--

Toland continued, "It's the mark of an ascendant Hive. These runes lay claim to this place, in his name."

Void prodded, "What does being ascendant mean." He needed Toland to reveal all he knew to the Vanguard.

Toland was not extremely loyal, his findings were his own. However, when questioned, he had no choice but to answer.

The shrewd warlock's face stiffened, "It is a term with little history. All I know, is that they are the progenitors of the Hive. Strong, immensely so. Their magic is vile, capable of defiling any who come across it."

"So one of those is behind all this? Crota you said? If he's the prince, who's this king then?" Levi squinted at the runes.

"That's what the runes say. This King, whoever it is. HIs existence is revered by the Hive records and tablets alike, their whispers echo, in awe of his power. Yet none entirely say who or what he is. "

Toland recited all he knew, decades of his hive research had allowed him to cultivate a better understanding of the Hive. But the Hive were far too ancient, it wasn't possible to learn everything.

"What next?" Void inquired, he and Levi could not make that decision alone. They'd found valuable information. Yet, it was evident that going any further had considerable risk.

"The Hive lay dormant. If you wish, you could take them by surprise. It'll be valuable insight into their fortress defences." Toland dryly chuckled.

"As much as I'd like to blow them to shit, I need confirmation." Levi retorted.

Ikorra's eyes narrowed as she surveyed the feed. The runes, the breeding nests, she scrutinized it all.

For the first time in a while, Ikorra was stumped. She knew nothing of the Hive, and apart from the ramblings of a mad warlock, she had nothing to trust.

Her eyes naturally shifted towards Zavala and Cayde. The vanguard trio shared a quick glance.

"It's best to exercise caution, survey more of the fortress, get out when possible." Zavala suggested.

"I'm with big blue on this one, all those cocoons are too much, it'd be a pain to rid of em all." Cayde nodded.

Ikorra agreed, information was more important, she turned towards the comms screen.

"Expand the search radius, gather as much information as you can." She commanded.

"Affirmative, we'll regroup and continue", Levi sighed internally.

He looked towards the pitch black long winding tunnels stretching endlessly underground.

The tunnels formed a macabre maze, with sepulchral walls drenched in lightless ichor, a morbid and chilling breeze gathered around the entrance.

"Nervous?" Void asked, he too looked at the tunnels, but instead of fear, it aroused his interest. He could see beyond the magic that veiled the senses.

The tunnels were hiding something important. An erratic flow of energy pulsed from within. Void needed to see it for himself.

"Descending there is risky, we might not make it out." Levi replied, a cold gleam evident in his eyes.

"Yet here you stand, hypocritical don't you think. I thought you said only fools listen to the fanatical warlocks." Void chuckled.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

A sanguine smile tugged at Levi's lips, "There comes a time when a man must make a choice. Don't get me wrong, I am not dying in this shithole."

'Not without a fight' The words struck his lips, but he only mumbled.

Void unbuckled his sword, ready to draw. A lethal pressure radiated from him.

"Leave it to me, my eyes are sharper than yours." He smiled.

They locked eyes as Levi caught a glimpse of his resolve.

One had to ask, why were hunters always first and foremost in scouting? Why were they the ones fighting tooth and nail and risking their hide to gather intel?.

Couldn't the warlocks do the same with their weird rituals?

The answer was simple, instinct. Their instincts trumped all. No one knew how they had it, perhaps it was another gift from the traveller.

but one thing was certain. Their instincts were rarely wrong.

Right now, Levi knew, Void was able to see through the Hive and their darkness. He did not know how, neither did he care. It was a feeling surpassing the need for words.

"Try not to get us killed idiot."

Levi relented, an invisible burden seemingly lifted off his shoulders.

The next second two figures flickered emerged, their form masked by a faint coat of light.

Bandit's eyes immediately fell on the tunnel entrance.

"You know for once you'd think they'd have us not be rats scurrying around a dungeon."

"I thought you were into raiding dungeons?" Cory chirped.

Bandit raised a brow, an irritable frown creased his forehead, "For the loot. I am not a deranged pervert that likes to lurk in the nooks and crannies."

"Bold words for someone who literally hides in a shadow." Cory rolled his eyes.

"Dogs, zip it. I'm taking over so follow my lead. One more thing, keep your grubby hands off anything shiny." Void face palmed and then particularly shot Bandit a glare.

"Suits me, I wasn't gonna touch those freaky symbols even if you asked." His face contorted in disgust.

"Let's go" Levi pushed Void to the front as their team paced towards the tunnel.

An oppressive aura erupted, weighing them down. Their light dimmed. The four hunters shared a glance, one by one their figures blended within the lightless dark.

Soon, four shadows scattered, descending towards the core of the maze.

--

"See anything?" Cory pestered.

"For the last goddamn time, nothing yet." Void grinded his teeth as he whispered back.

Levi shook his head as they continued their descent. A few minutes had passed, yet nothing was to be seen.

Well aside from the crimson and jagged cavern rock, hundreds of Hive cocoons smothered in golden miasma and the occasional rune trap that Void cautioned them to avoid.

Their descent was quite...boring by his standards. Whatever Void was doing, was far too effective.

The four were still undetected, moving like wraiths in the lightless burrows of the Hive. They would occasionally stop to gather intel on the Hive forces present.

However, that cycle was broken the moment they stumbled upon the heart of the maze.

On a fetid and crude bed of bones, strung together through twisted craggy pillars, lay a set of runes carved intently by a rugged edge of a blade.

"An altar."

Void recognized it immediately, he shot a glance to Levi, the latter kept the feed running.

"The Hive seemed to be communing with something. But what would they even want to summon?" Levi mumbled.

"The Altars are not limited to communion. It could be a place of sacrifice...." Toland's voice trailed off as his eyes fell on the runes. He intently studied them in silence.

Bandit crouched near the altar, recognizing a gleaming fluid residue smeared over the bones.

His eyes narrowed as he inched closer, "Oi, this....is Radiolaria."

Bandit's word struck a chord, suddenly it all made sense. Who the Hive were preparing for.

Across the feed, the Vanguard were speechless.

"The Hive against the Vex, never thought I'd see the day." Cayde scoffed.

"The darkness is more complex than we thought." Zavala mused.

Toland remained silent, his eyes still glued to the runes. He obsessively gawked, scrutinizing each and every letter.

Then, a thought crossed his mind.

"That altar, we need to study it closer."

His voice echoed over the comms.

"This is as close as I'm getting" Bandit retorted, Toland fell silent once more.

He wished to see what the Altar did. He craved to see the true power of the Hive gods. For if the altar runes were true. He had found what he was looking for.

The Altar of the deathsong. Alas, he had no choice.

Unless.

"What do the runes say this time?" Levi pondered as he tried to make sense of it.

Void examined them as well, yet being able to disregard Hive magic did not mean he could invoke understanding from it. To him, it was also gibberish.

"It is...a prayer." Toland replied, his voice grew hoarse.

"What it means, I do not know. But it says." His lips pressed together.

Void's heart sunk to his stomach, something was wrong. With heightened senses his eyes darted around but he could perceive nothing.

Toland spoke. Not a word or a phrase. Neither ear or eye could perceive it.

And then, the altar glowed.