If you missed the last episode, you can find it [url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/222830980/0/0]here[/url], or if you need to find a previous episode, you can find them all in the [url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/220441594/0/0]Master Post[/url]. Please give a bump, upvote, or leave comment if you enjoy this and any other chapter! *** [i]My footsteps echo around the empty training space, reverberating off of the various weapons and training dummies the Wolves have stashed in their ketch.[/i] * Hello? * [i]I call out, unsure if I misheard the time to arrive. For a moment, only silence answers me, then, with a bloodcurdling battlecry, a giant Captain leaps off an overhang above me, brandishing four shock blades at once – I leap backward, barely missing her first strike – ducking and rolling away saves me from her swiping blades, but in the blink of an eye she flings her final sword to the ground behind me just as she strikes again – with a surprised gasp, my foot catches the hilt of the buried sword and I trip backwards, landing hard – In an instant, the Captain holds three blades to my throat.[/i] * And I was told you were a formidable opponent, * [i]the Captain smirks[/i]. * Perhaps I should have announced myself first as our enemies would. * [i]Scowling from my bruised ego, I knock the blades away, getting back to my feet quickly.[/i] * I take it you’re my new teacher? * * That depends on you, * [i]the Captain taunts.[/i] * Are you ready to be taught how to really fight? * [i]I still feel a slight sting as I look into her jovially challenging eyes, but something within their depths calms me and makes me feel foolish for getting mad at her. [/i] She is supposed to be teaching me, after all. * I am, * [i]I tell her respectfully, bowing my head.[/i] * Good, * [i]she retorts quickly, taking her stance once more.[/i] * Let’s begin. * I push the memory away with the jungle overgrowth, cursing myself and Anixias in equal measure. [i]Why did she take me away? Why did I send her away?[/i] I punch the closest tree, hard, and immediately hiss in pain as my fist starts throbbing. [i]Why did I want to sacrifice myself for my uncle’s crusade?[/i] That’s the part that hurts worst – [i]Am I really loyal to the cause? And why would I be? Why have I dived headfirst into this mad adventure? Because I believe[/i], I answer myself. [i]So why didn’t Anixias? Because she believes too[/i], I answer again, feeling worse and worse as the truth sinks in. [i]But even though she believed in Dra Ge, it’s not who she believed in most.[/i] I draw my blades in rage and start hacking at the jungle growth vengefully, spinning and slashing and roaring in anger. [i]Why couldn’t I just think?!![/i] I rage at myself. [i]Why didn’t I realize that if Dra Ge ran, I should run, too? Because Dra Ge didn’t want you to know you could run[/i], I answer inside as my arms start to go weak and the swords fall to my sides. [i]Dra Ge needs those of us who will blindly fight no matter the odds. He needs true believers. Because true believers die for their causes.[/i] I fall to my knees, the realization sinking in that there was only one person in all of Dra Ge’s army who cared about whether I lived or died. [i]My father sent me, his own daughter, to this fate. My uncle used me, his niece, a princess, to fight in his mad wars. Only Anixias wanted me to live. Anixias, who believed in Dra Ge as much as I, but who believed in me even more.[/i] I throw my head back and howl mournfully at the sky, letting my pain and regret blend with the nighttime chirps and rustling of the jungle. It’s a long time before I rise to my feet again, and even longer before I find the strength to continue walking. With nowhere to go and no idea of what to do next, I aimlessly wander the jungle until dawn, until I finally see the Shattered Coast stretching out in front of me. I gaze out at the toxic sea, at the strange, winged creatures circling in the sky beyond, and try to think of what to do next. [i]Return to Dra Ge? To the House of Winter? To my father?[/i] I bury my head in my hands, confused and torn about what to do, all while the true answer keeps repeating itself in my head. [i]Find Anixias.[/i] I sigh, knowing it to be what I should do, but before I can even move, gunfire sounds in the distance, followed by Eliksni screams. A shiver runs down my spine as I draw my shock pistols, knowing instinctively what it is: [i]Sha’Ir.[/i] I move cautiously along the coast, keeping low and sticking to cover as I move toward where I heard the sounds – moments later, I peek through the underbrush to see several Vandals and Dregs lying dead beneath a giant, winged statue. There’s no sign of the Sha’Ir anywhere. I carefully move forward until I’m next to the bodies of my brethren – checking their markings, I see the familiar sign of House Winter and shake my head ruefully. [i]As if these ghouls haven’t taken enough already –[/i] There’s no time to mourn, though, as a sudden screaming sound draws near and I dive behind a nearby stone wall just in time to avoid being spotted. A wild Sha’Ir riding one of their small, skiff-like vehicles races toward the winged statue, dismounting at its base. Its vehicle vanishes as the Sha’Ir jogs forward, weapon out, into a small cave – After a moment, I quietly follow, grip tightening on my own weapons. The tunnel inside winds back and forth, and I can hear the sounds of battle up ahead. A red haze descends across my eyes as I think of claiming the Sha’Ir’s head as a trophy, but as I finally reach the mouth of the tunnel, the rage dissipates into disbelief as I see who the Sha’Ir is fighting. [i]The Lun.[/i] Their mechanical joints squeal as they charge the Sha’Ir, red eyes glowing menacingly. They speak a strange, chittering tongue, shouting orders to one another through a series of whirs and clicks. The Sha’Ir leaps and attacks wildly, a true spectacle to behold, but with all its focus on the Lun, it fails completely to see me watching it. I raise my weapon, level it at the ghoul, and fire – My shot hits the Sha’Ir in the arm, making its own shot go wide. For a split second, it turns to look at me in complete shock and horror, but then one of the Lun fires on it, burning a hole through its chest. It falls to the ground with a thud, its small, strange servitor appearing over its corpse, shining a light over it – I quickly shoot its servitor, having seen what happens if it’s allowed to work on the Sha’Ir for long. A silence descends, and in it I finally meet the Lun’s eyes – they all stare at me uniformly, both expectant and curious. [i]Why did you do that?[/i] they seem to ask. Having no answer, I simply continue to stare back at the Lun, unsure of what to do next. One of them finally breaks the standoff, approaching me. I tense instinctively as it shines a red light over me, but quickly realize it’s only scanning me, curious about who I am and why I’m here. Completing its scan, it chirps to its fellows, who confirm its command and turn away from me together. [i]A thank you would have been appreciated[/i], I think sourly, wondering what kind of manners the Lun were taught. They begin to depart, but a bellowing cry suddenly rips through the air, screaming vengefully – “YOU KILLED HIM!!! YOU JUNKERS KILLED HIM!!!” Wheeling around, I see another Sha’Ir charging out of the tunnel, roaring as it raises its weapon. It begins firing as I roll out of the way, the Lun returning fire. But the Sha’Ir’s wrath makes it strong, gives it focus, and the Lun begin falling one by one beneath its bitter onslaught. “YOU KILLED HIS GHOST, TOO?!!!!” it bellows in agony. “YOU EVIL, SONS OF – “ It suddenly spies me. “What the hell are you doing here, bug?” it asks, perplexed as it aims its weapon at me. I’m frozen, knowing the second I try to move, it’ll kill me, but also knowing that if I wait too long, it’ll kill me regardless – But then a blade suddenly emerges from the Sha’Ir’s chest, the ghoul gurgling with shock and pain as it slowly looks down at the wicked point sticking out of its armor. As I watch it with equal surprise, Anixias’ face suddenly appears over its shoulder, growling in its ear as the Sha’Ir slowly dies. * [i]You will not touch her, you beast![/i] * The Sha’Ir falls to the ground, dead – as its servitor appears, Anixias seizes it quickly, crushing it with one hand, leaving us to stare at each other in shocked silence.