Rhulk, Disciple of the Witness: Difference between revisions

After Savathûn's death at the hands of [[The Guardian]], the Scorn began to invade her fortress en masse and threatened to destroy the Wellspring: the main source of Light distribution across the throne world and of the curse which had kept Rhulk trapped.<ref>'''Bungie (2022/2/22)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[The Witch Queen]] - [[The Wellspring]]: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfixEake1QQ First Defense]''</ref> Instead the Guardians would repeatedly quash their attempts and keep the Wellspring secured from both Scorn and Lucent Hive parties. [[Fynch]] would also inform to [[Ikora Rey]] and the [[Vanguard]] of the curse surrounding the Sunken Pyramid, albeit unaware of the disciple inside it kept from escaping.<ref>'''Bungie (2022/2/22)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[The Witch Queen]] - [[The Wellspring]]: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tE2QCYmKWSI "A Pretty Hefty Light Curse On It"]''</ref>  

Eventually, [[The Guardian]] would lead a six-manned [[raid]] fireteam to investigate the sunken Pyramid. [[Mara Sov]] would warn them of the threat posed by Rhulk only to be cut of by his own whispers greeting the Light bearers and inviting them to enter; cryptically warning them to either "drown in the [[Darkness|Deep]]" or "rise from it".<ref>'''Bungie (2022/2/22)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[The Witch Queen]] - [[Vow of the Disciple]]: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwmyC-ixHqQ "A Dark Entity, Unknown In Power"]''</ref>  

The Guardians would first approach [[Vow_of_the_Disciple#Acquisition|Acquisition]], a vast repository of artifacts taken from Rhulk's past conquests including the rib he took from the Leviathan of Fundament. The Subjugator would then explain that the Witness would see the Light fall and glimpsed of the potential Guardians would possess freed of its chains.<ref>'''Bungie (2022/2/22)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[The Witch Queen]] - [[Vow of the Disciple]]: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-c2uX0E0zk "The Witness... Sees Light Fall"]''</ref> Despite opposition by both Scorn and [[Taken]] forces marshalled in the structure, the Guardians journeyed deeper into the hull of the Pyramid. They had then glanced upon the Upended in the distance, which Rhulk described as a "triumvirate" of the three core tenants of the Witness: opportunity, preservation, and salvation.<ref>'''Bungie (2022/2/22)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[The Witch Queen]] - [[Vow of the Disciple]]: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTLuH1Tt_ic "Opportunity. Preservation. Salvation."]''</ref>   

After observing the Guardians killing [[The Caretaker]], Rhulk would remark that those "defiant" of the Witness’ campaign would be subjugated in service of the Final Shape, which he described as an "ailing, endless, void".<ref>'''Bungie (2022/2/22)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[The Witch Queen]] - [[Vow of the Disciple]]: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_rkt8YXbaI "In Service of an Ailing, Endless Void."]''</ref> As they approached the Upended, Rhulk further compliments the Guardians as resilient yet credulous of themselves. In blindly killing scores of Scorn and Taken, however, the fireteam had aided Rhulk instead in powering the Upended with their bloodshed as its fuel. With the machine reaching full power, Rhulk was prepared to seal the throne world permanently of the Light; leaving both the Guardians and the Lucent Hive to suffer. As a final rebuke, the disciple told the Guardians they were not fit to serve the Witness nor its goals, instead deserved to drown in Darkness.<ref>'''Bungie (2022/2/22)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[The Witch Queen]] - [[Vow of the Disciple]]: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HsNx_IwT8U "This World Will Be Sealed From the Light"]''</ref>       

With the Guardians having reached their destination on top of the Upended, Rhulk emerged from his suspended sarcophagus to personally greet them. Stating that he had no use in them anymore, the Subjugator commenced a climactic battle with his interlopers by dropping his [[Lubrae's Ruin|glaive]] and unleashing a massive resonant barrier of Darkness to push them back.<ref>'''Bungie (2022/2/22)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[The Witch Queen]] - [[Vow of the Disciple]]: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-CIVBDKevk "All That Awaits You Now is the Gift of Death"]''</ref> The fireteam retaliated in turn by exploiting the resonance from his attacks to push back the barrier, all while Rhulk taunts the fireteam as they fight Scorn and Taken reinforcements. With the barrier having pushed inward and reached the disciple, Rhulk disables it before inviting the Guardians to the inner sanctum of the Upended. There Rhulk would challenge his opponents in person, to which he toys with the fireteam and even kick them to death on occasion. His composure was only short-lived as they found and then took advantage of four chinks in Rhulk's impervious defense, enraging the disciple as he became vulnerable to their attacks. In his final moments, Rhulk could only cry out begging the Witness for forgiveness as his body contorted by his own out-of-control powers, transforming him into what appeared to be a petrified, lifeless tree with gnarled vein-like roots of Darkness growing from it.<ref>'''Bungie (2022/2/22)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[The Witch Queen]] - [[Vow of the Disciple]]: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftOWxGbDj98 "Witness... Forgive Me!"]''</ref>

The death of the First Disciple held major ramifications throughout the Throne World, the Scorn became driven to a frenzy without his leadership. Wanting control of the now vacant Pyramid on behalf of the Witness, the Scorn made repeated attempts to storm Rhulk's former stronghold but would be eradicated by Guardian fireteams to keep it under [[Vanguard]] occupation.<ref name="Preservation">'''Bungie (2022/2/22)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[The Witch Queen]] - [[Preservation]]''</ref>  

Rhulk's remains would be secured by the Guardians who survived the raid and transported by a [[Hidden]] agent named [[Marco]] back to [[The Enclave]] for study. Traveling en-route on [[Mars]]' desert surface, a motor accident caused his [[Sparrow]] to crash and grievously injure himself with a broken leg and a punctured lung. The container storing samples of the disciple's corpse lay cracked against a spar of basalt, to which Marco could hear whispers of Rhulk's thoughts echoing from it. From it, black veins snaked through the red dust of the wreckage to approach Marco's position, infecting his wounds with [[Darkness]]. They then began to heal his wounded knee as Marco felt himself possessed by the disciple's vestige, fighting it off with what willpower he held before he turned his [[Sidearm]] towards the cracked reactor shielding of his broken Sparrow. With one shot, the Sparrow ruptured into a small-scale nuclear blast which killed Marco and destroyed what remained of the First Disciple for good.<ref name="Gouging Light">'''Bungie (2022/2/22)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[The Witch Queen]] - Item Description: [[Gouging Light]]''</ref>