[ Consensus Hall]
Zavala panned around, the remaining Consensus parties took their seats as another discussion was in session. Naturally, this time Lord Shaxx was stationed a few feet away from the table, in hopes that the warlord would think twice before dishing out passionate claims.
Of course, the entire floor was also lined with some extra Vanguard operatives, if the need arose.
He heaved an exasperated sigh, Zavala knew that the Consensus session wouldn't be amicable. But he dearly hoped that no problems would arise.
"The Consensus, is in session. Time is of the essence, and you've been given enough of it. A decision must be made, whether to respond in kind, or to bide our time. The Vanguard awaits your decision." Zavala grabbed the chair and stood tall, his pale blue eyes lingered at each end of the table as he took a seat.
Beside him, Ikorra stood stoically, hands behind her back. She surveyed the room with a stern frown, eyeing all faction leaders with a cautious gaze.
The room fell silent, subtle glances were shared between all guardians present, faint whispers seemed to spread around. In the end, all eyes fell towards the table.
Whether it was the Squadron leaders, the Elites, the Orders, they all understood one thing clearly. Currently, the City's capital was far too tied up with the factions. If the three main factions present took a side, it would be very difficult to campaign against it.
While it was true that the City made efforts to undermine their power with their recent bill of rights. Such a transition wasn't easy nor swift. Despite being written off on paper, the factions were still in possession of many facilities.
The room seemed to clamor with incessant whispers and gossip, Ikorra's gaze drifted to Cayde, the hunter was cooped up in one corner of the room, juggling his gun as he intently dozed off.
'Of course.' Ikorra swayed her head, disgruntled. She focused her eyes on him. A dim speck of light rippled as she snapped her fingers. Immediately Cayde felt a nudge to his side.
He jolted upright, rubbing his thigh, his eyes locked with Ikorra as the warlock furled her brows, glancing towards the table. Cayde clicked his tongue as he trudged towards the center of the room.
Everyone present was in a heated debate, or so one would assume. Instead of a debate, the guardians resorted to murmurs and mumblings as each looked to the other for an answer.
Cayde rolled his eyes, taking a second to clear his throat, the hunter knocked on the table.
"Uhm..." He looked around, but the guardians were still too consumed with their own subtle ramblings.
He sighed and swiftly jumped off the table, startling those invested in their chatter.
"Listen, hey, you guys. Look here." Cayde clapped thrice, all eyes landed on him as he strutted across the table.
"Look, you can continue your chit chat, but we're strapped for time. The longer you take to decide, the more steady the enemy gets. The truth is, we need that time. To either decide a future plan, or work on one right now."
His words earned some nods.
"What I'm saying is, let's speed up the process. I think voting is easy to follow." Cayde gestured towards Zavala.
The blue titan's resolute voice resounded, "All those in favor."
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Hands were raised, the whispers had evolved into open chatter, a slight panic flushed the room.
Zavala glanced at the hands raised, and nodded, "All those against."
The bustling room fell into a chasm of silence, despite that, certain hands were raised without question. Their eyes burning with a strong desire to speak out. Among them, was the Crucible Commander, Lord Shaxx.
The warlord looked around, a somber frown traced his brows, his fists clenched as he looked towards Zavala.
Zavala took a sharp breath as he rose slowly, the weight of the city evidently on his shoulders. His eyes grew dark.
" Then it is decided..."
--
[A few hours earlier]
Void sat cross legged on his bed, entirely perplexed as a faint blue window lingered in front of his eyes.
==
Optional Quest: Obtain (Ring of ?????)
"The ring stirs within the vaults beneath the city. Retrieve it, and unravel the flow of fate. Shattered into fragments, its whispers echo the past. It knows, the cycle repeats. Another challenger finally rises to the occasion."
Rewards: +200,000 D
Remarks: One ring to rule them all, one ring to find them, one ring to bring them all and in the darkness-.... Oh! Wrong series...(>...<) Good luck?
==
He clicked his tongue and shooed away the floating window, "Oi, you think this is funny? What is this, Ocean's 11? There's no way I can steal that ring."
[ It is....an optional quest.]
"Oh yeah? What's the alternative? Dying?" Void cursed under his breath as his thoughts raced. For the last few hours, he had pondered the bizarre plan he would need to steal that ring.
Gathering his thoughts once more, Void took a deep breath and focused.
'Ring....Praxic Fire, Consensus. Surveillance, vanguard....' Void's face scrunched up.
"AH!" He held his head in frustration and laid back down. Stealing from a place that solely specialized in surveilling rogues like him. It was nigh impossible, first he would need a distraction, and second, someone skilled enough to swipe the ring.
Of course, Void could only do one of those things at a time. As for where he would recruit the weasels daring or idiotic enough to undergo this missio-
"Wait. "
"System, is there a restriction for anyone tagging along for this mission?" Void's brows furrowed, an inkling of an idea began sprouting in his mind.
[.... Recalibrating Quest]
[ User may utilize any methods that are feasible. The objective is fulfilled once the ring is in your possession.]
"Obsidian." Void got off his back as a sly smile lined his lips.
"Alright.... dialing Levi, should I send him a summary in his messages?"
"Yup, be brief about it. Also tell him to get all the help we might need." Void immediately began formulating a mad plan.
----------
An hour later, Void was leaning against the bed frame as Bandit and Levi sat across him. The trio engaged in an intricate conversation with solemn faces.
Despite being isolated in a room no one would bother to check, they chatted in faint whispers. Perhaps afraid that the walls had ears. Void summarily briefed them on his marvelous plan with a cheeky smile, the two Nightstalkers patiently listened, nodding along.
Levi stretched his joints as he shifted around.
"So, you want us to steal this....ring? From the Praxic Fire's vaults? With every elite guardian currently residing the tower? Not to mention that you wanna do this with the entire Consensus hanging above our head?" Levi shot him a disgusted glare.
"Right, you've got the gist of it." Void nodded
"Say, did the Juggernaut accidentally slam your head while chasing you? Or maybe its the bones lining your armor, they're definitely turning you into a nutcase."
Levi slammed his palm on his forehead and sighed. Seeing this Void couldn't help but sway his head.
"Listen, I know it sounds absolutely mad. But we can't possibly let it rot in their storage..." Void spoke out, carrying a strong gaze, causing both hunters to narrow their eyes.
Levi glanced at Bandit, the exo's pupils dilated, he finally looked towards Void.
"It's not a bad idea. But before I agree, there is only one question." Bandit's rugged voice echoed in the room.
Void leaned forwards, eager to hear him out.
"I am not questioning the plan. But I will ask only once. Why do you need that ring?" The exo's glare dug into Void's eyes, as he uttered each world calmly.
A silence hung in the room, Void's brows furled as the exo's gaze seemed unwavering. He exhaled and decided to finally answer the raging question.
"Why? It's simple, I need it. You can call it an affinity, a liking or whatever, I don't care. But one thing is true, I want that ring, that's all I can say." Void answered, this time locking eyes with Bandit.
A few seconds passed, and the exo chuckled, "Your eyes don't lie."
He nodded and got to his feet, "I'm in." Bandit turned towards Levi and asked.
"You?"
Void eagerly looked towards his response, the Nightstalker contemplated for a few seconds as he finally hung his head low and sighed.
Levi nodded.
"Fine, can't let you two do this without me anyway. But, we're gonna have to review the plan. Don't know why, but there's a few security changes for the upcoming session at the Consensus hall."