[i]“The mighty Thalor was invincible in the Crucible, until Dredgen Yor and his Thorn.” [/i] - From Hunter Class Item: The Cloak of Dredgen Yor Finally, Dredgen Yor found a worthy opponent in the Crucible. Ikora Rey was relatively new to these training grounds, or killing grounds as Dredgen would have called them, and she was magnificent. She moved across the Venusian battlefield, her steps sure and hard. She did not stalk. She did not hide. The Warlock aimed her pulse rifle and cut down his entire fireteam in mere minutes. But she would not find an easy target in Dredgen. He tipped his body over an ancient pillar, veined with alien machinery, and descended through the sulfuric air. Burst-fire rounds glanced past his face. He hit the ground rolling, swiping his dagger against Ikora’s rifle. The primary firearm went flying. Ikora threw her hand out, but he shoved it over his shoulder as a violet wave surged out of her palm. Dredgen drew a ragged breath, the Energy Drain taking pieces of him. Her heavy boot kicked him in the chest, sending him sprawling at least twenty feet away. He thumped into a wall. Dredgen admired her power, feeling the sharp sting of fractured ribs. He hadn't died once yet in this match, though Ikora, who refused death as well, brought him close. A pair of robed figures sprinted out of a low-lit cave, but he would not let them interrupt his dance. He raised Thorn and green fire bloomed. [i]One. Two. [/i] His rounds did not pack micro-adhesive incendiaries like other hand cannons. He didn’t quite know what his bullets were made of as he watched the Guardians fall, through shattered visors, black veins sprouting around holes in their foreheads, poisoned. Ikora cursed. She didn’t float into the air when she summoned her nova bomb—a warhead made from the stars. No, she planted her feet even as she let it loose. The roiling sphere dug a line through the grass leaving a cloud of dirt in its wake. The Hunter guarded a sly smile. Dredgen jumped into the air at a height few ever got to see. He completely dodged the galactic missile despite his broken ribs and rose over Ikora, just when three more enemy Guardians rounded the cliffside. He frowned in mid-air. The cantankerous urchins did not have a place in this battle. Pulling daggers from the sheath at his belt, he cast them out in rapid succession, burying the blades through their armor, Hunter, Warlock, and Titan alike, and into their necks. They tumbled while Dredgen landed in perfect sync with the Void explosion behind him. [i]Three. Four. Five[/i]. Ikora spun and threw a grenade. Dredgen shifted his head, allowing the blob of violet energy to glance past his helmet. Shaxx, the Crucible announcer, yelled something about Ikora’s imminent defeat through the speakers installed throughout the arena, but he ignored him. The man was only a distraction. “How are you still alive?" asked the Warlock, taking Invective from her back. "I don't sense Light within you...and you aren't sustained by the Traveler's power, yet you fight like a Guardian." She paused. "You're not natural." “Natural," Dredgen repeated, tasting those strange syllables, revolving it on his tongue. He cocked his head, for she was far from natural herself. She came into this arena to die over and over and over again. To have her bones crushed and her body eviscerated---to feel disintegration. Resurrection. It was twisted. Before he corrupted himself, he was addicted to the glories of the Crucible. He was a gladiator of Light, fighting to hone his skills in battle against other heroes who also knew the excruciating pain that came with prominence. Now, he had found another addiction. Granting death. Maybe one day he would give [i]true[/i] death. Dredgen raised Thorn. “It’s over.” “Nothing’s over yet," said Ikora. A small pop of a detonation sounded behind him and realized the grenade had burst into an axion bolt. It was something he should have predicted. The bolt of Void power tore a black hole in his cloak and hammered into his overshield. Violet static forked over his vision as Ikora sprinted towards him, shotgun low. Dredgen noticed her hand lash out to Blink, but it was too late. He fired Thorn twice and Ikora skidded across the stone. [i]Six.[/i] The effects were immediate. Black poison streaked across her exposed neck where he lodged his bullets, turning her flesh black. She spasmed violently, crimson robes ruffling, then died at his feet. A Ghost rose from her body to teleport her to relative safety. A machine made from Light. He desired to split it like an a.pple so he could suck out its golden pulp. But Dredgen couldn’t do that yet. Not yet. Ikora would make a name for herself and become something great one day. Then, when her Light blinded him, he could drink to his heart's content. But not now. He could control his temptation a while longer. [b]I didn't think I'd have to write a disclaimer about this story, but I guess I have to due to all the misinformation people are spreading. First of all, according to lore, Ikora was a fierce competitor in the Crucible. You can read this on her grimoire card under "Allies" to "Tower Allies." Second, it's true Dredgen was a murderer, but he did compete in the Crucible corrupted. If you ever find "The Cloak of Dredgen Yor," it states that, "before he took Pahanin's Light, Dredgen Yor ruled the Crucible, the notorious Thorn at his side." There's nothing murky or subtle about that sentence. Dredgen competed in the Crucible while corrupted. The only thing fan fiction about this is the battle between Dredgen and Ikora, and I'm not even sure if they were competing in the same time frame, but I wrote this as a FUN piece, not something to be scrutinized heavily over. Anyways, I'll start a new series soon! So keep your eyes out in the coming days. Hopefully, this will sate your desire for more. Lol. Check out my other stories about Eris Morn and Saint-14 at the bottom! Read, Bump, Like, and most importantly, enjoy! [/b] [b][url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/100362914]DESTINY FAN FICTION ARCHIVE[/url][/b] [b][url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Clan/Forum/823422]JOIN OR FOLLOW GROUP FOR FAN FICTION UPDATES[/url][/b]