#salvation's edge

[erismornsgf]

One final act of entropy.

[anjian]

i can't even get far enough to submit it in person smh

[abyssalcleave]

— salvation's edge

[collectiveobligation]

these are probably just manifestations of disciplehood but i think it would be funnier if the witness carved these and put them on its front door to taunt guardians with

[aghostsdestiny]

#DestinyTober24 Day 29! "Salvation's Edge"

Witness is the expert on edges & salvation (see: cutting & good fuckin food) 🍴

But only under the agreement that Cayde be made unable to touch. Anything. XD

[iemaki]

salvation's edge

[zalia]

FINISHED THE RAID! Finally got through Verity last night which is the last encounter i needed. I AM FREE!!!

[imonthemoonitsmadeofcheese]

Destinytober24: Day 29 - Salvation's Edge

A first kiss, suffused with sorrow.

Link to Ao3 if you prefer to read it there

Content warning: Sad. Multiple guardians die.

"Guardian down."

"Who got hit?"

"Jackstone."

"Get 'em up Sliverton. You're a Void Hunter. That's your job."

"He's… His ghost is gone Cara… Jackstone's gone."

"Shit. Command? You copy?"

"Copy that, Catsclaw." Ikora's voice. She sounded tired. "Jackstone-7: KIA. Keep going, Catsclaw. All other fireteams, report in when you can."

"Blue Lagoon reporting in."

"Copy that, Blue Lagoon. What's your status?"

"We're all still kicking, Ikora. Pinned down behind a Subjugator and some giant hands. Gonna backtrack and try another way."

"Copy that, Blue Lagoon."

"Fireteam Avalanche reporting in."

"Copy that, Avalanche. What's your status?"

"I'm all that's left. Everyone else is dead. They're all dead. Their ghosts are dead. My ghost is dead."

"I hear you, Avalanche. Fennyl, is it?"

"Yeah."

"Fireteam Catsclaw just lost someone and they're not far behind you. Can you group up with them?"

"I can try, Ikora."

"Eyes up, Warlock. You can make it. Stay strong."

"I'm on it, Ikora. I'm-"

Static.

"Fennyl? Fireteam Avalanche, report in. Fennyl? Fireteam Catsclaw do you read?"

"Fennyl's gone, Ikora. We just found her. We were too late."

"Copy that Catsclaw. Fire team Avalanche: Entire team KIA. Keep moving."

Eris reached out and turned off the kit-bashed communicator the Drifter was using to hack into and listen in on the Vanguard's comms.

He stood, leaning forward, both hands on a shipping crate in one of the more spacious storage rooms on the HELM, staring out a porthole at the pink triangular glowing hole in the Traveller.

His only response to her action was to slowly blink and continue to stare straight ahead.

Eris reached out and gently pried his white-knuckled hand off of the side of the crate, lacing her fingers between his. He tensed for a moment at her touch and then as though he was coming out of a trance, he slowly relaxed. Moments later he rubbed one finger along hers.

"They do not do live broadcasts of critical strike missions for a reason." Eris said, quietly. "The Great Disaster taught us that."

"Yeah." He looked down at the equipment Eris had disabled. "Mission Salvation's Edge. What a name. And you're right. It is a lot like it was listenin' in when shit went down on the Moon."

"Did you?"

"I did, yeah."

"Why?"

"I don't even know any more. Originally I was just gatherin' intel. Seein' where I might be able to find good salvage later. But… then when it started goin' real bad… Kept listenin'… Felt like someone should, I guess."

"Those are not the actions of someone who cares only for themselves. Perhaps the empathy you think you did not have was there all along… present, but deeply buried… to protect yourself."

"Yeah well… guess I was looking for a hero. Someone who I could cheer for. Someone who would make it…" He shook his head. "Kept wanting to tune in and find someone was doin' ok, only to find out… they were not."

"Many were not."

"You were there."

"I was. Did you hear my voice then, I wonder?"

"I don't remember." He continued staring through the porthole. "Finally gave up… Turned it off and walked away when I heard Wei Ning die."

"That was a turning point for many."

He squeezed her hand, his eyes locked on the Traveller.

"That kid, Jackstone? He was a Gambit regular. Really liked the Viperidax digs. Looked damn fine in 'em too. That Exo had an amazing ass… and a swagger to go with it. Those pants showed off all his curves. And when he moved it was like water flowin'. Loved watchin' him invade. He'd just dance all over the map. It was a thing of beauty. Fuckin' hunters. Always lookin' so damn pretty all the damn time."

"I knew him."

"Yeah?"

"He was very expedient with his bounty completion on Luna and often… lingered in Sanctuary… A practice I should have encouraged more than I did. He would leave me small gifts at times: books he found in his travels, dried fruit, tea. We rarely spoke, but there was a quiet comfort in his presence. He seemed to take strength from mine. He was kind. I will miss him."

"Me too." The Drifter closed his eyes, quiet, still holding her hand.

Eris stood solemnly beside him for a few more moments, and then shifted her grip in his hand. He turned to look at her for the first time since she'd entered the room. There were heavy bags under his eyes. He looked old. Tired.

Eris tugged gently on his arm. He shifted his weight, complying with her voiceless request to face her. Then she stepped in close and slid her arms around his waist, pulling him into a hug.

His arms slipped around hers as though this was where they should have been all along. It should have been awkward. She'd let him hug her for the first time only a week ago. But here and now it felt every bit as though they'd been embracing each other for years. Eris turned her head so her ear was against his chest and tugged him tighter.

He took a deep breath and returned the closeness of the embrace, closing his eyes and leaning into her. It felt right. She felt like home.

He breathed deeply and slowly, feeling grounded.

"Spent all this time trying to get away from here, and now…" He squeezed her briefly. "Now I'll do anything to be able to stay."

"I know."

He looked down at her and his lips moved to say something but he just gave her a sad smile and blinked.

He tried again to speak but closed his eyes and shook his head.

Eris cupped his cheek in her hand, her fingers caressing and then sliding into the scruffy hairs of his beard.

The Drifter leaned into her hand, placing his own hand on top of hers, prolonging the touch.

"I'm scared," he said finally.

"Of death?"

His eyes opened and he looked at her. "Nah. Thing I'm most scared of losing is… things that haven't happened yet…"

Her thumb caressed his cheekbone. "What things? Tell me."

His hand slid down her arm to rest gently at her waist. "Whatever ends up happenin' with… whatever it is we've got goin' on together right now, you and I."

"And what is that?"

He blinked again. "I don't know… but I want it… I want it more than anything and I don't want it taken away from us before…" His voice trailed off.

"Before what?"

"Before it can be… whatever it's gonna end up being."

She caressed his cheekbone again. "What do you want it to be," she asked.

"I mean… I'll take whatever I can get… you know me."

They both smiled. Soft. Gentle. Close.

Eris placed her other hand along his other cheek. He leaned in to her. The tip of his nose brushed against where the cloth covering her eyes wrapped over the bridge of her nose.

"I do… and you will, but… what do you want it to be." She tilted her head.

The Drifter closed his eyes, thinking a moment before reopening them and leaning back away from her a bit so he could see her entire face.

"Something healthy… long lasting… like… I could seriously see us hangin' out together for centuries and I'd never get bored… although we don't even know if you live that long without your ghost but…" He licked his lips.

"I agree… I feel the same… What else?" She smiled sadly up at him. "Tell me while you still can."

He smiled sadly back.

"Something close… Closer even than we are now…"

"Intimacy?"

"Yeah."

"Love?"

He nodded, his face still between her hands. "Yeah."

Eris whispered. "What kind of love?"

He looked at her for a long moment before he whispered back, his words slow and deliberate. "Whatever kind you want."

The kiss was small, fleeting, her lips barely brushing against his. His mouth chased after hers, returning the kiss with one of his own, just as small and light. Not tentative or uncertain, but gentle, reverent. More kisses followed, equally chaste. Solace more than desire. Respectful of the death they had both just listened to. Cognizant of the grief they were both feeling. Kisses to soothe the pain. A balm to fear.

"Attention." Mara Sov's voice came through a speaker in the ceiling. Their lips parted and they held each other close, listening. "This is a fleet-wide message. Operation Salvation's Edge continues. Several teams have breached the first layer of the Witness' defenses. Current intelligence indicates they will need to work through at least two more. We expect to hold position for the next two hours minimum. Try to get some rest. We will need your strength for the battle ahead. Your next update will be in two hours."

Eris sighed deeply, her head against his chest. The Drifter's hands shook as he held her.

"I want so much more than two hours with you," he said, unable to keep the tremor out of his voice.

"As do I."

"I'm so scared this is all we're gonna get."

"Do you remember on Europa… how you once offered to… cuddle me… any time I wanted… with no strings attached?"

"Yeah…" He grinned wryly, his cheek against the top of her head. "I remember you declined that offer."

"I did, but… it was not because I did not want to cuddle you."

"It wasn't?"

"No." She pulled away from him slightly and reached up with her fingertips to brush against his lips. "I want the strings attached."

He kissed her fingertips. "Yeah?"

"Yes."

"We could do that…" He took both her hands in his. "We could do that right now… Do you wanna do that? We could go back to my ship… or your ship, but my ship has more room… and we could just… hold each other… And when it's go time we can go in on my ship together. Fight off the end of the world together. Stand or fall, side by side. If you're all right with that."

"Yes." She squeezed his hands. "Let us do that."

"Now?"

"Now."

Link to the entire month's worth of prompts on Ao3, posted daily.

[slavetomyheadcanon]

Sometimes the best way to learn a raid is to clown around repeatedly

[necroticvessel]

First time Verity experience

[jadedzer0]

Gotta commemorate a fantastic D2 achievement from last night.

The clan was working on the second encounter of Salvation's Edge when @subtlybrilliant 's mouse died. Mad woman that she is, she proceeds to use her LAPTOP TRACK PAD to play and that was the run in which we beat the encounter. Absolutely incredible. We were hoopin and hollerin (how could you not?).

There is a running joke in our clan whenever something happens to someone (disconnected, lagging, frozen, dies way too early, etc) that "This is the run." This, however, takes the cake.

[aboutbeverages]

Random gamer saves the Excision Grandmaster for the whole group!  Witness solo clear.

[flibbyjinxsr]

Deeply ironic that The Final Shape is all about everyone gathering together; uniting against the Witness in the Pale Heart...

And the big finale is a raid race where many competitors are blacking out their screens to make sure that no one can see their gameplay and possibly gain intel on how to clear the raid.

[xavathun]

i am really really glad i didn't watch too much of the raid race for salvation's edge bc seeing who the second encounter was while doing the raid with friends was so fucking funny

[abyssalcleave]

salvation's edge has been cleared!! <3 ngl this is one of the hardest raids I've ever played and I probably need to get a bunch more clears until I actually get what is going on. (especially encounter four holy shit)

[scoobertfoo]

LETS FUCKING GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO