Fireteam Cerulean was inbound and the hanger was abuzz awaiting their return. They'd found a way to become Ascendant, or more, Wren had found a way, and the hanger crew had very little time to repair their ships and restock before Cerulean would be sent out once more.
Cayde watched the skies for the ships and when they finally came in, he trotted down the catwalk toward Wren's. Faces were a blur as he passed but he couldn't slow down now. Twice he'd gotten too close to losing Wren, possibly for good. Hearing her voice crackling over comms, the panic in her voice as she called out to him. It took him right back to her arm getting ripped off by that Captain but when she was so far away, it was worse. He couldn't help her. He couldn't Golden Gun his way through the Hive and Taken and protect her. Chances are, if she'd have gone down, Zavala never would have let him go find her.
With the threat of Oryx looming over the City? Leaving the Tower was damn near impossible. He was needed here.
"Hey kid," he said with a smile, relieved to see her face to face again, but she didn't stop.
He watched as she slowly walked along the catwalk, her legs moving as if they were weighted down. What the hell was going on? He strode up behind her and grabbed her hand but she didn't stop. Her hand detached from her arm and he jumped back and dropped it.
"What the –" he stared down at the appendage, strangely pale, almost white, and unnaturally smooth. There was no blood, only a metal post sticking out of the wrist. "Kid?"
Her movements were jerky now but she didn't seem to notice her hand was missing.
"Stop!"
"Can't stop," she mumbled.
"You gotta stop. What the hell is going on?" he caught up with her but was afraid to touch. Her eyes were dull and unfocused, her skin growing paler and smoother with every movement and her knees popped and buckled. The other hand fell off, plastic clattering to the floor. It was like she was turning into a mannequin before his eyes and his mind raced with what the cause could be. Vex milk turned tissue into …. No, this wasn't the same.
"I'm going to prove…"
"You don't need to prove anything just stop walking!"
Her right arm dropped and she lost balance, teetering to the left and when he tried to catch her, the rest of her body broke into pieces. Cayde scrambled to gather them and keep them from falling off the catwalk but mechanics started to walk through as if they weren't there and they kicked some of her parts which scattered beyond his reach.
When he head fell from the catwalk to the darkness below Cayde woke out of breath, his head snapping around frantically as she tried to regain his bearings.
"Cayde?"
He tried to catch his breath and looked over his shoulder at Ikora who stood behind him with a hand on his back. He exhaled and let his head rest on the table. It was a dream. Just a dream.
"What are you doing in here?" she asked, stepping beside him to put a stack of books on her desk where he'd fallen asleep. "Were you having a nightmare?"
"I uh… yeah." He sat up and leaned back in her chair. "I came to ask you some stuff about Oryx but you weren't here and I guess I dozed off."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"No, no, it's okay." Cayde stood and walked to the other side of the desk, allowing Ikora to sit but by the time he reached the other side he'd second guessed himself. Maybe it wouldn't be too bad to discuss things with her. Just to get them off his chest. He leaned against the front of her desk and fidgeted with a tiny astrolabe. "You ever have dreams about people turning into mannequins?"
She raised a brow. "I can't say that I have. Why don't you tell me what's bothering you?"
"I have this… friend… that I think I might be pushing too hard."
Ikora nodded slowly. "And you dreamt this friend turned into a mannequin?"
"And fell apart."
"I see. I assume you feel this friend is doing too much?"
"Yeah. And I'm pushin' em' too hard."
"Well, all Guardians are pushed too hard at one point or another."
"Who said it was a Guardian friend?"
Ikora's eyes narrowed at him. "Cayde, I know talking about your emotions has never been easy for you, trust me, I understand. But we're not going to get anywhere if you dance around the subject. I know you're talking about Wren. And I know she's been pushed very hard for someone so young. The things she's endured over the past year have been more than some Guardians see in a lifetime, but what choice has she had? From the beginning she was thrown into the right time at the right place. I've rarely seen a Guardian with so much promise and she's more capable than she knows."
"But what if it's too much and she…" he let the thought drift off, but Ikora knew.
"Listen," she said, coming around the desk to join him. "I know you worry that what happened with Emelie will happen with Wren. It's a valid concern, but this is why I told you that you needed to make a decision and commit to it. Emelie's downfall stemmed from her devotion to you and you allowing that devotion to continue despite not sharing the sentiment. You allowed things to go too far when you knew you weren't interested in the same way. I'll admit I have my concerns about you and Wren. I think she's young and lonely and wants to fit in somewhere and since she can't get in with the other Hunters, you are her person to cling to. But I also haven't seen you care quite so much for another Guardian before so I can't say what needs to happen. All I can say is what I said before. You need to consider what is best for both of you in the long run and commit to a decision."
Cayde stared at the spinning rings of the astrolabe. He hated how right she was. And yet he appreciated that when she spoke all his jumbled thoughts came into place. Zavala would likely never come around to the idea of Cayde trying to be in a relationship with a Guardian, but then again, Cayde was here to "break the rules" so to speak. Not that it was a rule at all, just… maybe a taboo? He'd never quite pegged what it meant in terms of a word but one thing was certain, it wouldn't be easy. And would it be right for her? There were better options. Better people who wouldn't get her picked on, bullied, and ostracized. People who wouldn't put her in near constant danger while they stayed on the sidelines and watched. People who…
"I know," he said, cutting off his own train of thought before it derailed him entirely. "I just don't think she's ready. Ya know, with all the stuff that happened."
Ikora saw through him but agreed anyway. "Perhaps not. So what do you suggest we do? As Vanguard? It's a tricky situation. If you back off now and stop giving her so many missions, the other Hunters will wonder why and their first instinct will be to say you're going easy on her because she's your favorite. From what I understand, some of the heat from the dens has died down since the incident with Flak. Would protecting her like that be a good option considering what the consequences might be?"
"Not to mention she'd hate that. Remember when she first came here and I said I didn't think she was cut out to be a Hunter?"
Ikora smirked. "I do. Not your finest moment."
"No, but I take it back. Kid's one of the best and… well, I feel guilt about it, alright?"
Ikora seemed taken aback. "Guilty? For what?"
"She's been tryin' to prove herself since then. Did you know that? Her wantin' to prove herself is what's getting' her mixed up in all this shit." He set the astrolabe down harder than he intended, earning him a glare from Ikora.
"That was a gift from Osiris."
"Sorry."
"I understand your concerns, but none of this is your fault. Not to say she's not gotten herself into a few binds here and there for wanting to prove herself, but as far as the missions go and like I said before, she's simply been in the right place at the right time. The way things have happened she simply fell into place. One might say it's her—"
"Don't you dare," Cayde shushed.
Ikora chuckled. "Alright, alright. Why don't you get back to command. It's nearly dawn. Cerulean will be up preparing for their next mission. Or, Wren's mission. She'll need you to guide her. Oh, and try to keep your temper with Eris Morn. I know she can come off as uncaring at times, but she means well."
"Sure. Thanks for the talk," Cayde stopped at the door and pointed at Ikora. "And not a word of this to anyone. I got a reputation to protect."
She only smirked and rolled her eyes.
The Dreadnaught was just as she left it. The remainder of the Cabal kept the never-ending Hive at bay and Wren would have to sneak around them if she had to board their ship again but for now, she wasn't sure where she was going. She kept her distance, staying close to the transmat zone until Cayde or Eris could give her more information.
"All of this was set in motion long ago," Eris said. "He calls out, and the Darkness answers."
Wren suppressed a huff. She was getting tired of Eris Morn's cryptic messages. Seemed she spoke to herself and whomever happened to be nearby was just along for the ride.
"Okay," Cayde piped in, "creepy sidekick, check. Rouge-ish commander, check. And then we have Crow, my greatest success story. I'd say we're ready to get this done!"
"I'm your success story?" Wren teased. "What exactly have you done to ensure my success cuz from where I'm standing, I'm doing all the work."
"Shhhh, kid, you're gonna ruin the mood. Now. Onward and upward. We're sending coordinates to Kiran now."
"We're going straight to the Rupture," Kiran said.
"I remember where it is," Wren said, ensuring her hand cannon was secure in its holster before running to the right of the hull breech. She used the debris from the crash to shield her from the Hive and Cabal, passing up the ship to head deeper into the Dreadnaught.
"Push back the dark," Eris said. "End it."
Wren gritted her teeth, tempted to tell Eris to keep her random comments to herself but Cayde spoke up and she let it go.
"She's right, kid. There's no doubt in my mind that this could probably work. Now get to that Rupture."
Probably work? That wasn't very comforting.
The way was quiet, and Wren didn't encounter any Hive or Taken until she reached the Rupture itself. Even then there were only a few Thrall and a single Wizard guarding the Rupture which put Wren on edge. When there were few guards it never set well with her. Always felt too much like a trap.
"I'm ready," she said as she stood before the Rupture, Better Devils in hand.
The surface of the Rupture began to glow and pulsate as she neared.
"It can sense the soul you hold. You are Ascendant!" Eris' voice became excited but almost feverish in a way that made Wren's belly roll. When she got that way it was hard to trust that she wouldn't sacrifice a Guardian for her obsession with the Hive.
"Time to kill a king," Cayde said.
"What happens once I'm in there?" Wren asked. "Will I lose the comms?"
"There's… a chance."
"Not sure I like that."
"You still have the Ace up your sleeve?"
"Yeah."
"Then it'll be okay."
Wren closed her eyes and passed through the Rupture, finding the other side identical to the world she'd left behind. The ground was solid under her feet and it was more like being teleported to somewhere else in the Dreadnaught than the strange Taken plane she'd imagined. Then again, what should she have expected? There was no real basis for comparison. She'd not been told what it would be like.
"Cayde?"
No reply.
"Dammit. I knew we'd lose him."
"We'll just have to go it alone from here," Kiran said. "All I'm getting in static and I'm not sure exactly where we are. My scans are picking up any sign of Oryx either."
"What are the chances this was a trap to get me stuck in here?"
"Uh, do you want exact numbers or is that hypothetical?"
"It's more concerning when you say it like that. You know what, I'd rather not know. Looks like there's only one way out."
"Helps with navigation."
Wren eased down a long hallway with a high ceiling that looked like the inside of a rib cage. Glowing crystals hung from lines at varying lengths and cast a dull glow on the corridor. Despite the packed dirt floor, rough stone walls, and scattering of Hive barnacles, it felt like a place that belonged to royalty. A palace. A true palace.
As she passed through, lanterns began to light up a warm orange as if welcoming her along the way. Could Oryx see her somehow? Did he know she was coming for him?
At the end of the hallway she turned and followed the path left where there was an incline and a glowing ball of white light hovering. When she neared, it flashed and flew away. She ran to follow it, cresting the small hill to see a room much like a cathedral. The Asylum. Stairs curved down on either side and a round platform helped to bridge the gap between the stairs and the far side of the room.
In the middle was a pedestal with four half columns and beyond was a doorway cut into smooth white stone. All in all, it was a grand show of space and what she considered to be opulence for the Hive.
Wren leapt down from the hill, ignoring the stairs, and approached the ball of light which shuddered and disappeared before she could reach it.
"Well, now we know we have his attention," Kiran sighed. "Hi, Oryx."
"You sound bored."
"I'm tired is all. After this I need a vacation."
"At least you have faith we're going to make it out again."
"I have to or I'd think I was crazy."
Taken spawned all over the room, coming nearer with their shambling movements. Hobgoblins kept their distance and fired on her, bolts of Taken energy whizzing past her. The Psions were bad enough, the way they split in two when she shot at them, but the Hobgoblins made it far more difficult. She had to choice but to run back, away from the center of the platform toward the stairs where she could take cover and pick off the Hobgoblins with her scout rifle.
A Captain jumped onto the platform and began hurling balls of Darkness in her direction. Cover wouldn't help her with them. She rolled out of the way of one, then barely missed another.
"Damn Captains," she muttered.
"Use your Golden Gun."
"Not a chance. What if there's something bigger waiting for us?"
Darkness struck her leg as she tried to dodge away and it knocked her over. She regained her balance and ran toward the Captain, dodging away at the last minute so she could get close enough to hit him with a throwing knife. The blade sank into its swirling black flesh and sucked in like tar. The Captain was thrown off just long enough for Wren to unload the Better Devils into it, then it imploded, and her knife clattered to the floor. She retrieved it quickly and continued fighting her way toward the door on the other side of the abyss.
As the Taken fell, the door began to open but Wren couldn't make out what lay beyond. The Taken thinned out and soon only a single Psion was left. One shot and she was alone again with no sign there was ever anything with her to begin with. Cautiously she walked to the center and started up the steps.
The next room had a Rupture like the one she had come through before. She passed around a rock that stood twice her height and among them, the pillars, and the huge Rupture, she felt small.
Fog swirled in front of the Rupture and Oryx's shape formed. Wren stepped back, half expecting it to be an attack, but all he did was speak.
"You… are the last hope of the Light?" he said, his tone condescending. "I have taken entire worlds. You are not worthy to face me."
Anger bubbled up inside her and despite fear of what was to come, she took a few steps closer, stared up at the face of Oryx and said, "You came this far to find Crota's killer. It was me. If I'm not worthy, then why do you hunt me?"
Oryx dissipated and a popping sound echoed through the chamber. The Rupture swirled to life and a Taken Centurion emerged, machine gun at the ready. The floor shook under his weight as he stepped away from the stary Rupture.
"Is that…. It's Primus Ta'aun," Kiran said. "You remember, he was Taken right in front of us."
"I remember," Wren said running for cover as the machine gun opened fire on her. Chunks of stone and barnacle exploded around her, raining debris. "At this rate that thing'll chew through the boulder. I need to move."
Wren ran for safety behind a broken pillar that was much thicker than the boulder, taking shots at the Primus as she ran. His slowed movements kept this line of fire right behind her, the bullets biting the ground at her heels until it caught up right as she slid into hiding, grazing her armor. Pain radiated from the flesh wounds but Kiran was able to heal them quickly while she reloaded.
"Uh oh," Kiran said.
"Don't say that."
"There's something else coming through the Rupture. It's…. oh no, it's that Ogre that was Taken when we got that crystal from Crota's ritual site."
"Like the Primus isn't bad enough," Wren said, leaning around the pillar and opening fire on the Taken Cabal. The Ogre walked around behind him, mindlessly ambling about and screeching. It hadn't noticed her yet but the Primus was locked on and ready for her. Some smaller Taken had spawned in as well but like the Ogre, they hadn't noticed her.
"Well you did sort of challenge Oryx. I mean come on, could you have said anything worse than, "hey I killed your son, what are you going to do about it?" Seriously?"
"I didn't say that."
"Read between the lines, that's exactly what you said."
"I could have said, "How's your son? Or "That's not what Crota said." I think those would be worse."
"That's it, no more hanging out with Cayde. He's a horrible influence on you."
"And keep you away from Sundance?" Wren teased, deciding to go for her scout rifle instead of the Better Devils. The higher-powered weapon was louder and drew more attention than before and the Ogre's head lurched around. It focused on her, then leapt down from the platform to pursue her. "Uh oh."
The ground shook and pieces of the ceiling broke off, crumbling all around Wren. The Primus was heavily injured at this point but the hulking Taken hardly seemed to notice. He still shot at her like he did when he emerged but his movements were far slower than before.
It wasn't easy to tell how much damage the Taken had sustained. They didn't bleed or fall to pieces or rip apart like paper. They took so much damage then imploded. The only thing that gave any indication that the Primus was almost dead was the lurching motion of his legs. It seemed they weighed more than he could handle and he struggled to raise the machine gun to shoot it.
However, she had to ignore him for now. The Ogre rushed Wren from the right, shooting its eye beam as it rounded the edge of the pillar. Wren ran, keeping close to the platform where the Primus stood so he couldn't so easily shoot her. The Ogre charged after her and Wren decided it was time to use the Golden Gun. She jumped and spun around, her body glowing with Light. The warmth of the gun blossomed in her palm and she unloaded into the Ogre's face. It screamed and hit one knee. Wren took the opportunity to finish off the Ogre and, in that time, Taken Goblins had surrounded her.
Taken energy splashed against her armor, what of it penetrated giving her that same awful feeling of scalding water on her skin and the icy burn that followed. A well placed grenade took out most of them and throwing knives caught the last two.
"Kind of glad they aren't like regular Vex or that metal would be more trouble," she said, rolling behind another rock ahead of a barrage of machine gun rounds.
"Hold still a minute," Kiran said as he focused on healing her. The pain faded and she decided to go for the Primus again. It couldn't be long before he'd reached his limit.
Wren decided to get closer, boosting over the top of the rock and tossing a grenade close to the Primus' feet to keep him distracted while she ran to take cover behind one side of the Rupture's arch. She peeked out and unloaded the Better Devils, felling the Taken at last. He imploded and the few smaller Taken that were dotted about the room swirled and vanished with him.
The Rupture opened and Wren went to stand before it.
"I guess we're worthy now," Kiran said.
"I don't like this. We have no idea where this is going to go and we're already lost as is with no way to communicate with Cayde or the Tower."
"How long do you think Cayde can go with no contact before he sends out a search party?"
"I don't know. He didn't even tell me if there was any way to know if the tracker is active."
"What do you want to do?"
"I don't think I have a choice. We have to continue."
"I was afraid you were going to say that. Well, I'm ready when you are."
Wren took a deep breath and crossed into the Rupture. She was She was transported to a random hallway with a small room ahead that was nearly completely filled by a floor to ceiling column that slowly spun. Perhaps it had something to do with the Dreadnaught's inner workings? She hated to think mechanisms because nothing about this place seemed mechanical.
She came out onto a long platform that protruded from the right-side wall and was lined on the outer edge with carved spikes and points. Across the way was a semicircular area with stairs leading to a massive door.
"What is with this place and chasms?" Kiran asked.
"I guess we have to find more of those invisible platforms or something to make a bridge. Be great if I could jump over it. You know, when I tried to jump that pillar when we got the crystal shard Cayde said he had something for me but he never said anything else about it."
"Might have been… well…"
"What?"
"A long time ago there was a rumor that he had an engram for exotic boots that make you jump higher. But it's been ages, who knows what happened to it. Maybe he does still have it and that's what he was talking about? I don't want to get your hopes up so don't hold me to that."
"I don't think I'd want to take them considering all the other crap I've had to deal with."
"With everything you're doing now, you could say you earned them. Who could argue with that?"
"Let's just find the way across."
"Do you want to pick off those Hive first?" Kiran asked and Wren pulled the scout rifle over her shoulder and took aim through the scope.
"Hm… looks like about eight to ten Thrall. Should be easy enough. Scan to find the start point while I take care of the Hive."
When the last Hive fell Oryx' voice echoed through the space.
"Come to me, warrior of Light. I will finish what Crota began."
A stone bridge appeared to the right of where she was standing.
"Are you sure you should trust it?" Kiran asked.
"What, you think he's let me get this far to kill me by dropping me into an abyss? Look, I don't trust Oryx. Or any Hive, for that matter, but what would he have to gain from it? Sure, I'd likely die and be lost forever, but what kind of revenge is that? And how would the rest of the Hive view it? Seems too cowardly."
"If you say so…"
Wren crossed the bridge, noticing halfway that four waterfalls she thought were flowing from the base of the stairs into the darkness below were actually flowing upward. They came from the pit and splashed under the steps.
On either side of the doorway were carvings of Hive. Wren passed slowly, staring up at them as she went. They were intimidating.
"Strange," Kiran said.
"What is?"
"These statues seem to be of Hive gods but I can't find more information about them in the World's Grave. The one on the left is called…. Let's see here… Nokris. And the right… well, that one is Crota. It seems the statues were created by spells instead of carved with tools. I guess that makes sense as the Hive have a lot of carved statues and such but I've never seen Hive made tools."
She froze when she passed between the narrow doorway, seeing that the room was pitch black. A statue stood in front of her, still in the light from the lanterns outside.
"Oryx," Kiran said. "These statues… everything here was created before Earth was formed. I wonder how many worlds Oryx has taken?"
"I'd rather not think about it while we're standing on his doorstep. And what are we going to do about that?" Wren asked, motioning toward the darkness of the room.
"Oh… I'm not sure. Do you think you can pass through? I mean, will you be alright?"
Internally Wren wished Cayde was there to talk her through it and although she was unwilling to say so out loud, she knew Kiran could feel it. Perhaps it was for the best. She leaned on him too much. Maybe she should learn how to handle things without him.
"There's a light," Kiran said and Wren peered farther beyond the statue of Oryx to see the same type of glowing white light she'd seen before.
She focused on it instead of the darkness and when she neared, it darted off in a straight line across the floor, a piercing shriek reverberating from the walls. The light filled a carving on the wall a few yards away in the symbol for Oryx and as it shifted into a deep, crimson red, doors slid apart, cutting the symbol in half.
Beyond was darkness, but there seemed to be sky, tinted barely red in the distance. She reloaded, heart racing as she cautiously entered, feeling the weight of Darkness around her. It wasn't stifling as some had been before, inhibiting her movements and slowing her to dangerous levels, but it was still there.
What she thought was sky began to rip and tear away to reveal light and as it converged on a single point she realized that it wasn't sky at all. It was shadow. Now it was connecting to a hovering being she knew was Oryx and the shadow formed his wings.
"At last!" he yelled, his voice coming from everywhere and nowhere at once. "I will have vengeance!"
He reached up and a sword materialized and fell into his palm. Behind him the bright light faded and she realized she was on the outer edge of the Dreadnaught, similar to where she had landed the first time. The rings of Saturn stretched on as far as the eye could see, a light band against the darkness of space.
Wren didn't waste time. She opened fire on Oryx before even looking for safety. Taken spawned in on either side of him and anger bubbled up in Wren's chest. What a king! Has to summon his minions to help kill her! So much for her not being worthy.
His body glowed and crackled whenever a round hit him, like pulsing red veins radiating from the wound and across his skin. The shots made strange noises when they made contact, as if the metal was freezing instantly and shattering but Oryx didn't make any indication of pain.
Wren tried to keep the area between herself and Oryx clear of smaller Taken but they were hard to keep track of and hit the floating Taken king as he glided far to the left of the room. Even though she shot at him, he not once tried to attack her. Instead he raised a hand and cast his Taken minions to do his bidding.
There were too many of them around her and Wren had to take cover. She threw grenades and swapped to her rifle to pick some of them off with the higher caliber weapon. The bullets pierced through sometimes two at once if they stood close enough together and thinning their numbers was fast enough. But when she peered around the boulder to take aim at Oryx, he was gone.
"What the hell?" she said. "First he says I'm not worthy but when I get in here he runs and hides behind his Taken Psions? This is ridiculous."
"Be careful! Healing you in here isn't easy. I can feel the Darkness messing with our connection to the Light. Whatever I'm getting is minimal and if you die—"
"Don't say it. Just stay calm and be ready just in case."
To the right she could hear more rifts opening farther down the way but her view was blocked by pillars, boulders, and debris. She decided to adjust her position to nearby cover and ran for it but she was too focused on where she was going and a ball of Darkness blindsided her. The blast knocked her sideways and she barely caught herself from falling.
The effects were disorienting. Pressure from all over forced her down, her palms to the floor. She felt like she was fighting to breathe like when she drowned, though she knew that with her helmet on there wasn't anything to worry about. Her joints ached and she wished Cerulean was there and as quickly as it came, the effects were gone and the Taken were shooting at her again.
"How am I supposed to kill Oryx if he won't let me near him?" she panted, falling to her butt behind a boulder. She leaned her head back for a brief moment, then reloaded her weapons, stopping only to throw a knife at a Psion that had glitched its way around the edge of her hiding place. "What am I looking at out there?"
"I only picked up on a couple of Captains. There might be more I didn't notice, but it looked like those two were the only things larger than a Psion."
"Dammit. It's not a lot but if I clear them out he'll just make more. Where's Rorick and his rocket launcher when I need him? Or Sisre with her sniper rifle?"
"I know it's hard to do these things by yourself but sitting here wishing is only going to get you killed."
"Right," Wren muttered, throwing herself back into the fight.
The Psions here didn't split as much as those she'd encountered before and were easy enough to kill but the Captains were a bit trickier. They were partially hidden by obstacles from where she stood. The scout rifle was a better weapon here but at the range she'd been forced back to, she wasn't as good with it.
Once the Captains were dead Wren ran to where they had been and took aim to where she thought Oryx was but… he was gone.
"What's going on?" she asked, whipping around when she heard him behind her.
"Your Traveler's Light cannot reach you here."
Wren started shooting at him, expecting him to react as before and bring forth more lesser Taken, but this time he attacked her back, flying at her with Taken energy forming in his palms. She gasped and ran, the shots too close for comfort.
"He's chasing us!" Kiran said.
"Is my Golden Gun ready?"
"Almost but you can't keep running, he's too fast."
Wren slid behind a boulder toward the edge of the platform, the glow of Saturn taking up most of the sky from where she stood. She hit the ground so hard she overshot it and slid beyond the shelter of the boulder and rolled onto her back. Oryx came nearer, hands glowing as he charged another attack.
"Golden Gun him!" Kiran yelled.
The rounds ripped through Oryx, knocking him back away from her. The wounds sucked closed as if they were holes made in mud. He screamed in rage and threw his wings open wide, the leathery flesh cracking like thunder.
Wren scrambled to her feet and ran, the volley's of Taken energy exploding around her, sending chunks of stone and barnacles flying in every direction. She turned and shot at him whenever she could but he pursued her relentlessly and her heart was pounding so loudly in her ears she couldn't hear what Kiran was yelling at her. She had to push through. Had to make it out of here.
She felt she never ran fast enough and the chase was becoming exhausting. He wasn't slowing at all but she could feel herself faltering. Maybe he was right and she wasn't worthy. Maybe she was in too deep. The boulders and pillars all looked alike now and the view of Saturn was the only thing keeping her oriented. Just when she thought she'd have to give in, one more shot and the world went black. For a split second she thought she'd died and not heard the shot, but her boots splashed into a shallow pool on the floor and the blackness faded away and she was in a circle with a dome of fog around her that was so dense she couldn't see through it.
Screaming and wailing filled the fog and sent shivers down Wren's spine. Every time she went through a Rupture or now with Oryx transporting her elsewhere, she felt farther and farther away from being found if something went wrong. She was cut off and only had herself to rely on.
A shudder of wings in the fog and Wren opened fire without being able to fully see her target. She could hear the beating of wings circle to her left and she tried to track it.
"Your Light will die!" Oryx said, emerging from the fog with sword held high.
He swung with the blade and Wren kept shooting at him while dodging away from the sword. Oryx shifted, then vanished but his movement caused the fog to swirl in the direction he had gone and Wren immediately spun to where she thought he might be, straining her eyes to see anything in the blanket of white that swirled around her. She reloaded, dropping the old clip in her haste.
A few lesser Taken appeared and she threw a grenade in their midst, then behind them she saw the shadow of a leathery wing and took aim on Oryx once more. Or at least where she thought he was.
He responded by sending another volley of Taken energy at her, some of it falling short to splash onto the stone floor. Wren leapt and dodged as best she could but two of the shots caught her in the back and she cried out in pain, to which Oryx laughed.
She turned just in time to see him flying toward her with his sword. She gritted her teeth and ducked behind a pillar, shards of stone falling on her. The force of the blow, though it didn't make contact with her, was enough to send her sprawling and the Better Devils slid away. She clambered for it as Oryx folded his wings around himself and shot straight up above the dome.
Wren grabbed the Better Devils and held it close to her chest, spinning, searching, frantically trying to find Oryx before he could surprise her with an attack.
"Four o'clock!" Kiran yelled and Wren turned to see Oryx's shadow in the fog.
He cried out as the rounds pierced him but Wren couldn't see how many of them hit. He flew at her again, now his body crackling with blue electricity with every bullet that sank into his flesh.
"Crota fell, I will not!" He insisted, swinging the sword at Wren.
She wasn't fast enough and the blade hit her left shoulder full force, throwing her away from him to slide along the floor, close to the fog. A chunk of armor was missing from her shoulder and blood poured from the wound. Her body shook and she couldn't make a fist with her left hand at all.
"I'm okay, I'm okay, I'm okay…"
"Wren, you have to focus, he's coming back!"
Trembling she leaned around from cover to open fire on Oryx again, knowing she only had the Better Devils at her disposal now. The scout rifle would be ineffective to her while wounded and if she didn't kill Oryx soon, she'd be in trouble. Already she was lightheaded, and she was in so much pain that forcing herself to move was a show of will.
Oryx flew toward her, sword raised in what would be the last swing she could take, but two more shots and his body stopped mid motion as he screamed. He dropped to a knee in the water and reached out for his fallen sword. Taken energy pulled from the blade and formed into a ball in Oryx's palm which he laughed and slammed into his chest. A shockwave sent debris flying away from him, the room cleared of fog, and his body began to crumble. His wings turned to ash and he writhed with pain, and yet he still laughed up until he disappeared entirely, leaving behind a dead sword protruding from the stone circle where the fog had been.
Wren took a step toward the sword. "Is he dead?"
"I don't… I don't know. Wren?"
One more step and she fell, blood pooling into the dark water and with tired eyes she fell asleep and woke up in darkness.
She didn't search for Cayde this time. He was already there with a hand out to help her up.
"I don't think I killed him."
"Maybe not," he said. "But you did a damn good job gettin' this far."
"Can Kiran bring me back here or… am I trapped?"
He raised a brow. "You know what I know, remember?"
"I screwed up. What if Kiran can't get me up and Cayde comes here to find me and Oryx isn't dead and it's all a trap and—"
"Shh, calm down Sugarbird," he said, pressing a finger to her lips. "The real me knows what I'm doin'. He doesn't just walk into traps. He's better than that."
"What do I do?"
"You take this and we'll start walkin'," he said, holding out the hem of his cloak. "We'll get out somehow."