S1-156
The Trickster

4:57 PM
03/11/3273

The Tangled Shore
Soriks's Cut

Music
Destiny 2 - Tangled Shore

With Michael, the Shadow, and Tanner-21 having arrived in the sector, the Fireteam leader's Ghost examined a pile of odd Glimmer. "{This Glimmer is encrypted with a signature: Araskes, the Trickster. She's a coward who hides behind traps and flunkies. Bet we can find an informant somewhere around here.}"

The Shadow used his Taken Hobgoblins to survey the area, finding and attacking the informant. From the Scorn's remains came what appeared to be... "An Exotic Engram? Ooh." He picked it up, only for it to start fizzling and making a strange sound.

When Michael and Tanner-21 caught up with the Shadow, Rocco appeared. "{It's rigged to blow!}"

Before the Shadow could dispose of the fake Engram, it exploded in his hands. He stood there, caught off-guard by the sudden turn of events, before coughing a puff of black smoke. "I got soot in my eyes. It doesn't hurt, but I still feel the dust. It... I... My... ⏁⊑⟒ ⟟⋏⌇⟟⎅⟒ ⍜⎎ ⋔⊬ ⊑⟒⏃⎅ ⟟⏁c⊑⟒⌇!" The Shadow then began sporadically scratching his skull head like crazy.

"Having soot in your skull apparently isn't a pleasant sensation."

"{If a shipment of these rigged Engrams ever made it to the Last City, or the IMC HQ... We can't let that happen!}"

Just then, Spyglass got on the line. "I have located the source of the rigged Engrams. Transmitting coordinates."

"{It's nearby. Let's move!}"

The coordinates were in that sector, and they lead to a sort of giant makeshift production mechanism.

Once the Scorn were cleared out, Michael picked up a rigged Engram from the pile at the top, throwing it at one of the two modules, all while avoiding the spinning walls. The Trickster's shrill voice could be heard on the comms. "Oh no! It found our factory of delights! If only we planned for this!" They could hear the sarcasm in her voice.

"{That's the Trickster. Gotta be.}"

Another of the rigged Engrams was thrown into the second production module. "{Good news: The Engram fabricators are destroyed, and I traced the source of the Trickster's broadcast. Bad news: The trace was way too easy for someone called 'the Trickster'.}"

"Perhaps that, too, is a trick." Michael said.

"{That is... interesting.}"

Following the coordinates, City Hawk 723 entered a recently damaged sector, with the Shadow catching up to them. "Look!"

The Tangled Shore
Diaviks Mine

There she was. Araskes, the Trickster, was in that sector. "Hahahaha... Welcome, minions of Cayde-6! Hahahahahaha!"

As the Trickster fell back, purple ammunition packets appeared on the ground, and as Tanner-21 went to pick one up to load himself on more rounds for his Chain of Command, the packet turned into an explosive and detonated, blowing him back. "Ow..."

"{She's rigged the ammo too.}" Rocco stated. They fought past more Scorn, reaching another pile of fake Engrams, which was used to blast a path forward. The Trickster was up ahead, and she escaped through a hatch as it closed. "{Dead end. If we wanna go deeper, we'll have to blast our way in.}"

Thankfully, the Shadow had carried a rigged Engram. "Fire in the hole!" He threw the camouflaged explosive at the door, blowing it apart as Michael held off the Scorn reinforcements.

Music
Destiny 2 - The Trickster

"Hahaha! They want revenge? Yes, we deserve it. Here is some ammo for you!" The Trickster joked, spreading camouflaged explosive traps around the place.

The Shadow went in, Darkscythe aglow with Ascendant energy, and slashed right through the Trickster. The Grasp of Death had begun, but something was corroding it, negatively affecting the Shadow, and Araskes seemed perfectly fine. "AHAHAHAHAHA! Tell me, Shadow. Does our Ether taste... bitter?" The Shadow's form was fluctuating with instability, and he was on his hands and knees, coughing up a storm.

As the Trickster laughed at the incapacitated Taken King, a rigged Engram was lobbed at her back. She turned around, only for her head to be crushed and burned between two flaming mallets.

Michael; Tanner-21 [Burning Maul] The Trickster (Scorn)

Music
none

"{Four Barons down. Our next target is the Mindbender. We'll need the Shadow for this.}"

"Speaking of which... Death, you OK?" Michael asked his other half.

"Does it... Does it LOOK like I'm OK?! That corrupted Ether... That corrupted Ether makes the Scorn immune to the Grasp of Death... Ugh... Let's get Hayden, I'm sure we'll need his help against Hiraks."

"Got it."

Spyglass came on the line. "I am now contacting Hayden-10."

"See ya later, guys. I'll keep looking for Uldren. Good luck." With that, Tanner-21 left.

The Trickster's voice was like fingernails on a chalkboard! I'm more than glad she's dead.

See you all next time.