True to his word, Harley rose early the next day. As he was preparing his gear, he reached once more for the Light. He had no more success in reaching it than he had any of the other times he'd tried. However, it almost felt closer. More accessible. As though only a thin veil lay between him and it. With any luck, the veil would shift before he confronted the Mindbender.
Prism hovered about him as he gathered his things. Kyler hovered too, though not as literally. Harley got the sense that both of them would object to his actions if given the chance. He resolved not to give it to them. He checked over his weapons one last time before turning to the mechanic.
"I'd better get going."
Kyler didn't look happy about it, but he nodded. "Don't wind up dying in the desert again, huh?" he said, only half-joking.
"Unless the Mindbender has some Devourer Bullets stashed away somewhere, I'm not too worried."
"Keep an eye out, all the same."
Harley nodded. "I will."
Kyler looked like he wanted to go in for a hug, but in the end, he just extended a hand. Harley clasped it.
"Thank you for everything you've done for me," he said.
"'Course. I'd never wish for you to get shot by a Devourer Bullet, but I'm glad we got the chance to clear the air between us, at least a bit."
"Yeah." Harley shot him a small smile. "I'll see you around."
"Good luck," said Kyler.
Harley waved one last goodbye before stepping out into the gathering light and summoning his Sparrow.
By the time he arrived in the Jetsam of Saturn, it was much brighter. He scanned the surrounding area but noticed nothing apart from the usual Hive and Scorn activity on the fringes. He avoided letting his gaze linger too long on the entrance to Hellrise Canyon, turning toward the crashed tombship instead.
"Anything?" he asked.
"Possibly," said Prism, "I'm picking up some unusual frequencies that seem to be coming from one of the caves. It's worth looking into."
Harley nodded in agreement, dismounting his Sparrow. He followed his Ghost's directions down toward the edge of the asteroid and into a cave filled with Hive. He swiftly dispersed them with the bow he'd gotten from Petra before crossing the space to investigate a strange device. As Prism began to scan it, he heard the shrieking of more Hive drawing near. Stepping out in front of his Ghost, he repelled their attacks as she gathered information.
"It looks like this is a synaptic amplifier made to interface with Hive specifically."
Harley shot down a Thrall. "A what?"
"He's called the Mindbender for a reason... This is a mind-control device. It's not the main one, but I should be able to triangulate the origin of its signal."
"Do whatever you need to. I'll keep the Hive away."
It took several minutes for him to eliminate the rest of the Hive. Once they were dead, Prism vanished and informed him that they needed to go to the tombship.
"Can't say I'm surprised," Harley remarked as she guided him through its corridors. "Doesn't mean I have to like it, though."
He didn't care for how the ship reminded him of the Dreadnaught.
They rounded a corner, coming face to face with an Ogre. Harley employed Perfect Paradox to kill it before he crossed the area at Prism's direction to examine another strange device.
"Oh wonderful," said Prism, "It's safeguarded. Hang on…"
Harley sighed but kept watch as she scanned. This time, it was the Scorn that tried to interrupt them. He shot them down with his bow as they appeared.
"Hmm," said Prism, "It looks like this is the last one. We should be able to use it to find the Mindbender."
"Great. Let's go."
Leaving the open space, they entered a tunnel and followed a series of passageways down into the bowels of the ship.
"The Mindbender's file says he's obsessed with creating his own Throneworld."
Harley felt a shiver travel down his neck. "Throneworld? Like what Crota and Oryx had?"
"The same. Apparently, he thinks he can create it by killing powerful beings."
"Well, yeah, that's how the Sword Logic works."
"I know. But it should only be possible for the Hive."
"Because of Oryx's deal with the Darkness."
"Yes."
"Well if he doesn't have a Throneworld, then so much the better," said Harley, "We don't need that kind of complication."
Finally, after making their way through a few squadrons of Scorn, he entered a large room with what looked like a Hive portal frame at the opposite end. Standing next to the frame was the Mindbender himself. A bizarre yet terrifying combination of Hive and Scorn, the Baron growled at Harley as he entered before shooting at him. Harley got out of the way, firing back. He frowned.
"Why hasn't the Mindbender said anything?"
Several of the other Barons had taunted him when he'd gone after them.
"Maybe he can't?" suggested Prism, "It wouldn't surprise me if he couldn't, given what I've read of his file."
All of a sudden, the portal frame activated and the Mindbender made a beeline for it.
"Don't let him get away!" said Prism.
Harley was already on his tail, running full-pelt into the portal.
He stumbled out into a large empty space, lit only by the glowing of a portal and intermittent flashes of lightning. It was though he stood in the middle of a swirling vortex. He raised his voice above the howling wind.
"What is this place?"
"A Throneworld," said Prism in dismay, "How is it so big?"
"I don't…"
Harley trailed off as he realized that yes, he did know. Prism seemed to come to the same realization.
"Oh...Cayde."
The portal behind them went dark. Harley looked around but saw no sign of the Mindbender.
"I don't get it. He wasn't the one who actually killed Cayde, was he? How would that work?"
"We can debate the parameters of the Sword Logic later," said Prism, "Right now we need to figure out why the Mindbender came here."
"Seems pretty straightforward to me. He'll be stronger here."
"Yes, but it's still taking a huge risk. The strength gained from being in a Throneworld has a trade-off. It's the only place where the being that's tied to it can be permanently killed. We didn't do that much damage. So why would he come here?"
"I really don't know," said Harley. The portal frame across from them lit up. "But," he continued, "I have the feeling that we're about to find out."
He readied his bow as the Mindbender stepped through, three times larger than he'd been on the Shore. Harley tensed, waiting for the Baron to make his move. But the Mindbender didn't so much as lift his weapon.
"What's he doing?" Harley hissed.
"I don't know," said Prism worriedly, "But I don't like it."
Then the Mindbender spoke in a snarling, guttural tongue that Harley assumed belonged to the Hive. The odd part about it was that while he couldn't directly understand what the Baron was saying, impressions were coming across to him. It was almost like something stood behind him, whispering in his ear.
Hunter…
The hairs on the back of his neck rose.
You are a Hunter. Wanderer of wild placessss.
Harley's eyes darted around. "Prism, do you hear that?"
"The Mindbender? Of course I can. He's speaking in the language of the Hive. But I can't understand it. Ghosts are forbidden to learn it."
The strange voice spoke again.
Sssseeker of forgotten sssecretsssss.
"...I can understand it."
"What?"
You have been touched by the Darknessssss. You have known true perfection. You have been Taken.
"Harley, what is he saying?"
Harley frowned and shook his head almost as if to clear Prism's voice from his mind. "Hold on…"
"Harley, he's called the Mindbender for a reason. Whatever he's saying, don't listen!"
He frowned again. His mind felt sluggish, like it was taking more time to process things than usual. Logically, he knew what Prism was saying was important. He knew he shouldn't listen.
Sssset down your firearmsssss.
Almost of its own accord, his hand opened, letting his bow fall to the ground. Prism's voice was like an insistent buzzing in his ears. Irritating, but blockable.
Disssscard your cloak. Your vowssss mean nothing. You are free from your obligationsssss.
His fingers came up to free Cayde's cloak from his shoulders. It fell into the dust.
What do you fight for? What drivessss you to wander?
He blinked. He used to know the answer to those questions. Even now, he felt like it was there, lurking in the back of his mind.
Your sssstrength liesss in movement. You sssscout the ravaged landsssss and reap sssssweet rewardsss. Your home is nowhere. Your home is everywhere.
Harley felt deep kinship with those words.
But you are bound to the Vanguard. You are bidden to return. Your wanderingssss are cut short.
That too rang true in Harley's ears.
You musssst have independence.
The air in front of him shimmered and a knife appeared, gleaming with a fell light.
There is a knife for you. It isss sssshaped like [you walk by yoursssself]. Take up the knife. Begin your journey. Take your new ssssshape.
Harley wanted to. He wanted that knife more than he had ever wanted anything. He felt it pulling him in and stepped forward. He wanted the knife. The knife wanted him. That was how it should be. He reached out, fingers brushing the hilt.
But before he could grasp it, a sharp cry tore through the air.
"No!"
A force slammed into him from the side, sending him sprawling. Harley blinked blearily, slightly dazed. The knife still hung in the air and he lurched forward but found that he couldn't move. Whatever had crashed into him was now pinning him down. He bucked and thrashed, trying to get free. Then he found the view of the knife blocked by a helmet.
"Ace!"
He swung at it but only got his wrists pinned down for his trouble.
"Ace, look at me! Prism filled us in. You need to block out his voice!"
Distantly, enraged snarls echoed across the space. Harley struggled to break away as an unseen battle raged nearby. All of a sudden, something clamped down on either side of his head, blocking everything out.
As soon as his hands were free, he started swinging away, making contact with each blow. It was almost like whoever had tackled him wasn't trying to avoid the punches. He stopped, squinting at the shadowy helmet above him.
"Kaedro?"
He could barely hear his own voice, let alone any reply the other Hunter might give. Evidently, this problem had been realized as he got a nod in response. He relaxed, no longer trying to throw the other Guardian off. Tipping his head back, he could make out the figure of Bazzle somewhere behind him, fighting the Mindbender. He winced when the Baron hit the Titan with a wicked backhand, sending him flying. Harley started struggling again.
"I need to help him."
Kaedro shook his head.
"He's in trouble!"
The Exo didn't budge. Harley gave a frustrated yell. He had to help Bazzle. He closed his eyes, reaching for the Light. This time, the veil shifted and Light spilled forth. The sound came rushing back, causing him to open his eyes. Kaedro had let go. Pressing the advantage, Harley pushed him off. Scrambling to his feet, he ran towards the Mindbender, now looming over Bazzle.
He summoned his Arc Staff as he ran, but upon looking at his hands, he found that instead of crackling with lightning, they were ablaze with Solar Light. The staff clutched in his hand was a fiery spear. His eyes widened but he knew he couldn't stop to think about it. He launched himself into the air, grasping the staff with both hands, and drove it through the Mindbender's chest. The Baron jolted, collapsing to the ground.
Harley stared at his own hands, trying to figure out what the hell had just happened. The ground lurched under his feet and the tempo of the storm seemed to increase, whirling faster and faster. A hand closed around his arm and he looked up to find Bazzle standing in front of him.
"We need to evacuate!" the Titan shouted over the roaring wind, "The Throneworld is collapsing!"
Harley let himself be pulled along as Bazzle hurried toward the still lit portal frame. Bazzle glanced over his shoulder.
"Kaedro is behind us! Let's go!"
The shimmering darkness of the portal rushed up to meet him as he was yanked through to wherever it led.
A/N: I totally forgot to post this chapter yesterday.