A/N: Enjoy Chapter! Throw some reviews! REALLY, THROW SOME REVIEWS!!! Was gonna double upload yesterday but had no time. Might try another day.
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The air in the ash tunnels had turned cold. Not the type of cold that came from wind or frost—but something deeper, older. Void walked in silence, the arc-light of his cloak casting flickers against the soot-stained walls.
Behind him, the carnage of his skirmish with the Hive lingered—torn husks, cleaved thralls, and the sliced remains of chitinous cocoons. But as he continued his trek through the last stretch of the tunnel, something shifted.
A deep claw mark marred the rock face to his left, long and gouged. Another farther down, then a broken cocoon—ripped open from the inside.
Void slowed.
"They made it out," he muttered.
~It seems so~ Zamyr replied.
A ripple of unease prickled his skin. He crouched low, running his fingers along the dried ichor smeared on the stone floor. It trailed forward, from the edges of the tunnel and toward the snowy ridges that connected to Skywatch.
"Can you see it?" Void's eyes turned blue as he scanned the trails. He followed the energy signatures, but whatever had crossed through here, hadn't been recent. The signs were fading.
~I see no more than you. It has escaped, before we came~
Snow drifted sideways outside the tunnel's mouth, a fierce wind had picked up, screaming low across the open Cosmodrome.
Void stepped into it, pulling his cloak tighter around his armor. His boots crunched over snow laced gravel as he scaled a low embankment to get a better view.
It was now white out here—white and quiet. But not still. There were movements buried in that wind. Shadows not cast by the sun. He knew better than to chase ghosts. If Hive acolytes had fled, they weren't retreating. They were moving to regroup.
Void seemingly tapped in front of him, and his System window sprang to life. His gaze drifted to the blinking Quest tab. The Hive quest hadn't been resolve. Which could only mean he still had more to do.
He narrowed his eyes as they fell on the NPC quest tab. Void clicked it open.
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[Create Quest]: (Reputation Cost Dependant on Quest)
[Current Player Reputation]: +50
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An idea formed in his mind as a grin tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"Well…I guess its worth a shot."
He patched into his comms and opened a private channel.
"Captain. Update on the ash tunnels."
The channel crackled. Tevis got on the line as he remained silent for a moment: "Go ahead."
"You hear back from the Vanguard?" Void asked.
"Just did," Tevis replied. "They're ready to commit. Not thrilled about Hive crawling around, especially not this close to Skywatch."
Void glanced up at the drifting snow. "I've confirmed traces. Some of them slipped the tunnels and got out. They're moving. I need reinforcements."
Tevis hesitated. "You want me to send more Nightstalkers?"
Void shook his head. "No. I need the new blood. Let them see what we're up against."
There was a pause on the other end. Then a low sigh. "You sure that's smart?"
"They won't understand what's coming until they've seen it. The Hive aren't stories—they're real. If Crota stirs again, we can't afford another generation of Guardians who don't know fear."
Tevis went quiet. His eyes narrowed.
"…Alright," he finally said. "I'll forward it. Zavala's been watching closely. He might approve."
"Thanks. Tell him I'll handle the new ones, guide them this time." Void smiled.
He knew what he said was right. The guardians couldn't afford letting the Hive remain a mystery, they eventually had to confront them.....As for what he gained from that confrontation?
Well, he was sure no one would sweat the small stuff.
Void closed the channel and opened his interface. The Quest tab expanded, glowing softly as he typed.
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Mission: Return to Skywatch - Hive Activity Surge
Objective: Track and eliminate Hive forces near Skywatch.
Reward: 10,000 Glimmer
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He hit "Issue Quest." In an instant, the directive fired out across the system.
Void exhaled, snow collecting on his hood. He took a step forward and vanished into the frost.
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[Tower, Last City]
The Tower was alive with celebration.
IEatPaint spun in circles on the courtyard ramp, leaving a trail of emotes behind him while Undecided jumped off the edge, watching himself die for the tenth time.
TheOneWhoKnocks adjusted his shader for the seventh time while Waffles kept leaping over kiosk trying to land perfectly on her umbrella. Gandalf, of course, just stood to the side, robes billowing like he was the only one in-character.
Or so it seemed, but he had simply not unlocked many emotes. BearSpray simply stood beside Gandalf, as the two chatted.
"We've finally unlocked interstellar travel!" Undecided shouted, reviving himself, "What are we hitting first?"
"Tricky question." IEatPaint smirked. "Its fine as long as there is loot."
They laughed. At this stage, both fireteams had completed the Cosmodrome's mainline—pushed back the Fallen, unlocked their ship's warp systems, and even helped a shady hunter named Viper track a network of corrupted nodes.
The tension had faded, at least for now.
Then, the Tower trembled slightly.
Their Ghosts pinged all at once. A new mission pulsed in their HUDs, and Zavala's deep voice cut through the ambient Tower chatter.
"Guardians. A situation has emerged near Skywatch. Hive activity is surging. There's been a few sightings. You are requested to assist an external field agent for urgent reconnaissance and elimination. Coordinates have been marked. We've got help this time. Meet your guide at the drop zone. Dismissed."
Their HUDs blinked again—
-Quest Received: Skywatch - Hive Activity SurgeReward: 10,000 Glimmer-
They all turned to each other.
"A guide? Is it a new NPC?" Waffles grinned. "Oh yeah. I'm in."
"I thought we were done with Cosmodrome," TheOneWhoKnocks muttered. "Guess not."
"I say we split up. Two fireteams. First one to finish gets bragging rights," IEatPaint suggested.
"I like it," Gandalf replied, robes still somehow fluttering. "Let's hunt."
"Let's also pray your mother doesn't call you in the middle, or we're losing this..." BearSpray sighed.
"Oi!" Gandalf barked back but there wasn't much to say so he quietly transmatted out.
In seconds, the Director opened. They selected the Cosmodrome. And just like that—they were gone.
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Snowfall had returned to Skywatch.
Void crouched behind a rusted-out crawler near the outer ridge, peering through broken scope glass as the storm thickened. His motion tracker flared briefly. Not Hive—but Guardians.
Two fireteams landed almost simultaneously, scattering to different sectors like eager wolves unleashed on a fresh scent. Void rose, nodding quietly.
He said nothing—just watched.
Finally, they spotted him, and rushed closer. As the fireteams approached, Void got to his feet.
"Welcome, looks like you're all geared up." Void spoke up.
The players were a bit startled, not expecting to find him here.
"He's the field agent?" Undecided questioned.
"I don't know, doesn't look like an agent type. Bit too flashy." IEatPaint replied.
"This lore...is very confusing." Waffles mumbled.
"Let's not waste time. I called you here because I was hunting the Hive. You are expected to do the same. Or so they say." Void stepped closer to them, his voice turning low.
"The Hive, are not so simple. They're not an enemy you've ever fought. They can steal your light, gnaw at your very soul. I've seen thousands of guardians, guardians better than you fall to them. What makes you think you're any different?" Void accosted.
The players were stunned again. What kind of NPC approached them like this? What was he trying to do? Scare them off?
Void turned away, and looked over his shoulder.
"This is not a game. If you think you're not ready, leave. Go back to the city and pretend you're some hero by fighting off the rust scrappers of the Fallen. The Light doesn't need cowards." Void walked two steps, boots crunching in the snow.
Then he paused.
"But."
The players hitched a step at his words, entirely hooked.
"If you've got even an ounce of courage. A morsel of faith in the light. Then follow me, and fight the real enemy", Void walked, not bothering to look back.
Undecided heaved a breath, "Holy shi*, who's writing the dialogue for this?"
"Motherf****, did this man just question my faith?" IEatPaint shook.
"Bro really just said, no balls." Gandalf chuckled.
"Shut up!" TheOneWhoKnocks shouted, crouching like he was in some sort of Noir movie, "We need to prove our strength!"
"Relax", BearSpray nodded, "We'll do that, but don't pull out the edgy behavior just yet."
The two fireteams moved, following Void as they prowled the abandoned Skywatch areas.
Across the ridge, Hive acolytes scuttled through busted vent shafts and under broken fences. Void spotted them from the distance.
'They survived the tunnel fight' Void's eyes narrowed.
They were not many. A pack here, too thin to strike, too quiet to ignore.
Void crept behind a silo. The buzz of arc energy hummed through his fingers as he prowled.
Farther in, he saw it. A Hive wizard had emerged hiding between the acolytes. Void's eyes narrowed. He surveyed her quietly, motioning the guardians to hold behind him.
The two fireteams paused, following his directions.
Void waited until the Hive disappeared, until they crawled back into their dugouts.
"We've located the enemy. You've seen the forces. Eliminate them. I'll be watching your fight. Don't let them escape."
The players shuffled behind him, and then their quest indicator shifted to the underground dugout.
Waffles snorted, "Alright, let's mow these Hive or whatever insect they are."
"Yeah...I don't think those are insects." Undecided replied.
"I mean, they are called Hive right? So like an ant colony? Bees?" Gandalf hummed
BearSpray chuckled, "Didn't know bees could look that f*ckin ugly."
"This is still a race you know!" TheOneWhoKnocks rushed forward, dragging IEatPaint along.
"Right..." Waffles, summoned her sparrow and blasted off to catch up. The second fireteam also wasted no time in making it to the dugout.
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