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Alright, so in hindsight, it might not have been the best idea to accept a dare to storm a Cabal base alone, but in Mjoll Hammerflame’s defense, she was promised a lot of glimmer and that there would be no tanks.
However, that was a lie, as this base just got heavy reinforcements and three tanks.
Luckily, a good rocket launcher and a full pocket of reserves dispatched the first tank and wave of Cabal. However, it did nothing to slow the wave of reinforcements and the arrival of two more tanks armed to the nines with guns and cannons.
An explosion went off to the right of her, shoving her to the ground. Crouching behind a small barrier, Mjoll’s ghost, Alexios, removes himself from his hiding place and put himself in front of her face.
“Remind me to never again accept such an idiotic dare!”
An explosion denoted at her right as she shielded Alexios within her hands.
“Aye, we’ll never listen to those malákas ever again. Also, put up your barrier you damn elithius! Is it your goal to die by tonight!”
“You know it would be a lot easier for me to do so if I didn’t have to worry about my idiotisk ghost trying to join the fight himself!”
A group of legionnaires land next to the barrier and Mjoll gives Alexios no time to argue before she stuffs him into the bag on her mark. Shotgun in hand, she charges at the legionnaires. Sliding between the legs of the first one, she fires a single slug upwards killing it as it makes a swipe at her. Mjoll throws out a thermite grenade next, killing the 3 that were unlucky enough to be in its blast radius. The last 2 legionaries fared better than their comrades, managing to get hits on the titan, but the armor she forged proved to be stronger. Their blades bounced off the armor like nothing and in retaliation, Mjoll burned her fist into their chesplates. With that group wiped out, She put up another barrier to block the incoming cannon blast which shattered her shield, and allowed her to remain unharmed, but caused her to retreat further
“Alexios, is there anyone nearby who can offer us support?!” She asked with a yell as another group of legionaries landed next to her and she threw another grenade to disperse them.
“No, I’m getting no pings from any guardians nearby! We’re alone in here!” He yells back from her bag.
“Fordømme, I-”
Her eyes snap to the tanks as she sees them with their guns trained on her, preparing to fire. The lighting of the tanks barrels sent a wave of fear through her spine for the titian knew she would be unable to block both tank shots. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as she saw the lights at the ends grow brighter with each passing second.
“Liu, what do I do? I can’t…, there’s too many!” Mjoll’s thoughts become a mess as she started panicking. Alexios, sensing his guardian was too stuck in her own thoughts, activated her super just as the tanks fired. While the blast sent them flying and used every ounce of her super, she was alive and more importantly, intact. They still had a chance, he just needed to remind her where they were.
“Mjoll,” Alexios roared at his guardian. “Do you not see where we are?! Do you not remember what is actively trying to hurt us?! Did you suddenly become blind?!”
Mjoll’s intrusive thoughts, which centered themselves within her mind only seconds ago, were now fading away like they never existed to begin with as Alexios continued on with his speech.
“I believed I raised a titan, not a mumbling coward who runs and panics when things get a bit more difficult than what she happens to be used to. You are my guardian, and I am your ghost. So, I refuse to let you die her like some spineless ασθενέστερα! So, let’s show these Cabal malákas what one titan can do, but more importantly let’s show Liu that we haven’t failed her! You’re a Sunbreaker, act like it!”
Alexios finishes his speech by slamming into Mjoll’s helmet and before she can completely recover, he disappears back into the bag on her belt. Mjoll touches the place on her helmet where Alexios slammed into it moments ago. And, as much as she would like to sit and think on his words, he was right.
She’s a guardian, but more importantly, a titan and a Sunbreaker to boot. It’s time to start getting on the offensive!
With a renewed fire, she stands on her feet and rushes to the first bit of cover she can find, where she devises her plan to win this.
Failure is not an option and help is out of the question. Think, what would Liu do?
From behind the metal barrier, Mjoll poked her head over to better see the 2 tanks. Considering that they seemed to be positioned directly across from each other, an idea began to form in her head. If she could get to the center of base, then she could get both tanks to train their guns on her, and if she timed her jump right, she could get them to destroy each other. She just would have to fight through the Cabal horde to make sure she arrived in the center.
With her plan made, she retreated behind the barrier again after firing a few rounds from her pulse. The howl of a War Beast from her right side caused her to shift her cover again as she ran from the beasts. While moving back, she threw her thermite grenade behind her and was able to catch most within the blast. The few stragglers left behind she continued their hunt but failed to see the Throwing Hammer left behind. Just as the Beasts ran over it, the hammer detonated in a solar blast, burning them away giving Mjoll the space she needed to recover.
“Alexios, I have a plan.” Mjoll spoke as she put up her new barrier and crouched behind it.
“I’m going to use my super to clear a path towards the center, then hope that I can get those tanks to take each other down. I know it’s not the best plan but-,”
Alexios cuts off his guardian before she can finish. “Aye, but it’s the one that sounds the best. I say go with it.”
Mjoll lets a wide grin etch onto her face at her ghost’s response.
“Then focus all my light into my super so I can show those Cabal bastarders who the real threat is.”
Alexios lets out a laugh as his guardian summons her burning maul and brings it down on the first group of Cabal. He revels in delight when he sees the ones not bright enough to run from the newly sprouted infernos raging. It is a truly magnificent sight to watch her go from being uncertain to being able to demolish an army like they were nothing more than a slight inconvenience.
As Mjoll carved her path to the center of the base, she kept her eyes on the two tanks taking aim. Fighter after fighter succumbed to either the fires or the crushing weight of the Burning Maul. When Mjoll noticed the fires at the ends of the tanks start to glow brighter, she determined that this was the time to jump as the cannons could still move.
If this doesn’t work, then I’m done-. No! There’s no time for thoughts like that now! This will work and I will make sure of it!
Using the momentum she gained from running, Mjoll leapt into the air. The canons thankfully began tracking her, unaware that they were also aiming at each other. When the shells finally started flying, Mjoll raised her hammer above her head and brought it down towards the ground. The weight of the Maul brought her back down to the ground as the two tank shots collided with one another. In a spectacle of fire and metal, the 2 Goliath tanks were reduced to pieces, as Mjoll looked at them with relief written on her face.
Thank the Light that plan worked. Now, I can go back home, get my glimmer, and give those stupid biter av dritt-
Her thoughts were cut off as something slammed into her head, sending her helmet flying and her crashing to the ground. With her head still spinning from the impact, Mjoll sat up and began to rub her head where she still felt the pain from the impact. Alexios’s voice was distant as the weight of realization crashed into Mjoll and she frantically searched for her helmet. Before she could see it, a heavy kick to her back sent her spirling again.
“So now the mask finally has to come off and reveals what I thought, another guardian pretending to be a warrior. How disgraceful.”
Despite her dazed state, Mjoll’s attention snapped to the new voice and approaching steps and she quickly scrambled to stand again. Finally on her feet, Mjoll saw the one who had cut her victory short, a Cabal centurion who easily towered over her, was leering at her from behind his mask.
“It’s shameful that my Cabal could not cut you down, but it’s no matter. I will earn a victory for the Cabal this day. Come now guardian, let me put out your fire for good.”
The blood was pounding in Mjoll’s ears as she felt her blood cloud her left eye’s vision. As much as Alexios would want to heal his guardian, he knew as well as she did that there could be snipers trained on them, ready to take him out the second he appeared. If Mjoll was going to win this, he would have to support her in Light alone.
Win this Mjoll, I know you have it in you to win this battle! Fight, and make it home!
Mjoll wiped away the blood on her eye and stared at the enemy before her. His words turned in her head as she looked at this new fight.
That bastard is laughing at me, acting like he had already won, but I’ll show him! I’ll win this fight and go home! My Light will not go out on this day, and especially not to you!
“My Light will go out today. Who decided that? You will not be the one to decide anything in my life because as long as I still stand, there is still a fire that will burn. Guardians make their own fate, and I’m deciding now what my fate will be. Make no mistake, I’m winning the fight today!”
Mjoll ran towards her target, gaining heat and momentum as she went. She felt Alexios redirecting every once of Light into her super, causing her steps to burn the ground beneath her. The closer she got, the more her Light felt like it was bursting at seams. When she finally reached her opponent, her Buring Maul was in hand and she brought it down on her enemy’s head, crushing his bones and burning away his flesh. The impact of the Maul shook the earth and scorched the immediate area, leaving that as the only indicator that any battle had taken place.
With the fight now truly over, the fire simmered down in her body, leaving only the burning coals. She walked over to where her helmet had landed. Where it got hit had exposed some of the glowing metal beneath. Mjoll ran her hand over the damage once before slipping the helmet on her head. As she walked out of the base, she found that the damage didn’t bother her at all and that she would continue to wear this mask with pride because it would remind her of the day where she determined her own fate.