A/N: Short chapter this time around. I'm hoping to have the next chapter up before New Year's Day so we can get to the utter spiral of despair that is the Crota Saga.

Happy Hanukah, Merry Christmas, I'm tired, I've been up since 9AM yesterday morning, and about to pass out! Yay!

DISCLAIMER: The following is a non-profit fanfiction. The Destiny franchise and its characters are owned by Bungie. I only own Fireteam Storm and other OCs. Please support the official release.

Saga 02: The Monster of Luna

Arc 01: Shattered

Chapter 05: The Swordlogic

Earth, The Last City

The Tower

"You have the journal of Toland the Shattered?" Ikora repeated, sterner this time. Eris glanced idly at the Warlock Vanguard then gently put a hand on the torn leather cover. She took in the stale air it gave off as before relaxing a little. "I am aware…" Eris explained, evidently choosing her words carefully. "The reputation the old man has. It was why we…Eriana and I…went to him in the first place. Aside from his oddities, our hunch was correct…"

The former Hunter began to wretch and wheeze suddenly, hunched over as she caught her breath. Fireteam Storm looked at each other uncomfortably as the sound of Eris's deathly wheeze filled the room. As she caught her breath Eris continued.

"Toland knew everything we hoped he would, and more," Eris said. Kayla watched as she began to bury her nails into her arm and idly began to pick and tear at them. "The netherworld that Crota lives on. His generals. His immortality."

"Oh, great, Crota's immortal!" Jaeger said with a hint of sarcasm.

"Almost," Eris said with utmost seriousness. "There is a way to kill him. But…for that, I need to tell bring to your attention the Hive dogma."

"Dogma?" Hayley asked nervously.

"I find calling it a religion to be…disrespectful to the notion of faith."

There was a pause before Eris continued between gasping breaths. Her arm was bleeding badly now. On instinct, Kayla ran to her. "Eris, let me see-" she started, reaching for her arm only for Eris to yank it away.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" she screamed, reaching for a crude knife made of Hive bone.

There was a large crash. Eris swung the knife round, her eyes wild and breathing panicked as Athena stood with her hammer poised to attack. Hayley shot up, grabbing Athena's arm and trying to convince her to sit back down. As Athena began threatening Eris, Jaeger stood with his hand reached for his kukri. Ikora spoke up, trying to calm the team down while Eris began to ramble incoherently. Kayla looked from her to the team.

"All of you shut it!" she screamed. The team and Ikora stopped, observing warily. Kayla nodded. "Thank you…Eris?" The Voidwalker turned to the Hunter. She'd swung around on her again, the knife pointed defensively at her. "I'm not going to hurt you. I promise."

Slowly Kayla made her way to the woman. Eris stepped back slightly prompting Kayla to stop. "You're in the Tower. You're back in the City. You're with Guardians again."

Eris swallowed hard, her knife hand still shaking a little. Kayla glanced at the knife, then her. "I'm a doctor. I wanted to look at your arm. Your injured arm?"

"My…? My…" Eris said, looking at her mutilated left arm. "Arm…"

"Can I come closer?" Kayla asked.

Eris looked at her. Kayla took another step forward, then another. "See?" she said, showing Eris her hands. "Empty. I'm not going to hurt you. Can you put the knife down?"

She watched as Kayla's warm touch gently wrapping around her arm. Her grip loosened as she allowed the Warlock to take the knife and put it on the table. "Deep breaths, Eris," Kayla said, slowing her own breathing. "That's it…Thaaaat's it…"

"Can I see your arm?" she asked. "You talk about the Hive while I look at it."

"Yes…" Eris said slowly. "Yes…Yes, of course."

Kayla looked up and gave a relieved sigh as Eris sat down. She pulled up a chair as Ghost appeared from behind her, giving her a concerned look, but nodded and began to inspect Eris's injured arm. Kayla felt a twinge at the back of her mind as Ghost looked sadly at the remains of old scarring and bruising that ran along her arm. He didn't need to be a medic to guess it was all self-inflicted.

"The Swordlogic is a dogma," Eris continued. "It is the system by which the Hive gain their paracausal abilities. Kayla, have you ever been struck by a Hive sword? Impaled?" Kayla looked up at her, silently nodded before going back to guiding Ghost. "It feels like the life force is draining from you. The Hive's cleavers are the Swordlogic in physical form. It is not enough for their foes to be defeated: they must be utterly annihilated, and their power taken for the winner. To the Hive, existence itself is the struggle to exist."

"Like Social Darwinism?" Shifter asked.

Eris merely responded with a dark chuckle. "In a way, yes. It can be likened that. Survival of the fittest to the extreme. However, it is wrong to assume the Swordlogic is bound by any sense of morality. It is, by the nature of its central tenet, amoral and completely self-serving. It is designed to dictate the rise and fall of its users by right of force. And only force."

"But…why would they do that?" Hayley asked timidly.

"Because they honestly believe that they should," Delta murmured. Eris glanced at him, prompting a sheepish "Sorry."

"You are clever…" Eris said. "For a Titan."

Delta smiled a little. "I have my moments."

"Mmm," Eris said. There was a silence for a moment. "Crota is a powerful practitioner of the Swordlogic. The power he has taken from others has allowed him to create a wound…a cyst on the fabric of reality. A realm that shrinks in fear at the whims of Crota. That is where he is at his strongest, and the secret to his immortality."

"So how do we defeat him?" Ikora asked with concerned.

Eris gave a faint, almost excited smile as she pulled out a bag of coloured building blocks. "Crota may have gained much through the Swordlogic. However, his cornerstones are far more crucial to that than most realise. And that is where we will strike first."

(End of the World- KH1.5 OST)

The Ascendant Realm

Oversoul Throne

The skies were dark in this strange…other place. A realm where personal strength and glory were everything. There was nothing in this world aside from a large castle of worn stone, battered by the roaring winds of the Sea of Screams as it floated in place beneath the sickly green glow of a moon cracked like an egg. As the golden chitin of Hive patrols glinted in the moonlight, a small wisp of light could be seen hovering around the Knights and Acolytes, coming in close then speeding away as though it were mocking them.

It flew across the deep chasms of the castle grounds, ducking in and out windows and corridors before eventually flying past the inner courtyard that was illuminated by the moon's glow. Stood beneath, overlooking the eternal abyss of the Ascendant Realm beyond him, was a Hive Knight unlike any other. He towered above the rest of his army, almost ten feet tall, with muscle that rippled across his translucent turquoise body. Cracks and scars were strewn across his chitin armour, proof of Millenia of war and Millenia of his survival. His head was amassed into a multi-horned crown that made the shimmer of ghostly-blue eyes even brighter, and his hands were clasped in front of his waist as he prayed to a father far away from this space.

Coming through the into the courtyard was Omnigul, followed by Crota's other generals: a Knight, an Ogre, an Acolyte and another Wizard. Omnigul motioned them all to be silent as she approached Crota, before performing an elaborate courtesy behind him.

"My Prince," Omnigul said in awe. "We bring news from the Hellmouth."

Crota let out a heavy sigh that shook that spires around them. "A rat has escaped," he announced, a deep bass reverberating throughout the throne as he turned to face his generals. Only five of the seven were before him. "I am aware."

"I should say, Omnigul," said the Knight, his voice oozing with sarcasm. "You did such a…marvellous job. Two hundred cycles of this moon, and the rat not only escaped you all that time…but built a spacecraft without notice."

Crota watched as Omnigul turned her head to glare at the Knight. The Knight was Norzuk. Norzuk was loyal to a fault, his chitin armour fused to his skin now sporting a greyish-purple tint, but he was well known to step on the others, on anyone, to get his way. Although Norzuk gladly accepted any order Crota gave him, his loyalties were tied to someone else, and while Crota hated the idea of having a glorified babysitter in his Court Norzuk's tendencies for betrayal of his own allies was something Crota willing nurtured, turning Norzuk into a tenacious survivor.

"I do not need your pity," Omnigul spat with literal venom.

"No…" Norzuk said, his mouth permanently twisted into a mocking smirk on one side. "Of course you don't."

The Ogre, Domak, roared at Norzuk at in frustration like a petulant child. Norzuk gave a vicious Hive swear in response with Domak which only angered the Ogre more. The second Wizard flew over to it, soothing it with a gentle stroke under its chin.

"Shhhhh," the Wizard said soothingly. Domak groaned, whining almost. "It's ok, Norzuk's just a big meanie cos he works for the King."

Crota eyed Norzuk's eye rolling before turning to the Wizard. Vizneh was an old Hive, whatever was considered old for the Hive. She'd been by his side since Crota was young, a matron for him and now the caretaker of his and Omnigul's spawn. Her form was elegant, with her flesh draped over her body like the habit of an Earthly nun: a mockery of her strange interest in the native culture.

Vizneh turned to Crota, lifting the translucent, stringy flesh of her veil. "My Prince, if I may recommend, we move matters forward. The Gardener is defenceless, and Sardon's beachhead has been growing for years." Vizneh floated to Crota with an ethereal grace, gently putting her arms arounds his shoulders. "We need only your command. Omnigul is right."

Crota's eyes drifted to Omnigul's. She returned the notion. Vizneh continued. "The Gardener's army may have been rash the first time, but with the rat on their side they will not be as foolhardy a second time."

Crota looked up at the sick green sun above him, its husk cracked like an egg. The Gardener was his birth right to claim. Just like his Father had taught him, as the Eater of Hope. "Where is Suvox?" he asked in soft baritone.

Out of the gloomy corners of the Oversoul Throne came several scurrying shadows. As the shadows brushed past the idle soldiers around the Court of Crota, a small Acolyte stepped forward, timid and frail. Its gold chitin was decayed and flayed as it hunched over, gently touching the ground and letting the shadows flow into it. With every shadow, the Acolyte wheezed, growing in strength and bone until it stood tall with an air of superiority that would cause most Knights to cower.

"The Eyes are ready for your order," Suvox announced in a faint hissing whisper.

Crota smiled. "My generals. The end of the Gardener is at hand. As was foretold by Akka on behalf of the Formless One and decreed by the Taken King himself. Head for Swarm's beachhead. We will hollow out this forgotten rock in the name of the Final Shape!"

A cacophony of cheers and grinding laughter from Crota's armies filled the skies above the Oversoul Throne as the small orb of light flew from a far of spire in hurry.

The City

Toland's Humble Boudoir

20 Years Ago…

(Betrayer- Taken King OST)

Eris watched silently, the green glow of her three-eyed visor illuminating the table on front of her. In the dim candlelight Toland was rummaging inside an ancient rusted trunk, muttering to himself as Guren ducked and dived between the thrown junk.

"What are you looking for?" Eris asked as a plate narrowly missed her ear, shattering on the back wall.

"This!" Toland shouted, holding up a dirty half-melted bag from deep within. Between the green gloom and faint light of the candles was a plastic bag of children's building blocks.

The old Warlock giddily walked to the table, throwing the blocks on the table before beginning to stack them on top of each other according to colour. Eris flipped up her visor, watching closely. Brya floated over her shoulder.

"He's like a kid," she said quietly.

"That, or no one's ever listened to him before," Eris replied just as quietly.

As the Hunter and her ghost silently observed, Toland finished stacking up the pyramid of colourful blocks. On the bottom row were several white blocks, that ascended while transitioning to red, then gold, then green, two purple, and, capping it all off, a dark blue block at the very top.

"This," Toland said. "Is this tithe system. The Hive's Swordlogic in action."

"The Sword…?" Eris started, only to be cut off immediately.

"Every Hive must tithe to the higher-ranking Hive above it for their gods to live," Toland began rattling off. "The amount of destruction that the likes of Crota and his father must gift to the Darkness are impossible for them alone to acquire." Slowly, with the grace of a sculptor, Toland pushed a small, insignificant block out of the pyramid. "Their scale may be incomprehensible to people like you or I, but they are just living beings at the end of the day. And they can be killed." Eris watched as Toland pushed another block out of the foundation of the pyramid, before slowly tracing his finger to one of the red blocks. "Not from the bottom, no. There's still far too much death to tithe to the Darkness for it to be of consequence. But if you go up, the foundations begin to weaken." Gently, Toland pushed a red block out of pyramid. The structure gave a noticeable wobble. "An experienced Hive is enough to dent the system." He continued, until a chunk of the golden blocks fell, leaving one of the green ones laid bare like exposed bone. Then he began pushing more blocks out, this time at random. "Cut off the supply of Crota's highest ranking Hive, and then you starve his Court."

On cue several of the green blocks fell away, the structure now like a moth-eaten tapestry with patches of red, gold and green missing. Toland gently lifted his finger away and one of the purple blocks fell away as half the structure collapsed with a deafening clatter.

"And this is the tithe system," Toland said, a mix of fear and reverence. "The bedrock of Crota's immense…ungodly paracausal strength. Remove the foundations, and the tithe goes to few of his court. And once there is just one, straining to connect all the rest…"

Eris jumped as the pyramid collapsed, the blue block tumbling to the edge of the table until it was teetering above the floor.

"Crota will be weak enough to be beaten," Toland finished as the blue block came crashing onto the floor at Eris's feet.

Next Chapter:- The fight against Crota begins as Kayla heads to the Hellmouth to take out the Swarm Princes, while Sardon and Suvox begin making moves against the patrols of the Cosmodrome in Chapter 2-6: The Hidden Swarm