Doom of the Dragons, Part Thirteen: Trophy

Greetings, Guardians, and here's part thirteen of Doom of the Dragons! Here's[url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Forums/Post/239447402?sort=0&page=0] part twelve[/url] if you missed it! As usual, if you like it, give it a bump, and I'll get more out soon! Stay classy, Guardians! Cupun let loose with his pulse rifle, but it quickly became apparent that the wizard had brought a lot of her brood with her. He quickly retreated, firing behind him as he went. One of the Hive, red armor around its three green eyes, ran up to him, and grabbed at his side. Cupun grabbed it by the shoulder, and threw it, headfirst, into a nearby stalactite. Suddenly, the magazine for his pulse rifle ran dry, and he switched to his submachine gun, burst firing it at the encroaching horde. He slowed their advance long enough for him to take cover behind a rock. Arc fire decimated the area where he’d been standing a second later. “Okay,” his ghost said, “how do we get ourselves out of this?” Cupun was silent for a moment. “By going for the source,” he said. He suddenly broke cover, and ran straight at the teaming mass of Hive. He waited until he was within a few meters, and then leaped into the air. He felt his body begin to hum as he summoned the light within him, and brought a fist of Havoc crashing down on the Hive below. About a dozen of the Hive were turned to ash by the electric shock, and several dozen more were blown off their feet. Cupun looked up, and saw the wizard, floating in the air. Cupun barred his teeth, and growled. “Now I’ve got you,” he growled. He leapt into the air, his body simmering with arc energy, and began to move towards the wizard . . . Only to have her outstretched hand grab him by the arm. Cupun cried out as he fell, and his arm was nearly jerked out of his socket. The wizard had his wrist grasped firmly with one hand, and in the other sat the strange, green orb. The wizard stared at him for a minute. Cupun felt his strength suddenly drop, and he began gasping for breath. Then, the wizard looked him in the eyes, and a voice suddenly started booming in his head.[i] Do you Guardians learn nothing!?[/i] it asked.[i] See how your predecessor ended! [/i] Suddenly, Cupun’s vision became distorted, only to clear up again just a second later. He looked around, and saw that he was in the room where Lyra had died, only a few days earlier. He looked down, and saw that his hands had been replaced by those of the wizard. And at his feet was the twitching form of Guardian. Lyra. Her helmet had been torn off, and her blond hair lay splayed out on the ground. He could see her feebly trying to move, but to no avail. Suddenly, a mass of Hive rushed at her. Their skin was gray, and stretched thinly over their skeletal frames. They were truly terrifying in appearance. But their appearance was nothing compared to what they did to Lyra. When they reached her, they began tearing away at her armor with their claws. Then, Cupun watched with horror as they bit into her exposed flesh. Cupun tried to look away from the gruesome spectacle, but was unable to. He simply stared, mouth agape as he watched Lyra die. Suddenly, his vision blurred again, and he was once again staring at the wizard. She snarled at him. [i]You think yourself a paragon of virtue,[/i] she said. [i]You come here, you exterminate my young, attempt to kill me, and you think yourself somehow better than I?[/i] Cupun blinked. He oppened his mouth, but found himself unable to speak. He felt the strength draining from his body with each passing second. Then, he saw a ribbon of light, making its way from his chest to the green orb in the wizard’s hand. The wizard noticed his gaze. [i]Do you feel it? [/i]she asked.[i] Your light draining from your body?[/i] She cackled - a dry, sinister sound that crackled through the air like thunder. [i]That is the difference between you and I - I do not concern myself with illusions of virtue. Because nobility does not matter if you are dead. All that matters is who is left standing. And who is food for the worms.[/i] The wizard fixed her gaze upon him, and snarled. [i]Now. DIE! [/i] Cupun felt his vision begin to flicker. He tried to free himself from the wizard’s grasp, but she held him in a vice like an iron shackle. Suddenly, Cupun remembered his pulse rifle, currently strapped to his back. He hadn’t had time to reload it - but it had a hefty bayonet attached to its barrel. Using the last of his strength, Cupun grabbed the rifle off his back, and slashed at the wizard. The wizard reeled backwards, letting out a shriek strong enough that if there had been any glass in the chamber, it would have shattered. Cupun suddenly felt himself falling towards the ground, and landed with a dull thud. The green orb, the wizard’s severed hand still clutching it, fell to the ground a second later. Cupun blinked, and sat up. Suddenly, one of the Hive - it looked like one of the creatures that had killed Lyra appeared in front of him. Cupun grabbed his pulse rifle, and shoved the bayonet into its skull, before yanking it back out. The creature fell to the ground, dead. Cupun stood up, his hands shaking. The wizard was flying about the chamber, banging into the walls, howling with pain and clutching the injured stump with her remaining hand all the while. Suddenly, she began making her way towards one of the tunnels. “Oh no you don’t,” Cupun said, suddenly regaining full awareness. He sprinted after the wizard, and jumped onto her back. The wizard screamed, and did her best to throw Cupun off, but he refused to let go. He sank the bayonet deep into her back, and the wizard screamed even louder. When he pulled the bayonet out, it was covered in dark, black blood. Cupun stabbed the wizard again, this time in the spine, and wizard collapsed to the cavern floor. Cupun rolled away, and then stood up. The wizard began dragging herself across the cavern floor, still desperately trying to escape. Cupun barred his teeth. “Get back here,” he growled. He walked up to the wizard, and planted his foot down on her upper back. Then, he went to work with the bayonet. The wizard screamed once more, but that quickly subsided to a soft gurgle. And then, it spoke no more. For a moment, Cupun did nothing. He simply stood on top of his vanquished foe, breathing heavily. Then, he reached down, and picked up the wizard’s severed head. He held it up with one hand like a trophy, and bellowed with triumph. And then there was silence. Cupun looked around the chamber. It was now completely empty. All the other Hive appeared to have fled. The titan shook his head, and let his trophy fall to the ground. “You there, Ghost?” he asked. After a brief moment, his ghost appeared in front of him. “Ooooh. . . what -“ suddenly, the little orb looked around. “Well. I guess we won.” “Yeah,” Cupun said. “Chart the fastest way back to the surface.” “On it,” his ghost said. A marker quickly appeared on his HUD. “Okay,” Cupun said. He started off in the direction of the tunnel indicated on his HUD, but then stopped. “What is it?” his ghost asked. Cupun walked over to the green orb, and picked it up off the ground. He quickly pried the wizard’s hand from it “Almost forgot,” he said. Then, he started off to the tunnel, orb in hand. [url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Groups/Post?groupId=1371758&postId=239768057&sort=0&page=0]Part Fourteen: Specter[/url]