Cerulean stood on the other side of the gap and looked back at how far they'd come. Thanks to Rorick's leadership they'd made it across with only one incident, being Franz' death when a tomb ship spawned in low and clipped him off into the abyss. Beorn was still unhappy about his friend's carelessness but was keeping quiet and close to Franz anyway.
Rorick led them away, beyond a narrow path over the darkness to a carved-out cave with a plate in the middle that glowed in a dim ring. The wall opposite the stairs where they stood was a doorway of sorts that spanned the distance from floor to ceiling and was closed off by swirling Hive energy that would likely keep them at bay but allow all manner of Hive though.
A row of Hive sigils lined both sides of the doorway and at the base of it all were several Acolytes, stone still on bended knee with their arms raised as if to offer the door something though their hands were bare. At first Cerulean drew their weapons on the Hive but upon seeing the Acolytes didn't so much as flinch at their arrival, the guns were slowly eased down.
"I believe those symbols are locks," Beorn said. "We'll have to do something to open them. Ziro, record current Hive activity."
"Why aren't they moving?" Franz asked.
"I'm not sure." Beorn walked down the stairs and stood in the plate, but the Acolytes still didn't move. "Do you think they might be dead?"
"I doubt it," Rorick said. "Stay put until we can figure out what to do. No one move past him just in case they're trying to lure us into a trap."
"This plate feels weird," Beorn said. "I guess I've gotten used to the Darkness in here, this almost make me feel… I don't know… lighter somehow?"
"Maybe that will come into play later."
Wren eased forward to stand close to Beorn. From the center of the plate she could see two rooms at the bottom of slopes on either side. She couldn't tell what was in them, however, as there were low, narrow passages between them and the main area. Halfway through the passages were floating, glowing orbs that bled a sickly green, black fog. They didn't look safe to touch.
"Wren, Franz, go check those rooms out," Rorick said. "And be careful not to alert the Acolytes. Don't shoot unless you have to."
"Right," Wren said, walking down the slope to the right. She gave the orb a wide berth as she passed but when she reached the room, an acrid smell filled her helmet and she gagged. She could hear Rorick and asking what was wrong as she and Franz began coughing but she couldn't reply. Her lungs burned and blood spots spattered the inside of her helmet as she dropped to her knees.
"Get her out of here!" Kiran yelled and before Wren could turn around, someone had her around her waist and had yanked her off her feet to carry her back toward the center room.
She and Franz lay side by side on the floor, gasping for air and after a moment, the coughing stopped, and the burning eased off.
"You okay kid?"
"Cayde?" Wren opened her eyes to see Cayde and the others looming over her and Franz.
"Thought you guys could use some help."
"Zavala sent you?" Rorick asked.
Beorn and Cayde helped Franz and Wren to their feet.
"Uh… not exactly. I know we couldn't find you a sixth for this mission and I figured it was a good enough excuse to get outta the ol' Tower for once. Just… don't tell Big Blue."
"Don't you think he's going to notice?" Wren asked.
"Oh, I'm sure he'll know soon enough. Only so long I can take a bathroom break before he knows something is up."
"Wait, you take bathroom breaks?" Sisre asked.
"Let's not get into that. So, what happened to you two down there?"
"The helmet's filtration system couldn't get out these specific toxins," Kiran explained. "The air in the lower rooms is heavier than here so that's why the poison fog is staying down there."
"You two alright now though?"
Wren and Franz nodded and Cayde did a double take at the Acolytes.
"What do we have here then?"
"They haven't moved since we came in and we have no idea why," Beorn said.
"All we know so far is that the locks on the door have to be removed before we can go any farther. Also, the center plate makes us feel lighter and I guess now we know that the lower rooms are deadly," Sisre said.
"Huh… anyone tried touchin' those Hive orbs?" Cayde motioned toward the glowing lights in the passages to the lower areas.
"No but it's our next best bet," Rorick said. "I'll go test it myself."
"Me and Beorn can do it," Cayde volunteered. Rorick turned his helmet ever so slightly in his direction. "You're the boss, I just thought since we're the Exos here whatever that fog is won't be able to hurt us."
Rorick sighed. "No, you're right. I don't know what I was thinking. Beorn, are you alright with that?"
"Of course."
"Alright. Everyone else be at the ready. Wren, cover Cayde. Franz, you get Beorn. Sisre and I will keep an eye on the Acolytes here in the middle."
Cayde shot a thumbs up and trotted down the incline, Wren easing down behind him. How the hell was she supposed to drag him out if something went south?
There was no time to ask. Cayde ran through the orb without pause and an aura radiated from him. As soon as he did the room roared to life. The Acolytes by the door stood, some of them never making it to fully standing position before crumbling to ash.
"C'mon kid!" Cayde called and without question Wren ran to him, doubting the decision of her own feet as she held her breath and caught up.
When she was close to him her body glowed like his did, surrounded by an aura.
"It's safe to breathe," Kiran said. "Oxygen levels are normal. Seems going though those orbs gives the bearer immunity to the poison and… well, I guess since you're close to him… wait, I see a tether."
Sure enough there was a tether of light that bound them together. She had to focus again on Thrall that charged them but standing side by side with Cayde, the enemies dropped long before they could get to the plate where she and Cayde held position.
"I'll monitor the link," Kiran said.
"Boomer," Cayde said, raising the Ace to shoot the Knight off the ledge above them but Wren beat him to it, sinking two rounds into the Knight's head with her scout rifle. "Damn. Nice shot."
"The tether is getting weak," Kiran said. "The aura Cayde is giving off won't last much longer."
"That's not it," Sundance said. "It's moving to Wren. See?"
Cayde's gaze shot between her and the fading light around him. "Hey everyone, my aura is fadin' out and I'm not feelin' so hot. One of you in mid swap with me, maybe that middle plate is some kind of cleansing thing."
The rest of the team confirmed that it sounded reasonable and Sisre swapped with him, passing him on the way. Wren could barely see his boots when he got to the center plate, but the sound of the Ace and the blaze of enemies exploding on headshots told her everything she needed to know about how well he was doing. Working along side him was better than going against him in the Crucible. Almost… she loved the feeling of being hunted but in here she could watch him fight and not worry about catching an Ace round to the back of her head. If he was even capable of doing that to her anyway…
"How are you holding up?" Sisre asked.
"Great. Hey, Boomer in," Wren said. This time Sisre killed the Knight while Wren kept the Thrall and Acolytes at a distance.
"The mid is rough. This side's not so bad at all. We have all kinds of Thrall rushing through up there. Not to mention Wizards and Knights… hey, you think this aura thing will swap again?"
"No idea but if what happened last time is any indication, we can make a good guess that it will."
"Right. Sambo," Sisre addressed her Ghost. "Make sure you help Kiran monitor that connection, okay?"
"Got it," Sambo replied.
It seemed they weren't fighting long before Wren could feel the weight Cayde had talked about settling in on her. "Hey, I think the aura is swapping again."
"I'll head down," Cayde said and Wren ran as fast as she could, leaping over a group of Thrall only to have them explode into fire and ash below her.
Cayde slid under her through the debris and seamlessly continued to join Sisre. Wren was so caught off guard that she nearly had her head taken off by an angry Knight swinging his weapon at her. She ducked and rolled under, shooting its chin with the Better Devils. She fell in back to back with Beorn, the center plate dulling the sensation of being weighted down and every second she spent in it made her feel more and more normal.
A few of the locks on the door had stopped glowing but Wren didn't have time to figure out exactly how many had been broken as enemies swarmed them from the portal and from doors on an upper platform. Wren threw her grenade up top to help with a Wizard but the hoards never stopped coming. She hardly had time to reload her hand canon before more were flooding out and she couldn't wait to cycle back down to take Sisre's position. She was right. The side room was much less active and although there were still enemies, it was a chance to recuperate some.
"Swap with me Wren," Sisre said roughly the same time that Rorick also called over comms for Beorn to relieve him.
Cayde had killed the Boomer right before Wren came through the door, ash and scattered armor fell from above, dusting her with the remains.
"How'd you like that move earlier?" he smirked.
"You almost got me killed."
"Distract you a bit? Sorry. It was cool though."
"I think you're having too much fun."
"I think I'm having just the right amount of fun. This is great, I should do this more often. Duck."
"Wren," she corrected.
"No, duck!"
Wren dropped and Cayde threw a knife into the forehead of an Acolyte that had gotten too close. "Thanks. But you know Zavala is gonna have a field day when you get back."
"Eh, he'll get over it. What's he gonna do? Put me on house arrest and have to deal with my Hunters harassing him until he lets me out? Most he'll do is revoke my flight privileges for a while. Damn, aura is swapping again. This place really keeps you on your toes."
Wren laughed and shook her head as he again changed positions with Sisre and so they continued until the last lock was gone and the room fell silent apart from the sound of the Guardians trying to catch their breaths. Ash puffed up from every step, the only testament to the number of Hive that fell to them. Despite the numbers and the ache that was starting to settle into her knees and elbows, she felt good. Cayde had made it all… easy. He laughed, he joked, even saved Rorick's ass once when he died protecting Beorn during a switch off. He was having the time of his life and it rubbed off on everyone else.
"Alright boss, now what?" Cayde reloaded the Ace and twirled it, showing off his skills.
"Ever onward," Rorick said. "With caution. We don't know what's beyond that door."
They would soon find out as a gravely voice called to them from the next room. Brix translated it from Hive to say that the Warpriest found them worthy. The group exchanged glances and Rorick led them to the Warpriest.
He was huge. Roughly the size of an Ogre, maybe a little larger. He stood on a raised platform like a stage in the back of the room, three flat pillars carved from black stone standing between him and the Guardians. Above the Knight's head hung a ball of Taken energy large enough that it could consume the Knight if it fell.
Wren took note of the new battle area. Typical for Hive, there were three plates. One in the center where hey stood, one up a set of stairs to the right, and one up on a platform on the left. Rorick wasted no time splitting them up, ordering Wren and Cayde to the upper left platform, Beorn and Franz to the right while he and Sisre held middle.
"The floor is cluttered," Cayde mentioned quietly as they jumped up to their position. He was focused here. Like in the Crucible. "What's that mean to you?"
Thrall and Acolytes began to emurge, running up the ramp that led from the Warpriest's platform up to their own. Cayde cleared them with ease while Wren surveyed the floor from above. There were several places for the Hive to come from and the room was alive with gunfire but she was studying the rocks and boulders that littered the floor.
"I don't know. I mean… it looks too cramped for the Warpriest to move around down there."
"Bingo. We got him stuck on his little stage."
"Heads up," Rorick shouted and an instant later a rocket blazed across the short distance between center plate and the Warpriest. The rocket exploded against the Hive's chest, flames and smoke billowing out, but a deep laugh echoed behind the blast.
Smoke cleared and the Warpriest was unscathed. Wren's mouth went slack. A whole rocket to the chest and nothing even happened. No wounds, no cracked armor…
"That ain't good," Cayde muttered. "You stay back and cover me."
Wren did as he commanded and Cayde jumped across the gap between their plate and the Warpriest's platform. On the other side he hit his knees and slid across the stone floor, using his hand to stabilize himself as he body erupted with Solar energy. The Golden Gun shots came in quick succession, all striking their mark dead between his eyes, but the Warpriest still laughed, harder now than before.
"Cayde, get out of there!" Wren yelled, heart in her throat. What was that idiot thinking?
The Warpriest raised his Boomer rifle and took aim at Cayde, who was sprinting away from him. Against a normal opponent there was no doubt in Wren's mind that Cayde would pull off some flashy move and put the enemy down with ease, but what could he do against one that wasn't fazed by Light or rockets?
Rorick fired another rocket into the Warpriest's back before he could shoot at Cayde, distracting the giant Hive long enough for Cayde to slide out of the way. Wren exhaled breath she didn't know she was holding and went back to clearing her side of Thrall and Acolytes which were pushing up the ramp toward her.
"Wren, are you alright?" Beorn asked.
"Yeah but I won't be for long. Wait, my plate is glowing."
"Hey, I found something," Cayde said. "The back of those pillars are lighting up. Right, left, middle…. Kid, step on your plate."
Wren did so and the plate glowed with runes, then light floated up around her.
"I think we're onto something. Beorn, grab yours. Good. Now if one of you lovely Titans could be so kind… "
"Something happened," Sisre said. "Rorick is glowing red and there's a tether between us."
"Group up on the last plate," Rorick demanded.
Wren dodged out of the way of an Arc round from the Warpriest's Boomer. Crackling blue energy splashed in all directions when the round made contact with the stone wall behind Wren and some of it landed on her back. She cried out as it sent electricity through her armor and she ran, dropping from the left side platform and rolling into the center of the room.
Rorick grabbed her by the back of her neck and put her on her feet, Sisre taking care of a Knight that was getting too close. The number of enemies heightened and soon all of them were in the center, defending the last plate.
Cayde returned as well, falling in with the rest of them but keeping close to Wren. He was tall enough that he could shoot over her head and took to standing behind her, the pair of them backing up until they were all standing on the plate. The floor shook and a red aura surrounded them, binding them together with a tether.
As soon as it did, the Warpriest opened fire with his Boomer, sending Arc energy splashing all around them. Rorick took a few steps back and popped his bubble but Sisre shot at the Warpriest's head to distract him and something happened.
The Warpriest's head snapped back with the force and bits of armor crumbled away.
"Shoot him!" she cried and the group turned their attention to the Warpriest and unloaded whatever they had left.
"Golden Gun him," Cayde said as he reloaded the Ace.
"I can't see," Wren said, leaning far to the outside of the group just to get a good enough view to shoot at the target.
"C'mon then." He laced his fingers, Ace swinging by its trigger, and Wren put her foot in his hands. "Going up!"
Cayde launched Wren high above the others, allowing her to get a clear view of the Warpriest. Golden Gun shots rang out through the room and two of her shots landed solidly in the Knight's throat but the third missed entirely.
Wren fell back toward her fireteam, being caught by Cayde and Beorn, who kept shooting with their free hands. She was close to Rorick now and noticed him falter, the light around him intensifying. It seemed he was carrying an immense weight and his knees shook under the pressure.
"Are you okay?" Wren asked and Rorick gave a short nod, then punched a Thrall that was mid jump at Sisre's back. When it died he stared at his fist, then shot another Thrall.
"It slacks up when I kill something," he said.
"We almost got him!" Cayde whooped and Wren looked back to see that the Warpriest had taken a knee, body jerking as bullets ripped through papery flesh that floated into the air like embers.
"What's he doing?" Franz asked as the Warpriest lifted his hand high to the Taken blight over his head.
The blight began to glow a bright white, beams shooting out of it as if it were about to explode.
"Take cover!" Rorick said, herding the others into the shadow of a pillar, hoping the stone structure would shield them from a blast.
Wren felt crowded, shoved into the midst of them. They were little more than a pile of armor, squirming legs and arms, and guns that smacked against her helmet where she'd been forced to her butt during the rush for safety.
The light filled the room and the pillar they had taken cover under crumbled, raining heavy stones all around. Wren covered her head, the light faded, and Cerulean ran from the falling debris before the largest part of the slab could fall.
"What the hell was that?" Franz asked as they stood.
"I don't know but it's not over yet," Beorn said. "The Warpriest is back on his feet."
"Cayde, go see if there are lights on the back of those other pillars," Rorick said. "Wren, can you hold that plate on your own."
"I think so."
"Good. Everyone, back to your positions."
For the next round the third light was visible, shooting a column of green toward the ceiling. Wren's plate was the last one this time and she waited for her turn before stepping on it. Immediately she felt the weight of the red aura on her. Her knees buckled but she managed to stay on her feet. Knowing what she was going through, Rorick helped to prop her up and pointed out enemies that once killed, lessened the crushing weight.
She focused on smaller things while the others opened fire on the Warpriest, unloading until he was again weak enough to summon the light that had crushed the first pillar. The red aura faded and at last they were free from the tethers. The others ran for cover as the light intensified but an Acolyte jumped onto Wren's back as she ran, knocking her to the floor.
It screeched in her ear, and she tried to roll but suddenly the weight was gone and she'd been grabbed around her waist and practically thrown into cover. She tucked her feet into the shadows just as Cayde threw himself onto her, shielding her as the light grew to its brightest and the second pillar crumbled. He groaned when a section hit his back and shattered around them, then he sat up.
"You okay, kid?" he asked, bright eyes searching her face.
All she could do was nod as he stood and pulled her to her feet. He turned his back on her like nothing happened and she dusted off his cloak. He whipped his head around to watch her, as if the rest of the room wasn't filled with the chaos of gun fire.
He smirked. "Thanks."
Wren left him there to go get back on her plate, using a grenade to get it cleared of Thrall. Cayde killed a Wizard on his way to check the order of plates but when he did something occurred to Wren.
"Uh, guys? There's only one pillar yet. If we don't kill the Warpriest this time, we're in trouble."
"Right," Rorick said. "As soon as we can, everyone who has supers needs to unload on him. Everything you'd got. This is our last chance."
Wren became nervous. What if they couldn't do it? Would the Vanguard come to collect them? Did they even have a choice with Cayde here? He fought on as usual and Wren tried to keep an eye on him, but her insides twisted with the thought of something happening to him. She knew it was silly. Fearing for him when she cared for the others too and had witnessed all of them die at one point or another. Still, something about the thought of witnessing Cayde's death was different. Maybe it was because she looked up to him… maybe it was because something else…
She fought harder.
They completed the third round of plates and when they gathered together to deal damage Cayde was pushed away from the circle when Franz and Beorn jostled each other, and he was directly hit by the Warpriest's Boomer round. He landed on his back, his head bouncing off the floor and for a moment he didn't move.
"Open fire!" Rorick commanded and Wren ran to Cayde, guarding him as he tried to stand and regain his bearings.
Fire burned through Wren's hands as she called on her Golden Gun but instead of the warmth it usually brought, pain replaced it.
"Wren stop!" Kiran yelled, but it was too late.
Wren shot the weapon, unsure if she hit or missed, while flames exploded up her arms, knocking her to the floor. She cried out as her skin burned under her armor. Her arms were drawn in tight and pain seared through her flesh and bone.
"What the hell were you thinking?" Franz said, trying to hold her down as she writhed.
"What happened?" Beorn asked.
"Idiot used her Golden Gun too soon."
"Move," Cayde demanded, dropping to his knees beside her. "Hey, kid, I need you to take a deep breath for me. The Warpriest is dead, you're safe. There ya go. Another deep breath. Lemme see."
Cayde tried to strip off one of Wren's gauntlets, burned black by the backblast, but it was stuck tight to her skin. She screamed in response and he stopped. "Dammit. The way the Darkness is here, it's gonna take a minute to help her heal."
"We can help," Sisre said.
Wren tried to keep still but her entire body was tense and shook beyond what she could control. Despite Cayde trying to sooth her, she was hyperventilating. The others knelt around her, focusing what Light they could to help Kiran heal her as after a time the pain began to fade and she could lay on her back, gasping for breath.
Cayde tried again to peel back her gauntlet and this time it came off easily though the skin underneath was shiny and pink. "Looks better than before. Why don't you guys go ahead. I think I need to have a talk with my Hunter."
Sisre's hand lingered on Wren's shoulder before they finally got up and went to the platform where the Warpriest had been killed, his body disintegrating under bone armor.
Cayde helped Wren to her feet and she winced, the flesh on her arms and some of her chest felt tight and tender under her armor. Kiran was still trying his best to heal her fully, filling her with a warm, tingly sensation.
"You wanna explain what just happened?" Cayde asked. He was keeping calm enough but she could tell from the edge in his voice that he was barely keeping his cool.
"I was trying to help."
"By blowing yourself up? What the hell, kid? Do you have any idea what could have happened? As bad as that was, it coulda been way worse. You know what happens when a Void user does that? Hm? What about Arc? You coulda taken out the whole damn fireteam with your Solar. You got damn lucky that you were close enough to being ready that it didn't kill you and the rest of us in the process."
Wren's throat burned and tears pricked her eyes. She was glad he couldn't see through her faceplate. She was so angry and humiliated, listening to him scold her like that. Her grip tightened around the Better Devils and she felt the urge to throw it directly at his head.
"So?" he demanded, practically yelling. "What were you thinking?"
"I was trying to protect you!" Wren snapped. "Next time you can choke on a Boomer round and we'll see how you like it!."
She tried to push her way past him but before she made it a few steps he grabbed her upper arm and spun her into his chest, locking his arms tight around her helmet and shoulders. She was taken aback but still too angry to do anything but stand there, fists at her sides. The charms on the Better Devils clinked with how badly she was shaking and Cayde eventually took a deep breath and huffed a sigh.
"I know you were," he said. "Don't get me wrong, I appreciate it. I haven't had anyone willin' to do somethin' like that for me in… look, just don't do it again. Not like that. I don't want you gettin' hurt on my account." He grabbed the sides of her helmet and stared into her faceplate but somehow it was like he was staring her right in the eye. "I'm made of metal, remember? You let me take the shots."
Wren knew that wasn't an option. As much as he didn't want to see her in pain, she didn't want to see it for him either. It terrified her, when she stopped to think about it. How could she possibly help him if something went wrong? It helped that Rorick and Beorn were around. They could probably carry Cayde but still… it made her sick. However, she knew he'd not let her move on until she gave a weak nod and he kissed the top of her helmet, whipped her around, and gently shoved her toward the exit.
"Good, now let's get outta here. I'd like to get back to having fun before I'm grounded."
The others had passed through the next rupture to a larger room than the one the Warpriest had been confined to. A wide platform stretched in a horseshoe shape around the back of the room where they exited the portal, and around to the left and right walls. A pit dropped into the middle and when Wren looked over the edge where several of the tiles in the pit were cracked or missing entirely.
Overhead was strange, dangling lights that pulsed a faint green. Arched pillars served as supports over the left and right walkways, offering some cover from enemies if needed. The problem was that the room was dead silent. The only sound was when one of Cerulean walked around or reloaded a weapon. A light fog settled into the corners were Hive barnacles were attached in thick mounds around the bases of pillars and stone walls alike. Overall, the place made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end.
"What is this place?" Wren asked.
"Looks like an abandoned swimming pool," Cayde said. "You think we outta shoot those lights out?"
"Why would we do that?" Rorick asked.
Cayde shrugged. "Hell if I know. What about that big one in the middle? It looks kinda juicy."
"Please don't describe it like that," Sisre said, disgust heavy in her tone.
"Well, I don't see anything else we can do," beorn said. "There doesn't appear to be any other doors leading out. Maybe it's there for a reason?"
Rorick sighed. "Fine. Everyone at the ready. Go ahead, and shoot."
Cayde fired several rounds from the Ace into the orb before it burst, great globs of blue liquid falling to the pit below. It boiled and writhed, a scream filling the room as a grotesque Ogre emerged. It looked normal at first, though somewhat larger than typical Ogres, but great bony structures curving from its back to protect a bulbous sickly yellow sac caught their attention as something strange. The bones moved and curled like skeletal fingers, slime and flesh hanging in thick ribbons between them.
Hive rushed in on both sides and Rorick quickly assigned them to take care of the hoard. Cursed Thrall exploded beside Acolytes and Adepts on the narrower side platforms, allowing Cerulean to kill them before they could get close enough to do damage.
The smaller enemies were no issue to handle, but still there was the problem of the Ogre in the pit. Could it climb out? Was it capable or were the walls to high? Still, if it was like any other Orge, it would have a devastating eye blast and yet Wren hadn't seen or heard it yet from her place in cover behind a short barricade.
As if on cue, a bright light flashed past her, some of it splashing off the barricade wall.
"That doesn't look like Void," Kiran said. "Was it me, or did the blast look blue?"
"Yeah, it did. Weird…"
"Hey, more of those orb things spawned," Franz called, and Wren glanced up.
Six new orbs hung from the ceiling in two rows of three.
"Shoot one," Cayde said. "Pick one first, then shoot the shit out of it."
"Wait," Rorick demanded. "This is my fireteam, Cayde. The last one you shot brought that Ogre down on us. Brix says his records name is Golgaroth. What if shooting another one brings down more?"
"Are there any more mentions of Ogres like this one?" Cayde asked.
"Hold," Rorick called and for a time the fireteam was quiet, waiting for an answer while they cleared Hive and avoided Golgaroth's blasts. "No, I'm not getting any other names for Ogres of this size."
"Then what's the call chief?"
"I'll try a rocket on it and get Brix to assess the damage. Sisre, cover me."
Wren couldn't turn to look but she could hear the rocket go off, bright orange light from the explosion just beyond her barricade.
"Damn," Rorick muttered. "Nothing."
"Okay, then we need to figure out some way to damage it," Sisre offered. "Sambo's not getting any readings for relics or anything… maybe Cayde's right and we need to shoot the orbs. That first one he got needed a lot of damage done to it though."
"That's why I said pick one, then go for it," Cayde replied. He was a few steps in front of Wren, in cover of a pillar when another Ogre blast lit up the space between them. He let out a sharp whistle and laughed.
"Fine. Sisre, Beorn, Cayde, focus on the front right one," Rorick said and launched a rocket at it.
Golgaroth's blast stopped and Cayde took a few steps back to stand beside Wren, leaning over her some to get a clear shot at the orb. From between him and the barrier she continued to kill Hive, covering him until the orb ruptured and spilled more strange blue water into a puddle on the floor.
"What the—" Cayde cut himself off. "Hey, no Ogre from that one but Sun is getting' some high energy readings from it. I'm gonna check it out."
"What? No, are you crazy?" Wren grabbed his cloak and he stopped.
"Relax Pelican, I got this."
"If you're gonna call me that you can go," Wren replied flatly, releasing his cloak to shoot the Cursed Thrall that had wandered too close.
He chuckled and jumped into the pit. "Keep that thing off my back, would ya?"
Wren peered around the edge of her barricade to see Golgaroth turning to face Cayde, his attention taken away from Franz and Beorn on the opposite platform, to focus on his new target. Better Devils rounds sank into the side of Golgaroth's fleshy face but the Ogre didn't seem to notice.
"Nothing's working," Wren said.
Cayde had already begun to fire into Golgaroth's glowing white belly and there was definitely a reaction from the Ogre. "This is workin'. Get in here!"
Wren froze. Should she keep trying to distract Golgaroth or hop down and help Cayde? From across the room Beorn opened fire into the yellow sac on the Ogre's back and that was enough to make him turn toward the Guardians and away from Cayde.
"Beorn and Wren, stay where you are," Rorick said. "Keep shooting that thing on his back to keep him distracted. Everyone else, into the pit—"
"Pool," Cayde corrected.
"Into the pool," Rorick grumbled. They were already standing beside Cayde anyway, unleashing all they had into Golgaroth's belly.
"Wren," Beorn called, "I can't see the sac anymore. Do what you can to hit it but watch out. When I hit it a minute ago, he launched these weird balls toward me. I was able to shoot them down before they hit me, so I don't know what they'd do, but I don't think you should find out."
"Got it."
She did as he said and sure enough, as Golgaroth roared and turned to face her, three dark blobs emerged from him and drifted toward Wren. She was expecting it to be much worse but they were slow enough that she was able to destroy them without much issue. Too bad Golgaroth's attention wasn't great and he was constantly getting distracted from his targets. She and Beorn had to continue trading back and forth, shooting the yellow sac which now oozed and bubbled from bullet holes.
Meanwhile, the rest of the team took turns focusing on one orb at a time, allowing the bright blue water to rush over them, casting them in a pale glow which allowed them to damage Golgaroth. Wren wished she could keep an eye on Cayde, tension knotting her guts, which only frustrated her. Why couldn't she let it go? He was more than capable. Hunter Vanguard… right… and he was with people she trusted. He'd be fine, so why couldn't she shake the fear that something would happen to him?
He was a Guardian, right? Sundance could just… bring him back. Like Kiran did for her…
A Cursed Thrall exploded under her part of the platform, jarring her back to the fight. The larger section of the team were on their last orb and Golgaroth was weakened and sluggish. The creature was enraged, screaming and thrashing though his movements were slow and clumsy now. With Golgaroth being farther away, it as easier to handle the dark orbs he shot at them when they distracted him and Wren had more time to help with Cursed Thrall that were getting too close to the team until at last Golgaroth hit the floor, collapsing in a fleshy heap.
Wren and Beorn joined the rest of the fireteam, and off they went, delving deeper into the Dreadnaught in search of Oryx. Cayde was still in a good mood, whistling softly as they walked, but other than that he was quiet. Wren held up the rear, walking directly behind Cayde and the hazy memory of her drunkenly telling him she saw him when she died trickled back.
She hadn't remembered it at first. It took Kiran mentioning it but Wren wasn't willing to discuss. And she also wasn't willing to tell Kiran her death had always been like that. Kiran was content to let it drop, but Wren didn't have a clear memory of what she said to Cayde or how he responded. Walking behind him made her think about it. And about the night she was drunk and he led her home…
Facing Oryx was something she'd tried not to dwell on but now that they were growing every closer, she remembered fighting him before and nerves were setting in. She wanted to grab his cloak and lead her, if for nothing else but the comfort, but instead she wrapped the ace charm around her hand and held it firmly in her palm with the grip of the Better Devils.
Brix showed Rorick the way and he led Cerulean and Cayde through caves, narrow stone corridors hardly wide enough for one person, and carved doorways until at last they reached an opening to a massive room. Cayde let out a long, low whistle as he walked to the jagged edge of the floor and looked down. He kicked a Hive barnacle off and they listened for it to hit bottom, but nothing happened.
"Don't fall," he grimaced.
To the right the platform ended abruptly so they would be forced to go left where a ball of light and swirling dark hovered.
"It's one of those things again," Wren said. "We have to follow it."
"Carefully," Rorick said.
Wren looked around at the smooth, sloping walls and far below saw another narrow path, less than a meter wide. With only a couple feet to land on, it would be tricky. The opposite wall would be no help either for a few reasons. First, it was too far away. Jumping would be impossible, but even if someone managed it, reason two would shut them down as it sloped at an identical angle to the wall they were on; creating parallel lines that were connected by carved pillars.
Spikes, barnacles, and strange shaped carvings littered the wall, which might be helpful but Wren doubted it. As she contemplated what to do, Franz walked toward the far left of the platform.
"I'm gonna get a closer look to map out a possible—"
WHAM!
A mechanism in the wall ejected, hitting Franz on his left side and launching him off the platform into the abyss. Wren stumbled back and Cayde caught her, while Beorn yelled and lunched forward. Sisre and Rorick held him back from falling off the edge as Franz' lifeless body disappeared below.
The mechanism slowly slid back into the wall and Cayde put an arm around Wren's shoulders and dragged her away from it.
"What the hell?" Beorn cried.
"Relax," Rorick said. "Just wait for Vira and we can rez him up here."
They stood in silence, waiting, until a small laugh grew closer and closer until Vira popped up over the edge, giggling uncontrollably.
"I'm sorry," she snorted. "I've just never seen anyone get launched like that. I'll bring him back now."
Light sparked and Franz dropped to his feet beside Beorn who grabbed him by his collar and pulled him away from the edge.
"You moron," Beorn said, smacking his helmet against Franz's.
"I have no idea what just happened," Franz said.
"That thing shot out of the wall and knocked you into next week," Cayde chuckled, content to let Wren go. "But now we know to avoid anything that looks like that."
"We're going through one at a time," Rorick said. "I'll take the lead. Sisre, stay behind me and keep an eye out for snipers. Franz and Beorn after her, Wren I want you behind Beorn. Cayde, take up the rear and watch out for the others."
"Gotcha," Cayde said with a thumbs up. "Make sure everyone makes it past the giant Oryx di—"
"Don't finish that sentence," Wren warned.
"How could you possibly know what I was going to say?"
"Pervert," Sisre muttered.
"I didn't even say anything!"
"You were about to."
"Let's move," Rorick said.
Wren followed Beorn, one ledge after another, waiting patiently each time a mechanism shot from the wall and timing her jumps to be on the safe side. The hit Franz had experienced had been hard enough to kill him instantly. She didn't want to share the experience.
On a shorter platform he slipped when she jumped too close to Beorn and since he didn't know, he stepped back from a mechanism and nearly knocked her off. She caught the back of his belt and pulled herself close.
"You okay?" he asked.
"Sorry, I misjudged the timing a little."
"It's alright. Stay here a minute and let me get around this thing. I'll give you a signal when you can move."
They made the first part of the journey with relative ease, stopping once they hit what appeared to be a dead end. A wider platform opened out with the first of many plates that they took turns holding open so the others could traverse floating stone paths across the abyss.
By the time they reached the final doorway, Wren was exhausted. Franz flopped to his back, breathing heavily. Sisre and Wren leaned against a wall while they checked their ammo for anything they might encounter ahead. Beorn and Cayde stretched but otherwise seemed tireless. Rorick watched them all but showed no sign of fatigue and didn't complain about the journey.
They only allowed themselves a moment to rest before continuing and as they approached an open door with a wide view of space all around, Wren knew this was the end. This was where they would face Oryx and she stopped in her tracks. The others crowded the doorway in awe but Cayde stepped behind Wren and leaned in close to her helmet.
"You mean what you said when you told me you were gonna kill Oryx?"
Wren hesitated, then nodded.
"I'm not gonna let anything happen to you," he said. "We'll figure this thing out together."
Inside they raised their weapons to the Deathsingers that floated above pedestals toward the center of the room. They faced on another from inside what appeared to be protective shields that encircled them in a veil of white. Between them was a narrow space that passed into the next area. Wren couldn't see what lay beyond, but she assumed it was identical to the side they were currently on.
Two pedestals, shorter than the ones the Deathsingers occupied, stood on the left and right side. One of them had a relic that hovered high overhead, but the others didn't have any distinguishable features.
"You think those pedestals have more plates on them?" Franz asked.
"Considering the mechanics of the other puzzles here, I would assume so," Beorn said.
"Those Deathsingers don't seem to notice us," Sisre said.
"Probably content to remain within their protective bubbles," Rorick said.
"Well, they don't need to attack us physically," Cayde said. "They don't call em' Deathsingers for no reason. All they have to use is their voice. We better kill em' before they start the party."
"How?" Sisre asked. "Pretty sure we won't be able to shoot through their shields."
"The relic, probably," Beorn offered. "We might have to grab that relic and use it to destroy the shields."
"None of this has been that easy," Franz said. "There's gotta be something else to it."
"We don't have time to discuss," Rorick said. "I'll jump on a plate and we'll go from there. I'm sure as soon as I touch it we're going to get swarmed with Taken, so keep your guard up."
Rorick jumped on the plate with the relic and it began to glow. He did his best to leap up and grab the relic, but it was far out of his grasp. One of the Deathsingers erupted in red flames and began to sing, while her sister remained silent.
"What the hell?" Franz yelled, and everyone's attention turned to Beorn who was a mere ghost of himself. Where his body should be was a swirling white and black mass, a silhouette without features.
"What's going on?" Beorn asked, his voice distorted.
"Are you alright?" Franz asked, reaching out to touch his friend but finding he couldn't.
The others focused on the Taken that did indeed spawn when Rorick touched the first plate, but the chaos was only made worse by not knowing what might happen to Beorn.
"I feel fine," Beorn said. "And I can see platforms. I'm going to see if I can make it up to the relic."
His form moved place to place overhead but he soon stopped.
"I can't go farther," he said. "Maybe we have to build it by standing on all of the plates together?"
No sooner than he spoke, he dropped from the platform in a motionless heap beside Wren.
"Beorn!?" she knelt beside him, but his eyes had gone dark.
"Guard him until his ghost is strong enough that you can help bring him back," Rorick said.
Wren and Cayde did just that and when Ziro was ready, Kiran helped him get Beorn on his feet.
"Sisre, Cayde, Beorn, you three get ready for the other platforms," Rorick said. "Wren and Franz, you two stay mid and kill Taken."
"What about the thing that just happened to Beorn?" Cayde asked. "That's bound to happen again, I'd think. Does it choose someone?"
"No idea. I didn't feel different before," Beorn said. "And I'm sure I didn't touch anything."
"Where is the relic?" Rorick asked, realizing the one over his platform had disappeared.
"Over there," Cayde said, pointing to the back left plate.
"I've been chosen again," Beorn said, his body returning to the state it had been before.
"We don't have time to figure it out," Rorick said. "Everyone get on your plates so Beorn can reach the relic. Wren, stay in mid. Franz, take that last plate and let's go."
Once more Beorn hopped across the floating platforms, around the area toward the relic, but again he couldn't reach it. He jumped as high as he could, but he was still too far and his body hit the ground behind Cayde's plate.
A few seconds later, Cayde had him up and they were back to square one. They jumped down from their plates and the relic vanished.
"What now?" Sisre asked.
"I think they have to be activated in order," Beorn said. "I was watching how they manifested this time and I don't think we start under the relic, I think the relic is where we end up. Start to the right of wherever the relic is and I should be able to make it this time."
The relic appeared again and Beorn began to run, but within a few steps realized he hadn't been chosen this time.
It was Wren.
The world had gone… strange. There was only form with no details. What was dark was now light and vise versa and her fireteam were shadows, and yet light depending on how they moved. Black fog swirled and seeing beyond a few feet with any sort of clarity was almost impossible.
"We don't have time!" Rorick said. "It's on me this time so Sisre, jump on yours first. Now Beorn. Cayde… then me."
Rorick called them out as Wren jumped from one platform to the next, having less than six feet in diameter to land on. A bouncing ball of light led her around the top of the area as if had Beorn, above the gunfire below.
A Taken round splashed against the bottom of the platform she landed on and she stumbled, barely catching herself before jumping to the next one.
"Hey, those Taken Vandals are getting rough up here," she said, dodging their shots as she closed in on the relic.
"Got em'," Cayde yelled and the Vandal on her right imploded.
Wren grabbed the relic and turned to face the Deathsingers. One across from her was singing, her voice growing louder as her body wrapped in a raging flame. Wren decided that instant to attack the one that was still and calm, watching as her sister sang. She jumped down and slammed the relic into the shield, but instead of breaking it, the relic vanished, and the shield encompassed her instead.
"Get outta there!" Beorn yelled and Wren leapt as far from the Deathsinger as possible, back toward the steps. The rest of the fireteam ran behind her, taking shelter in her bubble as the Deathsinger whose shield had been stolen began firing balls of energy at them.
"She can't hurt us in here," Rorick said, ushering the last of them in as the others opened fire on the now defenseless Deathsinger.
Wren's heart was pounding in her ears but it was a dull hum compared to Cerulean giving the Deathsinger everything they had until the room filled with blinding white light, and the shield was gone. It had returned to the Deathsinger's pedestal, and she had gone quiet once more. Both of them were silent and still, but only for a moment.
The relic appeared above another plate and this time Cayde had been chosen. Wren ran to take his plate but she tried to keep an eye on him as he ran the platforms above her. Sweat prickled her skin but a few times she swore she heard him laughing, still having the time of his life and something about his mood eased her. This was a game to him… a dangerous game.
He dunked the relic on the opposite Deathsinger as before, who had taken to watching as her injured sister attempted her song. The shield attached to him, and they repeated the process as before, finally getting into a rhythm. Beorn was chosen again for the third run and it went smoothly with the exception of Franz having trouble with a particularly aggressive Phalanx.
They were able to kill one of the Deathsingers and Wren was feeling optimistic. It's all been about timing and for the most part, wasn't too difficult. On the same note, it made her slightly uneasy. How could it possibly be this simple? And where was Oryx? Why was he absent? Was he so willing to see if his children could kill her instead of doing it himself?
On the fourth round, and what might be the last, Wren was chosen again and confidently began her ascent to the platforms, circling around as she had before. Cayde's plate was the third she'd pass over and no sooner did she pass over his area toward Rorick's, did a Vandal shoot her between the shoulder blades.
She lurched forward, knocked to her knees but the platform was too small and she tumbled off, slamming into the barrier for the area before rolling into space.
"Cayde!"
Yelling and gunfire filled her ears an instant before the Vandal over Rorick's area, turned and as she fell, took a shot and everything went black.
She woke in the abyss. Alone. And yet she knew it was better than falling through space.
"I wonder if I'm doin' alright up there."
Wren turned to see Cayde with his back to her, staring at nothing in the sky. "What?"
"Nothin'. I guess a part of you is wondering how he's handling watching you roll off into space. So now I'm wonderin' too. I bet it ain't good." He held out a hand to help her up but instead of handing her his cloak to lead her, he kept her hand in his and began to walk.
She knew it wasn't him. Not really. But it still felt strange. She stared at his hand as they walked, seeing their reflection in the shallow water under their boots.
"I think I might be ready…" she said.
"For what?"
"To tell you… to tell the real Cayde how I feel."
"Oh yeah?"
"You sound surprised. Thought you were supposed to know what I know."
"That's only a little true. I mean, it's true but… it's complicated. I'm mostly surprised since you don't know anything about those caches yet."
"The what?"
"It's tucked into your subconscious. Remember the cache you found with the heart on it? Cayde said it was for a girl he once knew and was really dodgy about it. I just thought you'd want to ask him about that before you went too far ahead is all."
"I hadn't thought about it really I… why does it feel like you're trying to sabotage this?"
The world began to fade into white and Cayde turned to her, drawing his thumb across her cheek.
"Looks like the real me needs you back now. I'm not trying to sabotage anything, I'm a projection, remember? Maybe this is self-sabotage. It's got nothin' to do with me Sugarbird. Now you get out there, and kick Oryx's ass."
Wren came to back on the Dreadnaught with her fireteam around her, fighting. But not Taken. They were fighting one another.
"What you did was reckless," Rorick yelled. "You almost cost us everything."
"But I didn't, and you'd do well to keep your temper with me," Cayde said, staring Rorick eye to eye while Sisre tried to push them apart.
"Is that a threat, Vanguard?"
"Enough!" Sisre said. "You're acting like a couple of children. We're all under stress, but the Deathsingers are dead and we have to move on."
"Are you alright?" Beorn asked Wren, blocking the argument.
"What happened?"
Beorn and Franz exchanged glances. "When you got hit Cayde almost abandoned his plate. We managed to pull it off without you but Rorick's still pissed."
"This is ridiculous," Wren said, pushing past the Twins. "What is wrong with you two?"
Cayde stepped back. The last time she'd seen him this angry was when he pinned Flak to the ground and almost blew his head off with the Ace. Rage burned in his eyes and his jaw was set and clenched so hard she could hear the metal grinding. A chill ran down her spine at his reaction, but he took a deep breath and his shoulders relaxed.
"You alright, kid?"
"Yeah. I'm fine. Now can you two stop fighting so we can focus on the real enemy?"
The floor began to shake, loose pebbles bouncing, then it intensified and a great, clawed hand extended over the end of the area from space. Oryx had been huge when she last face him, but this version of him was enormous. He pulled himself up from somewhere below and grasped the stone columns that held the roof. Wren could just imagine him collapsing the pillars and destroying the room; crushing them beneath rubble.
"Oh shit," Franz muttered and the group took a collective step back from where they'd been watching between the two pedestals of the Deathsingers.
There was no time to formulate a plan. Taken were popping up all over the place and Wren was on high alert for every move Oryx made. For now, he watched, observed the Guardians fighting his Taken as if it was a game. A spectator sport in which he could achieve what he wanted, the death of the Guardians who had killed Crota and the Deathsingers, without having to get his hands dirty.
"Spread out and kill the Taken," Rorick said.
Wren and Cayde pushed forward slightly, between the pedestals and Oryx while Beorn and Franz went back toward the door. Sisre and Rorick remained in the middle and from there, helped both sides until Oryx moved. He glided around toward the right side and raised a fist high.
"Get away from there!" Wren yelled to Cayde who was standing too close to the plate on that side. He rolled out of the way as Oryx's fist slammed into the top of the platform, sending bits of stone flying in all directions.
The instant Oryx's fist left the plate, Wren noticed a sort of rift of energy. Thinking perhaps it would lead to some way she could damage him, she jumped on top of it but instead of being able to harm Oryx, she became torn between worlds again. She stumbled back, the world gone black and white all over again. Overhead were the platforms like before and so she began to jump across them as the rest of the fireteam quickly realized what to do and took their plates.
Below she caught glimpses of Taken Ogres that had spawned from blights beside the plates so she decided it was in her best interest to keep an eye out for Vandals, just in case.
She saw none, but there was a tomb ship incoming. A Knight dropped from it, surrounded in a milky shield like the Deathsingers. Wren took the final leap, grabbed the relic, and ran for the Knight. She slammed the relic into it as hard as she could. When the Knight disintegrated, the shield was passed to Wren.
"I think he's charging for an attack," Cayde said.
"I have a shield, come back to me," Wren replied, standing between the Deathsinger's pedestals so they could have a good view of Oryx while also allowing a little more cover in case the shield wasn't strong enough to withstand whatever Oryx was going to do.
Energy swirled around Oryx and his ribs parted, opening up to allow more energy in but Rorick took it for what it was. A weakness.
"Aim for his chest!"
"Why would he open himself up like that?" Franz asked, though he did as commanded and opened fire at Oryx.
"Chances are he thinks whatever attack he's about to unleash is going to wipe us out," Beorn said.
"No reason to keep your weakness hidden if you think your enemy won't last long enough to exploit it," Sisre added.
"Brix says the ghosts are getting strange readings from those blights that dropped the Ogres," Rorick said. "They're connected to Oryx somehow."
"I shot at mine earlier and nothin' happened," Cayde offered as he reloaded.
Sisre dropped to one knee and began to fire her sniper as fast as she could until Oryx lurched backward. The energy that had formed in his palms dissipated and he had to grasp the edged of the area to keep himself from drifting.
"Run through them then," Rorick said. There was only a moment's hesitation as he and the other three plate crew ran for their blights.
Within seconds they'd done what they could and returned to Wren and Franz, who out of desperation hadn't stopped shooting at Oryx.
Toward the end of the room a dome of shadow appeared, and Wren thought Taken were about to swarm out of it but instead she watched as Sisre vanished from beside her.
"Sisre!" Rorick stook a step toward the edge of the bubble but Cayde stuck out an arm and shoved him back.
"Stay where it's safe," he demanded and Wren thought they might fight again but Sisre's voice came across comms, the signal mostly static but they could make out what she said.
"I'm okay. I think I'm in the dome just… stay in the shield."
"Hypocrite," Cayde mumbled but Rorick didn't reply.
They focused on Oryx again until Beorn was taken, disappearing as Sisre had.
Then Rorick was gone.
Then Cayde.
Franz went next, leaving Wren alone. Oryx laughed, the sound bubbling, gurgling, pained. Then Wren was taken too, appearing in the small dome with the rest of her fireteam who were back-to-back in the middle, shooting toward enemies that came from all sides.
"There's a Shadow of Oryx in here," Rorick said. "Keep an eye out for it and kill it if you can."
It didn't take long for the Shadow to make itself known. It swooped down on them, slamming Sisre to the floor as it did, then took off for the darkness at the edges of the dome, but damage done to it before Wren got there left it weak and slowed.
One wing had been ripped to shreds from auto rifle fire and what could be described as blood poured from wounds to swirl in a murky mist in long tendrils from the Shadow's body.
Before it had a chance to attack again, it was dead, taken out by a shot to the head with the Ace of Spades that caused the Shadow to dissipate and an instant later, fireteam Cerulean was outside of the dome and all trace of it had vanished.
Oryx climbed up the front of the room, charging for another attack. Adrenaline had long left Wren and everything hurt. She pushed herself to keep pulling the trigger despite severe shaking and cramping in her hands. Rorick's rockets flared across the space, exploding into Oryx's exposed chest. Tears streaked Wren's cheeks as exhaustion flooded through her body.
Energy sparked around Oryx's hands, then shuddered. One more rocket and he jerked back with an ear-splitting roar, then slipped from the edge of the room. Panting, they stopped and waited for him to return, but everything had gone silent. What enemies remained vanished and all that was left was them. Energy from the final blast sent a shockwave through them, but it wasn't enough to knock them off their feet.
"Is that… did we do it?" Franz asked.
"I don't know." Rorick walked cautiously toward the edge of the room.
"Rorick, be careful," Sisre said.
"I am." He paused, then looked over the edge. "We did it. We actually did it. Oryx is dead."
Wren immediately dropped to her knees. This was it. The end. Finally it was over.
"You Guardians did damn good," Cayde said, playfully pushing Beorn. "Let's get back to the Tower. I bet the whole City is gonna throw a party for this one!"
"Great. I can't wait," Franz said. "But uh… you think I can take a nap first? I think I need a nap first."