Void stopped his body from trembling at the mention of his name. He knew who Shin Malphur was, perhaps in this world, he was the one who knew him best. Every Destiny player even slightly aware of the lore was obsessed with this legendary figure. The Man with the Golden Gun, the lone Gunslinger, Dredgen Vale. He held many titles.
However, his current identity, was not yet exposed to "Shin Malphur". Hence Void restrained his reaction and only showed slight curiosity and confusion at Eriana's words.
Eriana observed Void's "Restrained" confusion. She sighed,
"Right, the newer generation don't know a lot about him. But it's better that way."
Void scoffed, internally he had already put this mission on the highest difficulty he could imagine. Shin Malphur, the man capable of killing guardians in one shot. He was a fearsome entity. Seeing Eriana not even mention it was indicative that the Praxic Fire would not give him more information unless he asked.
"I prefer if I knew more about my target from you. I wouldn't want any mistakes to happen during my mission." Void spoke resolutely.
Eriana didn't hesitate to add on some basic information,
"Shin Malphur is a very powerful rogue vigilante. In his early days he was a respected hunter. Until he eventually turned to mindless killings. There are not many accounts of his abilities or appearances. That is all the information we posses." She seemed to observe Void's expression.
Whereas after listening to the brief explanation she gave, Void truly wanted to ask whose side she was on.
His expression darkened Powerful vigilante? Mindless killings? It seemed the Praxic Fire wasn't being completely honest with a newbie like him.
But it was already more than he had expected. He naturally did not restrain his frown, because Void knew it was the appropriate reaction.
Eriana noticed his "worries" and provided a bit of reassurance,
"Don't worry, as I've said. You will never have to engage him. If anything you'll be furthest from the danger. As long as you can help triangulate his general location, our team will take care of it." She emphasized the last phrase.
As soon as she finished, Cayde chimed in slightly confused,
"Soo, young blood here is your scout. But what do you need me for? I will have you know a vanguards schedule is very packed, I don't have time to sit around and play games."
'Shameless'...was the only thought in unision by everyone present.
"Your duty is much simpler. The Vigilante has many hidden supporters in the consensus. They don't act on his whims but they do provide him information. You need to make sure Void isn't connected to this mission in any way.
Seal his information, send him on one of your long treks. Whatever it is, his name should not be mentioned at all." Eriana answered solemnly.
"That's all? You could've just asked Zavala or Ikorra for this boring stuff." Cayde replied clicking his tongue.
"A hunter is ultimately under your jurisdiction, if his records have any signs of tampering by other authorities, it would be suspicious. Rather, hunters are known to request time off from the tower. As long as you sign it off, no one would question it. It's nothing unusual." Eriana answered.
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"But if Ikorra or Zavala were to handle his reports, the importance attached to his identity would be increased. I am sure you know what I mean." Her eyes narrowed.
Void was startled by her words. Indirectly, she meant that Cayde was too new in his post, if he signed off a few hunters no one would put any effort to work through those files in suspicion of a plot.
But if the mysterious and cunning warlock vanguard or the steadfast titan vanguard stepped in....Shin's supporters would definitely notice his absence.
It was times like these that the Praxic order loved Cayde for his nonchalant and sometimes erratic behavior. His carelessness was a gift they could utilize.
But despite these harsh words, Cayde barely showed a reaction. Instead, he crossed his arms and chuckled,
"Hey, if you think the big blue and Ikorra aren't up to the task just say so, no shame in admitting it. Trust me I won't tell her." Cayde gestured his zipped lips.
Eriana almost fumbled her words after hearing his response, she wanted to explain but Void could see that she deliberately swallowed her words and just walked away.
Sai and Wei stood up, joining Eriana as she faced the Den's exit. The warlock looked back at Void,
"The mission will be in a few week's time. When we're ready, I will contact you through Tevis", Eriana twirled her fingers as a small token swiftly shot through, directly dropping in Voids arms.
"And if it's any consolation, we'll replace your broken gear."
She waved goodbye and their figures immediately disappeared, leaving behind lingering transmat particles.
Void looked intently at the token in his hands, a small jade dog tag with flames engraved into it.
'Praxic order's sponsorship, it's the real deal.' His eyes gleamed with satisfaction. Void clutched his palms, perhaps the Praxic Fire weren't as prudent and dubious as he thought.
Perhaps it was also because they had offered him free gear, but Void couldn't deny their tactics, the way to a guardian's heart was free loot. Expensive free loot of course.
Cayde whistled as he smacked his lips, "That's some nice loot you got there partner, good luck on that mission though, heard that guy's a real psycho in the head you know? But hey, if you're getting paid that's all that matters. Erm... Anyways, I will catch you later, I have to go do some things Ikorra asked me to take care of." he sighed looking at his transponder filled with tasks he was responsible for.
Cayde did not linger any longer, his figure flickered away, it was actually so fast that Void couldn't even register that he had left. Forcing him to reevaluate Cayde's strengths one again.
Tevis and Void looked at each other once more, the two could only sigh. They had somehow gotten caught in some deep shit.
"So what are your plans for now?" Tevis shrugged, scratching his head.
"The mission is going to be difficult, I think I will need to do some training. I have never scouted another guardian before" Void replied looking a bit clueless.
Tevis contemplated for a few seconds, "If you're willing I can show you some steps, but it will be up to you to try and follow along. If you need some more practice, just try out the crucible. Last I heard there are many interesting contenders there."
Void nodded, accepting training from Tevis was a great chance he couldn't pass up.
The two hunters flickered away returning to the ship. A few seconds later the ship shot out from the asteroid belt, heading back into earth's atmosphere.
-----
[Tower, Last City Earth]
Void clutched his palms as he flexed his arms, stretching and moving his joints. Currently he had donned a covert gear used for camouflage., a dark grey thin armor suit, coupled with gripping footwear and gauntlets capable of blocking bullets.
He swiftly performed a backflip, as he nimbly got up using a reverse flip. It seemed that the gear really suited his style. Quick and agile. It was neither too heavy nor too light.
"Banshee, thanks for giving me the good stuff. I will definitely get you some golden age scraps like last time." Void complimented.
"Don't mention it, the Praxic order means business, for them to sponsor you, you're gonna need it." The Exo gunsmith replied while polishing another gun's barrel.
"What about the weapons?"
" The smg is out of commission, so is the rocket launcher. As for the hand cannon, I managed to find some replacement parts and fixed it up. Here you go." Banshee returned the hand cannon in pristine condition.
Tevis had been observing Void as he finally spoke up,
"If you're ready I can take you to skywatch. It won't change much but I can at least train you in stealth."
Void's ears perked up at the suggestion, although he wanted to train other stats, perhaps training for stealth was his main priority.
Void held up the hand cannon in his grip, examining the barrel carefully.
He could only sigh and hope to make it through this mission.