"What are you doing here?" Ikora asked, double taking to Cayde where he sat at her desk. She paused only a moment before entering her office and dropping off a stack of papers neatly in the corner.

"I wanted to talk to you about somethin'," he admitted, standing to let her sit at her desk.

"Wren, perhaps?"

"You're no fun."

"I'm just glad that you're not panicking."

"Panic? Me?" Cayde scoffed but he knew he wasn't fooling anyone, least of all Ikora. He was worried sick. Facing another god. When would the universe tire of this?

"Cayde, I know you must be running yourself in circles with this."

He plopped down in the chair opposite her. It wasn't like him to openly state why he was upset but the way this gnawed at him? He knew it would likely be more of a problem if he let it stew and if he could trust anyone it was Ikora.

The problem was, when he opened his mouth to speak, nothing came out. The words strangled in his throat and he cleared it and looked away, diverting his gaze from her.

Ikora smirked. "So, why don't you tell me about your friend?"

Cayde raised a brow.

"You know. Your friend who has the problem."

He chuckled and rubbed his face. Dammit Ikora. Clever move. The laugh died as quickly as it came and Cayde leaned onto his fist. He stared at a place on the front of her desk, avoiding her gaze.

"Well, you see, I know this guy… and he's crazy about this girl. But she has a dangerous job and it freaks him out sometimes. He really wants her to be free and happy—"

"But he's afraid that too much freedom will mean that some day she won't come home."

Cayde finally looked into Ikora's eyes. "He's also afraid of being a hypocrite."

Ikora leaned back in her chair and gently folded her hands over her stomach. "Sometimes we tread thin lines in life. I don't envy your friend his anxiety. It's a hard situation. I think I would tell him that he should trust in his love's abilities and that she has good friends to keep her safe."

"And if he were to tell you that people from her occupation regularly die or go missing?"

Ikora's lips turned into a sad smile. "Then I would tell him to love and enjoy her as much as possible. To never let a moment go by where she might have to question his feelings for her."

It wasn't what Cayde wanted to hear but he knew it was what she'd say. To him, it sounded too much like 'her death is a matter of when, not if, and you should prepare for that'. It sounded bitter to him. Sickening. He didn't want to lose her. He didn't want her death. He didn't want to hang her cloak in some sacred place or see her effigy atop a casket. The thought of her face carved in marble choked him.

"So what will your friend do?" Ikora asked when she noticed he was struggling.

"Propose," he said quietly. It was all he could do. The only thing that would solidify in a very real and public way that he was dedicated.

"I wondered when the other shoe would drop, so to speak. That little box falling out of your pocket it front of Zavala was… quite amusing."

"Wasn't all that fun in the moment," he grunted.

"If Zavala were here I'd not admit it. Also, you know that he's going to be unhappy."

"He can shove it. We're supposed to be equals and he treats me like a kid."

Ikora pursed her lips. They both knew he acted childish at times and it was his own fault that Zavala treated him that way.

"Just show me the ring," she said, holding her hand out.

"I wanted it to be something unique, but I saw this ring and it wouldn't let me forget it." He pulled the box from his pocket and handed it over to Ikora who opened it delicately.

"Oh Cayde, it's beautiful."

She gently rolled the ring around in her fingertips and Cayde grinned, feeling quite proud as she took in the small details of birds and the inscription that read "for my Queen", a new addition that he'd had made since finding out Wren's history.

Ikora's brow twitched when she read it, then looked up to Cayde, her eyes inquisitive.

"I don't think I understand," she began. "Your Queen…"

"It's her. It's really her."

"But… how? I thought the Queen was your wife from when you were human. How does—"

"What I thought was real wasn't. I mean, it was, but not how I thought. She worked for Clovis Bray. Found some of the information when she was helping Anan get to Rasputin. Wren was her."

Ikora rested the ring on her index finger, holding it on her first knuckle with her thumb and leaned back in her chair.

"What are the chances?" she muttered dreamily, her lips parted in a faint smile. "Must be fate."

Funny for Ikora to say as much, fate was something she had a fairly complicated view on, but how could it be anything else? After the Collapse, hundreds of years, countless battles? How could it be anything but some sort of strange divine intervention?

She put the ring back in the box and leaned forward to give it back. When he went to take it, she wrapped her fingers around his hand and he paused, meeting her intense gaze.

"I see why you're scared," she said. "I'd be terrified. Saying that, I stand by my advice. If you back down now, and Traveler forbid something happens, the regret you would feel would far outweigh the pain of loss."

He nodded. "Yeah… I'll uh… I'll let my friend know."

She smiled and squeezed his hand before letting him go. "Tell him I wish him the best. And Cayde?"

"Hm?"

"I better be invited to the wedding."

Cayde chuckled. "You can walk me down the aisle if ya want?"

"If we can find where Xol feeds, then we should be able to draw the God Worm out," Zavala said as Cerulean headed into the icy caves of Mars.

Rorick led the way, with Sisre falling behind him, followed by Franz, with Wren at the tail of the group. She kept her distance from Franz, choosing to stay a few yards back despite the caves making her want to draw closer to her team. Her hand rested on the Better Devils at her hip but she didn't see a need to draw the weapon yet.

"Brix has done a scan and says there is a tunnel that was likely made my Xol that intersects with one of the caverns ahead," Rorick said.

"What do you mean it was 'likely' made my Xol?" Sisre asked.

"He says it's too perfectly around to be a naturally made tunnel. Though he supposes it's possible, it's highly unlikely."

"Not gonna lie… that makes me uncomfortable," Franz added. "A big ass worm tunnel? Sounds cramped."

Wren glanced at Franz, choosing not to tell him what she'd seen before. The worm she saw was massive and frankly, she was annoyed that they were taking it on themselves without any form of air strikes or tanks. Really nothing heavy duty but Rorick's rocket launcher.

Ana had mentioned needing Rasputin but Wren didn't think Zavala would ever go with that. Rasputin issue aside, there was something else that was eating Wren. Why hadn't the rest of her fireteam been given the footage of Xol? Had they really been sent in blind? Surely Zavala wouldn't have assumed it was Wren's responsibility to show them.

Anxiety gnawed at her insides. What if they found out she knew and didn't tell them?

"Zavala, please listen," Ana said. "I read the logs. Rasputin was barely able to stop Xol the first time."

"Our mission stands," Zavala replied. "We will defeat Xol, and we don't need the help of a Warmind to do it. Not when we don't know what else it might do."

Cerulean rounded a corner that Wren recognized. They were in the lower part of the cave system she'd explored earlier and came upon the warsat that had been half buried in ice. From the drop off beyond that point an unnatural screech echoed from the walls. It was far off, but it stopped the rest of her fireteam.

"That uh… sounded big," Franz said, trying to keep a casual aire to his tone.

"Brix is getting some kind of interference," Rorick said. "I can't makes sense of it. Brix, let everyone hear that."

What came next wasn't something Wren recognized, but it sounded Hive in nature. Maybe? There was also some metallic quality and some strange undertones. She shrugged when Rorick looked between the members of the fireteam.

"I hear it too," Ana said. "I'll try to analyze the signal, just give me a minute and maybe I can figure out what it is."

"In the meantime, Fireteam Cerulean should continue onward," Zavala said and Rorick led the team toward the left and into a cavern.

He made quick work of an unsuspecting Hive, this one shattering with ice crystals like the ones she'd seen before. It made him pause but only a moment before the rest of Cerulean backed him up and decimated the Hive forces that guarded the corridor.

Much like Wren had done, Rorick kicked a chunk of ice from the Acolyte's ashes and Franz picked it up, observing it more closely.

"Well, that's new," Franz muttered, then dropped the crystal into his pocket. "Ikora might be interested in this."

"The sound they make when they die gives me chills," Sisre said, a shiver running through her.

Wren could understand what she meant. The gentle, almost sweet tinkling noise was like icicles in the wind. They didn't fit the gruesome appearance of the Hive or the blood curdling shrieks they emitted.

Rorick gave Sisre's shoulder a reassuring squeeze as he passed her to push farther into he intricate system of caves that wound through the rock and ice. It reminded Wren of the mood. White and gray, some surfaces covered in the dark barnacles and strange gagged glowing rocks that were hallmarks of Hive structures.

"The interference is getting worse," Brix said. "But I'm starting to pick up a pattern. Do you hear it, Ana?"

At this point Wren thought she could hear it too, a distant but constant roar, rising and lowering in pitch but never ceasing. Almost like a song.

"I'll need more data to be sure, but yeah. I'm thinking it might be an encoded message," Ana replied.

"Then we keep moving," Rorick said, signaling his team to stop while he took a few more steps and fired a rocket at a group of Hive that poured from the next cavern, down the slope Cerulean was climbing.

The Hive exploded in a hail of ice and shrapnel, small bits of things on fire where they had been standing. The flames died quickly, leaving only slick black spots on the icy floor. Rorick didn't stop. He proceeded without hesitation but the rest of the team kept some distance with him in case he had to launch more rockets.

Wren was surprised that he was using them so soon. It was like he was impatient. Trying to get them out as soon as possible. But what good was that? They were here, once again readying to fight a god. There was no telling what would become of them and it wasn't like Rorick to seem afraid. He had always been a sturdy, dependable leader. Fear felt… wrong.

The rounded the corner to the cavern and face the strange green light coming from the right. There were a few Hive left, but none of them grouped and none of them large enough to need a rocket so Rorick slung the massive weapon over to his back and used his auto rifle to proceed.

In the distance, half hidden by rugged stone pillars was some sort of crystal that spun in midair. It was black with glowing green light across its surface like deep cracks, as if the crystal could explode from the inside at any moment. An Acolyte guarded it but that wasn't enough to keep the Guardians at bay.

"Those crystals are surging with energy," Brix said.

"They must be using them to gather power to feed Xol," Kiran said, the other Ghosts Sambo and Vira muttering their agreement.

Cerulean neared the crystal and a Knight emerged, its voice carrying in an angry cry through the caves. Several Cursed Thrall seemed to rise up out of nowhere at the call and without hesitation they charged the Guardians. There was no time for Rorick to use his rocket launcher, but Franz focused fire on the first in the group and set of a chain reaction in their ranks.

Bright light erupted from the explosions and the Knight took that as an opportunity to get closer to them, running through toward Cerulean, firing an energy weapon as fast as it could manage. The blue shots flying at them were star shaped, jagged and spinning, sending the fireteam scattering away from them, and each other.

The Knight had a strange glow to it, matching the look of the crystal is was protecting and for a moment Wren wondered if their shots would do any or good or if it was being protected in turn by the crystal itself but when one of Sisre's shots shattered the Knight's shoulder, bits of bone like armor crumbling, she gained confidence.

When the Knight was finally killed, a ball dropped to the ground from its ashes and rolled a few feet toward Rorick who picked it up to examine it. The inside pulsed and glowed and there were thick black bands that encircled it.

"It's some sort of relic," he said as Sisre tried to pass him only to be met by a shimmering black wall blocking the way.

"I think that crystal's power is connected to this barrier," she said and turned to take a shot at it with her scout rifle, but the bullet didn't appear to do any damage. "Yeah, that's what I was afraid of."

"The energy in the relic is volatile," Brix mused. "Perhaps if you try throwing it at the crystal, it will be enough to destroy it."

"Everyone back up," Rorick demanded, and waited to throw the relic until everyone was out of the way.

Wren braced herself for an intense explosion but what happened but nothing like she expected. The crystal shattered into small pieces but it wasn't even enough to rumble the cave floor. The sparks rained down like the remnants of fireworks and Rorick motioned them to pass.

With the barrier gone, they could move freely deeper into the tunnel system. So far nothing looked different from what she'd expect to see in a Hive cave. Rough walls, barnacles crunching under her boots, and the occasional light which she never understood why the Hive needed in the first place. Still, the tunnel system did appear to be quite extensive.

"It looks like the Hive have been busy down here," Franz said.

"Keep going," Zavala said. "According to scans, there's a large chamber where all the tunnels intersect. That makes it the most likely spot for Xol's feeding ground."

The farther they went, the more smooth the sides of the tunnels became and the less they encountered pillars or large boulders. Somehow they had passed from Hive made, to tunnels made by the worm god itself.

"Damn," Franz breathed, his head tilting to look up at the ceiling. He must have noticed what Wren did.

"Look at the size of these tunnels," Sisre said. "Xol must be immense."

"Meaning Xol is stronger than we thought," Ana said.

"All the more reason to take it down now," replied Zavala.

"If only they knew what we'd seen before," Kiran said, for only Wren to hear. Or so she thought until Cayde replied.

"Big Blue never did explain why he didn't show the footage you brought back to your fireteam."

Wren made a small affirmative noise but didn't speak.

"I'm headed back to Zavala's office now," Cayde said. "I had some uh… business with Ikora but I'm here now. I got a whole group of Hunter ready to jump in if ya need backup."

At least there was that.

Cerulean kept a good pace through the tunnels, fighting their way through Acolytes and Vanquishers with their thick shields, preserving their Supers incase they ran into something larger than expected before reaching the feeding ground.

At last they came upon an opening in the cave system where the room opened into a cavern. It was a decent size, but nothing like some of the others they had passed through. At least there they could see the walls and there was no drop off into darkness.

However, there was one odd fixture in the center of the lower section, which they could see from the entrance. On the floor was a glowing sigil with several Knights guarding it. They were trying to summon someone. Some thing.

A Wizard spun up from the floor through the summoning circle and it vanished right after.

"Franz, kill it," Rorick said as he and Sisre moved to the left, up an incline and behind a natural pillar to fight some Thrall that they could hear from just on the other side.

Wren fell back to the right to cover Franz as the Warlock let loose his Super and attacked the Wizard head on. She took a few shots where she could, careful to not hit him but the thought of accidentally shooting him made her hands shake. She focused instead on a Knight that was approaching to defend the Wizard which Franz had all but disintegrated. What was left of it crumpled and his Super was gone before he could expend any of that energy on the Knight.

Franz spun to meet the larger Hive, its sword high, when two shots of Wren's scout rifle ripped through its neck and side of its head, the rest of its body shattering into ice and ash. Franz said nothing. He barely looked over his shoulder to her before rushing off to meet Rorick and Sisre over the little incline that divided the room.

Wren followed, hearing Sisre's sniper fire. They must have more to deal with than she thought and as she cleared the side of the pillar she could see the other members of her fireteam engaged with a hoard of Hive. Her heart lept up in her throat and before she could really think, Arc energy erupted from her, crackling around her as the staff formed in her hand.

She rushed the Hive, the Arc staff no more fluid in her hands than it had been before, but she still ripped through the Hive with little damage to herself. There were a few instances when she hissed in pain as the staff made contact with her own body, but it wasn't as bad as last time.

"We really gotta get you trained with that thing," Cayde said, the grimace in his voice apparent.

When the Hive were gone and the Arc energy fizzled around her, leaving her feeling drained and out of breath, Rorick approached.

"Wren, we need to save as much of our energy as possible. Using Super randomly isn't going to help when we face Xol. Keep your head and pay attention to my lead," he said, then passed, Sisre and Franz following quietly.

Wren hung back, Rorick's words stinging in a way she hadn't expected. Had she really fallen so far out of touch or was he being overly critical?

"Don't worry about it Sugarbird," Cayde started but Wren cut him off.

"Don't. Just… don't."

"I'm sorry," he replied quietly. "You're doin' great."

The comm clicked and he was gone. Wren regretted snapping at him but it was too late now. She'd have to apologize later when she saw him again. Her stomach sank as she caught up to Cerulean again. She glanced at Franz's back. He never go a second chance. He lost Beorn on a mission like this one. High stakes. Would there come a day when she would be like Beorn? Gone on a mission but never to return?

It took her back to her early days as a new Guardian. She'd been so afraid to form bonds for fear that those she loved would die, and now look at her? In love with the Vanguard, a man who within the first twenty four hours of meeting him she'd called a joke. Walking to one of her former best friend's backs because he couldn't stand the sight of her. Beorn was gone… when would it be over?

"Brix, those Hive were chanting something," Rorick said. "Can you decipher it?"

"One moment to analyze," Brix said, returning only a few seconds later with a response. "They were chanting in an archaic form, about a priest - Nokris - and how he was labeled a heretic."

"What could possibly qualify as heresy for the Hive?" Zavala asked.

"Something about… resurrection?"

"Hm. I'm not sure. We'll have to do some digging. Continue."

"Yes Commander," Rorick said, despite the fact that they had not stopped moving.

The tunnel dropped off in to another large cavern and Cerulean dropped in one at a time, Wren in the rear. There was a natural platform toward the center of the space with a lowered space surrounding it, like an inverted donut.

Atop the small plateau was an Ogre, and three more glowing crystals like they had seen before. Likely they too would be guarded by a special Knight that would drop a relic they could destroy the crystals with. Tethers of energy like white light tied the crystals to the Ogre which seemed to be struggling to move. It shifted a few yards in each direction only to be pulled back to the center by the tethers.

"This is some kind of holy space," Brix said.

"They're readying another offering for Xol," Sambo added.

"Sacrificing an Ogre?" Kiran shuddered.

"Big snack," Vira chuckled.

"Franz, Wren, go with me. Sisre, say here and cover us with your sniper," Rorick said.

The trio sloshed through ankle deep water toward the left side of the plateau, keeping low so the Ogre couldn't get closer and attack them with its eye blast. Still Wren found herself glancing up on occasion, making sure the grotesque thing wasn't looming overhead.

Rorick and Franz bullied the first Knight they encountered and as expected, it glowed with a barrier as the one had before. Wren turned, shooting at some of the smaller Hive that followed, while Sisre stayed behind and finished them off with her sniper rifle.

A shot grazed her shoulder when she turned back to see what was going on with the Knight. She hissed a curse and staggered as Rorick tossed the relic to her. It almost rolled from her grasp but she caught it before it hit the floor.

"Jump up and toss it at the nearest crystal," Rorick said. "We're going to push around the circle and find the next Knight."

"But… the Ogre—"

"We'll draw it away," he insisted, grabbing her elbow. She couldn't see his face, but he stared right at her. "I didn't leave you before, trust me. Now go!"

Wren looked to the crystal that spun overhead, barely within her sight. She'd have to jump up to throw the relic but her heart pounded in her ears and she had to force herself to move. She threw the relic as soon as she could see enough of the crystal and upon its destruction, the Ogre whipped around and attacked, a bright blast barely missing her helmet.

She hit the ground on her butt and scrambled to her feet, running as fast as she could to the next Knight, which Rorick and Franz had killed as she rounded the bend behind them. Rorick tossed her the relic and this time she could see the crystal clearly enough that she didn't need to jump. The back side of the plateau sloped down to where they were standing and the three of them were exposed.

"What the hell is that?" Wren grimaced at the sight of two illuminated, yellow pustules that protruded from the wall above a cave. They looked like they'd blow at any minute but Rorick and Franz didn't reply.

The three of them sprinted out of the way and Wren almost missed with her throw, only to have Franz catch her by her collar and throw yank her out of the way before the second blast from the Ogre hit the floor where she'd been standing. Wren spun with the force of the pull but she didn't stop.

The third Knight appeared and Sisre had taken it upon herself to move closer, keeping toward the wall and out of sight of the Ogre, but in prime position to fire off a few rounds into the Knight. It turned its back on Rorick and the Titan landed a crushing blow with his fist to the back of its head. The Knight crumpled and the relic rolled along the floor. Franz kicked it Wren's direction and reloaded, ready to take on the Ogre the moment the shield was down.

"You should have stayed in position!" Rorick barked and Sisre shouldered him hard in passing.

Wren jumped high and threw the last relic just as the other three Guardians cleared the top of the plateau and began unloading into the Ogre. It screeched and clawed at the floor as great chunks of flesh dropped to the floor. In a span of time that felt like seconds, it was dead and the Guardians were left panting.

"What were you doing?" Rorick breathed.

"The better question is; Why are you being so bossy all of a sudden?" Sisre shot. "You've always trusted your team to make the right decisions."

"It's not about that and you know it."

Sisre straightened. "You're right. And you know what? I think it's time we said something."

"What's this about?" Franz asked.

"Rorick and I are considering semi-retirement. We want to adopt a child and start living in the City more. Training new Guardians, teaching weapon maintenance and basic survival."

Wren almost took a step back.

"Wait, what?" Franz said. "Hold up, that would mean they'd break us up. Different fire teams and—"

"Nothing is decided yet," Rorick said.

"Cerulean, you need to focus," Zavala snapped. "Get back to the mission. You can discuss this later."

Franz and Rorick faced on another, almost staring each other down and Wren felt like a twisted Hive claw was knotted in her stomach. He was right. If Sisre and Rorick were out of the picture, she and Franz would be put in different fireteams. She might not ever see him again and then what? All this time she'd hoped they could patch things up but without being made to work together in times like this? She might never make amends with him.

"The feeding ground is right below us," Brix said quietly.

A moment's hesitation before the group continued but Wren hung back even farther than before, her feet like lead. The cave was getting darker as they went but her mind reeled with the information they'd had dropped on them and she had no capacity to feel fear for the claustrophobia inducing caves.

"I'm sorry Sugarbird," Cayde said. "I didn't know…"

"I've decoded the interference pattern," Ana said, her tone awkward. Trying to get back on track with the mission felt wrong and it seemed everyone was aware of that tension. "Akka, Eir, Yul, Ur… those are names Guardian. Ancient, powerful names. This is more than we—"

"Ana?" Rorick said but there was no reply. The comms crackled, shuddered, and went dead.

"Cayde?" Wren whispered. Nothing.

"Looks like we're alone from here," Rorick said, hitching up his weapon and pressing on.

They dropped into another well-lit cavern with a glowing green rune in the center, encircled with tall, curved black spikes like a gnarled hand reaching up from the ground. Acolytes bowed in a circle around the summoning circle, offering weapons to whatever they were trying to coax forth. To the right the floor sloped up to an archway that swirled with dark energy; a portal.

Rorick threw a grenade and the Acolytes scattered. The Guardians took advantage of their surprise and ambushed them before they had time to adjust their weapons. Behind them, a strange noise came from the portal and an instant later a being emerged. It was similar to a Wizard, floating above the ground. Deep red robes fluttered and curled around it and its face glowed with fierce green eyes. Dark horns extended from its head like a bull, then curled into ragged shapes.

"That's not Xol," Kiran said.

"Who the hell is it?" Franz yelled, putting his back to one of the claw-like pillars as the horned Hive launched a volley of what appeared to be fireballs at him.

"Nokris," Vira said. "The disfavored son of Oryx."

"How the hell did he have so many fucking kids?" Franz spat. "Never mind, I don't wanna know."

Nokris lobbed fireballs with one hand and raised Hive from the ground with the other and the onslaught was constant with little room to take cover. Rorick didn't even try to keep his rockets for last. He knelt to the floor and fired them off as fast as he could while the rest of the fireteam did their best to keep Nokris' attention.

With Rorick and Sisre being their heavy hitters, it was up to Wren and Franz to not only distract but kill as many of the smaller Hive as possible, which Wren could hear Franz counting every time he dropped one.

"You'll lose with those numbers!" Sisre laughed but it didn't dissuade Franz until he got too close to Nokris and the creature turned to face him. "Franz!"

A blast of flames hit Franz in the side mid-jump, sending him flying into the rock wall. He groaned as he hit the floor and cried out as Wren dropped over him, shielding him with her body as she unloaded her hand canon into Nokris' chest. The Hive hardly seemed phased at all but another rocket made him lurch to the side and almost hit the floor.

Wren knelt close to Franz, giving Vira the space she needed to heal the Warlock before Wren could help him to his feet. At first he accepted, then pushed her away, limping down the slope, then taking off to glide to a space opposite Rorick and Sisre's position.

Nokris shot a bolt of energy at one of the stony claws and it crumbled, revealing a crystal like those they had seen before. His body was wrapped in a shield of white light. Did each of those strange pillars hide a crystal too?

"Find the Knight!" Rorick yelled and Wren took off toward Franz' side of the cavern so extend the search for the Knight.

It wasn't hard to find considering the glow emanating from it. Wren finished it off and Franz took the relic and threw it himself. He worked side by side with Wren but he didn't speak to her. It felt like progress, but all of that could be out the window if the fireteam was split.

"Keep your positions!" Rorick called, then he used his Super against Nokris the instant the barrier dropped.

Franz took a knee in cover, keeping low so he could kiss the Thrall and Acolytes that swarmed around Nokris, claws extending to tear at Rorick as he streaked overhead in a burst of Arc energy. Wren hoped he'd be able to get as much of his frustrated energy out as possible. Dealing with Rorick when he wasn't his normal, calm self wasn't something Wren enjoyed.

The Titan surely got his frustration out on Nokris, the Hive struggling to stay upright while Rorick pounded on him, bolts of electricity shooting out in all directions with every hit. Wren wouldn't want to be on his bad side.

Nokris screamed in rage and pain, shooting fireballs randomly in the hopes that he would hit anything at all but all that he managed was a hit on another jagged claw of stone, shattering it. A new crystal underneath was Sisre's first target and she began her search for the Knight. Wren and Franz tried to keep the smaller Hive away from Rorick as he made his retreat. He backed away, training his weapon on Nokris until at last the crystal broke and he was able to open fire again.

How much longer would this go? Wren's calves began to ache and a stabbing pain in her ribs signaled that a cramp was not far behind. She dug her elbow into her side to help but she couldn't apply enough pressure through her armor.

"Somethin's gotta give soon," Franz said. "I'm runnin' low on ammo."

Rorick didn't reply. There was nothing to say. All they could do was keep firing on Nokris, keep killing the hoards of Hive that rose from the shadows of the cavern, keep themselves alive. There was no help here. There was no calling the Vanguard for backup and even if they could, there was no guarantee help would arrive in time. They'd have to be careful.

The third crystal appeared and Nokris laughed as the shield covered him moments before Rorick's rocket hit him, sending the fiery explosion rolling across the barrier. Wren didn't figure Nokris had a reason to laugh. He was in bad shape. Heavily wounded, robes in tatters, and yet he would fight to the death. That was the Hive way.

Franz and Wren didn't waste time waiting for the third Knight. They split up and found him quickly, the pair of them catching him from both sides until the relic was free and Wren could throw it at the final crystal. Nokris went for Sisre the moment the shield dropped and Rorick raced toward her. The rest of the fireteam converged on the single location, Sisre backing up as fast as she could while also unloading her sniper rounds into the Hive.

He let out a strange cry and raised an arm to slash at Sisre when a rocket slammed into his back and his body crumbled into a rain of hot ash that scattered across Sisre's armor.

They stood for a moment, the only sound their own labored breathing. It was done. They had defeated Nokris. One step closer to the Worm God and it was obvious they were all feeling the strain.

Franz stood and dug his fists into his lower back. "Damn I'm outta shape."

"We have a long way to go," Rorick said, receiving a hand squeeze from Sisre to signal she was fine.

"There, in the center. That's where we can place the fragment," Brix said.

"And that'll lure out the bastard?" Franz said. "I'm still running low on ammo."

"I'm not sure we can do anything about that. We're alone down here," Sisre said.

"I can spare some," Rorick said, handing over several clips to Franz. "We'll just have to be conservative and smart about our ammo."

"Right," Franz muttered, reloading his weapon as Rorick walked to the center of the room let Brix transmat in the shard of the Traveler.

It floated above the summoning circle which had now gone dark, leaving only a smooth plate in the dirt. No sooner did he put it down, the cavern began to shake violently. Rocks and debris fell from the ceiling and clouds of dust lowered the visibility. Wren's heart leapt into her throat and she almost vomited.

Rorick shielded Sisre who had dropped to one knee and Franz ran toward the cave where they had come from, calling for them to follow but another voice stopped Wren and she stared wide eyed at a massive wormlike creature that had slithered out of a dark opening overhead and into another, the length of its body seemingly endless.

"There is no Light here," the voice said, a deep unearthly rumbling that came from everywhere and nowhere at once. "You are alone. You shall drift. You shall drown in the Deep."

"We gotta get out of here!" Franz insisted and Wren turned on her heel and sprinted toward him but before she could run more than a couple yards, the cavern collapsed and everything went dark.

Throbbing in her head brought her to a slow realization that she hadn't died. Not this time. As clarity came, so also did the realization that she was buried. Most of her body was surrounded by rock and rubble and she could only move her left hand.

"Wren? Franz?! Where are you?!" Sisre called, but she sounded muffled. Far away.

"I'm here," she said, trying to move her arm as panic began to rise like bile in her throat. She wanted to move. To thrash. To get herself free of the weight but nothing happened except an increase in her heartrate and breathing. "Sisre!"

"I can't tell where you are."

Wren's right hand still held her Better Devils and despite knowing it wasn't a great idea, she pulled the trigger, hoping the shot would alert them somehow.

"Get me out!" she demanded, anger bubbling up as her body began to shake and sweat.

"I got her," Rorick said, grabbing her free wrist and pulling. It took a couple of minutes before she was free enough to pull herself out of the rubble and look around.

"Thank the light," Sisre sighed.

"Where is Franz?" Wren asked, but the Titans had no answer.

She got to her feet and figured out the direction she'd been heading. "I was running to him. He can't be far."

A low moan alerted her and she pulled off her helmet to hear better. The sound came from her right and a few yards away so she motioned to Sisre and Rorick and moments later they uncovered Franz, his helmet cracked in half and blood trickling from a gash across his forehead.

"He's okay," Wren said, stroking a strand of blood tinged hair away from his eyes. "Let's get him out."

Franz sat on the rubble a moment, trying to catch his breath while Vira healed him. The little Ghost fretted over him quietly, and for the first time since their descent, they heard the comms.

"Cerulean? Are you there?" Zavala said.

"Yes Commander. Xol wasn't here," Rorick replied. "We faced a being called Nokris but when we placed the piece of the Traveler, Xol appeared and collapsed the cavern on us."

"Xol is heading directly for the Clovis Bray facility and Rasputin," Ana said. "If Rasputin dies, the javelin goes with him. Xol wins."

"Very well," Zavala relented. "My reservations about the Warmind aren't as important as defeating Xol. We do this together. What do you say, Cerulean?"

"We can be on the way as soon as we escape the caverns but we are in desperate need of a resupply and Franz needs a new helmet," Rorick said.

"I can arrange that. Cayde was supposed to have teams standing by with supplies, I'll make sure your Ghosts get the location information."

"Thank you, Commander."

"Report back when you are finished."

"Alright Cerulean, you heard them. Lets get out of here."

"Sugarbird?" Cayde said as Wren put her helmet back on.

"Let's go," Wren said, unwilling to address him directly. He let out a breath of relief.

"Good to hear your voice. Listen, when you get outta there, we're taking a vacation."

Wren smiled.