Elena hesitated. She looked to the hilly path as the watchmen lit their torches and stampeded toward them. She quickly counted twenty flames, but the sound of the camels made it clear that there were more.

She gripped her father’s hand and released him as she turned toward the hill. She flung her bag over her shoulder and sprinted toward the south of the mountain.

“No matter what, my dear, do not come back!” Elena heard her mother’s words, and as much as she wanted to stop and go back to them, she had to go on. Her pace was fast, her heart was steady, and even with an eighty pound bag on her back, she moved quickly. She rounded the mountain and could no longer hear the battle being waged around her father and mother.

She stopped. She wanted to go back. She looked up and saw the two boulders, clearly marking her path to the top. She didn’t want to leave her parents, not like this. She took one step forward and climbed the mountain.

- - - - - - - -

Elena tumbled down the cave entrance in complete darkness. She had lost her footing and her focus. It had taken her nearly two hours to scale the mountain, and she was worried about her mother and father. Was this really worth it? Was being a Reclaimer truly worth the sacrifice? There was no doubt that her mother and father could fend off an army of the weak Watchmen, but not knowing what had happened was more than enough to drive her insane.

She gathered her bag and looked out of the cave entrance; only the stars of the night shined above. She couldn’t see anything and was afraid to light a torch for fear of someone seeing the blaze. She turned and faced the darkness of the cave ahead and continued to walk down the path. It was a very steep decline and she held on to the wall as she went. Her chest became warm and she rubbed the area between her breasts and felt the lump of the crystal. It was glowing. She pulled it from her blouse and held it outward. A beam of light shined directly from the crystal, and the walls began to glow with a strange writing that she could barely understand. She reached out and touched it and it faded away.

“The bloodline.” She whispered, identifying the words. She took the crystal’s sharp edge and made a small cut across her finger. A small bead of blood formed and she wiped it on the wall. The strange letters began to glow again, this time leading her further down the path. She followed the path for several minutes until she arrived at a door. She didn’t know how far down she had been walking, but she could no longer see the top of the cave. The door began to glow, radiating with its own light source. It was made of some form of metal Elena had never seen and the door parted before her. Steam hissed from its sides and within the door was the strangest thing she had ever seen. A suite of Armor stood before her, as if placed upon the statue of a man or woman. It was dented, scarred and had clearly been worn by someone long ago. She stepped into the door and could see several paths leading throughout. Tunnels made of metal and softer materials.

“Welcome Reclaimer.” A voice pronounced as she entered. “I have been expecting you.”

“Who… who said that?” The doors sealed behind her and light began to erupt all around. The source of light did not come from a flame, but from small balls that looked like miniature suns. They glowed brightly and Elena shielded her eyes so that they could adjust.

“I am the Ark’s Artificial Intel… forgive me. I mean to say, that I am the voice of the Ark.”

Elena pulled her hands down from her eyes and looked around. Her vision had adjusted and before her was the internal structure of several large rooms, hallways, and glowing lights, but the source of the voice was still a mystery.

“This is the Ark?”

“Yes. And you are the newest Chosen Reclaimer, given the task of protecting it from those that would want to activate it. You have a great deal of learning, and training ahead of you. Please, follow the lights upon the wall and I will show you were you will rest, eat, study, and train.”

- - - - - - - -

One year passed.

The knowledge and training within the Ark had transformed Elena into something she did not comprehend. She now understood her mother and father’s caution. The things she had learned; the history of humanity, the Forerunners, the Gods, the betrayal of the Law Keepers, the disappearance of the Founders and the worst thing of all… the Flood. It took her months to simply believe it all, but the ship’s computer made it abundantly clear. The Ark was more than a ship, it was the life of the galaxy and the central control system to the most powerful weapon ever created; Halo.

Elena knew that she was no longer the young and naïve girl she once was. Her parents were right, the truth made her understand the importance of protecting the Ark and the Luminous Key. She even knew what the Key was really called; the Ship Core.


[Edited on 2/15/2006]

  • 02.15.2006 12:22 PM PDT

TWP - Assistant Director
Blade Runner: #00124A
- - - - - - -
My Novel, available on Amazon.com

Homepage

She lay in her cot, gazing at the ceiling while a computer terminal at her side replayed the last journal of Litran, General of the Reclaimer army. She was the strongest of the human’s warriors, and an inspiration to Elena. She pressed a button on the terminal and the recording stopped; it was the only source of entertainment she had. She stood from the cot and a voice sounded in the room.

“Good morning Elena. How was your rest?”

“Sufficient.” Elena bluntly stated.

“Wonderful. Being sufficient is more than enough for you take on the task ahead.” Elena gripped the pants she had grown accustomed to wearing. The material was durable, easy to clean and provided an excellent range of motion. She had found several pairs of them in the ships lockers. Once again she had to adjust the size. Her training on the ship had increased her muscle and waist line considerably.

“Ah, I should inform you that today is your one year anniversary. Like all the other Reclaimers before you, today is your last day of training and studying.”

A small smile crept upon Elena’s face. “Really?”

“Why yes. I would not lie about such a thing.” Elena cheered happily and quickly dressed. “Today we will complete one last duel against the Constructors. This will test your speed and stamina. They do not have weapons, per-se, but their welding beams will give you a nasty burn.”

“Yeah, I remember.” Elena stated as she rubbed her butt. During her last exercise against the constructors one of them got a lucky shot.

“The training area is ready, you may…” The computer went silent.

“What’s wrong?”

“I have detected activity beyond the exit. According to previous Reclaimer training Rituals, no one should be here.”

“You’re right.” Elena grabbed her weapons and raced through the ship. After several moments she arrived at the door. She placed her hand on the helmet of the Reclaimer armor, knowing that it was the Armor of Litran. She had hopped to wear the armor someday, but as she learned more and more about the Ark’s power systems, she learned that the armor’s power cells had died many years ago. Now, it was only a symbol of what the warriors of old use to wear. Elena pulled on her custom tailored environment suit and helmet. Unlike the Reclaimer armor of old, this was not a powered suit, nor did it enhance any of her abilities. It was made of lightweight materials, was flexible and stronger then any blade. It had two long flowing capes that fell from the back of her shoulders to the base of her knees. It was a nice addition to the armor and when she moved it made appear to have wings. She gripped a sword in her hand, slid it into a holster on her back, picked up a long metal staff spear nd parted the exterior door of the ship.

Without hesitation she sprinted out of the door and up the hill of the cave, her speed was tremendous and all natural. She hadn’t been outside in a year, and she had not been able to fully test her land speed since she started training. She climbed the hill without breaking a stride and ahead of her was the clear blue sky of a sun filled day. She had not seen the sun in a year, but there was no time to worry about that, she had a duty to fulfill.

She arrived at the cave entrance and stopped suddenly at the edge. She peeped over a small boulder as a formation of people sat at the base of the mountain. There were hundreds of them.

“An Army?” She whispered. “Are they searching for the Ark?” She needed to get closer because she was much too high on the mountain top to see them clearly. She stepped out of the cave and paused as she heard footsteps to her right. She pulled back into the cave and waited.

“I tell you, it was a cave. It was here I know it was.”

“We have been looking on this mountain for days, there has been nothing.”

“Look! There! It is the cave!”

“Thank the gods! We found it!”

Elena listened to the footsteps on the stone path, they were coming closer. They were clearly looking for something.

“You stay here, I will tell the other we have found the path.” The men were dividing and she could here one man walking away. She risked looking around the rock face and saw the lone man walking closer to the cave entrance.

The man turned the corner and paused as he glared at the massive creature before him. Standing in an all white garments and holding a spear as tall as he was, the man trembled at the sight of it. It towered over him like a giant and he glared into its face only to see two dark large eyes. It had no trace of a nose, but instead, it had a large gap where the mouth should be, and fangs under its chin. He stumbled to his knees gasping for air, and for words.

Everything Elena had learned was correct. The computer had told her that her appearance would cast fear upon anyone who saw her in her suit of armor, and she was to play the role as much as possible.

She stepped closer to the man and gripped him by the collar. The man moaned softly, and was still unable to form words. She easily picked him up and held him over her head. Elena marveled at how light he was.

“Why have you come? What do you seek?” Her voice was muffled by the mask, and it was almost as if she was softly roaring at the man.

“… we… we… seek the Ark!” The man stuttered nervously.

“Who has sent you to this place?”

“… I do not know… I do not … know… they only say they are the Watchmen.”

Elena now understood what they had been sent to do. They were the bait. This army was sent to draw her out, in the Watchmen’s attempt to find the Ark. She dropped the man, knowing that he was only a pawn.

“This mountain is a sacred place of the Gods. Your presence here angers them. I am but a servant, and you have stepped upon holy grounds. Be gone! All of you! Or the Gods wrath shall not be stayed.”

The man scampered out of the cave, crawling, stumbling, running, flailing, doing anything that he could to get away. Tears formed under his eyes as he ran down the rocky mountain side. He caught his partner and ran passed him screaming hysterically of what he had seen.

- - - - - - - -

“An Angel?” The man questioned from atop his pedestal. This man sat in a tent at the center of the army, and around his neck hung a circular medallion. None of the men in the army knew what it meant, but they all knew it had an importance. “And what did this Angel say?”

“It said that the Gods are not happy with us being here. This is holy ground and that we should leave or they will grow angry.” The man tearfully moaned. “I do not wish to anger the Gods…”

The Watchman pushed the cowering man away. “It was not an Angel, and this land is not holy. That was simply someone trying to scare you.” At his side was a bag, a bag hanging from a pole and dried blood stained its base. This bag brought the man no joy, but he wanted to keep it by his side. He thumbed the bag loosely and the smell of it made him gasp. He looked at it and thought to himself, “How well did you train her, how much does she know?” He was the head Watchman for the desert tribes, and they were the ones that were closest to the Reclaimers.

The Watchman turned to another man wearing a medallion and gave him orders. “Take this coward and make him show you where that cave is.”

The man nodded respectfully and grabbed the cowering man by the collar, dragging him from the tent.

- - - - - - - -

Fifteen men climbed the mountain path.
Fourteen wore armor and hid behind shields and swords.
One man led them; cowering and trembling with every step.
The man that was spared the Reclaimers duty.
Another man followed closely behind, a medallion swung loosely around his neck.
Fifteen men climbed the mountain path.
But the Law of the Reclaimer says, that none shall leave alive.


- - - - - - - -

This was the moment she had trained for all of her life. There was nowhere to run to, no retreating, or relaxing. She climbed out of the cave and glared down at the men that were climbing up to her. They still had not seen her, but soon they would be in range and Elena began to calculate her strategy.

The Watchman that led them would be the hardest to kill. He was a monstrous man, clearly eight feet tall. He may not have had the Reclaimer strength but he assuredly gained their size. Elena looked at the rest of the men in the Watchmen’s pack; they were all terrified. The man’s story had spread throughout the army like wildfire, and any man that came up the mountain knew that they would be facing something otherworldly. However, the Watchman showed no fear, because he knew what he was up against.


[Edited on 2/15/2006]

  • 02.15.2006 12:24 PM PDT

TWP - Assistant Director
Blade Runner: #00124A
- - - - - - -
My Novel, available on Amazon.com

Homepage

The cowering man stopped as he peered toward the top of the mountain. His eyes filled with the white glow of the Angel’s pure white shroud. He crumbled to his knees, sobbing words of forgiveness. The Watchman kicked him to the side, moving the cowering man from his path.

“You cower to a deceiver!” The watchman shouted. He turned and looked into the eyes of the other men behind him. They were all afraid, afraid of what they didn’t understand. He wanted to tell them that it was merely a woman, but how could he say such a thing to them? They would not believe that a warrior of such size could be a woman. The men were backing away looking at the Watchman to show them what to do, while fear slowly consumed them.

“Kill the deceiver, this false Angel, and a King’s handle of gold awaits you all!” The Watchman then watched as three men darted up the hill to face the Reclaimer, yet he knew that three men would not be enough. He had to convince them all to go. “All of you, attack! Show this false warrior that you will not fear a deceiver. That is no angel.” The other men followed, nervously, but yet they followed.

- - - - - - - -

Thirteen men climbed the path.
Thirteen men with swords and shields.
The Angel descended upon them with the will of the Gods.
The men could not touch it.
The men could not flee.
They could not escape.
They could not fight.
Their blood stained the rocks.
The Angel, in its retribution, remained unfazed.
Though blood dripped from every stone, the Angel remained clean.


- - - - - - - -

She was good. The Watchman knew he was out matched. He watched her easily kill all thirteen of the soldiers. He was going to face a full Reclaimer at the end of its training. He knew that his death would be quick, but he would not make it easy for her. The watchman disrobed his clunky armor, he needed the extra speed. His muscles flexed in the glistening sun as Elena slowly walked toward him.

The Watchman tightly gripped his shield and brought up his sword. He wasn’t going to attack, he would defend himself until he found a moment; a weakness. The Reclaimer had the advantage; higher ground, better balance on the loose mountain terrain, speed, stamina, and skill. The Watchman readied himself.

In a thunderous growl, Elena spoke. “You should never have brought them here. For this, they will all suffer.” Her voice carried on the wind like a lion’s roar.

Unfazed by the words, the Watchmen replied, “And that is exactly why your tribe has been wiped out. They are all dead! All! The Ark should be shared with the world! Not kept hidden like some treasure!”

A sudden explosion of feelings crept into Elena heart. She wanted to ask him what he meant, but something else told her that he was correct. Had her father and mother died that night one year ago? Elena held up her metal staff and pointed the dagger at the Watchman. He was ready for her, and he was a skilled swordsman, Elena could tell by his stance. All her years of training with her father and mother, all of the many teachings passed down through the generations were all brought to the forefront of her mind.

She attacked. Her speed was godly, her posture was perfect, her strength was unparalleled and skill was of a master. She jabbed the Watchman’s shield with spear, pushing him back and keeping him on edge. He was thrown into a constant retreat, but he never attacked. With every push of her spear, the Watchman would teeter backwards and stand firm. Elena altered her attack, jabbing and then stabbing at his feet. The Watchman shifted his balance to avoid his legs from being stabbed and Elena countered this movement. She lifted the spear as he retreated, striking the shield and knocking it from the Watchman’s arms. She then jammed the spear into his stomach.

Blood dripped down the spear blade and the Watchman dropped his sword. He then gripped the staff and reached out to grab Elena with his free hand. Elena released the staff, spun in a full rotation and watched as her swords severed the Watchman’s head from his torso.

The body crashed to the ground and she pulled her spear from his corpse. She flung the blood off of her sword and slipped it back into the sheath. She stepped toward the cowering man as he buried his face into the rocky slop; offering forgiveness for not heading the God’s demands.

“Stand!” Elena demanded. Her voice sounded even more horrifying than before.

The man tearfully rose from his prostrate position. “Please spare me, they would have killed me. I beg for forgiveness.”

“I have a task for you.” Elena picked up the bloody medallion of the Watchman and gave it to the man. “Return to the others and show them this. Tell them to leave this valley before sunset. Any man, woman or child that remains will be punished. But do not tell your leader, for he is blinded by his own greed and he will kill you.”

The man sobbed as he held the bloody medallion loosely by the necklace. He bowed to the Angel and fled from the mountain path.

- - - - - - - -

The lone survivor heard the Angel’s words.
He fled to his people telling of what had happened.
A survivor of the Angel’s works?
How foolish was the Angel to believe that men could be trusted with simple tasks.
The Law of the Reclaimer says … that none shall leave alive.


- - - - - - - -

Hundreds of men packed there bags and fled from the camps, many more followed as the man went from group to group telling the warning of the Angel. He was frantic and nervous, he wanted to tell everyone in the massive camp, but sunset was not far off and he wanted to be long gone before there time was up. He told others to spread the word, to go to their neighbors and their neighbor’s neighbor and tell them to run. The Gods were not pleased and their messengers had killed the one of the Watchmen’s soldiers. His word was spreading quickly throughout the camp, but some of them were foolish enough to believe that the man’s words were false. One of these men went into the Watchman’s tent and spoke with him.

“What?” He huffed in an angry fume. He stood from his chair and glanced at the bloody bag at his side. “You taught her well.” After that, he stormed from the tent and watched as men fled by the dozens away from the mountain’s base. He could not stop them all, but he was pleased to see that some remained behind. He walked through the camps, talking to the men and thanking them for staying. The Watchman then spotted man that had first found the mountain path. He quickly sprinted toward him.

The man did not see him approach while he was talking to one last group of men, “This is the medallion of the Watchman’s soldier. The angel killed him for disobeying the god’s demands. You must leave before sunset or….”

“Or what?” The Watchman questioned in a furious tone. The man turned and looked into the eyes of the giant Watchman. He was as tall as the other man, but much older. “Tell me what this… Angel, told you.”

The man recalled what the angel said, that he should not tell the leader. “I can not. I can not tell you.”

“What difference will it make if you tell me or not? You have told my men, but you can not tell me?”

The man thought on this and foolishly spoke. “The Angel says that any man that has not left here by sunset will be punished by the Gods. Please, let me and my kin leave this place.”

“The Gods!” He grew angry. “The Gods will punish me!” He pulled his sword from his sheath and raised it up the man’s chest in a blinding quickness. Blood spat from the man’s wounds and he dropped the medallion. “Damn you and your Gods! I came here to better humanity. To cease the Ark and give to the world! You have no true understanding of what the Gods want!”

The man fell to the ground gripping his chest as he felt his life draining away. “I … should have listened. The … the Angel was right. It said… that you would ...” Life left the man and the other men around him watched in horror. They grabbed their bags and fled the camps.

The Watchman spat upon the man’s body and looked to another of his men that didn’t run. “Gather everyone that has not left and bring them to my tent. There is nothing to fear. It is only a farce. The warrior on the mountain will come down to face me.”

- - - - - - - -

The sun crept beneath the western horizon and torches began to glow within the camp. A group of twenty men were sent to watch the base of the mountain, and alert the camp of anything. Many of the men glared toward the top of the mountain, waiting for something to happen. They didn’t have to wait long.

The last ray of sunlight struck upon Elena’s armor while she perched upon the top of the two touching boulders. She stood tall and glared at the group of twenty men that were frightfully glaring back at her. The sunlight faded into a red beam of light and Elena’s white armor appeared to glow a blood chilling red. The men panicked and tossed their weapons to the ground. It was as if they did not believe the man’s earlier warning, but now that they had seen the Angel with their own eyes, they wanted to run away.

  • 02.15.2006 12:29 PM PDT

TWP - Assistant Director
Blade Runner: #00124A
- - - - - - -
My Novel, available on Amazon.com

Homepage

Time was up.

There was no place for them to run to.

Elena gave chase, catching up to them in a heartbeat. Her sword cut though the cowering and retreating men without remorse. Their blood curling screams echoed throughout the camp and everyone turned their attention to the now darkened area. The twenty men’s torches had been snuffed out and their screams faded.

“That was the twenty men we placed at the base of the mountain.” One man screamed.

“We are all going to die. We should not have stayed. The Gods are angry.” Two men dropped their swords and began to run away from the central tent, and away from the mountain. The vanished from the light of the torches and two screams filled the night air.

“They are dead. They are DEAD!”

“Arm yourselves!”

“We can not fight the Gods!”

Another scream echoed across the night and the men began to pack together outside the tent. More men tried to flee, but once they were away from the torchlight, they were instantly killed by an unknown force.

The tarp of the central tent flung open and the Watchman stepped out. In his right hand he held a sword, and in his left he held the bloody bag. He walked out of the crowd of terrified soldiers and glared into the darkness.

“I know you can see me. I know you are out there. Come forth and kill me if you dare.”

There was silence. And then all eyes turned as a figure appeared beyond the light of the torches. It was tall, just as the man had described it, but the Angel was no longer wearing white garments, it was know stained crimson red with the blood of its victims.

The Watchman smirked, “You see men! What you face is not an Angel or a God, but merely a warrior with great skill.” The eyes of the men alls gazed at the bloody sword in Elena’s hand, and then it dawned on them all that she was still walking toward them.

With every step Elena took the men twitched. Fear had consumed them, either man or spirit, they were afraid of it. She flung the blood of her previous victims from her blade and sheathed the sword. She then gripped her staff with both hands.

The Watchman stepped forward and gently placed the bag in Elena’s path. He then walked back to the side of his men. Elena stopped once the bag was at her feet.

With a smile, the Watchman spoke, “You should know that I do not blame you for what you are doing today. Your life will end on this battlefield. But I want you to know that it is not hatred that has brought me to you. It is simply what must be done. The Ark belongs to us all, not just your tribe.”

Elena looked down at the blood stained bag.

The Watchman’s smile faded. “Ask yourself, what happens when there are two children born with the same bloodline, and of the same sex. What becomes of the one who is not to become the Chosen?” The men of the camp were puzzled at these words; tempted to flee but too curious to leave. “I loved your father like a brother. Trained with him, learned with him, and shared my life with him…”

Elena gasped at those words and reached for the bag. It instantly dawned on her that she knew what was in the bag; the blood stains, the rotting smell, the round shape. Her eyes began to swell as she untied the string holding it together. She opened it suddenly and her heart sank. It wasn’t who she thought it would be.

“… but I loved your mother more. Everything was taken from me when our tribes united your father with your mother. They made me into Watchman and gave your father to the woman I loved. They would be the future of the Reclaimers, and continue the bloodline.”

Elena lifted her head and removed her helmet, revealing her face to the soldiers of the camp. Tears frantically fell down her face as she blankly stared at the Watchman before her.

“I was made to leave the Tribe. All of you Reclaimers must die for humanity to grow; including the woman that I loved. But I kept that head close to me, so that I will always be haunted by what the Reclaimers have forced upon us; isolation and secrecy. But a third word should be added to that small list; death.”

Elena stood upright and glared at the man before her. Her eyes swelled with tears that she could no longer stop from flowing. She held her staff tightly in her left hand and drew her blade with her right. Words didn’t mater anymore.

“You are the last of the Reclaimers. Come and face me, Guardian of the Luminous Key. Your head will rest beside your mother’s.”

Elena snapped. She sprinted forward and ducked as the Watchman’s blade cut across her head. He sliced off several inches of her hair and then jumped as Elena’s spear swung wildly at his feet. He then kicked out and hit Elena broad in the face. She crumbled, and rolled several feet to the side. The men all cheered, no longer afraid of what they didn’t understand. All they saw before them was a woman, a woman that had killed their allies.

The watchman sprinted toward Elena and brought his sword low, swinging high. Elena rolled to the side and his blade grazed her arm. She didn’t think it was possible for his sword to cut through her armor, but it did.

He was fast, strong, and massive. One hundred and fifty years of training and hatred had made him into the perfect Reclaimer. Elena was out matched and needed an edge, but first she needed to regain her senses. She couldn’t let the image of her mother’s head distract her.

She rolled to her feet and leveled her sword above her shoulder in a two handed grip. Only with speed did she stand a chance. She kicked out, and the Watchman swung his sword at her leg, but she pulled back. The faint maneuver worked and she brought the sword down upon his shoulder armor. The strike was deep, cutting through the armor, and blood flowed from the wound. But his dense steel like muscles prevented the blade from cutting too deep. The watchman swung his arm and slapped Elena away.

She held on to the sword and ripped it from his shoulder as she flew backward. Elena’s entire chest hurt from the blow, and she gasped for air as she stood. An arrow then struck her in the leg, her armor absorbed most of the stone tip, but she felt into her flesh. She turned and saw that the men were now attacking her. More arrows flew true, but she dodged them easily. Three men pounced upon her with their swords and she quickly cut them down. She then turned back toward the Watchman and cautiously approached.

The Watchman swung his sword and she blocked it with her own. The two swords struck several more times before Elena was cut across her leg. She stumbled forward and lunged with her sword. Her blade entered the Watchman’s gut and he groaned in agony. She pressed the sword harder, pushing the blade into his flexed abdomen. Blood trickled from the Watchman’s mouth. He then gripped Elena by the neck and brought his sword down upon her shoulder. She let go of her sword and caught the blade in her right hand. He was weakened, and wasn’t able to put much force into the blow; but blood still dripped from the cut it made in her exposed palm.

Several men then began to spear her in the back. She gritted her teeth and bore the pain. She stood tall and kicked the hilt of her sword, forcing it through the watchman’s stomach and out of his back. He fell to his knees and released his grip from her neck. Elena then spun around, gripped the Watchman’s sword hilt, and killed the men that were stabbing her. She then turned and faced the fading Watchman.

She palmed his hair in her left hand and glared into his eyes.

The watchman formed a blood-filled smile. “Isolation, secrecy and death. From this day forward …you will always be… alone.” Elena brought the sword down upon his neck and his body fell to the ground. She held his head high and stared into his eyes wickedly. She then dropped the head and looked to the other soldiers as they finally began to run. She exhaled and inhaled a lung full of clean air; to brace for the pain to come. She sprinted after them, and every step ached throughout her battle worn body.

Several hours passed and Elena sat upon the boulders at the base of the mountain path. Bodies littered the valley, and all of the men that had remained were dead. Those who fled before sunset would most likely continue the legend of this holy place, and anyone that returned would find the bodies of the men that had remained. The legend of Mount Sinai would spread, and all would fear this land. It would remain empty and barren for many years to come.

  • 02.15.2006 12:30 PM PDT

TWP - Assistant Director
Blade Runner: #00124A
- - - - - - -
My Novel, available on Amazon.com

Homepage

Elena buried the head of her mother beneath the boulders of the mountain path. She then began the long climb back to the Ark, where she could relax and let her wounds heal. Someday, she would go back into the world and search for her family, to find a survivor. But the loss of her family, her tribe, saddened her and tears once again flowed from her face. She entered the door to the Ark and gazed at the Armor of the Reclaimer. And it dawned on her that she was the last of her kind; the last of the Reclaimers.

She rested for twenty days and twenty nights.

“Are you certain that you wish to take this action?” The computer questioned as Elena pulled the ship core from its resting place in the main terminal. She placed it back around her neck and thought deeply on her next actions.

“Without the ship core, you have enough power for one journey. Once I’m clear of the mountain, go and find a new resting spot. I will hide the ship core until I have raised a family that can carry on our bloodline. So long as the ship core is safe, no one can activate you for your true purpose. Perhaps I will find you someday, but if not, my descendents hopefully will.”

“Farewell Reclaimer.” The Ark’s main terminal powered down and Elena exited the ship. “The future of the Universe is still in your hands.”

She reached a valley several miles away from Mount Sinai when she heard the rumble. It was as if the mountain was about to erupt. She turned and watched as a plume of dust, ash and molten magma erupted into the sky. Within the smoke and debris Elena could see the rusty image of something massive in size; hidden within the scorching hot ash cloud. The Ark turned and followed the ash cloud into the sky, keeping itself hidden until it was high enough in the sky to fly away.

Elena watched as Mount Sinai slowly ended its preemptive eruption and then she turned and walked away; to hide the Luminous Key and to begin raising a new tribe of Reclaimers.

- - - - - - - -

An army I did defeat that night.
An army that killed my family.
With revenge and hatred I cursed the Reclaimer’s ways.
With revenge and hatred I cursed the Watchmen’s ways.
But a Reclaimer is what I am.
A Reclaimer is what the Ark needs.
So to the distant wind I sent the Ark.
Where it will rest, I will not know.
I will not search for it until my tribe returns.
And until my Great Journey is complete,
I shall never see the Ark again.

~Ballad of Elena: The Third Movement of the Reclaimers


The End.

***************************


I know you have questions. I'm listening.

~soulguard

PS: No.. this has nothing to do with "Moses" and the ten commandments. It's about 1000 years before the "Exodus".

[Edited on 2/15/2006]

  • 02.15.2006 12:32 PM PDT

Phoenix is dead, long live Phoenix!
Is it?

I enjoyed that more than any other chapter I've ever read.
Will there be more like this. mabey more of Elena's tribe?
this was soooo cool
Im outstanded.
I cant think of anymore compliments.
Write more
please.

  • 02.15.2006 7:43 PM PDT
  • gamertag:
  • user homepage:
  • last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT

I believe the one thing that has kept me attached to the Halo world would be it's history. Rather I should say, the lack of history. There is so little that is rigidly defined that as a writer, I can take my own ideas, my own interpretations and mold something that becomes my own, yet still embodies the spirit of the Halo world. That, above all else is what keeps me around.

Well that and your work of course.

What definitely attracts me to this story is that while we may be of similar minds when it comes to the attraction of the Halo universe's history, our individual works manage to have so many startling differences from one another. It makes reading it that much more enjoyable, as I'm not reading something and thinking, "Oh, well I thought of something similar like that." Instead I can actually be pulled in and absorbed into the history as you have seen to create and interpret. For every step you further down the history of the Forerunner and the Reclaimers, I force myself to match that step and try to outdo it. It creates an enjoyable rivalry in my mind that likely exists nowhere but inside the confines of my own consciousness.

So I shall thank you for continuously giving me this enjoyable read, and also for giving me that extra incentive to take my own works and make them even more crazier than I might have done otherwise.

Though I may only drop by once every 500 posts, I'm always hanging around, waiting and watching, posting only when I think I have something relevant, so that I can avoid poisoning this thread with the destruction I usually wreck within my own.

  • 02.15.2006 9:41 PM PDT
  • gamertag:
  • user homepage:
  • last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT

Damn. Nice job soul. You made me forget about my lunch with your story (now it's cold :( and our microwave is broken. wont get it back till tomarrow).

My fourth chapter will take a little while to do because of school, work, etc. But i will do my best to get it done lets try not to let my new post die like the old one (that was probably my fault).

  • 02.18.2006 10:30 AM PDT
  • gamertag:
  • user homepage:
  • last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT

Wow... it's been a while since I was here, but this... poor Elena... It's made me wonder what will happen in the third book even more, soulguard. Damn.... keep this up.. Just a question... there was a Seed ship on the Elite home planet, and the younger Elites were called Watchmen... so does that mean the fate of the humans and the Elites intertwine somewhere, or is there a Sangheili equivalent to Elena? Just wondering...

And have you... communicated with Scorp lately? He's calling his fanfic quits, and I was wondering if he'd talked about it with you....

Edit: -blam!- that was fast! It's locked already!

[Edited on 2/22/2006]

  • 02.22.2006 7:53 AM PDT
  • gamertag:
  • user homepage:
  • last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT

Kinda final ain't it, GM? I'm glad dmbfan accepted my request, he's a good mod. I'll post the plotline at ff.net sometime... but you're gonna have to do it without the thread on Bungie.net.

Anyway, I'm not getting my own thread locked to start moaning about it in soulguard's so:

Yeah, 'Guardian of the Luminous Key' certainly was one hell of an interesting piece of literature, since I always thought that the GotLK was that Heretic Elite, and Guilty Spark was talking about how 'He saw assistance approaching' after Halo 04 was blown to bits. But this is an interesting spin as well, and I was wondering the same thing:

Do the Elite Watchmen and the ones in Egypt have something in common, cause then that means the Seed ship was a bit Ark-like, wasn't it? Will we see Elena again? Where the hell is the Ark, if it ain't on Earth anymore (or did it simply move when launched from Mount Sinai?) and is it true that the Giant Marshmallow Man will make a giant comeback?

So many questions, and only one soulguard to answer them... or avoid them with statements that arouse even more questions of course, which would be in keeping with the Halo/Bungie tradition that seems to exist around this story.

Great job, soulguard, I hope more of these side stories follow, since they're very interesting to read.

  • 02.22.2006 8:04 AM PDT

TWP - Assistant Director
Blade Runner: #00124A
- - - - - - -
My Novel, available on Amazon.com

Homepage

Locked!!!!??? Scorptank... whoa... okay. I'll PM you.

Thanks guys for the support. As for the GotLK, yes and no. The guardian is similar to the one mentioned in the books, AND yes, they watchmen are .... "connected" ... to the elite young/watchman. It is a very thin line, essentially, it builds more upon the fact that the Forerunners established 'culture' for all races, so it is only natural that humanity and the elites took notes from them.

Considering that there were no Watchmen when Litran and Bitran settled on Earth, that means that they created the idea of Watchmen, based loosely on what they were taught during their life in the Forerunner Empire. The same can be said of the elites, however with a slight twist.

The elite society has no memory of the Forerunners, they only learned of them because of the Prophets (the law makers) teachings. The prophets also instituted the Watchman (elite young), the title given to them while they studied in the Elite military schools... of course, we know what happened to the last class of watchmen... *sob*. Young fools.

No. The ark has not left earth... or did it. In truth, I don't know. but I thought it would be a nice way to leave things since we don't have Bunige's official word of the Ark's location. The idea I wanted to create was that, the Ark was in Mt. Sinai, but then moved around the Rise of the Egypt's first dynasty (the old kingdom). Where it went is a mystery, even to the Reclaimers that Elena raised and trained.

Will we see more of Elena? Doubtful. She was the last of the old Reclaimers and set off to have her own family and teach others. Without the aid of the Ark, no other Reclaimers would be nearly as skilled in combat as she was. AT least not until technology advancements made super athletes possible. Then, the Reclaimers legacy began to shine again. But we may see more of that in another, more current, side story. I did love Elena's character as well. Being the last of the Reclaimers, and left with such a huge task, was heartbreaking, but I think it was a story that needed to be told.

Hmm... I think I've said enough for now, but I'd be more then willing to answer any other questions if they exist.

~soulguard

PS: The giant marshmellow man will return!! >^_^<

  • 02.22.2006 9:11 AM PDT
  • gamertag:
  • user homepage:
  • last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT

Posted by: soulguard
Considering that there were no Watchmen when Litran and Bitran settled on Earth, that means that they created the idea of Watchmen, based loosely on what they were taught during their life in the Forerunner Empire. The same can be said of the elites, however with a slight twist.

So, what you mean to say is that Litran and Bitran simply took the idea from the Forerunners, much like the Elites did... so actually the only 'thin line' between the Elites and humans consists of... the Forerunners.

The elite society has no memory of the Forerunners, they only learned of them because of the Prophets (the law makers) teachings. The prophets also instituted the Watchman (elite young), the title given to them while they studied in the Elite military schools... of course, we know what happened to the last class of watchmen... *sob*. Young fools.
But if the Prophets passed the ideas of the Watchmen onto the Elite society, did they also show them what Reclaimers were? Actually, did the Prophets show the Covenant anything at all from Forerunner culture? And did they also train Spartan-like supersoldier Elites? Or did they tell the Covenant the truth (that must have been a laugh) and let them know that only the humans could be Reclaimers, which would show a moment of superiority of humans over the Covenant - which of course the Prophets could not afford were they to continue their little war against 'us'.

No. The ark has not left earth... or did it. In truth, I don't know. but I thought it would be a nice way to leave things since we don't have Bunige's official word of the Ark's location. The idea I wanted to create was that, the Ark was in Mt. Sinai, but then moved around the Rise of the Egypt's first dynasty (the old kingdom). Where it went is a mystery, even to the Reclaimers that Elena raised and trained.
So the mystery remains....

Will we see more of Elena? Doubtful. She was the last of the old Reclaimers and set off to have her own family and teach others. Without the aid of the Ark, no other Reclaimers would be nearly as skilled in combat as she was. AT least not until technology advancements made super athletes possible. Then, the Reclaimers legacy began to shine again. But we may see more of that in another, more current, side story. I did love Elena's character as well. Being the last of the Reclaimers, and left with such a huge task, was heartbreaking, but I think it was a story that needed to be told.
Then will the 'current' flock of Reclaimers (Spartan-IIs/-IIIs) ever learn of their true legacy? Does Dr. Halsey know?

One final question... this Forerunner culture... did exist on every planet that were part of the Empire? By that mean the Sangheili planet(s?), the human planet(s?) and the Prophet planet(s?) or did the Forerunners have a home planet, or a planet where all races met and one centralized government existed?

PS: The giant marshmellow man will return!! >^_^<
Ahh, all those answers are nice, but this is all I needed to know ;-)

[Edited on 2/22/2006]

  • 02.22.2006 10:08 AM PDT
  • gamertag:
  • user homepage:
  • last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT

Hmm... many questions I would have asked as well... and I'll simply wait for soul to answer them.

Well... with the demise (sort of) of Halo 3: Alliances, I suppose I can now give soulguard's stories my full and undivided attention, since I sort of blew it the last couple of weeks.

An interesting read, most certainly, soulguard. TGotLK seems to be a task given to Reclaimers, but if there are multiple Reclaimers (Litran and Bitran, Keyes and the Chief, etc.) then how was the The Guardian of the Luminous Key chosen in the Forerunner Empire, when Reclaimers weren't spread as damn thin as they are in 2552? And of course, 3117 BC....?

  • 02.22.2006 11:45 AM PDT

TWP - Assistant Director
Blade Runner: #00124A
- - - - - - -
My Novel, available on Amazon.com

Homepage

But if the Prophets passed the ideas of the Watchmen onto the Elite society, did they also show them what Reclaimers were? Actually, did the Prophets show the Covenant anything at all from Forerunner culture? And did they also train Spartan-like supersoldier Elites? Or did they tell the Covenant the truth (that must have been a laugh) and let them know that only the humans could be Reclaimers, which would show a moment of superiority of humans over the Covenant - which of course the Prophets could not afford were they to continue their little war against 'us'. Hmmm thought provoking. Within the realm of my fanfic (so we don't mix Halo fact for fanFiction)... no, the Prophets never told the Elites what a Reclaimer was. They themselves didn't know the importance of the Reclaimers until they met 343 Guilty Spark (or should I say, captured him, but that's a different story). The Prophets maintained there memories and only passed on relative information to the elites... technology, weapons, government, but beyond this they kept much of the Forerunner culture secret. After all, they used the forerunners as the sortof Gods of the Covenant. Bascially a lie that they used to maintain control... control they sought ever sense the Reclaimers (humans) became the favorites of the founders.

Now, here is where the "super soldier gene" theory comes into play. Did the prophets create a super race of elite soldiers? No, based on what they knew of the super gene, they found it unnecessary to "kindle" the flame of the gene within the elites. AFter all, they had superior numbers with the Covenant, "No had ever withstood their might"... they didn't need to have them. However, this deosn't mean that the gene didn't exist within the elite society. The Mirratord, as Doc Halsey found out, also carry that gene. Which is why they were naturally stronger then most elites.

The war against us, was for the most part, A mistake made by the Prophets. They hated us from the beginning and wanted us all dead, however, they found out that they needed us and well... you get the mess they have now. Not to mention being chased by the Gravemind.

Then will the 'current' flock of Reclaimers (Spartan-IIs/-IIIs) ever learn of their true legacy? Does Dr. Halsey know? They may never know. Currently, only Kelly and Major Rawlings know their Legacy. Major Rawlings, Kelly's Aunt, is a direct descedant and reveals to Kelly what her duties are, but Kelly doesn't care; She's duty driven. The other Spartans have the super soldier gene, however, it is an off branch of he gene's makeup; Kelly is a pure-blood (to steal an off-phrase from Mr_Clark), and her gene is directly related to Elena's. As you can guess, there was some "inbreeding" somewhere along the line, in order to maintain the strength of the gene. In a sense, all super soldier genes are descendents of Elena, but some are no longer pure. Dr. Halsey does not know of the Reclaimer legacecy, but she does know that Kelly carries the Super Soldier Gene.

One final question... this Forerunner culture... did exist on every planet that were part of the Empire? By that mean the Sangheili planet(s?), the human planet(s?) and the Prophet planet(s?) or did the Forerunners have a home planet, or a planet where all races met and one centralized government existed? The Founders (creators of the Empire), most likely visited all of these species and introduced them to various things; Art, education, space travel... etc. Now, over the years, think of the Empire as one large system of planets. They all follow one ruleing body, but keep their own unique governments. Each species has a task within the Empire; Humans were warriors, Elites were body guards, Prophets were lawkeepers, .etc.. While they have their own ways of life, they still interact with one another, and cultuers mix. Once the empire faded, thanks to the Flood Wars, the prophets awakened from the Seed ship earlier then most other species. They had rewired it. Litran and Bitran survived the Halo fireing 100,000 years ago, thanks to the Ark, and used some of that colture "the watchman" as a symbol for humans that had knowledge of the Ark, but not the strength of reclaimers, "weak". The Prophets used it to represent young elite's that were "weak", or coming of age, essentially the youth.

This can all seem very confusing, espcially knowing what we know of the actual halo cannon. Think of my story as "filler", if you read between the lines of the Halo univerfse, there you'll see my story's theories.

MG42:
An interesting read, most certainly, soulguard. TGotLK seems to be a task given to Reclaimers, but if there are multiple Reclaimers (Litran and Bitran, Keyes and the Chief, etc.) then how was the The Guardian of the Luminous Key chosen in the Forerunner Empire, when Reclaimers weren't spread as damn thin as they are in 2552? And of course, 3117 BC....? The thing is, the Luminous Key has different meanings to different species. For the elites, it may have meant one thing, but for the humans (reclaimers) it may have ment another. During the Forerunner Empire, the Ship Key, was not uncommon, not conscidered a treasure. Every ship had one, and it was the heart of the ship. For the humans of 3117, it was the only one and the only ship. It was special and needed a guardian. But also notice, that at the beginning of IIWYH the ship key is stolen by Regrets assault group. Rose gave it away... and yes, that will play another small role in Book 3.


Wow... deep questions. I hope that "helps" clear some things up. Of course, feel free to ask away.
~soulguard


[Edited on 2/22/2006]

  • 02.22.2006 3:04 PM PDT

Phoenix is dead, long live Phoenix!
Is it?

Cool. lots of questions answered.



now to an impossibly hard phylosaphical (sp?) question

When will you be updating SFFH?

ok just answered it myself, yesterday.

[Edited on 2/22/2006]

  • 02.22.2006 9:24 PM PDT
  • gamertag:
  • user homepage:
  • last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT

Alright, questions answered, thanks. But, being the major pain in the ass that I usually am, I will not give up. Expect more annoying questions in the near future...

  • 02.23.2006 9:14 AM PDT
  • gamertag:
  • user homepage:
  • last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT

loved it well done


but where did it go? and what happend to the family she tried to create ? how come we've never heard of them unless your gona say they were like the nights templar or sumthing

  • 02.25.2006 10:30 AM PDT

TWP - Assistant Director
Blade Runner: #00124A
- - - - - - -
My Novel, available on Amazon.com

Homepage

Wow, highland! It's been a while.

The ark... vanished. Took off from mount Sinai and sailed the skies until it found another location to rest. On Earth or off Earth... we don't know. Bungie will hopefully tell us in Halo book 4 or Halo 3.

The family she tried to create... well, once she found a husband, lover or man, she had some kids and some of them went on to other things. Some became warriors and fought in battles. We don't know really. All we know is that a few of them continued the Reclaimer Legacy, keeping the knowledge secret and perhaps sharing the stories with only a few kids. Of course they would have sworn to never tell these secrets. Eventually, a young Major Rawlings was born, she had a sister, and her sister had a daughter named Kelly... who eventually became a spartan.

As to why we've never heard of them? I could make a quick reference to several armies from humanities past... Sparta, Roman Gladiators and such, but that would be spoiling the idea of stories to come. What I will say is that the Elena created a new breed of Reclaimers, no longer relying on the watchmen (but they were still around even though Elena didn't know), and swore them to always guard the secret of the Crystal-Ship Core. There have been many quests to find the Ark, by foolish Reclaimers swearing to the world that they would find the lost Ark of the Covenant. But they never found it, no mater how hard they tried. But it was eventually found, around mid 2552.

Oh hell, let's have some fun with this... why not.

There was even a great explorer that found it once, but swore to not reveal it's location. He was a Reclaimer, but without the ship core, he could not turn on the ship's systems, or enter the ship. This was around 1937-38. The man; Henry Jones Jr... AKA Indiana Jones.

HAHA.. man, that's great. No, I will not be crossing genres, or doing any Indy/Halo quest stories.

~soulguard

[Edited on 2/26/2006]

  • 02.26.2006 9:08 PM PDT
  • gamertag:
  • user homepage:
  • last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT

Whoa, I'm gone for a little while, and you've written up a whole 'nother side story! I hope I'll have some extra time pretty soon to read this, it looks very interesting. I've looked through the possible book 3 titles, and alot of them sound appealing, but ultimately I think whatever you settle on will be quite fitting. It won't be long before we see the start of a third book! Wewt, keep up the amazing writing.

  • 02.27.2006 7:53 PM PDT
  • gamertag:
  • user homepage:
  • last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT

huh? which one???? i cant remember one with sumthig like that in it .. except of course raiders of the lost ark but thats not really an ark

  • 03.02.2006 2:40 AM PDT

Phoenix is dead, long live Phoenix!
Is it?

So you have finnished editing Stand Five Feet High.
I noticed one error and that was something like this.
-----

a whole paragraph ending in... la la la la la. Palab

Palab la la la la... another paragraph.

-----
I think the first palab wasn't supposed to be there.

  • 03.02.2006 2:35 PM PDT

TWP - Assistant Director
Blade Runner: #00124A
- - - - - - -
My Novel, available on Amazon.com

Homepage

Good eye Lai Tasha, it's fixed. Thanks for letting me know.

Short update on the status of SFFH: Redux.
Well for those who haven't been keeping up, SFFH:Redux is complete. Small changes were put in to smooth out the overall plot line of the trilogy. Nothing majorly large, but one key point that was removed was the landing on the Grunt homeworld. yeah, I pulled it out.
For those of you who were waiting to read it, you'll be glad to know that the PDF will most likely be published on my website next weekend. I'm doing some small grammer and spelling checks before I put it there, but sure enough, I'll post the address here, when it's ready.

So, for those that did read it, would anyone like to say if they liked the changers or not? My ears are WIDE open?
>^_^<

~Soulguard

  • 03.02.2006 6:57 PM PDT