Destiny: The Legendary Hunter

[Writers-Ablood]

[Tower, Last City]

The Vanguard room was quiet for once. The chatter of techs and footfalls of messengers had faded, replaced by momentary stillness.

Zavala stood at the center of the holo-table with an unreadable expression as the mission report finalized with a chime.

"Strike complete," Ikorra confirmed, her voice even. "Sepiks Prime is down."

Zavala gave a small nod. "Confirmed by multiple teams. It's done."

Cayde leaned back in his chair, boots kicked up. "Well, look at that. I knew the kids had it in 'em." He spun a coin through his fingers, glancing toward the screens showing post-strike telemetry. "Prime servitor of the Devils, wiped out by a bunch of new lights. That's gotta sting."

"More than sting," Ikorra murmured. She turned her gaze to the Cosmodrome's region map now shifting colors. Large zones once marked red were shifting to neutral blue. "With Sepiks gone, their command chain will suffer."

Zavala motioned to the regional overlay. "Which gives us the opportunity to press forward. I want outposts set up around the Steppes and Mothyards."

Ikorra stepped forward, eyes narrowing. "You're planning a full zone sweep?"

"Yes," Zavala confirmed. "We'll dig in. Push them back. The House of Devils has held too much of the Cosmodrome for too long. This is the turning point."

Zavala tapped the console again and began transmitting new directives. Patrol rotations, new bounties, he'd even planned to interrupt glimmer extraction operations by the Devils.

-

[Kings Watch]

Thunder echoed softly as a dim light flickered in a bunker below barren sands of Kings Watch.

Cables slithered like serpents through the metal corridors, connected to makeshift generators. Scavenged tech blinked. Modified Fallen architecture groaned as machines hummed in twisted harmony.

Aksis, Archon Prime of the Devil Splicers, stood unmoving at the center of the repurposed bunker. Red light glinted off the sharp edges of his body, limbs altered beyond anything the Fallen Houses had once considered sacred. His throne pulsed with ether-fed tubing.

A door hissed open. A lone Splicer High Priest entered, his body laced with glowing circuits. He knelt immediately, head low.

"Speak," Aksis ordered.

"As you expected, the City infiltrated Devils Lair" the splicer hesitated. "They took down Sepiks Prime."

Aksis didn't move. "Sepiks… fallen?"

"Yes, Archon. The Devils' Prime was destroyed at the foot of the lair. Its shell remains intact."

Aksis' clawed hand tightened around the throne's arm.

"So," he rumbled, "They could not protect their home, or their own Servitor without us. Weak. Predictable. I had warned them. Urged them to relocate."

The splicer remained kneeling.

Aksis stood, thoughts racing in his head. His towering frame cast jagged shadows across the walls. His voice dropped lower. "This is why they need me. The House of Devils clings to rusted faith and fractured hierarchy. Without Splicers, they are nothing."

He began pacing slowly, deliberate steps echoing through the chamber. "They mocked our progress. They Fear rebirth. But I will show them… I will make them see."

He stopped and turned. "Sepiks remains where it fell?"

"Yes, Archon. Unclaimed."

"Then retrieve it."

The priest hesitated. "There may be resistance from the house—"

"Then cut through it," Aksis snapped. "Bring the husk to me. I will rebuild it. Not as a servitor of the old faith—but as a herald of the new order. Shaped by Splicers. Loyal to me."

The priest nodded and scrambled away, his mechanical feet clicking over the floor.

Aksis turned back to the throne and stared into the flickering monitors. "They will kneel," he muttered. "All of them. Not just the Devils, the Winter, even the Kings. They will kneel… or burn."

He sat, and the cables surged again—feeding him power. All around him, the machines listened.

And in the shadows of King's Watch, a new power began to stir.

-

[Thieves Landing]

Void trudged up the ramp toward the Workshop, boots scraping against the rusted metal. Kaviss was slung over his back like a sack of scrap, tied at the ankles and wrists, his modified armor clicking with each step.

The Fallen captain was still out cold, breath shallow but steady.

The door to the Workshop hissed open. Pahanin stepped out, balancing a crate full of metal bits and vials. He paused mid-step, his eyes narrowing into tiny slits the second he spotted the scene before him.

Void didn't flinch. "I can explain."

Pahanin sighed, shook his head, and softly took a step back.

Void took a step forward.

Pahanin's hand jolted to the panel, and the Workshop door snapped shut. Locks clattered into place.

Then, One, two, five—eight turns of mechanical latches echoed from the other side.

"Fine you dog!" Void sighed and let Kaviss slump onto the deck. He glanced at the door, then at the unconscious captain, then at the sky.

Obsidian flittered beside him his eye blinking gently. "Well?"

"Plan B," Void muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"You don't have a Plan B."

"I do now."

Void turned as he grabbed Kaviss by the cape and dragged him along, boots scraping against the dock again as he started the long march toward the edges of Thieves' Landing.

-

[Spiders Hideout]

Spider squinted.

He was lounging in his oversized throne-like chair in his darkened hideout, half-lit by scattered lamp posts and flickering monitors. His four arms were crossed—two on his belly, two resting on the sides.

His gaze shifted to the right, Viper stood across him. Spider looked to the left, an unconscious Fallen captain was tied up at his feet.

Spider's eye twitched. "So?"

Viper exhaled. "I can explain."

Spider gestured at the Fallen captain. "Go ahead."

"I assume you've already heard about the prime Servitor of the Devils?" Viper added.

"Of course. A vicious operation. To think the City managed to locate and destroy it so easily. You've left some of the other Houses in a panic." Spider chuckled.

Viper shrugged, "While the City targeted the Servitor, I went for the splicers."

"Seeing as you've dragged this one along, looks like your infiltration wasn't as successful as you'd hoped." Spider rubbed his chin.

"Unfortunately, you're right." Viper nodded, and shot spider an eerie glare "Almost as if they knew I was coming."

Spider's lips curled into a smile, "Please, I had nothing to do with this. You're far too erratic for me to have ears on."

"I know." Viper shook his head, "I guess whoever is leading the splicers is cautious. Far too cautious."

"Is that why you brought this guy here?" Spider raised a brow as he gestured to Kaviss.

"This one was inside an ether pod. Modified. Splicer tech. He was left behind." Viper answered flatly, "When I finally let him out the ether pod, he'd damn near lost his mind. He'll need healing."

Spider grunted. "And this concerns me?"

"As far as I'm concerned, he's the only link we have to the splicers. If you're willing to squander it, then I can't say much." Viper continued.

Spider leaned forward, frowning as he examined Kaviss more closely. His eyes gleamed. "Modified Splicer metal, deep bone fusions."

Viper nodded. "Can you cure him?"

"I'm not a medic." Spider scoffed and waved his hand as a grunt came scuttling towards him. "Follow me."

Spider paused and looked over his shoulder, a heavy sigh wheezed from Spider's throat. "And don't touch anything."

Spider waddled toward the back of the hideout as the grunt dragged Kaviss along towards a panel in the back. Spider tapped in a code.

With a hiss, the wall split open and revealed a hidden chamber. Inside stood an ether pod. Not just any pod—it was ornamented with polished gold tubing, engraved glyphs, and absurdly plush cushioning. The vents hissed a soft blue mist.

Viper stared. "That's… Extravagant? You've got unique taste."

Spider waved a hand. "Got it off a baron who thought it made him royalty. That bastard always had a knack for collecting shiny things."

The grunt gently placed Kaviss into the pod. The machinery responded immediately—tubes snaked out, latching onto the plugs in Kaviss's armor, then hissed as they began cycling ether through his system.

The captain stirred, but didn't wake.

Spider leaned on the doorframe, arms crossed. "He'll be out a while. Days, maybe. I'll let you know when he's awake."

Viper looked down at the captain. "That's what I'm counting on."

"You planning to break him? Like the other one?" Spider hummed.

Void smirked faintly and turned away. "Nope, we'll just have a small chat and hope he really does remember what the splicers are up to."

"Whatever you say" Spider rolled his eyes, not believing a word.

As the door to the chamber hissed closed, a thought struck Viper as he spoke up, "Ah if he does wake up, he might try escaping. Don't let that happen."

"Hah." Spider grumbled, "I am not some amateur. If he dares to even step outside this base the entire shore would hunt him down."

"Good." Viper reached back into a pouch and chucked an engram towards spider.

"This is?" Spider caught it somewhat hesitantly.

"Payment." Viper replied, "Data collected on the splicer technology. We took everything the Devils had left."

"And what exactly am I supposed to do with this?" Spider was confused, he couldn't just sell it to the market. It'd be shooting himself in the foot. Besides, he wasn't prepared to permanently offend the Devils for a short term profit.

"We've got a workshop don't we?" Viper smiled, "Get me the materials, I'll give your syndicate an edge."

Spider sighed, "Mankind is truly a shrewd inventor. Handing me a supply order and naming it a payment. Aren't you ashamed?"

"So you don't want it?" Viper leaned towards the engram to take it back.

Spider jolted with unnatural agility as he pocketed the engram, "I never said that!"

=
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[Writers-Ablood]

[A week Later]

The high noon's harsh lights filtered through the Vanguard war room, shading it a golden hue. Ikorra stood at the holo-table with her arms crossed, as she listened intently to a report recited by Eris Morn.

"What's the status of the City's Cosmodrome reclamation now?" Ikorra raised a brow.

"It's risen to 30% over the week. Without the Devils to stop us, our patrolling squads are claiming more ground every single day." Eris's lips pressed into a line, "But there is a bigger problem."

Cayde tilted his head in confusion, "That would be?"

Eris frowned as the holo-table projected a new map of rising enemy forces. "The more ground we reclaim, the more enemies we fight. From our limited understanding, what we've gathered is that these enemies, shouldn't be here. We've never seen anything like this."

The small holoprojector on the central table flickered with captured images—Vex patrols warping into Cosmodrome territory, Hive emergence points forming like tumors across the forgotten lands, and even traces of Cabal squads nestled in the outskirts.

"Vex, Cabal and even Hive. Cosmodrome's getting too volatile. " Ikorra said plainly.

Eris nodded, "The Cabal's presence is a direct answer to Rasputin's attacks on Mars and Mercury. But as for the others. Their presence is our own fault. With the House of Devils no longer controlling Devil's Lair and the Steppes, new enemy factions are rearing their head."

Zavala looked up, eyes narrowing slightly. "You mean to say the Devils were cleaning these up before?"

"Yes. We believe that for the sake of maintaining control over their territory, House of Devils was undoubtedly thinning down enemy numbers." Eris spoke up.

Cayde sat up, a single metallic finger raised. "Wait, wait. Are you saying—" He glanced toward Zavala. "We accidentally turned the Devils into the bouncers of the Cosmodrome?"

"So, without the Devils, the gigs only up to us huh." Cayde rubbed his chin.

Ikora gave him a sharp look, but she didn't disagree. "In their own way, yes. With their numbers and Sepiks around, they served as a wall. Now? That wall's broken."

Zavala agreed, "They're getting bold. We've pressed the Devils back—but that's left a vacuum. Now every vermin in the system wants a piece of the Cosmodrome."

Zavala turned from the terminal, his face like stone as he continued, "What about Rasputin? He's still running?"

"Still operational," Ikora confirmed. "He's aggressively defending zones around the Terrestrial Complex and Skywatch, but he doesn't prioritize Vex incursions. He's fighting what he deems the most immediate threats—and for him, that's Cabal. Hive, sometimes. Vex… less so."

Cayde sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Great. The Tyrant's not interested in small fries."

"We've reclaimed territory," Ikorra said carefully. "But we're spread thin. Even with the City's relays restored, we simply can't cover this much ground without creating holes."

Zavala's eyes glanced over the holo-map showing increased Hive activity. His eyes flickered with unease, a twitch jolted across his chest, almost as if his heart had sunk into his stomach.

He moved back toward the table and brought up the tactical map

He gestured at several red-lit zones pulsing with enemy activity. "The Hive numbers...they are increasing faster than anticipated." Zavala's eyes widened as he muttered, "It's as if something is organizing them. "

Ikorra paused and looked closer at the map. Then she spoke, her voice sharper now. "It looks to be, some sort of surge in activity. But...if the Hive are really this active. It must mean they're being pushed to perform."

"Great, so we think someone's pulling their strings again." Cayde clasped his hands and rested his chin, "As far as I know, there's only one damn place where we'll get any answers."

A quiet hush followed his words. No one wanted to say it—but they all knew it.

"Infiltrating the Moon is no light task," Zavala said finally. "It's a tomb of horrors. If we send our teams, we risk losing them. Especially the New Lights. We're already asking too much of them."

"Well…" Cayde looked up, that playful glint back in his eye. "There is one guy crazy enough to pull it off."

Ikorra turned toward him knowingly but she kept silent.

He snapped his fingers. "Come on, you know who I'm talking about."

Zavala frowned slightly. "You think he'd take the mission?"

Cayde shrugged. "I think he's stubborn enough to try."

Zavala sighed. "He's not even on Earth anymore. What has he been doing?"

"I guess it's time to find out." Ikorra turned to Eris, "You've been tracking the New Lights?"

Eris nodded once. "Yes. The Hidden have been observing them carefully."

"And?" Zavala asked.

"They've joined a faction—VENOM. Led by Void, though he calls himself Viper now. The base of operations is in the Tangled Shore."

That earned a stunned silence. Cayde was the first to break it.

"Why do all the interesting people move away?" Cayde groaned. "The Shore? Seriously? You're telling me the guy who ran from the City set up shop in the most pirate-ridden, unpatrolled corner of the Reef?"

Eris leaned forward. "There's more. The weapons the New Lights carry—Ghost scans reveal they were crafted in VENOM's workshop. No trace of our foundry blueprints or energy signatures."

Zavala raised his brows. "Fully independent? How?"

Eris gestured. "Repurposed technology. We do not know how. The Hidden cannot monitor him on the Shore. But the results he's made point towards him making deals with a technician. Someone advanced enough to make weapons from scratch."

Cayde chuckled, "You gotta respect the hustle. Where'd he even find such a guy."

Ikorra nodded. "If he's someone not even on our radar, the technician could be a rogue Fallen."

"Regardless of his current activities, infiltrating the moon is still dangerous." Zavala decided. "We'll send the mission briefing his way. Let him choose. "

Cayde leaned back with a grin. "Relax, he'll say yes. You know he can't resist playing the hero."

As the war room returned to silence, the image of the Cosmodrome pulsed softly on the holotable, but in the back of all their minds, a darker place called out.

The Moon waited.

-

[Spider's Hideout]

Viper stood leaning against the curved wall of a vaulted corridor. His hood hung low.

The sound of ether tubes pulsing rhythmically filled the air.

Kaviss's ether pod stood quietly in the center of the room, its transparent casing glowing faintly with a soft orange hue. Inside, the heavily modified Fallen captain lay unconscious, still recovering from the brutal enhancements the Devil Splicers had forced on him.

Inside the healing pod, Kaviss stirred—his talons twitched, his eyes rolled faintly beneath closed lids—but the ether stream continued its slow, steady cycle.

Spider emerged from the shadows , his rotund frame draped in fine purple silk robe. He stepped beside Viper, one brow raised, and waved a clawed hand at the pod.

"Staring at him won't make it go any faster." he rasped.

Viper didn't turn. "You told me he'd recover."

"I did," Spider muttered, scratching under his chin, "but you might want to temper those expectations. Splicer tech messes with more than the body. It's like trying to unscramble eggs with a wrench. Recovery's taking longer than expected."

Viper lazily looked over at him, "Not like I've got anything else to chase. The Devils are scattered. House of Winter's not playing ball, and the Kings? They've pretty much gone dark."

Spider hummed, adjusting one of his rings. "Indeed, it's a pity."

"Used to be I could track every Devil baron in the Cosmodrome. Now I'm down to rumors and thirdhand sightings." He clicked his tongue, but then a chuckle crept up from his throat, "Still, I made out well, didn't I?"

"Is that why you're dressed like a 19th Century Noble?" Viper shook his head.

Spider let out a short wheezing laugh. "Please, this is old Egyptian silk. Snatched it off a scavengers Ketch as he docked near the shore. Daft fool was using it as a tablecloth."

"Highway robbery, how exciting." Viper rolled his eyes.

Them his wrist buzzed.

Viper's expression sharpened. He tapped the message open. A burst of data flooded his HUD. The encryption melted away almost instantly, revealing the full content.

Viper's brows lowered. He scrolled further. He stared at the message floating in front of him, reading it twice.

Spider leaned over curiously. "Something good?"

Viper didn't answer right away. The weight of the message hung in his mind like a coiled wire.

"No. Just someone asking for a favor." he muttered finally.

Spider scoffed. "Boring."

He turned away from the pod and walked towards the door as he swiped his wrist to access his ship's transmat.

"What, not gonna watch him anymore? I coulda sworn he moved his finger." Spider chuckled as he turned towards the pod.

Viper waved a hand as he stepped out of the doorway, "Just keep me updated."

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