Summary: Destiny AU. Fireteam Empire along with Fireteam Axis are sent on a mission to go deep inside the Hellmouth. What was supposed to be a thrilling adventure ends up being a stressful encounter, especially for one young Hunter. It is up to his teammates to counsel him and work together to defeat Crota, son of Oryx, once and for all.
Pairings: RusAme and UKUS. Hell yeah, son.
Disclaimer: Hetalia belongs to Himaruya; Destiny belongs to Bungie.
A/N: It's been a while since I've posted anything here. I've actually been here the whole time, just reading. Watching. Haha.
I've been playing Destiny for a year now and I've recently had the idea to write this little oneshot. I was mainly inspired by another idea for a fanfiction I have, but as of now that is a huge mess that needs to be sorted. The roles of Alfred, Ivan, and Arthur are very similar in both ideas, so I decided to whip this up real quick as practice. Please feel free to leave constructive criticism! Improvement is always a good thing, and I'm sure this story has plenty of mistakes as its very late at night (for some it could be considered early morning, but it's not morning until after I wake up)!
For those of you who are unfamiliar with Destiny and are reading this because you need something new after reading every other story out there (we've all been there, trust me): after the story I'll have another A/N that'll explain some things as simply as possible. I'll be honest though, even I don't know what's happening in Destiny most of the time. Story? What story?
The title of this is taken from an actual song in the Destiny: The Taken King OST. It plays in the same instance as in this fic: when the Swordbearer goes to kill Crota. It really is a beautiful song, especially when you become very attached to it and the memories you shared with your friends as you beat Crota. I would definitely recommend listening to it.
They made it.
They were in the Chamber Room; they had finally defeated the Deathsinger and all of the enemies that had been protecting her. It had been a close call, the Deathsinger's Liturgy had almost ended and killed them all.
Now, they waited for the god himself.
"Where is he?" Feliciano panicked, his amber eyes darting across the room.
"Its quiet..." Kiku whispered with a tense posture and cautious eyes.
"He's most definitely here...waiting..." Arthur warned, turning toward Alfred and exchanging a nod.
Ludwig, the leader of Fireteam Axis, scowled. "Then when will he show up? My team is exhausted, we want to leave this pit as soon as possible!" The Titan cracked his knuckles in agitation.
"Believe me, we are too," Arthur frowned. The Warlock was in dire need of rest. He had constantly been running around reviving everyone after they died- it was tough being Sunsinger. He and Kiku constantly needed to make sure they were able to time their self-reviving abilities perfectly so that they all wouldn't be lost to the darkness or accidently waste a self resurrect when the other had already activated it. The two normally got along well, so communication wasn't as big as a problem as it could've been. However, constantly dying, reviving, and being the last guardian standing really took its toll.
Feliciano smiled nervously. "How about we turn around and go back home? Yes?"
Ludwig sighed, giving his team's Hunter a sympathetic look. "We can't go back, there is no other way out of this pit."
"Yeah, and there's no way in hell I'm carrying us all back through that thrall room!" Alfred spat, his hands tightened around his Ice Breaker as he sat on a ledge over a closed door. The thrall room had been way too stressful, he had never felt so overwhelmed before.
Arthur paced around the dark green crystal, his helmet concealing his pensive expression. He could feel the dark energies radiating from the crystal, but how did he use that to summon Crota?
"Ah, there's green smoke in my helmet…" Arthur looked at Ivan, his team's Titan.
"What? How?" Arthur strode over toward Ivan, feeling the darkness grow stronger as he got closer to the crystal.
"It's a summoning crystal," Kiku announced with wonder, stepping on the plate the same moment as Arthur; both their helmets being clouded in a green mist.
Arthur nodded. "This is how we fight Crota. We must summon him first."
Ludwig hesitated for a moment before stepping on the plate. He turned towards Feliciano. "Come on, we all must step on the plate."
Feliciano let out a small whine, but complied, uneasily taking the spot between his two teammates.
"Well, Alfred? Are you coming?" Arthur looked up to where Alfred was, the young Hunter had made no effort in joining them. He merely sat on the ledge, his face unreadable beneath his Knucklehead Radar helmet.
He didn't answer, which in itself was rather odd.
Arthur bit his lip, he knew his Hunter better than anybody. Alfred was normally cocky, reckless, and always had something to say. Something was wrong, but it could be dealt with after they escaped the pit. They needed to get out of there. He sighed, but he softened his voice enough to convince the Hunter to join them. "Alfred, we need you too."
Alfred stayed still for a few more seconds without uttering a word before suddenly releasing a loud exhale. He pushed himself off the ledge and landed on the floor with a swift elegance that tended to awe Arthur. Alfred did what was asked of him and stood between Arthur and Ivan.
After a few seconds, the green smoke vanished and clear walls formed around the room. The Guardians all watched as the rubble on the center platform rose and formed into two spikes sticking out of the ground. A mirage of him appeared, and then an explosion.
Crota, son of Oryx, had appeared.
The all stood in silent fear before the walls made a sound that alerted the Guardians of their disappearance. Enemies had spawned and immediately started shooting. Alfred jumped back onto his ledge and began sniping the knights in the head while his teammates ran toward the crevices between the inactive doors. Ludwig and Ivan shot at the acolytes, the latter of the two not worried for his health because of his Red Death being capable of regenerating it with each kill.
"Wait, Alfred!" Arthur halted Alfred before he could headshot a knight. "I have my super, let me kill the majors so I can create orbs!" He yelled as loudly as he could, the sounds of the enemies screams and gunshots filling the air.
Alfred nodded and began working on lowering the health of all the Knights.
Three Knights were left alive before Arthur activated his Radiance. He threw grenades toward them and watched as orbs fell from their burnt bodies. He waited for his Radiance to burn out before walking towards the window and examining Crota. There had to be a way to beat him…
The others joined him. Some watched as Crota pointed at them, letting them know he was out for their light, while some looked at the hoard of enemies that swarmed the area before them.
"This is just like the bridge," Kiku noted. "There's a Swordbearer, we must kill him and use that sword to kill Crota. Like the Gatekeepers, it may be the only thing that can bring him harm."
Arthur noticed the subtle tenseness in Alfred's shoulders.
"I've noticed that the presence of Crota has impacted our health...it won't regenerate." Ludwig explained. "I lost only a little bit when we were fighting the Acolytes; in other words, be careful."
"He has very strong shields; we will need to take them down before the Swordbearer gets near them." Ivan crossed his arms and continued to study Crota while he waited for them.
"That's nothing a few Gjallarhorns can't handle." Arthur shrugged. "Four of us here have Gjallarhorns, that should be enough."
Ludwig nodded. "Then that leaves us with the question on who the Swordbearer will be."
"Why, Alfred, of course."
All eyes turned to the Hunter, the one who had hardly spoken. There had never been a patrol, a mission, strike or crucible match where Alfred wasn't his lively self. He was always so impulsive, running into danger and worrying his teammates yet somehow managing to hold his own. This wasn't even his first raid; he had no trouble getting through the Vault of Glass and working alongside Francis, Antonio, and Gilbert. That had been a complete disaster through start to finish, yet they still managed to beat Atheon.
So that made Arthur wonder what was wrong. Why was Alfred so tense and staring at them silently as though he could no longer speak? He normally would have rejoiced at the chance to show off and be the hero, so why wasn't he now?
Suddenly the answer came to Arthur and he immediately understood: Alfred was afraid. At the beginning of the raid Alfred had gleefully left the Hellmouth and jumped into the pit. They had entered the thrall room and everyone had tried to run as fast as they could from lamp to lamp, but none of them made it- except for Alfred. He was so proud of recently mastering his Bladedancer subclass that it was all he used. He was much more stealthy and agile now, his invisibility perk was constantly being shown off. He watched as all his teammates made it close to the end and died, either by Thralls, the holes, or the exploding lamps; and he had to leave them behind and keep moving. Arthur watched from the dead as Alfred relied on his invisibility and Ice Breaker to stay alive, and how hoards of Thralls would claw at Alfred's back as he tried to run but couldn't due to the Weight of Darkness. Alfred had to keep moving, every second he spent in one spot for too long would result in his death. There had been a few close calls, but Alfred managed. He activated the plate that would create the bridge and killed an ogre all on his own. When the path forward was cleared and the Weight of Darkness was gone, he ran for his teammates to revive them, all while battling the thralls chasing him.
And that was only part one.
When they had started the second part, Alfred had been the first one to be Swordbearer and make it to the other side of the bridge. He had been quick enough to kill his Gatekeeper and managed to stay safe while he stayed there all alone. No one else was able to get across the bridge as flawlessly as Alfred did. They would get killed by their Gatekeeper and Alfred would have to react quickly and kill the Gatekeeper for them before the sword disappeared. At one point, Alfred had to battle two Gatekeepers at once while standing on the center Totem.
During patrols, it had always been Alfred to wield the sword- it just came naturally to him. He knew how to use it, and he could use it well. He somehow managed to slice apart Knights with an elegance only a prodigy Hunter would know. Whenever Arthur used the the sword, he was much too slow in his hits, and Ivan could never be as quick as Alfred when he was made for strength. Alfred was a natural Swordbearer and everyone knew it. So why was Alfred so afraid?
In hindsight, Arthur realized it must've been the Thrall room that began his unease. Alfred never had to deal with so much pressure before in his life. He was in a predicament where he was all alone and had to abandon his teammates for the sake of the mission- Alfred was a hero. Nothing hurt him more than abandoning those who needed him and fending for himself. Being Swordbearer during the bridge didn't help his cause either; he was alone on the other side for quite a while and his teammates would keep dying whenever they reached him. What really must've stressed him was the timer on the sword- Alfred had to work with the speed of the Guardian getting to his side and then try to kill the Gatekeeper with the little time he had left. The reason they had two Gatekeepers was because Arthur had been too slow in getting there and the sword disappeared shortly after he arrived.
The Shrieker room wasn't too bad; Alfred ran ahead because he saw a closing door at the end of the hall and managed to slide in just as it closed. It had held a chest with the right materials to upgrade their armor.
The Deathsinger Ir Yut had been absolutely terrible. They had to pass swarm of enemies and divide themselves into two groups of three: Fireteam Axis and Fireteam Empire. Axis went on right, while Empire went on left. It was hard, Alfred and Feliciano had to run and lure the wizard out and then jump onto a higher platform so they could help snipe it, When the wizard was dead, each team would run in to kill the Shrieker- nothing a couple of Gjallarhorn shots couldn't handle. Unfortunately, Shriekers are assholes and even after they're dead their void bolts like to follow Guardians, which resulted in everyone being killed, only to be saved by Arthur and Kiku's ability to use Radiance. To sum up the Deathsinger part, it was explosions, death, bullets, more deaths, and the Sunsingers running around trying to revive everyone.
Absolute chaos.
Killing the Deathsinger herself took a lot of strain and Gjallarhorn shots to take her down, what was worse was that they had to stay alive to clear the hoards of enemies. It had been hard, but by the end it was worth it.
Everyone was alright.
And now, back to the present, Arthur knew he had to console Alfred; Alfred was the only one capable of being Swordbearer. He would be the only one who could get close to Crota without being spotted, and was the most agile. It had to be him.
"Alfred, you have to," Arthur began steadily. "You're the only one who can." The Warlock watched as Alfred's head turned slightly to see the wrathful God intimidatingly bang his sword against the platform; the green embers were reflected in his helmet.
"I...I can't." Alfred said softly, his voice gentle and small.
"You can, Alfred. I believe-"
"No," Alfred shook his head. "No, no. I can't. I'm too tired. I can't carry the team anymore..."
Nobody argued with the fact that Alfred was tired even though they all were- everyone was very appreciative that Alfred had managed to push himself so hard for them to get to that point. Even Ivan, who constantly argued with Alfred, couldn't deny that Alfred was the reason they had made it so far.
"I know you're tired Alfred, but we just need you to push yourself one last time." He rested a hand on Alfred's shoulder and gave it a gently, comforting squeeze. Arthur lowered his voice into a whisper that made it harder for the others to hear, "Love, I know you can do it. I know you. You're so strong, so brave. You can do anything you set your mind to."
Arthur noticed the way Alfred trembled beneath his grip. "I can't!" The Hunter choked out. "I died too much when we were fighting Ir Yut...I know I'm weaker than when we first started. I'm so tired, Arthur. I can't keep holding the team...the weight is killing me." He buried his head into his fists. "I'm going to fail, and we're all going to die because I wasn't strong enough!"
Arthur caressed Alfred's arm in a soothing manner; like he used to in the life before they became Guardians. When Alfred and his twin were adopted by his parents and they were a happy family before the Collapse happened...back when Alfred was a child.
He still was a child.
A child that was tearing himself apart because of all the pressure that was on him; if he failed they would all succumb to darkness just like Eris Morn's team.
They made it way too far to just give up.
"Alfred, if you try your best, it won't be your fault. Some things are just out of our control."
"But I won't be at my best because I'm tired. Don't you understand that? I can't evade all those boomers and Thralls like I did in the Thrall room, or swing that sword like at the bridge! I wasted all my energy then, I can't keep going like this anymore."
The team had definitely relied on Alfred too much during this raid and it took its toll. Arthur and the others immediately felt guilty for all the pressure they put on the youngest member.
Ivan watched as the others all averted their eyes away from Alfred, knowing that they blamed themselves for his mental breakdown, and it was true; everybody was at fault for putting too much pressure on him. However now was not the time to feel guilty; now was the time to defeat a God.
Ivan patted his hand on Alfred's shoulder. "Before we made the mistake of relying on you too much, but this time we will all do our part to make your job easier." His head turned toward the leader of Axis. "Ludwig will put a Ward of Dawn on the right platform before you go so he can distract the Knights and I'll place a Weapons of Light by the door before we all leave. The rest of us will kill the Swordbearer for Alfred so he only has to worry about picking it up and finding cover. Alfred will turn invisible until he's ready and will give us a signal to shoot Gjallarhorns, which we all must do immediately. When Alfred comes back after the sword vanishes, we will retreat inside this building."
"I'll get the Chalice of Light then." Arthur nodded, noticing the object on the altar on the ground below them. "I'm going on a whim to assume that thing will benefit us."
"It's called a Chalice of Light? How do you know that?" Ludwig asked.
"My Ghost told me," Arthur answered simply. Figured, his Ghost was one of the smartest.
"Now that we have our strategy down, are we ready?" Ivan looked at Alfred, noticing that despite the support from the team, Alfred's shoulders were still a little tense.
"Ivan, I-I don't know if I can do it. I really don't know. Even with a little less to worry about, Crota still might have tricks up his sleeve. I might not be able to avoid a surprise attack and nobody will be able to take over for me…It'll all be over."
"Listen," Ivan began, putting another hand on Alfred's other shoulder and forcing the other to face him. Arthur tensed at the surprise action, worried that Ivan would start trouble. "I have been with you for a while now. I have fought with you enough during Rumble and Skirmish to know you are a capable Hunter, and I have watched you prove to us during this entire raid that every insult I have called you was a lie." He noticed the way Alfred jumped at the sudden confession. Ivan never went soft on anybody, especially Alfred. "Yes, Dorogoy, we are rivals. That merely means that everything I say right now is the truth. I truly believe-no, I know you can do this. This is nothing you can't handle. As your rival and your teammate, I can say that there will never be a Hunter as amazing as you."
"Ivan, you really mean that?" Alfred asked in a voice that was regaining its grasp on self-confidence.
"You know me," Ivan nodded. "I would not say anything I did not think was true."
Alfred let out a small chuckle. "Of course, big guy. Of course."
Arthur sighed in relief that an argument was avoided, but made a mental note to later ask his Ghost for the translation of 'Dorogoy.' He always kept forgetting to.
Fireteam Axis waited patiently as Alfred took some deep breaths to calm his nerves. "Okay, I got this. I got this." The young Hunter whispered to himself. Alfred examined Crota once more. "Thanks for being patient, Crota. I appreciate it." His eyes darted across the arena, looking for a good place he could find cover. There were some rocks on the right side of the platform Crota stood on- that would have to do.
"Okay," Alfred said as he began moving towards the left exit. "I'm ready."
"Where are we going to shoot our Gjallarhorns from?" Feliciano asked quickly as he and the others followed Alfred.
"The other side of windows- on the ledge," Arthur answered. "I'll grab the Chalice while the rest of you meet me there. We're going to take him from the center."
"Alright, when we walk outside this archway, it all starts. Everybody must be alert and do their jobs, is that understood?" Ludwig looked at his own teammates, both of whom nodded in understanding.
"Alfred, run onto the ledge with the others and stay there until the Swordbearer is down." Arthur turned to Alfred.
"Ok, got it. I guess I can help a little too with my Ice Breaker."
"Dorogoy," Alfred perked up at his nickname Ivan usually called him. He always assumed it was an insult by how ugly it sounded, but now he was beginning to think maybe it was meant to be light-heartened. "We follow after you. Whenever you're ready to go, we'll have your back."
Beneath his helmet, Alfred gently closed his eyes and cleared his mind. He could do this. He was tired, so, so tired, but he could pull through. If he did his part it would all be over. They would be able to go home. It had been so many hours since he'd seen sunlight; it would be nice to feel it on his skin again.
"Okay,"Alfred opened his eyes. "I'm ready. Let's do this."
He ran out the door and immediately he felt like a timer was suddenly placed on him. If this was anything like Atheon, they needed to defeat Crota before he enraged. Feeling Ivan's Weapons of Light perk did help him feel a bit stronger though, remembering that the Titan did say he would activate it when they walked out the door. That strength was always good to have. He ran toward the ledge on the other side of the windows with his teammates, shooting at the Swordbearer while waiting for Arthur to return with the Chalice.
"It regenerates your health," Arthur spoke into the Fireteam voice channel as he grabbed the Chalice. He made his way back to the ledge without too many enemies following him. "If you're low on health just take it from me. No one can risk dying."
"Ludwig, remember your job," Ivan reminded the other as he put a last couple of rounds into the Swordbearer.
"On it," Ludwig nodded as he ran to his spot and shot at the Hallowed Knights above to get their attention.
The moment the Swordbearer was down, Alfred went down onto the lower level and grabbed the sword. He felt a surge of energy fill him up, as though the blade was singing to him. He ran to the rocks and crouched, activating his invisibility. "Shoot!"
The sounds of rockets and cluster bombs filled the air, and Alfred heard Crota fall. He jumped out from where he was hiding, and saw the God himself on his knees with his shields down. He pounded at the God with the sword, hearing him scream in anger and pain. He let go of the sword, feeling the music fade. He backed up and hid, "Shoot!" He yelled again. He could do more damage.
Confused, but without question, the others obeyed. They knew they had to trust Alfred and follow his orders in order to do the job. Any hesitation could ruin everything.
And so the rockets brought Crota to his knees once again.
Alfred rushed back to the sword and managed to get a couple of hits in before he felt the sword fading and Crota get his strength back. He turned invisible and ran out of the way seconds before Crota could slash his sword through him.
"Everyone run back inside the Chamber Room," Ivan ordered.
Alfred was last to arrive, he watched as Arthur passed the Chalice to Ludwig who had lost some health when escaping from his Ward of Dawn.
"Alfred!" Arthur gasped, immediately rushing to Alfred and gripping onto the other to make sure he was alright. "That stunt of yours scared the bloody hell out of us! What were you thinking? You could've been hurt!"
Ivan scowled. "You must have more confidence in him. He knows what he's capable of." The Russian pointed at Crota, who was running towards the right platform. "His health is down a third. Two more runs like that one and it'll all be over."
"He's close to us. Should we act now or-"
"No, Dorogoy. We will wait until he's in middle."
The waited for Crota to run back towards the center and they began the same process again, only with much more confident in their strategy. Alfred successfully struck Crota six times before having to retreat.
"Ogres!" Kiku called out. "I can see two Ogres spawning on the left and right side!"
"What?" Arthur yelled, bewildered. "Are you fucking kidding me? We were doing a great job before he pulled up this cheap trick!"
"We can retreat into the area beneath the Chamber Room. The area we dropped in from after the hallway with the shriekers. Ogres are much too big to fit in that doorway."
They dropped down the ledge and hid in the circular room that was filled with a dark water that went up to their ankles. Alfred, Ludwig, and Ivan used their sniper rifles to shoot the Ogres in the eye whenever they were in sight.
"I hate Ogres! Their laser eyes are so stupid!" Alfred complained as he landed one final precision shot onto the remaining Ogre, resulting in it to disintegrate.
"Ok, that's all of them. We should kill Crota soon in case he has any other surprises for us." Kiku frowned.
"He's almost dead, just one more round should do the trick, right?" Alfred asked the Japanese Warlock.
"Assuming all goes well, yes." Ivan answered as he led everyone back up to the Chamber Room, this time through the right entrance as Crota was at the left platform. Once again they waited for Crota to return to middle. They killed the Swordbearer, got into position, and waited for Alfred's cue.
There was something amazing about the way time seemed to slow down the moment Alfred picked up the sword. Female vocals and intense music seemed to emit from it, as though it were calling for Alfred to finish the fight. It was absolutely incredible. The Hunter looked so graceful as he moved stealthily, before putting all his strength into one final sword hit.
Crota screamed before his body disappeared into nothing.
It was done.
They made it.
Info about this game for those who have no idea what's happening:
The game series is called Destiny, and it originally had two DLCs: The Dark Below (December 2014) and House of Wolves (May 2015). The Taken King just came out in September 2015 and ties in a lot with TDB, but this fanfiction only focuses on TDB.
In Destiny, there was this giant orb thing known as the Traveler, who gave Humanity knowledge and power that led us to go into a Golden Age. Wherever light goes, the dark follows. The Darkness came and wiped out most of Humanity, and led to The Collapse. In a last attempt to protect us, the Traveler was severely weakened and now remains in a dormant state above the Last City on Earth. The Traveler sent out Ghosts (little AI things that are adorable) to find Guardians, who are able to use the power of light. The Guardians are the last hope for Humanity.
Guardians have 3 classes to choose from: Hunter (Gunslinger or Bladedancer); Warlock (Voidwalker or Sunsinger); Titan (Striker or Defender). In this story, Feliciano was a Gunslinger. Alfred had maxed out both his subclasses and for that reason he was constantly showing off his Bladedancer skills. Both Kiku and Arthur were Sunsingers during the Raid which allows the use of a Super called Radiance, which can resurrect you from death. Ivan and Ludwig both chose to be Defenders as it allows you to use Ward of Dawn (aka the Bubble) which can have the perk Weapons of light if it's leveled up enough.
Our lovely countries are doing a Raid, which typically is for 6 people. (Strikes usually consist of 3 and are much easier, Crucible is player vs player matchmaking which includes Rumble and Skirmish). Raids are very time consuming, and require everybody to do their part. It's a group effort and needs communication. At the time of TDB, there were only two Raids: Vault of Glass and Crota's End. VoG is mentioned in this story along with the Bad Touch Trio. The two Raids are very different, take place on different planets (Venus/Moon), and have different enemies (Vex-Atheon/Hive-Crota). Crota is a God to the enemies known as The Hive. The Hive live in Darkness, and humanity gave up the Moon in hopes to appease them- well, they want Earth now too. The Hellmouth is an area on the Moon and is where the Raid begins.
Eris Morn is a character in Destiny that lost her entire team after being in the pit. She escaped by taking a thralls eye or something. She's weird.
The Exotic weapons and armor are the best in the game; I've listed a few. Ivan's Red Death is a pulse rifle that regenerates health after each kill. Alfred's Ice Breaker is a sniper rifle that regenerates ammo every six seconds and kills can make enemies combust and kill nearby enemies. Gjallarhorn is the best Year One weapon, it's a rocket launcher that targets enemies and after it makes impact the rocket shatters and creates cluster bombs that rebound on the target. Pretty great.
For those interested, I hope the breakdown helped clear some stuff.
I have a lot of small ideas for this AU. Maybe I'll make a collection of one-shots, or maybe not. I dunno. I'm pretty terrible at this writing stuff. Maybe I'll just stick with reading haha.