A/N: Enjoy the Chapter, IS WHAT I WOULD SAY ONCE YOU'VE LEFT A REVIEW! Leave a damn review!
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[Thieves Landing]
The Jumpships scattered in a practiced arc, shimmering through layers of ion mist before cutting thrusters over the dock of the Tangled Shore.
From what they could see, the whole place looked like the graveyard of a devastating war—floating islands of jagged rock, metal cranes bent from long-dead industry, and ancient ship hulks fused with asteroid chunks. Lights flickered from rusted gantries.
Oil sprayed like mist into the void, only to hang frozen in microgravity.
Thieves' Landing greeted them not with the solemn grace of the Tower, but with a discordant chorus of steel grinding on steel, the shriek of arc welders in vacuum, and the far-off thunder of shifting asteroids crashing against the shattered bones of forgotten vessels. It was alien. Beautiful in its desolation.
The moment the team stepped down, it hit them—this place wasn't polished marble and curated statues like the Tower. It reeked of life… desperate, stubborn life. Of cutthroats, mercenaries, and deals made over bleeding knuckles.
Waffles turned slowly, her helmet scanning the sprawl of jagged terrain ahead. "Dude… this place is nuts."
"Yeah," Undecided murmured, glancing up at the distant silhouettes of massive Skiffs crossing between the sky and the void. "It's like… Blade Runner… in space."
BearSpray adjusted his gauntlet, watching sparks rain from a nearby tower. "Feels like the whole place is held together by duct tape and spite."
IEatPaint chuckled nervously. "And a whole lot of grease."
Their HUDs pinged with a waypoint—an orange marker pointing deeper into the settlement, cutting between Fallen scrap towns and makeshift bazaars where Eliksni bartered quietly. They walked with practiced silence, Ghosts dimmed, weapons sheathed but ready.
"This feels… wrong, those are high level enemies." Gandalf muttered. "Why aren't we being shot at?"
Waffles squinted toward a passing group of Vandals who seemed far more interested in unloading cargo than starting a fight. "Maybe not all of 'em are hostile?"
"Could be, maybe they've got factions?" Undecided said.
"So what? You mean the Houses are all something separate? What is this? Harry Potter?" Gandalf murmured.
They reached the workshop—a massive structure embedded within the cliffside, a fusion of retrofitted Cabal armor plating and shattered Awoken ship hulls. Machinery churned inside, and dozens of Fallen workers were hauling crates, welding exosuits, and processing materials with eerie focus.
The players ducked behind a stack of plating, watching.
"Looks like a base," said TheOneWhoKnocks. "But why's our marker here?"
"Could be a bug," Waffles whispered.
"Doesn't feel like one," BearSpray added, his voice barely audible.
TheOneWhoKnocks crouched and crept closer, "I think we've got to explore inside. I mean, we've already come this far."
But as their radar glowed faintly red, they knew that enemies were present. Naturally, that wasn't going to stop them from exploring.
BearSpray shifted closer, "Alright, just crouch and follow in a single file line. Don't get f*cking spotted."
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[Workshop]
Sparks flew in waves. The rhythmic clang of a forge echoed deep. Pahanin moved with purpose, sweat glistening under the forge light. His cloak hung loose, one shoulder armored, the other bare. A half-forged rifle sat under his tools.
Then he stopped.
He turned and felt something. A presence, one that he never thought would come so soon.
'Guardians? Is the city here?' Pahanin's eyes narrowed, 'This light, it seems, unrefined.'
There was a shift in the air.
Fingers drumming his workbench, he exhaled slowly before putting the hammer down. Instead, he reached for his sword—a simple thing, worn but deadly.
Pahanin was no stranger to running a workshop, he'd been running one for centuries, albeit he wasn't exactly selling to outsiders. But in all those years, he did learn one thing.
Unannounced visits by the city, were always trouble. Naturally, he'd always handled them. This time, it would be no different.
Pahanin slipped into his armour, deftly tightening his boots. He walked to the door.
Outside, the Guardians had just breached the side of the hangar, hugging shadows. He instantly spotted them.
'Their stealth, its quite poor.' Pahanin shook his head, creeping closer unnoticed. He observed them, making an effort to recognize who he was dealing with.
But a few seconds later, Pahanin was convinced, he'd never seen them before. Besides, what kind of a stealth operation involved so much chatting....He could swear they were practically bickering.
As the guardians scuttled across his workshop, Pahanin could only sigh. Eventually, he ran out of patience.
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"F*ck, stop pushing into me, I can't go any faster!" Gandalf barked
"Dude, you're barely moving! At least strafe forward." Waffles grumbled.
"Both of you cut the shit, we're almost there" Undecided sighed, "This place isn't that heavily guarded, so we should be fine."
BearSpray stayed quiet, one could instantly tell he'd damn near lost his mind trying to get Waffles and Gandalf to sneak inside. His anger was practically seething as he jittered.
TheOneWhoKnocks hopped ahead, leading forward, but just then his HUD blinked.
Then—ping. Their radar blared red.
A heavy pressure settled over everyone and the door opened.
A silver spectre stepped into view. Quiet. Measured. But an aura rolled off him like static—aged. Raw power soaked into his bones. He shot them a glare.
It was an instant. That's all it took for an oppressive force to freeze them. As if someone wrapped chains around their body.
"Motherfu-" TheOneWhoKnocks tried his best to scramble to his feet.
Waffles whispered, "Boss fight?"
"Holy shi*, did I just get nerfed? I can't move!" Gandalf wiggled, but he couldn't seem to move an inch.
No one answered. The players looked at Pahanin, staring at him in awe.
"Who the f*ck is that!" Undecided wobbled in place.
Pahanin raised a blade, prepared to cut them down.
But before the tension snapped, a ripple passed through the air.
A shade flickered and stood calmly behind them, arms crossed as he chuckled.
"Relax, they're with me." Void waved.
Pahanin raised a brow, then exhaled. He stepped back, "I don't like unannounced visits. Next time, don't make it a surprise."
Before the players could even speak to him, Pahanin returned to the core of the workshop.
Void walked up to the players as they got to their feet.
"I see you're here to talk about the offer" he said, voice low and clear, "welcome to VENOM."
The players blinked, tense and speechless.
"Who was that?" IEatPaint managed to ask.
"A friend of mine", Void walked towards the door, "But for now, he's nobody."
"This is your workshop? Look's cool as f*ck." Gandalf chirped.
Void didn't reply and just circled them, "What you should be concerned with, is why I called you here."
The players perked their ears up.
"You've all done pretty well. Showed off some great skills. And soon the City's factions will notice", Void paused.
"They'll offer you gear, incentives. Even paint a future for you in the city." Void continued, "Their goal is simple. To keep you around, waving their banners."
Void turned towards them, "At the end of the day, no matter what faction you choose. You'll face problems. Eventually, you might find yourself running grunt work for scraps in the name of honor. That's how it always ends."
TheOneWhoKnocks chimed in, "So?"
"So, I am here to save you the misery. Here to make you an offer you can't refuse." Void pulled out a custom VENOM sidearm and spun it around his finger.
He gestured to the forge behind him. "We'll provide weapons at a lower cost. Jobs and missions outside the City's grasp. And access to intel that stretches far beyond Earth's walls."
Void smiled, "There's no restrictions either. Whether you want to play house with the other factions in the City, or spend your days mowing down Fallen in the Cosmodrome. It won't make a difference. VENOM will stand by you."
His words seemed to draw them in.
"In return. All I ask, is when time comes, you're up for the job." Void gripped the sidearm, and stretched his hand towards the players, "You scratch my back, I scratch yours. No strings attached."
The players stood in silence, staring at the forge as the sound of tools resumed behind it.
Waffles gulped dryly, her eyes darting between the others. She was sure they were all thinking the same thing.
"How long is this offer valid for?" Undecided nervously asked, it seemed too good to pass up, but he really wanted to look at the City's factions too. He wasn't sure if he'd miss out on content if he picked too early.
Void's eyes lit up faintly, he smiled, "My doors are always open for those I consider interesting."
He turned to walk away. "Come back later when you're ready. "
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A/N: Hope you enjoyed! Read ahead on my Patre*n!
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