[Hellmouth, Ocean of Storms]
The battle between the players and the Hive was simply controlled chaos. A constant game of push and pull. Just as the Hive scraped an advantage, the City's guardians would immediately retaliate.
Crucible squads would swoop in—tight pushes, fast swaps, clean revives. Finally, Shaxx would raise his fist again, and the horizon would be wreathed with lightning.
But this wouldn't last; the Hive would eventually wrestle back the flow of the fight, forcing the Praxic Fire fireteam to step in and clear out the surging waves of acolytes.
Undecided slid under a Knight's swing and came up knifing. "Left's clear!"
"One still here!" TheOneWhoKnocks called, sniping shot after shot into an ogre's eye
The players saw their HUDs pulse once more
[EVENT: PUSH BACK — 98%][Hold the ridge.]
ThunderClappin jumped up, lightning wrapped his figure as he sprang towards the Ogre, crashing into its stomach with full force.
Gandalf popped down his rift, right beside him, ILoveLoot and Dumbledore pulled out their rocket launchers, blasting rocket after rocket into the approaching armies until they eeked out the last 2%.
[EVENT COMPLETE — HEROIC]
"LET'S GOOOOO" Waffles roared.
"DOGS!" TheOneWhoKnocks barked.
"Don't forget to leave a like, AND SUBSCRIBE!" BearSpray screamed as the event ended, and his stream paused.
Then the players saw their HUD flash one last time, as the battle finally tipped towards their favour, the sky above the maw blinked
A cutscene played.
The camera hung at the rim of the maw, catching the maw like a black coin set into the Moon. For an instant, the ground shook, and a shriek echoed.
Just then, a body was flung out of the Hellmouth and into the sky.
They could see it.
He fell towards the horizon, cold gusts of wind wrapped around his body, and a strange pale mist coiled at his ankles. His chest heaved with a thump, and he jolted—back arched, fingers clawed, lungs grabbing a breath like they had every right.
Viper.
He hung in mid-air, falling and rising for the length of a heartbeat. The camera dipped, catching a glimpse of the dark pulsing in the maw.
Viper smiled without warmth and cursed under his breath.
He pulled out his sword.
Pale bled off the blade—grey that wasn't colour so much as the absence of one. And then his light surged. For an instant, the whole frame desaturated like the world had flinched.
He raised the sword overhead. A terrifying pale aura thickened along the steel. Then his light also flared, swallowing the tint until it looked like a pale grey.
The air around the blade cracked like glass. Then, Viper swung, and the world was cut in half as a shattering slice cleaved through reality, tearing towards the maw. Deep inside, the Ascendant Witch recoiled. Her dark aura folded and recoiled as she slid back down Hellmouth's throat.
The spawning circles around the Hive armies shuddered and went flat.
The camera held Viper one more long beat—falling, sword low, light crawling back over him. Then it cut to black.
CUTSCENE END.
The flats came roaring back. Not with enemies—those were gone—but with every voice on the field trying to say the same thing at once.
"WHAT—"
"Did you see—"
"Bro."
Waffles just stood there with her helmet tilted, as if it would help. "What… what was that?"
"What was that weird pale slash, though?" IEatPaint asked, already half-joking and half-serious.
"New Pale subclass confirmed," Dumbledore said, absolutely guessing.
"Pale Assassin," ThunderClappin insisted. "Let me have this."
ThunderClappin spread his hands. "Does it come with a dance emote?"
Their HUDs pinged.
[REWARDS AVAILABLE: Postmaster][Crucible Package x1 — Shaxx's Locker Token x1 — Vanguard Marks x25]
Waffles finally remembered to breathe. "Okay. Okay. That was sick."
"Tell me we get that later," IEatPaint said, still staring at the maw. "Please tell me we get that later."
"We are absolutely getting that later," TheOneWhoKnocks lied with confidence. "Why else show it?"
As the players bickered and talked, the commotion eventually died down, and the crowds scattered, racing back to Sanctuary to busy themselves with their usual grind.
ThunderClappin spun on his heel and looked at the empty lanes. "So, patrols?"
"Postmaster first," ILoveLoot said, already spawning his sparrow. "Then patrols..."
"Last one there is gay." IEatPiant roared and jumped on his sparrow, shooting off.
The rest shared a glance and raised their brows.
"Wait....did he just?" Waffles stared at her map.
"He's a bit special. Ignore him." TheOneWhoKnocks shook his head and also opened his map.
The players turned, watching IEatPaint racing in the distance.
"Bro forgot we have fast travel." Gandalf clicked his tongue.
"It is what it is." Dumbledore closed his eyes, as if IEatPaint's fate was already decided.
They all sighed and quietly clicked the Sanctuary icon on the map. The next second, their figures flickered and they transmatted away.
-
[Sanctuary, Ocean of Storms — Night]
As Void and his group of guardians rode in under the lamps like a storm that had finally run out of thunder. Sparrows coasted to a hush, engines ticking as they cooled. Voices rose before the dust even settled.
"Listen, man, I am telling you, relax with that weird Hive blade." Levi chimed in.
"It's not that bad, though." Pahanin shook his head.
Void sighed, "What if it's dangerous?"
"Says the guy with a talking sword?" Pahanin retorted, not convinced.
"I say keep it." Bandit shrugged.
But just as they stepped inside Sanctuary, they were stunned.
The camp was already alive. Neon wires hummed. The watchtowers stared past everything like they always did. But Sanctuary felt different—looser, louder, relieved. The Sunbreakers, Praxic Fire and the Nightstalkers walked in, mesmerised by the strange show of lights the camp had prepared.
And as Void stepped off his Sparrow, a loud cheer hit him like a wave.
Helmets lifted. Hands went up. Hunters barked his name. Titans thumped their fists against plates. Warlocks nodded in that way that counted as shouting for them. Shaxx threw a laugh so big it shook the tent canvas. The Crucible squads crowded near the edges, and the Vanguard held the centre like gravity.
"Whoa." Levi sucked in a breath.
Pahanin raised a brow, "They really went all out."
The guardians froze.
All of Sanctuary had gathered to receive them, eager to see them return victorious.
Void blinked once. He hadn't ever considered that this would happen. He walked in, shuffling through the crowds, till he reached the centre.
"Welcome back," Ikorra called from the table.
It rolled fast after that. Someone pushed a dented cup into his hand, and a bonfire erupted beside him. The circles around the fire thickened. Before Void knew it, he was pulled into the celebration.
He looked back, but everyone who had returned with him was already mingling. Void raised a brow and looked down at his cup. A soft sigh escaped his lips as he tilted the cup.
"Guess it's not bad to let loose sometimes." He shrugged and took a sip.
Just as he did, a ball of light fluttered beside his shoulder. Void's eyes widened and he quickly grabbed it, "Obsidian!"
"Ughh....I feel...woozy. Like a weird headache." Obsidian shook his shell irritably as if sobering up.
"Yeah, well, you missed out on a lot." Void clicked his tongue, "We'll go over it-"
A voice rose.
"To the ones who went down," Eriana cleared her throat and lifted her cup. "And came back."
Shaxx lifted his drink like a hammer. "TO THE ONES THAT VENTURED INTO THE DARK, UNAFRAID!"
The cheer hit again and scattered up into the thin Moon air. Liu Feng leaned her hammer against a crate and stood with her Sunbreakers, face smudged and proud. The Hidden never toasted, but the way they folded their arms said enough.
Void stood in the noise and let the breath in his chest finally be easy. The list in his head ticked over: the sword—done; the shrine—broken; the witch—sent back reeling. Two out of three. It counted.
He lifted his cup and whispered to Obsidian. "Well, I guess we'll go over it later. Mood's too good to talk about work right now."
"Got it, I'll just look through what I can." Obsidian nodded; his eye flashed, already searching through the databases nearby to fill in the gaps in his knowledge.
Time passed as the minutes rolled ot hours, but the celebration continued nonetheless. Though the crowds had dispersed slightly, many still hung around the bonfire, eagerly sharing stories and asking questions.
Void looked around, drink in hand, as he walked through the camp.
In the distance, the war table sat under the big canopy. Knives still pinned to the maps. Ikorra, Cayde, and Zavala still stood around the mess of papers, only bothering to look up when he stepped closer.
Cayde tilted his visor. "Enjoying the party? Heck, I'd say you need to pop a move or two out there."
"I don't dance," Void said.
"I don't suppose you're here because you want a refill either." Ikorra exhaled—half a laugh, half a pressure leaving. "I wanted to let you gather yourself before we jumped back in. But I guess I forgot what kind of person you are."
Zavala didn't waste the breath. "But, since you're already here." He paused. "What's it looking like?"
"We're close," Void said. "Closer than we've ever been. They don't have the blade anymore, and the shrine I was stuck in was taken care of by the Hidden. But..." Void hesitated.
He looked past the tent, past the lamps, to where the watchtowers watched. "It's not that simple. Just because we accomplished those goals doesn't mean the Hive are any weaker. Rather, they're akin to a wounded beast. For now...we need to play it slow."
Cayde cocked his head. "Which is your way of saying 'nobody gets to go be a hero tomorrow.'"
"Which is my way of saying don't overextend," Void answered. "Use what we bought. Train the new lights. Fortify Sanctuary"
Zavala's jaw tightened. "You want us to divert our attention. Use the minimum here?"
Ikorra's eyes flicked as she filled in the gaps. "We'll pull back the patrol net, tell the new lights not to go in as deep anymore." She lifted a brow. "But what about you?"
"I do the same, I'll just have to go quiet," Void said.
Cayde tapped the table with a knuckle. "You sure you know how to go quiet?"
"No," Void said. "But I know how to wait."
Zavala looked at him and saw the part of the answer that wasn't words. He nodded once, decisive. "I agree, but let's talk about this tomorrow. For now." His eyes flicked back to the party, voices in the crowd still called for Void to join them.
"I think you should join them." Zavala smiled, "It's best to cherish these moments, Void."
Void swirled the cup in his hand, and he looked back to the hunters eagerly beckoning him for a round of cards, "That's true. Thanks for the welcome." Void raised his cup slightly.
Cayde immediately cleared his throat, "Don't even worry about it. All me by the way."
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