We ran through tunnel after tunnel, cave after cave, fighting through small groups of Thrall and Acolytes. The Hive were obviously having trouble tracking us now that there were so many different forms in the tunnels, but we ran the whole time knowing that any delay could lead to the ever growing group behind us catching up as they followed the trail of bodies we left. Each open area showed more evidence of the Hive presence; floors and small spires of their design, more fluorescent crystals, more banners, more statues, more bones and patches of darkness-seeping crust. People couldn't live in these conditions, and it disgusted me that the Hive thrived in them. One room was empty aside from a dark pit in the center of the floor; several thick trails of chains ran down into the pit, attached to thick bases at the top and to something down there that dragged the chains around as it moved. Monstrous roars sounded from the bottom, and I shuddered at the thought of what horrors the Hive were making to fight against us. The current hall we ran through was one of the few that had actual Hive-built walls, and it had the symbol that was on their banners painted across from each other every few dozen feet. It came out into an open-ended hemispherical room littered with boulders and the green Hive lanterns. We ran forward down the middle and at the edge found that we were looking into another part of the abyss. "Have we really been looping around back here each time?!" Jason asked in frustration. "Impossible to tell. Most of my directional equipment isn't functioning at all down here, but my measuring of the turn degrees we've taken make no sense. We shouldn't be back here again, but my scans show this as the exact same trench way," his Ghost's voice answered him on our helmets' com channel. I could see several bridges stretching across the chasm distantly to our sides, above us, and below us, but none close enough to use. I turned around and inspected the area. A little to our side a small piece of walkway jutted straight out into the air a little bit and was marked by a column holding fluorescent crystals on each side. Before it lay a large circular platform marked with many Hive runes. Peering across the abyss, I spotted corresponding columns on the other side, and I assumed another large platform. "Come on guys," I directed, walking to the platform. They followed and watched as I stepped on. A moment after my foot hit the platform, all the engraved symbols and rings on its surface lit up with sickly green light. The form of a bridge suddenly appeared across the chasm in the same green light, connecting the protruding section in front of our plate with that on the other side. But it wasn't solid, just a mere image of the form. I was about to step off when a small chunk of solid platform appeared at the base of the bridge. I looked closely and realized that the image of the bridge was sectioned off and would appear bit by bit. We had to hold our ground here. A shriek came from where we had entered and I looked through the dark to see the shadowy form of an Acolyte standing there, pointing at us. It moved forward and about a dozen total Thrall and Acolytes came out with it. Easy to handle, but the rest of the Hive will now know where we are. And we can't hold back that many at once. We all looked around frantically to see what our surroundings were and if there was anything we could use. Small boulders were scattered everywhere along with a few short Hive lantern holders, and large holes were placed all around the area, falling down into darkness. Several holes were placed in a wide arc around the platform I stood on. A plan formulated in my mind. "Maxwell, get on the plate with me, we probably have to stay on the plate at all times and that means I need a Defender," I commanded, and he automatically stepped on with me. "Everyone else, jump up on rocks at intervals around the plate," I heard the scuff of foot on rock and looked to see Jason already hopping up before I had gotten out the order. Always leave it to him to be ahead of the curve. Jason had chosen an extra tall rock to the right of the plate and was already shooting down Hive with his sniper rifle. The others followed suit, Cassie taking front with her pulse rifle and Claire getting on the left with her scout rifle. Those first dozen Hive didn't make it anywhere close to us, but more shrieks rang through the cold air and we saw more dark forms running out from the tunnel. Maxwell and I had a rather straight on view of the entrance with no rocks in the way and we were able to shoot down a lot of the Hive as they came. But after a few moments I heard shrieks coming from the left and right. Jumping up into the air and using my Light to propel myself in a second, midair jump, I saw that there were smaller entranceways into the area and more of the vile creatures were pouring out of them. "Claire! They're on the left! And Jason on the right!" I shouted, then turned to Maxwell, "We'll shoot at whatever's closest." Claire and Jason turned while Maxwell nodded and went back to shooting. Before I raised my gun again I glanced over at the still-forming bridge; it wasn't quite a third of the way done, for even though the separate pieces were forming at a decent rate, the bridge had to be very long. The battle raged for another minute or two, the hoard slowly forcing its way closer, before the Hive surprised us again. Thrall began climbing out of the pits in the ground like horrible white spiders of bone, their long-clawed hands scraping against the surface of the pits' interiors. Some came out of the pits closest to us in the ring shape, but luckily most were coming from the further away holes. But now we had to make sure none of them got far from the pits, leaving Maxwell and I completely occupied with them and the others no longer having much help keeping the other Hive further away. I threw grenades into the holes every time I could muster enough Light, knocking a few to several Thrall back down into the dark with each toss. The bridge was close, I'd say around four fifths of the way across, but we were barely able to keep the Hive from swarming past the ring of pits and overpowering us. A massive roar shook the air, and the thud of heavy footsteps grew closer and closer. The Hive had decided to throw something bigger at us, and a Hive Ogre walked out around a couple of the larger boulders. It's bulky, swollen body dragged a few short lengths of broken chains behind it and it walked through the trail of drool that dropped from the fearsome maw of its scarred and gnarled face. Cassie was the closest to it. It raised its head to look at her, sniffing the air through massive nostrils. A circle of Hive runes appeared in a red glow in front of where its eyes should have been, and with a vicious roar it unleashed a barrage of energy-based projectiles at the rock Cassie stood on. At first they hit a few feet under Cassie's feet, scorching the surface, but the Ogre tilted its head to slide the beam up at her. She jumped off just before it reached her, however, some of the beams flew past the rock to blast her in the back, making her sprawl to the ground upon landing. The Thrall saw their chance and pushed forward, leaping onto the downed Guardian as she was pushing herself up. Their claws raked her armor, her shield going down in mere moments and scratches and groves now being left behind in the Thrall's wake. Oil slid over her armor and to the ground and she reached out her hand to us, quickly lost from site behind the mass of Thrall now rushing forward, their teeth snapping at the air towards us now that they knew a feast on our Light was close at hand. That happened in only a few seconds, she was covered before I could even react, and Maxwell had only just turned to face where the Ogre was, his eyes catching sight of Cassie's hand last second. He launched himself forward with an angry bellow, a roar full of so much raw anger and sadness that I felt it put the Ogre's to shame. A Force Barrier pulsed to life around his body, shielding him as he slammed into the wave of Hive and illuminating the space around him. Maxwell barreled through, swinging his arms much as Derick had and sending Thrall and Acolytes flying left and right, forcing the Hive line to cave in and back away from his onslaught, buying the rest of us more time. When he reached the heap of Thrall trying to pry at Cassie's armor they looked up, but were too late to do anything in response to the speed of the raging Titan. They were all batted away in seconds, and Maxwell splayed his hands out wide in a barrier stance, summoning a Ward of Dawn around himself and Cassie. Most of the Hive coming down the middle avoided the spherical barrier of Void-Light, knowing that they would meet death inside, so Jason, Claire, and I were now able to continue holding off the Hive, but only momentarily. Cassie's Ghost appeared above her and Maxwell reached out a hand to it, lending some of his Light to help it revive her. Her body was resurrected next to him, and Maxwell wrapped her in an embrace for only a split second before running out of the Ward into the mass of Hive. ____________________________ Link to part 4: https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/217378906/0/0 Link to part 6: https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/217379081/0/0 Master post: https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/217384398/0/0