Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

A Spark That Lingers.

First In, Last Out.

Dust shoots through the air like a sandblaster. Wind whistles and roars. A bitter cyclone approaches from the other side of the harsh, barren valley.

A small group trudges against the beating winds, desperately seeking shelter. Visibility is low. The group’s tall and imposing leader can barely make out the hand held forward to shield his eyes. The smallest member of the group collapses, blasted by powerful gusts. They struggle to get back to their feet.

“Show your strength!” the Captain shouts. “Salvation is near, but only for the strong!”

Nearly carried away with the storm, the small one manages to find its footing and press forward. 

The harrowing trek finds the group at the opening of a narrow canyon. “Through here!” the towering Captain hollers. “We will find safety from the storm this way.” The wind is weaker under the natural cover of the high cliffs, but an obscuring cloud of dust still fills the passage. 

One of the refugees finds it difficult to inhale through their rebreather. They remove the mouthpiece to clear a clog, hacking and coughing on the dusty air as they work.

The group finds themselves near the end of the twisting canyon. If their leader is to be believed, the bulk of their troubles should be long behind them.

Something is wrong. The Captain notices right away.

By now, he should feel the wind blowing at his front stronger than the wind at his back. The air is too thick with dust to see clearly, but he can spot shadows where there should be none. He inhales a deep draw from his drained gas canister and narrows his careful eyes. Only a few steps around the canyon's final turn, he sees it. 

Massive rocks block the way forward. This is not the result of a natural rockslide. This was done deliberately.

A trap.

The Captain stops in his tracks and looks up around the high ridges. It's still far too difficult to get a good view of anything, yet he manages to catch the silhouette of a figure slip out of sight. Something watches from above. He draws a long sword from his belt.

The rest of the group quickly recognize their leader’s concern. Some reach for weapons as well, some dart their eyes around to try and find the stalker before it finds them.

Some can do nothing but shake and pray.

All are quiet, listening for a disturbance in the sound of the ceaseless storm.

A whistling whizz and a crunchy impact break the silence. The smallest one falls to the ground with the sound of life hissing away from its body. 

Panic swells. 

Two try to flee back the way they came. Their Captain orders them not to run. He warns them to stay together. 

The sound of feet running for their lives is the only sign of the fearful pair as they disappear into the dust. A second whizzing projectile is heard, and a third soon after that. 

There are no more footsteps. 

“Stay together!” the Captain yells. “We must face them as one if we wish to survive!”

The remaining members band tightly together, with weapons readied. None know where the assailant hides, but they trust their chances are better as a group.

Peering through the dust, watching, waiting for the next move, the Captain huffs greedily at the mouthpiece of his mask’s inhaler. Anger burns through him. He fantasizes about what he will do when he catches his would-be assassin. He spots something through the storm. A flash, like a bolt of lightning piercing down from above.

The lightning splits into three separate streaks and flies down toward the huddled group. Each bolt spears into the ground without touching any of the terrified survivors. One sticks out just between the Captain's feet. He tries to shout something, but the blots quickly link in a chain of powerful electricity. In an instant, arcs of incredible energy jump between each member of the cowering group. Some collapse right away. Most disintegrate entirely. All lose their lives… All except the Captain. 

Brought to his knees by the devastating strike, the tall warrior coughs and wheezes. Smoke rises from his burned body. Rage rises with it. 

Footsteps walk closer. Light, unburdened footsteps. He lifts his head and shouts, “Outrider!” With pitiful difficulty, he gets to his feet and raises all four of his huge arms in an attempt to appear threatening.

“I really must be famous,” the approaching woman says through a grin. “Everyone on the Shore seems to know my name.” She fixes the buzzing bow to her back and walks into view of her Fallen target. 

“We do not speak it out of respect. We curse your name, kin-killer!” the tall Eliksni hisses through his scared maw.

The woman chuckles behind her mask. “Oh yeah, put your brother down a few months back, didn’t I? And your sister not long before that. Or was it the other way around? Hard to keep track.” She pulls a short knife out from a band across her thigh and begins to twirl it around her fingers.

The Fallen Captain roars and lunges in a blind rage.

Outrider flicks the knife through the dusty air. It stabs into a soft spot on the warrior’s swinging wrist. The sword drops to the ground, and Outrider dashes forth to deliver a quick kick to the Fallen’s front leg. When he falls forward, the woman slips around and mounts his back. She grabs one of the points at the top of his helmet and wrenches his head back. Her long, beautiful blade rings as she draws it from the scabbard. 

Ether sprays out after the first swing. The Captain’s body is totally limp before the second. 

She gives the head a strong tug, completely removing it from the neck. 

The rebreather pops away from his mouth. A final puff of Ether leaks from the empty canister. 

Holding the head up, she watches the light fade from its eyes. “Pom?” she calls. 

A blue-patterned Ghost appears next to the woman as she sheaths her blade. “Do you always have to show off?” the Ghost asks with an unimpressed voice. 

“Nah, but it keeps things interesting,” the woman answers. “Send this back to my Sparrow.” She wiggles the head in a loose grip. “Don’t feel like carrying it back up the ridge with this storm going on.” She tosses the head in the air.

Pom transmats the Captain’s severed head before it touches the ground. “Where to now?” she asks.

Turning away from the wind, Outrider fixes the patterned hem of her hood. “Honestly, I just wanna take a nap and wait out this storm. The dust’ll take forever to clean out of my gear. But… we should probably head right back to the Empty Tank and collect the reward for taking care of our friend here.” She pokes the Captain’s headless body with the toe of her boot.

“Ugh,” Pom grunts. “Don’t expect me to join you when we get there. I hate talking to that guy.”

“C’mon, Pom. He may be a slimeball, but he pays well.”

Chapter Text

Frontier Justice.

“The Tangled Outrider!” The large Eliksni welcomes the dusty cloaked woman when she enters his low-lit room. “Back so soon? I expected this job to take longer, even for someone of your… talents.”

“Got a bad habit of exceeding expectations,” she replies, tossing the Captain’s head onto the floor. “Far as I can tell, that should be the last of the House of Snakes.”

The Eliksni sits forward as the head rolls to a stop in front of his chair. “I always found that name fitting. A gang of snakes, one and all.” He sits back and gets comfortable. “But I need to correct you. The House of Snakes went extinct years ago. The stragglers you killed just refused to admit it!”

“Don’t much care about the history, Spider. Job was to hunt down the names you gave me.” She gestures toward the decapitated head. “Job’s done. Now it’s about time I got paid.”

“Honest pay for, heh-heh, honest work,” the Spider jests from his suspended seat. He signals one of his men to hand over a hefty payment of Glimmer, and another to collect the trophy. “Phygisk, another Captain with the dream of becoming Kell. Heh, another fool with ambitions far beyond his station!” he muses while the head is taken away. “As I’m sure you know, I’ve always got more work for the Tangled Outrider. Well-paying work, if you’re interested…”

“Not now, Spider,” Outrider answers. “I’ve got someplace to be soon.”

“Ooh, has your Corsair friend finally come to his senses?”

Outrider scowls at the plump Eliksni. “No… Not that it’s any of your business.”

“But I do so enjoy gossip.” The Spider chuckles to himself. “Please indulge me, just a little.”

The woman sighs. She briefly debates walking out, now that she has her prize, but she knows the Spider will not drop the subject unless she appeases him. “Last I heard, he’s still trying to help the Queen's Wrath pick up the pieces around the Reef…” 

“That makes sense. The Awoken did forfeit much of their territory during the war, and he was a capable Corsair… But the two of you made an excellent pair- on the battlefield, of course.” The Spider chuckles once again. “It’s a shame things had to end the way they did.”

“It's been a long time, Spider. It’s over. I’m sure he’s happy to be back with his people, rebuilding the Awoken, or whatever they tell themselves…”

“And what of you?” the Spider asks. “Are you happy spending your days dealing death and your nights at the bottom of a bottle?”

She stares at the fat Eliksni and flashes a cruel smile. “Got plenty of your Gimmer to spend and even more of your kind to shoot. What else could a girl want?”

The Spider narrows his glowing eyes. “Fair enough, Outrider,” he growls. “But it would do you well to remember, you aren’t the first Lightbearer to work for me… and you won’t be the last. Now, leave me. Go attend to whatever business you have. You know where to find me if you feel like killing more of ‘my kind.'”

Outrider raises her dust-dotted hood and shoots the crime boss another cutting smile before leaving his presence.

***

Casual music rumbles low from the overhead speakers. The Empty Tank’s exclusively Eliksni clientele enjoy themselves with drinks, dancing, and good company. A happy patron laughs loudly with a close friend. The friend turns serious and looks to the back of the club. The laughing Dreg turns as well, his mood sours when he sees her.

“That’s her. That’s the Tangled Outrider,” the friend whispers, just loud enough to be heard over the sound system. He notices his fellow patron grow unsettled and stand from the table. “Paksos… do not bring her ire on us…”

The Dreg struts toward the Lightbearer, approaching her from behind when she takes a seat at the bar. “You are not welcome here,” he spits. 

“...Last I checked, Spider owns this dump,” Outrider says without bothering to look at the angered Eliksni. She waves, and the barkeep begins fixing a drink immediately. “Don’t think you wanna piss him off, and I know you don’t wanna piss me off.” A blue cocktail sides across the bar and stops in the woman’s hand. She lifts the wide glass and takes a drink.

“You are a monster! You kill Eliksni for sport!” the Dreg cries in a sudden outburst. 

The club becomes quiet. The once relaxed and jovial atmosphere suddenly turns tense. 

Attention is focused on the killer drinking at the bar.

With a final swig, Outrider finishes her drink, sets the glass down with a loud clink, and spins around to face her accuser. “I kill what I’m paid to, but I can make an exception if you want this to turn ugly.”

“You reek of spilled Ether, of-of death!” the Dreg shouts while shaking slightly.

Maintaining eye contact, Outrider stands from her stool and steps to the young Dreg. 

Her gaze burns through the terrified Eliksni. 

All eyes are on her, uncertain of what will happen, but prepared for the worst. 

Leaning in close, she whispers, “Walk away,” then turns back to the bar.

Heavy breaths pass in and out of the Dreg’s open mouth. He lets out a frustrated grunt and heeds the killer's sage advice. 

The other patrons try to relax and resume their own leisure.

Waving over the barkeep again, Outrider points to the drink rack. “Give me the bottle. I’m gonna find a booth.”

***

The club has died down. The DJ finishes their set. Nearly everyone has emptied their drinks and moved on for the night.

At a small booth near the back of the room, the woman snores with her hood covering her eyes. The bottle lies on its side. Only a few drops remain. 

The low light above her table switches off when the bartender closes up. 

Whispered sounds of frightened voices and glimpses of worried faces drift through her dreams. 

She feels fear, remembers pain.

She's shaken awake by the all-too-familiar sound of a Shock Dagger jolting to life. 

Hands grab at the Outrider’s hood and legs. She curses loudly and kicks off one of the assailants, but the tugging on her hood and the drink in her body disorient her. She is pulled out of the booth and held down by multiple assailants. 

Ignoring her violent threats, one of the attackers lifts her head by her hair. Another presses the blade to her throat. 

She sees the knife-man. She isn't surprised. 

“Do not return, murderer,” the Dreg hisses and rips the blade across the woman’s neck. 

The hands drop her body. Her head cracks against the sticky ground. She paws at her slashed throat, choking and flowing fast with blood. The attackers gather to discuss something, but she can’t make out what they are saying. 

She feels tired. 

Her hands drop. 

Her mind goes blank.

***

A deep breath of foul-smelling air fills the woman’s lungs. She sits up and stretches her back like she’s just woken from a long rest. Particles of Light float away around her, but her attention is drawn to her scummy surroundings. “They threw me in the trash?” she asks while standing up from a large pile of refuse.

“Yup, they bled you and tossed you in the garbage pile out back,” Pom explains. “Really nice bunch.” 

Outrider rubs at her healed neck. “Bunch of assholes...” She pats at her back. Her anger spikes. “Where’s the Ghoul?!”

“Calm down,” Pom says. She floats a few feet over and points out the bow. “I don’t think anyone’s dumb enough to try and steal the Trinity Ghoul after what happened to the Machinist.”

The woman makes a relieved sigh and collects her trusted weapon. “They sure weren’t gentle with it.” She lifts the strange-looking compound bow. “Cable's been cut and something nasty’s all over the bindings…”

“So… what are you going to do about this?”

“Gonna have to restring the pulleys and replace the wrapping on the limbs and grip. Not that big of a deal.” 

Pom stares at the filth-covered Risen with a squinted eye.

“Nothing,” Outrider answers. “At least not for now.”

“Really? You’re just going to let them get away with killing you? Are you feeling alright?”

She wipes some kind of slime from the back of her leg. “They ain’t that dumb. They knew you’d get me back up. And seeing as they didn’t steal nothing, they probably just wanted to make sure I know I’m not welcome.” 

“If you bring it up with Spider, he’ll give us names.” 

“Not about to tattle ‘cause I got my feelings hurt. Besides, Spider will hear about this either way. I don’t have to add more fuel to the fire by making a show of things.”

Pom rolls her eye. “Alright. Where to now?”

“Time to leave the shore. Things should cool off while we’re away.”

“We’re going to see Deidre?”

“Can’t put it off forever.” 

“Let's get back to the ship, but let me clean you off first. I may not have a nose, but even I can tell you stink.”

Chapter Text

Unforgiven.

It’s late when she arrives in the City, yet light pours out from the skyscrapers brighter than the stars above. Away from the busy downtown streets, she walks through a dingy alley in one of the less-than-reputable districts. It isn’t long until she makes it to the hideout. 

Very few people know it exists. Fewer know where to find it. 

Slipping in through the shrouded entrance, Outrider smells the nostalgic scents of worn leather, old gunpowder, and strong drinks. About a dozen figures lounge around the shady room. Some swap stories. Others discuss business. A twangy tune plays from a small radio. 

The bartender nods when she walks through the door. 

An Exo woman and a man in a frightening mask play cards at a table in the center of the first floor. The Exo holds her hand, and eyes at the new arrival as she walks toward the bar. “If it isn’t the Tangled Outrider!” she announces in a half-mocking tone. “The scourge of the Shore!”

Outrider gets a short bottle from the bartender and takes a sip. “Deidre-4, the woman with big problems and an even bigger mouth.” She drys her lip with the back of her hand and meets the Exo at her table.

“Didn’t think I’d see you in the Last City again,” Deidre admits. “You’ve been away for so long, I thought I’d have to track you down in the Reef if I wanted to… settle things.” Yellow light flashes from her mouth as she grins at the masked man across from her. She reveals her cards and rakes in her winnings.

“Wasn’t trying to hide.” Outrider rests her hands on the table and leans forward. Her cloak falls to the side, revealing the old Hand Cannon fixed to her waist. “But I have come to settle things.”

A few regulars lean against the balcony above to watch what’s happening.

Deidre squints her mechanical eyes and keeps a hand under the table. She shares another look with the masked man.

“Take it easy. I’m here to pay what I owe you.” Outrider shifts her cloak to better conceal her gun.

The Exo’s eyes stay narrowed. “Oh, so you’ve got me a new freighter and a full load of Häkke arms?”

“‘Course not,” Outrider answers with a roll of her eyes. “But I brought their worth in Glimmer, plus a little extra, ‘cause I’m a real sweetheart.” She hands over a key to the Glimmer stash. “It’s tucked away in a cave outside the City, just east of the walls. Feel free to pick it up whenever you want, and let’s call this beef; squashed.”

“Glimmer does soothe the pain of my missing goods,” Deidre says while playing with the key in her hand. “But it doesn’t buy back the clients I lost after you screwed things up. And it doesn’t make me any less pissed that you disappeared when things went sideways.” 

A couple at the back of the hideout take an interest in the commotion and observe with curiosity.

Outrider shakes her head. “Not much I can do about that, but there’s a lot you can do with the small fortune I just dumped on you. Now, let’s put this to bed and go our separate ways for good.” She holds out a hand to shake on a mutually distant future.

“You know, it’s funny you showed up when you did.” The Exo ignores the outreached hand. “I was just talking to my new friend here about how bothered I was by your screw-up.”

The masked man sits forward in his chair and stares at Outrider.

The tough-looking group at the nearest table gets up and chooses to watch from further away.

“Just take the Glimmer, Deidre,” Outrider says while staring back at the man.

“Oh, I’ll take the Glimmer, but your debt is far from paid.” Deidre’s grin widens. “My friend, Dredgen Spurn, is going to help me collect.”

The Dredgen shoots up from his seat and draws his Thorn. His finger squeezes the trigger, but Outrider reacts with unbelievable speed. She draws a knife in each hand and stabs one between the bones in Spurn’s gun arm. He grunts in pain and fires. The shot misses wide, shattering a bottle behind the bar. 

Outrider shifts her weight, cruelly twists the knife to lock it in the bone, and drives it down into the table. Pinning the Dredgen in place and knocking the gun from his hand. 

Hollers scream from the man. A gun cocks at the other end of the table. 

Deidre fires, but Outrider hops behind Spurn and slides the second knife under one of his shoulder blades, holding him up as a human shield. 

Bullets tear into the masked man. The hollering ceases. 

When the shooting pauses, Outrider pulls the knife from the man’s back and tosses him aside, knocking over the table with his arm still attached. While the Exo frantically reloads her weapon, Outrider pounces. A quick slash slices through the machinery of Deidre’s arm, knocking the sidearm from her hand, but the Exo delivers a powerful backhand with the other. Outrider flinches from the painful strike but doesn’t lose focus. A well-placed kick buckles Deidre’s knee, dropping her to the ground. 

The Exo draws her own knife from her boot and turns to swing it. When she looks up to face her foe, she finds the barrel of a large handgun pointed at her forehead.

The bang echoes through the room. Deidre drops lifelessly to her back. Smoke trails from Outrider’s conflict resolver. She turns back to check on Dredgen Spurn. 

The man lies motionless, his arm still speared to a table. 

The last woman standing takes a breath, peers around at all the onlookers, and lowers her weapon. A sudden, bright flash alerts her. Driven by anger and instinct, she spins on her heels and directs a massive surge of Arc Light through her arm and into her gun, empowering it with a devastating amount of energy. The sparking Hand Cannon points at its target. The Lightbearer has her finger on the trigger. A dark-colored Ghost looks back at her from the business end of the barrel, hovering over the body of the dead woman. Outrider holds the Light-charged weapon on the Ghost for a few hateful moments. Her anger dies down, and she holsters the gun. 

Folks around the hideout lose interest, returning to their drinks and conversations.

The Ghost looks down at Deidre and opens its shell.

Outrider pulls the knife from the table and rips the arm off the blade. She drops the limp limb and wipes the blade clean on her pant leg. Another Ghost begins to raise the Dredgen. The woman walks by and stomps his monstrous weapon to pieces.

***

A breath wheezes into Spurn, and his Ghost leaves the scene. He shakes his arm, looks over at the shattered remnants of his Thorn, and then turns to see his revived accomplice pick herself up off the dirty floor. 

“Now that we’re done with that,” Outrider says while flicking the stash key between her knuckles. “How about you take this and get out of my sight. No point in embarrassing yourselves again.” She tosses the key at Deidre’s feet.

Flames start to build in the man’s hand. He stands and faces the cocky Lightbearer. 

“That’s enough, Spurn...” the Exo orders.

The Dredgen turns in surprise.

After picking the key up, Deidre meekly heads toward the exit.

“This isn’t over,” the man threatens in a scratchy voice before crossing the room to leave with his associate.

A rude laugh is Outrider's only response.

Chapter Text

Sins of the Past.

As the pair of troublemakers pass through the door, another hooded man leans away from the wall and steps toward the fight’s winner. “That was some good stuff, Apples,” he praises in a smooth voice. “All the talk about your archery almost made me forget what a killer you are with a knife.”

“Any fool that comes at me figures out exactly what I can do with a knife,” the woman says as she gets back to the bar and lifts her bottle. “And don’t call me ‘Apples’, you know I hate that nickname.”

The man leans next to the woman. “Oh, I know. But it’s a lot more approachable than ‘the Tangled Outrider.’ Ooo, a title like that makes me shiver.” He smirks at her with his Exo mouth.

“That’s kinda the point. No one’s scared of ‘Apples’.” She looks over at the man. 

The horn on his forehead keeps his dark hood from falling over his eyes. “Not to dig at old wounds, but it’s strange seeing you without that gruff son-of-a-gun at your side. You’ve been… running a solo show for a while now, right?”

“Yeah, thanks for reminding me.” Her patience starts to run thin. “Now, if you’re done trying to break the ice, wanna tell me how you found me here?”

“A little birdie named ‘Hidden Agent MCZ-304’ told me when you landed. You’ve been away from the City almost as long as I’ve been stuck in the Tower, so I figured you had a good reason to stop by.”

The woman takes another swig from her bottle.

“Once I knew you were in town, all I had to do was listen out for the sound of a fight and follow it right back to you.”

She nods with a half-proud smile. “So, what does the Hunter Vanguard want from me today? And don’t forget, I don’t owe you any favors. The Rifleman would still be out there sniping Ghosts if I didn’t lend you a hand.”

“What? A guy can’t just wanna catch up with an old friend? I may not do much fieldwork these days, but I’d still like to hang out with my favorite Hunter when she stops by the City.”

Outrider gives an unconvinced look. “C’mon, Cayde. Drop the shit and tell me what you want?”

“Oh, touchy. Having a bad day?”

She raises an eyebrow, looks at the aftermath of her bar brawl, and then back at the man. 

“Oh, come on! A scrap like that has to be as common as a disappointing Engram decryption for a gunslinger like you! I know it was for me in my wilder days.”

“Had my throat slashed and my body dumped in the garbage earlier, if that helps qualify this as a ‘bad day’.”

“Yeah… that’s pretty bad. But you won this fight!” Cayde pats the woman’s shoulder as a congratulation.

The woman puts on an annoyed expression and stares at the smiling Exo.

“Huh? Oh, right. I was gonna explain what I want from you.”

She takes another drink.

Cayde grabs a seat on a hard stool at the bar.

Outrider quickly notices a strange, serious shift in his bright eyes.

“See, I, uh… I lost a friend a little while back… A Nightstalker named Tevis.” There is a scarcely heard melancholy in his voice.

“Not a lot of them left these days… I’m… sorry to hear that, Cayde.” 

“Don’t be. He got to pass his bow on to a more than promising successor… If you were around, I would've asked you if you'd hold onto it. Always thought you'd make a good Nightstalker."

"I've called out to the Void. It never called back."

"I hear you. Void's tricky. Takes a subtle approach. Hunters like Tevis are special... Losing him got me thinking about some mistakes I made in my younger, dumber days. It got me thinking about other folks I lost.”

Outrider slides the bottle aside and pays full attention to the Exo man, wondering how she fits into this.

“Now that we don’t have an army of twitchy monsters or nano-machine-crazed Fallen threatening to flip the system upside down, I’ve been trying to tie up some loose ends.”

“I see… So who’s the ‘loose end’ that needs ‘tying up’?” She pats her holstered revolver.

“What? Oh, no, no, no. I don’t need anybody shot… At least not right now.”

“Really? No one needs a hole in the head? Sure you’re talking to the right person?”

“Come on, Apples. You’ve got skills beyond just putting holes in people.” Cayde spins on his stool to face the woman directly. “Your tracking skills are better than any Hunter I’ve met, and I work with a lot of Hunters, it’s kinda my job.”

“So you need someone tracked down?” Outrider grows curious, but not quite interested.

“A few someones, and they’ve been… missing for a long time…”

Outrider squints. “Who exactly are these someones?”

“I mentioned I’ve made some mistakes? Well, this was one of them.” Cayde looks down at the bar. “Three Guardians. I sent them out on a mission that I knew would be dicey. Danger is the name of the game for Guardians, but this one had bad news scribbled over it like an art table at daycare.” He sighs. “The Fireteam’s leader was another Nightstalker, that’s why this whole mess is fresh on my mind. His New Light protege was with him, as well as the Warlock they were escorting.”

“You want me for a rescue mission?” The woman can’t help but grin at the strange thought. “I’m not much of a ‘hero’.”

“…No. This one’s not gonna be a rescue.” A short silence follows the man’s words.

The grin melts from Outrider’s face.

“If any of them survived, I would’ve heard back from them ages ago… I’m hoping you can pick up their trail around the last place I got a signal from them, and follow in their footsteps until you find any… remains. At least try and bring back what’s left of their Ghosts. They deserve to be put to rest… like Guardians.”

“Wow,” the woman exclaims. “Never took you for the sentimental type.”

“This one’s been eating at me for a while, and like I said… loose ends.”

“I understand, but what I don’t get is why you came to me with this. You’ve got plenty of Hunters that would take just about any job from you, I gotta assume at least a few of them are capable enough to handle tracking down a few old stiffs.”

“You're right, I could ask someone else,” Cayde turns to face the woman again. ”But I’m asking you. I need someone that I know can get the job done and get out with their head still attached. I’m trying to clear a little spot on my conscience, not add another body to the pile.”

She swishes the drink around at the bottom of her bottle.

“You know I’d do this myself if I could, and I know you don’t owe me anything, but I could really use a favor. I’m not asking as the Hunter Vanguard, I’m asking as an old friend who wants to have a little less baggage on his soul before he has to punch his ticket.”

Outrider chugs down the last of her drink and sets the bottle down. “Fine,” she huffs. “I’ll take the job. Need something to kill some time anyway.”

“Really? Well, that was easier than I expected. I was sure I’d have to try blackmail.” 

“Nah, just a good old-fashioned guilt trip.” She chuckles a little and shakes her head. “Now give me some real info on the job, just the broad strokes, send the finer details to Pom.”

“Long story short, the Fireteam was looking into a lead on some Golden Age tech in the Ishtar Sink-“

“Venus?” Outrider interrupts. “You weren’t kidding when you said ‘bad news’.”

“Yeah, it was hot back then, and aside from the Vault, it’s arguably worse these days. I’m hoping you can slip by the Vex and what’s left of the House of Winter, and start searching around the spot they went dark.”

Outrider twists the corner of her mouth. “There’s worse than Vex and Fallen on Venus...”

“Without their king, they’ve been aimless. Even the greenest New Light could avoid them!” Cayde offers an unconvincing smile. “Look, I trust you with this. Just get in, set up a transmat zone, and get out with anything you can find.”

“Simple as that?”

“Simple as that!”

The woman shakes her head again. “Okay, I’ll head out in the morning and contact you when I’m back on Earth. I’m sure you’ve got plenty to do in the meantime.”

“You don’t know how right you are,” Cayde says while staring up at the ceiling. “Best advice I can give you, when this Vanguard gig finally puts me in the dirt, do anything you can to avoid taking my place!”

“I wouldn’t dare.” She gives a knowing smirk. “Oh, did these guys have names? Anybody I might've heard of?"

Cayde turns back to his friend. "Doubt you would've heard of any of 'em." He rubs his chin. "Lead scout was named Owen. Me and him met back before the City had walls. The other scout was Shunzhi. Never met him, but I heard he had some real fire in him." He looks down and draws his finger in circles atop the bar.

"...And the Warlock?"

"He's the one I had to talk into all this... Seemed like a good guy, a little closed off, but a good guy." Cayde sits up straight. "I didn't get to know him well, but his name will definitely stick with me." He gives a half-hearted chuckle. 

"Yeah? Why's that?"

"The Warlock I sent out on a dicey mission to Venus? His name was Klutz."

Chapter Text

The Lament.

The room is dark, quiet, and lonely. Sitting before a long, busy desk, a focused man pours over his work. A desk lamp reveals the old, worn-out diagrams the man is diligently scanning over. He moves a crumbling blueprint close to the reference and compares the faded symbols in close detail. A disappointed sigh leaves the tired man’s lips. He drops the papers in frustration and rubs his palms to his eyes. With a slow half-spin of his chair, the researcher looks around his cramped room. Old tattered maps and scattered data discs litter the floor and shelves. The long unused bed serves as extra storage rather than a place to rest. Rolling his chair across the messy ground with small, unenthusiastic kicks, he reaches the window and parts the blinds enough to peek out. 

A pair of jumpships escort a larger vessel to one of the City’s hangars in the distance. The sky turns to a somber shade of orange around the great white orb that rests above even the tallest buildings. 

Another sigh escapes. 

Light briefly fills the room when a small floating machine appears near the door. The machine takes a few seconds to look around the disheveled surroundings. “I got your favorite!” she announces with forced enthusiasm and moves toward the cluttered desk. 

“Thanks,” the man says. A reserved but genuine look of appreciation shows on his face.

The machine notices the newly scattered diagrams. “No luck with these ones either?” she asks in a low voice.

The man shakes his head, rolls back to the desk, and clears a space with a slow swipe of his arm.

Another quick burst of light shines above the desk as the helpful machine drops a large brown paper bag down in a mist of transmat particles. “Large bowl, half spicy, less broth,” she happily announces in an attempt to raise the mood.

“I ever told you I have the best Ghost in the system?” the man says with a half-smirk as he claims his warm takeout.

“Only when I bring you noodles!” the Ghost jokes with a giggle.

After the first slurp of his meal, the man looks back at his Ghost. “As long as you keep the noodles coming, I’ll keep reminding you of how great you are,” he jokes back with a nearly-full mouth.

With a little anxiety, the Ghost bobs from side to side. “…The lady at the noodle shop…” she says sheepishly.

The man turns.

“She asked me why you haven’t come by in a while…”

“I’ve been… busy… You know that.”

“I know,” the Ghost quickly replies. “Although, It would be good for you to get out of here for a little while… It's been almost two weeks.”

It takes a minute for the man to say something. He breathes out with weight, gives a plain admission, “You’re right,” and returns to his food.

The small machine nods and leaves him to finish his meal.

***

The noodle bowl lays empty and the man rests his eyes.

Floating around the small room, the Ghost notices a single steel-pointed arrow at the far end of the desk. She shifts her segments slowly and turns to her Guardian. Her shell hangs low. He's resting in his chair, not yet asleep, but drifting in that direction. Her blue eye passes over all the research materials on the desk. 

The first snore rumbles from the man. 

She decides to leave it until the morning.

***

Thin shafts of light cut through the tiny gaps in the window cover. One shaft lines up perfectly with the sleeping man’s eyes. 

Squinting as he moves from the path of the bright morning sun, he stretches wide and lets out a deep yawn. His eyes open just in time to see his Ghost appear. “Morning, Spark,” he says through another yawn.

“Good morning!” she replies with a happy spin of her shell. “So, what's the plan for today?”

The Guardian stands from the chair and looks over his desk. “We’re still waiting on those docs from the Praxic Order?” he asks his glowing companion.

“Yes, they acknowledged our request as a ‘low-risk’ requisition. Unfortunately, ‘low-risk’ also means ‘low-priority’.”

“How long should we expect this to take?”

“I doubt anyone has looked at these documents since you sent in your first report about our findings in Old Chicago… Maybe we could try asking Osiris to look into it for us?”

“Not a good idea,” the man says without pause. “Osiris and the Praxis Order haven’t exactly been seeing eye-to-eye lately… Plus, I think he’s still pretty pissed at me for going… AWOL.” 

Spark looks down for a few seconds. “Well… if you don’t have anything else to do, maybe we could take a walk around the City?” she asks with a hopeful inflection. “Quite a lot has changed since I gave you your first tour all those years ago!”

“Maybe another time, Spark.” His voice is heavy and regretful. 

“Okay…” Spark says and drops her shell.

The Guardian sighs and moves to peer out the window. The summer sun kisses the rooftops across the City. He closes the window shade. The beauty of the bright summer day seems lost on him. He finds a light overshirt and gets ready to reenter the world. Before he goes, he moves to his desk and takes hold of the lone arrow. 

The arrow sits tightly in the man’s grasp, soaking up numb pain. 

“Klutz… you don’t have to keep doing this,” Spark says in a low plea. “It’s not your fault. None of it was your fault.”

Klutz wants to say something. 

He opens the door and heads out. 

***

The walk is long and hot under the beating sun. Sweat runs down his brow, but his demeanor remains ice-cold. 

Light shines on the old path. He’s followed it so many times, he could walk it with his eyes closed.

When he finally arrives, it's already late in the afternoon.

Memories slice through his mind as he passes the remnants of all that was lost. Rotten remains of old wooden walls and moss-covered foundations decay more and more with every visit.

He steps past a broken bench, approaches a small graveyard, and looks down at one worn headstone. 

Spark joins him but says nothing.

A few agonizing minutes pass before he drives the arrow deep into the earth with the others. He walks back a few steps to look at the forest of arrows that have been left there over the years. Then he stares back at the headstone, at the name inscribed on its surface; ‘Marin Mansanas.’

He stays silent. 

The pain inside him isn’t fresh.

It does not burn, stab, or even ache anymore. 

It simply lingers.

Chapter Text

Double Edged Answer.

Klutz brings his hand up to open the door to his room, but Spark whizzes into his view to interrupt him.

“There is someone inside,” she whispers.

The Guardian looks puzzled. It's been a long time since he's had a visitor. He instinctively reaches for his firearm but realizes quickly that he left unarmed. Solar flames start to flicker in his fist as he pushes the door open.

The room is as dark and unkept as he left it, but a figure sits in his desk chair with its back to the door.

The fire grows. “Turn around and tell me why you’re here or I’ll cook you,” the cautious Lightbearer orders.

“Cook me?” the stranger objects in a voice that is easy on the ears. “Take my word for it, I wouldn’t make a good meal.” He turns the chair around and reveals the piercing blue glow of the mechanical eyes under his dark hood.

“Noted,” Klutz says while cradling the flames in his hand.

Firelight reflects off of the jutting metal horn affixed to the stranger's synthetic face. “Alright, I’ll admit, breaking into your apartment probably wasn’t the best way to introduce myself,” he says while swiveling the chair from side to side. “How about we start over and you put the ol’ flaming hands to rest, huh? Don’t wanna give Sundance any more work today if I don’t have to.” 

A red striped Ghost floats out from behind the chair. She takes a moment to scan over Klutz and gives an unimpressed laugh before she disappears.

“You’re a Guardian?” Klutz puts the flames to rest.

“What tipped you off?” the other man pokes as he rises from the rolling chair. He stands confident but casual. A black cape hangs behind him, almost long enough to touch the ground.

“Are you here with the Vanguard?” 

“Luckily for both of us, no,” the hooded man answers with a short sigh of relief. “I think Swiftriver's been trying to get a hold of me for a while. Something to do with 'comically inflating' numbers on my reports? Or was it about that missing shipment of Glimmer that I definitely had nothing to do with?” Orange light glows from his Exo maw as he smiles unconvincingly. “Eh, it doesn’t matter. I’m here to offer you a job that I've got a good feeling you’ll be interested in.”

“Hold on for a moment,” Spark says as she joins the Guardians. “If you're not with the Vanguard, Who exactly are you?”

“Me?” the stranger asks with a dumb expression and a finger pointed at his face. “Nice of you to ask about my favorite subject. My friends call me Cayde-6, so do my enemies, among other things I’d rather not say in polite company.”

Spark and Klutz look at each other with vaguely familiar expressions. 

“Don’t tell me you’ve never heard of me?” the Exo Guardian cries in exaggerated disappointment. “Legendary gunslinger, hero of the Great Disaster, dangerously handsome scoundrel? None of this ringing a bell?” He drops his shoulders and sighs when his prompting is met with quiet confusion. “You’d think I’d have earned a little recognition by now… Well, back to what I broke in here to talk about.” Cayde pulls up an image on a small device. “This look familiar?”

Klutz looks at the photo. It shows a badly damaged wall with a strange symbol, barely visible on its surface. The symbol is scratched and faded, almost beyond recognition. Despite this, Klutz reacts immediately. “Where did you find this?” he asks as he snatches the device from the stranger's hand. 

“I’ve got lots of friends,” Cayde brags. “The one that took this pic happens to be on Venus…” 

“Venus?” Spark clarifies with audible concern. She looks at her Guardian, but his eyes are still locked on the data pad as he scrolls through the pictures.

“I know, I know,” the Exo says in an understanding voice. “Venus tends to have a bit of a… bad reputation these days, after the whole ‘Tragedy of the Vault of Glass’ thing a few weeks back, but this is only… sorta related.” 

Spark drupes her shell low and looks back at her still-focused Guardian.

“You see, these pics were taken deep down in some spooky ruins in the Ishtar Sink,” Cayde explains. “The scout that snapped the shots said he couldn’t find a way into the not-so-secret passage, but I’m thinking you could help with that.” 

Klutz looks away from the screen. “What should I expect to find if I take this op?” he asks with clear interest in his tone.

“Loot-wise, you’d know better than me.” Cayde rests his hands on his hips. “I’ve read your reports, and the Exotic gear you might find in a place like this almost brings a tear to my eye.” He mimes drying his cheek. “To tell ya the truth, I’d kill to root around the place myself, literally, I’d do a lot of killing if it meant I’d get a peek at the goodies hidden behind that door. But that’s the problem. A lot of killing may be a requirement.” Cayde crosses his arms. “The scout said this place has a teeny tiny… Vex infestation.” 

Spark begins to bob nervously.

“After recent events, the ’wiser’ folks on my crew called this job ‘foolhardy’ and ‘idiotic.’ Normally those kinda adjectives wouldn’t slow me down, but this time, I got overruled,” Cayde says with disappointment. “I get that this isn’t an easy ask, but you’ll have a couple of experienced Hunters to help, and I’m not even asking for a big cut of the loo-“ 

“I-I can't…” Excitement evaporates from the room as Klutz interrupts.

“No really, I only want first, second, and maybe third pick of the goods for setting this thing up.” The confident Exo changes tone when Klutz hands back the data pad. “Oh, you have some kinda business lined up already? This job ain't really time-sensitive, assuming the scouts don't get eaten by angry Vex in the meantime.”

“I've got a lot on my plate right now,” Klutz says in a defeated voice. “But I have an access token that should get anyone into that armory. Just have them send me any data they collect… And make sure they get out safe.” Klutz gets the well-kept token from a small lockbox and hands it to the Exo.

Cayde seems unusually quiet. He takes the token with an uncertain look in his eyes. He spies Spark’s sad expression. “Well, that'd work for me,” he says in a less exaggerated voice. “But I don't think it'd work for you.” Without looking, he tosses the token onto a clear spot at the end of the bed. “My Ghost left a radio link with your expressive little friend. Let me know if you change your mind.” 

Klutz looks at the Hunter, but can’t manage a nod. 

“Oh, and I came in through the window, but if it’s alright with you, I’m gonna transmat outta here. Felt creepy to transmat in so I thought climbing up- You know what? I’m just gonna head out,” Cayde over-explains in his normal, upbeat tone. “Eyes up, Guardian,” he sends off before leaving.

Scuffed boots stop at the open window. The Warlock looks out at the young night. His Ghost floats through the threshold and turns back to look at him. 

Her caring eye outshines even the brightest stars. 

“You don’t have to push yourself harder than you're comfortable with, Klutz,” the little light says softly. “But this is what you’ve been looking for, even if finding it wasn’t the reason you started looking.”

“I know…”

“I won’t pretend to know where this story is headed… but I think it’s time we opened another chapter.”

Klutz opens his eyes to his dear friend's light. A small smile crosses his face.

Chapter Text

Bad Reputation.

A terrible storm rages across the great, dark ocean. Lightning surges through the clouds without end and licks at the peak of the volcanic mountain on the other side of the sea. The wind twists and howls in violent cyclones, throwing dust and liquid into the air. 

The Warlock, dressed in dark burgundy robes made of a durable and slick material, watches the storm from a distance. He rests lazily on the edge of a sheer cliff, above the angry ocean waves. With no sign of concern, he watches the storm slowly spread out toward the crumbling city structures a far way down the coast. The sea crashes hard against the cliff side, touching the robed man with a mist of spray. With his gloved hand, he wipes the drops from his helmet's dark visor and stands from the cliff’s edge. He spots a jumpship cruise toward his location and walks over to meet it.

The ship extends its landing gear and settles atop a few small puddles. Soon after, a hooded man exits the vehicle via transmat and extends his hand in greetings. “So, how are you liking Venus?” he asks in a silky voice.

“It stinks,” the burgundy-clad man replies as he shakes the outreached hand with subtle hesitation.

After a quick chuckle the hooded man says, “Yeah, I try to keep my O2 filter chugging as often as possible.” He taps at the mouthpiece of his sealed mask. “My name's Owen. For the past few weeks, I've been the lead scout out here.” He adjusts the strap on the long gun across his back. “They call you ‘Klutz’, right?”

Klutz nods but feels a little uncomfortable. “You took over after the last scout didn’t come back from that Vex complex?”

“The Vault of Glass,” Owen says with weight. “Almost no one has made it out of there. Strange thing is, even though everyone agrees we had a lead scout out here before, no one seems to remember who it was.”

Klutz tilts his head in confusion.

“No one remembers talking to him, no one knows who he reported to, hell, we don’t even have records of any reports ever existing!” The hooded man shakes his head. “It’s like he went down into that Vex-ridden hellhole and got… erased.”

“Yeah, I’ve heard some strange things about that mess these past few weeks,” Klutz says as he looks away from the scout and up at the angular Vex structures that dwarf the buildings of the nearby city. “Good thing we aren’t here to follow in their footsteps,” he halfheartedly jokes.

Owen lets out a small laugh. “You got that right, Warlock. You don’t keep your Light or your life as long as I have by walking in blind like Kabr’s Fireteam. Snowfall and I have seen everything from the fall of the Warlords to the rise of the City, because we know how to play it safe.”

Klutz nods but says nothing else.

“Snowfall is my Ghost,” the hooded Guardian explains after a short lull in the stilted conversation. ”He’s a little shy, but you’ll hear from him soon enough.”

“Shy, huh?” Klutz turns back to face the man. ”Sometimes I wish my Spark was a little more sh-“ 

Spark materializes before them in a cloud of Light. “Hello, scout Owen! It’s nice to meet you!” She shifts her shell in greetings. “I look forward to meeting Snowfall, whenever he's ready to talk.”

Owen seems a little surprised by the friendly Ghost. “Well, he’s a little less talkative than you, but he’s sweet when you get to know him.”

“Getting back to what I’m here for,” Klutz says, moving on from the pleasantries. “My brief said I’d be working with two Hunters on this operation.”

The Hunter turns to face the city. “I‘ve mostly stuck to the rural area around the Shattered Coast. My junior scout, Shunzhi, stays close to the city. I told him when you’d get here, but he didn’t feel like showing up for the ‘meet-and-greet.'”

Klutz shrugs. “That’s fine by me. Is it a long way to the site?”

“Nope, not too far at all. We’ve had a few run-ins with Vex in the area, but nothing to get worked up about.” 

“The report we read said you’ve dealt with a surprisingly small number of Vex combatants during your time here,” Spark says. “I’d heard Venus was totally overrun by them.”

The Hunter adjusts his hood to clear his view. “We try to give the Vex structures a wide berth, and luckily for us, they tend to mind their own business if we don’t bother them. Seems like a good idea to keep our distance, at least for the time being.”

“So this gig has been pretty easy?” Klutz asks in a less than serious manner.

Owen tilts his head. “No. It hasn’t.” His posture stays laid-back and relaxed. “The sky pisses acid, storms are a daily hazard, the Vex we do have to deal with are about as tough as chewing on rocks, and to top it all off, we’ve spotted a few Fallen ships in the air these past few days.”

“Fallen?” Spark asks. “The report didn’t mention Fallen.”

“Like I said, we only spotted them a few days ago. Several Skiffs cruising near the city, couldn’t make out any house colors. Probably scavengers, nothing unusual. We found signs of Fallen activity from a long time back, but this is the first time they’ve shown themselves here in years.” Owen eyes over the storm across the ocean. “I’m sure they’ll cause us some trouble eventually, but I’m hoping we can get you in and out of this place before that. You’ve got experience with the Fallen?”

“Yeah,” Klutz answers. There is regret in his voice. “It’s been a while, but I’ve fought my fair share…”

Owen looks at the man with a strange, knowing gaze.

A pale white Ghost appears close to the Hunter and speaks calmly. “There is an urgent transmission from Shunzhi coming in right now.” The Ghost takes a moment to observe Spark and her Guardian. He flashes his bright blue eye and establishes a radio connection with the other Ghost.

Spark links Klutz in through his helmet's communication system.

“-All over me!” the gruff voice on the radio cries as Klutz connects to the call. “Could use some help ASAP! Shitloads of them and I can’t get to better cover!”

“The Warlock and I are en route, Shunzhi. Bunker down and don’t take any risks,” the Hunter orders as he quickly loads his sidearm.

“Hurry your asses up! I’m getting shot!” the voice on the radio yells before cutting the transmission.

Snowfall shakes his bright shell. “‘Speak of the devil and he doth appear…’” he says before dematerializing.

“You got that right, Snow.” Owen holsters his gun, summons his Sparrow in a burst of transmat light, and speeds off toward the city in one smooth motion.

Klutz feels his heart beat hard in his chest. He nods to Spark and she blinks away at the same time his Sparrow shows up. The vehicle's engine flips on in a blast of heat, propelling the Warlock down the Hunter's path.

Chapter Text

A Sudden Death.

A well-built Hunter digs in behind the base of a ruined statue at the center of the courtyard. He pops out during the small breaks in the incoming fire to shoot off slugs from his shotgun. At least a dozen Fallen press his position. A tall, menacing Captain issues commands from the front. The Hunter barks insults as he blows the head clean off an approaching Dreg. 

A Vandal armed with a Wire Rifle takes a firing position on a nearby hill that affords it a half-decent view of its target. The marksman sets its sights and manages to land a painful shot on the stranded Guardian’s firing arm. 

The wound burns badly. The Hunter curses loudly. “Guǐ!” he yells as he ducks back into cover. “My arm’s torched! Hurry up and fix it!”

A round, red Ghost phases in next to the wounded man and immediately begins healing his brutal injury. The Vandal narrowly misses the busy Ghost with another powerful shot. Guǐ flinches and moves closer to the Guardian to finish his work.

After another, quieter curse, the man pulls the pin on a small incendiary explosive with his teeth and lobs it out toward his attackers with his free hand. The bomb explodes near a group of Dregs, killing one instantly, and setting two others ablaze. 

The flaming Dreg's screams of pain work as an effective distraction, providing the Ghost with the time they need to finish their job and escape in a cloud of light.

“Who else wants to burn!?” the man yells as his Ghost leaves the dangerous combat zone. An overwhelming number of Fallen rush his position. 

Lining up for a killing shot, the Vandal marksman holds its breath and prepares to fire. The Vandal’s concentration is sharply broken when a speeding Sparrow nearly runs it over and a second Hunter rolls in close with a long, serrated blade.

Owen drives the blade deep into the Vadel’s neck and yanks it out with a slicing motion. The Fallen corpse hisses Ether as it hits the ground. Owen wastes no time readying his rifle and taking out a pair of exposed Dregs. “We have your back, Shunzhi,” he says over the radio. His tone is cool and relaxed despite the chaotic firefight before him.

“Really took your time, geezer!” Shunzhi shouts back. A trio of Fallen surround him and attack with electrified blades. He quickly kills one with a blast from his shotgun and shatters the knee of another with a low kick. The Hunter finishes the crippled Vandal off with a swift shot from his weapon. He turns to face the surviving attacker just in time to watch it disintegrate in a bright flash of Solar Light.

Klutz slides in with the glow of the flames still lingering in his hand, takes cover next to the shotgun-wielding Hunter, and aims his slick-looking rifle. 

A raging roar belts out from the Captain, but is cut abruptly when Owen lands a deadly shot right in the middle of the alien's enraged face. The high-caliber rifle round leaves the Captain unrecognizable, its body limply collapses under its own weight. “Time to clean up the little ones,” he says as he stows his large gun and hops down into the courtyard. 

A volley of gunfire is traded back and forth between the surviving Fallen and the united Fireteam of Guardians. The Fallen drop one by one while the Lightbearers stand strong.

Shunzhi presses the advantage and charges a pair of terrified Dregs. The first Dreg tries to put up a fight, only for its bravery to be rewarded with a mangled arm and a burning hole in its thorax. The second Dreg makes the much wiser decision to flee. It doesn’t make it far. “You two done with the others?” the out-of-breath Hunter shouts to his companions while he pulls a jagged machete from the Dreg's body and wipes it clean on his messy sleeve.

“Just about,” Owen hollers back as he slashes at the swinging arm of a sword-wielding Vandal with his knife and follows up with a flurry of rapid shots from the sidearm in his offhand. Ether steams out from the bullet holes. The old Hunter turns to check on the newest addition to his Fireteam.

Standing unharmed a few meters from some fresh Fallen bodies, Klutz reloads his rifle. Smoke still trails from the barrel as he hangs the weapon on his back. He takes a minute to look around at the aftermath of the Light-fueled slaughter.

***

Drops of rain start to trickle down on the death-filled courtyard. “Over here!” calls the senior scout as he takes cover under an old metal awning at the entrance of a large building. 

Klutz joins the two Hunters. The rain starts to drop in a hissing patter. “You two alright?” he asks when he approaches.

“Peachy,” Shunzhi replies coldly. His Ghost works to mend a painful-looking cut on his side.

“Don’t mind him,” the older Hunter says with a laugh. “He’s always been an ass.”

The bulky Hunter does not seem to take offense. His Ghost heals the last of his wounds and begins repairing his thick jacket.

“When did the Fallen land?” Owen asks.

Shunzhi shrugs. “Didn’t see them touch down. They must’ve been keeping tabs on me for a while though, ‘cause they were waiting for me when I came through here,” he explains with some annoyance in his voice.

“That’s strange. We’ll have to look into that after we finish this mission.” Owen takes a quick look around the area. “You did good work out there, Warlock. The Light still burns bright in you,” the Hunter says and pats Klutz on his armored shoulder.

“Huh?” Klutz narrows his eyes. “What do you mean ‘still’?”

Owen looks at his fellow Hunter for a moment and then looks back at Klutz. “Well, you said it’s been a while since you fought any Fallen… And Cayde told us it’s been some time since you’ve taken a field mission with a Fireteam.”

“Said you’ve been cooped up in the Tower for years,” Shunzhi adds in a mocking tone.

Klutz eyes the impudent Hunter for a few tense seconds. “Think I’ve proved I won’t be a liability in a fight, if that’s what you’re worried about,” Klutz barks back.

“I’m not worried. I’m curious,” Owen calmly clarifies.

Shunzhi only chuckles to himself while he tests his Ghost's work on his mended jacket.

Spark appears next to her Guardian and gives him a supportive look.

The Warlock sighs and takes a shallow breath. “For a long time, it’s just been Spark and me. The last time I worked with anyone else was… during the Battle of the Six Fonts…”

Owen’s posture changes.

Shunzhi doesn’t seem to be paying attention and wanders toward the nearby doors.

“That was a long time back,” Owen says as he leans back against the wall. “I remember feeding the Firebreak Order with info on Fallen movements beyond the walls. Did you stand with the Titans?”

“No,” Klutz answers with a flicker of pain in his voice. “I was posted outside the walls… It didn’t turn out well.” He looks over at his understanding Ghost. “Hey, I’d rather keep things more… professional. Let's just focus on why we’re here.”

A loud thud echoes out as Shunzhi boots at the tall door. “You two done with story time yet?”

“I guess so,” Owen replies. “We can get to where we’re going through this building?”

“It’s not going to be the fastest way,” The large Hunter says through his teeth as he kicks hard at the solid door again. “But I don’t feel like dealing with any more acid rain.” He kicks again.

Owen stands from the wall and gets closer to the other scout. “Do you think that’s the best idea? I’d rather deal with the rain than the Vex.”

Shunzhi grunts as he kicks the door once more.

Klutz looks out at the dead Fallen in the courtyard. The yellow clouds start to pour down faster. Steam rises from the bodies when the sulfuric rain hits them. “How corrosive is this stuff?” he asks.

While the younger Hunter continues to work on the door, Owen answers, "It’s pretty diluted, but it can be hell for your equipment if you’re exposed too long. The Traveler worked some real miracles on Venus, but I guess even the Light has its limits.” He looks out at the bodies as well. “To be honest, I’d be a lot more worried about having to fight more Fallen, now that they seem brave enough to show their faces out here.” Just as he finishes speaking, a jolting pop rings through the air. Owen hits the floor like a ragdoll with a burning hole clear through his head.

Chapter Text

Dire Promise.

Shunzhi curses loudly then knocks down the door with a final strong kick.

Light flashes as Spark hides and Snowfall appears.

Klutz steps in front of the Ghost, scans the surroundings with his rifle, and backs toward the door. Unable to spot the assassin, he looks over to see the surviving Hunter drag the other's body inside. 

Shunzhi rests the body against a wall, far from the entrance, and arms his shotgun.

“I didn’t see where it came from,” Klutz says with heightened focus. He follows close behind. “It’s gotta be cloaked somewhere out there!”

The pale Ghost dashes over and immediately starts to revive his fallen Hunter.

After an angry grunt, Shunzhi puts his gun away and moves towards the doorway.

“Careful, Hunter,” Klutz warns.

Ignoring the warning, Shunzhi grabs multiple explosives from his belt and binds them together like a deadly bouquet. He tosses the bundle of bombs into the entry hall and detonates them in mid-air with a quickdraw shot from his weapon. The ear-piercing explosion collapses the entrance, blocking any way in or out.

Life returns to Owen in time to watch the last of the debris settle where the door used to be. He sits up and pats his Ghost kindly. “Thank you, Snow,” he says with warmth then rises to his feet. “I guess we’re going with your plan.”

“Guess so,” the other Hunter jokes back.

Owen pulls down his hood and removes his ruined helmet, revealing his youthful-looking face and messy hair. After a short examination, he notices the large hole in the back of the headwear. Right away, the Hunter feels at the hood of his cloak. His finger slips through the burned tear. “Damn,” he exclaims.

“That must have been a powerful weapon to pierce clean through your helmet,” Snowfall notes as he scans over the headwear. “Do you want me to fix your gear now?” he asks politely.

A smile crosses Owens's face. “No need to worry about it at the moment.” He tosses the damaged helmet in the air and it evaporates in a mist of transmat energy.

Snowfall shifts his white shell around anxiously.

“No need to worry about me either, friend.” The smile turns into a serious, comforting expression. “I’ll stay safe, I promise.”

Snowfall nods and dematerializes.

“You really baby that Ghost,” Shunzhi prods when he regroups with the Fireteam. 

“He worries about me,” Owen replies with a shrug.

Spark reveals herself and floats near the Hunters. “There is nothing wrong with that,” she says as she joins the conversation. “All Ghosts worry for their Guardians. I think it’s very sweet of you to reassure him.”

An appreciative nod is all it takes for Owen to thank the Warlock's Ghost.

Shunzhi makes a dismissive noise and turns away.

Spark’s shell spins with mild anger. She returns to Klutz when he walks near.

“Everyone okay?” the Warlock asks while holding his hand out for his Ghost to rest above.

Owen nods with mindful eyes and replies, “I’m fine now, Warlock. Nothing to worry about.”

The other Hunter doesn’t seem to acknowledge the question. 

Klutz shakes his head and refocuses. “So, where to next?”

“There’s some old tram tunnels a few floors down,” Shunzhi answers as he walks down a small set of stairs at the back of the room. “Should connect to the building we’re headed for.”

“Should also be swarming with Vex…” Owen adds.

“Why would the Vex be in these tunnels?” Spark asks.

Owen scratches at his stubbled chin. “The Vex have converted a ton of this planet from the inside out. They spread quickly through the caves and burst into most of the city’s underground infrastructure,” the scout explains. “The cave system that houses the Vault of Glass is supposed to be massive…”

Spark looks up at Klutz and widens her bright eye.

“There are probably more Fallen hidden around the city,” Klutz says with unease. “If we find a way back outside, walking through those rainy streets is likely gonna end up with us stuck in a kill box.”

“It seems like these tunnels really are the best option,” Owen adds with a little reluctance.

“We still talking about this?” Shunzhi yells from deeper into the building.

“No,” Owen answers with a smile, “not anymore.”

Chapter Text

Headstrong.

The clunk of heavy boots echoes through the empty tunnel when the last Guardian drops down onto the tram tracks. An eerie silence blankets the long, winding passage. Only a few feet down the track from the platform, a suffocating darkness obscures the path forward.

Bright white light shoots forth from Spark’s eye, revealing the seemingly unending tunnel system. The Ghost’s light casts long shadows from her Guardian companions, reaching down the tramway like extended claws.

“Guǐ?” the burly Hunter calls out to summon his own Ghost. 

Snowfall also shows himself and shines his powerful lamp.

The trio of Ghosts stick close to their Guardians and light the path forward.

“I’m picking up some troubling signals on my scanner…” Spark announces a few minutes into the Fireteams trek down the Shattered Coast’s subway system. 

“Yes,” Snowfall concurs, “there is a high concentration of Vex signals below us.” His voice is focused but clearly uncomfortable.

Shunzhi keeps his steady pace at the head of the Group. “No way to go but straight ahead,” he says with his regular mulishness. Guǐ maintains a strong light to illuminate the way.

***

After an extended period of silent walking, Owen turns to the Warlock at his side. “So, how well do you know Cayde?” he asks to break the ice. His Ghost looks at him without thinking, blinding the Hunter with bright light by mistake. 

Klutz shields his eyes from the light when he looks over to acknowledge the man. “Uh, not very well,” he answers, maintaining his distance.

Rubbing a knuckle in his closed eye to soothe the pain of the striking light, Owen asks, “Can you please keep the torch forward, Snow?” A short chuckle bookends his request.

“Oh, I’m sorry…” Snowfall says and points himself down the tunnel.

The Hunter opens his eyes again. “It’s okay, friend.” He has an easygoing grin. Turning back to the Warlock, he continues, “I’m surprised Cayde went to you with this if you two aren’t close. Honestly, I’m surprised he didn’t come out here himself!”

“Sounded like he wanted to,” Klutz says with a trying smirk. “He said something about his crew thinking this op was ‘foolhardy’ and ‘idiotic.’”

Owen laughs loudly causing Shunzhi to turn back and look at him in annoyance. “Outvoted by his own guys!” the old scout jokes. “There must be a reason he got you involved in this.”

The small smirk on Klutz’s face leaves. “I have something of a… personal investment in this mission,” he explains vaguely.

“Would you care to elaborate a little?”

“Not really.” Klutz notices Spark shake slowly.

“I see…” Owen says while rubbing the stubble on his chin. 

Klutz feels the creeping awkwardness of another silence in the conversation. He sighs quietly and reluctantly speaks. “Do you... know Cayde well?”

Owen perks up at the question. “We run in the same circles, so I hear from him often enough. We haven’t been very close in recent years… but back in the day, we made a deadly duo.” 

“How come an old Hunter like you hasn't joined his crew?” Klutz asks.

“Like I said, we aren’t that close anymore…” Owen seems trapped in thought for a moment. “Besides, if I was out hunting Fallen Barons with Cayde and the boys, who would keep an eye on this grumpy bastard?” 

Shunzhi responds with a one-finger gesture as the group continues forward.

***

Not much further down the path, Shunzhi’s Ghost stops the group. “There is something ahead of us,” Guǐ warns. “A breach in the tunnel.”

Just out of range of the Ghost's bright lamp, a damaged tunnel wall glows with a very dull white light.

With his shotgun in hand, Shunzhi approaches the large breach. “Shit,” he exclaims with some amusement. “Wouldn't want to fall down there.”

Klutz walks near the beach and sees that it opens into an enormous cave. The cave is lit up bright by an endless lake of luminous white fluid, hundreds of feet below. The Warlock is blown away by the sight of the strange underground sea.

“A radiolaria reservoir…” Snowfall says in astonishment as he scans over the area.

“What the hell is that?” asks the large Hunter as he pokes his head in to get a better look.

“Are you serious?” Snowfall exclaims while shaking his white shell in disappointment.

An ambiguous shrug is all Shunzhi answers with.

The pale Ghost sighs. “Radiolarian fluid is what makes up the biology of the Vex.” 

“This is that milk they have in their bellies?” Shunzhi asks and takes a couple steps backward.

Owen drops his face into his hand.

“…Yes,” the Ghost answers dryly. “The Vex are made up of many tiny organisms called radiolaria. The radiolaria are suspended in the fluid. Each individual Vex unit operates with the combined effort of thousands of these organisms, working together to progress the goals of the Vex Nexus… A collection of radiolaria this large must be capable of… incredible things.” 

“Uh, Snowfall?” Guǐ calls out in concern.

Spark gazes down for a second and then quickly turns to her Guardian with a meaningful look.

Snowfall looks as if he is in a trance as he peers out at the great white lake.

“Snap out of it, Snowfall!” Guǐ says loudly. “Check your sensors, we’ve got bad guys headed here real fast!”

Guǐ and Spark quickly disappear. Leaving Snowfall as the only Ghost in the path of the rapidly approaching Vex Harpies.

In a swift reaction, Owen dashes over, snatches his Ghost out of the air, and puts his back toward the mechanical monstrosities as they spill into the tram tunnel. One of the Harpies shoots out a hissing beam of energy, aimed at the protective Hunter. Before the beam finds him, Owen throws down a small grenade that explodes into a thick cloud of hazy purple smoke.

Klutz backs up far and arms his weapon. To his surprise, it seems like the Hunter has faded away in the smoke bomb’s obscuring cloud. He refocuses and looks for the other scout. “Shunzhi! Get over here!” he yells down the tight passage. 

The young Hunter ignores the order and runs toward a pair of the Vex devils.

Focusing on the threat ahead. Klutz squeezes off a burst of fire at a fast-approaching Harpy. The bullets ricochet off the enemy's thick armor. It sets its sights on the isolated Warlock. He narrowly dodges when the machine barrels toward him at a high speed. The Vex attacker turns around, flares the panels of its body wide, and screeches a dangerous threat. Klutz answers the cry by lobbing a devastating ball of Solar Light. The fire swallows the Harpy almost instantly, leaving nothing behind but the echo of its stabbing shriek.

A curse carries through the tunnel while Shunzhi battles a pair of the metal beasts. He lands a close-range slug dead in the center of one Harpy's angry red eye, shutting it down for good. The second assailant swipes across the Hunter with a painful stream of concentrated power, cutting him cleanly in two. Both halves of his body hit the cold ground with a meaty thud, he clings pointlessly to his quickly fading life and watches with slipping vision as many more Harpies flood in through the breach. He passes out before he can curse again.

Adrenaline rushes through the lone Guardian's bloodstream. In the absence of Spark's light, darkness has filled the claustrophobic corridor. The deadly machines float in, the glow of their menacing red eyes pierce through the dark and stare into his soul. For a few short breaths, Klutz watches the Vex hold their place in the tunnel and observe him. He swallows deep and points his weapon forward. Klutz can barely make out the bisected body of his fellow Guardian. He wonders what happened to Owen. He feels a grip squeezing on his heart. His finger moves to the trigger. 

Synthetic screechs blast forth from the Harpies as they charge in unison. Flashes from the muzzle of the Guardian's weapon light up the space enough to reveal terrifying images of the fast-approaching death machines. The hail of bullets isn't as effective as he needs it to be. The Vex are nearly on him. He tosses his weapon aside and leaps high into the air. His heart pounds harder. His mind races. He channels his Light and calls out into the Void… but receives no answer. A frustrated puff lightly fogs his visor. “What? Why?” He falls back to the hard ground. His gathered Light fades away.

The Vex are only feet away. The Void has left him and any remnant of hope has slipped away with it. 

A dazzling violet glow shines above the Warlock when Owen draws back the string of his Nightstalker bow. He looses one great arrow of Light, right in the middle of the Vex horde. The arrow explodes into a powerful Anchor, sending out many unbreakable tethers that grab hold of the vicious Vex. Owen lands into a roll, whips out his pistol, and empties an entire magazine into the nearest Harpy. When the last bullet connects, the Harpy bursts apart in a dazzling explosion of Volatile Void energy. The explosion sets off a chain reaction among the Anchor’s tethered victims, blowing them apart in a series of loud, warbling booms. The Nightstalker calmly loads his weapon as the last of the Void disappears. He walks near the remains of his junior scout and closes his eyes with a pained expression.

Two of the Ghosts show themselves in unison when it's clear the Vex have been dealt with. Both Ghosts rush to their Guardian and scan over them for any injuries or exposure to radiolarian fluid. 

Peeking out from behind a pile of rubbish, Guǐ moves in to help. It doesn't take him long to find out what's wrong with his fallen Guardian.

A heavy cough shakes out when Shunzhi starts to sit up from the bloody tracks. He gives his repaired midsection a quick pat and nods at his Ghost while bits of Light fade away around him.

Owen steps near and offers a hand. “I think this is the first time the two of us have died on the same day,” he says with a smirk.

“Let's make sure it's not the last,” Shunzhi jokes while he takes his partner’s hand.

Chapter Text

Burden of Guilt.

Laughs echo down the tunnel. 

Klutz approaches the Hunters. Frustration is clear in his steps. “We’ve gotta fight smarter or we’re all gonna wind up dead,” he warns with the slightest tremble in his voice.

The Hunters turn. Their laughter trails off.

“Take it easy, Warlock,” the young Hunter says dismissively. “We’re almost at the site. So you can look forward to getting back to your cozy little Tower in no time,” he adds with a scoff.

Anger builds in Klutz, not because of the Hunter’s insolence, but because of his carelessness.

“No need to be a jerk, Zhi.” The older Hunter is more diplomatic in his response. “Our Warlock friend just wants to make sure we all get out of this in one piece.”

An annoyed puff of air slips through Shunzhi’s lips. He grabs his shotgun from the ground and starts back down the path.

Owen faces the Warlock. “I appreciate your concern,” he says with clear honesty. “Shunzhi hasn’t had the Light for very long, not even a year yet. He’s arrogant and rude, but he’s also capable and caring when you give him time.”

Klutz takes a quick look at the shotgun-wielding Hunter, now a far way down the tunnel. The anger leaves quickly, replaced with a creeping unease. “I… I get it. But his kind of behavior only gets you one thing on a mission like this…”

“There’s truth to that…” Owen says with a heavy voice. He shuts his eyes and breathes for a moment. “I’ve lost people too,” he confesses with muted pain in his voice.

A dull ache presses low on Klutz’s heart. He holds a questioning gaze on the man. “What?” he asks after a tense few seconds.

The Ghosts stay near their Guardians. They share a look of concern.

“When we were back up topside, before I had a hole put through my head, you were talking about the last time you had anyone but your Ghost at your side.” Owen’s voice is calm and focused.

Continuing to gaze at the Hunter, Klutz stands wordless.

“I just want to say that I know what it’s like… I know what it’s like to lose people you care about,” Owen says with an uncharacteristic somberness. 

“Why are you saying this? What do you know about me?” Klutz squares his shoulders and crosses his arms. 

“I don’t know much at all about you, Warlock… But I know loss.”

From behind the dark glass of his helmet, Klutz tries to maintain his composure, tries to suppress the old sadness that bubbles to the surface.

“And I can tell that you know loss as well.” The old Hunter speaks quiet and open. "It's hard to walk the Void when you're weighed down with regret."

Klutz stays silent and turns away.

Spark drops her shell low but says nothing either.

“You don’t have to say anything,” Owen says with understanding. “Just try and listen to what I have to say.”

After a moment, Klutz looks back to the Hunter.

“Many years back, I lived through something I shouldn’t have. Chiseled pain seeps through Owen’s words. “I lived, but a lot of good people didn’t. I remember walking past their bodies with Snowfall at my side, and wishing, more than anything… that I could trade places with any one of them…” He pauses to gather himself as he picks at old wounds. “Survivor’s guilt is a real son of a bitch,” he says with a shake of his head.

A shallow breath enters Klutz’s lungs. He closes his eyes.

“I believed that it was my fate to lose the people I cared about, so I felt it best to cut myself off from everyone,” the Hunter says sharply. “Everyone but Snow.” His eyes shine warmly at his Ghost. “I didn't even speak with anyone for the first few years. I thought it was for the best. You can’t lose anyone if you don’t have anyone to lose, you know?”

Knowing her Guardian, Spark floats in a little closer.

“Pretty quickly, I realized I could barely wield Void Light. I knew I still had the Traveler's blessing, but the Void was out of my reach. It's a challenge to channel the Void with a clouded mind... My mind was entirely overcast." He chuckles to himself. "I was a Nightstalker without his bow." He shakes his head. “It wasn’t until I happened upon a New Light, fresh out of the dirt and already killed another ten times over, that I gave myself the chance to let someone in.” Owen watches Shunzhi and Guǐ disappear around a distant corner. “He had me so scared the first couple months. Every shot he took, every height he fell from, every fight he lost… I felt like it was my fault. I felt like I was losing them all over again. But every time, this tenacious New Light would get back up and look at me like I was worried about the sky falling down. He’d say ‘Worry about yourself. It’s my life to live and my life to lose.’ I didn’t understand that for a long time… but I do now.” Owen puts a hand on the other man’s shoulder. “Guardians make their own fate.”

The Warlock opens his eyes and looks back at the Hunter through the thick glass of his helmet.

There is a long silence as the words settle in.

“Are you done?” Klutz asks dryly.

With a slow shake of her shell, Spark sighs, very quietly, and disappears.

While drawing back his hand, Owen looks a little surprised. “…Yes,” he answers and narrows his brow. “It might be a good idea to at least think on what I said. It might save you some pain going forward.”

“We’re Guardians,” Klutz says dispassionately. “Pain is part of the job.”

Snowfall’s eye meets with his Guardian’s.

The Warlock walks ahead.

Chapter Text

Go Figure.

“Well, there it is,” Shunzhi announces, gesturing to the marked indentation in the wall. 

Spark eyes the faint red light near the ceiling. She starts to scan the hidden door. “What was this building used for before the collapse?” she asks.

“Everything in the Sink was run by the Ishtar Collective,” Owen explains. “The academy and the archives make up most of the area around here. As for this building in particular… I’m not quite sure-“

“I found a buncha dorms on the floors up above, back when I first scouted the area,” Shunzhi interrupts. “This place probably housed the eggheads, before it all went to shit.”

Focusing her scan on the light, Spark inquires further. “What would Ishtar Collective researchers have to do with the Black Armory? Nothing we’ve found has even hinted at this connection…”

“You tell us, Sparks,” the large Hunter responds flippantly. “We just find the data and send it back for the Warlocks to pick through.” He leans against the wall and bounces his leg impatiently. “This thing even got enough juice to open up? That light seems like it’s about to give up.”

The Ghost finishes her scan. “It’s just ‘Spark.’ And from what I can tell, this Armory does seem to be running very low on power.” 

“Is that surprising,” Owen asks. “This ‘armory’ probably hasn’t been touched in hundreds of years.”

“The Armories we entered before hadn’t been used in just as long, yet power didn’t seem to be an issue.” Spark spins her shell in contemplation. “Maybe something happened to the generators? Or maybe there’s some kind of exercise power draw?”

“Will it open?” Klutz interjects as he takes the clean access token in his hand.

“I think you know how to find out,” Spark answers playfully.

Klutz moves past the Hunters and faces the weak red light. He stares up for a moment and breathes. When he holds the token to the light, it shines much brighter... then abruptly switches off. Weight presses down on the Warlock’s shoulders. He lowers the token and stands with a defeated slouch.

Suddenly, the light switches back on, only now in a bright green color. The door begins to rise with the screeching sound of metal sliding along metal. It opens about a third of the way before stopping with another grinding hitch. The light quickly dims to black.

“I guess we’re crawling in,” Owen says.

***

Inside, the secret room is pitch black.

Guǐ and Snowfall light the way for the Guardians while Spark looks deeper into the darkness for a way to restart the power. 

The Armory is structurally compromised. Walls are cracked and overgrown with invasive vegetation, parts of the ceiling are caved in, and support beams buckle ever so slightly.

Klutz is surprised by the condition of the facility. It is a stark contrast to the sterile lab he was expecting. As he looks around the ruined surroundings, distracting memories race through his mind. He tries to stay calm and focused while he waits for his Ghost to return.

“Not much of an ‘armory’,” Shunzhi says, seemingly unimpressed by the Golden Age secret. “Don’t even see any guns.”

“He’s right,” Owen points out. “Cayde promised this place would have good equipment. Are the weapons further in?”

With his mind elsewhere, Klutz doesn’t answer.

The Hunters share a shrug.

“Klutz?” Owen asks to get his attention.

“Huh?” The Warlock snaps out of his spiraling thoughts and faces the two scouts. “Oh, uh, I’m not sure. The Armory near the City had weapons in a large room like this… There could be some locked up somewhere else.”

“A place like this has got to have some good stuff, right?” Shunzhi wonders. He directs his Ghost to light the way as he explores the large, dark room. “These don’t look like gunsmith benches. Just regular desks with terminals.” He lifts up an old keyboard and tosses it behind a monitor.

Walking away from Snowfall’s light, Klutz approaches the junior scout. “Can you leave that alone?” he pleads in an irked voice. “If Spark can get some power going in here, I’d like to check these terminals for any info.”

Shunzhi knocks on one of the monitors with his protected knuckle. “This place is dead. Really think any local data‘s not corrupt?” His pessimism is obvious.

Klutz leans on the desk without answering.

Warm yellow lights flicker on along the floor and ceiling. The space is still poorly lit, but at least some power seems to have been restored.

Spark rejoins the Fireteam and stops next to her Guardian. “There is a LOT of troubling structural damage in this bunker. The main power unit fell through the floor some time ago, and the backup is nearly used up. I assume the facility was programmed to strictly limit energy use in this kind of scenario. Luckily, I was able to switch the emergency functions back on.” Spark stretches out her shell and rests near the man’s shoulder.

“Thank you, Spark,” Klutz says.

Owen follows suit. “Yes, thank you, Ghost.”

“Did you find any loot back there?” Shunzhi tactlessly asks.

The Warlock’s Ghost shakes her shell. “No. I didn’t explore the entire layout, but I didn’t find anything useful…”

Shunzhi puffs in irritated disappointment.

“Cayde will be let down if we don’t bring back any fancy firearms…” Owen adds. “Do you think there’s a chance we'll find anything in the unexplored sections?”

“I’m unsure, but it’s worth looking into!” Spark answers with cautious hope. “Just make sure to watch your step… I noticed a large collapsed area on the floor. It opened up into that massive cave we saw earlier…”

“The cave filled with radiolaria?” Snowfall asks shyly.

“Yes… I didn’t notice any signs of Vex activity nearby, but the Vex fluid is dangerous enough on its own.” Spark warns.

Lifting up his helmet to scratch at the underside of his pale blue chin, Shunzhi asks, “What’s so dangerous about the milk? I’ve got it on my gear lots of times.” He removes the helmet and hangs it from his belt.

Guǐ speaks up. “And I’ve had to clean it off of you lots of times.”

“The radiolaria convert anything they come into contact with,” Snowfall explains with seriousness in his voice. “They work to convert and assimilate anything from tiny microbes to entire planets. If radiolaria passes through your skin and enters your bloodstream, the invading organisms will quickly start to replace your biological tissue with Vex material. It takes less than a minute to cause irreparable damage…”

“‘Irreparable’? Even for a Guardian?” Shunzhi questions in disbelief.

Spark shifts her shell around anxiously. “Yes, if we don’t work fast to restore our Guardians…” She looks at Klutz with her bright eye. “Even the Light has its limits.”

“How much of the grimoire did you skip through?” Owen asks with a laugh. “This is pretty basic stuff.”

Shunzhi shrugs and chuckles. “I mostly paid attention to the parts where they tell you how to kill ‘em.”

“The terminals still don’t have power,” Klutz points out, detached from the conversation.

“Oh, yes. I’ll have to start one up manually since this is all running on limited energy.” Spark moves in to the closest workstation and focuses her light on the long-abandoned terminal.

“If it’s all the same to you two, Shunzhi and I are going to do what scouts do and dig a little deeper into this place.” Owen gestures with his head to ask Shunzhi to follow.

“Just be careful,” Klutz says. “This place is pretty big, but if more Vex show up, I’ll back you guys up.”

The broad Hunter walks toward one of the branching corridors. “Oh, thank the Traveler! The moody Warlock is here to keep us all safe!” he praises sarcastically.

“Enough, Zhi,” the other Hunter orders. The two scouts turn a corner out of sight.

Chapter Text

Harsh Language.

The monitor flashes then displays a static image of the Black Armory’s white logo as the machine boots on.

“Think we’ll find anything useful?” Klutz asks with unadmitted doubt.

The Ghost turns to him and spins her shell in a show of optimism. “Even if most of the data is lost, log dates or access locations could be helpful in locating other Black Armory installations.” She can tell the man is less than excited. “Even just standing in this bunker is an accomplishment, Klutz.”

“You’re right. I just wish-“

Light flashes on the monitor. A login screen asks for identification.

Holding the token in front of the screen gives the Guardian access.

Spark shines her light on the console to scan for useful information.

Klutz grabs the keyboard from behind the monitor and starts to comb through the computer manually.

“The power must have cut abruptly, because these files are all heavily encrypted AND unreadable…” Spark says with disappointment. “I do have access dates, but nothing seems out of the ordinary. No recent remote access like the server in the facility beneath the village, but that’s not surprising, given how long the power has been out. I was hoping we would find something more to go on…”

“Think I’ve got something, Spark.” Klutz is as surprised to say the words as Spark must be to hear them. “The communication network is still active somehow… and this terminal just got a new message…”

The Ghost focuses on the screen in amazement. “It’s incredible that the network is still accessible! It’s even more incredible that someone else has accessed it! Do you think this is the same individual that logged into the other Armory?”

“Maybe. Whoever they are, they still have access after all these years.”

“Well, open the message! Oh, and check if the sender's name is notable!” Spark floats side to side with her eye locked on the display.

With a click, Klutz opens the message client and reads the name of the mysterious contact. “‘A1’. That’s the name.”

“A1? Seems like a placeholder, definitely not much to look into…”

The Guardian clicks to open the message, the text is simple and gets its point across quickly.

“IF YOU CONTINUE TO SEARCH, 

YOU WILL MEET A SWIFT DEATH.”

Spark and Klutz look at each other with disturbed expressions. “They don’t sound very friendly,” the little light jokes with thinly veiled apprehension. “Try messaging them back. Let them know we mean no harm and just want to learn.”

Klutz types up a peaceful message that explains his search for information and offers a chance to work together.

The mysterious A1 seems to ignore most of this message in their next reply.

“YOU WILL NOT DECEIVE ME, LIGHTBEARER. 

YOU MAY HIDE BEHIND HIS FACE, 

BUT I KNOW WHAT YOU ARE. 

RETURN TO YOUR TOWER 

AND FORGET ABOUT THE BLACK ARMORY. 

I HAVE WATCHED YOU THROUGH MY WEAPON’S SIGHT. 

YOU WERE LUCKY TO BE SPARED. 

I WILL NOT BE SO GENEROUS NEXT TIME.”

"'His face'? What do they mean? What the hell is wrong with them?” Klutz asks with both fear and frustration. “Do you think they’re bluffing?”

“I’m not sure…” Spark answers nervously. “They seem to know you’re a Guardian, but that may just be a good guess.”

“Can you track where the messages are coming from?”

“No. These messages are encrypted and likely pinged across multiple redundant servers to hide their source.”

A sigh huffs from the Guardian. “I’ll send one more message. After that, I’d just be wasting time.” He sends a final plea. Explaining that he wishes no ill will and only wants to help the people of the Last Safe City.

A1’s final reply comes quickly.

“I HAVE NO DOUBT YOUR DRONE WILL SAVE YOU 

FROM WHAT COMES NEXT. 

I ONLY HOPE YOU ARE NOT FOOLISH ENOUGH 

TO CONTINUE YOUR PURSUIT AFTER THIS FINAL WARNING.”

“‘What comes next’?” Spark swirls her shell slightly.

The room's low yellow lights suddenly switch to a violent red and begin flashing in threatening pulses. An ear rattling alarm rings throughout the Armory. The partly open door slams shut.

“What’s going on, Spark?!” Klutz screams over the impossibly loud noise.

“I don’t know!” She takes a moment to activate her scanner. “Most of the remaining power seems to have been rerouted to some kind of emergency system… There is code referencing an ‘intruder contingency’ ? Oh, Light… This facility is rigged to SELF-DESTRUCT! If this place collapses… everything in here will fall into the radiolarian lake below!”

"Including us..." Klutz rushes toward the door. “Signal the Hunters to meet us here, fast!” he yells to his Ghost then holds his token to the angry light above the old door. The door’s security fails to acknowledge his access card, it stays tightly locked. “Shit! It’s not opening!”

“This must be part of the lockdown procedure. There are no other exits on the floor plan… Unless…” Spark races toward the corridor at the opposite side of the room. Her Guardian follows close behind.

Shunzhi curses loudly as the Hunters meet with the Warlock and his Ghost, midway through the hall. “What the hell is going on?!”

“A self-destruct sequence has been remotely activated in this bunker,” Spark answers while moving past the baffled Guardians.

Owen double-takes between the Ghost and the way they came in. “Shouldn’t we be heading for the exit?” he asks with understandable confusion.

“Door won’t open,” Klutz answers immediately and hurries down the hall.

The Hunters waste no time and follow after.

“This is the only way,” Spark says sternly while floating above the large collapsed section in the floor.

“If we’re planning on committing suicide, we can just wait for this place to go boom!” Shunzhi barks with sarcasm. He looks down at the deadly lake of glowing white liquid below. 

“We won’t have to wait long!” Spark shouts in panicked exasperation. She tries to calm herself as she gives directions. “You all need to jump toward the right and use your Light to reach a hidden rock formation about ten meters down.”

“Will we be able to make it out of here from down there?” Owen asks. His focused tone is calming.

Klutz breathes quickly. “We don’t have another option,” he says in a fearful voice. He looks down at the bright doom below and feels his stomach turn. He can’t think about what comes next. Not now. He ignores the torrent of doubts in his head and leaps into the abyss.

Chapter Text

Crisis Inverted.

The Warlock’s thick robe flaps wildly as he falls toward the certain doom that fills the base of the cave. He spots the small rocky slope, only a short distance away, and focuses the Light through his legs to start a smooth glide to safety. He barely lands on his feet but quickly makes room for the rest of his Fireteam. When he looks up to watch for the Hunters to follow, he spots a small group of Harpies cruising over to investigate the disturbance. 

An expletive echos out as Shunzhi hops down from the breach. 

Vex move in fast like birds of prey, Klutz starts to fire his weapon in an attempt to hold them off.

A dead Vex Harpy smashes into the cliffside as Shunzhi reaches the edge. His jump was short. He grabs onto the stone but starts to slip.

“Hold on!” Klutz shouts and dives down to grab hold of the heavy Hunter’s arm. The remaining Vex get close and start to fire their weapons while Klutz pulls up his fellow Guardian. 

Owen follows close behind. Falling through the air as the bunker violently explodes above them. Huge rocks and debris shoot out wide. A deep boom rumbles through the enormous cave while all that’s left of the Armory collapses into the distant lake. Owen narrowly misses the ledge with his desperately reaching hands. He starts to slide down the steep rock face. The long gun falls from his back and tumbles until it splashes into the pool below. Thinking quickly, the experienced Hunter pulls out his knife and stabs it into the stone with Light-fueled strength. He stops a few feet down the cliff and dangles above the bright lake with a tight grasp around the hilt of his blade. He tries and fails to find purchase for his feet. His grip on the knife tightens even more.

Shunzhi scrambles up the slope with the Warlock’s help. He rolls out of the way in time to avoid another cleaving from a hissing Vex laser. The sounds of the other scout fighting for their life get his adrenaline flowing. “Cover me!” he yells then crawls back over the flat edge of the short incline to help his friend.

The pop of gunshots bounce off the walls of the cavern. Another Harpy is sent crashing down after a well-placed shot destroys its sensitive components. Klutz reloads his weapon with thoroughly practiced movements and instantly begins firing at the remaining attackers, drawing attention away from the struggling Hunters.

“Come on! Reach!” Shunzhi cries as he hangs head first at the lip of the slope. He holds his shotgun by its barrel and stretches as far as he can to give his partner a chance to grab the other end.

The dangling Hunter musters all his strength to pull himself up by the knife grip and claw at the weapon. His reach falls short by a significant margin. “It’s too far, Zhi!” he grunts as he strains to save himself.

“Klutz!” Shunzhi shouts. “Grab my ankles!”

The Warlock has almost no time to react when the Hunter lunges down the cliff. He drops his weapon in the middle of the fight and swoops in just in time to catch the Hunter by the boot. Klutz struggles to stay in place while holding on to the desperate man. His blood rushes. The persistent Vex rally for another attack.

Owen’s fingers are only inches away from the butt of the shotgun. He extends as far as he can. Heavy breaths pour in and out and he lowers himself back to a hang. 

“Don’t quit!” Shunzhi belts while swaying in the Warlock’s weaning grasp. “Please, you’ve gotta reach again!” A previously unseen fear exudes from the panicked Hunter.

The knife starts to shift under his weight. Owen breathes softly and closes his eyes. He listens to the distress in the young Guardian’s words. The knife shifts again when he grabs hold with both of his hands and flexes his arms. A few more calming breaths pass through him. He builds his strength. The Hunter’s eyes open and he focuses his Light into a great leap. The knife is ripped from the wall and flips down the chasm. Owen swings his arm up to take hold of the outreached shotgun. His fingers wrap firmly around the weapon.

Klutz grunts loudly, feeling the additional weight. He digs his heels into the ground, stopping himself from skidding forward as he starts to pull his Fireteam to safety.

“You got me, Zhi! You’ve got me…” Owen says with glee as he is slowly tugged up the cliff. He chuckles softly and looks up to see his partner’s face. He does not see a face of welcomed relief. Only a terrified, hopeless expression. 

A Vex beam cuts across the stone, slicing through the old Hunter’s grasping arm. The arm splits near the wrist. Gravity takes hold. He begins to fall. 

Shunzhi screams in disbelief as Klutz gives one last pull to bring him back to the top. 

The Warlock tries to catch his breath then takes hold of his weapon.

The Hunter looks back off the edge in time to witness the severed hand splash into the glowing sea. Rifle fire and the sounds of dying Vex are all he can hear as he stares down into the rippling radiolaria.

Snowfall appears before Klutz destroys the final Harpy. He does not seem worried about the danger. Silently, he gawks at the lake. Ripples die down where the Guardian fell.

The last Harpy falls and Guǐ shows himself. First, he looks at his distraught Guardian, then he faces the petrified Ghost. “Snow…” 

The pale Ghost looks at his peer with his shell spread wide and a shocked look in his blue eye.

“It’s already too late…” Guǐ continues. “That much exposure…”

There is silence for a few moments. Spark appears as well and cuts the mourning short. “Eyes up! More Harpies! A LOT more!” She pings another swarm of Vex headed in their direction. She hides herself again, but the other Ghosts do not do the same.

Rage burns in the surviving Hunter’s eyes. He flips his gun around with a quick toss and readies himself to fight.

The fallen Hunter’s Ghost looks back into the lake without saying anything.

“Please, Snow… Don’t,” Guǐ pleads gently before disappearing.

Vex take position and start to focus their deadly beams.

More gunfire blasts out. Snowfall makes his decision. Disregarding all reason, he speeds down the cliffside, out of sight. 

“We need to retreat!” Spark cries through the Warlock’s radio. “You’re too exposed out here! There is a ridge, above the area behind you, that is protected by large stalactites.”

Klutz takes a quick look back and spots the ridge. He turns his attention back to the Harpies and kills two while backing up toward the wall. “Shunzhi, jump up to that ledge and I’ll cover you!” he orders in a shaken voice.

An explosive knife flips from the Hunter’s fingertips and sticks into the vile red eye of the closest Harpy. Rapid beeps are heard as the bomb arms itself and explodes in a fiery show of destruction. The explosion consumes multiple nearby Vex and forces the others to reposition. Shunzhi takes the opportunity to pull back from the cliffside while Klutz continues to fire his rifle. He hangs his shotgun on his back and makes a high jump toward the ridge. He only makes it about halfway but follows it up with a second midair jump using the Light to propel himself upward. His arms grab hold of the narrow stone platform and he pulls himself up with ease.

With more than half the Vex defeated and the rest scattered, Klutz seizes the opportunity and leaps up to meet the other Guardian. He glides up and around the hanging rocks in a veil of Light and lands softly. “Where to now, Spark?” he asks, ignoring the thumping of his chest.

“The only way forward is quite precarious… You will need to shimmy across this ridge until we reach a safer location.” Spark’s directions are as calm and concise as she can manage.

The Warlock goes first. Scooting with his back against the wall. The small foothold is barely wide enough to stay balanced. Not much further, he sees a larger stone where they can plan their next move.

Shunzhi follows once it's clear that no more Vex are going to press their position. The narrow path is difficult for him to navigate. He wobbles and shakes with every moment. His worn boot slips, but he quickly catches himself. Looking down at the radiolaria on the floor of the cavern seems to make him more angry than fearful. There is a loud thud as he hops to the stone, soon after the Warlock.

“Alright.” Klutz breathes heavily and tries to calm himself now that they are away from the constant Vex assault. “Now what, Spark? I don’t see another path forward. Not one we can jump to, anyway.”

Spark shows herself and looks around the area. “You’re not going to like this… but it’s really the only way…” 

Both of the Guardians give Spark a look of confusion.

“Communications can’t make it out of here, so we can’t send out a distress beacon.” The Ghost floats over the far edge of their small safe haven and looks downward. “That means we need to find a way out… Do you see that large glowing Vex construct?” she asks as the men join her. “I believe it's a portal, one the Vex use to move resources around the planet quickly.”

Bright light shines from the round Vex construction sticking out perpendicular from the wall. The light moves about in strange, unnatural angles and hums in an oddly disturbing way.

“Where will it dump us?” Shunzhi asks with his usual gruffness.

“That’s the thing… I don’t know.” Spark drifts close to her Guardian. She looks very worried.

“Whelp, no other option, right?” the Hunter concludes quickly and prepares to jump.

“Hang on!” Klutz hollers. “We just got away from the Vex and we don’t know what we’ll find through that portal. Don’t you wanna take a minute to catch our breath...? Maybe talk about what happened?”

The air is tense as Shunzhi stares back at the Warlock. “Not tired, don’t need to catch my breath. And there’s not much to say. He’s gone... Him and his Ghost.”

“It’s… It’s okay to hurt. I get it.” Klutz struggles to get the words out, but he feels he needs to reach out, to share the sorrow.

“I don’t need your permission to hurt, Warlock,” Shunzhi bites. “This sucks. I just lost the person closest to me… and it sucks.” He takes a single focused breath. “But we’re not dying our final deaths today, not if we keep focused.” The resilient Hunter stands strong. “Owen isn’t around anymore, but crying about that won’t keep us breathing.” 

Despite the Hunter’s pragmatic view, Klutz feels guilt weigh on him. 

The Hunter brushes past the Warlock and casually walks off the cliff to fall into the portal below.

Klutz looks at his Ghost. She looks back with understanding and dematerializes. He buries his feelings and leaps into the unknown.

Chapter Text

Bump in the Night.

The portal leaves the Warlock disoriented, upside down, and in free fall from the ceiling of another huge, dark cavern. The hard, stone floor is fast-approaching. He struggles to reorient himself. Light pulses from his extremities to slow his descent, but he roughly collides with a sheer and slippery slope of smooth rock. Sliding on his bottom uncontrollably, he meets a sudden drop and manages to land into a roll on the floor a few meters below. Thankful to have survived the fall, the Warlock rests near a large rock then looks up in time to watch the portal close. 

“Stuck the landing, huh?” the Hunter jests. He sits with his back against a massive stalagmite. His leg is stretched out strangely. “Wasn’t expecting the fall, hurt my leg pretty bad, but I don’t think anything’s broken.” He stands with some difficulty and limps over to join the Warlock. “Called for my Ghost already, he didn’t show. Didn’t even say anything.” His face shows a mixture of annoyance and distress. “Try asking for your Spark. Maybe Guǐ is pissed with me or something.”

Klutz raises an eyebrow and holds up his palm to summon his Ghost. “…Strange…” he says anxiously when she fails to acknowledge his call. “My radio’s disabled too…” His mind starts to race, but he quickly refocuses when he hears a curious sound in the distance. 

“You hear it too?” Shunzhi asks quietly. “Something’s… chirping out there. It’s regular, like a clock ticking… Sounds like it’s getting closer…” The Hunter peeks around the rocky bulwark while putting as little weight on his bad leg as possible. He looks out for only a few seconds before quickly ducking back.

“What is it?” Klutz whispers. 

The Hunter scoots closer. “Another Harpy. Weird looking though. Got a glow to it and it’s patrolling around.”

“It’s making that noise?”

“Yeah, and it’s headed this way.” 

The synthetic chirping gets louder as the strange Harpy approaches. 

Shunzhi readies his shotgun.

The Warlock slowly takes hold of his weapon, but he is interrupted when his comm system switches back on.

“Do not try to fight it,” Spark warns over the Warlock’s headset, there is a distinct seriousness in her tone. “Stay quiet. Hide.” The signal goes dead again.

Shunzhi tries to pull away when Klutz puts his hand on the Hunter’s firearm. He turns. 

The Warlock makes a shushing gesture. 

The frequency of the chirps increases, now close to the rhythm and pace of the Warlock’s pounding heart. The sounds get louder, but the men stay completely silent. 

The injured man carefully lowers his weapon. He slowly stows the gun on his back, without making a sound, and grabs a small round device from his belt.

Dread rushes over the Warlock as he sees the other Guardian arm what seems to be an explosive. He pantomimes to express his disagreement with the idea, but the Hunter is not dissuaded. Klutz feels the Hunter grab his arm tightly. He looks at him in confusion.

Rapid, loud chirps sound out. The glowing Harpy starts to fan out the segments of its body, giving it a wide and imposing silhouette. Bright, blinding light shines out from the Vex, it begins a terrifying screech as it turns the corner. Prepared to get a full view of its cowering prey. This aggression swiftly evaporates. The mechanical monster finds nothing but a dissipating cloud of thick purple smoke in place of the Lightbearers.

***

The aura of Void invisibility wears off just as the Guardians reach the mouth of an isolated tunnel. 

Once he is sure the Vex has been lost, Klutz lifts the struggling Hunter’s arm off from over his shoulders and carefully sets him down against the wall a far way into the tunnel. “I didn’t know you were a Nightstalker,” he says in a measured voice, making sure not to draw any attention.

“That’s probably ’cause- Shit!” Shunzhi curses through his teeth when he accidentally shifts his weight onto his sore leg. Moving past the pain, he continues. “-That’s ‘cause I’m not one.”

“Could have fooled me. I’ve heard only Nightstalkers can use the Light like that. Only saw it for the first time today, back when…” Klutz catches himself before he misspeaks further. A pang of guilt hits him like a truck.

“Never met a Nightstalker other than him, either.” There is sadness on the Hunter’s face even though he tries to hide it. “He wanted to train me to be one like him. Saw some potential in me, I guess. Took a lot of practice, but he taught me how to vanish with Void using a special smoke bomb. Didn’t get a chance to show me how to build one.” A loud, disappointed puff blows out of the Hunter’s nose. “He was always going on about Nightstalkers. Said they were… dying out…”

A somber silence fills the space.

“Not many Hunters can touch the Void,” Klutz says in admiration. “When we get out of this, you could continue your training… It would be a nice way to honor him.”

The Hunter’s head hangs low.

“Hey, you alright?” Klutz moves a little closer.

“I’m fine,” Shunzhi snaps instinctively. “It’s just… my leg hurts like a bitch and my Ghost won’t do anything about it!”

With his palm held up, Klutz attempts to summon his Ghost again. “Spark? That thing is far off now. Can you and Guǐ come out?”

Both of the Ghosts flash into the hidden tunnel. Their eyes seem dimmer than normal. They look unwell.

“Something is wrong with this place…” Guǐ says with a shaky uneasiness.

Spark floats over to her Guardian. “I’m so sorry, Klutz.” Her voice is troubled, it sounds almost as if she is sick.

Stress presses on the Warlock. “What’s wrong? What’s going on?”

Shunzhi looks down at his injured leg then back up at his unsettled Ghost. He stays unusually patient.

“It would have taken much too long to track our route through the Vex portal network… but I… I didn’t think we could end up here.” Spark sounds painfully apologetic.

“Stay calm, Spark,” Klutz says as his blood pressure rises. “Where are we?”

A Grunt comes from the Hunter as he limps close to Klutz. “The Vault of Glass. That’s where we are, right?” His expression is cold and focused.

Guǐ confirms his guess with a slow nod. “I’m sorry I haven’t worked on your leg… Something is really messed up with this place.” The red Ghost looks down the tunnel, back to where the Vex prowl.

“I could feel something the moment we dropped in here,” Spark adds. “It's like… an echo. Maybe it's a remnant of the Light that was lost here not long ago. Whatever it is, the Vex can sense it as well. They are looking for it.” 

The red Ghost turns back to their Guardian. “That’s part of why I haven’t fixed your leg up yet,” they explain. “The other part is that this awful place feels like it’s full of Darkness… It makes it very hard to heal you without using a lot of Light. And if I had to revive you… I think I’d need Spark to lend me her power.”

The other Ghost gives a look in agreement.

“Those Gorgons are all amped up, so I’m sure they could sniff out my Light if I had to strain myself,” Guǐ says with shame. “I know it isn’t gonna be easy, but if your leg won’t kill you, I think it’s best not to risk them finding us. Please don’t be mad at me…”

The Hunter opens his mouth to say something, but catches himself. “It’s… okay, Guǐ.” His words bear a rare understanding.

“What’s the deal with these ‘Gorgons’?” Klutz asks. “I get the feeling they aren’t just normal Harpies.”

“No, they’re not,” Spark says. “We don’t have much data on them… Very few have escaped the Vault alive and none have faced the Gorgons, at least none that still… exist.”

“‘None that still exist’?” Klutz asks. “You mean they were ‘erased’? Like the scout that Owen mentioned?”

Spark bobs from side to side. “There is no way to know, but from the Ishtar research on Vex time manipulation, and my own basic readings on the Gorgon that almost… I can’t begin to hypothesize what these Vex are capable of.”

“Can we send out a distress signal and wait for backup?” Klutz doubts he will get a welcomed answer, but he asks anyway.

The Warlock’s Ghost shakes her shell. “Comms are still blocked, and even if they weren’t, it wouldn’t take long for the Vex to track the signal back to us.”

Shunzhi groans impatiently. “Then we’ve gotta fight them.” He tries to stand tall but winces from the pain in his leg.

“Absolutely not!” Spark protests. “Even without a thorough scan, I can tell these Gorgons are far tougher than the average Vex construct. Your chances of defeating even one of them before they can retaliate are slim to none.”

“Then how the hell do we get outta here?” Shunzhi’s question is blunt but fair.

“I… have no idea,” Spark answers.

All are silent for a time.

Guǐ drifts near his Guardian. “We should look for another portal,” the Ghost suggests. “If the one that dumped us here was tied to a place outside the Vault… maybe we’ll get lucky and find another?”

“I can track the unique radio frequency the Vex portals give off,” Spark announces with newfound energy. “The frequency is similar to what the Vex emit normally, so we will have to get somewhat close for me to pin it down.” 

“If that’s the best option, that’s what we’ll do,” Klutz declares. “I get that we don’t have much info on the Gorgons, but do you two have any tips on how to avoid them while we search?”

Light glares off Guǐ’s reflective red shell as he turns to face both of the Guardians. “This place is all kinds of confusing, almost like a maze. Guess that’s why the researchers called it a labyrinth.” The Ghost flexes the segments of his shell as he thinks. “We might be able to use this to our advantage.”

“How so?” Klutz asks.

“Seems like these Gorgons, unlike most Harpies, tend to stay near the floor as they creep about the maze,” Guǐ says, in noticeably higher spirits than a few moments before. “I’m thinking if we stick to higher Ground, we may be able to avoid them altogether!”

“Alright.” Klutz is skeptical, but cannot think of a better idea. “Do we know how many of these things are in here?”

Spark floats into view. “They give off high-energy signatures. I detected seven of them across the labyrinth, but research indicates there may be thirteen in total.”

“There are some rocks you guys can climb up, just past that shallow stream outside this tunnel,” Guǐ points out. “I know it’ll be rough with your leg, Shunzhi, but it really is too dangerous for me to help with that right now… Even Spark and I appearing physically like this gives them something to track. Oh, and I think it’d be smart to avoid using your Light for the same reason.”

Shunzhi makes an ambiguous noise in response.

Klutz nods. “Only other options would be to find a path to somewhere else in the Vault, or wait and hope another Fireteam tries to raid this place and saves us along the way...” His mind is made up. “We’ll probably find something worse if we start digging deeper, and I doubt anyone else is dumb enough to enter this hellhole anytime soon after what happened to the last Fireteam that came in here.” He takes a deep breath. “Finding a lucky portal is our best bet.” 

“This’ll go great,” Shunzhi's sarcasm is obvious. “All we gotta do is sneak around a bunch of time-bending Vex that can smell the Light on us, on their turf, with no Ghost support, no clue where we’re going, and my bum leg to slow us down. Great.”

Chapter Text

A Cold Sweat.

A final tug brings the Hunter up on top of the small foot space on the slippery crag. Haunting chirps quietly echo around the spacious cave, each from a different direction, but synchronized like clockwork.

“It’s pretty far off, but it’s headed over here.” Klutz brings attention to the heinous glow of a Gorgon ominously drifting through the maze of rocky structures. 

Shunzhi scoots away from the edge. “Don’t think it’ll see us up here?”

“Let's just get moving and hope we don’t have to find out,” the Warlock answers with a lack of confidence. 

The men slowly move up the crag as quickly as the Hunter’s injury allows them. With quiet focus, they sneak atop the rapidly narrowing path until they spot the Gorgon sweep over the ground directly beneath them. 

Flattening up against the wall, the Lightbearers stand motionless. Waiting, hoping for the Vex to move on. In total silence, the men listen as the cruel chirping trails off away from their hiding place. Both men exhale in relief, but neither relaxes, not even for a moment.

Inching across the cliff side, cautious of both the dangers patrolling the cave floor and the extremely precarious footing, the Guardians follow the groove in the rock wall as far as it will take them.

“Path splits here,” Klutz announces in a whisper. “There’s a gap between the high ground, but I think we should head to the left.” He feels a quick wave of heat in his left hand. “I think Spark agrees with me. That’s good because the right path seems more open. We’d have to really haul it just to start climbing the wall over there. Don’t think that’s an option with the way your leg is hurting you.”

“Pain’s not the issue, I can handle the pain,” Shunzhi says. “Problem is, it's swelling bad and it feels less mobile every time I take a step. Thinking it may be busted worse than I thought.” 

Klutz feels a tightness in his throat. “Okay, do you want to rest for a bit?”

“No, but we should stick here for a minute. It’d give us a chance to track the Harpies’ movements. I’d bet if they aren’t on our ass, their patrols are probably pretty damn regular.”

The Warlock nods, gets as comfortable as he can, and looks out over the maze of jutting rocks and Vex structures. Aside from the constant sounds of synthesized chirping, the great labyrinth is eerily quiet.

***

Over the next half-hour, the Guardians patiently watch as multiple Gorgons make their rounds. The men pay close attention to the timing and consistency of the Vex patrol.

“It’s always the same,” Shunzhi carefully points out. “The paths they take, the speed they move, even the way they turn corners. It’s the same every time.”

“That’s good,” Klutz says. “We can exploit their consistency. You've got their routes memorized?”

“'Course I do,” Shunzhi scoffs. “Been scouting movements like this since… since Owen found me.” He stops himself for a moment and a woeful expression runs over his face. The scout looks as if he is lost in a memory. “Shit… Never thought I’d miss those long-ass stakeouts…” 

Klutz knows they need to stay focused, but he lets the other man mourn.

“Wasted enough time,” Shunzhi declares, shaking the past from his mind. “The left path is the one. We’ll have a little under twenty seconds to make it over to that rock. That’s if the Harpy doesn’t just turn around when we rush by. My leg’s not throbbing anymore, but it’ll get bad when I put weight on it.” 

“Just stay close to me. I’ll carry you again if you can’t keep going.”

“Not gonna happen,” the larger man commands. “You're sticking in front and you're not looking back until you’ve made it up that rock.”

The Warlock turns to protest but is immediately interrupted. 

“Not arguing about it. Timing’s tight, so don’t let me slow you down if I can’t make it.” A mature drive is clear in the man’s bright yellow eyes. “The job was to get you in and out safely.” 

A tight grip pulls on the Warlock’s heart. “We’re both getting out of this…” he says for his own sake. “I’m not losing anyone else.”

***

The second the Gorgon turns the corner, the Guardians drop from atop the crag and land in the Vex hunting grounds. A pained groan comes from the Hunter when they land, but Klutz resists the burning urge to turn around and check on his companion. Instead, he stays focused and dashes forward with steps as soft and thought out as he can manage. He watches anxiously as the Gorgon slowly floats further away. When Klutz finally reaches the rock, he realizes he did not hear another sound from the Hunter after that groan. Not a word, not a footstep, not even a breath. Worry builds in the Warlock, but he finds the strength to put it out of his mind and focus on scaling to the top of the rock before the Gorgon comes back around. Without the help of the Light, Klutz feels that his climbing is painfully slow. Every passing second only builds his anxiety until he summits the peak. The stress does not leave him. As soon as he sets foot at the rock’s high point, he spins around to check on the other member of his Fireteam. 

“I’m good, Warlock,” Shunzhi whispers through a half smile while he climbs. 

Relief washes over Klutz. He lets out a deep sigh and breathes. “Just gotta… catch my breath… Then we can move forward,” he says, gathering himself.

“Leg’s pounding.” The Hunter rubs over his swollen shin when he reaches the top. “Think I’ve got a fracture. Can't wait to get outta here so Guǐ can heal me up.”

“Not much more area on this side of the cave. If there’s no portal over here, it’s going to be a pain to check the other side…” Klutz looks down the path and spots something that lifts his spirits. “Do you see that? Is that one over there?” He feels a focused heat bloom in his hand. “Spark says yes!” The beginning of a relieved expression grows behind his visor.

The round, glowing gate rests atop an isolated pillar built by the Vex.

“‘Bout time something went right on this mission,” Shunzhi jokes. “But those jumps are wide,” he adds in a serious cadence.

The inkling of joy fades away from the Warlock. “Think you can make it?”

“I can probably get over the first few gaps, but neither of us are making the jump to that portal without the Light.”

“If that portal gets us out of here, it shouldn’t matter if the Vex notice us.”

“True, but we've only got one chance. If that thing closes like the one that dropped us in here, we’re done.”

Klutz feels the grip close tighter in his chest. “One chance…” he repeats to himself. “Let's get moving.”

Chapter Text

Not Forgotten.

With effortless strength, Shunzhi pulls himself up the side of the stone pillar. He struggles slightly to get to his feet but shoos away the Warlock's helping hand. “One more jump.” His voice is not pessimistic, but it is far from hopeful. “How far is that? Fifteen meters across, five meters up?”

“Doesn’t matter. We’ve gotta make it.” Klutz has his own doubts but tries to keep his mind set on the task ahead. “Our Light is going to draw in the Vex right away. I’ll go first, and I’ll grab you if your jump is a little short. After that, we need to run for the portal. The Vex will probably close it if they see what we’re doing.” 

“Won’t take long for the Gorgons to get us after that.”

Klutz turns away, ignoring the comment. 

“We’ll make it, Warlock.” There is more positivity in Shunzhi's tone. “After we get out… I wanna find Owen’s Ghost, Snowfall, if there’s anything left of him.”

The Warlock turns back to face the Hunter.

“They deserve some kinda memorial. Can’t just let them be forgotten.”

“I understand… We'll find him.”

A small, understated smile shines from the Hunter. He hobbles past the Warlock and stops at the other side of the pillar. “That Gorgon, on the ground between us and the exit, it’s the one that takes a big wide loop.” He watches the chirping Vex make its sweeping round. “If we jump about five seconds after it gets outta sight, all the nearby Gorgons will be as far as they get, should give us the best chance of making it, especially if something goes wrong.”

“Alright. Let’s wait for it to come back around… then I’ll jump.”

Shunzhi nods.

Dust and tiny rocks fall from the edge as the Warlock positions his heavy boots. He crouches low and watches the Gorgon turn out of view. Now in a low squat, he builds his strength and his courage. The Vex gate sits squarely in his view. A loud exertion puffs from his lungs. He leaps far and high. Knowing the Vex will be on his trail very soon, he lets the Light flow through his legs. The burst of Light carries his momentum, smoothly gliding him through the air until he meets the lip of the tall Vex structure. His feet only just make it. He quickly shifts his center of mass forward to avoid falling back into the danger below. Once he has found his footing, he turns around and reaches out for his companion. The sounds of agitated Gorgons beat at his spirit. “Hurry! They know where we are!”

A bad step on his crippled leg almost causes the Hunter to slip off the side of the pillar. He collects himself then leaps. His initial jump is lower than expected, his injury holding him back at the worst possible moment. A bright mist of Light blows out around his feet as he makes a second, midair bound, still very short of his destination. A third, final, desperate jump brings him only inches away from the edge of salvation. His fingers flex and writhe to reach for the Warlock’s straining hand. Fingertips slip by each other. The Hunter falls fast toward the hard ground beneath.

A loud snap and a howl of pain echo around the labyrinth and cut through the Warlock’s soul. Klutz looks down at the crippled man, twisted from the fall and failing to hold back unsettling moaning. “Shunzhi!” he shouts. Quickening chirps of the slowly converging Gorgons send him into total panic.

Spark's voice is no comfort when she speaks through his helmet. “The portal will close soon, Klutz! The Vex know we’re here!”

Klutz freezes, staring down at his broken comrade. He wants to help, he needs to help… but what can he do. Breaking his stunned focus, he turns to look at the taunting portal, only feet away. The horrible sounds leaking out from the doomed man shake him in a way he has not felt in a long time. Klutz stands at the edge, he's made his decision, even though he can't reconcile his reasoning. He starts to move, but a flash of light catches his eye. Not the light of a Gorgon, the Light of a Ghost.

The red-shelled Ghost appears above the brutally injured man. “Stay calm, Shunzhi.” He tries to relax his Guardian. 

Bright light scans over the Hunter’s immobile body. “Guǐ?” he mutters through raspy sounds.

Guǐ shushes the man. “I’m so sorry… I-I can’t heal you fast enough… but I won’t let them get you.”

Shunzhi tries to sit up, but immediately collapses and cries out a sharp yelp of pain. “Guǐ, please…” he whimpers.

“This is it… I want you to be remembered...” Guǐ zips toward the sound of the nearest Gorgon and splits his glossy red shell wide apart, revealing the heavenly glow of his exposed core. “You guys looking for Light?!” he taunts. “Come and get it!” 

The Ghost speeds away. 

The Gorgons follow, obsessed with the powers of the paracausal machine. 

The chirping transitions into bone-rattling screeches as they get closer to their Quarry.

The Hunter drifts in and out of consciousness. One moment, he's crumpled on the cave floor, waiting for the Gorgons to find him after they catch his Ghost, the next, his limp body is being dragged down a bumpy slope into a cramped cave. 

The Light still burns inside him, something to take solace in, for the few moments it lasts.

***

Deafening screeches crescendo. A bright explosion of light engulfs the entire labyrinth. The light bursts into every corner and crevice, filling the space with unbelievable power. The burst reaches into the small dark tunnel but stops just short of the huddled Guardians.

The beaten Hunter flinches awake and grabs at his chest. “What… what was that?” he asks, holding on to his fleeting consciousness.

Staring down the tunnel’s entrance, Klutz answers, “I don’t know… I guess the Gorgons found something.”

“‘Found something’?” Shunzhi pauses for a few heartbeats. “Feels like I lost… something…” His hand drops from his chest.

The Warlock feels a gap in his own memory, but doesn't stop to think about it. There is enough to deal with right in front of him.

Terrible, hitching breaths squeeze out of the Hunter’s lungs. He lies paralyzed against the cold, hard wall of the tiny tunnel. One of his legs is mangled from the fall. Dark blood runs fast from where the bone pokes through.

With great strength, Klutz tears a long section of his sturdy garment and wraps it high around the crippled man’s leg.

“Don’t bother with that… Lost too much already.” The Hunter struggles to speak, his eyes fight to stay open.

Ignoring the man’s defeated admissions, Klutz tightly ties the makeshift tourniquet and lowers the limp leg. “Is it too tight? Never had to do this before…”

Shunzhi cranes his neck and breathes slowly. “My back… it popped when I fell… Can’t… can’t feel anything past my hips.” He starts to drift off again.

“Hey! Eyes up,” Klutz orders in a flustered whisper. “I can carry you, but you’ve gotta stay awake!”

The Hunter’s eyes struggle to stay focused. “I’m… I can’t...” The words slip out between hard-fought breaths.

“Eyes up!” Panic has Klutz in a firm grip. “Please, you gotta fight!”

“It’s… my life. My life… to lose.” The struggled breaths weaken, then quickly peter out.

The Warlock’s panic steadily transitions to sorrow. “I’m sorry, Shunzhi…”

The light leaves Shunzhi’s eyes. His skin turns a pale blue. The shotgun rests on his lap, under his cold hand. 

Klutz is alone. Spark’s voice isn’t there to comfort him. Only the sounds of vile chirping. He stays put next to the Hunter’s body while he listens. The Gorgons find their places and resume their patrol. 

After a lonely hour passes, Klutz moves to face his lost friend. He gently leans the Hunter forward and pulls the hood of his cloak out from behind him. With a few small adjustments, Klutz fixes the hood over Shunzhi’s short gray hair, Stands up from the sticky floor, and ventures deeper into the unknown.

Chapter Text

Last Man Standing.

Feeling his way through the pitch-black tunnel, Klutz inches onward. Eventually, he can no longer hear the dreaded chirps. The path twists and turns in a mix of natural stone and jutting Vex architecture. After a long, arduous trek of blind navigation, Klutz sees faint light coming from what he can only assume is the end of the tunnel. He follows the light until he finally exits the small cavern, emerging onto a walkable space on the wall of an absolutely massive underground ravine. 

The ravine reaches up so high that it is a wonder it doesn't break into the surface. Ambient light glowing from the ravine’s distant floor is enough to make the area visible, but its source is entirely obscured by a strange and unnatural fog.

Approaching the cliff’s edge, Klutz gazes down at the ominous haze. He shakes his head and scans over the area for any means of escape.

Packs of busy Harpies cruise through the air. Across the enormous gap, droves of Vex work to build something, but it's impossible to determine what it is without a closer look. There doesn't appear to be any way to cross the ravine, aside from flight or direct teleportation. Klutz thinks about using the Light to cross the great distance. He doubts he can make it all the way, and he definitely wants to avoid any more attention from the Vex. 

Looking around his side of the canyon, the Guardian searches for an outcrop or ledge that could lead him elsewhere or at least give him a new perspective. He notices a pair of isolated Vex columns standing out from the stone below. Atop the farthest column, he recognizes a shape that lights a flicker of hope inside him. “Spark? Is it safe for you to come out?” he asks.

A quick glint of light shines around when Spark shows herself. “I’m here, Klutz, but I’m still weak… Are you al-“

“Do you see it? Is that another portal?” He's equal parts determined and desperate.

“I… believe so, but it isn’t activated.” Spark rotates her shell in a down expression.

“Is there any way we can get it turned on?”

“Possibly, but I’d need to get a closer scan to tell for sure.”

Klutz stretches his legs and looks for a way forward. “The jump is far. I could focus my Light to make it, but it’s sure to bring in attention.”

“We should avoid combat.” Spark is firm with her suggestion. “I don’t sense any Gorgons, but it isn’t impossible for them to find and follow us if we make ourselves known. Even if they don’t pursue us, Darkness still lingers here…” 

The Guardian listens carefully. “I understand. We need to play it safe, no unnecessary risks.”

Spark nods.

“But other than this portal… I don’t know how we get out of here. This place is crawling with Vex, so a risk might be our only option.”

The Ghost drupes her shell and looks down into the mysterious drop. “We are deep in the Vault. I don’t know where exactly, but it’s possible no one has ever made it this far.” She looks back at her Guardian with the low glow of her blue eye. “We truly have no chance of fighting our way through… and rescue seems more impossible with every step… So I think you're right. If there is a chance to make it home safe, we need to take it.”

The man takes a deep breath. “Do you see a way over there? Some way I can climb?”

“Hmm...” Spark floats out to get a better look. “There isn't really anywhere to stand, but I suppose you could shimmy over to these handholds. After that, you should be able to climb the wall all the way to that overhang above the nearest Vex structure.” She returns to her Guardian’s side. “It will be tough, but it beats dealing with the Vex.”

“Agreed.” Klutz walks to the ledge, finds space for his boot, and scoots along with his back to the wall. He makes the mistake of looking down at the looming threat of the bottomless gorge. Swallowing down his fear of ending up like the Nightstalker, he clears his mind and presses on.

“I know it goes without saying, but be careful, Klutz.” 

“Same-“ The Guardian slips when he adjusts his footing but quickly recovers from what would have been a deathly fall. He catches his breath and continues. “...Same to you, Spark…”

The worry is apparent in Spark’s look. “Good luck,” she whispers and disappears.

***

The foothold opens up into a larger, less hazardous, platform. A welcome change after the long section the Guardian had to inch across. He spots the overhanging rock, now within his reach. Before Klutz has time to psych himself out, he leaps up and glides in a veil of Light until he safely lands. The dead portal is closer than ever and the first of the columns stands just below. Klutz drops from the overhang. The Light breaks his fall. “Just a little further,” he mumbles to himself. The circular portal frame taunts him like an alluring prize. There is only one more bound between the Guardian and a chance at freedom. He leaps at the chance and hovers over with unbroken focus. The gap is wider than the man first thought, he's coming up a little short. Intent on staying out of the misty grave below, Klutz reaches far and finds a spot to grip in the wall, a few feet from the top. The Guardian calms himself and swings upward. With ease, he climbs over the edge and stands before the quiet teleportation gate. A small weight leaves the man’s shoulders, but he isn't done yet. “Spark?” he calls.

The Ghost appears and scans all around the machine. “This seems different from other Vex gates.”

“‘Good’ different or ‘bad’ different?”

“Just… different. Like it doesn’t function the same as the others we have interacted with. I have no clue if that's good or bad.”

“Can we get it working?”

“Maybe!” Spark flies in close to the man and directs him back the way he came. “But you are not going to like it.”

“I have to backtrack? How far?”

“Only back to the other column. Although, you had trouble making this jump… and the jump back seems even more difficult…” She begins to bob from side to side.

“I can handle it, Spark. What do I have to do when I get there?”

Spark snaps out of her nervous movements and refocuses. “On a space below the main Vex structure, there is a large plate connected to this gate in some way. Do you see it over there?”

Klutz squints and makes out the plate in the darkness. “Yeah, I think I see it.”

“That plate should recognize your presence and activate… something.”

“‘Something’?”

“With any luck, it will activate this portal!”

“Luck’s been pretty short today…” 

“That only means we are due for some good fortune,” Spark says with encouraging warmth.

The Guardian tries to force a smile. 

“How do you plan on getting back there?”

“Gonna take a risk… A big one.” He backs up through the sleeping gateway and channels his Light. Flickering heat, like burning embers, starts to spread up from the soles of his feet. It doesn't take long for the embers to fully encompass the Guardian’s body. He exhales thick smoke through the vents on his helmet and charges forward.

Spark watches with painful concern as the man makes a lengthy jump from the end of the column. He flexes his limbs in the air and ignites with Solar flames. The Ghost notices a large group of passing Harpies, soaring in to investigate the bright comet of a man. “The Vex are on to you!” she warns and vanishes out of sight.

The burning man flies on Solar wind back across the wide gap. When he spots the fast-approaching hostiles, he manifests a flaming sword of pure Light. With a swift swing, the Warlock sends forth a burning arc of energy from the weapon that cuts through two of the Harpies as easily as it slices through the air. The moment he lands, he thrusts the sword deep into the ground. A Well of Radiance spreads out from the ground-stuck blade, blessing the Guardian with a protective aura. At least a dozen Harpies scream toward the Lightwarior, he whips out his rifle and opens fire on the closest targets. 

Numerous broken Vex crash down into the depths as the Guardian makes quick work of them with the help of the Light’s brilliance. The last few make the tactical decision to retreat and regroup outside of the Lightbearer’s range.

The sword shakes and shatters, taking with it the miraculous power it granted. The fire fades away from the man’s body, he reloads his weapon and looks down at the Vex plate. “What do I have to do, Spark?” he asks, breathing through his exhaustion. 

“You need to stand on the plate,” she explains as straightforwardly as possible. “We will have to figure out what comes next after that.”

“So we’re winging it?”

Spark’s silence answers his question.

Klutz drops down onto the plate and a ring of holographic light builds around him to recognize his presence. “Is that good?”

“Yes, the device is reacting to you!” Spark answers with excitement. “Stay there and- Watch out!” 

The warning comes too late. A hulking bipedal Vex attacks from above. Its immensely strong arm strikes down and shatters the thick glass of the Warlock’s helmet, stunning him. 

“Don’t leave the plate!” Spark cries out. “If that Minotaur gets uncontested access, it may shut us out!”

Dodging a follow-up attack, Klutz backs up as far as he can, without leaving the circle, then shakes the shards of glass out of his vision. Instinctively, he swings his arm to pitch an orb of Void Light at the mechanical combatant’s body. 

The Void fails to manifest. 

He curses. 

The Minotaur shouts a low war cry and charges forth again, leaving little time for the Warlock to react. 

Ducking the machine's sweeping arms, Klutz scrambles to create space between himself and his relentless foe. For a split second, he peers over at the gate and sees the portal building within. 

The Vex war machine exploits the Guardian’s slight distraction, swiping one of its arms in an impossibly fast backhanded strike.

The Guardian’s ruined helmet absorbs most of the force, yet his ears still ring and his vision flashes and spins. Greatly disoriented, Klutz feels a strong impact and a stabbing pain in his abdomen. When his vision steadies, he watches the Minotaur yank its long pointed fingers from his gut. 

Raising its blood-drenched hand high above its head, the Minotaur rapidly rotates its forearm like a drill, raining spatter all around.

Klutz drops to a knee, coughs, and tastes a dreadful metallic flavor. He feels the leaking wound and glares up at his attacker. Before he even looks the beast in the eye, it stomps down at him. Narrowly avoiding the finishing blow, Klutz rolls under the Vex and crawls back to the other edge of the plate. He takes a peek at the nearly complete portal. Then he looks back at the steep drop behind him. 

Another loud cry signals that the Minotaur is ready to end this brief battle. It charges forward one last time, dead set on destroying the invader.

Dropping to his back, Klutz kicks his legs up the same moment the Minotaur gets close enough to strike. Using the attacker’s momentum, along with all that’s left of his own strength, the Guardian launches the Vex up and over his body, sending it flying off the side of the platform.

A synthetic war cry disappears into the fog. 

Klutz pulls off his shattered helmet and breathes greedily, laying atop the fully activated plate while life drains from his body.

Chapter Text

Bygones.

Spark materializes. Her Light shines out to heal the man’s serious wounds. “This will take me longer than normal, so sit tight and… prepare for some bad news.” The bleeding continues, but the flesh starts to mend. 

“What?” Klutz feels his growing frustration start to outweigh his physical pain. “The portal is working now, isn’t it?”

“The gateway has been activated… but it doesn't work anything like the others.” She sounds disappointed and strained as she continues her difficult work. “I don’t know what or where it connects to. The Vex portal network is notoriously hard to track, but with this gate, it seems like there is nothing to track at all.”

“So what happens if I hop in?” He grunts in pain as he tries to sit up. 

“Please stay still. This is hard enough already.” Spark’s eye appears dimmer than ever. “And I wouldn’t advise ‘hopping in’. In the best case, you could get stuck in some kind of interstitial space between reality and… something else.”

“And the worst case?”

“You are torn apart on an atomic level and spread apart around the Vex network with no way for me to help you.”

“Sounds pretty bad… Shit, so we have no way out of here? After all that?”

The Ghost focuses on slowly healing the man, but she seems shaken. “It’s possible there's another way out, further down the ravine… but I don’t know for sure and it seems almost impossible for you to scale the walls much further…”

“So what do we do?”

She doesn’t answer.

“Spark?”

“I… I don’t know.” An underlying distress is thick in her weak voice. 

Klutz stays quiet and thinks hard on his situation. He can't help but imagine how he could have done things differently, on this mission… and before. There is silence as the man loses himself in the past. 

A woman’s pale visage haunts his memories.

The man’s self-defeating rumination is cut short when he hears a foul chirp echo off the canyon walls.

Spark immediately reacts as well, switching off her healing Light and flaring her shell in shock.

“Spark, you need to hide!” Klutz warns. Fear strikes him hard and fast.

“So do you!” Spark cries. She quickly darts around the surrounding area. “Down there! That small cave, the Gorgon may not find you if you hide there!” She gives her Guardian a meaningful look with her faintly glowing eye and disappears.

Touching his hand to his still-open wound, Klutz realizes just how weakened his Ghost truly is. He grabs his broken helmet and hooks it onto the strap around his robes. Blood continues to trickle out quickly. He feels lightheaded when he gets to his feet. 

The stray Gorgon sounds distant, so he uses his waning Light to hop down toward the cave's entrance. His glide is unsteady and slow. Before he gets to safety, his stamina runs out and his Light fades with it. Klutz drops a few feet, narrowly avoiding the long drop into the danger below. A trail of crimson splotches marks his path as he ventures deep into the hidden cave. 

***

The last of the ravine’s artificial glow is far out of view. Klutz finds himself deep in the darkness. He feels for a way forward but finds no passage. "Spark?" he calls out. Dizziness forces him to brace against the stone. 

A tired light gleams from the Ghost when she shows herself, revealing a dead-end. "There is no way forward, Klutz. Try to relax..."

Klutz slides down to his rump. "You can't heal me," he says with understanding.

"No… I can't. Even if the Gorgon wouldn’t find us… I feel drained.” She hovers in close.

He feels numbness start to tingle in his fingers. Shame bares down on his heart. A tear wells in his eye. “I’m sorry, Spark,” he blurts out in a sudden burst of bottled emotion. “I’m so sorry...”

“It’s not your-“

“Yes, it is… it’s my fault that they’re gone. Shunzhi, Snowfall, Owen… Marin. They’re all dead because of me… And if you don’t leave me…”

“Klutz, please stop…”

“You need to find a way out of here, Spark…”

“No. I’m your Ghost... your partner… I go where you go.”

His heart beats in slow chugs. “I don’t have much left in me…”

“I know...”

“…I miss her, Spark.”

“…I know.”

“…Whenever she’d breathe in, I could breathe out. Now… I’ve had my breath held for so long… I can’t let go.”

“Please relax, Klutz. Now isn’t the time for… regrets. Relax… Close your eyes...”

“You’re right, Spark… You’ve always been right.” His eyes feel unbearably heavy. “I’m… sorry… sorry I didn’t see that sooner.” He pushes against the overwhelming urge to drift away, for just a few more moments. “I’m sorry I… didn’t want to see it… didn’t want to move on.” He surrenders to the comforting coxing of an inevitable end. “Thank you… for… for…” A final tear traces his cheek and falls onto his palm.

“I’m sorry…” Spark whispers. “I don’t know if you will get another chance…”

Chapter Text

The Other Half.

Agonizing hours pass. The Ghost waits for the looming threat to move on. When she finally detects no signs of the Vex, she joins her Guardian's ice-cold body and focuses on his Light. A spark still burns inside him, but she cannot risk reviving him. The Vex may find her if she tries, and she's sure her Light isn't strong enough to help him on her own.

The first few days are the most difficult. Spark avoids the man’s unsettling corpse, but some kind of protective reflex overrules her better judgment at times, forcing her to look. 

He appears more and more grisly each time she checks. 

After a few weeks, Spark cannot bear to stay near him any longer. She spends most of her time in a meditative state near the cave's entrance, it’s easier for her to ignore the passing days that way. A Ghost’s patience is unmatched, but the long, lonely hours are still very difficult for her.

Days have turned to weeks and weeks have turned to months. Spark debates with herself if it would be ill-advised to leave the cave and take a look around the underground waterway. After weeks of internal deliberation, she makes a decision. 

Cautiously, she pokes out from the mouth of her hidden home. There are no Vex nearby and plenty of space to stay out of the way. She feels anxious and oddly tired, but she desperately craves a change of scenery.

Venturing around the ravine, Spark observes the Vex as they work restlessly. They build, excavate, and explore with an unbroken drive that impresses the Ghost. She is very careful not to be noticed, lest that drive be focused on herself.

It takes her a very long time, but eventually, Spark reaches one end of the ravine. The journey was strangely exhausting, a feeling the Ghost was unfamiliar with until now. 

Radiolarian fluid pours down from above like a stunning waterfall. She keeps her distance from the corrupting liquid but flies in close enough to gaze up at where the waterfall originates. There is a gap in the ceiling, guarded by dozens of vigilant Vex. Spark sees the sky for the first time in what feels like forever. She wants to leave, to find help for her partner. The thought of inviting anyone else to brave this Vault of horrors chills her ambitions. Even if she could make it past the Vex, even if anyone agreed to help, she knows Klutz could not handle more death on his conscience. She wants to try anyway, but her weakness gives her pause. The Vault has sapped her of her strength, she is finding it difficult to move. With no confidence she could even make the trip, she abandons the idea.

After a long trek with many breaks to hide and rest, Spark returns to the hidden cave. Dread overwhelms her. She floats at the threshold. It's been so long since she had last seen him. She does what she can to prepare herself. 

The Guardian’s decayed shape hurts her worse than she imagined. Time has taken a toll on the body. His clothes hang loose. His face is dry and unrecognizable. She doesn’t look at him with disgust, only sadness… and shame. 

***

Time slips by. Spark cannot stop herself from keeping track of how terribly long it's been, but she tries not to think about it. In a break from her normal routine of meditative silence, the Ghost drifts to the back of the cave and scans over her partner’s remains. 

The Light lingers inside his hollow chest. 

She has dreamt of bringing him back every day, but she knows she‘s too weak… 

Today she tries anyway.

Spark centers herself on the Light. The Traveler feels farther than ever, but her Guardian is right before her. She thinks back to that day, so many years ago, the day she found the ordinary pile of bones that became her other half. She was alone for so long, years, decades, centuries. Finding her Guardian made her whole. 

She wants to feel whole again. 

One by one, the parts of Spark’s shell lift off from her core and revolve around her like planets in the orbit of a brilliant star. Her dim eye grows brighter with every passing moment. She shuts her eye and stops the segments of her shell. When her eye opens again, it shines bright with a beautiful blue hue. Ethereal Light spreads from the Ghost’s reflective core, forming a wide orb that reaches out to meet her outstretched shell fragments. Digging deep, Spark forces the Light forward, blanketing her lost Guardian with a celestial storm of twinkling particles. 

The Guardian’s Light reacts, building like a hungry flame. 

Spark’s excitement becomes difficult to manage. She doesn't know what they will do when he’s back, but she knows she wants to see him alive like nothing she has ever wanted before. The incredible anticipation distracts her from the truth. 

Her Light is weak. She is slipping. 

The blue splendor of her eye dims at a troubling rate, her Light flickers. “No… Please…” she pleads, the first words she's uttered since her friend died so long ago. Denying the fading Light, Spark pushes herself past her limits. She wobbles and shakes, tightly holding on to the Guardian’s essence as it slips through her grip. The Light around her gradually disappears. She can barely feel her Guardian’s spark. 

She strains and flexes her empty shell. She has nothing left in her. 

Her shell collapses back to her center. She falls under the full influence of gravity.

The Ghost sits powerless in the man’s cold, bony hand. Her eye is so weak, it casts no light. She is totally still and silent for a long time, but her mind stays painfully active. She feels that she should say something, even though she knows he won’t hear it. 

“Klutz…” Her voice sounds garbled and scratchy. “If this is the end… if this is your final death… I hope that you find peace. Meeting you and sharing a life was all I ever wanted. I only regret that you spent so much of that life in pain… I’ve read old tomes that describe an ‘afterlife’, an existence that succeeds death, another chance to find peace. I have no evidence to believe such a thing exists… but for your sake… I hope it does. I hope I haven’t stolen that from you. I hope you can find Marin there… I hope the two of you can be happy…” 

Light leaves her eye.

Chapter Text

Heart of Time.

The night is dark, cool, and quiet. Most of the villagers have already retired to their homes to rest and ready themselves for the hard work of the day to come. 

The Guardian watches the last sliver of light dim through the gap of a distant window curtain. He takes another look out toward the dense woods and listens carefully. 

Wind shakes the branches of the nearby trees, crickets chirp in a chaotic chorus, a fish splashes about in a hidden pond. 

It's as calm and quiet a night as usual. 

A long yawn wrestles out from the Guardian. He stretches with his rifle in a casual grip, empties the chamber, flips the safety on, and slings the weapon over his tired shoulder. As he prepares to head toward the village, a subtle sound puts him on edge. The sound of light footsteps creeping through the dirt. The Guardian whips around instinctively with an orb of bright indigo energy bursting from his fist. 

“Whoa, Guardian! I ain’t a threat. No need to blast me with space magic,” the approaching woman says with passing concern. She walks toward the Guardian with confident steps. If she's afraid, she doesn't show it. 

“I’m sorry, I…” The battle-ready Guardian quickly puts his fist to rest and lets the Void Light fade away. “I wasn’t expecting anybody to sneak up on me,” he admits with a little embarrassment.

“If I was sneaking up on you, you’d have at least three arrows poking out your back and a worried little Ghost rushing to pick you back up,” the confident woman jokes with a smirk and a quick pat of the half-full quiver on her back. “Just finishing your ‘patrol’ now?” she asks in a somewhat mocking tone.

“Yeah… Haven’t really settled on a schedule yet." The man looks up at the night sky for a moment. “Thinking I could start my first patrol around mid-morning, get some sleep while the rest of you gather in the village in the evening, and start my second round a couple hours after sunset?” He looks at the woman expectantly.

The archer laughs softly and walks past the Guardian. “Sounds fine to me. We’ve always got a few eyes up, regardless of the time of day, so I wouldn’t worry too much about getting your hours in.” She continues walking toward the village. 

With his brow lowered a bit, the Guardian follows not far behind. “This place is real quiet, huh?”

She looks toward the great sphere hovering high above the walls of the city on the horizon. “Other than a few stray poachers, we don’t get many visitors.” 

“Really? Back in the City, I heard the land out here is pretty dangerous... Never had to deal with the Fallen?” 

The young woman slows her pace. “…Not around the village.” Her voice is low and distant.

“That’s good to hear,” the Guardian says quickly, realizing he has spoken out of place somehow. “Hey, we met briefly a few days ago, back when I first got here, but I didn’t get your name.” He offers a welcoming smile when the woman turns her head to face him for a moment. “You’re a hunter, right?”

“My name’s Mansanas. Marin Mansanas,” she answers with some reluctance. “And yeah, when I’m not hunting, I’m the one who keeps an eye out around here, I try to make sure folks are safe.” It’s obvious from the way she speaks that it’s been a long time since she's had to introduce herself. 

“And now I’ve shown up to step all over your toes?” the man assumes with slight contrition.

Marin's face lightens up. She laughs again. “You're not stepping on any toes, Guardian. No one’s letting you close enough to try.”

The man looks down and shakes his head with a half smile. “Yeah, I’ve noticed. You guys sure aren’t quick to trust.” 

“You’ve gotta earn trust out here. Gotta prove that you deserve it.” Her words are more serious than before.

After thinking for a short moment, the Guardian speaks. “I don’t know how long I’ll be out here, but I’ll prove it.” His honest determination colors his words. There is an awkward silence as the pair approach the edge of the village. “I’m Klutz, by the way,” he announces with a smile.

Marin stops and turns. “Huh?” Her eyebrow lifts.

“My name, it’s Klutz.” He sounds a little less confident the second time.

“Right,” she says with a smirk. Her eyebrow is still arched. 

“I know it’s not the most… inspiring name, but at least it’s memorable.” He maintains his warm smile. 

“Definitely memorable.” Marin stretches her back from one side to the other. “Hey, Guardian. It’s getting pretty late, so I’m gonna drop off a few things and head home.”

“Oh, yeah. I should turn in too.” He spots his small jumpship in a dark field on the other side of the village. “And I know my name’s kinda goofy… but you’re welcome to use it.”

“No offense, but I’ll just stick with ‘Guardian’ for now,” she replies with a withdrawn voice. “We ain’t really… close enough for first names.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I-“ The smile slips away from his face.

“No, no... It’s just…” She winces awkwardly. “We mostly keep to our own out here, so it’s been a while since I’ve had to get to know someone…”

“I get it,” the Guardian cuts in with an almost dejected voice. “Have a good night, Mansanas.”

She looks as though she wants to say something else. “…Goodnight, Guardian.”

***

Walking past the last of the buildings in the small village, Klutz takes a long look up at the Traveler, resting in the distance. He stares up at the silent being that made him what he is. 

He wonders why. 

Distracted by his thoughts, Klutz missteps on some soft soil and tumbles forward. He curses as he stands himself up and starts to swipe the filth from his previously clean robes.

In a small burst of bright light, Spark appears and shines her lamp, first at her Guardian, then at the ground he fell into. While holding in a laugh, she says, “What a shame, right into the turnips.”

“Huh?” Klutz looks down at the disturbed earth and finds that he has trotted through a modest vegetable garden. “Damn,” he exclaims quietly. “Think someone’s gonna get mad?”

Spark giggles. “No, Klutz. The veggies will be fine. Although, you should get cleaned up. You don’t want to bring all that dirt into the cockpit, right?” Spark points her light toward a bench in the small flower garden nearby.

With a weighty plop, Klutz sets himself down on the bench and brushes off the bulk of the mess under Spark's light. After cleaning himself up, he lets out an unsatisfied breath and looks down at his feet.

“What’s wrong, Klutz?” 

“Just tired.” 

Spark shifts her shell around and dims her lamp. “This is still just the beginning,” she says softly. “The Speaker talks about ’making your destiny.’ I like to think of it as writing your story.”

Klutz tilts his head up to see the little light come closer.

“Every story starts somewhere, and I think our time in Old Chicago was only the prologue.” She speaks in a calm yet inspiring voice. “We may not know where our story is going… or who’s going to play a part, but we do what we can to write it the way we want. Destiny is only an outline, it’s up to us to fill in the blanks.”

A heartfelt grin starts to creep across the man’s face. Before he says anything, he notices another light approaching from behind.

Spark turns quickly to identify the source of the light, then disappears.

The Guardian turns around and starts to stand.

“No need to get up, Guardian.” Marin walks around the bench with a dim lantern in her hand. “Saw a light out here and thought I should check on it before I hit the hay.” She sits down on the low bench and rests her lantern on the ground.

“Thought I’d stop to smell the roses before I called it a night.” Klutz sits back down with her.

Marin smiles and a little puff of air escapes her nose “That light was your… Ghost?”

“Uh, yeah.” Klutz holds out his hand. Spark pops in above his palm. “Her name’s-“

“My name is Spark!” the Ghost interrupts. “It’s nice to meet you, Ms. Mansanas!”

“Nice to meet you too, Spark,” Marin says with a friendly expression. “So… you two been on many adventures before setting down here in our boring little corner of the universe?”

Spark shares a quick look with her Guardian. “Well, not long ago, Klutz fought his way through dozens of crazed Hive creatures in the ruins of an abandoned Golden Age city!” Spark boasts proudly. 

Marin’s eyes widen, and she nods with an impressed look on her face.

“Before that, I spent a few months on Mars. It’s the farthest I’ve ever been from Earth, but… it was mostly uneventful,” Spark says, looking out at the stars.

“Exploring another planet ain’t exactly what I’d call ‘uneventful’,” Marin says with a quick laugh. “Why were y’all on Mars so long if it was that dull?”

“Oh!” Spark exclaims. “This was before I found Klutz. I was still trying to find my Guardian at the time and I was starting to get a little desperate… Mars seemed like as good a place as any to look.”

Marin seems a little surprised. “So when did you two… ‘meet’.”

Spark looks at the man.

“Tomorrow makes it six weeks ago,” he says candidly as he idle-mindedly grabs the black card from his pocket.

The young woman looks almost shocked to hear his admission. “You’ve only been a-… a Guardian for a month and a half?”

“Only really been alive for a month and a half.” Klutz flicks the card between his fingers. “Well, I guess I lived a life before, but I don’t remember any of it… I don’t remember anything before…” He looks at his mechanical little friend. “Before Spark gave me a second chance.”

The segments of Spark’s shell spin slowly. She seems touched by the man’s words and offers a kind look before disappearing.

A cold breeze passes over the village and breaks Marin’s bewildered focus. She thinks for a moment, then speaks earnestly. “Sorry if we’ve been… cold to you since you got here. I’m sorry if I’ve been cold to you.” 

“It’s okay... You don’t even know me.”

“You’re right…” Marin looks at the man with honest eyes. “But I’d like to.”

Klutz’s mouth opens for a moment before settling into a sincere, unconcealable smile.

***

Stories and stifled laughter fill the cool, quiet night. Hours go by without care or notice. Daylight starts to peer through the tree line. 

The creeping sunrise surprises the pair of night owls. It suddenly becomes apparent how much time has passed. 

A final giggle bubbles out from Marin. “Daylight already…” she remarks while admiring the soft light profiling the leaves. “Y'know… you’re really something, Klutz.”

Pleasantly startled by the woman’s honesty, Klutz smiles wider.

“Not quite sure what that something is yet… but we’ve got plenty of time to find out.” 

Klutz looks away for a few seconds, his smile holds strong. “You’re really something yourself, Mansanas.”

“Marin, you can call me Marin.”

“Well then, you’re really something, Rin.”

An almost imperceptible blush blooms between the sun-kissed freckles of her cheeks.

They part ways under the dawn's glow, but a light, pleasant feeling lingers. A warm, sanguine feeling. A feeling that the future may be a little brighter… a little happier. 

And a hope that the other feels the same way.

Chapter Text

Critical Sass.

Soaring down through the yellow-tinged clouds, the large jumpship comes upon a wide clearing near the oceanside plateau. The ship hovers over several pools of steaming liquid and settles in its place. 

The Tangled Outrider appears in a cloud of transmat dust then eyes around the hazardous surroundings. “Ugh!” she exclaims. “Why does no one ever mention how rank this place smells?”

“I think most people that are unlucky enough to visit Venus are more concerned with all the corrosive acid and fanatical robots,” Pom answers.

“Don’t forget the Fallen.” Outrider attaches the faceplate of her helmet. It hisses a mousey squeak when it seals.

“Fallen are the least of our problems. You eat Fallen for breakfast back on the Shore.”

“Hey!” the Hunter objects. “I kill Fallen for pay. You make me sound like a blood-hungry psycho.”

“More like an Ether-hungry psycho,” the Ghost pokes. 

“I’m not a- Why do you love to wind me up?”

“Because I know your buttons and it’s fun to press them,” Pom jokes over a laugh. 

“And you call me the heartless one…” Outrider chortles and pushes the Ghost to the side. “So, are we heading straight to the last ping? Or should we scout out the area first, get a feel for what we’re up against?”

Pom drifts back into the Hunter’s view, gazes over at the remnants of the coastal colony, and then looks up at the muggy sky. “The weather is better than it normally is on this stinking rock. It'd be smart not to waste time if we can help it.”

“Think scouting would be a waste of time?”

“Well, yeah,” the Ghost answers. “The Fallen here have been scattered and weak ever since their Kell was killed.”

“One of the ‘Chosen one’s’ early acts of heroism. Pretty impressive for such a young Guardian. Pretty embarrassing for such an old House.”

“Like I said, the Fallen shouldn’t be a problem.”

“And the Vex?” Outrider asks while looking up at the gargantuan alien structure at the heart of the city. Her eyes trace its shape from its base, jutting out from the ground, to its top that pierces the clouds.

“The Vex on Venus are more territorial than ever. I doubt many would be roaming the streets, but reports say they still clash with the Fallen pretty regularly on disputed land.” Pom marks a few distant locations on her partner's map. “We can avoid those zones, but assuming we end up underground on this job, the Vex will definitely be an issue.”

“Okay… and what about the others?” Her voice comes out a little more timid than she’d hoped.

Pom floats in closer. “Like Cayde said, they seem lost since their king fell, but you know it’s pretty much impossible for me to track them until they’re already on top of us. I’m just hoping we won’t see them at all.”

“Yeah…” She twist her lip a little and shakes the thought from her head. “You think we should just charge through the city, shooting from the hip?”

“No, we should get back in the ship and get the hell out of here. But if you’re set on going forward, that strategy has worked out well for you in the past.”

Outrider laughs. “That’s true enough, Pom. Now, let’s quit jabbering and find us some dead guys.”

***

A gentle breeze shakes the overgrown vegetation that creeps all over the street and covers the decaying walls of the abandoned city. It almost appears as though the invasive plant life is all that keeps the crumbling structures from collapsing. 

Hopping off her Sparrow and taking a quick survey of her surroundings, the Hunter focuses on a building near a small courtyard. The entrance is demolished, blocked by debris and long vines. “Think they passed through here?” she asks.

“We’re still a few blocks from the Fireteam’s last known location,” the Ghost answers. “Why do you ask?”

“That pile of rubble over there looks like the only way into that building from this side. Also looks like it’s been messed up for a long while.” She looks over the withering courtyard features. “Maybe they got into a fight, had to retreat inside and stop anything from following?”

“This area is connected by an underground tramway, but it would be quicker to get where they ended up from the surface... They might have thought it was safer to stay off the streets?”

“I don’t really feel like clearing all those rocks just to follow them step for step, and I haven’t noticed any danger lurking about, so I think the streets will work for us.”

“Agreed.” Pom marks a waypoint on her partner’s HUD. “That should be the fastest way forward.”

The woman hops down into the courtyard and gets moving, keeping a keen eye out for any surprises.

***

Nearing the destination, Pom updates her waypoint to point to the mouth of a long and narrow alley. “Just through there. The academy dorms will be in sight.”

“Surprised we haven’t run into any four-eyes yet.”

“Do you have to jinx it?” Pom says with mild distress.

Outrider smiles and passes into the alleyway. Only a few steps in, something feels not quite right. Maybe it was a strange sound or a passing shadow that set off her cautious instincts. Maybe it’s just unfounded paranoia, but something feels wrong. The Hunter draws her Hand Cannon and sweeps her watchful eyes over the windows, she pictures where she would set up for an ambush and pays special attention to the most likely spots. Stepping carefully toward the alley’s exit, she begins to relax and lets her guard drop for just a moment.

A striking pop alerts the Hunter first. A spinning orb shoots out from the ground beneath her feet and hovers right in front of her face. “Oh, shit-“ she mutters and dives backward to avoid what comes next. She’s too slow. The orb explodes into a web of lingering energy that covers a wide area and cuts off the alley's exit. Outrider finds her vision blurred and her movements hindered by the energy web. She tries to stand, but the web makes the air thick as syrup and difficult to wade through. Resorting to a struggling crawl, Outrider inches toward the border of the debilitating web. Her eyesight begins to return, but her hearing is what tips her off on the next part of this surprise attack. 

High-pitched beeps bleed together in a horrible symphony. Fallen machines rigged with large glowing bombs fly down from the windows of both the adjacent buildings and steadily approach as a deadly herd, blocking the way back.

“Explosive Shanks coming in hot!” Pom warns. “And I’m seeing a lot more bad guys popping up on my sensors, so you need to get up and get ready, fast!”

The Hunter's hand emerges from the mess of obscuring energy. She pulls at wet vines on the ground to free her head as well. The Shanks are in her view now, and getting uncomfortably close. With her other arm free, Outrider shows her strength, dragging the rest of her body out from the trap and standing tall in the face of the threat before her. The bow is in her hand and an arrow is drawn with incredible speed. 

Flying through the air, the arrowhead penetrates the bright orange explosive on the face of the frontmost Shank, detonating the payload and triggering a chain reaction that causes each of the other Shanks to join the bone-shaking explosion.

Dirt and debris launch down the alley. Outrider has already turned away to watch the Web Mine fade. The archer takes three more arrows from her quiver, one knocks against the bowstring, the other two get tucked in her belt. Once all the energy has collapsed, she dashes forward and pulls the string back. 

She exits the alley and finds herself in an open space in front of the residential building. 

Sporadic weapon fire lands all around the charging woman. A Shock Grenade gets lobed at her feet, forcing her to dodge behind a burnt-out vehicle for cover. 

After the explosion of electricity, Outrider stands and aims an arrow toward a group of hostiles hiding in a dark building. Electricity in the bow's limbs charge the arrow, sending it forth like a lightning strike. The projectile spits into three and passes through the windows of the Fallen holdout. Bright sparks and alien screams let the archer know her shot was effective. Another arrow butts on the bowstring. Outrider peeks from her cover for just a moment before spotting a red glow in the corner of her eye. She ducks. The sniper's shot hits the dirt close by. "Got eyes on them, Pom?" She asks while drawing her bowstring back.

"Third floor. In the window on the-"

The archer stands up and frees her electrified arrow. The point digs into the sniper's neck. The Vandal doesn't suffer for long, as the arrow discharges its power, disintegrating him entirely. His rifle falls from the window and collides with the railing of a small balcony before landing in the grass. 

"More Fallen on their way to feed the Ghoul!" Pom shouts.

A Skiff flies overhead, stops above the Hunter, and opens its bottom doors.

"The Ghoul could use a break," Outrider says while stowing the bow on her back. 

Long springboards extend from the Skiff. 

Outrider flips onto the top of the vehicle and draws the intricately patterned blade from her back. The sword flashes a sharp glint as she points it toward the Fallen ship. 

The first of the Skiff's occupants climb onto the boards and look down at the Swordbearer. The large leader of the drop team stares at her with fire in his eyes.  

Another flash comes from the sword, not another reflection, but a flash of bright Arc Light. Lightning flows through the woman's arm and empowers the deadly weapon. Outrider swipes the energized sword in front of her to show off her power. 

The drop-team’s Captain widens his eyes and looks back at his subordinates. The Fallen Wretches look frozen. A spear shakes in one’s trembling hands.

The Light-fueled swordswoman lets her blade dance through the air in an intimidating display of mastery.

The Captain barks an order in an angry voice. Then the would-be attackers re-enter their ship before it disappears behind faraway buildings.

A devilish smile beams behind the woman's mask. She sheaths her weapon and hops down onto the moist ground. 

“I knew you jinxed it,” Pom jokes.

"That all of 'em?" the woman asks.

"Yup, you sent them running scared. I guess they weren't ready to fight a Lightbearer."

Outrider chuckles. "They never are."

Chapter Text

Forensic Nightmare.

Pom’s light guides Outrider down the last flight of stairs. “Almost there,” the Ghost sings with faux enthusiasm. The pair navigate the dark subfloor until they both notice something unusual.

“What the hell happened over there?” the woman asks. They walk toward an irreparably damaged area in the middle of the hallway. Old burns scar the walls. A huge section is mangled out toward the hall.

“Looks like something blew up down here… something big.” The Ghost scans over the scorched walls for a moment, then focuses on the massive breach, revealing the enormous underground cave hidden beneath the academy dormitory.

“This was where Cayde got the last signal from them?”

“Yup. Care to take a guess on what happened?”

Outrider looks around the exploded room and down at the bright lake of white liquid that fills the distant cave floor. Light reflects off the shiny glass of her visor. “Must have been a hell of an explosion. The damage is crazy, cracked right into the bedrock.” She notices the twisted remnants of underground support structures that hang from the walls and ceiling. She thinks for a moment. “They were looking for some kinda lab or something, right?”

Pom nods.

“I’m guessing this was it. Most of this bombed-out space probably housed the lab. Something must’ve gone real bad to blow the place up like this…”

“You think the explosion took them out?” Pom turns her shell with doubt.

“Seems like the obvious answer. Something went wrong, everything exploded, and their signal went dead ‘cause the Ghosts popped and the Fireteam got toasted.” She rests her hands on her hips.

“You don’t buy that, right?”

“Nah. I could maybe see them losing one Ghost if the explosion caught them off guard. But three in one boom? That doesn’t seem right.”

“The report said just two Ghosts.”

“Oh, yeah. What’s up with that? They brought a Lightless Hunter into a place like this? How did he lose his Ghost anyway?”

“I don’t know. Cayde's report only mentioned that there were two Ghosts among the lost. One for the senior Hunter, and one for the Warlock. It’s weird… but it also makes our job easier.”

“Guess so.” Outrider laughs quietly. “I still find it hard to believe that either Ghost died in a blast like this. Time to start poking around?”

“If anyone died in this explosion, whatever was left of them would have fallen into the stuff down there and become new ingredients in the Vex soup, so I seriously doubt we’ll find anything to take home.”

“Could find some fragments of a Ghost shell that got tossed somewhere safe. Or we could find where they actually ended up after this place became a crater.” Outrider looks up at the blown-out ceiling. “Surprised the upper floors didn’t collapse when this place lit up.” 

Pom looks out into the cave. She stares at the bright lake of liquid at its base. “The way I see it, we have two options.”

Ready to hear her Ghost out, Outrider turns and gives her full attention.

“One, you hop down into this ridiculously huge cave and spend the next ten or so hours looking around for a few dead guys while fending off the army of Vex that I’m sure are all over a place with that much radiolaria. Or two, we call it here and let Cayde know there was nothing to recover.” The Ghost has a telling look in her eye.

“The thought of lying to the face of one of my oldest pals sure is tempting.” The Hunter’s sarcasm is plainly apparent. “I mean, who doesn’t want to bullshit the Hunter Vanguard?” 

“So, option one?”

“I promised Cayde I’d help him out. So yeah, we’re gonna see this through.”

“Well, in that case...” Pom dissolves away. “I’ll stick to comms,” she continues through her partner’s radio. “I don’t really feel like getting blasted by some Hobgoblin’s Line Rifle while you dig around.”

“Fine by me. Just let me know if any bad news shows up on your sensors.” Outrider walks to the edge of the gap, crouches down, and takes a look to see where she could jump down to start her search. Long stalactites and rocky overhangs obscure most of the area, aside from the bright white liquid far below. She stands and cracks her knuckles.

“There’s not much to walk around on,” Pom says. “But if you drop in, there’s a little spot you could-“

Before the Ghost finishes her sentence, Outrider steps forward and falls through the gap with her arms at her sides. Her cloak ripples through the air as she dives into the cavern. 

Pom pings the spot she mentioned.

The Hunter locks her eyes on the marked location and shifts her weight to face the space as she falls. A burst of Light cuts her downward momentum and pushes her in the right direction. She performs a somersault and sticks the landing with room to spare. The ground is quite steep. Outrider notices deep grooves in the stone that she assumes were cut by beam weapons. After looking back at the radiolarian lake, she says, “Think we’re finally on to something,” and crawls up the dangerous slope.

Chapter Text

Foggy Notion.

“What’re they doing?” the woman asks.

“Building something,” the Ghost answers.

“No shit. I mean, what are they building?”

“How should I know?” Pom scoffs. “I have intel and equipment, not clairvoyance and omnipotence.”

“Alright, how about a guess?” 

“Something really big and kinda spooky.”

An exaggerated sigh and a shake of her head voice Outrider's feelings about the joke.

“I’d have to get a close look and take some scans to make any real calls, and that’s not exactly tempting with all those Vex buzzing around. But whatever it is, they seem pretty crazy about it. There’s probably over a hundred of them working over there.”

“Glad to have them over there and away from us.” The Hunter stands from the ledge but continues to look across the massive lake at the strange and complex machine. “Think our missing Guardians wound up around that thing?”

“That would really suck, but luckily, I don't think we have to worry about it. If the Vex are still busy building something, even something that big, it can’t have been under construction for very long. I don’t even see a way to get over to that side from here. Nothing but empty space and smooth walls between us and whatever it is those things are busy with.”

“Don’t forget the giant pool of Vex milk,” Outrider adds as she turns from the edge and looks up at a slight ledge hidden behind some hanging rocks.

“How could I? My point is, if any of those casket-chasers survived the fall to get down here, they had to have moved along that wall up there.”

The tracker jumps up and navigates the ledge with delicate footsteps. “Still no bad guys headed this way?” she asks as her foot space narrows into almost nothing.

“A few Harpies have flown by, but it looks like they haven’t noticed us.”

A short drop takes Outrider from the ledge onto a large, solitary stone that juts out from the wall. “Dead end?” she asks as she looks around for a way forward.

“We’re still in range of our transmat beacon,” Pom says. “We could pop back to the surface, leave this awful planet, and make it back to the Last City before happy hour ends.”

“Another great suggestion from my dedicated Ghost,” Outrider says in a dry voice. “Now, how about you let me know how I can get deeper into this place? Still gotta find what we’re looking for.”

"'What we're looking for'? We don't even know if any of them made it this far!" the Ghost snaps.

An annoyed expression hides behind the visor of Outrider's helmet. "We know they made it to that room under the academy, it blew up, and the Guardians haven't been seen since."

Listening to her partner's argument, Pom tilts her blue shell from one side to the other.

"What we don’t know is what happened after that. A Ghost dying in the blast is not that likely, and if the Ghosts survived, they should’ve gotten outta here and made contact with Cayde. I noticed some battle damage back where we dropped in, so I'm guessing at least one of them made it and had no way of getting back up." The woman pulls her hood up over her head. "Now we've gotta find out where they went from here…"

A nearby location is highlighted on the Hunter’s HUD. 

“Down there?” Outrider peers off the side and spots a ring of Vex machinery horizontally sticking out from the wall. “A Vex gate… Don't see another way forward. Can you get it working?”

“Yeah, not all of ‘he-who-shall-not-be-named’s’ research was bonkers. Some was actually pretty useful.” Pom reveals herself and floats down to scan the gate frame.

The Hunter jumps down to join her. She stands with her feet on the frame and her back against the stone. “Not worried about getting ‘blasted by a Line Rifle’?”

The Ghost stops her scan for a moment. “I don’t see any Hobgoblins. Do you?”

Outrider sighs through a smile and leaves her Ghost to finish her work.

***

The passing time weighs on the Hunter. Eventually, she finds it difficult to keep her eyes open. 

Echoes of fading voices pass through her mind. She feels pain, fear, guilt, hate. The voices berate her from all sides, a suffocating assault of the past that has reawoken to punish the present. The barrage of noise gradually focuses into a single speaker. 

They repeat one word. 

A threat? A plea? 

No. A name.

The voice is distorted and distant. She tries to listen but only hears part of a sound.

"-n -in?" The voice sounds bothered.

She knows who they are calling for.

"-in? -rin!" The voice is louder, more clear.

Outrider opens her eyes. Her Ghost is right in front of her.

"Sleeping?" Pom asks with some surprise. She looks down at the lethal liquid below and then back up at her partner. "Not the safest place to doze off."

Adjusting her careful footing and stretching her neck, the Hunter fibs, "Just resting my eyes, Pom." 

"Well, there's no more time for shuteye. I've noticed some Vex moving around far too close for comfort."

"They know we're here?"

"I'm not sure and I don't want to find out. Let's get out of here."

"Gate’s working?"

Pom raises the top of her shell and motions downward.

Outrider sees the large glowing Vex portal before her feet. "Right… Where will it plop us?"

"We don't have time to track its path. We don't really have time to talk about it. So I'm going to make my last suggestion one more time-"

"No, Pom. We're heading through the gate and finding these Guardians.

"Wherever this thing sends us, we'll probably be out of range for transmat."

The woman turns her head when she hears the whizzing sound of fast-moving Harpies. "I know," she says before hopping into the flashy gate.

Pom shakes her shell and follows after.

***

Emerging from the connected gate, Outrider finds herself falling head first with her feet in the air. She quickly takes control of the situation and turns herself around. Her bottom lands against a steep and gripless slope that sends her sliding toward the ground. Using a hand to steady herself, the Hunter rides the slide until it ends in a sudden drop. She pushes off from the slope and rolls onto the floor with impressive coordination. 

Standing up after the unexpected adrenaline rush, Outrider lets out a relieved puff and gawks around at the new cave she finds herself in. 

Old Vex structures blend with the stone. Low light shines from distant fixtures. The area is unsettlingly silent.

“Are we where I think we are?” the woman asks with a strong suspicion.

“If you think we’re in the Vault of Glass, then yes,” Pom says as she floats down to meet her partner.

“Huh… Not surprising these guys never made it home.” Outrider climbs on top of a nearby rock and looks up at the high ceiling. “Anything I should worry about down here?”

The Ghost eyes over the quiet cave. “This place isn’t the horror story it used to be, but it’s not abandoned.”

“So we should stay on our toes?”

“I don’t have toes, but I’ll pay extra attention to my scanners.

A smile shows on Outrider's face as she wipes off a spot of dirt from one of the magenta stripes on her companion’s shell.

Chapter Text

Retraced Path.

“How did no one else find this?” the Hunter asks, crouched over a pile of loose equipment and dry bones.

Pom looks around the cramped tunnel. “This nook is easy to pass. Maybe nobody noticed?”

“Maybe, but it's not exactly hidden.”

“There could be all kinds of reasons why our friend here was never recovered. For starters, I doubt any Vault-raiders are interested in filling a report on some lost Guardian they’ve never heard of.”

“Guardians report bodies all the time. We’ve reported plenty of bodies to the Vanguard.”

“Well, time gets pretty wonky down here, especially when Atheon was still stomping around. It’s not impossible that the body just wasn’t… here.”

Outrider thinks for a moment and looks back at the old remains. “We’re sure this is one of the bodies we’re looking for?”

Light beams from the Ghost's eye and scans over what’s left of the body. “I don’t have biometric information on him, but there is an old scout sigil on the cloak.”

“So is this Owen or…”

“Shunzhi, that was the other scout’s name, and I think this was him.”

“The Lightless Hunter?” Outrider spies the shotgun on the ground, the machete hanging behind the skeleton’s back, and the trio of explosives hooked onto its belt. “Matches the description… Still confused how anyone could have made it this far without a Ghost…”

“Doesn’t matter now. We should grab something to bring back to your best-buddy Cayde, then get out of here.”

Eyebrows twist behind Outrider's mask. “Last I counted, we’ve still got two Ghosts and two Guardians unaccounted for.”

“Yeah, but we don’t even know if they made it this far. The others could have been disintegrated or drowned in Vex milk!” 

A pointed finger gestures toward the dead Guardian's broken leg. "See that fabric around his thigh? Doesn't match the rest of his stuff. I'm guessing it was made by one of the others to slow the bleeding from the busted leg."

No reply comes from the Ghost.

“You keep pushing me to give up on this. Why?” Outrider stares coldly.

Pom stares back. “I get that Cayde is your friend, but I really don’t think this is worth your time.”

“Would've been better to spend the day drinking in the City?” She crosses her arms.

“Yes! We aren’t very likely to run into a certain group of possessed freaks in the City!”

Outrider turns away and lowers her head.

“Hey… you can face them. I just think we’d both prefer it if you didn’t have to.”

“I get it, Pom.” The woman kneels down, tears away a decorated section of the skeleton’s cloak, and snatches the bombs from its belt. “But I'll be just fine. Now, c'mon. We need to dig deeper if we’re gonna find the other bodies.” She stands and stows the folded cloak fragment in a pouch on her hip.

The Ghost pauses for a moment before turning around to light the way for her partner.

***

The tight path leads the pair to a plateau on the wall of a spacious underground ravine. 

The nauseatingly high drop tempts a look from the Hunter. It's impossible for her to see the bottom of the foggy abyss. "Alright. If they ended up down there, we'll go with your plan," she says to her Ghost as she continues to stare down. 

"Over there, across the gap." Pom pings an alcove on the other side.

Standing back from the abyss, Outrider looks over to the area her Ghost is pointing out.

"That's it. That's the entrance to the Glass Throne."

"Seems quiet," Outrider says with a clear lack of interest.

"Back when Time's Conflux was still around, that was one of the most dangerous places in the system."

"How bad could it really be if one raid team was able to shut it all down?" Outrider kicks a small rock far into the gorge.

The bright eye rolls on Pom's core. "You're just jealous that no one ever asked you to help them raid the 'legendary Vault of Glass'!"

A swift turn and an offended scoff betray Outrider's wounded ego. "That's not true! Everyone knows I ain't really the 'hero type'. Storming a time-bending Vex stronghold to save the universe? Not interested. Not my style." 

"Uh-huh? Not interested in the fame and fortune of being a big hero?" Pom asks with a doubtful expression.

"Fame and fortune are nice, but I'll leave this kind of work to the Kingslayer. Besides, if it was that hard of a job, they would've come begging me to join them." She stands proudly with her hands on her hips.

"Sure they would," Pom mocks through a laugh.

A dismissive hand wave ends the discussion. "So, you think our guys ended up over there?"

Pom's shell shifts with uncertainty. "It's possible."

"You don't see it?"

"Nah, not really. Why would a pair of stranded Guardians take on some big Vex badass?"

Resting her hands on her belt, Outrider thinks. "You're right. It doesn't add up." Her eyes scan through the misty darkness for another place where the missing persons may have ended up. "They were stuck, in over their heads, and down a man. Picking a fight with the Vex was probably just a little less preferable to throwing themselves down the ravine." Looking to her left, she spots a few floating Vex platforms. "They would've wanted to keep quiet, maybe find a place to hide and plan." Walking to the cliff edge, she notices another dormant Vex gate in the distance. “Or they'd try to escape.” Quickly finding her footing, Outrider leaps off the cliff, landing atop the nearest airborne Vex construction.

“You want to go through another portal?”

A long jump from the midair platform lands the Hunter on a space built into the wall. “Assuming I don’t fall into the bottomless chasm, yeah.” She follows the wall until she's close enough to make another jump to a second floating structure. After a few more careful bounds, Outrider stands on the pillar of Vex material opposite from the spot where the gate is positioned. One last gap stands between the Lightbearer and the ancient teleporter. She readies herself for the jump but stops herself before she commits.

“Something wrong?” the Ghost asks when she notices her companion’s hesitance.

Outrider sits down and lets her legs hang from the edge. “Can you go and check on the gate? Got a funny feeling.”

“‘Funny feeling’?”

“Nothing dangerous, just don’t think this portal thing feels right.”

Pom’s shell turns strangely. “Sure.” She propels herself over the dark pit and stops in front of the complex-looking Vex machine. A brief scan changes her expression. 

When her Ghost returns, Outrider stands up to listen to what she has to report.

“It’s dead,” Pom says without fanfare.

“‘Dead’ dead or ‘it’ll take some fixing’ dead?”

“There’s no fixing it. It’s dead. No connection to the Vex network, no reroute access, it’s not even synced to another location. I’ve been known to work a few miracles, but that thing isn’t turning on.”

“How long has it been dead? You think our guys could have used it before it shit the bed?”

“That’s the thing, I don’t know if it was ever tied to an exit point.”

“Huh?” Outrider tilts her head.

“I ran the Vex net algo on it, and there’s no data that tells me it ever led anywhere. It used to be connected to… something, but not a physical place, and not anymore.”

“So they couldn’t have gone through the portal?”

“Oh, they could have gone through,” Pom says in a playful voice. “They just wouldn’t have survived, and I don’t think it would have been a very… pleasant way to go.”

“Noted.” The Hunter swivels her head around, taking in her moody surroundings. “They had to have come this way…” she murmurs. “No way they took on the boss…” Her gaze moves down from the lit-up structures. “Probably checked this gate out, too obvious to ignore…” She notices a small area attached to the column she is standing on. “What’s that?” she asks out loud.

“Looks like a Sync Plate. I’d assume it used to work with that dead gate.”

Outrider hops down to the lower area. She spies something unusual. “Blood?” she asks in surprise as she kneels down to inspect a faded dark stain in the porous ground.

Scanning light shines from the Ghost. “Yup, it’s blood. Must have been a lot to leave such a big mark. Oh, and look over here. There’s some shards of glass scattered around. Broken from an old helmet?”

“One of ‘em was here, but they got hurt. They got hurt bad.” The woman stands from the stained ground. “I can see a few splotches leading to the edge. Bleeder must've moved with the wound still leaking.” She raises an eyebrow. “Why wouldn't their Ghost have fixed ‘em up? Think it died before they got here?”

“Maybe, or they could have been under attack.” Pom looks up and floats for a moment with her shell spread wide. “I’ve also heard this place was pretty dense with Darkness before the raid team cleared it out. I can still feel it a little bit, this lingering dread in the back of my mind. It’s been bugging me since we got here.” She turns back to her partner with an uneasy eye.

“You gonna be okay?” Outrider grows suddenly concerned.

“Don’t get worried. We’ll be fine,” the Ghost reassures. “I’ve got all my functions functionally functioning. I don’t know if the Ghosts we’re looking for could have said the same.”

“‘Functionally functioning’? I doubt they’d wanna say the same.” The woman laughs. 

Pom bumps past the Hunter’s shoulder. “My functions are functioning so well that I think I’m going to make your job a little easier.”

“How so?” Outrider asks as her giggles peter out. A waypoint marks a location on her helmet’s display. “Down there?”

“It’s the only way forward, and I detect some more blood at the entrance.”

Chapter Text

Abide the Return.

A few steps back give Outrider some run-up. She leaps from the column and makes another midair jump to reach the mouth of a small, dark cave in the side of the canyon wall.

The Ghost’s bright light Illuminates the entryway. Dark spots on the floor leave a trail that leads deeper inside. Pom and Outrider follow the tunnel around a couple of turns. The passage is cramped, forcing the woman to duck to stop the bow on her back from scraping across the ceiling as she navigates the path forward. It doesn’t take long for them to find the cave’s end. 

It doesn’t take long for them to find what they are looking for.

A heavily decayed body, dressed in old, tattered robes, is leaning against the wall of the cave. A rifle is loosely hanging at its side from a thick strap. Small shards of glass reflect light around the terribly shattered helmet sitting on the floor near the body's feet. The fabric and armor around its midsection are punctured and stained from what must have been the killing blow. Skeletal hands rest atop its outstretched legs.

A Ghost is nestled in one of the palms.

“Guess we can cross a couple names off the list,” Pom says while she holds her lamp over the remains. 

The long robes and the bond around the body’s arm give Outrider a good idea of who she’s looking at. “This has gotta be our Warlock… What was the name again?”

“'Klutz',” Pom answers with a slight snicker. 

“Not the weirdest name I’ve heard,” Outrider admits. “But still weird.” She gets close and focuses on the inert Ghost. “That means this one’s probably Spark.” 

“She definitely wins the name game between the two.”

With a relatively gentle hand, the tracker picks up the torpid Ghost and inspects its shell. “There’s a busted bit on part of its shell, but nothing lethal...” She feels an almost imperceptible something as she holds the Ghost. “…How’d it die?” 

“We don’t know everything about the Vex here. Maybe one of them sucked the Light out of her or something like that.”

The feeling coming from the inanimate Ghost grows more real and familiar as the woman holds her. It’s a warm, comforting feeling. A feeling of safety and security, of hope and life. Outrider’s eyes widen when she recognizes what she’s sensing. “She’s alive...” 

The whispered words stun Pom. “Alive?” She floats over to get a better look. “She doesn’t look very ‘alive’.”

“Give her a scan. I can feel Light in her.”

“Some residual Light is pretty normal for dead Ghosts.” Pom seems unconvinced.

“Pom, scan her.”

Another eye roll proceeds Pom’s investigative beam. Her expression remains lax at first, but all of a sudden, “Oh my…” her eye lights up and her shell stretches out and starts to spin. 

“I can’t believe it either, but she’s alive, Pom.”

“She’s drained, very drained,” Pom says when she finishes her scan. “But it looks like Spark still has a spark.”

“Can you help her?” 

“Yeah, I think I can, but…” Her shell shrinks back in.

“Think we should… let sleeping Ghosts lie?” Outrider is reserved. “I didn’t sign us up for a rescue mission…"

“If I wake her up, it's going to be tough for them.” 

Outrider nods. “Yeah, and it's gonna be a big pain in the ass for us...” 

“You’re right… but we can't just leave now.” Pom looks back at the Ghost in her partner’s hand. “This is about to get really interesting.” Her blue shell splits off to let beautiful Light pour out from her core then funnel into the sleeping Ghost. The Light moves between the Ghosts, soaking into Spark’s core like a thirsty sponge. There is no obvious sign of life in the near Lightless Ghost, but Pom continues her diligent work. “She’s pretty close to gone...” 

“You got this,” Outrider says with full confidence in her Ghost.

“Yeah, any second now-“

Light flashes in the dormant Ghost's eye. It flickers for a moment but quickly steadies into a bright, constant glow. She slowly levitates from the Hunter’s hand and rotates her shell segments in a wide stretch. A long yawn sounds out from her vocal synthesizer. She blinks a few times and looks at the other Ghost as they close their shell and let the excess Light disperse. “What… what is-”

“Hey, Spark,” Outrider greets the awakened Ghost. 

Spark turns around swiftly and stares at the woman with her shell flared wide. “You… you… I’m… how did you…?“

"This reminds me of when I first found you," Pom remarks. "Confused, looking around all wide-eyed. 'What's going on? Where am I?' Then you pulled out a gun." She giggles nostalgically. "Good thing it wasn't loaded. Shooting me wouldn't have been the best first impression."

"Yeah, yeah," Outrider says dismissively. "I know you love to bring that up anytime we meet someone, but we should try to get our new friend up to speed." She looks back at Spark and notices that the Ghost is still staring. "This is probably pretty confusing, so listen for a sec."

The revived Ghost reins in her shell and listens intently.

“Your Fireteam ate it a long while back. Pom and I were sent to track you down and bring home a few souvenirs." Outrider shakes her head. "I took the job thinking I’d find a few corpses, definitely didn’t expect to find anyone alive… but you look alive to me.”

"This one's not really a people-person," Pom interjects, gaining the other Ghost's attention. "So let me take over from here."

“Wait,” Spark says sharply. She flies past the woman and looks down at her Guardian. “Oh, Light…” she exclaims.

The blue Ghost joins her peer. “You’re probably still weak… and he's still very dead. I can help you resurrect him when you’re ready.”

"It's been so long…" Spark looks back at Outrider for a few seconds, then turns to focus on her Guardian. "Please be gentle with him. He's had a… difficult time, and this situation will be a lot to adjust to."

"Think he'd like it better if we left him like this?" the woman half-jokes. An odd look from Spark answers her question in a way she wasn't expecting. "I can play nice," she says.

"When he is awake… please keep quiet at first." Spark bobs from side to side. "Let me give him a brief explanation about what's happening, before he gets overwhelmed." 

"You got it.” Outrider mimes zipping her mouth shut and backs up to make some space.

Spark is fixated on her long-dead Guardian. She looks as though she’s frozen.

“Ready?” the blue Ghost asks.

“…Ready,” Spark answers. Her shell opens wide after a moment of indecision. 

Pom starts to feed her more Light.

Paracausal energy washes over the old corpse like a flowing nebula. The body doesn’t react right away, but Spark stays determined. “It’s been a while since I’ve done this. Forgive me if it takes longer than usual.” Embarrassment is clear in her voice.

“It’s okay,” Pom replies. “Just stay focused.”

The skeleton’s clothing begins to respond to the Light. Fabric is mended and armor is repaired. The deep stains quickly disappear. The moment the dead man’s gear is brought back to good condition, flesh grows around the bones. In almost no time, the body has taken a fresh and lively appearance. 

A nearly silent whisper leaves Spark’s vocalizer before she adds the finishing touch, “Good luck…”

Chapter Text

Living Memory.

The man’s eyes shoot open. He takes a sharp breath as life fills his body. Light evaporates around him in the cramped space. A confused look takes over his face when he notices the pair of Ghosts hovering above him. His hand feels over his healed torso. “…Thanks,” he says quietly. 

When the man starts to sit up, Spark moves closer. “Stay put for a minute, Klutz,” she instructs as the other Ghost floats away. “And prepare yourself. This is going to be a lot.”

While her Ghost returns to her side, Outrider sees the newly revived man look her way. She gives a cheeky wave.

“Cayde sent back up?” Klutz asks.

“Not exactly…” Spark sounds shaken.

Outrider wants to say something, maybe a joke to break the ice. When she moves to speak, Pom gives her a stern look. 

“I don’t have all the details, but they are here to help us,” Spark says gently. “I’m so glad to have you back… I can’t explain how nice it is to hear you speak.” There is a sense of cathartic relief in her almost breaking voice.

“Was I gone long?” the man timidly asks. 

The pained turn and the look in Spark’s eye speak for her.

An anxious expression fills the man’s face. “Spark, tell me straight, how long has it been?” 

Pom and Outrider share an uncomfortable glance.

“I wasn’t… present for all of it.” Spark struggles to answer. “But according to my chronometer… it’s been centuries…” 

Klutz tenses and sits forward. “No…” His voice carries his disbelief. “Someone would've found us sooner... Cayde, the Vanguard, they would've sent someone!”

“Calm down, Klutz,” Spark pleads. “You know how dangerous this place is, we are lucky anyone found us at all.”

He deflates back against the wall. “Yeah… you're right. But…” Klutz looks back at his other saviors. “Thanks for the help…” he says, still visibly rattled. “So, uh, who are you guys?”

Before Outrider has a chance to answer. Spark shifts into the man’s view and intercepts. “Please stay calm, and try to understand…” she says carefully before clearing out of the way. 

Outrider is a little puzzled by the interruption, but she moves past it and walks in a little closer to speak with the troubled Warlock. He tries to stand up, but the Hunter waves him down and crouches to meet him. “No need to get up, Guardian.”

A flinch shakes the man, but he quickly collects himself. 

“Cayde did send someone to find you, just took a bit longer than you would’ve liked.” Outrider pats the man on the shoulder. “My buddy, Pom, woke your Ghost up and helped her put some life back in your bones. I sat back and watched, it was pretty exciting.” Her attempt to ease the tension is not as effective as she’d like. “Folks call me the Tangled Outrider, but you can just use Outrider for now.” She offers her hand as a greeting. 

There is a slight tremble in the man as the Lightbearers shake hands. “I’m Klutz,” he says coyly. His eyes look at the woman as if he is searching her for an answer.

“Well, Klutz, I’ve got a few questions for you before we head out,” Outrider lets go of the Warlock’s hand. “I get that you're probably still pretty rocked. All the stuff with your Fireteam must feel like it went down a few minutes ago rather than a few centuries.”

A sigh leaves the Warlock. “Y-yeah… it’s hard to get my head around all this.” 

The strange, confused look in the man’s eyes gives Outrider pause. “We can take a little time if you need to get your bearings straight.”

“No, no… it’s fine.” He tries to seem relaxed. “Ask me what you want to know...” 

The man’s Ghost floats closer. “I can help answer any questions you have.”

“Alright…” The woman cocks an eyebrow as the man slyly runs his gaze over her. “We found another body, not too far from here.”

“Shunzhi,” Spark says. “He was badly injured… but he was Lightless. There was little we could do to help…”

Weight seems to build on the man.

“Why would you bring him with you?” Pom asks.

Spark shifts her shell. “He was the mission leader’s partner,” she says a little hazily.

“But he had no Light, no Ghost. Why would he be on Venus at all?” Outrider presses.

“I’m… not sure…” Spark looks as though she is trying to find an answer. “Why didn’t he have a Ghost? I feel like I’m forgetting something…”

Outrider looks at the man for further details. He is leaning on the wall with an uncertain expression. “This leader you mentioned. Owen? We haven't found anything from him yet. Did y’all split up, or did I miss him somehow?” 

“You won’t find him.” Klutz sounds regretful. “We had to drop down into Vex territory, and we got ambushed. He ended up falling into a reservoir of radiolarian fluid…”

“That bigass lake under the academy?” Outrider makes a sympathetic puff. “Shitty way to go.”

“Yeah…” The man moves from the wall. “Snowfall, his Ghost, followed after… They were the first to go…” There is a complicated mix of remorse and disbelief in his face.

Pom turns her shell curiously. “Do you know anything about the machine they’re building in that reservoir?”

“What?” The unfamiliarity in Klutz’s voice answers the Ghost’s question.

“There’s some huge hunk of tech that’s got the Vex around there working overtime,” the woman explains. “We think they started on it after you shut your eyes, but if you saw anything around there back then, it’d save me a few questions on my report.”

“The area was mostly empty,” Spark says. “Definitely no construction at the time we passed through.”

Outrider nods. “Alright, if we ain’t gonna find anything from the other missing pair, I think it’s about time we made our way out of this creepy crypt.” She looks at the Guardian and his Ghost while stretching her neck from one side to the other.

Spark gives a reassuring gesture to her Guardian.

The pair of Lightbearers walk the tight path hunched under the light of their Ghosts. Nearing the exit, Outrider feels eyes on her back. She turns her head quickly and catches the man looking away just as fast. 

He tries to play it off as though his vision wasn’t just locked on the woman in front of him.

A funny grin crosses Outrider's masked face. She stays quiet aside from a breathy chuckle.

Chapter Text

Commemoration.

“I wish they’d hurry up,” Pom laments as she aimlessly moseys above the steep drop.

Lounging on the edge, Outrider finishes inspecting an arrow from her quiver and looks up at her impatient Ghost. “Let's give ‘em a second. They’ve probably got a lot to talk about.” She slips the arrow back in its place and turns her head to see the Guardian and his Ghost at the far end of the plateau.

The man turns away when he notices the Hunter look over.

“They’ve been chatting for five minutes already,” Pom grumbles. “…What do you think they’re talking about?”

“They’re dead friends, the centuries they’ve missed, or maybe they’re just making plans to eat someplace nice after we get ‘em home.” Outrider looks back out into the low glow of the foggy abyss.

“You might be right about that last part. That guy seems… hungry.” Pom faces her Hunter. “Think they’re talking about you?” the Ghost asks playfully.

“Yeah, probably, but not in the way you’re implying.” She maintains her unbothered lounge.

Pom floats in front of her relaxed partner. There is an impishness in her movements. “You’ve seen how he keeps looking at you…”

Outrider tries to ignore her Ghost’s prodding. 

“He’s like a thankful little puppy, looking for a treat from the nice lady that rescued him.”

A quiet chuckle slips out from the woman. She shakes her head slightly.

“I doubt he’d mind if you offered him one.” The Ghost gestures with her shell.

“Pom…” A warped smile splits across her face.

“Although, I think he’d be grateful if you made him earn it.”

“Pom!” the woman cries through a laugh and swipes at her devilish friend. “You’re awful!”

“Is everything alright?” Spark asks, a little awkwardly, as she approaches with her Guardian.

“Just joking around,” Pom replies while shooting a funny look at her partner.

Outrider lets her giggles die off and walks over to meet the others.

Klutz appears a little bit more comfortable as he waits for the Hunter to collect herself. 

“We’re going back through the labyrinth?” Spark asks while looking into the dark passage that connects the two areas.

“Yep,” Outrider answers. “Pom spotted a portal she can get working back there.”

There is a bothered look on the man’s face. “What about the Vex?”

“Yes,” Spark says. “There were a number of VERY dangerous Vex in that labyrinth...”

“Place was clear when we passed through,” Outrider says. “The Guardian and their crew must’ve scraped ‘em when they popped in to topple Atheon.”

“‘The Guardian’?” Spark shifts her shell quizzically.

“Guess y’all wouldn't know about that rising star, huh?” Outrider crosses her arms. “They’re some New Light that’s made a hell of a name for themself over the past few years. I’d give you a few examples of the stuff they’ve done, but I doubt you’d believe me.”

“She’s not kidding,” Pom adds.

Spark looks back out across the ravine. “Ending Time’s Conflux is unbelievable enough… You’re sure the Gorgons are gone?”

“Yep, not a single murderbot left in there,” the woman says confidently.

“There’s no Vex, but…” Pom seems strangely shy. “In the cave here…”

“Oh, yeah…” Outrider puts her hand under her hood to rub at the back of her neck. “The body is still-“

“It’s alright,” Klutz says before she can elaborate. “….It’s alright.”

Bobbing slowly from side to side, Spark looks down with her shell lowered.

“Alright? Then let’s go,” the Hunter says as she enters the passage.

***

The light from Pom’s lamp guides them through the narrow path. The group is quiet, there is an unspoken tension as they get closer to the tragic scene ahead.

Outrider leads, but the others aren’t far behind. “Hold up…” she says when they near the exit. “It’s just around the corner… If you don’t wanna see…”

“I want to,” Klutz says to the woman ahead of him. “Spark says it’s good to face your past.”

Just a few steps forward, they all come upon the remains of the long-dead Hunter. Outrider and her Ghost keep a respectful silence as the Warlock crouches in close. 

He looks at the makeshift tourniquet around the corpse's bony leg and then looks at the matching material of his remade robe. 

Outrider remembers the strip of fabric she took from the body. “Here,” she says as she offers the memento to the knelt Guardian. “…Were you two close?”

“I only knew him for a few hours,” Klutz answers as he takes the sigiled scrap of Shunzhi’s cloak. “We weren’t close, but I wish we didn’t lose him…”  The sorrow behind the man’s words is obvious. 

“When I talked to Cayde about all this, it seemed like this mess was weighing on him more than most things.”

“I think he wanted to come along with us… Maybe he blames himself for how things turned out.” Klutz stands up from the body.

“No sense in that,” Outrider snaps. “I know that guilt ain’t always rational, but letting this stuff eat at you, there’s no sense in it.”

Klutz looks back at the woman with the makings of a slight smile. 

“Let’s move on,” the woman suggests. “I’m sure Cayde will be glad to see you alive. Surprised for sure, but definitely glad.”

Chapter Text

Different Times.

The slumbering Vex gate sits on top of a tall stone pillar, high above the Lightbearers on the ground.

“You can activate the gate?” Spark seems both surprised and impressed.

“Yeah, but it’ll take some time to bypass its cypher,” Pom explains. “Booting up minor Vex portals is common practice for Ghosts these days.”

There is a rapt look in Spark’s eye.

“Why don’t we use the one we came in through?” Outrider asks without thinking.

Pom turns to her partner. “Because the portal we came in through is stuck to the hundred-foot high ceiling and leads to a lake of radiolaria.” The sassy Ghost’s curt reply turns sarcastic, “Or did you plan on showing our new friends that Guardians learned how to fly while they were napping?”

“Alright, just make sure this one doesn’t drop us someplace we can’t make it out of.” Outrider carefully removes the weapons from her back, sets them on the ground, and leans against the side of the pillar.

“You can identify the gate’s exit point as well?” Spark seems quite impressed.

“Yeah, that old Warlock provided us with a lot of useful research, before he got himself exiled.” Pom shakes her shell.

“‘Old Warlock’? Klutz asks.

The blue Ghost sets her shell askew. “Osiris? The Phoenix of the Dark Age? You had to have heard of him before.”

A look of shock washes over the man. “They exiled Osiris?” 

“Oh.” Pom retracts her shell.

“It happened a long time back,” Outrider says. “Way before I was Risen. Definitely closer to your time.”

“I’ll let you fill him in,” Pom says knowingly. “Spark, come with me and I’ll show you how to breach the local Vex gate network.”

The man’s Ghost looks at the upset expression on his face, and then at the woman. “Okay...” She turns back to her Guardian. “Call for me if you need me.”

The pair of Ghosts fly up to the top of the high pillar to begin interfacing with the inactive teleporter.

Recognizing her own shortcomings when it comes to interpersonal issues, Outrider winces a little at Klutz’s troubled look. “I take it you knew Osiris longer than a few hours?” she half-jokes.

“He was kind of a mentor of mine,” Klutz answers. “He taught me what it meant to be a Warlock… gave me my first assignment.” A nostalgic smile threatens to grow on his face. “Do you know where he is?”

“Nope, but I’ve heard folks say he disappeared into a portal on Mercury.” The Hunter pulls down her hood. “Saint-14, his partner, followed after. Neither returned, but Osiris’ creepy followers swear he’s still out there.”

“Saint‘s gone too?” Klutz dips his head. “Is the Vanguard still… around?”

“Yep, around and stronger than ever.”

A slight relief is clear in the Warlock’s eyes. 

“Ikora Rey took Osiris’ place as Warlock Vanguard, and Zavala replaced Saint.”

“Does Swiftriver still lead the Hunters? I’d heard he wasn’t exactly thrilled to take the position.”

“No one ever really ‘leads’ the Hunters.” Outrider corrects with pride. “But from what I’ve picked up, Swiftriver went missing around the time you did. Andal Brask became Hunter Vanguard sometime after they stopped looking for Him.”

Klutz sits down with his back to a nearby wall then pulls a strange black card from his pocket. “I’ve heard of Brask. He was already a strong Guardian when I was still a New Light. I’m sure he’s doing a good job as Hunter Vanguard.”

“Brask died years ago.”

“Oh…”

“Believe it or not, Cayde’s the big boss now.”

“Cayde-6? I’m guessing he’s grown a little more serious over the decades.”

“Not at all.” 

The Lightbearers share a short laugh.

Chapter Text

Age-Old Bond.

After pulling on a clasp at the back of her neck, Outrider unseals her helmet and removes it with a gentle pull. She brushes a tuft of her short-cropped hair away from her brow and notices the Warlock looking at her with anxious eyes. “You’ve got a problem with staring,” she says with a pert grin and a clear, unfiltered voice.

“Huh?” Klutz shifts his vision but doesn’t seem to know where else to look.

“Had your eyes stuck on me after we woke you up,” she slides down onto her rump to match the sitting Guardian’s position. “Didn’t think much of it, but I caught you looking when we were leaving… and again when we made our way up to the ledge.” There is a vexatious tone in her voice. 

Klutz awkwardly fiddles with the small, dark card. “I, uh... I was trying to get a good look at your bow.”

“My bow?” Outrider is amused, but unconvinced.

“Yeah, it looks… special.”

“You weren’t looking at the bow a second ago.”

The man’s mouth hangs slightly agape. He looks down at the card in his hands.

Outrider wordlessly stares at the embarrassed Warlock until he looks back. She savors his mild distress and starts to laugh. “I’m just razzing you, Guardian!” she admits.

A short sigh of relief leaves the man. 

“Had you sweating for a minute… just not in the way you might’ve hoped,” the woman jokes as her laughter slows.

“Come on…” Klutz pleads through his own awkward laugh and makes a dismissive gesture. “I was being honest. That bow is real interesting.”

“Trinity Ghoul?” Outrider picks the complex weapon up off the floor to show it off. “Guess you’ve got a good eye for gear, ‘cause this bow is special.” She flicks the multi-layered sights out from the side of the weapon and runs a finger along its string. “This beauty has been with me forever. I’ve had to make a few adjustments to it over the years, but it’s just as potent as ever.” Looking up from the Ghoul, Outrider notices the man looking at the weapon with true interest. “Wanna get your hands on it?” She holds the bow out.

After carefully taking the Exotic bow from the woman’s hands, Klutz quickly seems familiar with how to wield it. He inspects the crude wrappings around the grip and limbs, juxtaposed by the immaculate energy housings that connect to the frame. He looks for a little while, then he closes his eyes.

Confused by the man’s sudden meditation, Outrider raises an eyebrow and watches to see what he does next.

Small wisps of surging Arc Light dance in the Warlock’s free hand. He breathes focused breaths and directs the gathered power into the weapon. Electricity runs through the bow's limbs and crackles with dangerous power. Klutz opens his eyes and admires the energized marvel of engineering.

“Never seen anyone else figure out how to power it up.” Outrider is just as impressed as she is curious. “How’d you manage that?”

“Oh, uh...” Klutz absorbs the power and hands the bow back. “I could feel some Arc energy inside it. Just kinda made sense…”

“That so…?” The Hunter runs her finger over the bow’s slightly buzzing string again. 

“Well… I’ve also handled a bow like this before. A long time back…”

Outrider’s face does little to hide her surprise. “You’ve handled a bow like the Ghoul? Honestly, thought it was one of a kind.”

“Yeah… so did I.” Klutz looks uncomfortable, but not deceptive. 

“Well, where’d you find this not-so-one-of-a-kind bow?” Outrider asks with newly burning curiosity. 

“It was in a hidden facility I explored back around the Battle of the Six Fronts.”

“Six Fronts? That’s almost ancient history now.” Outrider scoots over to sit next to her timelost acquaintance. “What happened to it? No shot you wouldn’t hang on to something like this.” She pats the grip of her bow.

“I… left it with a friend.” 

“Yeah?” Outrider turns away for a few seconds. “You’re not messing with me, right?”

“No, but thinking back, it would have been smart to hang on to a bow that flings lightning bolts.” He looks at the woman and half grins. Both chuckle for a moment. 

“Those Ghosts are gonna be a while still,” Outrider says while looking up at the top of the pillar. “I’m no history buff, but I’m sure you’ve got a few more questions about things that happened while you were out of commission.” She sets Trinity Ghoul on the floor next to her. “Can’t give you the nitty gritty on everything, but I can answer most of the big stuff.”

The Warlock thinks with a complicated look on his face, almost as if he’s debating himself. “If it’s not too weird… I’d actually like to hear your story,” he says in a measured yet open voice. 

“Me?” Outrider twists her brow and smiles strangely.

“Yeah, I’ll have plenty of time to hear about everything I missed. Don’t know if I’ll get another chance to hear about ‘the Tangled Outrider’ from her own mouth.” 

The woman looks at Klutz with charmed curiosity.

“Based on the name, I’m assuming you've done business on the Tangled Shore?”

“That I have. A fair bit of business.” She pats the grip of her holstered revolver. “You visited the Shore back in your time?”

“Yeah, dealt with this crook that called himself ‘the Spider’.” Klutz shakes his head in disgust.

“Spider’s my number one client,” Outrider says with an amused smile.

“Oh, uh, well…”

“Don’t sweat it,” Outrider laughs. “He’s a real son of a tech witch. Guessing he was even worse when you knew him?”

“I only had to do business with him once, but I quickly found him to be callous, untrustworthy, and overall, kind of an asshole.”

“Sounds about right.” The Hunter laughs again. “So, you wanted to hear something about me?”

“I’m curious how you got that title, or you could go with the classic Guardian story, and tell me what your first day out of the grave was like.” He rubs his thumb in idle circles over the face of the black card in his hand.

“First day was uneventful.” Outrider looks up at her busy Ghost. “Pom found me close to the City, so I don’t have a good story like some folks.” She looks down at her bow. “The name’s not too interesting either. Just something they started calling me when I made myself known out there.”

The card slowly flips around in the Warlock’s fingers. “You seem pretty experienced, I’m sure you have a few good stories.”

“Oh, I’ve got stories,” the woman says enigmatically. “Just trying to think of one that wouldn’t scare you off.” She thinks for a moment before deciding on a safe tale. “I’ll save you most of the setup, but me and my, uh… friend, Errol Mayz, were on the run from this lunk of a Fallen Baron called ‘the Rifleman’. We thought we lost him, so we set up camp to rest and celebrate a little.” She grins for a moment. “Turns out, the lunk was still on us. He’s not known for missing, so the shot that landed between our legs was probably meant to get our hearts jumping. My friend insisted we duck into a little cave nearby, but I thought it was a mistake. Anyone familiar with that part of Four-Horn Gulch knows this cave had a dead end, and the Rifleman had the patience to wait us out.”

“Did you fight your way out instead?” Klutz asks with clear interest.

“Wasn’t worth the risk,” the Hunter answers quickly. “Mayz is no Lightbearer and even if he was, the Rifleman had a habit of killing Ghosts.”

Klutz eyes up at his mechanical partner with a disturbed look on his face.

“Didn’t have time to think, so I ended up following him inside. I was sure we were trapped, but Mayz is crafty. Turns out, he had a feeling the Baron would find us, so he made sure we set up camp near the entrance to a secret smuggling tunnel he used to use back in the day.”

“So this cave wasn’t really a dead end?”

“Nope, but if I didn’t know that, there was no way the Rifleman did.”

“What did this Baron do after you snuck off?”

“No clue,” Outrider says with a cocky smile. “I’m sure Mayz and I had already finished our drinks at the Empty Tank before the fool even realized we were gone!” 

Laughter echoes around the labyrinth. Spark looks down with a warm look in her eye.

“You and Mayz still work together?” Klutz asks innocently. “It wasn’t very common for Guardians to work with Lightless people in my time.”

“No.” Outrider’s mood dips a little. 

“Oh, I’m sorry… I-“

“He ain’t dead,” Outrider says as soon as she realizes the implication. “Things just got… dramatic, so we went our separate ways.”

Klutz gives a relieved nod. “That’s good.” His eyes go wide after the words leave his mouth. “Good that he’s not dead!” He blurts out as a clarification. “Not that you’re not together!” He sighs and turns with embarrassment. 

Uncontainable laughter bursts from Outrider. She warmly shoves the man’s shoulder and moves a little closer. “How about you?” the woman asks while she gathers her composure. “Got any good stories from back in the Dark Age?” 

The embarrassed Warlock turns back and relaxes. “Dark Age was a little before my time,” he replies. “But my first resurrection actually was pretty eventful…”

Chapter Text

One Small Step.

Shifting shapes and bright white patterns obscure the vague image in the gateway’s heart. It’s possible to make out a subterranean space, but the finer details are too distorted and soft to define.

“That should do it,” the blue-shelled Ghost says while finishing one last scan of the Vex device. “See? Not too hard once you understand how the defense algorithm thinks.”

The other Ghost nods and slowly spins her shell. “Are you sure the exit location is safe?” she asks carefully.

“…Safe enough.” Pom’s assurance doesn’t inspire much confidence. “How about you fetch those lovebirds while I finish up this last test?”

Spark looks down at the Lightbearers. They seem to be in the middle of another story that the Ghost can’t quite hear. “Okay,” she says before diving down to interrupt the newfound friends.

“-So he shouts, ‘I said ‘bluff! Not ‘snuff’!” The woman beams brightly. “I just shrugged and said, ‘I know, there’s a reason I always win at poker’!”

A hearty belly laugh shakes out from both of them.

Outrider doubles over and braces herself on the Warlock’s shoulder while she catches her breath.

As the laughter settles, Spark nears the pair and looks at her Guardian. The honest smile on his face stuns her for a moment. Her shell relaxes briefly but tenses back up when she looks at Outrider. “The portal should work now,” she says.

“Already done?” the woman asks with a jovial expression then starts to rise from her spot next to the smiling man. 

“Yes! Pom is a good teacher!”

“Thanks, Spark,” Klutz says after he stands from the ground and dusts off his robes.

“Oh, I almost forgot!” The Ghost’s eye lights up brighter than before. “I’ve been meaning to mention how much I like your outfit, Outrider!”

Unprepared for the compliment, the Hunter can’t help but chortle.

“I don’t know if your style is commonplace among Guardians these days, but I can tell you have an appreciation for aesthetics!” Spark does a quick spin around the slightly embarrassed woman.

“The gear is just some stuff I threw together,” Outrider says with a grin. “Didn’t really put much thought into fashion.”

“There’s no way you didn’t put SOME thought into it!” Spark insists. “It’s a rugged look, but the colors work together so well, and the fitting really compliments your figure!” 

Her freckled cheeks feel a little warm. “Well… maybe I put a little thought into it…” The woman turns away and guides a thumb down the brightly stitched hem of her hood.

The Ghost gives her a final up-and-down inspection, then spins her shell in a wide arc and looks over at her partner. 

He looks back with a wide smile.

A strange expression washes over the Ghost. “Are you two… getting along?” she asks as she reins herself in.

Klutz turns his attention back to the woman as she crosses the space to gather her weapons.

“You got lucky with this one,” Outrider says while she fixes her bow to her back. “Met some real dull, self-important Warlocks in my time.” She picks up her helmet and gives a fond look to the man before she slides it over her head. “Your Guardian ain’t like that, he’s easy to talk to. Felt like I was catching up with an old friend.”

The corner of Warlock’s lip twitches. 

“…That’s good to hear,” Spark says warmly. “Are you ready to move forward?”

“No point killing any more time.” Outrider looks up at the pillar. “How do we get up there?”

Spark turns to face the opposite direction. “There is a shorter structure you can use to climb up to a parallel pillar… From there you need to jump across a wide gap.”

“Be careful with the jump…” Klutz warns.

“No shit,” Outrider replies.

***

It doesn’t take long for the pair to scale the pillar. Klutz jumps first and lands safely in front of the portal. He turns back to look at the Hunter. “If you can’t make it, reach for my arm.”

An offended scoff blows out from the woman. She takes a few steps back and then dashes forward into an explosive bound. She soars high in the air and leaps a second time in a burst of Light. A graceful flip above the man’s head, and an effortless landing a few feet ahead of him, speak volumes of her skill and coordination.

A dazzled expression hangs on the Warlock.

“Pick your tongue up off the ground and let’s get moving,” Outrider says with calculated confidence then heads toward her Ghost.

Floating past the man’s shoulder, Spark stretches her shell and turns to address him. “She seems very capable!”

The Warlock looks down to a spot at the bottom of the gap.

Spark flashes her light to get his attention. “I had time to repair it while Pom and I were working.” She drops his dark helmet in his hands.

“Thanks, Spark,” he says kindly then turns away from the drop.

“We don’t know exactly what we’ll find on the other side of this gate,” Spark warns. “So wearing it is a good idea.”

Klutz nods and slides his old helmet over his head.

“Where’s it lead?” the Hunter asks.

“Outside of the Vault,” her Ghost answers.

“Pom, where outside of the Vault?” she presses. “Are we almost done with this thing, or are we walking into more trouble?”

The blue panels of Pom’s shell twist. “Hard to say,” she replies. “The exit gate is much closer to the surface. I think it’s in the same cave system we found under the academy.” She looks into the intricate glow of the portal. “But it’s still way out of range from our transmat beacon.”

“Is it gonna be a lotta walking?” the woman asks, even though she knows the answer.

“Yup,” the Ghost quickly answers.

“Are we going to run into any Vex?” Klutz asks.

Spark bobs from side to side. “We can’t tell if any threats are on the other side, but if this cave is connected to the one we dropped into, I expect it’s likely we will cross paths with a Vex patrol…”

Outrider isn’t bothered, but she notices a change in the Warlock’s posture. “A few stray Vex up against two experienced Lightbearers? I know who I’d bet on.” She’s glad to see the man relax. “No sense wasting time. Let’s go.” She gestures her head toward the portal and passes through.

***

Footsteps echo around the wide-open cave as the Hunter observes her new location. She looks back up at the portal, awkwardly hidden in a small space between two low lights in the far-off ceiling, then down at the strange floor. 

Her feet stand on an unnatural joining of Venus’ natural stone and alien Vex material, both of which have been polished into a shiny glass-like texture. This polished grafting of Vex construction continues all around the floor, walls, and ceiling. It’s hard to tell where the natural minerals end and the foreign alloy begins. 

Outrider takes note of how unsettlingly uniform the cave is while maintaining the thin illusion of organic formation. The floor is almost perfectly flat, and as far as she can see, the walls and ceiling are perfectly even, as if all imperfections have been buffed away. The uncanny cavern goes on and on into the distance. Disappearing into an underground horizon. The woman can’t help but feel a peculiar mixture of slight anxiety and enveloping awe brought on by the bizarre area.

A flash snaps from the portal when the Warlock appears. He drops down and gawks around for a few seconds, then looks at the Hunter. “What is this place?”

An unenlightened shrug is all Outrider can give in response. 

Another flash of light announces Spark’s arrival. “I’ve never heard of anything like this…” she says with curiosity in her tone. “This cave isn’t a natural formation.”

“Obviously,” Pom teases.

Spark twists her shell. “I’m trying to say, the Vex must have excavated this area for a reason… and something must have done this to the stone. It seems like some kind of heat damage… Maybe from magma or plasma?” 

“Would have been a lot of energy to glass everything like this,” Pom says, then shakes her shell. “All that really matters now is that this huge cave has got to lead somewhere.” 

After taking a look down both ends of the massive tunnel, the Hunter says, “With any luck, it’ll lead us outta here.” She tries to peer for some sign of an exit or alternate path that may take them closer to the end of this surprise rescue mission. “Which way, Pom?”

The blue Ghost places a marker on the Hunter’s heads-up display. “I can’t map out very far, but that’s the nearest location that puts us in transmat range.”

“That far!?” Outrider shouts when she reads the long-distance indicated by the marker.

“I said it’d be a lot of walking,” Pom dryly responds. 

“Hey, my gear isn’t connected with whatever navigation system you’re using,” the long-lost Warlock says. “How far are we going to be walking?”

Pom looks at Spark and flashes her eye.

Spark’s eye flashes in sync. She spins her shell for a moment. “Whoa,” she exclaims. 

“How far, Spark?” Klutz asks again.

“Just over twenty kilometers,” Spark answers with a wide eye.

“Great… Just when I start to get hungry, we have to run a marathon,” the Warlock jokes.

Outrider walks by the man and nudges him with her elbow. “Just a few more hours, Guardian,” she says through a smile. “When we make it back to the City, I’ll take you to my favorite noodle place.”

“I’d like that,” the man says with a pleasant buzz.

Chapter Text

Perseverance.

“Hundreds?!“ the Warlock asks with genuine astonishment. His voice repeats down the huge empty space. He slows his walk a little.

A half-snort escapes the Hunter as she holds in her laughter. “What? Y’all didn’t have matter encryption in the Dark Age?”

“Again, I wasn’t around for the Dark Age.” His voice has a hint of faux annoyance. 

Outrider smirks.

“And yeah, we did have matter encryption, just didn’t have that kind of storage.” He picks up the pace again. “I had a few important things stored, but I really had to narrow down what I counted as ‘important’ if I wanted to stay under my vault limit.”

“You may not believe me, but plenty of Guardians are still hitting limits these days.”

“Even with all that space?”

“Yeah. I’ve heard a bunch of Tower-types whining to the Cryptarchs about ‘improving data compression’ or ‘investing in new servers’.” Outrider shakes her head. “Never mattered much to me. I try to stay lean when it comes to gear.” She pats her holstered Hand Cannon. “Had the Ghoul and my iron since the day I was Risen. Both have been good enough for me over the years.”

“And the sword?”

She feels the Warlock’s eyes run over her ornate blade. “It’s a… more recent addition to the kit, but it’s done good by me as well.” 

“I’ve never seen a weapon like it before. Was it made by the Awoken?”

“…Yeah, it’s a custom piece.” The words catch in her throat for a second.

“It’s beautiful.”

“That so?” The woman looks back at the man with a funny grin hidden behind her mask. “That's not what most folks say.”

“Guessing most folks don’t get the chance to say much when you’ve got that blade in your hands.”

“Good guess.” Outrider turns back to face the endless path, but something doesn’t seem right. She feels a tingling on her skin and a buzzing in her teeth. The ground is vibrating, ever so slightly. She looks back at the other Lightbearer.

“What is that?” he asks. 

A new light shines from far down the enormous tunnel. Outrider can’t make out its source. She takes a pensive look over her glassy surroundings. She knows it can’t be anything good. 

The light gets brighter, bigger, closer. The vibrations turn into powerful and unforgiving tremors. 

Now struggling to brace herself on the shaking ground, Outrider clenches her rattling teeth and stares down the intensifying light.

“Something’s coming,” Pom’s voice warns over the radio.

“Something FAST!” Spark shouts.

Like a wave of fierce pressure, the light races through the corridor with a painfully loud, stomach-churning hum. The frightening force sizzles over the walls with enough heat to melt stone.

Outrider feels her heart pick up speed.

There’s no time to plan, no time to think or search for an escape. The wall of devastating light is coming fast and Outrider knows she needs to act. Fighting to stay balanced on the trembling floor, the Hunter presses forward and stares down the wave of annihilation. It will be on her in a matter of seconds. She feels the nearing heat through her gear. Still, she crouches low and stares forward. 

“What do we do?!” The man’s cries are lost in the deafening roar of inevitable doom. Unable to hold his footing, he falls forward but keeps his eyes locked on the woman in front of him. 

Light gathers in the Hunter’s legs. She’ll only have a few heartbeats to prepare, but she knows what to do.

She dashes toward the danger, leaps into the air and focuses on a point just behind the wall of light. Her hand reaches forward. The tips of her fingers singe. Just before she is engulfed, she grasps the air, pulls, and shuts her eyes. An arcing web of electricity and Light envelopes the Hunter. Her body disappears in an instant and reappears just as fast, safely on the other side of the burning wall. 

The moment she lands, Outrider turns around and looks back at the stunned Warlock.

In a fraction of a second, the wave rips over the man, entirely disintegrating him. Nothing is left behind. Not an echo of his cries or a shadow of his existence.

The light carries on down the tunnel. 

The rumbling stops.

Outrider shakes her head. She collects herself and casually walks over to the spot the Warlock once occupied. “At least it was quick,” she remarks.

“He could have been a little quicker,” Pom jokes when she shows herself. “Need any help?” 

Looking at her slightly scorched glove, Outrider answers, “Nah, I’m all good,” then rests her hands on her hips.

“I wasn’t asking you,” Pom says with snark. She floats over to meet the other Ghost.

“Thank you, Pom,” Spark says. “But I’ll be fine now.” She scans over the empty spot on the floor and shifts her shell around.

“Have you ever done this before?” Pom asks.

“I’ve revived him from disintegration before, but never anything so… comprehensive…”

“Just stay focused. I’m sure it’ll go fine.”

Spark opens her shell to begin the process. Her Light pours over the ground, dancing through the empty air. The Light swells and builds until it bursts in a brilliant flash. 

The man appears on the spot, totally remade with his equipment and his life intact. He breathes for a few seconds then looks up at his Ghost. “What the hell was that?”

“Some kind of energy expulsion, but I’m not entirely sure…” Spark looks at the light disappearing in the distance. “I think it would be safe to assume this corridor functions as an exhaust channel or energy release for whatever we’re headed toward.”

After pulling off his helmet to breathe easier and calm himself, Klutz thanks his Ghost before she and Pom disappear. He turns toward Outrider. “How’d you do that?” 

“What?” The woman leans down to help the Warlock stand. “The Blink?”

“Yeah, you used the Light to… displace yourself. Only ever heard of Warlocks doing that.”

“Well… a Stormcaller taught me how to do it a long while back. But don’t go spreading that around. Can’t have folks knowing I ever had a Warlock for a mentor.” 

Klutz smirks. “I’ve tried to Blink before, but I’ve never been very good with Arc Light…”

With her head slightly tilted, Outrider eyes over the Warlock. “How about Void? You ever ‘gaze into the abyss’ or whatever Warlocks like to say?”

“The Void… was always close to me. Guess I never thought to use it that way.” He raises an eyebrow. “Can you can touch the Void? Had a feeling Nightstalkers would be extinct by now…”

“For the most part, they are.” A subtle gloom hangs in the Hunter’s chest. “I’ve felt its pull, but I’ve never touched the Void. Guess I never had a teacher to show me how.” A strange thought runs through her mind. “Hey, it’ll still be a few hours before we make it into transmat range, and if we get hit by another blast, it’d be nice if you knew how to avoid it...”

“You want to teach me?” The man’s face lights up.

“I’m thinking of it more like an exchange. I show you how I Blink, you show me how you get your feet wet in the Void.“ She sets her hands back on her hips. “You don’t have to admit you learned anything from some grubby Hunter, I don’t have to admit I learned anything from some arrogant Warlock.” She reaches out. 

The Warlock looks at his palm for half a second. Then shakes the Hunter’s hand. “...I promise to be a good student if you do.”

Chapter Text

A Distant Pull.

“I think of myself like a lightning strike.” She plays with sparks between her fingers. “Traveling from one point to another in an instant.” The sparks bloom in a bright flash, then disappear. “Lightning is chaotic, so I’ve gotta find balance, gotta focus on exactly where I wanna strike.” She makes a mental marker and gathers her Light. In only three quick steps, she builds great speed and pounces forward. Her hand reaches out and pulls toward a point. With little effort, she teleports a short distance and lands in a graceful roll. “Arc is change, but you need to have balance to make things change the way you want them to.”

Awestruck, the Warlock stands without saying anything.

Outrider walks near, pats his shoulder, and whispers, “I found my balance quickly.”

Once he’s found his words, Klutz says, “I think that’s where I’m failing. I learned the roar of Solar Light when I pushed myself to my limits... and I channeled the Void when I found a calmness inside myself. Finding the balance between the two is… difficult.”

“Are you calm now?”

“Yeah, mostly… Think I could use Void Light?”

“I’ve got no clue,” the Hunter laughs. “But if you see a way to make it work, it can’t hurt to try. If Arc is balance and change, what is Void to you?”

The Warlock takes a moment to think. “...It’s a whisper in the chorus.”

Outrider raises an eyebrow. “Huh?”

“It’s the nothing between everything, the grip that you can’t feel.” He closes his eyes. “It’s the beauty in what you can’t see, the certainty of entropy.”

“This all supposed to mean something?”

He opens his eyes and smiles. “You’ve got me thinking about it in a way I haven’t in a long time.”

“That’s great, but I’m not getting much from this.”

“Try and see it like this, Void is the calm in the chaos.”

“Sounds like a contradiction.”

“It feels like that at first. You’ve got to feel at peace while you struggle. Gotta feel comfortable when you're in pain. Then you’ll really feel the Void.” The grin grows on his face.

“So instead of staying balanced, I…give in?” 

“Good way to put it. You need to give in to the pull.” Klutz lifts his hand and lets a small orb of purple Light grow and orbit around it. His grin beams. He locks his eyes on a spot in front of him and readies himself. 

A jog turns into a sprint. The Warlock jumps forward. He holds his hand out and grasps just as the orb finds his palm. A shapeless boom of Void Light shrouds the Warlock’s mid-air disappearance, another reveals his return a few meters forward. 

A wide, open-mouthed smile shows his excitement. 

He pushes his palms toward the approaching earth but quickly finds himself unable to glide into an easy landing. Instead, he tumbles onto his back and stares up at the ceiling. 

The dumb smile doesn’t leave his face.

“You weren’t lying about being a good student,” Outrider says as she pulls off her helmet and meets the laid-out Warlock. She can’t help but smile as well when she sees his uninhibited expression. “I’ll think on what you said about Void. It’s almost starting to make sense.” She bends down to help the man to his feet. 

The moment she grabs hold of his hand, a sickening yet familiar feeling strikes. 

Her stomach turns and her blood runs cold. 

Flittering wisps of umbral light manifest all around. A sticky mist spreads and hangs in the air.

The radio flips on. Spark speaks in a worried voice. “There’s been a sudden spike in radioactivity around this area. Something strange is going on…”

“Is it another blast?” Klutz asks. He looks at the woman standing over him. He sees the fear in her eyes.

“I don’t think so…” his Ghost says sheepishly.

“It’s something worse,” Pom says with a dread-laden voice. “Something much worse.”

Klutz pulls his hand out of the woman’s tight grasp and hops to his feet. “Hey, Outrider! What’s going on? Are you okay?”

The words of concern bounce off her. Something deep in her heart has her bound. 

“Pom? What’s happening?” Klutz asks anxiously. “Is she alright?” 

The woman turns and tries to say something, but her throat is tense and her mind is scattered.

“They’ll be on us soon, Warlock,” Pom warns. “Draw your weapon and keep her safe.”

The rifle is in his hands in seconds. “Who- what will be on us? What’s happening?!”

“…Taken,” the woman whispers. 

The name tastes like poison.

Chapter Text

Lingering Dread.

Puddles of impossible depth spontaneously appear all around the floor. They take the shape of water but are made of something unbelievably dark and accented by blinding brightness.

A huge orb of this strange, dark goo rises from the ground in front of the Lightbearers. It swells and spins with ravenous hunger, spreading its blight out wide.

Klutz squeezes Outrider by the arm and yanks her out of the blight’s range. 

She stumbles back and grabs her gun. 

Her hand trembles terribly.

“Eyes up, Hunter!” the man shouts.

Outrider feels her soul ache. She wants to fight, but her insides feel twisted. She backs up behind the Warlock and tries to breathe.

A twisting vortex of Dark energy manifests in front of the blight. Folding and turning in on itself at an accelerating speed. 

The vortex bursts. A group of monstrous figures appear in its place.

They are shaped like familiar foes. Half a dozen appear like shadowy Hive Thrall. One takes the shape of a tall, powerful Fallen Captain. Another resembles an imposing Vex Minotaur.

Something is deeply wrong with all of them.

Darkness corrupts the figures. All color and individuality has been sapped away. Replaced with deep, black emptiness. Horrible light shines from their heads, like their battered souls on crude display.

Rather than ask any more questions, Klutz shoots first. 

The bullets tear into the body of a small creature on the frontline. In a wholly unnatural reaction, the creature doesn’t flinch or cry, it stumbles with disturbing, twitchy movements and splits itself into two exact copies.

Klutz curses. 

The dark creatures rush the Warlock. He dashes back near the Hunter and lobs a fistful of flaming Solar energy in their path. A few are quickly consumed by the powerful Light, but the Minotaur pushes through. 

An entire magazine of the Warlock’s rifle ammo doesn’t seem to bother the corrupted Vex behemoth. Klutz blasts out a barrage of Celestial fire at its body.

The Minotaur is staggered for a moment. It twitches incessantly as it finds its footing.

Klutz loads his weapon and dodges the seeking plasma fire of a shadowy Dreg. He takes aim and fires several shots at the dark Fallen in quick succession. The bullets find the Dreg's head. Its entire body explodes in a warping fissure of energy.

Turning his attention back to the Minotaur, Klutz charges a chaotic cyclone of violent Solar power and hucks it at the downed machine. The Light burns through the beast, ending it for good.

He lets out a breath and cranes his head around to check on the shaking woman behind him. His concern is rewarded with a shot to the gut by some distant attacker and a slashing strike to the ribs by a warping Shadow Thrall. 

A pained cough leaves his mouth. A stream of fire leaves his hand.

While the Thrall burns away, the man focuses down the battlefield to spot the sniper. 

Another large group of enemies appears from a twisting portal.

“There’s too many!” Spark cries. “You need to retreat!”

Klutz’s pants and ducks another sniper shot. “Retreat?!” He looks back at the wide open space behind him. “There’s nowhere to go!” He fires back at a few feral creatures, then hangs his empty weapon and grabs Outrider by the shoulder. “We need to run!” He yells. 

The corrupted Captain aims its weapon and readies a rapid burst.

Outrider feels her heart skipping. The Captain’s Shrapnel Launcher flings its volley directly at her. She knows she has to roll to avoid the shot, the movements are second nature to her, but her legs have gone both immovably rigid and pathetically weak. The flak will rip through her. If she dies quickly, Pom will be in danger, but if she's only wounded… The dread makes it impossible to think.

The red-hot shrapnel cuts through armor, tears into flesh, and embeds in bone. Outrider stands shocked. Not in pain or fear, but in stunned astonishment at the man standing in front of her.

Hot breath blows against her face. Hands hold her arms tight and tuck them safely between their bodies. Pain is evident in his face… but so is something else.

She swallows deep and shakes her head. Life returns to her legs. The attackers are coming fast. She grabs the Warlock by one of his protective arms and dashes away from the incoming horrors.

Something touches her gripping hand. She looks back at the Warlock. She sees a determined look in his eyes. 

A dozen Dark weapons fire down the path. The horde is gaining fast.

“I'll slow them down,” Klutz says firmly.

After a few seconds of hesitation, she lets go of his arm and continues running, trusting he knows what he’s doing.

Heat swells around the Warlock. His pace slows to a walk.

Outrider turns again and questions her choice to let him go.

The heat builds into an aura of glowing power. A trio of Shadow Thrall pounce. The heat bursts out in an explosion of Light. Shrapnel plops out of his back and his wounds heal swiftly. The Thrall burn into nothing and the rest of the horde is blinded by the Light’s brilliance. He gathers blazing power in one hand and tosses it on the floor to create an enormous wall of fire. “It won’t hold them back long,” he says as he starts to run again. The heat fades from his body. “Hoping it gives us a chance…”

The Taken stay in hot pursuit, shooting their weapons erratically, only momentarily stalled by the flames. Outrider haphazardly fires a couple of shots back into the horde of unfeeling monsters as she runs for her life. 

The Warlock isn’t far behind. “It wasn’t enough…” he laments. “Every time I kill one, two more show up!” A Solar grenade flies from his hand.

“You can only stop them by destroying the blight…” Pom explains with knowing despair.

Heavy breaths flow in and out of the man’s lungs. “No way we’re getting back there!” he barks. 

A well-placed shot burns clean through the Warlock's leg. He screams and collapses onto the hard floor.

Outrider stops and ducks low. “Get up!” she orders in a wavering voice.

“Keep going!” he yells. “Don’t stop for me…” He tries to stand but another shot burns through his back, grazing his heart. A smothered grunt hisses through his teeth.

A panicked curse leaves the Hunter’s lips. She lunges toward the crippled man and lifts him by the arms. A pair of ghostly Thrall pounce her while she tries to help. The fear hurts more than the swiping claws. She pulls a knife from her belt and stabs one of the creatures up through its jaw. When the stuck Thrall fades away, she flicks the blade into the other one's skull. 

In a redoubled effort, she starts to drag the man away from the nearing horde. His chest heaves in slowing breaths. She looks up to see how much time she has. 

She’s horrified by the answer.

A couple dozen twitching creatures slowly approach. They menace the woman with empty, unsteady stares.

“The Taken King is dead!” the Hunter shouts through the painfully tense muscles around her throat. “You can’t Take me!”

A blighted Hive Knight steps forward from the group. Its blinding glow shines through the woman’s bones. It opens its grizzly maw and hisses a name, “Quria, Blade Transform.”

A portal of Darkness opens above her head and reaches out with a burning tendril of soul-fire.

Quria, a Taken Vex leviathan, awaits within, holding out an ominous claw as if to greet its newest victim.

Outrider feels the agonizing pull. “NO!” There is absolute terror in her scream. She lifts her gun and points it at her own head. “I can’t… I won’t!” Just before she pulls the trigger, she feels a buzz in her teeth. She pauses and looks past the gathering of monsters. A light glows at the end of the tunnel. Her terror turns to sweet relief as the buzzing builds to a great rumble. 

The rumbling intensifies further, causing the possessed ruffians to take their focus off the Lightbearers and investigate.

The portal yanks even stronger. Outrider tries to ignore its pull, but it feels as if her soul is being ripped from her body. She tilts her head down to see the Warlock. His eyes are unfocused and half-shut. Air leaves his mouth in weak wheezes. “Guardian, hold on a while longer!” the struggling Hunter shouts. She slaps his cheek to keep him conscious. “If you fade away and your Ghost pops up, you’re both done for…” The tendril grips tighter, lifting her from the ground.

Another great pulse of burning energy rages down the path. The monsters stumble closer, seemingly enraptured by its brilliance.

Clinging to the near-lifeless Warlock, Outrider fights to stay grounded as the portal tugs her body up into its threshold. She knows she only needs to fight for a few more seconds. She knows the Warlock may not have that long.

The wall of roaring energy burns over dark pools, erasing all signs of their corruption. Then it washes over the great blight, cleansing the tunnel of its influence. 

The monsters watch without any reaction. The energy burns them away.

Outrider feels the portal’s grip weaken with every inch of Darkness that is burned. 

The last heinous creature is destroyed. 

The tendril loosens its grasp. 

The portal vanishes. 

Outrider hits the ground with only a handful of seconds left before the energy reaches her. She presses her hand to the man’s neck. She doesn’t feel even a faint pulse. “Shit!” she shouts into the overwhelming sound of fast-approaching destruction.

Thinking on her feet, she forces a charge of Arc Light into her hand and holds it to his chest. “This better work…” 

The Hunter sends a jolt into the man’s heart. His eyes shoot open. He gasps and coughs, but before he even has a chance to realize what’s happening, the wall of light runs over both of them, atomizing them in an instant.

Chapter Text

Thin Line.

The wall of light shrinks away in the distance. The shaking ends and silence fills the open air. All evidence of battle has been totally obliterated. No survivors are left standing.

The pair of Ghosts look at each other, wide-eyed and speechless. 

Pom is the first to begin resurrecting their partner.

Spark starts soon after.

Stale air enters the Hunter’s lungs. She sits up and looks over quickly. She’s relieved to see the man appear under his Ghost's Light.

“What… what the hell just happened?” he asks through settling breaths.

“Didn’t want your Ghost to show up and get burned by the blast…” Outrider answers. “Had to wing it to keep you alive.”

“I… Thank you… Really…” He sounds truly grateful, but an uneasy look hangs on him.

“Yes, thank you for saving us both…” Spark says with genuine gratitude. ”But we need an explanation on what those things were… and why you reacted the way you did.”

Outrider tries to speak, but the words don’t come out.

“They’re called ‘Taken’,” Pom says in a grave voice. “Hive, Fallen, Cabal, Vex, all corrupted by Darkness and enthralled to the will of a powerful master.”

Klutz looks over at the visibly uncomfortable woman. “…Why did you freeze,” he asks in a quiet, careful voice.

The question strikes her heart. A rush of embarrassment and frustration floods her body.

“That’s none of your business!” Pom shouts. “We all have our demons, but you have no right trying to dig into-“

“Pom…” the woman interrupts. She’s touched by her Ghost’s passion. She can’t remember the last time her partner stood up for her like that. “It’s okay.”

The blue Ghost spins around and raises her shell. She nods and floats behind the Hunter.

“I’m… not trying to pick open old scars,” the man says apologetically.

“Too late,” Outrider replies with a half-hearted chuckle. “I should explain myself. Not too far-fetched to think… they might show up again…”

“If it’s too much-“

“Just listen, ‘cause I'm not the most… open person… and I don’t wanna talk about this any more than I have to.” She takes a deep breath and clears her throat. “There was a war a little while back, against the Hive… against the Taken. I wasn't really interested in playing hero, but this wasn’t the kind of thing you could ignore from the bottom of a bottle… And it was important to someone that was important to me.”

“...Errol Mayz?”

“Yeah… Errol Mayz.” Outrider turns to face the man, sitting with her legs crossed. “Mayz used to be an Awoken Corsair. Fought plenty of battles before he met me, but at some point, he felt he’d given enough for his people. He was happy to run odd jobs with me for a good few years… Then Oryx showed up.”

“The Hive God-King?” The Warlock’s eyes grow wide. “I knew some of the Guardians his son killed on Luna... Hundreds died on his sword… yet Oryx somehow had a worse reputation.”

“Yep, and he lived up to that reputation.” She shakes her head. “Commanded an army of Taken, added more every day. Soon after he showed up, he killed the Awoken Queen and wiped out most of their fleet in one battle. Errol couldn’t sit around and watch his people die off, I couldn’t let him run off and get himself killed.” She faintly smirks. “We helped the Awoken throughout the war, mostly just evacuations and patrols… It felt kinda good to make a difference for some folks.”

A warm smile crosses the man’s face.

“It went pretty smooth for the most part. Taken are a bitch to kill, but they go down like anything else when you throw enough at ‘em. Close to the end of the war…” a heavy sigh huffs from her lungs, “Errol and I were guiding a big group of refugees to an evac shuttle. All seemed fine… Then they hit us…” She shivers at the thought. “They popped right in on us… started butchering everyone… Errol tried to escort folks away, tried to keep ‘em safe. I dashed in to distract them. Cut through dozens, thought it was turning our way… but a squad of Taken Scorch Captains showed up. I only got one before they blasted me. When I came to… I still remember the smell of blood in the air.” She swallows hard. “I saw Errol… in a pile of meat. He was still alive… barely, one of the lucky ones I guess.” Her eyes drift down to the ground. “I lost myself for a moment. I felt weak, vulnerable… The Taken felt it too... They came for me… and I was so scared. They used some kind of magic to send me… somewhere. It was dark… cold. Couldn’t feel Pom or my Light. I was alone and afraid… Then I heard this voice… It dug through my brain like a hot knife. Makes me feel sick just thinking about it… They tried to break me… they did break me… I let them.” The memories rub salt through the wounds in her spirit.

“But you survived.” His voice is kind and caring. “You were strong enough to make it through all of it.” 

The man’s supportive words do little to comfort her, but she appreciates them nonetheless. “Maybe you’re right…” She smiles for a fleeting second. “I don’t know if it was my Light or just a second wind, but I was able to push back. They gave up on me pretty quick, dumped me back with the bodies. The Taken all lost interest. Didn't care about mopping up the survivors. Pom did what she could to patch me up. I did what I could to patch up Errol. A few weeks later, the Taken King was dead, I got this sword for my contributions, and Errol got a couple prosthetics…” She lifts up her hood and turns away. “He decided to stay with his people, I decided to keep my distance from all of it...” A quiet sniffle escapes her. She wipes her forearm over her eyes. “So that’s about it. That’s why I froze… Why I’m broken…”

After a few quiet moments, Klutz asks, “You knew the Taken would be here?” 

“Huh?” She turns her head a little and looks at the man from under her hood.

“When you took this job, you knew you might run into these things?”

Outrider thinks for a few seconds. “Yeah, I knew Guardians had run into them out here.”

“And you came here anyway?”

“Not for a day trip. Cayde needed my help, needed someone he could trust.” She squints her eyes slightly. “What’re you trying to get at?”

“You’re not broken, at least not the important parts.”

The Hunter lifts an eyebrow and parts her lips.

“You touched down on a hazardous planet, infested with Vex, Fallen, and the horrible things that you say 'broke you', just so you could put your friend’s mind at ease?” He smiles with admiration. 

Outrider closes her mouth and turns away again. “I’m not the hero you’re making me out to be…”

“You saved my life, more than once now.”

She turns back and sees his face.

“I… haven’t known you long, but even I can see you’ve got a good heart, a strong heart.” He stands up and gives a quick look to his Ghost. “You didn’t have to fight a war, you didn’t have to help your friends, you didn’t have to save me… but you did. You’re not 'broken' because you’re scared. You’re strong because you care.” He offers his hand.

The woman looks for a few uncertain moments, then she smiles. She takes the man’s hand and stands tall. “...You’re really something, Klutz.”

Warmth fills his face, but it quickly sinks. He looks over the Hunter’s shoulder and squeezes her hand tighter.

She turns and sees the weave of calculated energy forming just behind her. 

Pom and Spark both dematerialize. 

A squad of Vex appear in the wake of energy. Four imposing Goblins and one hulking Minotaur.

With little time to react, Klutz and Outrider both dash back and draw their guns. The pair make quick work of the smaller foot soldiers, but the Minotaur proves more stubborn. 

Klutz peppers out shots from his rifle to take the beast’s attention.

Outrider draws her sword and speeds toward its flank. The blade slices through the machinery of the Minotaur’s knee. It falls backward and looks up just as the swordswoman follows up the slash with a downward thrust into its milky core. The machine convulses violently before shutting down entirely. Outrider pulls out the sword and whips it through the air to flick off the glowing white liquid along its length. 

The Lightbearers stand strong and unscathed. 

They smile at each other.

“You’re…” Klutz catches his breath. “You’re really something, yourself, Rin.”

Chapter Text

Fate Cries Foul.

She is shocked. 

The tone, the casual familiarity, the way it slipped out like he’d said it dozens of times before. 

No one had called her 'Rin' in a long time. 

Spark materializes and stares at Klutz with a wide, troubled eye.

He looks back. His brow lowers. His smile disappears.

The woman’s jaw hangs open and her eyes gawk in a perturbed scowl. She scrunches her eyebrows and grows increasingly baffled. “Why… why did you call me that?” she finally asks.

“What?” He swallows, his eyes dart back and forth between his Ghost and the rattled woman confronting him. “I-“

“Neither of us gave you that name,” Pom says as she pops in between them. Her voice is acquisitory and her eye is fiery, just like her partner’s.

“Hold on for a moment,” Spark pleads. “I’m pretty sure Pom referred to you as ‘Marin’ some time ago!” She sounds nervous, like her lie has already been caught. 

“That’s not true and you know it,” Pom scathingly rebukes.

“He didn’t call me ‘Marin’, he called me ‘Rin’,” the woman says harshly. Her eyes burn through the unforthcoming man. “Why would you call me that? How do you know my name?”

Klutz is speechless. He stammers and looks at his Ghost with panicked eyes.

“Is this some kind of setup?!” the woman shouts. “Did Cayde put you up to this?!”

“No… no, it’s nothing like that,” the man manages to answer.

“Klutz…” Spark says with a worried voice.

“Then what the hell is going on? You’ve been dead for centuries! Last I checked, I was Risen a lot more recently than that!” She can see something hidden in the man’s guarded demeanor. He knows more than he’s letting on. 

“You’re right…” he admits then runs a hand over his face. “I shouldn’t know your name, shouldn’t have called you that… But I do… and I did.”

“…You know me…?” The initial shock begins to fade. “Or… knew me?” Tension starts to leave her as she pieces together her suspicions. She calms herself and looks at her Ghost, then off to the side while she thinks. The Trinity Ghoul pokes into her vision from over her shoulder. “…'Left it with a friend'…” she mumbles to herself. 

Her brow lifts. Her eyes soften.

She turns back to say something to the shaken man, but she spots a glint, far in the distance, the glint of a Vex weapon about to fire. “Watch out!” she screams and dives to protect her Ghost.

The distinct sound of a powerful Line Rifle echoes down the tunnel. The shot zooms with lightning speed, aimed at the distracted Ghost. 

The Hunter reaches out to snatch Pom out of the air. She tumbles forward to protect the exposed little light with her own body. 

Despite the Hunter’s efforts, the Vex sniper hits its mark.

The beam of incredible energy collides with the Ghost in a heartwrenching explosion of bright blue light. A detached segment of the Ghost’s shell flies high up into the air. The rest of her is sent soaring back a few meters to bounce across the floor until it comes to a stop. 

Smoke trails from the remnants. 

The light of her eye flickers and fades.

The Hunter is huddled on the ground. She looks down at her gloves, gripped tightly to her chest. Lifting one hand, she feels immense relief when Pom looks back at her with a shining eye before hiding herself away from the danger. 

“Spark!” the Warlock cries. Light evaporates from his body. He presses a hand to his heart and collapses to his knees.

Spark sits in the distance. A smoking heap with no sign of life.

“Spark?!” the man shouts again. His voice shakes. He tries to dash toward her, but his legs give again.

A pair of Harpies teleport in front of the Warlock. One bull rushes him, knocking him onto his back and keeping him pinned in place with violent and deliberate movements, the other races for his Ghost.

A loud boom rings from the Hunter’s Hand Cannon, then another, and a final third shot that pierces the Harpy’s red eye. 

The dead machine falls on top of the Warlock with all of its weight, but the Hunter quickly lifts it off and helps the man up again.

“Where’s Spark?” he asks in an anxiety-laden voice. His hand continues to grab at his chest.

The second Harpy holds Spark in a suspended orb of energy. The Hunter fires the last shots in her revolver, but the Vex warps away before they hit, taking the Ghost with it.

“No…” Klutz falls again. “No, no… Spark…”

The Hunter takes a knee next to him. 

She hears the hurt in his voice and sees the pain in his face. The fragile trust she had for him was all but shattered by his slip of the tongue. She finds herself questioning how well she could really know a man she’d met only half a day ago. She doesn’t have the whole truth, she’s honestly not sure she wants to, but it doesn’t matter now.

She takes hold of his gripping hand, lifts it to his side, and places her other palm on his thumping chest. 

He looks at her, distraught and beaten.

“I can still feel your Light,” Marin says calmly. “It’s weak, but it’s still there.”

“She’s alive…” A glimmer of hope flickers in his eyes. His heart steadies.

“Yep,” she fixes her hood, “and we’re gonna bring her home.”

Chapter Text

Bellowing Giant.

The smooth walls of the tunnel open up into the astoundingly huge space under the glassy stone of a vaulted ceiling. Several other tunnels are equally spaced around the domed ceiling’s circumference, all angled toward the energy emitter of the massive machine that stands tall from the distant base of the cavern. 

“This is the machine you mentioned?” the Warlock asks. His helm hides his face, but anxiety is still prevalent in his voice.

“Yeah,” Marin says. “Spotted it when we dropped in before… Looked a lot smaller in the distance.” She eyes over the battalion of Vex all around the lower parts of the enormous device. “Looks like well over a hundred of ‘em down there.”

“Spark’s somewhere with them?” the man asks in a more focused tone.

“Yup,” Pom answers. "I can detect her signature right at the bottom of all this mess. You know, if they’re able to disable and detain a Ghost, they're definitely able to mask her signal. This has to be a trap.”

“…I know.” The man walks close to the edge and readies himself to jump.

“Whoa! Hold on, Guardian!” Marin walks close behind him and takes hold of his forearm. “You’re still weak as long as they’ve got your Ghost. Don’t even think you could make the jump from this high up.” 

“I’ll make it… I have to…” He turns his head and looks at the woman. His shoulders drop. “…Are we in transmat range?” he asks.

The Hunter raises an eyebrow behind her mask and keeps her grasp firm.

“We are,” Pom replies. “Just on the edge of the beacon’s radius, but close enough to get us out… You’re not thinking of leaving her, are you?”

“No,” he says firmly. “I’m going down there… but you two should get out before the shooting starts.”

Marin narrows her brow. “Cut that shit. We’re doing this together.” She lets go of his arm and looks down at the small army below. “You try to do this on your own, you’ll be toast in less than a minute.” 

“If you come with me... we could all wind up dead.” He looks back down at the Vex and the lake of glowing liquid that surrounds the machine. “I can’t leave, not without Spark… but-“

“I said, cut it. I’m not leaving ’til that Ghost is safe.” She pulls three arrows from her quiver, sticks them in her belt, and then looks the man up and down. “You think you're strong enough to fight?”

“…Won’t be able to do anything flashy, but I can still point and shoot.” He turns back to the Hunter. “I’ll have your back.”

“You can leave the flashy stuff to me, but I still don’t think you’ll make the jump down as anything more than a red stain…” 

Klutz doesn't object this time.

Marin scans over the large platform around the base of the machine. Numerous Minotaurs and Goblins dot its surface. An ocean of radiolarian fluid surrounds its edges. She makes out a relatively clear area near the spot Pom had marked as the captured Ghost’s location. “Hold on around my waist,” she orders as she takes the bow from her back.

“You sure-“ 

“Hold my waist.”

Klutz steps behind the woman and mindfully puts his arms around her midsection. 

“Gotta hold on tighter than that,” she says and pulls his arms around her belly. “No point being shy now. We could all be dead in a handful of minutes.” She takes one last look over the edge. “You ready?”

“We’re just gonna-“

“Jump!” she shouts as she dives forward with the Warlock at her back. His arms squeeze around her sides and his hands grab at her clothes for purchase. The tandem pair dive heads first toward the middle of the Vex congregation. Their helmets rattle together. Harpies turn and screech as they scream through the air. The ground grows closer. Marin quickly finds an awkward balance with the weight of the man and flips around with the floor only feet away. She cuts their downward momentum with a burst of Light and flips again to place herself, and her dive partner, right above the spot she means to land.

Klutz lets go before they meet the ground. He falls several feet, but lands with relatively impressive coordination, then swiftly draws his rifle as soon as he’s found his footing.

Marin lands about a meter to his left. The Trinity Ghoul is ready and an arrow is pulled taut before she touches the ground. 

An army of glowing red eyes surrounds them. Staring and studying the pair of invaders. They haven’t even armed their weapons by the time the Outrider lets the first arrow fly.

A dazzling web of Arc energy surges through the crowd of Vex. Destroying and disintegrating everything it touches. Many Vex fall from the first arrow's power. The second is even more devastating. 

Klutz takes aim at the Vex overhead. He fires several shots at several floating Harpies, sending their lifeless chassis careening down into the mess of broken Vex that are left in the wake of the Hunter’s assault of lightning.

Vex die by the dozen. Marin continues to loose arrows, making a safe clearing near a pair of Vex obelisks for the Lightbearers to take cover. Klutz picks off the swarm above with determined efficiency, only pausing to reload his weapon’s magazine.

With more than half the mob defeated in a matter of seconds, Marin notices just how smoothly this strike is going. She didn’t expect to fail, but she assumed the Vex would put up more of a fight, she expected they would put up any fight at all. Between pulls for the Ghoul’s string, she realizes she hasn’t taken a single shot from the Vex, in fact… the Vex haven’t shot at all. She looks back at her empty quiver then relaxes the bowstring and scans over the remaining enemies. They stand and stare, but don’t make use of their weapons.

Another dead Harpy drops down from above. Klutz reloads and looks around at the idle combatants. The remnants of the Harpy swarm aren’t swarming, just floating in place and looking down at the pair of killers. 

“The hell is going on?” Marin barks. She lowers her bow and spies over the non-combative Vex.

“I’ve got no clue,” Pom says. “I’ve never heard of passive Vex.”

Marin walks near a tall Minotaur. Its low head swivels and follows her with its red eye. She knocks on its glowing core with her knuckles, thinking she may prompt some kind of reaction.

The Minotaur continues to silently stare.

“Well, this is freaky,” the woman remarks.

“They weren’t this gentle before…” Pom says. “They seemed downright aggressive when they took Spark.”

“They still have her,” Klutz says, pointing his weapon forward. “Doesn’t matter if they don’t want to fight back, we need to find her.”

“You won’t need to search for very long,” a strange voice says from above.

The Lightbearers aim their weapons up toward the voice. Both are surprised to see its speaker.

A pale white Ghost hovers down and settles in front of the Guardians. 

The Vex react by bowing their heads and kneeling before it.

Marin is caught well off guard. She isn’t sure if she should rest her bow again. She decides to keep it ready when she notices a disturbing feature on the strange pale Ghost. 

Its eye burns bright red, matching the reverent Vex all around.

“Snowfall…?” Klutz says. He sounds dumbfounded.

Chapter Text

Conspirator.

“You know this Ghost?” Marin asks. She eyes around at the kneeling Vex.

Pom chimes into her ear. “That’s him. That’s the other missing Ghost.”

“I-I thought you…” A mix of relief and confusion flows through Klutz’s voice. He pulls off his dark helmet.

“It's been so long… I thought you were gone as well,” the pale Ghost says. “You and Spark.”

The stunned expression bleeds away from the Warlock’s face. He quickly refocuses. “Where is she? The Vex took her, brought her somewhere near this machine.” He looks back and eyes up the massive construction.

Snowfall gazes at the machine as well, then back at the Warlock. “I know,” he admits.

Klutz swings his head back and opens his eyes wide. 

Marin doesn’t flinch. She keeps a watchful eye over the Vex. 

“Is she alright?” the man asks.

“Yes,” the pale Ghost answers. “She’s safe.” He nods and an obedient Harpy appears at his side. A sphere of energy hangs in the Harpie’s suspending grasp, a sphere holding a sleeping Spark.

“Spark…” the man takes an extended look at the Harpy and the dozens of Vex behind it. “They listen to you?” His voice is uneasy.

“For the most part,” the Ghost answers. “The situation is… complex, but I want to explain it to you as best I can.”

Klutz gazes at the troubling red glow of the Ghost’s eye and swallows hard. “I’ll listen to whatever you have to say… just tell it to let Spark go.”

A solemn expression hangs on the white Ghost. “I can’t do that… Not yet.”

Marin shakes her head.

“Why not?” Fear builds in the man’s voice.

“Let me explain. I hope you’ll understand.” Snowfall dismisses the Harpy and takes hold of the suspended Ghost himself. “When it happened all those years ago… When Owen fell…”

Klutz takes his eyes off his Ghost for a moment.

“I acted without thinking. I followed after him without a clear reason. I knew there was no way for me to perform a successful resurrection, but I followed after him anyway.”

“I’m sorry we left you…” Klutz says. “There wasn’t any time… I didn’t think you could’ve survived…”

“Don’t worry, Warlock. I’m not upset with you in the slightest.” He takes a look at the lake of radiolaria behind him. “I made my choice, and you may have been killed if you tried to stop me.” 

“How did you make it…? How did you get them to listen to you?”

“The Vex used to be far from cooperative. I only survived at first because they were so focused on you and Shunzhi.” He looks back at the man. “Once I reached the surface of the reservoir… I'd never felt so alone. Owen was beyond my reach, Shunzhi and you had left, and even the Traveler felt distant...” Snowfall shuts his red eye for a few seconds. “I was lost. I thought I might as well give myself up to the Vex…”

The man’s head drops as if weight is pushing down on him.

“Somehow, I stayed strong.” The Ghost’s eye glows bright. “I didn’t give up. Not on myself… and not on Owen.”

A concerned look fills the man’s face.

“I know it sounds crazy, but after the Harpies had calmed down, when I had a chance to truly look into the radiolaria… I felt him.”

Marin looks away from the Vex and stares down the red-eyed Ghost. 

“I focused on the feeling for a long time. It was scattered and waning, but it was him.” Snowfall turns back to face the lake. “Avoiding the Vex made it difficult, but if there was any chance my Guardian was somehow still out there, I had to follow it.”

“Snowfall…” Klutz says softly. “Owen died in that radiolarian fluid… How could you-“

“He did NOT die!” the Ghost snaps in a screeching hiss as it whips around. “…He was… assimilated.”

Klutz takes a step back and looks at his Ghost without another word.

“I tried to follow the feeling for years, but I never got any closer.” He shuts his eye again. “I assumed I was feeling echoes from the radiolaria, stray signals from the Vex network. I knew Owen was connected to them somehow… I realized I had to be connected to them as well.” He opens his eye. The red light burns even brighter than before.

A wary feeling rises in the Hunter. She keeps her distance from the Vex, and the conversation, but stays vigilant and listens closely.

“I ran the calculations a thousand times. It took me months before I was sure.” The red light blinks. “I intentionally exposed my core to a small amount of radiolaria, then cleansed myself before they could truly convert me.” He blinks again, in unison with the surrounding Vex. “After that, I was awake. I could feel the Vex network the same way I could feel my own thoughts. It was an extraordinary moment… The first several months were disorienting. I tried to stay focused, but I had trouble holding on to my sense of self… Even then… I felt him out there. Owen’s presence gave me the power to steady myself.” A calm hum sings from his vocal synthesizer. “Still, I couldn’t find him. I wasn’t strong enough on my own. I needed help.” 

The surrounding Vex bow deeper.

“I’d noticed the Vex had been far less aggressive since my awakening. Still, I thought it risky to try and communicate. In the end, I didn’t get to make the decision… The Vex came for me when I was vulnerable, but they didn’t kill me. They captured me and held me in a dark place for a very long time… I was scared… scared I’d never see him again…” Snowfall’s shell constricts. “Then one day. Something changed. My connection to the network was limited in their custody, but I could still interpret some data, and I was sure something was wrong. They seemed desperate, shocked.” The Ghost looks over his entourage of Vex. “I surmised that something significant must have happened to bother the Vex this way. I ran simulations on what it could be, and the only answer I found that could leave these Vex so disoriented… was the destruction of Time’s Conflux, the death of Atheon.”

The Vex raises their arms as if in prayer.

“I saw this as an opportunity, so I attempted to reach out and communicate. I was ignored for weeks, but when I did receive a response… it was not in the form I expected.”

Klutz has a disturbed look, but he stays focused on Spark.

“A voice spoke to me…”

Marin perks up. Her legs feel stiff. Her arms feel tense.

“It asked me about my intentions, so I made an offer.” Snowfall looks up at the great machine again. A glow of pride radiates from his eye. “I offered to build this.”

The Warlock turns back again to look at the strange construction. 

The Hunter does not.

“What is it…?” Klutz asks quietly.

“I call it; the Paracausal Engine.”

The Vex spin their raised arms in a meaningful gesture.

“The Vex have one true weakness, a weakness the Light and Dark have exploited for millennia. I offered the voice a way to overcome that weakness.”

“What is this?” Klutz asks more firmly. “How does it help them?”

“The Vex are limited by logic, by cause and effect. Their simulations follow the narrow view that all actions have equal and opposite reactions, that two and two make four. When it comes to the paracausal forces in the universe, those rules don’t apply. The Vex can’t understand the Traveler breathing air into the lungs of the dead. They can’t account for the limitless energy of a single spark of Light or the insatiable boodtithe that fuels the Hive.” Excitement bubbles in Snowfall’s voice. “With enough radiolaria and paracausal energy, this Engine will bypass that weakness, it will allow the Vex total clarity of all the universe’s possibilities!”

The Warlock’s eyes stretch wide. He stares up at the Engine for a few moments then turns back to the Ghost. “Why?” he asks with some hesitation. “Why would you do this?”

“Because the Paracausal Engine can be used for much more than just the ends that the Vex desire.” A dreamy shine fills his eye. “With enough paracausal energy, I can use it to focus on erratic, seemingly random data in the network. Data that the Vex have written off as ‘unreadable’ or ‘unrecognizable’. Paracausal data trapped in the Vex nexus… I can use the Engine to gather this scattered data and make sense of it, recombine it into one entity…”

“Snowfall…”

“I can use the Engine to bring him back.”

A chilly look washes over the Warlock. He pulls his eyes away from his sleeping Spark and turns to face the prophetic Ghost. “Snowfall… That’s impossible… Owen’s gone…”

The pale Ghost snaps toward the man and flares his shell. “I can bring him back!” he loudly insists.

“The radiolaria… it corrupts everything that makes you who you are. After all this time… there’s nothing left of Owen.”

“You’re wrong, Warlock… I can feel him still.”

“You feel his Light. That's all that’s left.”

The Ghost’s red eye flickers like fire.

“You can’t resurrect him because he never 'died'… and you can’t heal him because there’s nothing left of him to heal. Everything that was him… is them now.”

“…No.” The Ghost reins in his shell. “You're wrong.” He projects a beam of light onto the side of the mammoth machine.

Klutz takes a few steps back.

Marin tightens her grip around the Trinity Ghoul.

The Paracausal Engine begins to roar and rumble with power. The praying Vex bow even deeper in supplication. The crown of the machine glows bright and spins at a rapidly accelerating pace. Shimmering waves dance and swell until the crown comes to an abrupt stop and bellows out an earsplitting tone. The waves of light burst out at incredible speed. Excess energy blasts the domed ceiling and escapes through the massive vents. The rest of the power radiates down the length of the engine, illuminating it with unbelievable effulgence. A shaft of blinding light shines down from the crown onto a spot in front of Snowfall.

“Look, Warlock. This isn’t just scattered Light, it’s part of him.” 

The Engine settles. The Vex relax. Light lingers.

A small orb of twisting violet energy hovers just above the ground.

Klutz stares in stunned silence.

Marin is more vocal in her surprise. “Holy shit…” she exclaims, fully enraptured by the orb of Light.

“Do you know what this is?” Snowfall asks.

“Light…” Klutz says. “Some of Owen’s Light…”

“That ain’t just any orb of his Light,” Marin says. “That’s his bow, his Nightstalker bow.”

“Yes…” the Ghost says. “I could recognize this bow even after all these years. This bow is a part of him. It was nothing but a mess of Light before, but the Engine gave me the power to bring it back exactly how it was!”

“I believe you…” Klutz admits. “But do you really think you can do the same with a Guardian?”

The light of the Ghost’s eye wobbles and waivers. “…No,” he huffs. “Not without more help.”

Chapter Text

Cold Denial.

“I’m not strong enough on my own.” The Ghost speaks plain and honest. “It takes all my Light and all that I can gather to recompile just his bow… But if I had more Light…”

“That’s why you took Spark?” Klutz sounds on edge. “You want to use her Light?”

“Yes,” Snowfall says. “And yours as well.”

Marin pries her gaze away from the Void Light and puts herself back on guard. 

“I believe you and Spark will be able to provide enough to do what I must,” Snowfall turns to look at the Hunter. “But if I had the Light of your friends as well…”

Pom sends a plus of warmth to Marin’s hand. 

“Hell no!” she cries.

Klutz turns to face the woman. “Take it easy!” he says.

Marin grows increasingly tense. She sees the Warlock walk close to her.

“They still have Spark,” he whispers. “Keep cool.”

Klutz turns back toward Snowfall. “How would we give our Light to the machine?” he asks. “Is there a way for us to… funnel power to it?”

Snowfall lowers his eye. “…I need you to do what Owen did… I need you to enter the radiolaria.”

A pit forms in Marin’s stomach. She quickly becomes hyper-aware of the numerous Vex eyeing her down. 

“Snowfall…” Klutz looks more guarded than before. “I-I don’t think we can do that.” He stares intensely at his hostage Ghost.

The Vex stand up, maintaining focus on the Lightbearers.

“Please, Klutz…” the Ghost says with unstable desperation. “I’m sure I can make this work.” His red eye glows bright and steady once again. “It won’t take long for Owen to return, then I can use the Engine to bring you and Spark back! Your friends as well!”

“Hell. No.” Marin reiterates. 

The Harpies above fly in closer.

“Klutz!” Snowfall shouts. “Your friend may not get it… but I know you understand…” He flies right in front of the man’s face. “…You know what true loss feels like… I saw it in your eyes.”

The red glow covers the man. He looks at the obsessed Ghost in front of him, then at his own frozen Ghost, and finally back at the woman behind him. He swallows hard. “…I do.” 

The surrounding Vex step near.

Marin holds her final arrow against the bowstring.

“You know how much it hurts,” Snowfall whispers. “It feels like I’m missing a part of myself…”

“I know…” Klutz softly admits. He looks straight at the red-eyed Ghost. “And I've learned that the only way to heal… is to forgive yourself... and move on.”

Snowfall stretches his shell wide. He backs up, but doesn’t take his eye off the man. “Move on…?”

The Vex continue to approach.

“I know it hurts… but everything else hurts a lot worse.”

Short screeches echo around the Vex.

Adrenaline rushes through Marin’s body. She’s ready to fight the moment the Vex make a move.

“I…” Snowfall gazes out at the bright white lake. 

The Vex draw their weapons and take up aggressive positions.

Unable to hold herself back any longer, Marin aims the Ghoul and pulls the string tight. Just before she lets it loose, Klutz grabs her by the arm.

“Please…” he says quietly.

Marin looks around at the army of Vex. Their weapons are ready, they have the advantage. All of her instincts tell her to ignore the Warlock, she needs to attack now to have a fighting chance. Against her better judgment, she tucks the arrow under her belt and stows the bow on her back.

Aggression stays apparent in the Vex, but they stop their advance.

Snowfall continues to look out into the radiolaria. “I… I can’t let go,” he says solemnly. He turns back as the Vex screech in unison. His eye flashes in time with the cry. 

Klutz is focused on his Ghost.

The Vex screech again and aim their weapons.

Marin grabs the hilt of her sword.

Klutz grimaces intensely and lifts his weapon.

Weapons point, Harpies dive, Minotaurs charge, but the instant the battle begins… it ends.

The Vex disappear in bright flashes. Only the Lightbearers and the Ghosts remain under the shadow of the massive machine.

“I can’t let go…” Snowfall says again. “…But I won’t hurt you.”

A built-up breath puffs out from the man.

The woman lets go of her blade’s grip.

“I’m sorry…” Snowfall releases his hostage Ghost, but keeps staring out.

“What… what’s going on?” Spark asks while she comes to her senses.

“It’s okay, Spark.” Klutz takes the Ghost in his hand and holds her close. “It’s okay…”

After a tender moment, Spark hovers out from the man’s embrace then notices the other Ghost. “Snowfall…?!”

“Yes, Spark,” he answers. “Take care of your Guardian…”

Spark looks back and forth between the Ghost and the Lightbearers. “You’re not coming with us?”

“No.” 

“We have a transmat beacon,” Pom says as she appears. “We can all get out of here.”

Marin looks at her Ghost with agitation.

“Thank you, but no.” The pale white Ghost turns around and looks up at the Engine. “I have to keep trying… It’s all I have left.”

“Doubt you’ll get any more Light for this thing without hurting someone,” Klutz says.

“I know.” Snowfall looks at the fading orb of Light for a moment. “But the Vex are invested. As long as our motives are partly aligned… they will do what they can to assist me.”

A chill runs down Marin's spine. She twists her lip.

The Warlock hangs his head. “If this thing is as useful to the Vex as you say… You can’t let them have it.”

“I know,” Snowfall says with slightly renewed confidence. “When the time comes, I’ll do what I can to use the Engine for my means and then make it inoperable for the Vex. Before they can use it to advance their goals.”

“Are you sure you can do that?” Pom asks. “The Vex aren’t exactly known for being easy to trick.”

“It won’t be easy, but they have some trust in me. They seem to treat me almost like one of their own.” Snowfall looks back up at the Engine’s crown. “With my connection to the Vex network… and a little luck, I believe I can deceive the Taken Quria and-“

The name stabs at the Hunter's soul. It burns through her ear like acid and melts into every fiber of her being. Years of bottled feelings burst to the surface once again. Pain, fear, guilt, and hate boil through her blood. 

She refuses to let it continue.

She refuses to let them win.

She refuses to feel helpless again.

The sound is loud and sudden. A brief flash and a lingering smell of ozone fill the air. 

The pale Ghost explodes in a burst of forceful Light. It echoes out in a wave of brilliance, stunning everyone around. Fragments of the Ghost’s shell launch in every direction.

His bright red eye is extinguished forever.

Chapter Text

Cold Comfort.

Klutz gawks down at a lone piece of Snowfall’s charred shell. His mouth hangs low. He slowly turns his head back and looks at the Hunter.

Smoke trails off from the end of her revolver. Bright blue Arc Light courses down the length of her arm and into the weapon. She breathes steady, reassured breaths and holsters the weapon. 

“Marin…” Pom says quietly.

“I SEE YOU!” a horrible voice silently screams. Somehow from everywhere and nowhere at the same time.

“Shut up!” Marin cries in a sudden emotional outburst. She tears a ligament in one of the fingers in her tightly balled fists.

A heavy mist spontaneously fills the air. Dark particles fall sideways and upward, pulled by lawless gravity. Pockets of Dark liquid grow all over the ground.

“Outrider?!” Klutz calls but fails to get the Hunter’s attention. He turns to Pom. “We’re in transmat range?!” His voice is frantic.

Pom stares at her partner with a wide eye.

“Pom!” the man yells.

The blue Ghost turns. Her shell is sprawled wide, but her eye appears focused. “Transmat’s ready,” she says. “We can leave whenever-“

“No,” Marin orders.

Pom floats on the spot for a moment, then nods and dematerializes. 

Spark shares a look of concern with her Guardian before disappearing as well.

Small orbs of Darkness hang in the air, dripping viscous drops onto the ground.

Marin stares up at the enormous machine. “The Taken want this thing,” she hisses. “We’re not gonna let them have it.”

Klutz looks at the swirling spirals of Darkness growing nearby. “We can report this to the Vanguard! They’ll organize a Fireteam and deal with this some other-“

“No.” A strange mix of fear and determination pulses through her. “We’re taking care of this right now.” She draws the sword from her back and pulls the bundle of old explosives from her belt. “Here,” she says as she tosses the bombs back to the Warlock. “A gift from that Lightless Hunter. Need you to set them up on the ceiling.”

“You wanna cave it in?” Klutz blinks twice and looks up at the distant vents above the Engine.

“Yep. The Vex must've been real careful to avoid a collapse with all this unsupported excavation. If you put 'em in the right spot, I’m sure those bombs will do the trick.”

Klutz swallows. “Okay… I’ll start climbing… but what about you?”

A spiral of Darkness swells in the center of the Hunter’s vision. “I’m gonna fight them.”

He’s quiet for a few seconds. “…Alright. Stay strong, Hunter,” he says then turns away.

No pushback. Marin is surprised by the man’s reaction. She assumed she’d have to deal with another overprotective argument. Instead... he trusts her.

As the Warlock leaps onto the humming machine and starts to climb, the largest spiral bursts, revealing a small group of twitching Taken.

The blade is in her hand and the Taken are only steps away. Her heart pounds in a violent rhythm. She suppresses the trembling in her arms, but the stiffness in her legs is maddening. She squeezes the grip of her sword and walks forward. 

A squad of Shadow Thrall meet her first. She pirouettes away from their swiping claws and cleaves through all of them with one hateful slash. 

The orbs of Darkness condense into one great blight. Shadowy energy bursts out in a sickening hiss. Another group of imposing Taken appear. They move swiftly and begin to surround their target. Deadly power fires from their corrupted weapons. 

Marin flips over the gunfire and unleashes Arc Light through her body. Her sword shines bright with an empowered aura and crackles with fierce lightning. 

The moment she lands, the Bladedancer skips back into the air and Blinks forward. She reappears above a Taken Captain and drives her sword down into its chest. The rest of the Taken horde quickly swarm her. She pulls the blade out of the dying Taken and whips it around in a whirlwind of devastating electricity. The enemies outside of the blade's direct reach are jolted by a lethal current of arcing lightning, chained from body to body until every Taken in the area is struck. 

Dead Taken vanish in blinding flashes. The few survivors struggle to stand.

The lightning gradually fades from the Hunter’s sword. She huffs hard breaths from the exertion, but she knows her work is far from over.

The huge Taken blight quickly recovers from the attack and begins to grow even larger. 

“Gotta take out the blight…” she whispers to herself between greedy breaths.

More dark spirals open up above the Hunter.

She curses and dashes away to make as much distance as possible.

Over a dozen Taken drop in. They immediately begin to unload their armaments.

Narrowly dodging the massive volley, Marin takes cover behind a narrow Vex obelisk and catches her breath. 

The Taken pelt her cover with hundreds of shots while slowly spreading out to get a better angle. 

Fear creeps its way through her mind. She knows she needs to push forward, she needs to thin their numbers before more show up… but she’s scared. 

She’s scared she won’t be quick enough, scared she’s made the wrong decision… she's scared she’ll lose again. 

Her mind races. Her sword is still sharp, but it’s too dangerous to charge in. She sheathes the blade and tries to think. Her Hand Cannon is empty. Her bow would be her best bet… but she only has one arrow left and now isn’t the safest time to have Pom synthesize more. 

The last of her Arc Light fizzles away. 

The situation gets worse with every wasted second. 

She tries to control her breathing, tries to keep her balance, but her fingers twitch and her heart beats faster and faster. It will be a while before she can truly wield lightning again, but the Ghoul still has a charge. She takes the bow from her back and nocks the last arrow against its string. She holds her breath to slow her heart. Her mind is full of fear. She tries to empty it, she tries to focus on nothing, tries to stay calm in the chaos.

Then she remembers.

Marin carefully peeks around her cover and spots the fading orb of Void Light. She ducks back and looks up to check on the Warlock. 

He is only about three-quarters up the side of the machine and battling swarming Harpies the whole way. 

He needs more time. Marin knows she has little in the way of options.

She can't afford to be uncertain.

The Taken advance, but she closes her eyes. She listens to the silence between sounds. Finds comfort in her pain. Feels the strength of her weaknesses.

Her eyes open. A grin stretches across her face.

A sudden, powerful leap takes her well out of cover. The Taken try to adjust their aim, but Marin flips through the air and arms the Trinity Ghoul. Mid-flip and entirely upside down, the Hunter sends the arrow forth into the heart of the Taken horde. The arrow cuts through the air in a streak of lightning, then splits into three separate shafts of equally destructive power. When the arrows dig into their targets, they discharge their energy, crippling the large Taken and disintegrating the small ones. 

Marin drops her weapon and lands right next to the nearly faded orb of Light. She looks back at the intimidating blight as it begins to conjure more Dark portals. The violet orb will linger for only a few more moments. Marin takes a deep breath and reaches out with a perfectly still hand.

The Void Light rests in her open palm, swirling with a dim glow. It feels warm but makes her fingers numb as though she were holding a ball of ice. The feeling is strange and alien, but instead of questioning it, she embraces it.

Her hand squeezes around the faintly glowing orb, it bursts with newfound luminescence and sets her entire arm ablaze with twinkling purple luster. In place of the orb, her hand is now wrapped around the grip of a simple yet elegantly designed bow made of pure, breathtaking Light. The archer admires the weapon’s beauty for less than a second before she readies herself to face her enemy.

Shadows twist and scream as more Taken appear. The monsters quickly focus on the defiant woman and prepare for battle. Taken Thrall charge forward. Possessed Fallen and Vex ready their weapons. 

Marin feels the strange echo of the Void creeping through her. An effortless hop puts her high in the air. She locks her eyes on her target, takes a calm breath, and aims the brilliant bow. As she pulls back on its string, an arrow is manifested from the Void and pointed forward. The Hunter releases the arrow of Light, piercing it straight through the heart of the blight and planting it firmly in the ground behind the sinister Taken. 

Dark ichor drips out from the mortally wounded blight. It shakes and shrinks before imploding in a swell of Darkness.

The Taken forces look back at the Void Anchor. Without giving any time to react, the Anchor lashes out with a mess of shimmering tethers that grab and constrict each of the twitching figures.

Klutz hovers down and lands with a slight stumble, his attention completely fixated on the midair woman.

The bow disappears. Marin falls into a roll and carries her momentum forward into another quick jump. She flips again and draws a pair of deadly Void Blades. Her arms stretch out wide as she flourishes the lengthy knives. A tethered Taken Knight is squarely in her sight as she drops down for an attack. Her blades slice through the Knight’s shadowy carapace in a crossing slash. The Taken warrior roars with agony before exploding in a bassy burst of Void Volatility. 

Explosions chain between each of the tethered Taken, ending them all in a booming symphony of paracausal power. 

When the final Taken dies, the Anchor snaps away and the Light fades. Marin’s bright blades vanish as soon as she releases her grip.

With the Taken defeated, an oddly comforting quiet fills the area. 

Marin feels her heart beating, not with the fear or adrenaline she felt before, with pride.

Chapter Text

Standing Tall.

“Bombs are set?” Marin asks. Her collected voice matches her cool confidence.

Klutz does nothing but look at her in astonished silence.

“Wipe off that dumb look and tell me if we’re good to blow this thing.”

“Right.” He puts his rifle on his back and hustles over. “I tossed them up on a weak spot between a couple of the vents, but Spark says the bombs alone probably won't cut it."

"Shit." She notices the Warlock's unbothered posture. "You've still got a card to play?" 

"Yeah, I can hurl a Nova Bomb up there to help the explosives get the job done. Spark says that will be enough to crack the top open. The buildings above will come crashing down.”

“She agrees that’ll be enough to smash this thing?” Marin points back at the Paracausal Engine with her thumb.

“More than enough.”

“Good.”

Klutz cracks his knuckles and finds his breath. He stares up at the trio of flashing lights on the armed charges. The ceiling is far, but if he was any closer, escape would be unlikely. A steady stream of air blows from his nostrils. He crouches deep and jumps high in the air. Bright Light shines around his body as he hovers in place. Void Light swells between his palms. The swell grows huge, violent, and impossible to contain. He holds on as long as he can manage before flinging the gargantuan sphere of destruction. He drops to the ground and lands on his bottom. A smile crosses his face. 

“It’ll take a few seconds to get up there," Klutz says while he gets to his feet and looks up at the seeking Void Light. “Let's transmat out of here before we get buried.”

“Hold on, Warlock.” Marin picks the Trinity Ghoul up off the ground and then turns around to face the mammoth machine. “We can stick around a little longer.” She admires the Nova Bomb's glow reflecting off the glassy ceiling.

The Warlock holds his vision on her for a moment, then looks back up as well.

The Void Light finds its target. The small bundle of explosives detonates in a booming shockwave that melds with the low, powerful echo of the Warlock's Light. The smooth stone above splits in a massive crack. Bits of polished rock rain down like heavy hail.

Klutz whips his head toward the Hunter after the bombs go off. Her eyes stay locked upward. 

The crack rumbles and grows as more debris starts to fall. Larger rocks come loose and bounce off of the Engine. 

“Time to go?!” Klutz asks while stones start to pelt down around them.

“Not just yet…” Marin says.

The ceiling gives in. The crack shatters open into a massive sinkhole. A pair of tall buildings crumble against each other as their foundation collapses and they come smashing down into the cave below. 

“There is large debris headed this way!” Spark warns.

“You think they can’t see that?” Pom teases. 

Broken sections of jumbled buildings impact the machine with incredible force. The Engine’s crowns splits and falls. A few relatively intact stories of one building collide with the machine’s side, breaking it in half and freeing a shower of gorgeous light from within.

The Light leaking Engine falls to pieces. Rocks pelt down all around and cause great dramatic splashes in the radiolarian lake.

A large chunk of the machine hurtles straight for the Lightbearers.

Marin smiles.

With only seconds before impact, Marin grabs the man’s wrist. “Let’s go, Pom.”

The pair flash away. Debris destroys the ground they stood on and sinks all evidence of Snowfall’s work into the bottom of the bright white abyss.

Chapter Text

Truth.

The yellowish sky is a little hazy, but mostly cloud-free. An uncommon sight on the storm-covered planet. Aside from the dust kicked up by the sunken buildings in the distance, the air is quite clear and calm. 

A bloom of transmat particles drops the pair of Lightbearers at the bottom of the short staircase leading from the courtyard to the academy dormitory. 

Marin lets out a light giggle. “Holy shit,” she exclaims. “That was nuts…” 

Another flash of light reveals her blue-shelled Ghost. “That’s one way to put it.” She floats down and disables the transmat beacon. 

A hiss of pressure releases when the Hunter removes her helmet. She looks out at the picturesque sky. “Any danger on your scanner?” she asks.

“Nope,” Pom answers. “Guess the Fallen were spooked by the couple of buildings we dropped.”

The Hunter looks at the dust blowing into the air. “Call the ship in. There’s plenty of space out here.” 

“Good call.” Pom nods. “And good work, Guardian.” 

“Yeah, yeah.” Marin puts her bow on her back then crosses her arms as Pom disappears.

“I’m not sure about what just happened,” the Warlock’s Ghost says when she hovers over to meet the Hunter, “but I want to thank you for saving me again.” Her voice is soft and grateful.

“Didn’t really have a choice.” Marin turns and smirks. “Your buddy was about ready to kill himself trying to save you on his own.”

Spark spins around and lowers her shell at her approaching partner. “In any case, we are both very thankful for all you’ve done… Thank you for being there when he needed you.” She disappears as well when Klutz stops near the woman.

“You feeling okay?” Marin asks.

“As okay as I can considering… everything,” Klutz unclasps his helmet then rubs his tired eyes.

“No shit.” She makes eye contact when he moves his hand. “Now that it’s all done and dealt, we should talk.”

Klutz breathes out and looks away. “…I understand why you shot him.” He shakes his head. “I wish it went different, but I don’t blame you for pulling the trigger.”

“I would pull the trigger again in a heartbeat.” 

The man looks back at her.

“That Ghost was lost. Wasn’t about to let him hand something like that to the Taken, not to mention the Vex.”

“Thought you said you aren’t a hero.”

“I’m not... but maybe I used to be.”

He blinks and moves his eyes down.

“That’s what I wanna talk about. Who I used to be.”

Klutz opens his mouth but stops himself.

“You knew me. Before Pom met me… Before I died.”

He says nothing.

“I knew you were acting strange. The awkwardness, all the looks you snuck while you thought I wasn’t looking. I just assumed a couple centuries out of commission had you all pent up.” She grins. “Then we started talking.”

“Outrider, maybe we should-“

“You recognized the Ghoul, knew how to use it. I wanted to buy your excuse, but I’ve never heard a whisper about another bow like this… Then you said you ‘left it with a friend.'” Her eyes grow serious. “…I was buried with this bow.”

He's quiet again.

“I knew something was off, but it wasn’t worth asking about until we were safe. Then you let it slip. You called me ‘Rin.'” The corner of her mouth twists. “No one had called me that in ages. I never even gave you my name.” She reaches out and holds the man’s wrist. “I know we aren’t supposed to look into our past, but I get the feeling this situation is bugging you even more than it’s bugging me.” She lets go of his wrist and pats his shoulder. “So, tell me something, Klutz. Tell me about Marin Mansanas.”

The man’s eyes slowly look up and find themselves looking back at the woman’s. “Marin Mansanas… was… She was…” He takes a breath. “She was a candle in the dark…”

Marin feels a flutter in her chest. She takes in the man’s anguish.

“She was selfless, kind, brave… She was the reason I looked forward to tomorrow...” He closes his eyes and takes another breath. “She was a hero. She died saving people that needed her… She died saving me.” He swallows. “Losing her... it hurt me bad. It hurt a lot of people that loved her very much. She spent her life doing whatever she could to help people… and she died the same way.”

“I’m sorry.” The woman frowns. “Don’t know if this is the universe's cruel idea of a joke. Can’t imagine the chances that we’d ever meet, let alone like this... but I’m guessing dealing with me’s been tough on you...”

Klutz opens his eyes. “A little bit, yeah,” he half-jokes. “At first I was shocked… Then I was happy. It felt like I got the chance to see her again. It felt like a dream...” He looks up and meets the woman’s eyes again. “It took me a little while, but I understand now… You’re not her.”

Marin squints a little. Her face drops.

“The Marin I knew died a long… long time ago. You have her face, her voice... her smile… but you’re not her.”

Something shakes inside her. She never put too much thought into her past life, but here is a man who knew who she once was, a man she’d grown quite fond of in the little time they’d shared. It almost feels like something has lingered on from that old life she never knew. Like something has bled through. She isn’t sure what to make of it, but it shakes her.

“You remind me of her in a lot of ways, but you’re not her.” He takes another deep breath… then smiles. “You’re who she wanted to be.”

Marin lifts her brow. The shaking gets stronger.

“You’re strong, driven, uncompromising. You know your limits, but you push them anyway. You put yourself at risk to help Spark and me. The Marin I knew wished she was what you are... She wished she was a Guardian.” His smile slowly fades. “At first, I thought I got the chance to see her again, but I get it now. I was being selfish. You're Marin Mansanas, the Tangled Outrider... not the Marin I knew... not the friend I buried...”

They’re both quiet for a while. Marin turns and speaks with a settled voice. “You’re right. You don’t know me... and I don’t know you.”

The man nods and looks up at the sky as the Hunter’s ship comes down to land.

“But I’d like to.” Marin smiles. “And I hope you’d like to get to get to know me.”

Klutz feels something lingering inside him. It hurts a little, but it's something he can manage. He looks into Marin’s eyes, and for the first time, he doesn’t see a dead woman looking back at him. He’s hesitant, but he’s ready. 

Another smile builds. 

The world seems a little brighter than it once did.

Chapter Text

The Forward Path.

It’s a lovely midsummer morning. A few dark clouds threaten rain far on the edge of the sky, but they are small and distant enough to ignore.

Almost nothing remains of the village. Homes have been reduced to piles of rotting wood. Foundations are little more than heaps of gravel. Ivy and other plant life creep and grow all around. 

The man walks through unkempt grass. He stops for a moment to look at a wreck of rusted metal. Air puffs out from his nose. 

Away from the old buildings and old memories, the man stops in the middle of a small field. He looks over the area. He knows he’s in the right spot, but it's hard to be sure without a closer look.

Short stones are lined up and sticking out from the ground. The stones are cracked and worn down. Some seem to have engravings, but it’s too hard to make out anything they say. Each stone is spaced properly to give the others the room and respect they deserve.

One stone sits at the end. It’s old and worn like the others, but something else marks its spot. Somewhat hidden by the unkempt grass, a forest of short sticks stands all around the old marker. The sticks are broken and split. Some are familiar, some are not. Their spacing gives the impression that even more used to stand here before. 

The man uses his thumb to roll a sharp-tipped arrow in his hand. The arrow is smooth and un-splintered, unlike the sticks in the dirt. 

In front of the stone is a long space, just like the other stones around. Unlike the spaces in front of the other stones, the earth before this one seems sunken.

Using his free hand, the man swipes across the face of the stone. Built-up dirt dusts off its surface, but the engraving is still mostly illegible. 

He holds the arrow and thinks for a few minutes.

The clouds in the distance move closer. 

The man recognizes it may rain soon, but he wants to enjoy the good weather while it lasts.

He choughs to prepare his voice. It’s a little dry, so he swallows and takes a breath.“Rin…” The name comes out as naturally as ever. “The last time we spoke… you died in my arms. I’ve come back here a lot since then… but I've always stayed quiet. I know you can’t hear me, but I left so much unsaid… and it haunted me.” The arrow rolls in his fingers. “I buried you… but I was still living with your ghost… Now it’s time for me to move on.” He looks down at the sunken earth. His mouth shakes a little. “You’ve already moved on, in a few ways… but I wasn’t ready to find my own path. I clung to the past when I should have looked to the future. I won’t lie… the pain of that day… it still lingers… but so do the good memories.” His mouth settles into a warm smile. “I want to focus on those times. I want to focus on the nights we spent looking out at the stars, on the way your eyes would shine when you laughed, and the hope you gave to everyone around you. I’ll remember you for your heart, for the strength you gave me… That strength still keeps me going. I'm not gonna let your memory hold me in the dark anymore… I’ll let it push me forward into the light. Thank you, Rin… Thank you for all of it.”

The man puts the arrow away and looks up at the sky. The clouds have drifted off.

Now a good distance away from the forgotten village, the man holds out his hand to summon his Ghost. 

The Ghost pops in above his palm and looks at him with a gentle, loving eye. “I’m proud of you,” she says.

The man smiles and looks away.

“You’ve come a long way since that day we met in Old Chicago.” She floats away from his palm and rests near his shoulder. “I’ve always believed in you… but I was afraid you didn’t believe in yourself.”

Kind morning light shines along the old path forward.

“You’re strong, Klutz. Stronger than you let yourself believe. It will be difficult starting over, but I know we can do it together.” The mismatched sections of her repaired shell spin around. “I’m proud to be your Ghost.”

“…Thank you Spark.” He turns his head and glances at her. “I don’t know what comes next in our story… Guess it’s up to us to fill in the blanks.”

Spark whirls her shell and hovers in closer.

The light shines along the old path. 

Klutz is ready to forge a new one.