Hi guys, here's part 63 of Into the Hellmouth. So, you remember how I said that this story would probably be over by part 65? Well, I lied. Sort of. We're definitely approaching the end, but I am definitely not wrapping this story up in two more parts. I don't wanna make a prediction about how much longer it will be, but if I had to guess, I'd say that this would be over by part 70. So, yeah. In any case, here's[url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Forums/Post/216752859?showBanned=0&path=0] part 62[/url] if you missed it, or, if you're looking for a different part, here's th[url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Forums/Post/209303839]e master post[/url]! As usual, if you like it, give it a bump, and I'll get more out soon! Stay classy, Guardians! After several years, Eris had salvaged most of the ship’s parts from the surrounding ruins on the lunar surface. However, the warp drive still eluded her. Life in the ship proved only somewhat different from life in the Hellmouth. She still had to be vigilant for Hive patrols, and often found herself brining their bones back to her ship. She adorned the ship with the bones of her fallen enemies, much like she had down in the pit. However, Eris avoided “feeding” off the Fallen, sticking to acolytes and thralls. Somehow, feeding off the scavengers just felt. . . wrong. She had no love for the Fallen - she’d seen them kill too many humans and Guardians alike to view them as anything less than monsters - but somehow, using them as sustenance simply felt. . . depraved. After years in the Pit, however, the open skies were a relief. The fact that she could look up and see Earth felt comforting. If she squinted, she fancied that she could even see the traveler, hovering above the City. It felt . . . comforting. Like the touch of an old friend. She wondered how it had changed in her absence. She wondered how long it had truly been since she’d last departed the Tower - five years? Ten? Fifteen? Longer? Time had died in the pit, along with so many other things. She wondered who was still around. Who had died in her absence? Zavala, Saladin, and Shaxx were still around, certainly. The titans were too stubborn to die without killing the other two first. Cayde might’ve finally gotten permission to go out into the Wilds once more. As for Ikora. . . She smiled sadly at the thought of her old mentor. Ikora had been one of her truest friends. If no one else was alive - if everyone else had at last succumbed to the ravages of time - hopefully, at least she was still around, mulling over her studies. All of the sudden, she heard a noise coming from a nearby valley. She frowned, and moved to investigate. Eris hoisted herself up a nearby ledge, and found herself looking down at the Temple of Crota. She blinked. She remembered how they had once been here - Omar, Eriana, Sai, Vell, Toland - how Sai had been the first to dash into the tunnels, in search of Sardon. It felt so long ago, yet she remembered it with perfect clarity. Then, she looked down, and saw it - a Guardian. She drew a breath. They appeared to be a titan - and they were male. Beyond that, she couldn’t tell much. They appeared to be conversing with their Ghost. Eris almost couldn’t believe her eyes. Another Guardian - here! Had the Consensus finally lifted the emergency order? She was about to call to the titan, when she suddenly realized something. The door to Crota’s temple was opening. Her eyes widened. “Run!” She shouted. The titan looked up at her at the last moment. But it was too late. Thrall and acolytes rushed out of the cave, screeching. The titan turned to fire with his auto-rifle, but he was too slow. The shredders eviscerated his shields, and the thrall tore through his armor. Soon, she couldn’t see anything but a mass of screaming Hive. Then, they pulled back. One of them triumphantly held a ghost in it’s claws, and they marched back into the fortress. The titan lay dead on the ground behind them. Eris blinked. She lay agains the cliffside, and gazed up into space. And she remained like that for several hours. She’d been so close. . . so close to returning. That titan had had a ship! He could’ve gotten her home! She could’ve warned them about Crota! He - That titan had had a ship. Eris blinked, and then ran off. With a little luck, the Fallen hadn’t gotten to the ship yet. With a little luck, she still had a way off of Luna’s surface. It didn’t take her long to find the Guardian’s landing site. She still remembered her training, despite the extraordinary amount of time that it had been since she’d used it. However, the Fallen had found it first. A captain was presiding over the ship while a vandal and several dregs began to tear the ship apart. The Captain cursed in angry Fallen, periodically stinging his underlings with the flat of his shock dagger. Eris frowned. This was an unforeseen complication. However, she could get around it. Eris stealthily approached the site, and got to within twenty feet of the ship when the Captain spotted her. Pausing to sting the vandal one last time, the Captain rushed at her, swatting her to the side with two of his arms. Eris felt the air leave her lungs from the force of the impact, and fell to the ground. The Captain shouted something, and looked most pleased with himself. He turned to his underlings, about to give some self-glorifying speech, when Eris grabbed his leg, and twisted hard. She heard the joints in the alien’s leg crack. The Captain bellowed with pain, and went down on one knee. However, as he did so, he slashed at Eris, cutting a hole in her side. She grimaced at the pain. However, she didn’t let it distract her. Eris grabbed one of the Captain’s wrist, and twisted. She heard the tendons pop and the sound of bones grinding together. The shock dagger fell from it’s wrist. Before he could react, Eris grabbed the dagger, and shoved it into the Captain’s back. The Captain fell, facedown on the ground, grunting. Eris went to her knees, trying to ignore the pain. The Captain looked up at his underlings. He shouted something in Fallen, but they didn’t react. He shouted it again. The Vandal walked up to the Captain, and stared down at it for a moment. Then, it brought it’s wire rifle to bear, and fired a single shot into the Captain’s helmet. The Captain stopped moving. The Vandal then turned it’s attention to Eris. The former Hunter tensed up, and prepared to fight. Instead, the Fallen planted the wire rifle into the ground, and clasped it’s hands together. Then, it gave a slight bow. Eris blinked. She nodded, and returned the gesture, in what she guessed was a sign of respect. She stood up, and walked over to the ship, and quickly pulled out the warp drive. The Fallen had already done most of the work for her, fortunately. She looked over the Vandal. “I just need this,” she said. The Vandal didn’t appear to understand her. It turned it’s attention back towards the dead Captain’s body. The Vandal gave it a vicious kick, and soon, the dregs joined in, reveling in their commander’s death. Eris turned away, and walked back towards her ship. She closed her eyes, and sighed. At long last, she was going home. Edit: [url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Forums/Post/217390133]part 64[/url]