Serene, Tranquil. Violent, Hurtful.

Yetta lay awake. Her hand traced shapes into Crow's chest, her vanguard breathing deeply as he held her. She sighed softly, whistling to the whistling wind outside. It had slowed down, significantly, since yesterday. A couple more hours, and it would stop completely. Which means they would have to split up again, if they could get the damn door open. She sighed softly, tracing a spiral into his skin. The swirls of light under his skin followed her fingers.

His breathing changed, and Crow stirred. "I can hear those gears turning," he mumbled sleepily. His hand came up to stroke her hair. "What's going on in that head of yours?"

"We'll have to split up again," she whispered. "If we manage to get out of here."

"There's a vent in the ceiling."

"It'll be buried," she reminded. "The door's blocked by a bunch of snow." She clipped her armor on, listening to the various clicks as her chest piece snapped into place. "Ceiling vent will be absolutely covered in the shit."

"Fair enough." He sat up. "Maybe I can heat the doors enough to melt the snow?" She looked over to the doors, chewing on her lip.

"Maybe…" she agreed. "No time like the present." She stepped back, letting him approach the door. Putting his hands on the door, he focused.

The snow melted, quickly. The door warped under the heat, falling open. It was time to run again.

. . .

Yetta trudged against the frozen wasteland, wrapping her cloak around her shoulders. Another blizzard had started up again, and this time? This time, there were no shacks to hide in. Her visibility was limited, and so was her hearing. Her hand found its way to her knife, almost without her thinking about it. Distantly, Yetta thought she could see a looming shape in the distance, which could mean one of two things.

Shelter, or a hunting ground. Fuck it. It was a risk worth taking. She stumbled over to it, her free hand pressing against the frozen metal. Good. The door was open. She crossed the threshold, the door shutting behind her. The bitter wind was no longer lashing at her back, but there was another problem. She knew this place. Corrupted would be here. Corrupted *was* here. There was a bitter chill in the air, despite the blizzard being outside. A chill that only came when there was Stasis nearby. Her hand tightened on the knife, and Yetta grit her teeth, pressing forwards.

. . .

*"It's here," she said. "We can end this, once and for all."* Yetta could remember seeing a horrified look on Crow's face for one second. And then nothing as she stepped through the portal. *"We can end this."* Those had been her words. And now, they echoed in her skull, bouncing around relentlessly, as she stalked around the warehouse. The corpses she'd seen on the walls had finally rotted to bones, some of them having fallen off of the crystals.

She drew her sidearm, Rose. She hadn't really used it before, but as she put her knife back in its sheath, it was the only option. Yetta doubted Corrupted would let her get even a little close. And Rose was small, easy to hide. 

As she walked slowly, her foot caught on a thick string, pulling it slightly. She stepped back, quickly, looking up. The string, which was really a wire, led up to the walls, going down the hallway. At the end of the corridor, she could hear it. The Lament, revving to life. 

. . .

Yetta's finger dug into purple eye sockets, pulling. Corrupted screamed in irritation, trying to push the huntress away. Yetta could hear Ace click behind her, she could hear everything now. Arc was almost ready. Static filled her eyes, her head. And she grinned. "Tell me something." With a determined yank backwards, sparks flew.

Corrupted's face plate fell to the floor from Yetta's hand. "Where's your ghost now?"

Lightning rushed from her hand, still dug into the eye sockets. She pushed herself, yelling. 

It hurt. It fucking hurt. It felt like she was being punched everywhere, all at once. And for a second, it felt like she could do anything. Everything. She was distantly aware of Corrupted's glitched yell of pain. Arc filled the small room, burning her from the inside out. She dropped the exo, staggering back. Corrupted dropped to the ground, her eyes burnt out.

She panted softly, sparks flying from her clenched fists. Arc was still racing down her arms, leaving light blue traces in its wake. Her breath fell out of her in heavy pants, her eyes, still bright, finding Carman. "I did it," she wheezed. "I fucking did it."