One season. Can we get one fucking season without some kind of drama? I swear to fucking goat Jesus, I'm so tired. Putting the recent circumstances aside, we've made it to Grasp of Avarice. This one was a right challenge to write, hope you all like it.
If you enjoy it, feel free to leave a reivew saying what you liked. If you hate it, feel free to leave a review sending another fifteen cars to Pete Parsons.
Chapter 25: The Burden of Riches
A million deaths is not enough for Master Rahool.
The ruins of the Old Russian Cosmodrome were covered in rust. The wind would tear through the ancient buildings, whistling to the tune of the violently departed souls that may still haunt their graves. The Hive had long since overrun this place, gnawing at the bones of those who could not escape the Collapse. Pain clung to the Cosmodrome like a psychic scar. Perhaps that was why so many Guardians had been found here.
Royal pushed through the bristling fields of overgrown grass, walking past empty shells of buildings. A large Hive obelisk sprouted from the ground like a speartip piercing the crust around it. A Hive Wizard floated beside it with dozens of Thralls wandering through the fields. Royal crept atop a small hill and perched his rifle on the ground. Luz knelt beside him as he peered through the scope.
"One Wizard, at least a dozen Thrall," he reported. "They appear to be guarding something just beyond the obelisk."
"Time to go loud?" Luz asked eagerly. Beneath his helmet, Royal grinned.
"Go for it." Luz turned around and waved to Amity, signaling that she was clear. Amity raised her rocket launcher from atop a small building and took aim. She lined up her shot, waited for a moment, and fired. The launcher's back end spat a smoke cloud as the rocket tore through the air. It careened directly into the Wizard and exploded. The Wizard died in a hail of fire and shrapnel. The Thrall didn't fare much better, cut down by the force of the rocket's detonation.
"Alright, let's move up," Royal said, slinging his rifle onto his back. "Sooner we find this missing fireteam, sooner we can go home."
"I hear you on that," Amity said as she strode to join them. She stretched her arms over her head, letting the limbs pop. "This Russian weather does not agree with me."
"Oh, so now fleshy bits are a bad thing," Royal jested. Together, the three approached the Hive obelisk. Royal checked his HUD as they grew closer. "Looks like our destination is just a bit further ahead."
The three circled around the obelisk, stepping over Hive bodies. A few Eliksni corpses were intermingled with them. Luz knelt to inspect them more closely. As she did, Amity peered into a small cavern ahead of them. A small crystal made of a quartz-like material sat at the back. The dirt in the ground seemed loose, as though it would give way. Yet there was a strange force to it that kept it bound together. Amity tested it with a few light pokes from her feet while Luz looked up from the Eliksni.
"House Dusk," she said. "They haven't been dead for long, though I don't recognize some of these markings. Maybe they're an offshoot? A special brigade?"
"House Dusk has been known to operate in this area," Royal said. "Territorial skirmishes with the Hive aren't unheard of." He cast his eye over the Eliksni bodies, noting their formation.
"It looks like they got cornered," Luz said.
"Or they were committed to their position," Royal objected. "Look at how they're laid out. They were protecting something."
"I'm gonna go with cornered," Amity said, poking her head out of the diminutive cave. "There's nothing here." Royal narrowed his optics as he thought. Lancer appeared beside him, tilting his shell as he looked at the cave entrance.
"Wait, I think I've heard of this place. Word in the city says it was an old loot cave. A whole lotta engrams came from this place. Probably gear stashes from the Devils or the Kings. After a while, the well dried up, and Guardians moved on. Seems like our missing fireteam uncovered something."
"That still doesn't explain why there's nothing here," Amity said. Not many places for three Guardians to hide—unless they're buried, in which case I didn't bring my shovel."
Luz ignored their talk, inspecting the slain Eliksni for any clues. A brilliant gleam shone into her eye as she brushed the folds of fabric beneath a dead Captain's armor. Luz paused before spreading the cloth. A resplendent dodecahedron made of golden data rested in the Captain's armor.
Luz grinned, "Jackpot." She reached in to grab the engram, eager for whatever relic or loot she might uncover. The second her fingers made contact, the engram's shine changed from flawless gold to bloody crimson. A foreign sensation flooded Luz, melting into her skin and rushing through her body. She lifted the engram to the dreary light of the Russian afternoon, devoting all her attention to it. It was beautiful, but more importantly, it was hers.
"Luz, what did you find?" Royal asked. Luz snapped her head to face him. The Warlock was looking at the engram, curiousity in his stance. Luz felt a surge of jealousy within her. He wanted to take it, take what belonged to her. Why should he get it? She had been working so hard; she deserved it more than he did.
"Stay back!" Luz snapped, cradling the engram close while keeping Royal at arm's length. Lightning sparked in her eyes as she glared at the Exo. "I got it first; it's mine!"
Royal held up his hands to placate her as Amity stepped out of the cave, wondering what the commotion was about. "Easy, I'm just asking a question."
"You want to take it from me," Luz hissed. Her eyes bristled with hostility as they darted to Amity. "Both of you do!" Her body grew strained as her eyes flickered between the two. She tried to back away as they encircled her. Seeing that she was surrounded, she cradled her engram close and hissed like a wild animal.
"Luz, snap out of it," Amity said, her fingers ready to cast a spell to either protect themselves from Luz or Luz from herself.
"I don't know what's gotten into her," Aurora said, her voice slightly panicked. "You need to get that engram away from her!"
"Sorry, Luz, but this is for your own good." Amity spun her spell, and Abomination goo swirled around Luz. She screamed and pulled against it as it latched onto her limbs, binding her in place. A small golem wrestled the engram from Luz's hands. The woman desperately tried to hold onto it. Amity felt her resolve flicker as Luz cried in pain. Eventually, the Abomination tore the engram from Luz's grasp. It pulsed vibrantly, glowing brighter and brighter.
"Toss it!" Royal shouted. He grabbed Luz and dragged her to the ground as Amity ordered her construct to throw it into the cave. She plugged the hole with a wall of goo and took cover. They waited for the boom while Luz shivered from the sudden withdrawal. After a painfully long silence, Amity raised her head.
She withdrew her magical blast shield and peered into the cavern. The crystal glowed with crimson light as it absorbed the engram. The ground in the cave rumbled as Royal and Luz stood up. Dirt and stone collapsed into an unseen pit, revealing a small crystal-filled tunnel.
"So, what were you saying about a shovel?" Lancer asked.
"Looks like we've found where our missing fireteam went," Royal said. "I'll scout ahead; cover the entrance. If it seals behind me, sort it out." The Warlock dropped into the tunnel and drew his SMG. After giving the two women a thumbs up, he walked down the narrow path.
"Hey, are you alright," Amity asked, setting a gentle hand on Luz's shoulder. "Do you know what happened back there?"
Luz took a breath and looked down at the still-shaking hand that had clutched the engram. "No. Once I grabbed it, I just couldn't stop myself. It had me in its clutches."
"The only thing that matters is that you're safe," Amity said. "Sounds like we need to be careful not to grab any more engrams while we're down here." Luz smiled as Royal returned to the base of the drop.
"Path leads further ahead," he reported. "It's a massive underground cave system." Amity and Luz nodded before quickly dropping down to join him. Crystals shattered under their boots as they landed. Royal gestured for them to follow him and began his trek down the tunnel. As they did, Lancer drifted nearer to Amity.
"Why do I get the feeling that wasn't the first time you've used your magic to tie Luz up?" He asked. His words worked wonders as Amity's face instantly burned red. Her lips pressed into a tight line as she averted her gaze.
"Shut up," she muttered. Lancer gave a smug yet knowing look and faded out. Amity grumbled as he left. Ghost stalked before her Witch, fixing Amity with a look of her own. "Don't you give me crap too?"
Luz and Royal pushed ahead as Amity rushed to catch up with them. They moved through the narrow, winding halls of multicolored rock. Light from their Ghosts bounced off the crystals in a dazzling display of colors. As they walked, Luz accidentally kicked a loose stone. Looking down, her eyebrows furrowed as she realized it wasn't a stone but instead a glass bottle with a small device inside it.
"Hello there, what are you," she said, quickly snatching it up. Aurora shone a beam onto it as Royal and Amity peered over her shoulders.
"There's a recording device in there," Aurora said. "It's a message in a bottle."
"Can you play it?" Amity asked.
"Can I?" Aurora confidently replied. Amity looked to the side momentarily, weighing up the rhetorical question in her head.
"Can you?"
"Y-yeah, I can." She shone her beam onto the bottle once more. A small light on the device flickered to life. There was a burst of static before it began to play.
"This is the log of Wilhelm-7," a man's voice said from the device. "It's the end of day two, and I'm thinking that damn Vandal outsmarted us. When we chased him into the loot cave, I was sure he'd lead us right to the source of the treasure. But this just looks like… a regular cave. I haven't told the team we're lost, but Bismark is getting suspicious. That Ghost is too clever for his own good. Not ready to turn back, though. There's treasure here… there's got to be." The recording ended, and the light on the device flickered out. Luz furrowed her brow at the message and glanced at Royal.
"How long has this fireteam been MIA?" She asked.
"Few months at the least," Royal said. "They were an advance field team, meant to operate without much contact with the city. Seems like they missed their checkup."
"If they came down here hunting for loot, do you think they could have been hit by the same curse that almost got Luz?" Amity questioned.
"It's possible," Royal said. "That just means we need to move quicker." The group resumed their march without another word. Eventually, the winding tunnel opened before a giant chasm, bridged only by a thin spire of quartz. A small contingent of Hive waited at the other end. The Knight in charge roared at them and raised his shredder. The Guardians instantly dove behind cover as the Hive opened fire.
A violent whine filled the air, followed by a sound akin to dry bones snapping. A Hive construct floating in the air opened, revealing a massive eye of unblinking energy. The Shrieker wailed and fired a barrage of bolts at the Guardians.
"Amity, take out the Shrieker," Luz said, struggling to be heard over the burst of gunfire. "Royal and I will take care of the rest." Amity flashed a thumbs up as Luz propped up her machine gun. She pulled the trigger while Royal unleashed swathes of fire. The Hive didn't stand a chance against them. The Shrieker wasn't faring much better as Amity tore it apart with gunfire. Soon, the Hive had been thoroughly routed.
Royal signed for them to advance. "That's all of them, move up." He carefully walked across the narrow bridge of quartz. After a moment of hesitation, Luz joined him by slowly inching across. Amity gave the thin crystal one look before commanding her goo to form a bridge for her to cross.
"It's really just that easy," Amity boasted as she walked across. Royal scoffed, rolling his optics good-naturedly.
"Seems more like a crutch to me." As he turned to continue down the path, he saw light bouncing off another glass bottle. He grabbed it and offered it to Lancer. "Well, looks like we're on the right track." The recorder once again sparked with static before it began to play.
"It's day four, and still nothing," Wilhelm complained, his voice tinged with bitterness. "No gold-plated engrams. No exotic drops. Just more Fallen and Hive with their stupid Mos Ultimas and Scavenger Suits. I heard Bismark talking to Pershing and Agadir when they thought I was asleep. He wants us to turn back. But we can't. Not yet. The exotics are just around the next corner. I can smell them." The recording came to an end, and Royal discarded the bottle.
"This Wilhelm guy doesn't sound very stable," Amity said. "Who listens in on their teammates when they're supposed to be asleep."
"Sounds like usual Exo behavior to me," Royal countered. "We don't need as much sleep as you do, and it's hard not to hear things like that."
"Whether it was weird or not doesn't matter," Luz said. "We need to keep pushing forward. Who knows what could be lurking down here?" Royal nodded his assent, and together, the three Guardians continued down the path. Rusted support beams crossed through the stone, likely the remnants of old Golden Age architecture. Eventually, the path before them sharply dropped a hundred feet. They slid down the steep vertical decline, kicking up clouds of dirt and knocking loose pebbles out of the ground. Luz's knees bent to absorb the impact as she hit the ground.
Pushing through the last chunk of twisted ruins, they emerged into the sunlight. An ancient room sat before them, with two doors on the side and a concealed bunker. A dozen arrow signs pointed to the small button before the bunker. Royal stared at it with exasperation.
"The Fallen can't think we're that stupid," he said. Shaking his head, he moved to the nearest door and grabbed the handle. The door gave a metallic click as he began to twist it open. "Honestly, they couldn't have made it more obvious that it's a-" The door swung open and a wall of spikes shot out of the entryway. Royal didn't even have time to blink before he was skewered like a kebab. Some coolant fluid leaked from the puncture wounds on his body as he hung there. Despite the morbid scene, Luz and Amity had to fight off the urge to laugh.
The spikes retreated back to the shadows with a harsh scrape. Royal returned to the land of the living with an angry yet resigned frown plastered on his face. The Exo glared at the offending door before drawing in a deep breath. "Alright, the Fallen win this round."
"Titan, that was priceless," Amity wheezed. "I guess that makes it Fallen: 1 and Royal… probably a lot more than one, honestly." The Warlock grumbled as she approached the second door and grabbed the handle. "You just lack the magic touch."
Royal grumbled some
more as she swung the door open. To the Exo's chagrin, no wall of rusted spikes sprung forth to skewer the Titan. Amity spread her arm and gave a few mock bows. Luz joined in, applauding the Witches efforts.
"It's just that simple, Royal," Amity said as she stepped inside. "Maybe next time, I'll take point." Her boast was capped off by a loud click. Amity looked down as the pressure plate she had stepped on sank into the ground. A panel on the ceiling was rapidly propelled down, swinging on its hinges. In an instant, Amity was impaled on yet another wall of spikes. Her face was trapped in a look of surprise as her muscles twitched. Blood poured from dozens of gaping wounds. Eventually, the spikes retracted, dropping Amity's body to the ground.
"Well, that certainly shut her up," Pal said. "Maybe I should take some notes…"
"Pal," Luz warned with a low voice. The Ghost huffed before shining Light onto the Witch. Amity gasped as she was brought back to life. She looked up as Royal stood over her with his arms crossed and a half-cocked eyebrow.
"Magic touch, huh?"
"Alright, we'll call it a draw," Amity said. Royal nodded and offered her a hand. Luz peered into the room as he pulled Amity back to her feet.
"I think I see something back there," she said. She gracefully glided over the pressure plate before either could inquire what she meant. A switch sat on the wall, tantalizing her with possibilities. She nervously glanced back over her shoulder. Amity threw up a barrier to shield her and Royal before offering a double thumbs-up. Luz took a wary breath and flipped the switch. She immediately tensed, recoiling from the wall as she prepared to be impaled. After a second, she realized that no spikes had punched through her body to gore her. There was a loud groan as the bunker door creaked open, shaking off a snowstorm of rust.
Luz let out a breath as her body relaxed. Royal shrugged and went to inspect the bunker. Luz prepared to exit the room, only to catch a glint of light out of the corner of her eye. Glancing to the side, she saw yet another message left by Wilhelm. Scooping it up, she offered it to Aurora.
"It's the end of day six and… we did it!" The recording of Wilhelm said, unable to keep the excitement from leaking into his synthesized voice. "We found the source of the loot! Broke into a chamber and it's wall to wall with engrams. Glimmer piled to the ceiling! Top-tier loot as far as the eye can see! We're gonna go as deep as we can. There must be even more ahead! We'll figure out how to split it all up later. Should be easy with so much of it." As the recording ended, Luz carefully extracted herself from the room while Royal exited the bunker, having flipped the switches within to open the air vents above.
"This Wilhelm guy is giving me bad vibes," she said as they began climbing the wall to reach the ventilation. He sounds absolutely unhinged."
"Sounds like he'd get on swimmingly with Odalia," Amity grumbled. "Fitting, considering she's a greedy, conniving bitch."
Upon reaching the top of the rafters, the three glided to the open ventilation shafts. It took a little trial and error—along with Luz being flung into a wall at damn near terminal velocity by a high-powered fan coming online—but they eventually found the path ahead.
Royal leaped through a small hole and reached down to pull the others up. They were in a narrow, open-roofed corridor that led to a tunnel infested with Hive growths. Another message from Wilhelm rested on a small table, partially buried under rubble.
"Day ten. We're deep in the cave system now, and each cavern's richer than the last. Deciding who gets what is tougher than I thought. Pershing shot Agadir over a mid-tier pulse rifle he already had! Agadir's Ghost came out hollering, and Pershing damn near shot him too before I stepped in. There are more engrams here than a body could ever need… but nobody wants to part with their cut." Wilhelms's voice slipped halfway between his usual gravelly voice and a raspy growl toward the end.
"And the bad vibes just keep rolling," Luz said as they began to walk down the tunnel.
"It seems like this fireteam is going through something similar to what we saw earlier," Royal noted. "Perhaps the Hive have laid some kind of enchantment upon the engrams?"
"Wasn't this place an Eliksni enclave?" Amity asked. "Maybe it's a trap to lure in Guardians?" The three reached the end of the tunnel, where a small terminal and a sealed door coated in rust and grime awaited them.
"Doesn't feel like the usual style of the Fallen," Royal said, pressing a few buttons on the terminal. "But we can't rule it out until we know more." The door creaked and groaned as it began to open. The Hive gunk that had caked into the hinges was shattered to the sound of dry twigs snapping and fell to the ground. As the door opened, the tunnel flooded with sunlight.
Before them was a small bridge that crossed over a large canal filled with rushing water. Two large doors sat on either end, with seven smaller doors like theirs dotted across the sides. The door across from them was open, beckoning them into a dark, secluded room.
"This feels like a trap," Luz said. She squinted for a moment as she thought. "Not it."
"Not it," Amity said as well. Royal grimaced and readied his SMG. Lancer projected a beam of light to illuminate the room as he ducked inside. He moved slowly over the ancient floor, his footfalls echoing throughout the cramped corridors. His eyes glanced down for a split second, and he instantly froze. His foot hovered over another pressure plate. Royal slowly retracted his leg before glancing at the wall.
"Lovely," he muttered, looking at the holes in the wall where dozens of rusted spikes awaited activation. "Whoever designed all these traps was either a genius or a sadist." Royal moved around the pressure plate and reached the back wall where another terminal awaited his. Royal flipped a switch and heard the distant sound of machinery grinding against itself as one of the doors opened.
He turned to leave, only to quickly glance to the side as claws scratched against the walls. Lancer shone his beam onto the source, only to turn up nothing. Another creature scuttled above them. Both of their optics shot upward, just in time to see a Thrall's leg vanish into a small burrow. Royal gripped his weapon in one hand and lit his other on fire. He hurled a ball of explosive Light after the Thrall.
Solar flames engulfed the overgrown structure, finally shedding light upon the room. Dozens of Thrall began to scream as they caught on fire. They poured out of the walls, baring claws and fangs. Royal sprayed bullets at them as they closed in. One jumped at him, only for Royal to cut it in half with a burning hand. He left the room as it burned behind him.
As he exited back into the sun, he saw a Knight fall onto the bridge. He tried to stand back up, only to be decapitated by a disc of Void Light. Royal shoved its body into the waters below with his foot before glancing up. Amity looked down at him and offered a salute.
"We've got another switch back here," she said. "And another message from Wilhelm."
"Don't keep me waiting," Royal said. "Let's hear it." Amity tossed the bottle to him since Pal was being as uncooperative as usual.
"It's day fourteen, and Pershing's dead—permanently. Agadir went Golden Gun outta nowhere and shot his Ghost. Pershing tried to throw up a barrier after—didn't do him any good without his Light. He died standing there like an idiot. Bismarck says we should go back to the surface, but I'll be damned if I'm gonna leave all this loot for those greedy Cryptarchs. At least there's a silver lining: Pershing had some nice gear. It's mine now."
"They… killed each other," Amity muttered, utterly horrified. "Over loot?"
"This place really is cursed," Royal muttered. "If it can drive one fireteam against each other…"
"You don't think Luz has been cursed, do you?"
"Just keep an eye on her," Royal said. "I don't trust this place." His attention was stolen when the door on the other side of the canal opened with a loud screech. Luz walked over to the two, wiping the dust off her gloves.
"What are you guys talking about?" She asked. The two shared an uncomfortable glance before Amity turned to Luz.
"Are you sure you're feeling okay? With the engram and everything?" She asked. Luz furrowed her brow before shrugging.
"I dunno. I feel the same as I always do," she said. "Why? What's going on?"
"There's something off about this place," Royal said. "Let's try to avoid any more engrams if we can help it. I don't care how shiny they are, leave them."
Luz seemed a little confused but nodded in agreement. With the matter settled, the three made their way down the length of the canal. At the far side of the room were two regular-looking doors. Royal stopped before them and turned back to his companions, crossing his arms.
"Not it."
"Yeah, yeah," Amity muttered as she moved to one door. Luz took the other and the two shared a nod. Amity pressed her lips together and opened the door. She immediately recoiled from the doorway, clenching her eyes shut and summoning a shield to protect herself. When nothing happened, she slowly opened a single eye. The door ahead was harmless, leading into a large circular tank with water sloshing about at the bottom.
Amity breathed a sigh of relief as Luz quickly stepped away from her door. Royal seemed a tad disappointed but brushed it off and looked through the door to the rickety platforms over the reservoir.
"This place must be an old water filtration system," Royal said. He instinctively shuffled away from the edge. "Really don't to fall down there."
"What, you afraid of a little water?" Luz asked as he stepped onto the platform. He flinched as the rusted metal creaked under his feet. Amity set a hand on her shoulder and whispered into her ear. Luz's eyebrows shot up as she turned back to Royal. "Wait, you really are afraid of the water?"
"You guys scout ahead and find the exit," Royal said, pointedly dodging the question like a Hunter dodging bar tabs. "I'll stay back here and make sure nothing sneaks up on us." He turned away and stepped back through the door. Lancer drifted behind him, giving Luz a slight nod to confirm her question.
"Well, may as well take a look around," Amity said. Together, the two investigated the cylindrical room. Rust coated the walls and the central pillar around which the platforms were built. There were gaps in the grates, leading to a swift and violent drop into the churning water below. A few rooms rested to the side, with two of them being locked down. Inside the unlocked one, another terminal with another switch could be seen in the back. Unfortunately, it was guarded by a squad of Acolyets.
Amity prepped a grenade and lined up her throw. She threw the explosive in a slight arc. It bounced off the ground with a metallic clang, drawing the Hive's attention. There was a brief shout before the contained Void Light detonated, atomizing the Hive. It took only a moment to flip the switch, opening a second door. A squad of Fallen Dregs shielded their eyes as the harsh sunlight assaulted them. A Vandal wielding an oversized cannon rushed out of the room. Luz dispatched the Dregs as painlessly as she could while Amity tackled the Vandal to the ground.
The two grappled for a moment. The Vandal desperately tried to push against her helmet as his lower arms sought purchase on her chest plate. Eventually, Amity's greater strength won out. She slammed the back of the Vandal's head against the grate beneath them. The metal cracked, partially from the force of the blow and partially from the wear of time. Amity stood over the Vandal and dusted off her hands as Luz rejoined her.
"Hey, that's a scorch cannon," she said, noting the Vandal weapon. She picked it up, fitting her fingers into the strange alien grip. "Pretty neat piece of gear."
"Does it help us figure out where to go?" Amity asked. Luz hefted the cannon onto her shoulder and looked to the last locked door. It sat isolated on a small platform, accompanied by a strange Fallen contraption.
"Maybe we can blast it down," she said. "This place is falling apart." Amity shrugged and stepped back. Luz aimed the cannon at the door and fired. A burst of Solar shrapnel went flying out of the cannon and careened into the door. The metal dented, but surprisingly held. However, the projectile burst into a small explosion. The contraption sparked to life as the heat washed over it. Its internal mechanisms began to whirl, and the door creaked open.
"That… shouldn't have worked," Amity said, staring at the contraption, then the scorch cannon. "Why did that work? How did that work?" Luz shrugged and slung the cannon across her back.
"Let's not look a gift snorse in the mouth. Here, you go ahead, I'll grab Royal." Amity tapped a few fingers to the side of her helmet and boosted herself across the gap. Luz returned to the entrance, where Royal was testing his rifle scope. He raised the weapon to his optic, though his posture was tense. Luz realized that he had been tense a lot lately.
"We found the way forward," she said. Royal jumped a little at the sound of her voice. He quickly brought himself back under control and slung his rifle over his back. Luz reached out to him. "Something on your mind?"
"I'm fine," he said forcefully. He stopped and let out a sigh. "That… came out more aggressive than I intended. I'm fine. Just have a lot to think about, between Outcast and Savathûn and everything else."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
Royal waved her off. "There's nothing to say. Let's just focus on completing this mission." Luz gave a hesitant nod, and the two entered the reservoir. As they approached the door, they heard a loud metallic thunk and something rolling down the stairs. They stopped as Amity sprinted down the steps, screaming at the top of her lungs. A massive pipe rolled after her, enveloping the entire stairwell with its mass. The pipe caught up to Amity and crushed her underneath its weight before rolling off the ledge and falling into the waters below.
"This place is seriously fucked up," Royal said while Luz tried and failed to fight off a laugh. Amity's body rematerialized as Pal brought her back.
"Stairs are clear," she mumbled.
"You don't say," Royal said, gliding across the gap. A cursory inspection of the stairs revealed nothing unusual, save for the tripwire Amity had stumbled across. The stairway led to a small yet empty room. More Fallen bodies littered the floor, fortunately deprived of engrams.
"Got another message," Luz said, holding up the bottle. Aurora gave it a quick look, and it began to play.
"Day eighteen." Wilhelms's voice sounded strained with exhaustion. How long had it been since he last rested? "I've got Agadir hauling the loot like a pack mule, using a sled I made out of old Fallen armor. Problem is, the deeper we go, the better engrams I find. The sled's fit to burst, and Agadir's about to drop. I… better be careful not to overwork him… He got much weaker after I killed his Ghost."
Silence fell on the room as the message finished. The three Guardians stared at each other. Luz couldn't keep suspicion from sneaking into her mind. Royal held up his hands to ease the tension.
"Look, we're all fine. Wilhlem obviously started to go crazy from the engrams. We know what to avoid. Let's find Wilhelm and Agadir, and we can get out of here."
"Given what we've heard, I'm not so sure we want to find them," Amity said.
"Someone has to bring them to justice," Luz countered. Royal nodded in agreement.
"Right, you are. Now, let's find out where we're going." The three split up, checking the corners of the dilapidated room for any way forward. Each seemed to be looking over their shoulder, wary that the curse might come calling.
"Luz," Aurora began, shining a light onto the wall as her Guardian poked around the room. "You're not gonna… you know, go crazy or anything, right?"
"Aurora, seriously, I'm fine," Luz said, moving down the length of the wall. "We're gonna be okay." The wall ended as she reached a stack of crates that piled up to the ventilation shafts in the ceiling. Luz followed them upward, where, to her mild surprise, there was a small opening with light filtering through.
"Guys, I found the path," she called out before climbing the crates. She ducked into the air vent and let the path lead her onward. After a quick jump over a small pit, the three found themselves standing at one edge of a broken bridge. At the other side of the room was an ample space with two rooms locked away, sealed by more of those Fallen lock contraptions. A Fallen dropship drifted overhead, depositing its crew. A large clump of crystals sat on the other side of the bridge, similar to the one Amity had charged with the engram.
"The Fallen have air support," Royall muttered. "We'll need to-"
Before he could continue, a colossal hand covered in organic armor appeared over the side of the building before them. It dug into the wall, cracking the ancient stone and metal. A second hand dug its claws into the wall as a humongous Ogre pulled itself over the crest, roaring as it dove onto the Fallen ship. The ship groaned as its metal was warped. The ship exploded, raining metal fragments down on the Fallen. The Ogre slammed into the ground, shaking the Earth beneath its feet. Phry'zhia the Insatiable roared loud enough to shake the skies, slamming its thick arms into the ground.
"Alright, new plan," Royal said. "Kill the Ogre." The three leaped across the ruined bridge, drawing their weapons and preparing for the fight to come. They opened fire and the Ogre found itself caught between the Fallen and the Guardians. Everything they fired bounced off the Ogre. Its body shimmered with strange energy that shielded it from harm.
"Our guns aren't scratching this thing," Amity said, sliding behind cover as the Ogre rounded on her. It blasted the half-buried wreckage with a barrage of Void energy. Eventually, it tired of that endeavor and returned to terrorizing the Fallen.
"Any ideas on how to get through the shield?" Luz asked.
"The energy in it feels similar to the one protecting the entrance to the cave," Amity said. "And there's another one of those clumps of crystals." She furrowed her brow with worry as she thought. "I think we need to siphon more of those engrams into the crystal. That should break the protective enchantment on the Ogre."
"It's the only plan we have," Royal said as the Ogre ripped up the metal platforms and sent the Fallen flying. "We'll have to handle them with care."
"First we have to find them," Amity said. Luz eyed up the sealed room on the right side of the arena and drew the scorch cannon off her back.
"I think I have an idea," she said, lining up the shot. She fired a blast of burning shrapnel at the device. The heat soaked into the machinery, and it sparked to life. The door groaned, shaking off rust as it slowly opened.
"It's as good a guess as any," Royal said. "Amity, you're with me. Luz, hold down the fort out here." Luz gave a thumbs up as the two quickly made their way across the field while the Ogre was distracted. It roared as they ducked into the room. The Hive were already pouring out of the walls to defend their riches. A Knight raised his shredder, only for his skull to cave under Royal's heel kick. Engrams spilled out of the Knight's body, falling on the ground to tempt Royal with their lustrous visage.
He fell still, staring into the engram's shimmering depths as Amity crashed into the Acolytes near them. Their cries fell on deaf ears as he marveled at the resplendent engrams. Royal slowly reached out to grab the engrams. He wanted them. He needed to have them. They all belonged to him.
A smack to the back of his helmet shook him from his daze. The fog that had set into his mind evaporated in an instant, and he recoiled from the engrams. He looked over his shoulder at Amity. She stood before a pile of broken Acolytes, each leaving their own engrams on the ground.
"This curse is no joke," she said. "Haven't seen anything this powerful in a long time." Royal reached out and carefully secured the engrams, transmatting them into his inventory to avoid touching them. Even while stored as data, he could feel their corruptive influence.
"Do you think this curse could trace its origin to the Isles?" Royal asked as Amity secured her own engrams.
Amity shrugged, "Your guys' junk is always washing up in our world. No reason some stuff couldn't go the other way."
"We can speculate about the nature of inter-realm garbage later," Lancer interjected. "Specifically after the Ogre is dead." Royal and Amity nodded and quickly made their way out of the room. Outside, they saw Luz diving between pieces of cover as the Ogre lobbed spheres of blazing energy at her. Amity summoned her Abomination and sent it to distract the Ogre while they tore toward the crystal. It seemed to glow brighter as they drew closer. Royal's body hitched as he felt his temptations leave him. It felt oddly cold as the curse slipped away, stolen by the crystal. It bristled with energy, humming into the cool air. The Ogre roared, staggering as the crystal continued to hum.
"Whatever you guys did, I think it's working," Luz said over comms. "Here, I'll get the next door open." She prepped her scorch cannon and opened fire. The door rattled open, and more Hive were ready to meet them. Royal and Amity descended upon them in a blaze of guns and Light.
They quickly acquired the engrams and carefully transported them to the crystal. Hordes of Thrall tried to rush them, only to be fried by Luz's lightning. The crystal greedily devoured their cursed engrams, glowing a bloody crimson as it did. The crystal burst as energy rippled over the arena. When it hit Phry'zhia, it stumbled. The previously impermeable shield glowed like a star in the night sky before bursting.
"Now's our chance!" Royal shouted, hefting Lament and gunning the engine. "Hit it hard and keep hitting!" Luz and Amity obliged, opening fire with weapons, magic, and Light. Bolts of electricity scoured the Ogre's flesh as Abominations swung at its legs. Rockets burst against its thickened skin, wreathing the beast in fire.
Royal sliced through the air, Lament biting into Phry'zhia's flesh. The Ogre raged against the barrage of cuts. It tried to swipe the Warlock out of the air, but its clumsy arms proved inadequate for catching the nimble airborne Warlock. Lament's teeth bit into the Ogre's arm and sawed through it. The Ogre screamed as the limb fell to the ground in a heap of wretched, tainted flesh.
On the ground, Amity summoned her Sentinel Shield and flung it at the Ogre. It slammed into the Ogre's face and rebounded, forcing the Phry'zhia back. Amity caught the ricochet and flung it again. She drove the Ogre back as it tried to avoid Royal's bursts of flame. With each step it took, Abominations hacked at its heels. Eventually, the Ogre was backed into the corner. Luz pooled all her Light into her arm and unleashed it at once. A beam of barely restrained lightning sliced through the Ogre's chest. The Ogre gave a final, pathetic howl as the tormented creature keeled over, slamming into the wall behind it and tearing apart the steel sheets. Its body began to disintegrate, and ash soon filled the air. Amity recalled her summons as Royal stepped through the cloud of Ogre ashes.
"Look's like the path's open," he said. "That's one way to do it." He turned to address Luz as she walked up beside him. "I see what you mean about those engrams. Whatever power they hold, their influence is hard to shrug off."
"We've got another log," Amity said from the gaping hole in the wall. She held up another bottle and tossed it to Luz.
"Great, can't wait to see what the nutjob is up to this time," Luz muttered.
"Day twenty-two." Wilhelm panted heavily between words, stuttering with exhaustion and likely some amount of insanity. "Agadir's gone. I caught him trying to steal from me—take what's mine. I pushed him down a sinkhole, about thirty meters deep, and dropped a grenade down after him." Wilhelm broke down into a fit of manic laughter. "It's quiet as a tomb now. Just me and all this loot… and Bismark." That last part came out as a growl—a guttural, almost animalistic sound that didn't feel right coming from a Guardian. "He says we should leave. Says there's a curse. Says this place is changing me. I know he wants to come back later with some Cryptarchs and clean the place out. I'm not falling for his tricks."
"He… murdered Agadir," Luz whispered. "In cold blood. Over a stack of engrams."
"What do we do?" Amity asked. "We can't just bring him back to the city."
"The mission hasn't changed," Royal asserted. "We find Wilhelm. Then, we drag him back to the city in chains to face whatever justice the Vanguard determines." Amity slowly nodded, though she was clearly still uncertain. With the matter settled, the three continued down the overgrown tunnels.
Hive biomatter coated the walls and ceiling. Thick chitin choked the path ahead, forcing them down narrow tunnels. Eventually, it receded, giving way to a small hangar. The doors were closed tight, waiting to be opened by one of the two terminals sitting before it.
"Fifty Glimmer says one of those kills you," Amity said.
"Not interested," Royal muttered, approaching the right terminal. He reached out to flip the switch, only to hesitate and glance to the left. He weighed up the odds in his head before sighing and flipping the switch. Instantly, the ground beneath him folded as ancient mechanisms ground together. The grating under his feet tried to snap upward to crush him. However, entropy had laid its claim on the machinery, and all it produced was a pathetic squeak. Royal gave an unimpressed shake of his head before moving to the next panel. The lights on the terminal activated, and the door slowly opened, grinding against the floor as it did. Before them was an open field with a downed ship in the distance.
"I'm detecting a large number of Fallen mines," Lancer reported. "If we don't defuse them, they could level the entire Cosmodrome."
"They'd rather destroy this place than let us steal their loot!" Royal shouted. "Mount up! We need to move!" Amity and Luz rushed through the door, hoping on their staves as they did. Royal summoned his sparrow and took off after them. More Fallen appeared from their alcoves, firing upon the Guardians. Arc-infused shots bounced off Amity's armor as she shielded Ghost. She steered into a shallow ravine to protect herself from fire while Luz raced above her.
Royal swung wide, ramping over the desecrated ruins of a crashed Golden Age shuttle. The first mine was directly ahead of them. More Fallen crowded around it, fanatically defending the explosives with their bodies. Royal drew his revolver with one hand and fired, popping their skulls as he arced overhead. His sparrow's repulsors cushioned his fall as he reached the ground. Amity blitzed past the mine, allowing Pal to defuse it.
"That's one down, but there's more ahead," Aurora said. "Keep going!" The three tore through the hollowed-out wreckage of an old colony ship. The interior was a maze of honeycomb architecture and half-destroyed panels. More Fallen took cover in the scrap heap, firing at the Guardians as they wove past. Luz was the first to reach the end of the ship, ramping off a small slope formed from some old solar panels. She slid under the next mine, and Aurora quickly defused it.
They emerged into a narrow canyon with Dropships soaring overhead. The rest of the ship rested ahead of them, housing the next bomb. As they pushed onward, a blazing projectile slammed into the ground beside Royal.
"Spider Tank!" He shouted. "Scatter!"
The three split, dividing the walker's fire. It fired its point-defense cannons at Royal as he swung wide. With the walker's fire drawn, Amity and Luz tore through the center of the wreckage. They soared toward the third bomb, where more Fallen were waiting. Amity prepped her rocket launcher and fired, blasting the Fallen to pieces before the bomb was disarmed.
Royal swung back in from his slight detour, and they continued their advance. They left the ruins of Humanity behind and entered a massive cavern overgrown with vines. A colossal chasm cut across the cave, dropping out of sight. A small Fallen outpost sat on the side of the path with a pair of propulsion cannons to fling cargo across the pit. On the far side, the cave had been sculpted to resemble a Human skull.
"The last mine is across the gap!" Royal shouted. "I'll go left; you two go right!" Royal sharply veered to the left, splattering a Dreg against his sparrow. His sparrow rocketed through the propulsion cannon, flying high into the air. Luz braced herself as she entered the cannon on the right. The air tightened around her as the machine whined. In an instant, she was sent rocketing through the air. Off to the side, Royal flew through the eye of the skull and unleashed waves of fire on the Fallen below. Luz slid between the teeth and came to a stop beneath the final bomb. She was met with a chorus of wires melting as Aurora defused it.
"Oh, thank the Traveler, that's over," she said, slumping against Stringbean. Royal dropped from the eye socket while Amity flew across the gap and rejoined them.
"Are we all still in one piece?" she asked. Royal gave himself a quick pat down, wiping the dust from his robes.
"For what it's worth," he said. "Had a rough landing up there, got knocked clean off my sparrow. On the plus side, I landed next to this." He held up another of Wilhlem's bottled messages. "Let's see what else this psycho is up to; it might get us on the trail."
"Day thirty." Wilhelm was clearly exhausted by now. He must not have been sleeping between recordings. "Bismark won't come out, so I've been hauling engrams alone. I dropped one, chased it down a crack in the cave floor… right into another loot cave, even richer than the first!" A feverish cackle overtook the feed, fighting to be overheard over the crackling static. "Hey, Pershing! Just pulled a god-roll of the shotgun you wanted! You hear me? Where'd you get off too?" There was a pause, the silence broken only by Wilhelm's frantic panting as he looked around. "To hell with you anyways. To the victor goes the spoils, and nobodys more spoiled than me!"
"It's official," Amity deadpanned. "He's insane." Luz watched the bottle as Royal tossed it aside. Light from above bounced off the glass, shining like the engrams that had destroyed this fireteam.
"Are you sure we should be going after this guy?" She asked Royal as he began looking for a way out. The elder Warlock didn't turn to look at her as he ran his hand over the wall. More, larger quartz-like crystals sprouted from the walls, leading up to a large hole in the side of the skull.
"He's a clear and present danger," Royal said, "to himself and everyone else." He paused for a second as Amity formed a staircase of hardened sludge. You know that, when we find him, he won't want to come quietly, right?"
"I… I know," Luz said, suddenly feeling very unconfident. She clutched Stringbean's staff close. "I've never really had to fight another Guardian outside of the Crucible."
"Well, this is what it was preparing you for," Royal said.
"Are you going to kill him?"
Royal weighed up the question for a moment. "If he forces my hand, then the consequence rests on his head, not mine."
"We can sort out what to do with Wilhelm once we find him," Amity said from her perch above them. "Come on, slowpokes."
Once the Warlocks had joined her, Amity led them down into the crystal-filled cave. Large mineral spikes shoot across the narrow passageway, crossing over each other. Light from their Ghosts bounced off the opaque crystals as they descended.
"You know, these stones would probably make for some nice decoration," Amity said, tearing a small chunk out of the wall. "Could be a good armor accent, really make the colors pop."
"My scans indicate that it's packed with dense layers of unstable isotopes, likely as a byproduct of whatever enchantment has been placed on this lair," Aurora said. "I wouldn't recommend holding onto that." True enough, the crystal in Amity's hands had begun to glow violent crimson. She chucked it behind her, and it clacked against the ground as it slipped down a hole. A distant boom followed, raining dirt upon the Guardians.
"Let's just avoid touching anything we don't have, too," Royal said. "We're almost at the end anyway. At least, I hope we are." He looked around the cavern, seeking a way forward. As he did, a refraction of light caught his attention. He had soon secured the latest message from Wilhelm.
"Day thirty-eight," Wilhelm panted, clearly fighting off waves of agony. "And I finally got rid of Bismark. I knew he'd been plotting something, so… I… laid a trap for him: I shot myself! Right in the meaty part of the leg. And when that little snoop complied to see what the fuss was all about—BLAM! I put one right through his beady little iris. I… probably shoulda let him fix my leg first… eh, it'll be fine…"
"Well, that solves the problem with restraining Wilhelm," Royal muttered.
"That's all you have to say?" Amitey asked. "This man murdered his own Ghost in cold blood!"
"And he will be punished for it," Royal said. "But first, we have to capture him." He turned away from Amity and resumed his exploration of the cavern. He looked over the edge of a sharp drop leading to yet another cavern. Holstered his weapon, he jumped down. His boots hit the ground with a dull thud, and he looked up.
He was in a beautiful underground lake overgrown with lush plant life. A small island sat in the center of the water with a Fallen encampment atop it. Dotted around the side walls of the cave were a half dozen ledges with their own bases and habitats. A massive sphere of haphazardly welded metal hung from thousands of suspension wires. The bottom of the sphere was open, though protected by a shield generator that barred entry.
"If I were an egomaniac, which I'm not, that's where I'd hide my stash," Amity said as she landed beside him. Royal focused his optics on the shield, looking for a weak point.
"I'm seeing four shield generators," he said. "Propulsion cannons at each outpost to ferry supplies. If we can find a sufficiently large payload, we might be able to knock out a generator and weaken the shield. Now, where can we find something with enough mass?" Luz raised her rifle, peering through the scope as she scanned the cavern.
"There's a Servitor on the far side," she reported. "Think that'll do it?"
"Should be perfect, actually," Royal said. "I'll align the propulsion cannon; you get ready to power it." He approached the inert cannon before them and began fiddling with it.
"Couldn't we just shoot the generators?" Amity asked. "You know… with our guns?"
"That's not nearly as fun," Luz replied. "Besides, this way, we get to fire cannon balls. We can't pass this opportunity up."
"Alright, fair enough." There was a loud screech as the cannon shifted into position. Royal stepped back, wiping some lubricant from his palms. The three took up a position within the cannon, and Luz activated it with a burst from her scorch cannon. The machine rumbled to life and flung them across the lake. They soared toward the nearest outpost. Royal descended upon the Fallen stationed there in a vengeful blaze. After only a moment, they were flying to the next outpost. Eventually, they made their way to the back of the cavern where the Servitor was waiting.
The Fallen bristled at their approach, immediately opening fire as they tried to shield their life-giving Servitor. Royal cut through them with ease, moving with practiced precision. The Servitor attempted to flee, only to find its routes cut off by walls of Abomination goo. It turned just in time to catch a punch to its central optic from Amity. Her fist dug deep into the Servitor's core, instantly destroying the machine. Ether leaked down her arm as she pulled it out, and the metal sphere fell to the ground.
"And there's our payload," Luz said as Royal began working on aligning the cannon. "I'll be ready to fire the cannon. Amity, load it up." The hollowed-out husk of a Servitor groaned as Amity rolled it across the rocky ground. She deposited it in the cannon's launch pad, and Luz activated it. The Servitor's shell tumbled through the air as the trails of wispy Ether ignited. It hurtled like a fireball of doom into the nearest shield generator, where it violently exploded, shaking the cavern with the force of the detonation. A few stalactites fell from above, splashing into the calm waters below. The Fallen barrier flickered and faded, allowing the Guardians access to the hoard above. A rope ladder dropped from overhead, seemingly the only way up. Another shot of the cannon sent them to the center island.
"This is it," Royal said. "You two ready?"
"Locked and loaded," Amity said, pumping her fist.
Luz let lightning flow through her fingers. "I'm fully charged." Royal nodded, gripped the ladder, and began his ascent. The bottom of the hoard was empty, though a tunnel led elsewhere. A cursory glance revealed another message in a bottle. Royal swiftly acquired it as the others joined him.
"Day… forty," Wilhelm said, barely able to get the words out. "Uh… I forgot how much a body can bleed without a Ghost to stop it. Don't matter though. Ain't nothing more loot can't fix. Just one more cave… and a couple more exotics… just a little further…"
"I thought Exo's couldn't bleed?" Luz asked.
"We can't," Royal replied. "Unless you count leaking coolant. Wilhelm must be undergoing some pretty intense delusions right now."
Amity shook her head in disgust. "Either way, he's falling apart. It doesn't seem like there will be much of him left for us to find."
Royal hefted his rifle. "Only one way to find out." They pushed into the tunnel, which led to an airtight bunker door. Royal prepared to melt through it, only for the door to open upon their arrival. Inside was a massive platform suspended over another, smaller lake. A small patch of sand sat between them and the platform, strewn with random bits of scrap metal. Two raised terraces sat on the room's sides, stretching the interior's length. In the center of the room, another crystal was waiting for them. It taunted them with the knowledge of what was coming.
Luz sighed. "I have a bad feeling about this."
"Sweep the room," Royal said. "See what you can find." The three spread out, each taking their own section of the room. Royal took the elevated terrace on the left, Luz took the right, and Amity explored the center. She moved up to the foreboding crystal. Just ahead of her was a massive capsule, likely belonging to some long-grounded spacecraft. It was planted in the steel floor above a small door. Just before the door sat an engram, pulsing vibrant scarlet.
As Amity's gaze drifted to the engram, it seemed to glow brighter. Amity's eyes widened, and she threw herself behind cover seconds before the engram exploded. The door opened, allowing a massive Fallen Captain to tear his way out.
"Back, ye scallywags!" He roared with a deep, guttural voice. Gas poured from a small breathing apparatus on his helmet, and his mechanical arms whirred as he brought his shrapnel launcher to bear. "None shall touch the treasures of Avarokk, the Covetous!"
"Amity, what did you do?" Royal shouted as Fallen began pouring out of the walls. He dodged a Dregs knife and responded by bashing their head in with the stock of his rifle. He quickly dropped to one knee and planted a round dead in another Dreg's chest.
"Don't blame me!" Amity shouted back, raising her shield to absorb Avarokk's shots. "Bastard was practically waiting for us!"
"Come forth, me mateys!" Avarokk roared. "Drive these thieves from me hoard!" A Marauder in an elaborate cloak and a heavily armored Tracer Shank joined him. Grisprax slashed at Amity with his cutlass, forcing her back. While she retreated, R-M80 fired its rifle into her chest. The outermost layers of her armor melted from the heat of the gun. She retaliated with a lash of goo that latched onto the Shank. It beeped wildly as she pulled, swinging it into the furthest wall of the chamber.
R-M80 whirred as it tried to reorient itself. Before it could, Luz dove atop it. She wrapped her fingers around the barrel of its rifle and yanked, tearing the weapon from its holster. R-M80 whistled as it tried to buck her off. Luz responded by punching through its armored carapace and blasting its innards with lightning. R-M80's frame sparked under Luz's power. The wires and circuitry melted in her hands, and the Shank collapsed in a heap of electrified slag.
Luz rose from the smoking wreck and turned to look at the Eliksni, who had just watched her dismantle their Shank support. The nearest Dreg promptly dropped his weapons, put his hands up, and backed away. The others were not so wise, driven to madness by their lust for loot. They charged Luz, and she prepared herself for melee.
The Dregs were so consumed by their avarice that they offered little in the way of challenge. Each sought the glory that bringing down a Guardian would bring, so they went straight for her throat and gut. It made them predictable, which allowed Luz to deal with them swiftly and nonlethally. As she put the final one down, she saw another reactor near her. Grinning, she grabbed her scorch cannon and prepared to fire.
Across the room, Royal was not nearly as merciful. Lament howled as it tore through the Fallen ranks. Royal swung the oversized sword with ease, leaning into the momentum of his strikes to bring the weapon around as an unstoppable cleaver. Grisprax leaped to Royal's side of the room, drawing elaborate twin cutlasses with matching daggers in his lower hands. The Marauder roared a challenge, and Royal charged to meet it. Their weapons met in a flash of Arc sparks. Grisprax was quick and relentless, each blade flashing as they slashed and stabbed. Royal grunted as a cutlass nicked his bicep; Grisprax had too many blades for him to keep track of. Grisprax crossed his swords in a blade salute as Royal soothed his wound.
"You're good," Royal said, circling the Fallen. "But as fair warning, I've survived the Vex Domain." Grisprax chuckled before charging toward Royal. His body snaked in a way that made him hard to track. His blades spun in a dance of feints and twirls designed to distract and misdirect. Royal steeled himself and braced, blocking most of Grisprax's strikes with the bulk of his sword and pushing through the ones he couldn't. He waited for Grisprax to make a mistake, to offer some opening for him to capitalize on.
It didn't take too long for the Marauder to slip. A flourish took a half-second too long, leaving his lower left arm exposed. Royal moved quickly, activating Laments engine. The teeth bayed for blood, and Royal swung upwards, slicing Grisprax's bottom left arm off. The Marauder quickly backed away from Royal and inspected his arm. To his credit, he took it without so much as a yell.
Royal pushed his attack, bringing Lament down in a horizontal slash. Grisprax let it glide off his blade and tried to retaliate, only to be pushed back as Royal quickly shifted in a flame-enhanced kick. He brought his leg down and punched, sending a fireball at Grisparax's right arms. The Marauder hissed as one of his cutlasses melted. He lunged at the Warlock, striking with his two remaining blades. Royal deflected the sword and allowed the knife to find purchase in his stomach. He responded by slamming the pommel of his sword into Grisprax's helmet. The metal dented under Royals strike, sending the Marauder reeling. Royal quickly spun, slicing across Grisprax's chest.
The Marauder gasped as Lament tore through his midsection, spilling his guts from the massive hole in his stomach. He clawed at the wound as though he could shove his innards back into place. Royal ended his pain with a swift decapitation.
"Not quite good enough," he said. "Maybe in another life." Behind him, machinery hummed and activated. Several capsules rocketed up the sides of the room, crashing into the ceiling. They split open, raining engrams down to the ground. Avarokk raged as he backhanded Amity across the room.
"Crew! Defend me loot! Failure to stop the Guardians will lead to yer failure to keep breathin!"
"Grab the engrams!" Luz shouted. "Take them to the icon!" She pointed to the crystals in the center of the room while Aurora safely secured the engrams near her. Royal flashed an affirmative and set to work while Amity shakily got back to her feet. She stumbled a little, trying to reorient herself and blink the dancing lights out of her eyes. As she did, she stumbled into a pile of engrams near her. They instantly blazed crimson, and energy melted into her armor. Amity's breath hitched as the curse flowed through her veins. She looked down, utterly captivated by the engram's beauty. They were resplendent, the jewels of her world. No treasure could compare; not the greatest bounty in Sol, the strangest wilds of the Demon Realm, or even the touch of her beloved.
The more Amity thought about it, the more she began to realize just how things actually worked. Luz didn't love her; she never had. She had just been using Amity, using her to gain knowledge of magic. She had taken far more than she had ever given in return. And now she would want to take these riches too.
"Amity!" Luz shouted from the center as the crystal siphoned off the last of her burdens. "You got your engrams?"
"My engrams," Amity whispered. "My loot." Her fingers curled into fists as she glared at the two Warlocks. "My treasure."
"Somethings wrong with her," Royal said, shielding himself from Avarokk's barrage by crouching behind the crystal.
"Do you think she touched the engrams?" Luz asked. Amity's face contorted with rage as she heard that. They were going to take what was hers and keep it for herself. Why should they have it? It was her reward for everything she had gone through—everything she sacrificed to be with a woman who didn't even love her.
Amity screamed as her magic rushed to obey her. An Abomination lumbered forward, charging the two Warlocks and Avarokk. One of its arms morphed into a shield that absorbed all their fire while the other changed to resemble a colossal flail. It whipped the weapon toward Luz. She narrowly dodged out of the way as the spiked head planted itself in the steel grate. Avarokk roared and fired more shots into the Abomination's chest.
"Thief! How dare ye steal what I've already stolen! It all be mine!" The Abomination groaned as it easily absorbed the shots. It tore its flail free and swung it overhead like a helicopter as it prepared to strike again. Before it could, Royal stepped forward. Flames flew from his hands, engulfing the golem. It stumbled toward him, though it was like the clay creature had found itself in a kiln. It only took a few seconds for Royal to thoroughly bake it. The golem was frozen mid-swing, stuck as still as a statue.
While Royal dealt with the Abomination, Luz quickly closed in on Amity. The Witch snarled, flinging spells and Void energy as quickly as possible. Luz moved from cover to cover as Amity tried her best to wipe her from the face of the Earth. Luz responded by charging her fingers with lightning and firing it at Amity's face. The spark flared bright, burning Amity's eyes and blinding the woman. She screamed and recoiled, clawing at her helmet's faceplate as she tried to blink the spots out of her eyes.
"Sorry about this, Amity," Luz said as she rushed closer, her hands sparking with electricity. "This hurts me more than it hurts you." Her hands lashed out, grabbing hold of Amity's armor. Lightning flowed between them, and Amity howled. Her body shook and convulsed as Luz electrocuted her. Luz was careful to limit herself; the dosage wasn't lethal, but that didn't mean it was painless.
Amity keeled over, her armor smoking and her body limp. Luz took a moment to check her over. She was unconscious and probably had more than a few uncomfortable burns. Hopefully, Pal would patch them up quickly. With some effort, she hoisted Amity over her shoulder and dragged her to the crystal. Royal held Avarokk's attention as she drew closer. For the first time, Luz truly got to appreciate just how cumbersome Titan armor was. Needless to say, her respect for them increased substantially.
"Come on, Amity," Luz panted as she dragged the Titan across the floor. "Work with me here." Amity's weight slid off her shoulder as she reached the crystal. The prism glowed as it leeched the curse from Amity's bones. The crystal bristled with energy as Luz shook Amity to wake her. She groaned as she sat up, rubbing her forehead.
"What happened?" She muttered. "Why does my mouth taste like copper?"
"I'll explain later," Luz said as she helped Amity to her feet. "We need to take this wannabe pirate down."
Amity grinned and summoned her gauntlets. "Say less." The crystal hummed with energy, glowing bright enough to dwarf the sun. It burst, lashing out across the chamber. Avarokk growled as his shields were stripped, leaving him vulnerable. The Captain discarded his cannon and drew a large sword.
"Bring it down!" Royal shouted, lunging at Avarokk. The two locked blades in a flash of sparks as Luz and Amity encircled him. Avarokk's bones buckled beneath Amity's fists as his armor melted under Luz's lightning. Avarokk desperately swiped, trying to score a hit on anything. Amity caught his blade and locked it in her grip. Royal swung Lament downward, severing Avarokk's limb. The Captain grunted and tried to strike the Warlock. Lightning lashed his muscles, convulsing wildly as Luz flooded his body with electricity.
Avarokk crashed to his knees, breathing heavily as smoke trailed from his armor. Royal didn't offer him the chance to speak a final threat as he spun and sliced through the Captain's neck. Avarokk's head rolled off his shoulders and fell to the ground with a metallic clang, and his body slumped over.
Royal let Laments engine fall silent as Avarokk's body hit the ground. The others let themselves relax, their limbs slumping as the weight of their exertion caught up to them. From behind Avarokk's entrance, the dormant capsule clicked. Air hissed from the door as it depressurized and slid open.
Inside was the body of an Exo, long since deceased. Crystal growths sprouted from his frame, skewering the steel of his skin. His right leg was severed at the knee, replaced with a crude wooden facsimile. Dozens of hollow, dull engrams sat around his makeshift throne while his arms desperately curled around an elegant weapon. Even in death, he was ruled by his obsessions. A final bottled message rolled off Wilhelms lap, coming to rest by Royal's feet.
"Eh? What's that?" Whatever sanity Wilhelm once possessed had clearly abandoned him. His voice was laden with paranoia and madness as his breaths came labored and shallow. "I hear you, sneaking around… You… you're—you're here to take… to take what's mine! DON'T YOU TOUCH NOTHING! IT'S ALL MINE—" The feed ended in a burst of garbled static laced with the distinct sounds of Fallen gunfire.
"That solves our Wilhelm problem," Royal said, giving the Exo a distasteful look. "I'll let Ikora know the fireteam is dead. We'll need to quarantine this place, prevent anyone else from falling to the curse."
While he spoke, Luz was busy inspecting Wilhelms's body. More specifically, she was fixated on the weapon clutched in his deceased hands. Its frame was made of beautiful dark blue metal with two prongs that moved above and below a circular beam emitter. The weapon called to her; it wanted her to have it.
With a shrug, she tore the gun from Wilhelm's grip. Even in death, he tried to protect his loot. Alas, the richest dead man alive could do little to prevent her from liberating her prize. Wilhelm's body fell from his throne in a cloud of dust. Luz ignored him and looked over her new weapon. She wiped away some of the caked-on dirt and grime with her thumb.
"Coldheart," she said, looking over the inscription on the weapon. "Hey guys, check out what I found." She turned to her companions, only to recoil as she saw Royal brandishing a hand cannon and Amity holding a shield between them. Luz threw her hands up.
"It's not cursed! I just thought it looked neat!" She stammered. "Here, take it." She tried to shove the weapon into Royal's hands. Seeing that she clearly wasn't consumed by avarice, Royal holstered his weapon.
"Sorry, can't be too cautious," he said. He declined her weapon, pushing it back into her chest. "Keep it, it's yours."
"Sweet." Luz looked the weapon over again and gave it a test fire. A beam of pure Arc energy shot out of the emitter and melted through the dome around them. "I've finally got my own signature exotic."
"Think I'll get my own next?" Amity asked.
"Here's hoping," Royal said. "Time to clear out. Let's go get some rest. I'd say we've earned it."
You know, I'm pretty sure this is the only chapter, outside of chapter 1, that was done in one take without any line breaks to change perspective. It's a neat experiment, but damn does it make it hard to edit.
Writing GoA was a nicce little test run of how I want to tackle Dungeons and Raids going forward. Grasp prevented some unique challenges, mostly the mechanics being kinda samey, leaving not much for the characcters to figure out, and the story of the Dungeon not tying into anything else, making it hard to really give the Dungeon a narrative through line. That's kinda why I don't have a set place for it in the timeline. It was a real bitch to get through, took me 12k words, 35 pages, and about two weeks Maybe more. Naturally, it took a lot of my time, so I need to go dark for a few weeks again.
In the meantime, have a nice Solstice everyone. Or don't. I can't make you.
Elthreee: So sad to see spectral blades are only useful in this ficThese were very fun to read, I haven't been this hype for a fic in forever. Can't wait for Kelgorath to show up for the billionth time. (and Witch Queen arc)
Also I know you're doing raids and dungeons, but have you ever considered doing pre Witch Queen dungeons and raids? Like DSC or GoS? Ik it wouldn't make any sense when it comes to the timeline but it's just a thought that's floated around while reading.
BUNGIE! BUFF SPECTRAL BLADES, FIST OF HAVOC, AND DAYBREAK! AND MY LIFE IS YOURS! For real though, romaing supers need some love in PvE. Love to hear that you're hyped, I've got some great stuff planned for the future.
As for going back to other Raids, I have entertained the idea. I probably won't, since most of them don't really have much direct story influece, aside from DSC I guess. But then, the events of DSC already seperately happened independant of the story so I don't know. Considering how long GoA, a fairly short Dungeon, took, I don't think I can really justify dedicating that much time to Raids that aren't relevant to the story. At best, maybe they'll be in some ending bits here and there.
I just realized I'll have to do the long-ass underwater section of GotD... Kill me.
OMAC001: Looks like we'll get a clash with the Outcast!
Gotta get him back into the plot. He's been waiting on the back seat for a while, mostly because of pacing reasons. You get it, you're a smart cookie.
Crazy Cakes 23: I do have a question; would the Isles be annexed by the City?
Given how the city operates as of currently, I would say no. The Demon Realm is operating in the same category of the Reef. It's a seperate political entity that is allied with the Last City. Were the City and the Isles to go to war, it would be a catastrophic waste of resources and life that the City would probably win due to having more Guardians and spaceships, but it would leave them critically vulnerable to other threats. Even if the Isles willingly allowed the City to annex them, it would still likely result in the City stretching its resources too thin. They were already struggling to house the Eliksni of House Light. All in all, it's better for both if they keep their current relationship.
BlueRoseLevi: Even in death by sassy Aussie, my spirit supports peak, thanks for the 12 Glaive Salute btw honored
Holy hell this was an amazing chapter
The Isles getting pulled into Sol was crazy
The Royal trio kicking Hive ass, with Paladin hurling a damn tombship like a true Titan
Luz and Amity making up nice to see, though awkward moment for Crow and the Hive watching lmao
Iris, my short queen with her oversized rocket launcher, to Carolyn's rescue let's goooo
The feeling of the aftermath was really well conveyed
The Collector's corpse missing, cue the ominous music
The end with the Vex, holy shit, the tension from that cliffhanger
I'm glad you like it, last chapter was probably one of my favorites. It came together really nicely. So much setup got to finally pay off. And I can start setting up everything that comems next.
GodzillaMaster: Wait, the entire demon world has been brought to the universe, or just the Boiling Isles titan?
What is Savathun planning?
The entirety of the planet that constitutes the Demon Realm was dragged into Sol. It shares an orbit with Earth now, just on the exact opposite side of the Sun. Hive magic/paracausal BS/the hand of the author keeps the system from falling out of wack. As for Savathûn's aims, the inner machinations of her mind are an enigma.
hornig3: Was that Warlock Royal argued with and broke her nose Aunor? Because I'll be honest that agitation seems like pure Aunor and praxis order shit. Like these people are on the verge of death and you chose now to be a bitch about it? Seriously there are moments when I look at the order and I am ashamed to call myself a Warlock.
That character wasn't written with the intention of her being Aunor, she was jyst a no-name Warlock mean to establish that not everyone is really on board with their new allies. That being said, Aunor does line up. If the shoe fits...
"Looks like we've found where our missing fireteam went," Royal said. "I'll scout ahead; cover the entrance. If it seals behind me, sort it out." The Warlock dropped into the tunnel and drew his SMG. After giving the two women a thumbs up, he walked down the narrow path.
"Hey, are you alright," Amity asked, setting a gentle hand on Luz's shoulder. "Do you know what happened back there?"
Luz took a breath and looked down at the still-shaking hand that had clutched the engram. "No. Once I grabbed it, I just couldn't stop myself. It had me in it's grasp." The two stared at each other as Luz cracked a wry grin. "I was in the Grasp of Avarice." Amity closed her eyes and took a deep breath. There were times when love would be tested, and now was one of those times. The two stood for a moment, Amity fighting off exasperation while Luz was simply amused.
"Cause that's the name of the-"
"I get it!"