They all gathered at the top of the boarding ramp. Each of them had a godkiller. Those that didn't have one of their own were given a spare.

Revna was armed with the one taken from Loki, and Nat had Hel's, which Vatra had been grateful she decided to hold on to. Reluctantly, Vatra had given one of her daggers to Enyalius to use. Spyro was weaponless, as he would be left behind to use the ship's defenses as his own godkiller.

Vatra had fitted everyone with a speaker around their wrists. It was small and barely the size of a watch, but the music that would play through would be loud enough to draw attention.

"Everyone okay with the plan?" Vatra asked, looking around at the group.

"Care to explain again how we're supposed to sweep this entire station clear?" Enyalius tapped the speaker at this wrist and drew his gaze up slowly.

Sighing, Vatra ignored the fact Enyalius had clearly not been paying enough attention. That's to be expected.

"All right, I've already radioed in to Lorenzo and told him to clear the levels of civilians. They should all have been evacuated and secured within buildings, assuming no one was near enough to these creatures to get hurt. He's also shut down anything that would make too much noise. So, the only thing those things should hear will be us. Music will play from our speakers, and from the ship itself," Vatra explained.

"Right, right, hunt them down, kill them. Funnel others down to the ship, let Spyro blast them to hell. Got it. Let's get to it, then. This isn't the most glorious of battles, but it should be fun," Fulgora said. She drew out her weapon and marveled at the blade as if seeing the weapon in an entirely new light. "I haven't been on a hunt in a while," she added.

"Right." Vatra shrugged off the chill that Fulgora's eagerness sent down her own spine, and turned to find a song to begin their adventure.

Enyalius pushed himself close beside her. His eyes scanned the screen she thumbed through on the wall with an equal amount of judgment and impatience. "It has to be something with a lot of instrumental background," he whispered.

"I know," Vatra grumbled.

"You guys shouldn't be so picky about-" Revna's words were cut short by a simultaneous venomous look that Enyalius and Vatra cast over their shoulders at her. "Nevermind," Revna said.

Vatra returned to her task. After a few more scrolls, she selected a song and stepped back with a nod of approval as a haunting echo of bells played out over the speakers. A small grin twitched on her lips.

"Your sense of humor is so... dark," Enyalius said.

"What, you don't approve?" Vatra turned to the lowered boarding ramp, pulling free her godkiller. " 'For Whom the Bell Tolls' felt so fitting."

"Of course I do," Enyalius said. He tapped his fingers against his thigh in beat with the drums.

They exited the ship just as the music connected to the external speakers of the Agkistrodon. The drums and guitar thrummed at their backs. An empty Tau Honnor greeted them, but Vatra knew it wasn't completely void of dangers. Hungry beasts lurked around every corner.

Vatra paired off with Nat, both of them taking the lead. It had been decided they would take the district closest to the ship, while the other two pairs would break off and go further, looping around and leading any creatures back in their direction. Ultimately, the other four had the job of being bait while Vatra and Nat were going to make an attempt to start picking off the beasts.

The music continued to blare from the speakers at their wrists. Vatra and Nat were by themselves, clearing levels of the district at a pace just below an all out sprint. There was no point in looking for the beasts, they would certainly come for them.

"I hope you can handle yourself with that godkiller like you did on that transport ship, and you don't go all soft on me like when you saw that creature," Vatra said through steady breaths.

Nat scoffed. "I'm bound to help you now, remember? I didn't lose my touch with a weapon."

"No, just your spine, it seems," Vatra muttered.

"I'm armed, now," Nat shot. "I wasn't, then."

"I would have clawed that beast's eyes out before I bawled like you did." Vatra cut her eyes over her shoulder, enunciating the fire behind her words. "You may have bound yourself to me, but I still don't trust you."

"Fine," Nat said. She barely sounded out of breath, despite the fact they'd already cleared two levels.

They ran on past stores sealed shut with impenetrable, metal bulkheads lowered down around their storefronts. All signs of business and flashing neon were turned off. It was abandoned and quiet, and the only thing lighting their way were faint, white lights along the floors.

Vatra watched the lights pass with a hypnotic focus. Their music echoed down the path ahead of them, and trailed at their heels. The station was cold. The dark, metal halls surrounding them made the chill in the air even sharper.

Ascending the emergency stairwell to the next level, Vatra pulled them to a halt. The unmistakable, pained shriek of a god-turned-beast vibrated down to the soles of her boots. Vatra gripped the railing of the stairwell.

"Are you ready to fight?" She looked back at Nat.

"No," Nat stated plainly. She peered up from a couple steps below Vatra, her expression pinched. "But I'll do what needs to be done."

Vatra gave a sharp nod, then climbed the rest of the stairs two at a time. Once at the next level, she pressed herself against the cool metal. Her back flattened, and she slid to the edge of the corner. Vatra peered around the corner, darting her gaze both left and right.

The hazy, white lights burned just as they did on the other two levels. They weren't very bright, and visibility was limited more than a few storefronts away. But, Vatra wasn't looking for clarity. She noted the lights in the distance flickering, as if something were passing in front of them.

"There's one to the right. I say we charge it head on, and keep pushing up the levels," Vatra said.

"I thought you said you don't know their weakness until you're up close? You didn't see Laverna's until you were practically an arm's length away," Nat whispered.

"Your point?"

"Why would we rush in? It's already coming our way because of the music. Wait until it's closer, and then take it down once we get a good look at its weak point," Nat explained.

Vatra shook her head. "No time, and there's no space to maneuver in these halls. We already went over the plan before we left the ship, don't question it now," Vatra said. She steadied her grip on her godkiller before slipping around the corner. There wasn't time to debate with Nat.

The beast sensed her approach immediately. It didn't hesitate as a normal opponent would. There was no attempt to size up Vatra, or consider a plan of retreat. No, the beast wanted one thing, and that was to kill Vatra.

Her strides lengthened as she closed the gap between her and the creature. She didn't look to see if Nat followed, but the sound of boots over metal signaled Nat was somewhere close behind.

Good, we can't give this creature an opening to strike. No hesitation.