A/N: Honestly, I guess psychology isn't as useless as you'd think. Considering I got new reviews. Do give some more! Throw some stones!!
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The sun rose, casting long golden beams across the courtyard. Soft winds whistled past the top of the Tower as flocks of birds chirped and perched atop the railings.
It was peaceful. Far too peaceful.
Which meant the players were bored out of their minds.
IEatPaint was sitting on the edge of the Tower rail, dangling his legs over the clouds. "I swear," he said, "if I have to play a Crucible match, ONE MORE TIME!"
Waffles chuckled from behind a stash of loot crates. "That sounds like a personal problem."
"I'm just saying," IEatPaint continued, stretching, "we need something new. I don't wanna keep playing the same thing, it gets boring."
"I suppose you always dying to a golden gun shot can get repetitive." Dumbledore shrugged.
"Oi!" IEatPaint groaned.
"True, bro has died everytime he tries to thundercrash." Undecided clicked his tongue.
Gandalf yawned as he dismantled a few weapons in his inventory, "Skill issue."
"HAH? I don't wanna hear that from the bastard who gets sniped at every corner." IEatPaint scoffed and turned back to face the clouds.
"You're both just dogshit." TheOneWhoKnocks retorted as lay flat atop a canopy.
"My ass. That FreakyFeet dude, he's definitely cheating. Who moves like that?"
ThunderClappin shook his head, "Kinda pathetic you'd go accuse him of cheating. How'd he even cheat?"
"I don't know! He's freaky like that." IEatPaint sighed.
Waffles shook her head, "Relax, just search the director. Games getting new updates and stuff all the time. We probably got something new here."
She opened the director, and as if on cue, the screen flashed.
[New Activity Unlocked: Vanguard Strike Playlist]
Everyone paused.
TheOneWhoKnocks was the first to lean forward. "Wait. We got strikes now?"
They all opened their Directors. A new node blinked to life.
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Devil's Lair —Vanguard Strike
Target: Sepiks Prime. Strike Recommended: 3 Players Lv(10).
"Ohhh this is spicy," Dumbledore muttered, already inspecting the mission.
ThunderClappin grinned. "Sepiks Prime? Don't know who that is, but if its Devil's Lair, more fallen?."
"Level 10? Bro aren't we all level 8?" TheOneWhoKnocks chimed in.
Undecided nodded, "I mean we can still do it. Might be hard as hell though. We'll just have to clutch it."
"It's 3 players only tho." Waffles said, raising a hand. "Guess we stick to the teams. Me, IEatPaint, and TheOneWhoKnocks. Let's go."
"Bruh—already?" Gandalf said, spinning toward the others. "Fine. Me, Undecided, BearSpray."
Dumbledore scoffed. "Please. We've got me, Clappin, and ILoveLoot. We've got synergy."
ThunderClappin tilted his helmet. "I did not agree to that."
ILoveLoot raised both hands. "Too late. I am queuing the activity. Get locked in."
"I am just saying, last to finish is gay." Undecided snuck in the last word as his team queued a transmat and he vanished from the Courtyard.
Waffles and ILoveLoot shared a glance, their eyes widened as they spammed the strike playlist button.
Their teams vanished, transmatting to Orbit as their ships shot towards the horizon.
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[Devil's Lair, Cosmodrome]
Their jumpships warped from orbit as they shot towards earth, moving through hyperspace.
Team 1 chatted as the strike loaded.
"Aite, lock in." TheOneWhoKnocks said, cracking his knuckles. "Let's speedrun this. No deaths"
IEatPaint's eyes narrowed. "Punch first, think later."
"I got the new damage aspect for Nova Bomb. We're definitely clutching it first try." Waffles nodded.
Team 2 was already discussing the strats.
"Look all I am saying, is that we save supers for the boss." Undecided chimed in.
BearSpray shook his head, "Better we use it to get to the boss faster."
Gandalf hummed in thought, "How many bosses in this strike anyway?"
Team 3 was still mid-argument.
"Just don't thundercrash towards the sky this time," Gandalf cleared his throat.
BearSpray raised his voice. "That was a tactical choice!"
Undecided sighed. "We don't need those tactics. Just don't wipe for no reason!"
One by one, the jumpships blinked into transit. Fireteam by fireteam, they launched into orbit and began their descent into the Cosmodrome. A mission window loaded.
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Vanguard Strike: Devil's Lair
Objective: Track and Eliminate Sepiks Prime.
Recommended Level: 10
Rewards: XP, Legendary Gear (Engrams)
-
As the ships cut through the clouds, The first wave of Fallen activity came into view across the ridge. The Devil's Lair pulsed in the distance.
The hunt for Sepiks Prime had begun.
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The sky crackled faintly overhead as IEatPaint, TheOneWhoKnocks and waffles dropped boots-first into the Cosmodrome. Their jumpships blinked off into the clouds above just as they fully materialized onto the rusted outskirts of the Devil's Lair.
"Guardians," Zavala's voice rang through their comms, calm and steady, "The Fallen will continue to claw at the walls of our City unless we strike them down. Beneath the ruins of the Cosmodrome, in the shadow of an old colony ship, we've located the House of Devils' Lair and the High Servitor feeding them their strength. We must destroy this machine god and send their souls screaming back to Hell."
TheOneWhoKnocks chuckled, "Send the Devils back to hell? Creative."
"Machine god? That's what I am talking bout." IEatPaint said with a grin, already unslinging his shotgun.
"Bro you say that now," Waffles replied, as she switched to an auto rifle, "but last time you shoulder charged into the wall and somehow fell to your death."
"I was testing physics." IEatPaint coughed.
"Physics tested you, dumbass." TheOneWhoKnocks muttered, "Let's go, timers ticking."
The three moved fast, sprinting through the Devil's Lair junkyard, they weaved through piles of rusted scrap, darting from one dirt road to the next as they rushed towards the ridges under the colony ship.
Their HUDS blinked, an objective marker pinged deeper into the facility.
TheOneWhoKnocks rolled forward, sliding into facility as he took a sharp turn. His radar instantly blinked red, "F*ck, hide!"
Waffles and IEatPaitn slid towards the edges of the gate, hiding behind the walls. The three peeked ahead and their eyes widened.
An eerie fog spread across the gates of the ridge. Waves of green mist rolled low over the cracked ground as hunched silhouettes broke through and emerged from underground.
"What the f*ck are the Hive doing here?" Waffles aimed down sight.
Just then, a Fallen squad came rushing out, standing directly across from them The House of Devils had sent out Dregs, Vandals, and a few captains to match the invading Hive brood.
The two sides stood face to face, drawing their weapons in a tense silence. The Fallen Captains shared a quick glance, unfazed by the invading brood. Then, they roared in guttural Eliksni. The squad rushed forward charging towards the acolytes.
The Captains held up their scorch cannons, the air twisted as wretched screams echoed and Hive Wizards revealed themselves. They sang their hymns as portals flared by their side, summoning their knights.
The scorch cannons fired, a raging flame rushed towards the acolytes. A wicked magic surged and the air trembled as onyx shields flickered forward, blocking the flame. The Hive Knights roared, drawing their blades as they joined the battle.
Chaos ensued.
"Oh good," Waffles said, "A nice little party."
TheOneWhoKnocks frowned, "Bro those are red bar enemies."
"Didn't ask, just go for it." IEatPaint declared, pumping his shotgun.
"Big man, do we even have the facilities for it?" Waffles raised a brow.
IEatPaint spared her a glance, and chuckled. "Nah, but we ball!" He shouted and charged inside.
"F*ck it." TheOneWhoKnocks turned the corner again, sprinting across the ridge with his pulse rifle drawn
Waffles rushed forwards, chucking a grenade into middle.
The trio slammed into the skirmish like a third faction. The grenade erupted.
Screeches and guttural shouts rang out as a bright flash of light wrapped around them.
Arcs of lighting jolted as IEatPaint shoulder charged the first Captain, slamming him into the wall. Eveyrone whipped towards the fireteam, but they couldn't react.
Waffles took out her rocket launcher as three rockets shot towards them. Flashes of lit erupted again as a dust cloud kicked up.
"Knock Knock BITCHES!" TheOneWhoKnocks ran up from the side focusing pulse fire into the Hive.
IEatPaint unloaded his entire magazine into the backs of the Fallen squad.
By the time dust settled, only they remained. With the fight taken care of, their objective marker blinked again, leading them inside the colony ship ridges.
Their ghosts buzzed, flittering towards a nearby console. The way ahead was blocked by a shield. But naturally, their ghosts could resolve it.
"Shield generator uplink detected. Decryption in progress—"
"Looks like we're holding down waves again." Waffles quipped, quickly reloading her rockets.
TheOneWhoKnocks and IEatPaint ran up to the console, positioning themselves.
A loud horn echoed overhead.
Then the skiffs dropped in.
Fallen squads slammed into the earth like meteorites. The fireteam instantly snapped into cover as the first wave of Vandals opened fire. Sniper shots whizzed overhead, forcing them behind crates and cargo pallets.
"How long is this?" Waffles grunted as a bullet grazed her. "Those snipers hurt, they almost oneshot!"
A barrage of Shock Blades and arc bolts flew past as more Dregs rushed in towards the Ridges. The fireteam did their best, returning fire from cover, picking off Dregs and Vandals one after the other with the oldest trick in the book.
But then, their screens pulsed. The mission objective changed.
A heavy stomp rang through the corridor as hulking Fallen Captain marched towards them.
"Okay, that's a miniboss," IEatPaint muttered as he watched it get closer.
[Objecitve: Defeat Naksis, Devil Baron!]
"Devil Baron? Cool ass name won't lie." TheOneWhoKnocks heaved a breath as he looked towards his super bar. "Almost got my super, just draw out the fight."
Naksis sauntered forward. He had a large frame, and four arms, all armored. Two of his arms wielded Arc swords, the other two were wrapped around a Servitor-linked cannon.
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A/N: Hope you enjoyed the chapter! I do appreciate all the new reviews! But I really want us to hit 200. So if you've not left a review, please do so. I would really like to hear your thoughts. IF YOU ALREADY HAVE. Leave a comment bro, chances are I remember you and honestly I do appreciate my readers sharing their thoughts.
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