Risen

Chapter 15

   As they left the caves, Poppy glanced at her friend every few seconds, to the point where Sienna sighed exasperatedly. "If you have something on your mind, Poppy, spit it out."

"What was that back there? And I want a real explanation," Poppy demanded. "None of your deflections this time."

   Sienna shrugged before launching into her tale. "When I first came to the Shore, it was right after..." She trailed off as grief filled her eyes, and Poppy almost thought she saw them lined with silver. "Just after Cayde died. I was still numb, except for the anger. I knew that Spider had information on the Scorned Barons, so I broke into his safehouse. I... threatened to leak his coordinates to them if he didn't tell me where I could find them. Looking back, it was amateurish.  But he gave me Araskes. It took me three days to get her, and in the end... it was over too fast. I went back to Spider, still with that anger. He informed me that Uldren was already dead, that someone had beaten me to it. My kill had been stolen, and with it, my one shot at vengeance." Her grip tightened on her rifle, but her voice remained steady. "Spider offered me a spot as his enforcer. Long story short, I worked out most of my anger, made a lot of Glimmer, and then I quit."

"Wait, what? No one just quits Spider, that's not... you threatened him, didn't you."

   "Just a little. Besides, all''s well that ends well. He still likes to remind me that I worked for him with his 'favors'. Some day, though, he-- get down!" Sienna hissed the last two words as she dropped onto her stomach. Poppy followed suit, her eyes darting to catch a glimpse of whatever had spooked her friend. When she saw nothing, she turned, furious, intending to scold Sienna for scaring her over nothing. But when Poppy turned, what she saw making its way over the plains could never be described as "nothing".

   Trudging along the rocky and wreckage-strewn ground were a dozen Abominations, and between them they carried six cages. The cages held Fallen and Cabal, the latter filling half the cages alone. As the procession plodded past, Sienna noticed a Vandal or two wearing the red and gold of the House of Light. She nudged Poppy and jerked her chin towards them. The Warlock's eyes widened behind her helmet as she recognized the colors. She made to stand, but Sienna's hand on her arm made her pause. She stood still for a moment, thinking, before laying back down.

   After a few minutes that passed like hours, the Abominations were out of sight. Sienna and Poppy stood hesitantly, locked eyes, then summoned their Sparrows and launched off to follow the trail. As they raced along, Poppy contacted Narvuk. "Hey, big guy. Everything goin' alright back there?"

   The Knight's voice crackled through their helmet comms. "It's quiet as the Hellmouth here. But at least it's not - unf! - boring."

   "What exactly are you doing in that cave, Narvuk?," Sienna asked almost flatly, focused as she was on tracking.

   "Mph! I'm re - mm! - decorating, like I ssaid."

   Poppy laughed for a moment before turning it into a cough when Sienna turned and glared at her. "We're on the trail of some Scorn activity, possibly related to the 'cooperation' Spider mentioned. For now, just stay there, and I'll call if we need you... or when we're on our way back. Poppy out." She cut the feed as Sienna signaled to stop ahead. The pair hopped off their Sparrows and crouched behind a nearby outcropping.

   When they peeked over, they saw a Hive rune circle surrounded by strange monoliths, but within the circle stood a Scorn Chieftain. "Umm, Sonni? Any idea what we're looking at here?"

   "The runes and circle configuration match previously logged transformative and enhancement rituals, though there appear to be minor differences, I'm assuming out of convenience. Do be careful," the Ghost warned before vanishing. Poppy relayed the assessment to Sienna quietly as the Hunter peered down at the ritual. As she took in every available detail, she noticed the cages from before stacked behind the Chieftain, but no sign of the Abominations. With the elevated view, she could see red and gold on almost half of the Fallen. The rest were either House Dusk or Spider's "associates".

   "Poppy, we've got a slight complication," Sienna whispered, pointing out the allies below. "Options are limited, there's more than we could sneak out efficiently. Thoughts?"

   "We could do what we always do: shoot our way in and out."

   "We've got a Chieftain, no idea where the Abominations went, Traveler knows what else, and you want to charge in there like a Striker? I might be a sharpshooter, but one rifle can only do so much. We need backup."

   "There's no time! Even Narvuk is too far away to help."

   Just as Poppy finished, the sound of a transmat sounded behind them. When the two whipped around, Narvuk stood before them, though he quickly got down when he noticed their tension. "How did you find us?," Sienna whispered harshly, lowering her rifle.

   "I can ffeel Hive magic. It has small effects on the land from far away, but when you've been part of them, it's like hhearing a song you know by heart faintly," Narvuk explained. "Whhat have you seen?" Poppy quickly filled him in on the situation. "The runes... this is like the Ogre ritual. They twist flesh and mind, using Light as both temptation and torture. The result, as yyou've seen, is normally mindless and fueled only by rage. But that is when a Thrall is subjected to this."

   "So this Chieftain is going to be an even bigger problem, is what you're saying," Sienna summed up. The Knight nodded, and Sienna turned back to the plateau before them. "Two Wizards now, no visible backup. The way I see it, we've got one advantage. The Fallen have a sense of self-preservation that's unmatched. They'll help if we can free them. Narvuk, you think you can break those bars?" He gave her a look that suggested he would be raising an eyebrow if he had them, and Sienna rolled her eyes and turned to Poppy. "You hate Wizards? Good. They're your priority once the Fallen are free. If we can disrupt this ritual, we have a chance. I'll cover you both. Go!," the Hunter ordered.

   Narvuk crept down the cliff face as quickly as he could, almost 20 meters from Sienna's position. About a meter from the ground, he let himself fall the rest of the way and landed with a soft thump. He crouched down and swiftly crept to the cages, staying as low as he could manage. As he approached, a few of the Fallen noticed him and hissed. He hastily motioned for them to quiet down, but only succeeded in agitating them further. He planted his sword in the ground to prove his intent, and some of the hissing stopped as Dregs and Vandals looked at him in confusion. He extended his hand, and Zivath materialized, saying nothing as she did. Some of the Fallen, mostly the ones wearing red and gold, pushed their way to stand in front of the Knight, still glancing in wonder at his Ghost.

   "Ddo you... understand me?," Narvuk asked, cocking his head at the nearest Vandal. It hesitated, likely fearing a trap, then nodded. "Good. If you wwant to escape, stand back." The Vandal's four eyes widened as it grasped his plan, then frantically waved its companions back. Narvuk rolled his shoulders, gripped the bars, and pulled. For a few moments, nothing seemed to happen. Then, with a roar like a lion, the Knight tore the cage wide open, the bars screeching as they bent and twisted against their will.

   As the Fallen rushed out, Narvuk saw Poppy leaping at the Wizards through the emptying cage. He turned back, retrieved his sword, and cut open the other two cages of Fallen. One of the spined Vandals, Spider's by Poppy's description, gestured for the rest to follow him, but stopped to say something to his savior. "We have cache nearby. Will return to assist soon." With that, he turned to guide his fellows, and Narvuk shoved through the empty cages to fight with his friends.

   He learns compassion. It weakens him, [dulls] him. I have no need for him if he is weak. He will have to be [resharpened] if I am to succeed. I am a scalpel, and I will cut away the rot.