Destiny: The Legendary Hunter

[Writers-Ablood]

[Cosmodrome, Earth]

A Jumpship tore through Earth's lower atmosphere like a knife, cutting through cloud layers above the wastes of the Cosmodrome.

Void soared across the desert expanse, monitoring the incoming Fallen signals, eager to catch any leaked info on the open channel.

"Obsidian, monitor the House of Devils frequencies, if they slip up, let me know." He scrolled through the channels, looking for leads.

"Got it. The House of Devils really amped up their network though, City can barely hold on to the grid." Obsidian sighed.

"What? How'd that happen?" Void curse under his breath, without the City's network nodes it was impossible to spy on the Fallen.

"How? You don't remember?" Obsidian flittered beside him, shaking his head, "We blew up their jammers last time. Entire network was ours. But once we left for the War, they were quick to recover."

Void clicked his tongue, "Guess you can't outdo the scavengers. Bastards always have something up their sleeves."

The Jumpship swerved in the air, locking onto the SkyWatch landing dock, its thrusters flared, and sonic dampers triggered, the ship grinded to a halt mid-air as Void transmatted out.

"Since we're already here, might as well take over the network again." Void dusted his palms and walked to the edge of a hill, looking over the dry sea.

Just then, he saw a squad of sparrows kick up a dust storm in the distance as they darted across.

Void's system window lit up, a new chat section appeared inside, before he could react, he was flooded with messages.

-

[SYSTEM] Chat functionality enabled. Proximity channels: LIVE.
[SYSTEM] Player Count: 50[GENERAL CHAT - Cosmodrome]
[IEatPaint]: "Checking near Skywatch. Saw a skiff maybe its a squad?"
[TheOneWhoKnocks]: "Splitting off to Mothyards. Something's brewing."
[Undecided]: "Anyone else find anything?"
[BearSpray]: "Looking around Kings Watch, just normal mobs. They do a lot of damage though."
[Gandalf]: "Brb guys, my moms calling"
[Waffles]: "Nothing near The Divide. Anyone find an event?"

-

Void's eyes widened behind his visor as he saw the player count, "Motherfu-" He immediately scrolled through the player chat, almost all fifty players were searching the locations around Cosmodrome and he had no idea why.

All he could gather, was that they were looking for an event.

Void paused, gears turning in his mind. "Obsidian, how many network arrays again?"

More messages kept flooding in—players combing every crevice of Old Russia, searching for loot, public events, or answers. He could feel it now. The player activity was booming.

Now, something stirred within him—something mischievous.

Obsidian answered in seconds, "Two possible relay arrays within patrol distance, but they're guarded pretty well."

Void smirked. "Just what I needed. Tap into their comms protocol. Identify the node locations, send it to my radar."

Obsidian obliged, and more icons blinked into existence on his map. Three glowing sigils pulsed red—Fallen network hubs hidden across the Cosmodrome.

"Time to have some fun."

Void opened his system window, eyes gleaming behind his visor. He swiped through the interface, scrolling down to an option he'd never used.

[CREATE QUEST/EVENT].

He typed in the parameters manually.

-

PUBLIC EVENT: Jamming it Up!
OBJECTIVE: Destroy Fallen Network Nodes
BONUS OBJECTIVE: Hijack Communications.
REWARDS: +30 Reputation [Players]. [Public event rewards are decided by player contributions and are randomized. User does not get extra rewards if the event is self issued.]
Cost: 10 Reputation [Players]

-

Void read through the quest interface and marked a few locations on the map. Then, he placed his finger on the submit button, 'Let's hope this works'.

His system window shimmered, pulsing faintly.

Then, an alert triggered across the Cosmodrome's general chat. Curious Guardians received the notification with a flicker of interest. Every player in his proximity received an event call.

The event had been issued and as Void saw that, he summoned his sparrow rocketing down across the Steppes. Void rushed towards the first location, the player chat finally had a reaction.

-

[GENERAL CHAT - Cosmodrome]

[Undecided]: "Holy shit, we actually found one."
[IEatPaint]: "F*ck, I am rushing, let's get there first, there's 30 seconds on the start timer."
[Waffles]: "OUT OF MY WAYYY!"
[TheOneWhoKnocks]: "Dibs on the loot."
[BearSpray]: "Do the event first bro...."
[Gandalf]: "Sorry guys, my mom said I have to log off."

-

Thirty seconds remained on the event timer.

Void stood across the first hidden relay network. One neatly hidden in a grotto beside The Devil's Lair and Mothyards boundary. He immediately spotted trip mines and and cloaking drive planted at its entrance.

"How creative."

Void looked over his shoulder, the players weren't far. He gripped his sidearm, and shot the mines, deftly disabling them.

The moment he did, the grotto rumbled.

"That...doesn't sound right." Obsidian looked at Void. Immediately Void grabbed the ghost and vanished.

The next instant, an explosion thundered across the entrance, echoing off derelict walls and rusting towers. Moments later, a dust cloud erupted. Void flickered back into place, heaving a sigh, "You know, aside from the terrible security, they really aren't good at welcomes."

Obsidian rolled his eye, "Don't think they'd want to welcome you anyways."

"Please, I'm a pleasure to have around", Void grabbed his sidearm spinning it on a finger, he pulled the trigger, and five shots rang out. As the dust settled, a group of cloaked Vandals dropped dead.

Then, the sky split open, Skiffs gathered overhead, and squads dropped in formation. Fallen captains leading the charge. Troops scrambled from teleport beacons, their shouts echoing in metallic cadence.

Void laughed quietly to himself, he stared down the approaching army and waved, stepping back into the shadows.

"Let's see how they handle this."

On cue, a rush of fireteams blinked into the area—IEatPaint, Waffles, Undecided, TheOneWhoKnocks and at least a dozen other players he didn't recognize.

The Fallen opened fire. The players responded in kind. Void watched crouched behind rusted pipework. Arc bolts danced. Warlocks surged forward in radiance, Titans collapsed entire squads with a thundercrash.

Servitors dropped from the skiffs, boosting the Fallen Captains.

They barked orders, but it was chaos. The players leapt in without fear, died, revived, and pushed again—driven by the intoxicating rhythm of a true firefight.

Void weaved through the outskirts of the fray. Occasionally, he snapped off a suppressive shot, killed a sniper with surgical precision, or downed a heavy shank before it could flank a Warlock. He made sure to never draw too much attention. This was their fight. He was the ghost in the machine.

Of course, that was also because he had other things to do. As the fight raged on outside, Void hacked into the cloaking and stepped inside the cavern. Rushing underground.

As the last Captain outside collapsed in a flare, the players made their way inside. Shocked to find a cavern leading down to a hidden Fallen relay.

Void looked over his shoulder and smiled. Undoing his stealth, Void walked to the network relay.

Just as he revealed himself, the players noticed him on their radar. With his back turned to the players, Void directed Obsidian to the node.

[NETWORK ACCESS GRANTED. Nodes (1/2)]

-

[GENERAL CHAT - Cosmodrome]

[Waffles]: "That's him!" She jumped.
[IEatPaint]: "What's his name again? Cobra something?"
[TheOneWhoKnocks]: "It's Viper dumbass."
[Undecided]: "Damn, we really found him."
[BearSpray]: "Wait, we got one more node to go...."

-

The players walked up, and Void glanced at the chat, smiling. Then he turned towards them. Is was time to pull out his best performance.

"So its you. We meet again." Void eyed the players, Obsidian returned to his palm and blinked away.

"I was wondering what the ruckus was at the entrance. Seems like you triggered the mines." Void spoke, walking towards them, "But your skills aren't half bad. To keep the House of Devils at bay is no easy task."

Void looked at his wrist, the quest window blinked highlighting the remaining two nodes to the players, "I've got more to do. Tag along and we can chat later. I'll see you there."

Before the players could say a word, he vanished, disappearing into the shadows.

"Dude's got style though. That teleport looks sick." Undecided summoned his sparrow, "Looks like we'll have to finish the two nodes for loot."

"Race you there!" Waffles jumped onto her sparrow, and shot out the cave. A dozen players summoned there sparrows rushing to the next event site.

As the Cosmodrome rushed with activity, the House of Devils finally caught on to their relay array being sabotaged. Far in the distance, a dozen skiffs took off from the heart of Devil's Lair, rushing to protect the remaining arrays.

-

[Rocketyard, Cosmodrome]

Void leapt on to his sparrow mid air, barrelling towards the ground he revved the thrusters riding at supersonic speeds.

The second network relay was on the top of an ancient spacecraft, hidden cleverly using borrowed cloaking tech of the House of Kings. The House of Devils had a very active stronghold nearby.

Fallen activity in the zone was at its peak. But with leading the players to the exact objective. There was no way for the Fallen to react fast enough.

Void dismounted and an event timer started. He quickly surveyed the area, and found the network relay.

As the players followed, rushing the broken complex, the Fallen inside were overwhelmed. Dozens of fireteams flooded inside, eliminating every Vandal or dreg they found. Void darted towards the network relay.

He summoned Obsidian and disabled the comms protocol, installing trackers and jammers in every line.

[NETWORK ACCESS GRANTED. Nodes (2/2)]

A dozen skiffs appeared in the sky, but by the time they'd reached, it was too late.

"We've got complete access to the Fallen network. Uploading City protocols online. I've connected it." Obsidian pulsed.

"Just in time, the party's about to start." Void counted the skiffs as the players watched them approach.

[Public Event Updated!]

[Legendary Public Event Unlocked: Rocketyard Raid]

[Stop the Fallen retaliation on Rocketyard (0/1)]

The system window flared up alerting Void and the players.

"F*ck. An event inside an event? What is this." IEatPaint heaved reloading his last few rounds of special ammo into the shotgun.

"Bozo, that just means better loot!" TheOneWhoKnocks exclaimed, using his scope to pre-emptively fire rounds on the skiffs.

"Don't waste rounds dumbass! You're not even damaging them!" Waffles barked.

"Wait..." Undecided took a closer look as the Skiffs approached, "What's that below the ship?"

He spotted a circular ball locked under the ship.

The players looked up with jaws wide open.

"Are-Are we getting nuked or something?" BearSpray nervously asked.

"I...don't know." Waffles took a cautionary step back.

Void's eyes narrowed, "Obsidian, tell the City to hack the power relays across the Dry Sea. Tell them the Fallen are really committing to the Rocketyard relays we've got a walker drop here. They don't have enough hands on deck to defend on two fronts."

"Already ahead of you. But uh...is it too late to tell you that the Vanguard's spamming the open channel with calls?" Obsidian narrowed its eye.

"Right..." Void took out Radegast's fury, "Just pretend you didn't see it."

"At this rate....might have to establish that as a protocol." Obsidian blinked away.

As the Skiffs flew closer, the magnetic lock on the Walker turned off and it dropped. The ball of metal burst open, revealing a titanic hexapedal arachnid tank that struck the ground with a shockwave.

An arc wave tossed away everyone beside it, then a high velocity solar cannon planted emerged on its head, the Walker roared to life.

A squad of shanks and Fallen captains dropped to its side and they charged the players.

Void leapt into the sky, locking on the legs. He hastily pulled the trigger as three rockets struck the ground erupting in flames. With Rocketyard engulfed in smoke and ash a new battle began.

The players got to their feet and channelled their supers while the Fallen sent in elite reinforcements. Both sides had all hands on deck.

Void equipped his auto rifle weaving through a storm of bullets as he targeted the Walker's legs.

Then, the world seemed to slow down. His Sixth Sense triggered. Void looked up, a familiar violet streak descended towards Rocketyard like a comet.

Void smiled, "That son of a bitc-"


==
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[Writers-Ablood]

A shadowshot arrow slammed into the ground, detonating in a web of purple energy that engulfed the entire Rocketyard. A dust cloud erupted and the Fallen squads were supressed, tendrils of shadow held them down for a few seconds.

Void dusted himself off as he looked behind him, "Took you long enough."

Three cloaked figures emerged from the smoke, landing in practiced formation.

Levi was first, he chuckled his bow materializing again, "You've got real talent in stirring shit up."

"Please, you're here aren't you?" Void holstered his auto rifle, his light surged and fluttered, jolts wrapped around his body as the aura changed to blue.

"Let's clean this shit up fast. We've got other things to do." Bandit sighed, guns akimbo.

Cory rolled his eye, "You've done f*ck all the entire day anyway, one more fight won't waste any time", the shadows around him materialized into tendrils as he walked up to the dust cloud.

Levi planted his foot onto the ground and darted forward, rushing with blinding speeds. Light condensed into his leg, as he leapt and kicked. A gust of air swept the dust.

Then he twisted mid air and fired a second arrow into the next wave. Bandit rolled to the side, tethering two Captains in one slick motion. Cory emerged on a gantry above, his tendrils slithered ahead and caught an entire squad.

A brutal fight ensued, with the dust cleared, the three Nightstalkers surged forth challenging the entire House of Devil's army.

Right behind them, the players got to their feet. Many were downed by the walker, some hadn't survive the Fallen assault. The remaining players rushed to get the revives.

But as the fight continued, the players stood struck with awe. The scale of the battle was beyond them. Skiffs continued to appear above Rocketyard, as squad after squad emerged and dove straight into fighting the Nightstalkers.

It was a foolish mistake. Catching a Nightstalker was akin to grabbing hold of fine sand. Whether you like it or not, they'd slip and disappear. What the players saw now, was a battlefield of invisible assassins flickering back and forth like phantoms.

No one could keep track of their position. Not even the Fallen.

Undecided watched, as if a cinematic was playing, "What the actual f*** is going on. Who are those three?"

"Holy shi*, what is that subclass." TheOneWhoKnocks immediately took a few screenshots.

"Wait, isn't that arrow they used the same as Viper?" Waffles recalled the intro mission.

"Must be the same subclass as the others" BearSpray scrolled through the subclass options, "I don't think we've unlocked that one yet."

But as the tendrils of shadow disappeared, the Fallen Walker rumbled, getting back to its feet. This time, it was quick. In an enraged state, the Walker threw out its arc shockwave, pushing the players to their knees. The Solar cannon charged and it aimed at the closest group.

"Just me or is that crab thing really charging up." Undecided hurriedly tried to blink away.

"How's that even a crab, are you retarde-" TheOneWhoKnocks tried his best at throwing down a healing grenade.

Before they could even react, a ball of fire shot towards the players, and engulfed them.

[Guardian Down!]

Their windows flared with a dark hue.

"F*ck, did we fail the event?" Undecided shouted.

"Where's the goddamn healing rift!" TheOneWhoKnocks screamed.

Waffles barked back, "It's on a cooldown monkey!"

"I'M STILL ALIVE!" IEatPaint rushed out from the fire with a quarter of his HP. He began sprinting to the corner of the event hoping to shake off the Fallen.

"GET THE REVIVE!" BearSpray shouted back.

"OH!" IEatPaint jerked back, the thrusters in his suit flared as he jumped towards the ghosts, spamming a revive. But the Walker had already locked on, with another solar shot charging up, there was no way he could completely revive the team.

Then, a blue spectre flickered around him, Void appeared before the Walker gripping the hilt of his sword.

As the solar shot charged, the cannon locked onto him instead.

"Too slow." He spoke, jolting ahead. The sword glowed with a blue sheen. The next instant, Void appeared above the walker.

He swung, lightning surged through him as he cleaved off the barrel of the cannon halting the charge. The energy backfired, into the hull, cracking the Walker's armour. Void landed behind the walker, and raised his sword.

Just then, IEatPaint had fully revived Waffles. As the Warlock got to her feet, her super bar was full.

She leapt in the air, and threw down a Nova Bomb. At that instant, Void swung. The strike tore through the air like a thunderbolt and struck the Walker's core, revealing its core circuit. As the Nova Bomb landed on its exposed core.

The Walker halted, its core flared with heat. It collapsed in a shriek of twisting metal and erupting flame. With the Walker destroyed the Fallen no longer had ground control. The remaining skiffs steered away, not wanting more casualties.

[Event Complete!]

The down players revived, and the chat went wild. The first ever public event had been cleared. As loot chests materialized, the players ignored all the NPCs and charged towards them A few got gear, some got legendary engrams, and some...well.

"F***********CK, ITS ANOTHER BLUE. ITS A BLUE." TheOneWhoKnocks cried out.

The rowdy Cosmodrome chat fell silent. Taking a pause out of respect for his utter dogshit RNG.

Void sheathed his sword, smirking as the players went crazy for loot, "I suppose I was like that at one time."

"Was?" Obsidian flittered beside him, "Right..."

Levi, Bandit and Cory flickered back and approached Void, "What's with all the new guardians? Did the city as them to patrol?"

Void shook his head, "Nah, looks like they were scavenging for loot while I hit the network relays. They tagged along for a good fight."

Bandit nodded reminiscent, "I remember when I was that loot hungry."

"Was?" Cory rolled his eyes.

"Anyway, we've got a few more leads back at the Skywatch outpost. Did Captain tell you what we're doing?" Levi replied.

"He did." Void's voice turned low, "I'll be there tonight. For now I've got more to do. Have to survey the Fallen comms for activity. I think they're hiding something."

"What do you think it is?" Cory asked intrigued.

Void paused, "As much as I'd rather not say it. I think its only a matter of time. I think the Fallen found a trace of Rasputin. They've been busy fighting it on the side, that's the only reason we didn't get swarmed with the squads in the first place."

Levi frowned, "I'll see what we can find. See you at base", he flickered away. Bandit and Cory followed.

A few steps away the players watched their entire interaction, treating it as sort of a game cinematic.

"Who's Rasputin?" Waffles wondered.

"Seems Russian. Maybe another guardian?" IEatPaint answered, "I mean, we are in Old Russia after all."

"F*ck all that. I am writing a bad review online. There's no way I got no purples." TheOneWhoKnocks barked.

"Can't blame the devs for your shi* luck bro." Undecided sighed.

"Should we talk to him or something?" BearSpray approached Void, waiting hesitantly.

Void turned, "Good job back there. The House of Devils are pushed out of the network. It's all ours now. Keep an eye out on the Cosmodrome, they won't sit back after this."

He turned and summoned his sparrow, "I heard you guys got your hands on a warp drive. I can see you're skilled. If you want more work, find me on the Tangled Shore. The galaxy has way more in store than you think."

Void rode off into the distance.

"Tangled Shore? Is that a new location?" Undecided opened his director and notification popped.

[The Reef unlocked!]

"Wait, I do see it. Don't think I can travel there though, haven't completed the second mission." He sighed.

"Run it real fast bro, we should also do some more bounties. The event was bit too hard. I think we're under levelled or something." Waffles replied.

-

[Tower, Last City]

The City hummed with its usual rhythm—ships docked, Ghosts flitted between Guardians, and vendors shouted their daily wares in the Tower's lower levels. But deep within the Vanguard command centre, things were anything but routine.

Commander Zavala stood before a flickering console, eyes narrowed as line after line of data scrolled across the screen. Combat telemetry, enemy kill confirmations, event log triggers, and encrypted player chatter—all painting the same picture: a full-scale strike on the House of Devils' comms network in the Cosmodrome.

Zavala's expression tightened.

He hadn't authorized any such mission.

And as far as Vanguard operations were concerned, the Cosmodrome was under passive observation—nothing more than a safe entry zone for New Lights. So what exactly happened?

Zavala sighed, whatever these new lights had done, it seemed that he was in for a long day.
=

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[Writers-Ablood]

Zavala moved through the archway, boots heavy with urgency

He entered the Vanguard Quarters. Inside, Ikorra stood at the central table, flanked by a floating array of holo projectors. Across from her, Cayde leaned casually against the console, spinning a golden Ace of Spades around his finger.

"Already heard?" Zavala asked, folding his arms.

"Hard not to," Cayde replied, tossing a round into the air and catching it with a smirk. "Fifty-plus Guardians, coordinated strikes, one fallen walker down, and a bunch of Devils crying home to mama."

"Shi*, it's practically plastered all over the open channel. Even the awoken heard of it." Cayde chuckled.

Ikorra didn't respond immediately. Her brows furrowed, and the holo-feed in front of her cycled through stills of the battle: Guardians rushing the Rocketyard, skiffs overhead, a walker mid-detonation.

"This wasn't sanctioned," Zavala said, tone clipped. "Someone directed them."

"Yeah," Cayde chimed in. "And whoever it was deserves a commendation. The new Lights were organized. Heck, tactical. Even had field revives and flanks. Big blue, do you even know how hard it is to get new hunters to not test out a golden gun on each other?"

"It's also dangerous," Zavala snapped. "They're still recruits."

Ikorra's gaze didn't leave the screen. Her mind moved faster than the projections. "They were too focused," she said softly. "Like they had a leader."

Cayde tilted his head. "You think one of ours did this?"

Ikorra exhaled, and her voice dropped. "No. Not one of ours. Well, you'll see what I mean."

She brought up a clip—grainy, but clear enough. A lone figure weaving through Fallen squads, dropping a rocket barrage, coordinating the battlefield without a word. His movements were precise, almost surgical.

Ikorra tapped the table. "I had the Hidden on alert in the Cosmodrome to help out the New Lights. One of them managed to capture this."

Cayde narrowed his eyes as he leaned in to the projection, "I'll be damned, its Void again."

"Are you sure?" Zavala asked, looking at the grainy image.

As if summoned by thought alone, Ikorra's Ghost blinked, projecting a message from Void.

"Fallen Networks Jammed. The new ones are quite vicious."

She showed it to Zavala. His shoulders relaxed—only slightly.

"I got this a while ago. Looks like they enjoyed themselves."

"At least it's him," Zavala muttered.

"Still doesn't mean we're in control," Ikorra replied.

"Control?" Cayde laughed. "These kids are learning from a guy who became a war hero, threatened the entire city, turned himself into a rogue and made a hobby out of pissing of the House of Devils. What could go wrong?"

"Right." Zavala planted a hand on his face.

The room fell into brief silence.

Then, with a shrug, Cayde flicked open his comms. "I'll ping Tevis. We did see the Nightstalkers show up, so he probably knows the details."

-

[Lunar Base, SkyWatch]

"YOU DID WHAT!" Tevis barked, cursing up and down with Levi, Bandit and Cory standing before him.

"Like I said, I thought it was Vanguard sanctioned, I mean how else did he gather all those guardians?" Levi replied innocently.

"So you didn't send me a message before jumping in?" Tevis grabbed his forehead, "Do you even know what the Vanguard's probably thinking?"

"Oh the NIghtstalkers were there, Tevis must be in on it." He mimed Cayde, then Tevis paused and fell silent.

The next moment, his comms pinged, and as he saw the message, Tevis cursed again.

"Look at this shi*" Tevis projected the message in the room, "You see this? This is your fault. All of you are full of shi*'

Bandit cleared his throat, and leaned closer to the table, "Captain." He spoke with a low voice, "I know it was unsanctioned, but we still secured a major network relay for the city. And we jammed Fallen nodes in the Cosmodrome. With no major casualties, we should be thanked not accosted."

Levi glanced at him, a hint of compassion bloomed in his eyes.

Then he continued, with a sombre tone "But the important part here Captain. Is that at the end of the day, I was just following Levi's lead." Bandit nodded and scuttled back into place.

"I too, was following his lead." Cory instantly chimed in.

"You sons of bitc-" Levi glared at them like a rabid dog.

"Is that so?" Tevis shot Levi a glare, "Guess you were missing your old buddy Void huh? What, so you went for a little reunion? Living out the old days? Is this what we pay you for?"

Levi stopped himself and turned towards Tevis, "But captain, I don't even get paid...."

Tevis clicked his tongue, "Just get the f*ck out", he shooed them away and tapped on his wrist, preparing to reply to Cayde.

Naturally, the trio didn't waste a single second and vanished.

-

[Cosmodrome]

The line clicked open with a soft digital chirp.

"Long time no see captain" Void replied, his voice calm as always. "Trying to untangle Devil chatter from the comms. Keep it short."

Tevis sighed. "You hijacked the whole comms grid?"

"Yeah. Was just me. Walked in, blew up the guards, spliced the relay." Void answered, patrolling the across Skywatch.

"You and thirty-seven other guardians?"

Void chuckled. "They followed me. Wasn't my idea. I don't even think they knew what I was doing until halfway through the fight."

Tevis pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a long breath. "You realize how risky that was, right? They're still green. Most of them have no real combat rotations. Some haven't even seen done a strike yet."

"Green?" Void laughed. "You're not watching the same feed I am, old man. These new ones… they don't fight like recruits. They learn fast, and they're brutal."

Tevis rolled his eyes. "Oh good. So they're lucky and overconfident. That's worked out great in history."

Void's voice shifted into a teasing grin. "You're just grumpy because you're centuries old and still babysitting rooftops."

"I'm grumpy because someone started a full-scale counter attack without even clearing it with the Vanguard," Tevis snapped. "You can't keep lighting fires and hoping the Tower doesn't come knocking."

"They already did," Void replied. "Ikorra knows. She didn't stop me."

"Right. I don't think sending a message after the attack counts as her clearing it." Tevis sighed again.

There was a long pause. The wind whistled through Tevis's comms.

Finally, he chuckled. "You always did like bending the line without breaking it."

"I prefer redrawing the line."

"Yeah, well…" Tevis continued, "Just don't get these kids killed. Some of them are still figuring out how to fire a gun."

Void's tone softened. "I'll keep 'em in check. You have my word."

"Good." Tevis nodded. "Because if you don't, I'm telling Cayde it was your idea. And I'm gonna redirect any message I get to your comms frequency."

Void laughed. "Anything but that. I don't think I can handle your chats with him."

With a final chuckle, Tevis ended the call, and the channel went dead.

-

[Devil's Lair, Cosmodrome]

Devil's Lair was a cold place, dimly lit by the sickly blue glow of ether-processing tubes lining the walls. The place reeked of rot and ozone, and the rhythmic thrum of repurposed Golden Age machinery echoed off jagged steel.

At the centre of the room, mounted high upon a pillar of tangled wires and fused servos, stood Aksis—The new archon of the House of Devils. His mechanical limbs twitched with quiet menace beneath his cloak of crimson plating. His optics flickered, watching the data streams pulse across the consoles embedded into the walls.

A Captain knelt before him, armor scorched and battered, servos whining with each movement. One of his arms was freshly replaced—crude, metallic, and barely functioning.

"Rocketyard... we failed," the Captain rasped in broken Eliksni, switching briefly to mangled Human speech. "Interference… heavy Guardian resistance. Skiffs downed. Walker lost."

Aksis did not move, his claws tightened on the rail beside him. "And?"

The Captain hesitated. "The Guardians overwhelmed our defenses. They fought like they'd seen the plan unfold before it began. Coordinated. Focused. Like a pack."

Aksis's voice crackled like an overloaded circuit. "The Vanguard does not move so quickly. Not without reason."

"They didn't," the Captain replied. "It wasn't Vanguard orders. We intercepted no transmissions from the Tower. But we believe—no, we're certain—it was him."

Aksis's gaze narrowed. "Say it."

"…The Prince-killer," the Captain finally said, mandibles twitching. "The one who slew Fikrul. The Shadow… the one they call Void."

Aksis was silent for a moment. Then, he gave a low, electronic chitter—amused, not afraid.

"So… the shade returns," he muttered, his voice distorted and deep. "Even headless serpents still bite, it seems."

The name hung in the air like poison.

The Archon's frame jerked as he leaned forward. "That one is no ordinary Guardian. He was forged in the dark. We hunted him day and night, but we failed. Now he returns, playing games in our shadows."

He stood, cables pulling taut from the throne as he moved forward. His optics glowed a deeper red now, pulsing with Ether-rage.

The Captain nodded. "What should we do?"

"Nothing," Aksis answered flatly. "Let the wretch hunt and prowl."

Aksis growled. "We are not yet ready."

He stepped down from his perch, the floor rumbling under his augmented weight. The Captain stood still, watching with uneasy silence.

"We have located the Warmind's old vaults," Aksis said, his voice steady but laced with hunger. "Buried deep beneath the Cosmodrome. Abandoned systems. Defenses shattered. A god, slumbering beneath rust."

He turned, motioning to a large holographic projection of the Cosmodrome—multiple zones blinking red, others marked with scavenger sigils. One sector pulsed brighter than the rest: a vault buried beneath the ruins, locked by codes none had cracked since the Collapse.

Aksis turned to face him. "If we take the vaults, the Warmind's systems will answer to us. Its weapons. Its satellites. Its wrath."

"And Void?" the Captain asked.

"Let him scurry. Let him bark and draw their new-borns into his little crusade," Aksis said, flexing one cybernetic limb. "When the Warmind belongs to us, we will hunt him down, like the dog he is."

The Captain lowered his head. "Understood."

"Send out scavenger teams. Every hallway. Every bunker. Strip the bones of the Golden Age clean. And do it fast. Before the Warmind wakes up and remembers who it used to be."

The Captain nodded and turned to leave.

Above them, the Devil's lair roared to life. Engines ignited. Skiffs lifted from their moorings and scattered into the night sky, carrying scavengers toward the ruins of the Cosmodrome.

Void had made the first move.

Aksis was ready to answer.
=

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[Writers-Ablood]

[Outskirts, Devil's Lair]

Devil's Lair, the core base of the House of Devils. At first glance, it was a mountain range. One that had its roots deep into the earth. But what the others didn't know was that the mountain was hollowed out.

Inside its ore veins were hundreds of Fallen bases, and at its flattened peaks were hangars for their skiffs. Not even a speck of dust could enter or leave the mountain with the House of Devils.

Every piece of technology from the golden age till the collapse could be found within. In short, it was a treasure trove guarded by the most Elite Fallen house on earth.

But its outskirts? That was a different story. At the base of the mountain, its rocky valleys met the borders of the Mothyards and Kings Watch. Though silent and expansive, today they were tighter—narrow, alive with old hums and whispers.

Void pressed forward through the dark ridge under the valley, the dull pulse of ether-processing units glowing faintly along the walls. His footsteps were slow, deliberate, a hunter moving through a den that hadn't yet realized it was compromised.

The network flickered. A quiet ping from Obsidian's HUD interface drew his eye.

"Movement," Obsidian said, voice even. "Multiple Skiffs launched from their lair. Departing from the hangar above the mountain. Broadcasting deep-band House of Devils codes."

Void narrowed his eyes. "Trajectories?"

There was a pause as Obsidian ran the calculations. "Four likely zones. West Dock. Grottos. Lunar Yard. Deadsea Basin. Most vectors point northeast. Fast acceleration. High altitude."

Void nodded, "Use the network backdoor, survey chatter. I wanna know what they're doing."

He stopped at a junction, placing his hand on the wall. Obsidian projected a faint map in the air before him, tracing the Skiffs' arcs across the Cosmodrome. His fingers danced across the overlay, adjusting filters, watching signals jump and fizzle.

Then came the static. Brief. Sharp. A flash of interference spiked across the network, followed by low chatter in Eliksni. Coded. Urgent.

"Decrypt the chatter" Void muttered. "Let's hear them."

Obsidian complied tapping into the exploit Void had left buried in the Fallen's relay systems during the Rocketyard strike. The whispers came through—crackling Eliksni banter layered with fragments of translated meaning.

Void listened in. And as the chatter continued, he heard the very words he was looking for.

Something about vaults. A machine. Patterns and confirmation.

Void's pulse quickened.

"...they must have found it," he said under his breath. "Rasputin."

A half-second later, he was moving.

He broke from the hallway and raced toward an abandoned transport shaft. The sound of his boots against rusted steel echoed in the dark. He ascended quickly, emerging into the wilds above. The sky over the Cosmodrome was streaked with cloud and smoke. Distant Skiffs trailed faint glows like comets above the wreckage.

Void's eyes locked onto the skiffs in the distance, he jumped and summoned his sparrow, riding behind them at super sonic speed.

"Lock onto one with that log, I need coordinates." Void sped up.

"Roger, sending pathway into visor. They're too far for a network hijack, we're losing the signals." Obsidian pulsed.

Void raced, cloak billowing behind him. The sparrows engines screaming as he pursued the Skiff into the storm-blasted terrain. Over debris fields, collapsed satellite towers, and shattered roadways, he chased. Eventually, it dipped into a canyon.

"They're dropping altitude" Obsidian pulled up a topographic map, surveying their location.

"What's ahead?" Void leapt off his sparrow, and jumped into the canyon, light laced his boots as he slid down the rugged rock.

He spotted the Skiff docked at a hidden landing pad tucked behind a rocky terrain.

"There's no golden age records. Looks like a sealed off and collapsed copper mining shaft. City never had to tech to explore further. "

Void followed on foot, flickering. As he neared the skiff, he saw a few Fallen squads trudging down a narrow mineshaft.

It was half-buried in rock—supported by a rotting wood frame.

Void crept closer, prowling at the edge of the tunnel.

Then, he finally entered. Void could see that the tunnel ran deep.

He moved like a shadow along the walls, quiet and precise, his steps muffled by layers of dust and broken metal. The Fallen squads ahead hadn't noticed him—too eager, too loud.

Ether hissed in the narrow passage as one of their captains barked orders in low, guttural Eliksni. They carried scanners and relic-tech, heads twitching as they traced the hidden signals beneath the Cosmodrome.

It was dark—barely lit by old hazard lights strung along the upper walls, flickering with a dying amber hue. Pipes lined the cramped ceiling, some snapped and hissing cold vapor.

Void kept low, shoulders brushing the jagged edges of broken girders as he squeezed through the narrow spaces. Every few meters, the path seemed to close in further. Cramped. Rugged. Like crawling through the bones of something long dead.

Obsidian whispered into his ear. "We're close. Bunker integrity is failing. Power spikes ahead."

"I see them," Void replied, crouching beside a rusted bulkhead. Just beyond, the tunnel widened into a sunken chamber.

And there it was—buried beneath layers of rock and collapsed tech. An ancient war vault. Gold and red plating stamped with sigils of the Golden Age. The Fallen had gathered around a sealed door, tools clamped against old access ports. Sparks flew as they forced it open.

But Void could only grimace. They didn't know what they were waking up.

The doors slid open with a seismic groan. Crimson light spilled from within. A low rumble echoed from deep inside the complex, followed by a rising mechanical pulse.

Then, Void's system lit up, an old quest flared.

-

[Golden Age Vault Encounter (2/15)!]

-

"You feel that?" Void muttered.

"I do," Obsidian replied. "Something's coming online."

Inside, the Fallen clicked their jaws, voices rising in triumph.

But as they walked inside the bunker, it stirred. Rasputin h ad answered.

The bunker lit up like a flare. Defense nodes dropped from the ceiling, sleek and angular. Turrets emerged from recessed compartments. Red beams activated, tracking targets instantly.

"Protocol: Black Contingency," a synthetic voice boomed through the corridor.

All hell broke loose.

The defenses opened fire—lasers, ballistic rounds, and pulse weapons tearing through the tight chamber. Fallen shrieked in fury and pain as they scattered for cover.

The Captains fired back with scorch cannons and arch shots. In the heat of battle, Void watched from the shadows, eyes narrowed.

Then he moved.

Dashing forward through smoke and shrapnel, he weaved through blind spots and past the fighting. Void raced inside, knowing he didn't have much time.

He darted across the dark complex, racing its empty halls till he reached its centre. Then he found what he was looking for—a live terminal still hooked into the Warmind's local grid.

Void paused, approaching it like a shadow.

He slapped a palm on it. "Obsidian! Trace the signal. I want to know where Rasputin's other bunkers are hiding."

"On it."

Code streamed across the terminal as Obsidian infiltrated the Warmind's system. Data nodes flickered. Slowly a map began to render. Void keenly listened on the fight outside, it was still going strong.

But then the interface burned red. Void's heart sunk.

A force like a hammer slammed into Obsidian's connection, sparks flying from the terminal.

"I'm being locked out!" Obsidian shouted. "He's traced me—he knows!"

"Don't lose him now!" Void cursed.

But it was too late.

The walls of the room seemed to shake. The abandoned tech whirred to life, all cameras in the room turned to Void, scanning him up and down. In an instant, Void could feel it, Rasputin was watching.

Rasputin struck hard, purging the link in an instant. Obsidian was ejected, it looked at Void once more, as if recalling who he was, then with a hiss of smoke the terminal died.

Void breathed a sigh of relief. His ears picked up on the conflict outside, 'They're almost done breaching in.'

Across the bunker, the fighting was winding down. Fallen vandals had rallied and disabled the last of Rasputin's turrets. The Fallen captains led their squads inside.

But with its defences purged. The Warmind made its final choice.

The lights dimmed. A voice boomed.

"Contingency Omega: Initiated. Self-destruct in 5 seconds."

Void's eyes widened.

"Motherfu-."

He didn't wait. In a flash, Arc energy surged through his body—bright blue lightning wreathing his form. The air cracked with voltage.

He sprinted.

The storm flowed with him—feet blurring, body arcing like a bolt through the collapsing corridors. The tunnels behind him detonated one by one, the heat of the explosion nipping at his heels. Rubble fell. Pipes burst. Fire clawed after him like a beast.

Five seconds. Three. Two—

Void burst into the open air, leaping free just as the tunnel behind him caved in.

The bunker vanished in a plume of smoke and fire, and then the canyon trembled.

Only silence remained.

Void exhaled, sparks still dancing along his arms. "That was close," he muttered.

Obsidian flickered beside him. "Too close."

Void stared at the rubble. He knew Rasputin hadn't liked what he tried to do. It was gonna fight back now. And it wasn't going to be quiet.

"Did you manage to get any coordinates?" Void asked, dusting himself off.

Obsidian opened its logs, trying its best to render the map again, "No...He wiped my database. But, I can try to stitch the map together. We might just locate one more bunker."

Void sighed, "If that's all we can do then sure. Any update on the other Fallen skiffs?"

"Nope, doesn't look like they descended. This was probably the only bunker they had intel on. We're too far to listen in to their ships comms." Obsidian flittered, healing Void with a pulsing light.

"Alright. Let's dial it down. We need to pick up on their comms and find the bunkers. Rasputin's smart. It's probably going to reinforce all its bunkers now. Search for power surges, Golden age lines." Void's mind raced.

"He's a machine, not a phantom. He's bound to leave a trace. Track all network frequencies. Anything that pops, anything at all, track it down." Void called his ship.

"I've got eyes on the Cosmodrome, I am using the backdoor relays as an antenna. If he really is reinforcing bunkers. We're bound to find out." Obsidian agreed.

Void nodded, then sighed "Let's circle back to the Skywatch outpost. We gotta check out the Hive problem too."

Void triggered his transmat, and his ship soared towards the skies, patrolling the edges of the Cosmodrome for any changes. A moment later it shot towards Skywatch.

=
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[Writers-Ablood]

The SkyWatch outpost loomed above the hills, a fortress of shadow and silence overseeing the dry sea. The sun shimmered gently, its rays converging into a bloody red as it dipped below the horizon.

As the sun fell, the clouds stirred, and a gelid breeze blew over the Cosmodrome. Then, the air itself seemed to freeze, as if in a lull. When the air stirred again, drops of rain began to condense into ice crystals.

Void's jumpship broke through the clouds, its low hum echoing across the plateau. He eased it onto the pad, stepped off the ramp, and was swallowed by the cold. The wind bit through his armor as he made his way across the landing deck and into the outpost's central chamber.

Tevis sat on a chair, arms crossed, cloak draped over his shoulders like a shroud. Beside him stood Bandit—silent and sharp-eyed—while Levi and Cory flanked a flickering holo-table, the light casting pale glows over grim faces.

Void entered the command centre, his eyes navigated the room. It felt all too familiar, as if nothing had changed.

Tevis spun around in his chair, and sighed "Took you long enough."

"The Fallen kept me quite busy, I've been chasing squads all day." Void sighed.

"And I thought your loot mongering days were behind you." Bandit shook his head.

Cory clicked his tongue, "He's probably following some leads, not everyone's trying to rob the Fallen blind like you."

"And why not?" Bandit raised a brow, "They're doing the same to me. I am just returning the favor."

"Alright, zip it." Levi approached the holo table. He tapped the console and brought up the display. "This is what we found in the Ash tunnels."

A series of images unfolded in the air—twisting flesh, bone-wrapped spires, and pale sacs pulsing with dark energy.

Hive cocoons.

Some were ruptured, and the others scorched.

"We torched 'em," Levi said, voice flat. "Before the war even began. We burned the tunnels, buried the chambers. That should've ended it."

"But their traces are back," Cory added. His voice was tight, clipped. "The ground's cold, but the Hive—they're moving."

Void's eyes lingered on the images. He didn't blink. "You already know," he said quietly. "You don't get rid of the Hive that easy."

A silence settled over the outpost. Heavy. Distant thunder rumbled somewhere beyond the walls.

Void looked up, the storm in his voice matching the one clawing at the edge of their world. "If the Hive are back on Earth… it means Crota's stirring. On the Moon."

The temperature seemed to drop further. Even the wind outside seemed to pause.

Tevis straightened. "What are you saying?"

Void's gaze was steady. "We escaped the Hive on the Moon. Barely. Now they're reaching out again. Preparing. If Crota's coming here… this won't be another hidden infestation. It'll be war."

Bandit shifted uneasily. Levi's fingers flexed over the console. None of them spoke.

"I've already sent a report to the Tower," Tevis said. "The Vanguard knows. The City needs to act fast."

"They won't," Void replied, cold. "Not fast enough. All we can do now is train the new ones. Harden them. Get them ready. Because when the Hive come, they won't give us a second chance."

He turned to Tevis. "And even then… it won't be enough. If Crota is leading this, we'll need more than Light to stop him."

Tevis's brow furrowed, "Is that why you've been chasing the Fallen all day?"

"You know what I am looking for." Void nodded.

Tevis replied coldly, " You're making a mistake."

"We need Rasputin," Void said. "Awake. Alert. On our side. Humanity can't survive with just the light. You know what happened on the moon. They'll run us down. "

Tevis's jaw tightened. He stepped forward, face dark. "Rasputin is not an ally."

Void didn't flinch. Tevis's voice rose—not angry, but resolute.

"You hear me? He's not for us. He's not for the Traveler. That thing won't help us."

The room was still.

"He doesn't care about the Light, about you, or anyone else. It's just a machine. A broken one." Tevis continued.

"So we stop trying?" Void frowned, "We need him. We can't fight the Hive, Fallen and the Vex all alone. It's impossible. We need to try."

Tevis pointed at the holotable. "We tried. The City, tried for decades to reclaim him. All we got were warnings. Threats. And one day, a strike team walked into a vault. Rasputin tore them apart. Spread their bones across Skywatch."

He paused, jaw tight. "I saw it happen. I was there."

The words hung like fog over them. Outside, the wind howled.

Void didn't speak. Not right away.

But the look in his eyes said he wasn't done.

Not yet.

"You're right. He might not care. But Rasputin controls all Warsats of the golden age. Its a power we cannot ignore. Because when the Hive come knocking, we'll need more than just our guns." Void balled his fist.

"Rasputin might not be trustworthy, but in the end, I'd rather set him free than watch us fight to the death."

Void turned to leave, but took one last glance at the Hive images of the ash tunnels, he sighed, "I'll take care of the Hive problem. But I won't stop looking for Rasputin. With or without you, I'll bring it back."

As Void walked out, Tevis frowned, memories flashed in his mind while his eyes followed Void. For the first time in a long while, he hesitated, unable to make up his mind.

-

Void exhaled a soft breath, the chill around him seemed to seep in as his breath instantly turned cold. He looked up, the pitter patter of rain seemed to still, grinding to a halt.

Then, it continued. But this time, all of it was snow. The night stretched long, with it a blanket of snow scattered across the Cosmodrome. By day, only the snow touched peaks of Skywatch and Devil's lair would be visible.

Void brushed his hand against the snow, it felt light, and flaky disappearing at the slightest touch. "Winter's already here", he spoke with a certain unease.

He recalled the days when the Cosmodrome was only snow. It was around that time that he played Destiny. Now, as winter returned, it seemed the world itself was moving fast.

"Any activity on the Fallen network?" Void asked.

Obsidian pulsed, "No, looks like they docked all the skiffs. Weather's not great, they probably can't see a thing."

Void summoned his sparrow, "Keep checking in, snow's the perfect cover for operations in the Cosmodrome."

Void checked the locations for the ash tunnels and rode towards them, piercing through the snow.

"How much time has passed since the pictures were taken?" Void asked.

Obsidian examined the pictures meta data, "Looks like they were taken a day ago at most."

"Got it. Run a Hive scan for me." Void asked, jumping off the sparrow.

He trudged up to the ash tunnel, a long winding tunnel that led to a coal cavern that descended into the heart Skywatch. Or at least, that's what it had been in the Golden age. Now? It was reduced to mere rubble.

Void blended into the dark, moving like a wraith. Then, the tunnel came to an end, an abandoned and vast cavern loomed ahead. Just as Void took a step inside, a familiar stench assaulted his nose.

One akin to a rotten corpse fermenting in these cold tunnels. His eyes flashed blue and he scanned the energies in the area.

"There's no mistaking it. They're here." Void's eyes followed the trace of a Hive ritual. A wicked aura lingered in the cavern.

"So what's the plan? We calling for some backup?" Obsidian asked, preparing to dial.

"No. Not this time. This one's just us, I want to blow off some steam." Void replied flatly.

He gripped the handle of his sword, and unsheathed it slowly. The blade trembled, as if quivering in anticipation.

"After all, where else will we get a feast like this? Isn't that right?" Void's lips curved into a smile. Then, the cavern seemed to shimmer with a pale glow.

Something in the blade had awoken.

~Of course, O brother mine~

Zamyr whispered, it was sharp, akin to scratching glass with a stone.

The Ahamkara appeared, or at least a wisp resembling it rested on Void's shoulder. As if sensing its presence, shrill cry echoed from deep within the caverns.

"Looks like the Hive Wizards have caught on" Void sauntered into the dark, his blade rested on his shoulders, he vanished.

A hoard of Hive surged, wizards leading the charge. But they found nothing. The Hive wizards flittered anxiously, magic coiled on their fingers. But no enemy was to be found. Had they been mistaken? No, their instincts couldn't lie. They were made for this.

Then, the dark seemed to shift. As if it had changed allegiances. As if it answered to a new master.

And he appeared.

Void cleaved the Wizard in half, its wretched soul eaten by his blade. Before the Hive could react, they'd already lost. The blade stirred, slinging from Void's hand, it shot towards another wizard, stabbing it through the heart.

Zamyr seemed to materialize, or perhaps it was an illusion. But in the dark, anything was possible. Then, the wizard was eaten alive.

The Hive were stunned. They were mindless, bred for battle and war. It was not in the nature of a Hive brood to surrender.

But that changed today. They knew for certain, whatever was in that blade was old. It was something that went against the rules of the universe. Something wrong, and today it smiled at them.

Disowned by the dark, they faced the pale light of the Ahamkara, and the Hive were nothing but food. Nothing but sustenance.

=

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[Writers-Ablood]

The air in the ash tunnels had turned cold. Not the type of cold that came from wind or frost—but something deeper, older. Void walked in silence, the arc-light of his cloak casting flickers against the soot-stained walls.

Behind him, the carnage of his skirmish with the Hive lingered—torn husks, cleaved thralls, and the sliced remains of chitinous cocoons. But as he continued his trek through the last stretch of the tunnel, something shifted.

A deep claw mark marred the rock face to his left, long and gouged. Another farther down, then a broken cocoon—ripped open from the inside.

Void slowed.

"They made it out," he muttered.

~It seems so~ Zamyr replied.

A ripple of unease prickled his skin. He crouched low, running his fingers along the dried ichor smeared on the stone floor. It trailed forward, from the edges of the tunnel and toward the snowy ridges that connected to Skywatch.

"Can you see it?" Void's eyes turned blue as he scanned the trails. He followed the energy signatures, but whatever had crossed through here, hadn't been recent. The signs were fading.

~I see no more than you. It has escaped, before we came~

Snow drifted sideways outside the tunnel's mouth, a fierce wind had picked up, screaming low across the open Cosmodrome.

Void stepped into it, pulling his cloak tighter around his armor. His boots crunched over snow laced gravel as he scaled a low embankment to get a better view.

It was now white out here—white and quiet. But not still. There were movements buried in that wind. Shadows not cast by the sun. He knew better than to chase ghosts. If Hive acolytes had fled, they weren't retreating. They were moving to regroup.

Void seemingly tapped in front of him, and his System window sprang to life. His gaze drifted to the blinking Quest tab. The Hive quest hadn't been resolve. Which could only mean he still had more to do.

He narrowed his eyes as they fell on the NPC quest tab. Void clicked it open.

-

[Create Quest]: (Reputation Cost Dependant on Quest)

[Current Player Reputation]: +50

-

An idea formed in his mind as a grin tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"Well…I guess its worth a shot."

He patched into his comms and opened a private channel.

"Captain. Update on the ash tunnels."

The channel crackled. Tevis got on the line as he remained silent for a moment: "Go ahead."

"You hear back from the Vanguard?" Void asked.

"Just did," Tevis replied. "They're ready to commit. Not thrilled about Hive crawling around, especially not this close to Skywatch."

Void glanced up at the drifting snow. "I've confirmed traces. Some of them slipped the tunnels and got out. They're moving. I need reinforcements."

Tevis hesitated. "You want me to send more Nightstalkers?"

Void shook his head. "No. I need the new blood. Let them see what we're up against."

There was a pause on the other end. Then a low sigh. "You sure that's smart?"

"They won't understand what's coming until they've seen it. The Hive aren't stories—they're real. If Crota stirs again, we can't afford another generation of Guardians who don't know fear."

Tevis went quiet. His eyes narrowed.

"…Alright," he finally said. "I'll forward it. Zavala's been watching closely. He might approve."

"Thanks. Tell him I'll handle the new ones, guide them this time." Void smiled.

He knew what he said was right. The guardians couldn't afford letting the Hive remain a mystery, they eventually had to confront them.....As for what he gained from that confrontation?

Well, he was sure no one would sweat the small stuff.

Void closed the channel and opened his interface. The Quest tab expanded, glowing softly as he typed.

-

Mission: Return to Skywatch - Hive Activity Surge
Objective: Track and eliminate Hive forces near Skywatch.
Reward: 10,000 Glimmer

-

He hit "Issue Quest." In an instant, the directive fired out across the system.

Void exhaled, snow collecting on his hood. He took a step forward and vanished into the frost.

=

[Tower, Last City]

The Tower was alive with celebration.

IEatPaint spun in circles on the courtyard ramp, leaving a trail of emotes behind him while Undecided jumped off the edge, watching himself die for the tenth time.

TheOneWhoKnocks adjusted his shader for the seventh time while Waffles kept leaping over kiosk trying to land perfectly on her umbrella. Gandalf, of course, just stood to the side, robes billowing like he was the only one in-character.

Or so it seemed, but he had simply not unlocked many emotes. BearSpray simply stood beside Gandalf, as the two chatted.

"We've finally unlocked interstellar travel!" Undecided shouted, reviving himself, "What are we hitting first?"

"Tricky question." IEatPaint smirked. "Its fine as long as there is loot."

They laughed. At this stage, both fireteams had completed the Cosmodrome's mainline—pushed back the Fallen, unlocked their ship's warp systems, and even helped a shady hunter named Viper track a network of corrupted nodes.

The tension had faded, at least for now.

Then, the Tower trembled slightly.

Their Ghosts pinged all at once. A new mission pulsed in their HUDs, and Zavala's deep voice cut through the ambient Tower chatter.

"Guardians. A situation has emerged near Skywatch. Hive activity is surging. There's been a few sightings. You are requested to assist an external field agent for urgent reconnaissance and elimination. Coordinates have been marked. We've got help this time. Meet your guide at the drop zone. Dismissed."

Their HUDs blinked again—

-Quest Received: Skywatch - Hive Activity SurgeReward: 10,000 Glimmer-

They all turned to each other.

"A guide? Is it a new NPC?" Waffles grinned. "Oh yeah. I'm in."

"I thought we were done with Cosmodrome," TheOneWhoKnocks muttered. "Guess not."

"I say we split up. Two fireteams. First one to finish gets bragging rights," IEatPaint suggested.

"I like it," Gandalf replied, robes still somehow fluttering. "Let's hunt."

"Let's also pray your mother doesn't call you in the middle, or we're losing this..." BearSpray sighed.

"Oi!" Gandalf barked back but there wasn't much to say so he quietly transmatted out.

In seconds, the Director opened. They selected the Cosmodrome. And just like that—they were gone.

-

Snowfall had returned to Skywatch.

Void crouched behind a rusted-out crawler near the outer ridge, peering through broken scope glass as the storm thickened. His motion tracker flared briefly. Not Hive—but Guardians.

Two fireteams landed almost simultaneously, scattering to different sectors like eager wolves unleashed on a fresh scent. Void rose, nodding quietly.

He said nothing—just watched.

Finally, they spotted him, and rushed closer. As the fireteams approached, Void got to his feet.

"Welcome, looks like you're all geared up." Void spoke up.

The players were a bit startled, not expecting to find him here.

"He's the field agent?" Undecided questioned.

"I don't know, doesn't look like an agent type. Bit too flashy." IEatPaint replied.

"This lore...is very confusing." Waffles mumbled.

"Let's not waste time. I called you here because I was hunting the Hive. You are expected to do the same. Or so they say." Void stepped closer to them, his voice turning low.

"The Hive, are not so simple. They're not an enemy you've ever fought. They can steal your light, gnaw at your very soul. I've seen thousands of guardians, guardians better than you fall to them. What makes you think you're any different?" Void accosted.

The players were stunned again. What kind of NPC approached them like this? What was he trying to do? Scare them off?

Void turned away, and looked over his shoulder.

"This is not a game. If you think you're not ready, leave. Go back to the city and pretend you're some hero by fighting off the rust scrappers of the Fallen. The Light doesn't need cowards." Void walked two steps, boots crunching in the snow.

Then he paused.

"But."

The players hitched a step at his words, entirely hooked.

"If you've got even an ounce of courage. A morsel of faith in the light. Then follow me, and fight the real enemy", Void walked, not bothering to look back.

Undecided heaved a breath, "Holy shi*, who's writing the dialogue for this?"

"Motherf****, did this man just question my faith?" IEatPaint shook.

"Bro really just said, no balls." Gandalf chuckled.

"Shut up!" TheOneWhoKnocks shouted, crouching like he was in some sort of Noir movie, "We need to prove our strength!"

"Relax", BearSpray nodded, "We'll do that, but don't pull out the edgy behavior just yet."

The two fireteams moved, following Void as they prowled the abandoned Skywatch areas.

Across the ridge, Hive acolytes scuttled through busted vent shafts and under broken fences. Void spotted them from the distance.

'They survived the tunnel fight' Void's eyes narrowed.

They were not many. A pack here, too thin to strike, too quiet to ignore.

Void crept behind a silo. The buzz of arc energy hummed through his fingers as he prowled.

Farther in, he saw it. A Hive wizard had emerged hiding between the acolytes. Void's eyes narrowed. He surveyed her quietly, motioning the guardians to hold behind him.

The two fireteams paused, following his directions.

Void waited until the Hive disappeared, until they crawled back into their dugouts.

"We've located the enemy. You've seen the forces. Eliminate them. I'll be watching your fight. Don't let them escape."

The players shuffled behind him, and then their quest indicator shifted to the underground dugout.

Waffles snorted, "Alright, let's mow these Hive or whatever insect they are."

"Yeah...I don't think those are insects." Undecided replied.

"I mean, they are called Hive right? So like an ant colony? Bees?" Gandalf hummed

BearSpray chuckled, "Didn't know bees could look that f*ckin ugly."

"This is still a race you know!" TheOneWhoKnocks rushed forward, dragging IEatPaint along.

"Right..." Waffles, summoned her sparrow and blasted off to catch up. The second fireteam also wasted no time in making it to the dugout.
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[Writers-Ablood]

Through the weather-beaten entrance of an old comms hatch just off Skywatch, two fireteams of New Lights descended into the underbelly of the rusted station—an old, dug-out built in desperation and abandoned in haste.

Their Ghosts hummed with low light, casting faint illumination across shattered concrete and rusted rebar.

They had been given a task. Find and eliminate Gotra, the Hive Wizard.

IEatPaint, TheOneWhoKnocks, and Waffles—moved on the left flank, gliding between broken support pillars.

Undecided, BearSpray, and Gandalf—took the right, rifles raised and boots muffled by the dusty ground. They were cautious, not cocky. This wasn't like the public events or Lost Sectors they'd grown used to.

This was different. There was a silence here, thick and wrong, as if the air itself held its breath. An eerie hum echoed, it was faint, but unforgettable and bewitching.

"Damn, the vibe really shifted. It's almost like we're playing a horror." Waffles chirped, she jittered as the fireteam prowled the dugout.

"Relax.....We'll be fine." TheOneWhoKnocks replied dryly. His eyes anxiously darting as he tried to take it all in.

"There's a simple solution, if it scares you, just shoot." IEatPaint chuckled, aiming through the iron sights of his shotgun.

"The music is riveting, did they really design this?" Undecided was awed. The encounter with the Hive had his blood pumping. Every step he took, every beat that resounded in his ears, it all felt too real.

He was fidgeting, right now, facing this threat, he felt more alive than ever.

"It's quite eerie, almost like it was curated for them. They do look quite creepy though." BearSpray replied.

"Creepy or not, they shall not pass!" Gandalf chuckled, only to get sharp looks from his fireteam forcing him to stay quiet.

Void listened in to their chatter, from the shadows, half-shrouded in darkness and the quiet hum of cloaking tech, Void watched. His visor gleamed faintly beneath his hood as he tracked their movement through his sightline.

Down below, something stirred ahead. Then the walls began to pulse faintly with Hive glyphs—greenish runes writhing across the stone.

Instantly, BearSpray held up a hand. Everyone halted. Suddenly, an eerie silence gripped the dugout. A silence so deafening, that they could hear nothing else.

The earth trembled, or perhaps that was their perception. Something clawed out of the dirt, gnawing towards them. It was weak, and slow yet it approached nonetheless.

A single thrall crawled out form the dark. Its bony arms wrapped arounds its torso, its gaunt figure hunched over, as if in pain. It seemed lost.

Or perhaps, it was. Then, as if it smelled their existence, the thrall seemed to shiver, hitching as it heaved what seemed to be a breath.

The players aimed, they weren't sure what was going on. But before they could pull the trigger, it shrieked as if possessed.

"MOTHERFU****" Waffles jumped at the sound, a hail of bullets tore through the thrall.

But it was too late. First came five. Then Ten, dozens and then too many to count. As the thralls emerged from the dark, they too seemed to hitch.

The silence shattered.

"F*ck, GET EM!" TheOneWhoKnocks unloaded his entire magazine, rushing forwards.

Arc pulses flared, Solar detonations rocked the walls, and the thunder of kinetic rounds echoed down the dugout. Waffles vanished and reappeared mid-air with a blink strike, carving through the wave. IEatPaint let out a shout as he shoulder-charged a dozen thralls, slamming them into a wall.

Gandalf raised a rift behind cover, calling for regroup.

And then, as they were swarmed by thralls from all directions, the air cracked. Hive magic flickered as a portal cleaved through the planes, and from its maw a wizard appeared.

Gotra descended, her wings spread wide and skeletal, cloaked in sickly green mist. She shrieked, and the air itself fractured. Her shield flared bright—thick, reinforced with dark runes.

Void narrowed his eyes. He thought to move, but then his eyes fell on the players, he hesitated, but chose not to react.

As waves of thralls rushed the Guardians from all sides. Undecided popped his super, BearSpray and TheOneWhoKnocks kept the fire tight and focused while Gandalf and Waffles lurked in the backlines farming their super bars.

Still, Gotra hovered above them all, hurling orbs and raising more cursed Thrall from blackened nests.

But the Guardians didn't waver.

As one, the two fireteams began to press her—Paint's rocket broke the shield, Waffles blinked to the side casting an empowering rift, and Gandalf deftly cast a Nova Bomb that slammed her into the earth. The impact crater glowed with dark flame.

She shrieked again.

Her essence rose like smoke from her broken body, swirling in a spiral of greenish vapor as it lashed outwards, slamming away the players. Gotra turned to the dark, her magic weaving in a portal.

"Don't let her finish!" IEatPaint barked, trying his best to burst her through the shotgun.

"She's summoning something! Get back!" Waffles called out, hurriedly throwing a healing rift.

The portal flickered, akin to a gaping wound, its wicked aura consuming the tunnels. Then a grotesque arm tore through, as an Ogre began to drag itself out of it.

"Sorry but, I can't allow that."

That's when Void moved.

In the blink of an eye, from the shadows, he stepped forth, cloak fluttering, sword humming low as he unsheathed it only slightly. The light bent around him—eerie and wrong—as the sword's edge hungrily siphoned the rising essence of Gotra, absorbing it into the metal.

None of the players spoke. They just watched. Even Gotra was dumbfounded.

The portal seemed to stitch together, as if it had never existed. Gotra seemed awed, for a second, the Hive wizard looked to its fingers, unsure if it had even cast the magic.

Its eyes hesitantly drifted to Void, as it began to question. What manner of being was it even fighting against? What kind of existence could cancel out its magic?

Gotra raised a hand to cast another spell, but then Void spoke.

"I told the City I won't let anything happen to you, but that's all." Void spoke up, "Take care of the rest."

The players seemed startled, and so was Gotra. As everyone looked at Void, he simply vanished.

With Gotra staring at its magic dumbfounded, the players snapped out of their trance.

"NUKE HIM!" Gandalf roared, aware that Waffles had completed her Nova bomb. Naturally, Waffles obliged.

A dark and riveting energy condensed in her palms, one hungry to devour. Waffles rose in the air, supporting the Nova bomb on her hand. Then, with a quick flick, she threw it down.

Gotra faced it head on, it tried to cast a spell, but with its magic consumed, the wizard was nothing but a thrall in robes. Helpless against the light, Gotra was torn to shreds.

[Mission Complete!]

A notification pulsed on the players screens.

"LET'S GOOOO!" Undecided roared.

TheOneWhoKnocks instantly slid across the room, jumping to Gotra's corpse. Naturally, he didn't get any loot and sombrely stood in silence.

"So we won right? IEatPaint chuckled.

"What the hell are you on about?" BearSpray retorted.

Waffles chimed in, "I got the last hit dumbass. So we won."

"Doesn't count, I did most of the damage with my super and gandalf's bomb chunked her pretty good." Undecided immediately countered.

"Please, that shit almost missed." Waffles snorted.

"Oi! I hit her leg, I am sure of it!" Gandalf barked back.

As the players tussled to settle the winner, Void cleared his throat, garnering their attention.

Void continued giving them a smile, "Good job taking her down. So? How'd it feel? Exhilarating?"

The players paused, thinking through their reactions.

"Perhaps, you were afraid, or perhaps all your powers suddenly made sense. Like you found a piece of the puzzle." Void jeered.

The players murmured to each other, agreeing. They'd all thought that the themes of their powers didn't really make sense. But once they faced the Hive, it really did feel like fighting a sworn enemy.

"Truth is, it doesn't matter. What you feel, what you think, no one cares. Not you, nor I, nor the City. Only one thing matters, when the dark shows up, will you stand by and watch, or stand and fight?" Void smiled, it wasn't joyful, but reminiscing.

He turned away, stepping into the gloom.

"Whether we like it or not, we who wield the light were born to fight the dark. Lit ablaze against our wills, like a candle, destined to flicker away when our time comes. You're no different. That's why the City needs you to get stronger. That's the only way."

He paused. Voice laced with urgency.

"We don't have much time Guardian. Hurry up. Because sooner or later, the Hive will rise again, and the next time, they'll have an army."

Void looked over his shoulder, the players looked at him with wide eyes.

"If you want to dawdle around and follow the city forever, be my guest. But if you're ready to take the next step, meet me on the Reef."

"Remember guardian, the Light stands tall—only because its shadows serve as an anchor. Without them, it would drift, directionless and blind."

He vanished.

-

[Tower, Last City]

The Tower was quiet, for now.

Zavala sat alone in the Vanguard War Table chamber, light from a dozen projectors reflecting across his armor. He moved with slow precision, fingers scrolling through reports, tactical maps, and Guardian rosters. Lines of text flickered—mission success rates, telemetry logs from Europa, decrypted communications from hidden outposts.

The Hive in Skywatch were dead. That front, at least, was handled.

A comm signal blinked.

Zavala accepted the call without looking up. Tevis's voice came through, crisp and steady as ever.

"Gotra is dead. The Guardians performed well. Two fireteams. No casualties."

Zavala's eyes flicked upward slightly, his face unreadable.

"The node at Skywatch is stable—for now."

Zavala nodded. "Good. Thank you, Tevis."

The call ended. The War Table resumed its quiet hum.

He reached to flag the mission complete—when something flickered across the radar interface. A red pulse. Then another. Multiple blips. Too many.

He leaned in, brow furrowed.

"Cosmodrome array... malfunctioning?" he muttered. "What is—"

The feed spiked. Movement across the Mothyards. Then the Divide. Every surveillance drone they had was lighting up.

His comm pinged again—before he could answer, the door slid open.

Cayde stormed in, Exo eyes glowing brighter than usual, cloak billowing behind him.

"I hope you're seeing what I'm seeing," Cayde said, tossing a holo-device onto the table. "My scouts say the Cosmodrome's on fire."

Zavala frowned. "What kind of fire?"

"The 'hundreds of Fallen scavenger squads patrolling from Devil's lair' kind" Cayde said.

The feed changed. Shanks patrolled overhead, scanning with eerie purpose. The Devil's Lair—already half-collapsed—was now crawling with movement.

A quiet chime echoed. Ikorra entered next, her steps measured and composed. She walked straight to the table, wordless.

Zavala watched the footage and his eyes narrowed.

"Someone's giving orders," Zavala said, his voice low.

"No dreg's running this show," Cayde agreed, "I thought we took care of their Archon."

Ikorra nodded. "We've intercepted a few transmissions. I think they're under new leadership."

Zavala's hands curled into fists. "What are they up to?."

"Whatever it is, we need eyes on the ground. I'll tell the hidden to continue monitoring" Ikorra added.

The three of them stood in silence, watching as the feed continued to flicker.

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