Act V - The Dark Below

Chapter 19 - Touch The Sky

[Ocean of Storms | Moon | Temple of Crota]

~Six of us went down into that pit. I was vain enough to believe we could defeat Crota. But the Hive caught his soul before we could destroy him. And then there was only death. We failed. You cannot. Destroy the Soul of Crota. This temple... tear through it - make it his grave~ Eris recounted for us as we stationed ourselves just outside the Temple up on the ridge facing the black gateway

Hive Tombships warped in, quickly depositing troops to stand guard as Eris continued down her darkened memories, I could imagine it myself, how vivid and scarring those experiences were... I shared my own and they nearly consumed me.

~Few of us made it beyond the canyon. The rocks cracked apart, Hive waiting in ambush. It was worse for the ones who made it inside. Stay alive.~ And like that, her voice cut out at the ringing in my ears. Zane took the first shot, cleaning down a line of Acolytes that gathered, leaving the rest to scatter to the rocks for cover, two Wizards and a Hollow Knight joined their ranks from the doorway

"Zane will take the Acolytes, Morbin, the Wizards!" Meanwhile, I'd head straight for that Knight. Without complaint gunfire on either side rattled the canyon. My armor taking fire while I slammed a flaming knuckle against an Acolyte, Zane diving over me with his sword between his feet, impaling two more to my right. I didn't see Morbin but I heard the buckshot and chitin splintering behind a boulder

The Knight roared, swinging down and managing to break only rock as my body slid round to the left, striking up with the stock, followed by a single burst of bullets into its abdomen. Again it swung low, I hopped quickly, up and over his head with a glide, my sights locked as I squeezed the trigger, puncturing that thick helmet with a satisfying 'pop' of the Knight's head.

Landing by the doorway, we regrouped and stormed the Temple's mouth, retracing our steps through the dark corridors leading deeper into the citadel. Locating the chamber with the Hive Seeder I motioned with my fingers to go through the construct, quickly dashing past the group of Hive waiting in ambush, sadly in the wrong direction, as only our footsteps clanked against the stairway leading down.

Successfully avoiding an unnecessary fight with several Hollowed Knights and Cursed Thrall, our good streak came to a sudden end as the next Seeder room released a loud and angry roar through the Temple's halls. This in turn, alerted the Hive too.

~I know that sound... Hurry~ Eris stated warily

"And here I thought this would be relaxing..." Morbin drawled, pumping a slug between the teeth of a charging Thrall, promptly smashing his CLG into another's chest and throwing it toward the line, creating a wall of Void for them to run haphazardly into

Rooting ourselves at the entrance I took the left and knelt down, gunning down three more Acolytes as a knife lodged itself above me, defending me from an Acolyte. Zane's own weapon rang as the Thrall and Acolytes circled us, himself leaving me to handle the mid-to-long range attackers. My armor held against the Void burns while my aim remained fixated on their heads, dropping Hive like flies.

Turning toward our next destination I was immediately forced to block with my rifle, a sword crashing against the receiver as Zane's knee cracked against the Hollow Knight's jaw. He grabbed its head and effortlessly charged his body with Arc, slamming his own forehead against the Knight which in-turn threw the body across the walls. Following his lead I quickly brought forth my own Light, performing a roundhouse to another Knight, his own body striking a number of Cursed Thrall, setting off the chain.

"Step back," I tapped Zane's shoulder, the two of us careful not to stand close to the shambling, unstable Thrall, while Morbin copied our styles of execution on the last Knight, with Void in one hand, his left sunk into its shoulder, forcing its head to chew on his fist as Morbin lifted the Knight high by the mouth and obliterated the remains into the ground, the shockwave dispersing the Cursed Thrall, allowing us to pick them off for the Exo. "I almost feel bad for the Hive..."

"I second that," Zane whistled, noting the doorway ahead creaked open, three more Knights stomping into the room. Without missing a beat three CLGs landed by their feet, mine stuck to the middle one's head. With a rhythmic flash of blue, orange, and purple the three Knights and their conjured shields were broken down in an amalgamation of elements

Stepping down onto a ledge that still held onto a familiar wire that I smiled nervously at, my small nostalgic trip came crashing down, my body shivered while the air grew thick with a powerful, ominous gaze that the others couldn't feel, seeing as I was the only one not moving forward. I winced, shaking my head as words and whispers tickled my ears.

．．． Ｃｌｏｓｅｒ ．．．

"Ceres? Guardian, it happened again, didn't it?" Ghost could easily tell I wasn't well, ever since Crota's ambition to be woken again I've never been at ease, every day felt as though he was watching me, toying with my mind until this day. That sword, even though Zane was the one temporarily corrupted by it he couldn't hear his voice, feeling his hatred fill my ears

Holding onto my rifle a little tighter I finally spoke up despite the heads of my Fireteam looking back at me curiously. "Taunt me all you want... no one is coming to save you, we killed your generals and broke your blade... all you are is another voice in my head, and soon... you'll be nothing more than a memory."

His presence vanished, and a hand tapped my shoulder, Zane didn't say anything, but my body leaned a little into his palm, and with a small sigh I nodded to them both. They reciprocated and understood my focus as of today. Without a word, we pressed on.

The halls ahead were guarded by several Shrikers and a gargantuan number of Cursed Thrall, much to my displeasure, but atleast they were easy to pass by, once more we sailed through the World's Grave and through the main entry into the Chamber of Night, the same ritual site we left a sizable hole from our last visit, it was still there too.

A previously locked door now sat open. We crossed the threshold into a hallway that eventually turned pitch black. Only Ghost lit our way, but once more, I held a hand to my head while Morbin grabbed my shoulders to keep me steady, his gaze was growing stronger, almost suffocating me. Ugh... I feel sick. In the darkness, another whisper followed, one I've heard before.

．．． Ｉ . . . Ｃａｎｎｏｔ. . . Ｄｉｅ．．．

Just up ahead, the pathway brightened with a Wizard's Vestige, and the narrow hallway ahead was lined with Hive. Pushing up off Morbin's arms I thanked him and took a second to breathe again, my eyes locating the group. Two sat atop the balconies, a Knight and several Acolytes by the steps... shouldn't be too difficult.

~Find the Wakers! Stop them!~ Eris chimed in at the right moment. Her que led me over the rune, diving straight into the balcony with a boot to the Acolyte, my body swerved to gun down the other as the guys sprinted forward, both pumping the Knight with lead while my vantage point gave me a clear shot of the three Acolytes. One. Two... Three, and with an effortless reload the way was clear.

"Effortless... how pathetic." Morbin shoved the Knight off Judgement, my body skipping past the tumbling corpse. The slope ahead suddenly lit up purple while Zane knelt down, taking slow, precise shots from the lip of the hill, bolts splashing off the wall behind him while we crouched our way toward him. "How many?"

"Mmm... lots... no Knights just Thrall and Acolytes..." Zane fired twice, two more bodies crumbling at the foot of the steps as Thrall dashed across the open space, using the rocks as cover while Cursed Thrall slowly shambled around the steps, clearly oblivious to the fight. "Could use them... Boss?" His curious hum had my hands reach for my Zenobia

With a flick of the targeter the sights locked to the most clustered group, Morbin standing off to my left while fending off the brave Thrall. With a blast of dust, the blue star shot across the threshold. They noticed too late, the combined blast of Arc and unstable energy erupted into a large plume of blue smoke and static, body parts rained and threw the defense into a panic.

"Hah, suckers!" Zane stood up, taking the heads and chests of the Hive that remained, as though they had forgotten about the three of us. Our combined assault left the second line of defense in pieces while leaving me with only one rocket

Another rumble shook the Hellmouth, and my stomach dropped, we were running out of time and fast.

~They're waking his soul...~ Eris spoke what I felt. With each roar, I could feel his presence growing stronger outside his Ascendant Realm, like a drummer who's beat grew faster and stronger with each rhythm

"You heard her, move it!" Morbin shoved us up the steps, and before the third line of defense. Now they weren't holding back, past a strange, smooth rock that divided the hallway, Hollowed Acolytes and a Knight appeared from two doorways either side of the hall, filling the area in a burst of purple haze

Dammit, we didn't have time for this! "Morbin, clear them out!" He chuckled darkly and stepped toward the group, the Knight conjuring his shield to defend them, and that only made the rising pressure around the Exo thicken with gravity. "We should stand back..."

"Yep!" Both I and Zane stepped behind the rock, watching as the single sphere of Void atomized the horde in seconds, the remnants of Void remaining while Morbin stepped behind the next room's two pillars, a line of purple blasts sailing over our heads while the two of us regrouped. Standing in our way was... "Great... Hollowed Ogre..."

I let out an exasperated sigh. "How can they make something that's already angry... angrier?" It puzzled me to no end. Taking their shrugs as a sign that not even our resident Hive expert could figure out, I twisted the last of my rockets onto the back end of Zenobia, hearing it 'click' in place, I glided up above the pillar, finding the Ogre to be only a few feet from us, clearly unsatisfied by how hiding. "Bite this!"

*Boosh-Boom!*

The clusters of Arc electrified the Ogre's hide, the eye imploding as the body burst into flames, crumbling beneath my feet while I huffed, seeing my reserves for heavy ammo to be nonexistent. If Crota's plan was to filter out our power then he's far smarter than I gave a Hive credit for, but I wasn't dejected, fighting a hivemind capable of manipulating time itself to a certain degree, in comparison, the Hive were vastly outclassed.

It was finally over, we only had a single hurdle left before us. Up a steep slope with walls and pillars shimmering with a sickly green aura, the crystal lights swaying on chains above us illuminated the path forward. I turned my head to my Fireteam, Morbin loaded Judgement with a flick, Zane held a thumbs up while spinning his index finger around the trigger guard. If anything, they made this harrowing experience easier, even if only mentally.

Slowly, we ascended the small incline. Gone was the citadel's narrow corridors, and instead a massive cavern flooded with water sat at the foot of the hill. Encircling the whole cave was the largest skeleton I had ever laid eyes on. It resembled a snake and it was clearly here for centuries. That same, cursed energy flowed across the ribs and spires of rock and overhangs, Crota's very essence washed over the world before us.

At the epicenter of it all, an enormous green crystal sat surrounded by four Wakers of Crota, their runes bathing the crystal in Hell's fire, knelt before the crystal on a bridge were four Knights. All gave their concentrated prayers toward the corrupted crystal, toward the Soul of Crota.

Eris jumped back on our coms with desperation in her voice ~Crota! They're waking him!~

"What's the plan, Ceres?" Morbin asked, and I for once had a very simple idea. Taking point I fired two bursts into the back of a Knight's head, his fellow Knights howling with surprise

"Everything that isn't us, lay it to waste." That aroused a real laugh from the Exo who took it upon himself to charge head-long into the Knights, Zane himself sliding down with a click of his tongue, Hard Luck shattering chitin on the way

The guys quickly took action, slaying the Knights, distracting them long enough for me to home in on the Wakers, one of them was from Rasputin's Bunker, and it noticed me with a shriek in anger. I scoffed, switching to Verdict as two slugs were dispensed into that Waker specifically. The others ceased their summoning, opting to fire a barrage of lightning my way. Using their own master against them I had Crota's soul act as my shield, popping around the right to blast a Waker in the face, leaping from the ground and onto its chest I fired a round through its head, using the corpse to dive over the last two Waker, my CLG sticking to the third's back as I landed to imbed a slug in the fourth's the force of the round pushing it up against the third as both lost were consumed in a contrasting wave of fire and metal.

Quickly reloading Verdict my chest spiked suddenly at Crota's presence again, it was far stronger than before, so much so I bit my cheek to keep myself from yelling. His gaze was immeasurable in strength, but hesitantly I followed the pulsating gaze back to the source, and my heart stopped.

Upon closer inspection of his soul, a horrifying image shined through the crystal; Crota himself is watching my every move, eyes shifting carefully to view my approaching Fireteam as I struggled to breathe for a moment.

"That's the last -" Zane's body struck my back, yet I was unable to flinch. My eyes were locked to a gaze manifesting inside the crystal itself. During our skirmish not once did I realize... He was watching us with omnivorous eyes, the shadowy veil of his head shaped like a crown as a deep, reverberating growl rattled the stone prison. "I think he sees us."

The three of us stepped back onto the bridge, just as the crystal hummed a sharper green than before, a thin coat of fire tracing the surface as the crystal broke free of the floor, tearing up chunks alongside it, cracks of white webbing the cursed rock as a sharp 'ching' of glass pierced my ears. Crystal chipped and fell into the vortex that encompassed the soul, now branching out, fragments gathered and curved like branches, a strong, ivy green fire tracing the gaps, interlocking the crystals in-place.

Towering before us was a funnel-shaped chest, pointed at the shoulders that held up arms with jagged elbows connected to crooked claws. Resting in the fires above the neck sat the broken shards that formed a crown atop Its head, three emerald eyes leered back over us, inspecting our movements as I gulped slowly at the slow circulation of crystal that acted as a shield. This wasn't just his soul, his very presence was looming over us.

．．．Ｌｉｇｈｔ．．． Ｅｎｄｓ．．． Ｈｅｒｅ．．．

Soul of Crota

"Scatter!" My plea was far too late, the very ground under our feet burned with small, amethyst flames, a second later the three of us cried out in shock as the light blanketing the ground threw us high into the air, if not for our body's ability to jump slash glide mid-air we'd probably have broken bones. "What was that!?"

"He's floating rock! How can he do that!?" Zane argued with his arms motioned directly at the soul, Crota raised his crystal arms, firing a series of large, green blasts that threatened to cook us inside our armor. Little room was left to breathe while I slowly backed my way into the water to hide behind the rocks, even while my feet were submerged, I felt a striking heat wrap around my ankles

"Move!" I called over, leaping over the rock in time to see a large column of fire sprout as a geyser, two more dotting the cave from where Zane and Morbin resided. I hissed in pain, two powerful orbs of light ruptured close to me, throwing me back-first into the water as I swam under the bridge, hooking my fingers onto the metal and hoisting myself out, in time for another circle to suddenly conjure itself on the ground, I rolled backward, a torrent of flames rising and falling just as quickly. "This is bad, even if we hide he'll snuff us out..."

Taking aim, I unloaded half my rounds into the crystal, some striking the ones that circulated Crota but his left arm simply stretched out, the bullets ricocheting off the surface of the crystal alongside Zane's own bullets. "He'd bulletproof? Come on..." I groaned and glided far away from another three blasts that rippled the bridge, followed by the right shimmering purple. "Jump!"

I saw them do just that, the ground under us ignited with a pulse of amethyst before reverting to normal.

*Boom-Boom-Boom!*

"Gah!" I screamed, back colliding against the far wall as I crumpled to the ground between the skeleton. He waited for me to jump then attacked. Slowly I recovered, the Darkness that encapsulated the cave dampened my Light. "How do we beat something that can't be hurt with kinetic weaponry?"

!

The dawning of an idea surfaced, Crota's attention fixed solely to my team as I used the ribs as cover, flicking a CLG between my fingers, channeling my Light I launched the sticky between two crystals, the ball stuck to Crystal Crota's chest, a second passed and fire blinded the stone, throwing off its incantation for a fire pillar. When the smoke passed Crota unleashed a burst of energy toward me, I merely ran down the slope and hovered onto the bridge, joining Zane while Morbin sat by the wall to the far left.

Peering closely, a small, green crack split across Crota's chest, my eyes lit up with a happy gasp. "It worked... our Light..." I looked from my hand to Zane, clenching my fist. "Our Light works! I'm an idiot, it was so obvious!" If the Darkness aided the Hive, it stands for reason the Traveller's Light would counter the Dark

Morbin gave us a wave to say he heard and took cover from several more blasts from Crota, me and Zane jumped back, a wall of flames between us and Crota's soul. With a nod we put our sides together, conjuring the wrath of the sun itself in our hands. With molten light dripping between our bodies, I tossed my hammer high, colliding with a large chunk of crystal, clearing the space for six-burst assault of sunlight, the sunshots summoned cracks all over the central crystal, Crota's eyes seemed to glow with anger, both arms brimming with purple and green.

"Haha, that worked!" Zane jumped high, then screamed as he tackled me to the ground, another two towers of fire cutting off our view of Crota, followed by Zane wrapping his arms around me tightly, my back burning before I felt as though someone kicked my back with an anvil, the two of us sailing high into the sky. "Ow, okay, not doing that again! Hold tight!"

Zane flipped me into his arms, carrying me through the air while landing on the tip of a rib, sliding down its length, sharply kicking off the bone and onto a rock, a final skip and he stood back on the bridge, Morbin finally conjuring his own Super to draw Crota's attention with several small orbs of Void Light, a shockwave sending tremors into the ground, Crota even lost an arm, sacrifices crystals to slowly reform the lost limb while another chain of blasts threw Morbin down into the water next to us.

"Umm... Zane?" While not the right time for this I couldn't stop fidgeting in his arms, he was carrying bridal style and hadn't let go, both of us too fixated on Morbin's spectacle that had Crota's crystal looking far less durable, the whirlwind of crystals spun so fast that it created a vortex of green fire, concealing the majority of his form, a shadow of his real body shimmering through the embers. Back to our current awkwardness, Zane set me down, chuckling sheepishly as we looked away from one another

Ignoring my embarrassment, Morbin flopped onto the bridge, grabbing us both out of the way of Crota's fasters attacks. "That was close..." I sighed, then looked to Morbin who looked a little worse-for-wear. "You okay?"

"I have been thrown into a group of Fallen with only a knife before ~I BATHED IN THEIR BLOOD~ this really isn't special." Creepy information aside, the three of us had expended our Light alot now, but Crota's soul looked ready to erupt into fragments at any given moment

"We're so close now... but with how little Light we have it may end horribly for us," Zane added warily, the three of us running behind a boulder at the combined spire of flames that rose faster than before

"This is bad, we can't take too much more of this," I had to find a way to win. Our Light is the only thing that can hurt the crystal, but even if we used our grenades it would take far too long, and we may run out of time to stop Crota's ritual from completing. Biting my lip, I closed my eyes to remember what Vlad had taught us that day on the wall

The third image was that of three figures. One used a Hammer of Sol, throwing it toward a Nightstalker who guided the energy along the tip of an arrow, firing it off toward the last figure, who conjured lightning in his hands, catching and channeling the three elemental forces into one before propelling it into the sky.

"This is called Light Bind, it is tricky to use, but effective if the fireteam wills their Light to be harmless to their allies, like usual, only the passed along energy of the previous two in the chain must be collected by the third, if they can control the unstable Light with their own, it can be a devastating force against any enemy of the Darkness," That looked amazing, maybe we could do that someday? "Of course, fail and you'll die, but the backlash won't be permanent, just painful."

"That's it...!" Both Guardians looked toward me for an answer

"Ceres, are you sure?" It's do or die, Ghost, I'm willing to try anything at this point

"Morbin, take to the far right on the ledge facing Crota. Zane, I want you down here where you have a clear shot between me, Crota, and Morbin," I quickly directed them, and so came the dreaded question

"What are you planning?" Morbin asked suspiciously, of course, I planned to tell them anyway

"Light Bind," Both looked a little taken back by that. I shook my head, waving my hand toward the wall Crota sat behind, his energy blasts sailing over us. "Trust me, we can do this! I couldn't have done any of this on my own, every step of the way I've had you both watching my back, your ghosts too," A hidden smile graced my lips. "You both mean the world to me, that's why I'm prepared to do anything to see us make it to tomorrow."

There was a pregnant pause, even as we flew into the air in order to avoid a chain of emerald blasts and the purple flames below, the three of us hovering through the air say for Zane who just hopped mid-jump. Morbin was the first to sigh dismissively with a wave of his arms. "Ugh, just want to die for you, can't tell if that's brainwashing or something..."

"Spill my heart only to be stabbed..." I gave a mirthful reply, yet we landed with Zane patting both our shoulders

"Nope! That's just our kindhearted leader!" Thank you, Zane... Feeling my heartbeat rise with anticipated excitement for the finale, the three of us departed with a fist bump between us

"Let's make it happy, Horizon!"

"This is over!" Morbin yelled

He began compressing all the Light he could spend into a final attack, channeling it all into a small sphere as he ran around objects, distracting Crota who slowly turned at the deflecting gunshots from Zane, who was dancing around in the water mockingly. With an opportunity I gave Morbin a risen fist, signaling him to attack. With a twirl, feet pressed against a boulder he threw himself high above Crota, launching the sphere over the vortex of crystal and fire, Zane flipping backward and up onto a rock, blasts of emerald showering the Hunter in water.

"Don't you know when you're beat!?" Zane challenged

He lifted his own hand high, evaporating the droplets with a surge of plasma that attracted the ball of Void energy toward him. His knife struck the ball, causing the energy to become unstable even as his hands crunched down on both Arc and Void, himself wincing loudly from where I positioned myself. This was only two elements but Zane struggled to hold them together, Morbin now taking on the role of distraction for us to perfect this technique on the first try.

Zane gasped, finally able to move again with a small twist of his waist he threw the sphere than emitting bolts of lightning, the power contained inside looked like a tesla ball soaring across the air. Taking one last breath I locked my muscles with my own Light burning across my whole body, primarily gathering the molten embers near my arms as the sphere finally struck.

Holy sweet merciful God this bloody hurts! I had nearly lost my footing from the force of a literal planet slamming against my arms, I could barely conjure a single hammer without being blasted away by the surprising combination of Light. They only gave up a fraction of their power, but together... it was tremendous, was this how Zane felt unifying both his Solar and Arc? Was this the drawback of too much power?

My body screamed to let go but I couldn't, this was all we had left if I let this power slip from my fingers Crota wins and the Tower, my friends, the whole of Humanity will die because I failed to be the sole reason I'm even standing here right now! I'm a Sunbreaker, a Titan, this... is nothing!

"Guardian, your Light, it's-!" Ghost, I know... but please, trust... me... "...Ceres, don't die." Heh, got it... buddy

A struggle to gain control ensued, and while Crota was distracted he would eventually spot me if I didn't hurry. All this was for Humanity, I need to control this power. Arc is raw energy without direction, you don't control it, you guide it, be a catalyst for its wild current. Void is the unknown, a matter that can reshape space and gravity, you must be patient, understand its existence and learn from its mysteries to control it. Solar... i-is life. Emotions shape its embers, to be narrow-minded is to lose control, but... if... you can see past destruction, y-you can see how powerful its own life becomes in your h-hands - Gah!

I fell to a knee, my forearms were slowly being broken down, revealing my bare arms as I winced at how hot my own flames were against me, I could hardly breathe anymore, let alone stand up again. It was too much... I... can't keep this up!

"Ceres!" "Come on, Red!" "Guardian!"

I grounded my teeth, pushing against the shiver that ran down my spine, noting how my feet sunk into the bridge from excessive heat I continued to produce. My own Light was reaching its limit, combined with the Hive's magic suppressing us it made it harder to continue to keep my fire alive.

．．． Ｄｉｅ ．．．

Something cold pushed against my soul once more, and my grasp on the collective Light slipped for a mere millisecond. Even in that frame, my eyes had dilated completely in horror, a shuddered breath left my lips. I gasped loudly, my vision fading to the mirage of colors that threatened to extinguish my Light. Their power was too much... was I... going to die? My arms were numb, and I felt my resistance to the two unstable forces lift from my body. Everything was hazy, black and grey smudges cobbled together, and all sound had cut out. I was in limbo again, just as I was when Ghost first resurrected me, my body lost all its feeling in reverse. This was how it would end, isn't it?

"Morbin, I tried, I really did... I'm sorry... Zane..."

"Heeey~ Tell me something!?"

"Huh... what... a girl's voice...?"

Another voice, a girl with a squeaky voice piqued up. "Hmm?"

The first girl asked softly. "What do you want to be when we're older?"

The second girl paused. "Uhh... someone who saves people! Even if they don't want to be, I'll help them!"

"Like a superhero?" The first girl pondered on the second's choice of words

"Mmmhmm. I don't care if I mess up alot, even if I feel like a failure... that there's no hope at all for me. Even so, I won't ever give up!"

My eyes finally regained a shimmer of their light. What... was that? Those voices... was... that me? My voice... my... memory? I could hear my own heart thump loudly against my ears, each beat brought my vision back to the cursed caves, to Crota's broken stare through the pane of crystal. The world was screaming, a fire burned across my arms, lightning snapped at my nerves and space warped continuously across my body. I remember where I am! What I'm doing!

"Grrrrraaaaaahhh!" My lungs - no, my whole being ignited. Golden flames coursed over my hand, clenching the hammer that struck hard enough to evaporate a large amount of the water below. blue bolts snapped and hissed across the frame of the hammer, tickling the hairs across my forearm, while a thin veil of lilac brightened over the hammer, creating a vortex of colors to refract. "I... won't let you... win!"

My legs bent the bridge downward, melting into the metal as my body carried the aura of power through the air, my arm craned backward with great difficulty, I swore the hammer was fused to my flesh at this point. Whatever the case, I won't ever give up!

With a swing that broke every bone in my arm, the glowing hammer broke the sound barrier three times over, blasting me backward alongside several large waves of water and air, the rings of gold, amethyst, and ice-blue shattered multiple crystals surrounding Crota, his shields pressed against the hammer, creating white sparks to form. All three were consumed by the Light, the edge of the tool sinking into the cracks, pumping a wave of lightning through-out the crystal body of Crota, breaking down the arms and condensing the mass between the pull of Void that encompassed the soul.

The emerald light shined brightly, crystal rotating faster than ever before, the cracks became a blur and slowly the light morphed into a white glow, in a gargantuan halo of the three elements, the crystal shattered into hundreds of pieces, crashing into the white sand beneath the ritual site. The crystal was destroyed, and aneerie silence fell over the now empty cavern.

My body struggled to stay upright, blood poured down my right arm that now twitched from the purplish hue that covered the entire length of the limb, I was still breathing, I... did it! We did it! I stood tall, holding my left fist close to my heart. "Whatever it was I heard... be it me or something else entirely... I'll cherish those words."

"Y-You did it!" Ghost spun around my head, while I laughed weakly, Zane and Morbin rushing over with Rika and Deus in-toe, all asking if I were okay, their concerns only made me laugh a little more

"I... honestly feel terrible..." I joked, coughing as Ghost got to work on healing my completely broken arm, glad it was numb though. "We did it..."

"Because of you, as always, Boss," Zane added softly, Rika bopping his helmet. "What? What did I do this time?"

"You were going to use that unity trick again! I was in your head, I know you know I know!" Rika glared down at her Guardian, Zane laughing slowly under her strong gaze

"It's fine... all that matters is that... we're alive." Breaking the tension between the two I put my good hand into a fist between them, hearing Morbin snort once

"If you're expecting me to offer my life up next, don't count on it ~BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD~ ...ugh, well, one of us would beg to differ..." Morbin grumbled once more, until Deus floated between us, displaying a frowny face. "Don't you start," It changed to a red frowny face. "[BEEP] you, I wasn't worried I merely felt as though finding just as competent Guardians again would be a chore."

"Tsundere." Zane murmured, Morbin's head craning slowly his way

"What was that, Worst One?" Oh, God, someone conveniently interrupt this lover's spat, my head hurts from all the gunfire

~Crota's soul... is banished~ Eris suddenly spoke up under our conversation. ~You have given me the gift of vengeance. I thank you... and even if they don't know it yet... The City thanks you, come home safe~

"Thank you, Eris," I whispered, sitting down on my knees. "Guys... let's go home, our job isn't over yet."

Much as it pains me to say it, Crota isn't dead, down in the abyss of the Hellmouth, a gateway into the Ascendant Realm is waiting, and so is Crota. Picking myself up this time, I grabbed my rifle and turned my eyes back to my Fireteam. "You two ready to kill a God?"

Both looked to one another, sharing in my amused tone. "Just another on the board." "Let's give it our all!"

Ghost? "Already calling for transmat, let's get you all home."

With a salute I crossed my arms, my once broken one still a little tender. "Right, well, I'll pass out now, wake me up when we're back, peace." Before either could register what I said I promptly blacked out with grace, landing in someone's arms in the process

To Be Continued...

And thus the story missions are over, and with a vastly different Soul of Crota fight. I enjoyed writing this since I never found the crystal to be all that difficult, maybe if I went unprepared but I digress. Hope you enjoyed, seeya in the next chapter Guardians!

Next Chapter: Crota's End: Surpass the Dark

He waits in the dark below...

A/N: Light Bind is probably as painful as when Zane fused his Bladedancer and Golden Gun together back in VOG, but without the whole, perma-death, the reason Ceres entered a near-death state was due to the fact it was a 'Darkness Zone' due to all the Hive magic, thought I'd illuminate that ;)