A/N: See, I always upload on time!
Disclaimer: The following is a non-profit fanfiction. Destiny and all of its supplementary materials are owned by Bungie, including any liberties I take with the lore. I only own Fireteam Storm and other OCs. Please support the official release.
Saga 02: The Monster of Luna
Arc 04: Crota's End
Chapter 35: I Am Sovereign
The Ascendant Plane
Oversoul Throne
(Metamorphosis- RE3R OST)
Crota hit the stone slate of the castle ramparts hard, sliding down onto one of the high balconies. He stared, stunned, at the shattered Oversoul that collapsed around him like a burning supernova that wailed through reality. His heart raced. His Worm hungered.
Amongst the rubble that rained down around him were six Guardians, all landing on of the flatter parts of the rooftop below him. They seemed just as warn out as he did. He stood, each of the six Guardians below him doing the same.
Crota stared up at the hole in the sky where his Oversoul once was. He flexed his right hand, summoning as sword back to him.
"You know…" he murmured sombrely. "In all those years since my father threw me through that Vex Gate…everything I've done in His name. It was never personal."
Kayla furrowed her brow in annoyance. "Personal?" she asked, looking back at her teammates, then at him once more. "You serious? Of course, this is personal!"
Crota chuckled. "Finally, we agree on something." He raised his finger, pointing up to the distant sky of his realm. "Because what I'm going to do to that stupid blue rock outside…I'm gonna enjoy it. Oh, so very much."
He shifted his weight slightly. Instinctively the Guardians all braced themselves. Crota couldn't help but smile. "So, tell me, Lightbearers," he continued with a wide grin. "How much Light do you have left after that last battle?"
Fireteam Storm said nothing and Crota gave a satisfied huff. "This will be my final argument, as heir to Osmium Throne. For the Sword! For the Deep! For Oryx, the Taken King!"
Crota stepped back, his sword scraping behind him. Then, with one final breath, he launched himself high into the air, sword raised with a hunger that would eclipse the Sun.
CROTA
THE MONSTER OF LUNA
"Outta the way!" Hayley yelled, rushing to the front and firing off her Hoosegow rocket launcher. The missile whooshed past Crota as he spun forward, leaving Hayley no other option to but to use the weapon as a pitiful shield.
Crota's played sliced through the rocket launcher like butter with enough force to send Hayley flying across the rooftop. Crota spun on his heel, slicing down on Delta behind him and forcing the Titan out of the way before reaching his free hand to Athena, grabbing the Sunbreaker within his crushing grip and using her as a club to knock down the other four. Within one fell swoop Fireteam Storm had been scattered.
Kayla scrambled to her feet, firing with her Mythoclast, but Crota defected with a flourish of his sword. "How should I take each of you apart, mmm?" he taunted.
A large explosion to Crota's back caused him to stumble.
"Hell yeah!" Athena yelled, brandishing her grenade launcher.
Crota turned his head growling in frustration and struck the air with his sword, sending a massive gale hurtling to the Sunbreaker before turning his attention to Kayla. The Voidwalker had already disappeared, a small rupturing noise above him as she fired down on him with the Mythoclast again. Crota blocked with his sword, causing to Kayla to stumble. When she fell, she threw a scatter grenade to blind him. Crota snarled, blocking another onslaught of Mythoclast fire.
"Enough of that!" he roared, ripping the Mythoclast from Kayla and tossing it into the abyss before bringing his sword down again.
There was a flash of light as Jaeger appeared in front of his, blocking the blade with his kukri. "We gotta regroup," Jaeger grunted, already buckling under Crota's weight.
"Other side of the castle!" Kayla said, scrambling to her feet. "Quickly!"
Jaeger nodded, jumping back and hopping over Crota as the pair joined the others before all six of them fled further across the ramparts. Crota pounded the ground in anger and took off at a frightening pace, practically leaping across the rooftop like a frenzied ape.
"Please tell me you have a plan!" Delta shouted, ducking under stone kicked up from Crota's smash behind him.
"I do have a plan!" Kayla said, rounding a corner. "The plan was to run away, then think of a new plan!"
"OH COME ON!" Delta screamed.
"Captain," Shifter said sternly, firing several sniper rounds at the snarling beast behind them.
"Right, right, gaaaa-aah…." she said hesitatingly, pointing to another tower. "Up there, it'll buy us some time! Athena, get the door!"
Athena nodded, powering ahead and beating the door down with a hammer strike. Kayla and Delta turned, firing on Crota with all they had, but the armour of his chitin shrugged off the bullets with ease. Once the other three had entered, Delta ducked in followed by Kayla. The six Guardians powered up the spiral staircase, the tower shaking as Crota smashed the entrance in a rage.
Kayla didn't look behind her, but she could feel the weight of the sword as it struck the bottom step, sending a shockblast up the staircase. Delta pulled her forward, the gale ripping a hole in the wall. The was a roar and a crash, followed by stomping.
Shifter was the first to speak. "Hayley, get down!" he said in panic.
Hayley yelped, Crota's arm burst out of the wall, his sword crashing down again before retracting. Hayley crawled forward to Athena, but the Titan was forced back as the sword crashed out of the wall, swiping down.
"Gotta keep moving guys!" Kayla ordered.
"Right, right!" Jaeger said, throwing one of his smaller knives into the inky darkness of the hole created by Crota.
There was a roar, then an echoing clambering. "Lucky shot…" the Hope Eater growled.
"Go, go!" Delta yelled.
Fireteam Storm kept climbing high, avoiding more blasts of wind struck the tower as Crota ripped it asunder from the inside out.
"I see a door!" Hayley shouted before screaming in fear as Crota burst out of the wall again.
Athena stepped forward, spinning her hammer round before striking Crota square in the chest. The Hive Prince grunted, coughing up blood as he smashed through the outer wall again. As Athena watched him drop, she could have sworn he was smiling. Fireteam Storm funnelled through the door, coming out a large veranda.
"Kayla, not to state the obvious," Jaeger panted. "But we need to go on the offensive."
"I know!" Kayla snapped.
"Guys…" Hayley said quietly.
"Then we need a plan!" Athena said angrily.
"I know!"
"Er g-guys?"
"Getting pissed at Kayla won't help!" Delta shouted. "We all need to keep a level head!"
"Level head, are ya fucking kidding me!" Athena screamed.
"GUYS!" Hayley yelled over them all. "C-Crota's doing something…"
The Sunsinger pointed before them. Above them, stood on a remnant of his Oversoul's shell, Crota stood smiling. He raised his sword and jumped off, lunging forward and readying a mighty swing.
"No way…" was all Kayla could gasp before a severing blast thundered out of the blade and struck the castle with enough of face to shatter most of the wall overlooking the courtyard.
The floor beneath buckled as the fortress itself shattered apart in a cacophony of destruction and, in the midst of it, the Guardians tumbling through the wreckage.
"Don't lose sight of him!" Delta said, landing on a large rock before leaping to another one.
"Jaeger, he's heading for you!" Shifter warned, darting between boulders while firing his Long Shadow.
Jaeger slid down the wreckage in freefall, ducking under Crota's sword swing as it cut through the debris with frightening precision. He turned, firing his Arma Engine machine gun at the beast, stunning him briefly and allowing Athena to sucker punch from the right. Crota slipped, landing on a piece of debris below him while another collided with the previous platform, flinging Athena upwards.
Crota scanned the chaos, spying Kayla leaping from boulder to boulder in an attempt to gain some solid ground. He grinned, leaping across the gap towards her but he was cut off by Delta throwing a large piece of one of the spires into him like a javelin, sending him careening towards Hayley. The Sunsinger jumped before the Hive Prince collided with her, grabbing onto another piece of the former ramparts.
Crota roared in anger, leaping again- this time towards Delta. The Defender Titan braced himself when Crota landed, but gunfire from Kayla's own machine gun caught the latter's attention allowing Delta to uppercut him in the gut. Crota wheezed, headbutting the Titan through the rumble before a large chunk of a statue forced him off the debris himself.
Hayley felt Crota land behind her, instinctively throwing a Solar Grenade at him before he could attack her, but the flames barely burned his skin. Out of nowhere Shifter came hurling towards the beast and grappled him, followed by Jaeger. Crota howled in frustration, throwing Shifter off and smacking Jaeger down before lunging for Hayley.
Kayla jumped, shoving her fellow Warlock off and taking the blow. She fell, landing hard on the ground of the courtyard as the rubble crashed around her. Crota was thrown off, crashing through his throne in a heap, while the Guardians each hit the ground in a mess, trying to shield themselves from the collapse castle.
Delta was the first to stand, bloodied and badly bruised. He looked around, desperately trying to pinpoint Crota. The shifting shadow above him told him enough.
"Shit!" he muttered. "Roll call! Everyone!"
"Here!" Hayley said weakly.
"I'm alright!" Jaeger announced, heaving a rock off Shifter.
"I'm good…" Shifter grunted, popping his knee back in place.
"Pissed!" Athena growled, one hammer dangling weakly at her side.
"…Kayla?" Delta asked, looking around. "Kayla!"
"We're here!"
Delta looked around for the voice. It was Ghost. He was hovering over the bloodied body of his Guardian somewhere near where the doorway was, although it was hard to place anything in the destruction around them.
"No, no, nononono!" Delta said, rushing for her.
"S-She's alright," Ghost said in barely contained panic. "She's unconscious, but…" as he trailed off, he couldn't help but look at the rising Crota. "But…"
Delta clenched his jaw and cracked his knuckles. "Keep Crota away from Kayla," he ordered.
One by one the Guardians looked hesitantly at each other. One by one each drew their weapons and faced the sneering Crota. The beast glared down at them, burning with hatred and unable to understand why they still resisted. "Why…WHY do you still have HOPE?!" he snarled, leaping down and breaking into a run.
Delta charged, cutting the beast off with a dropkick. Crota staggered, barely and lunged for Delta with his sword. The Titan rolled away, avoid the blast from the blade for rushing for a grapple in the hope of pinning him in place. Crota reached for him but was cut off by Jaeger's machine gun fire allowing Athena to rush him as well.
The Sunbreaker flung herself at Crota, grabbing his chin and using her momentum to piledrive him into the ground. Crota roared at her, grabbing her by the leg and swinging her at Delta. He stood and made a beeline for Kayla. Hayley chased after him, jumping up to his shoulder before firing her Misfit auto rifle in his third eye.
"I won't let you hurt her!" she screamed.
Crota stumbled, trying to swat the Sunsinger away but Hayley clung on to his horn and scrambled round in attempt to blind him again. She got off another shot before Crota grabbed her and slammed her into the ground by the back of her skull.
"Don't you DARE LAY YOUR HANDS ON ME!" Crota roared, slamming her face into the dirt over and over. "WHO! IN THE HELL! DO YOU! THINK! YOU! ARE?!"
"Leave her alone!" Jaeger yelled, hurling a blade at Crota's chest. The Hive Prince let go, Hayley making a faint croak.
Crota grunted as the blade buried itself in his shoulder blade, but he was unable to stop Jaeger shoving it deeper with a well-placed kicking. Crota growled, swinging his sword when the Hunter landed but Jaeger darted to the left to avoid it, prompting Crota to sweep the ground with it. Jaeger jumped over the gargantuan Hive blade before throwing another one of his own into Crota's already bleeding eye. Crota lunged again, but Jaeger managed to shove the sword out of the way. Crota kept the momentum going and brought around for a second strike which Jaeger also avoided. The Hive Prince grabbed the Hunter's cloak and pulled him behind, following up with another sword strike that just narrowly missed. Jaeger hopped up, ducking under another swing and stabbing Crota in the back of his knee.
"You're getting sloppy," Jaeger taunted.
"YOU are in no position to mock me!" Crota seethed.
Hayley coughed, getting to her feet. The grin on Crota's face widened as he made for her instead, shoving Jaeger to the side. Shifter appeared from a cloud of smoke, grabbing Hayley and leaping up to a still standing balcony. Crota skidded as he turned but before he could attack the Nightstalker, he was hit by a volley of spike grenades.
He growled, touching the bleeding wound on his head. Crota looked up, seeing the weakened Athena reloading her grenade launcher. Beside her were Delta and Jaeger.
"Kayla had better get up soon," Jaeger said quietly, aiming his machine gun. "I don't know how much longer we can hold out."
"You and me both," Delta murmured, "Ready Athena?"
"No," Athena replied. "But fuck it."
Athena and Delta charged first, supported by Jaeger's suppressive fire. Crota ignored it and lunged for the two Titans, bringing his sword down on the pair. Delta slid, knocking the aim off with his forearm and punching Crota in the gut again, allowing Athena to leap up and straddle his shoulders. With a furious scream she punched him repeatedly in the face with reckless abandon. Crota roared, kicking Delta to the ground before throwing Athena off, but he was met with another blade to the eye by Jaeger as the Hunter came flying at him.
Crota batted the Hunter away and grabbed his sword once again before gunning for Jaeger's position. Jaeger swore quietly scrambling to his feet. He rolled out of the way, narrowly dodging Crota's attack but ultimately stumbled again. Crota round on him but was met with the steady rounds from Shifter's Long Shadow, the Nightstalker appearing out of a cloud of smoke and firing with enough ferocity to stagger Crota back.
Crota roared but was charged in the side by Athena. Crota grabbed her and slammed her into a nearby wall face first, smashing her against it repeatedly. Delta ran to her aid, but Crota spun round and threw Athena to knock him down.
Crota spat at them then stomped towards Kayla but the sound of auto-rifle fire caused him to turn again. It was Hayley, face half-crushed with her right eye flickering. Her breathing was haggard.
"Stay…the fuck…down," she breathed with venom, firing at him again.
Crota shielded himself with his arm, grabbing a rock and hurling it at Hayley. It was stopped by Delta, who jumped and took the hit for her. As the rock shattered, Delta dropping to the ground again, Athena lunged for Crota once more, grabbing onto his chest before blasting her shotgun in his face. Crota roared in a rage, grabbing Athena by her neck. A linear fusion bolt ripped through his wrist, forcing him to drop her while he glowered at Shifter. Before he could attack the Hunter, Jaeger fired at the wounds on his face with his hand cannon.
The Son of Oryx howled in pain, grabbing a nearby fallen statue and hefted it over his head before launching at the Guardians like a javelin. The Guardians scattered but Crota grabbed something else and hurled at them too.
"Is he that pissed, or is he missing on purpose?" Jaeger asked Delta from behind cover.
"No, it's…" Delta said, watching clouds of dust kick up around them. "He's making a smokescreen!"
Delta dashed out, running through the dust in time to see Crota readying a strike on the fallen Kayla. "DON'T YOU DARE!" Delta yelled, jumping up and putting his arms around Crota's neck.
Crota grunted, his eyes widening when he felt Delta put all his weight behind him. One of Crota's legs buckled, Delta yelling with all his might as he brought the Hive Prince low in a chokehold.
"Incoming!" Athena said with a furious yell, dropping kicking Crota in the gut.
Crota gave another hateful roar, smacking the back of his head into Delta's- the shock forcing Delta to let go. Crota knocked Athena off and stood but was met with Hayley and Jaeger charging him. The grabbed either side of his waist, the sheer audacity of the attack briefly leaving Crota bewildered. The pair rushed him into the jagged ruins of one of the spires, leaving Crota impaled on it. Crota hissed in pain, ripping himself free just as quick but was blindsided by another flying kick from Athena.
Crota grabbed his dropped sword, glaring as the five Guardians lined up to protect Kayla. He gave an eerily hysterical chuckle. "Fuck Father and the Traveller!" he spat. "I'm gonna devour it for me! But not before I tear each of you LIMB FROM LIMB!"
Gunfire broke Kayla's haze first, followed by the war cries of her friends cutting over them. She tried to move, even if it was just a finger, but her body couldn't respond. She managed to open her eyes, but her vision was clouded with red. She groaned, trying to sit up but her arms buckled under her own weight. She hissed in pain when her head banged against the stone floor. She turned, vision shaky, making out the large chalice from earlier nearby. The remnants of the liquid Light were spilled everywhere. Among the debris she could make out two figures. They were faint, but still bright enough for her to make out that one was a Titan, and the other was a Hunter.
Was she seeing things?
"Am…am I…?" Kayla started.
She felt something warm grabbed her cheeks, forcing her head up. As her vision cleared, she could make out the face of an Exo. "Are you…what are you?" Kayla asked.
The Exo said nothing, only glancing down with a sorrowful look in her eyes before she faded away. As the ringing in her head quietened and her vision cleared Kayla looked around. She was alone, with Crota fighting her friends nearby.
Kayla got to her feet, unsteady, and unleashed a volley from her machine gun at him. Crota roared, turning to face her. "You…" he growled.
"'Bout damn time!" Delta snapped.
Crota kicked the Titan away and rushed Kayla, ignoring the sniper rounds from Shifter. Kayla readied herself, sliding between his legs when he got close before pouring more bullets into his back. Crota roared, tearing through the air with his sword again and sending a razor blast towards them all.
"LEAVE ME ALONE!" he yelled.
Kayla hit the ground again, landing by the small pool of Light. She got on her hands and knees, seeing her reflection inside it. It flickered, briefly changing to the Exo again.
"O-Oh, my god…" she breathed, in realisation. "It's you. I-It's always been you."
The Exo faded away again, and Kayla felt something scoop her up. It was Delta. "Please…please tell me we can win this!" he said hurriedly, bringing them both behind a pillar.
"I'm working on something," Kayla said. "But the problem is finding something we can use to actually hurt him…"
"Yeah, no shit!" Delta said angrily. "Bullets aren't working."
"Of course bullets aren't working!" Kayla snapped back. "The only thing that can truly hurt him is…is…"
Kayla thought back to the fight in the crystal chamber, the damage his own sword did to him and the panic in Crota's actions as he tried to keep her away from it. "Sword-Logic…" she said quietly, turning to Delta. "The only thing that can hurt Crota is himself!"
Delta paused then made a face. "Oh, you have got to be kidding me!" he said in disbelief. "If we die here, I'm so fucking haunting you!"
Delta bolted out to Crota, Kayla speaking on the group channel. "Athena, Jaeger; help Delta get the sword. Hayley, I need you with me. Shifter- provide the heavy hitters with cover fire, do NOT fire your Shadowshot until I say so."
Shifter nodded, turning to Hayley. "You heard her, go! Go!"
Hayley hoped down, moving behind the other three as they charged.
"This better work," Athena said, grappling Crota and pushing him back with all her might.
Crota cried out as he felt his back crack on the wreckage behind him. He kneed Athena in the gut and smacked her down. As he raised his sword he felt something grab his wrist, pulling it down. It was the other Titan.
"You touch my blade?!" Crota snarled, smashing Delta into the ground with a punch from his left hand.
"Aaaaand, STAB!" Jaeger yelled, leaping and plunging his kukri in Crota's chest again.
Crota snarled, reaching for Jaeger as he took the kukri out and stabbed him again, this time in the side. A sniper bullet ripped through his hand, allowing Jaeger and another opening, this time plunging the knife into Crota's armpit.
Crota roared, slamming his arm into his side and crushing Jaeger. The Bladedancer yelled in pain, falling to the ground. Crota tried to move but the sniper rounds kept him pinned, allowing Athena to stand again. She lunged like a feral tiger, headbutting him in the face before biting him in the shoulder. Crota roared, throwing himself down to the ground and crushing Athena under his weight.
Delta and Jaeger rushed Crota when he got to his feet, Jaeger firing on him with his hand cannon while Delta grabbed his sword arm again. Crota shook his violently, trying to shake the Defender off. Athena stood again, throwing herself at Crota's oak-like leg in an attempt to throw him off balance as Jaeger's gunfire rang through the Oversoul Throne.
"Please, Kayla…" the Bladedancer said to himself. "Please find something that works."
"How much do you need?" Hayley asked, scooping the liquid Light around the pair of them in her palms.
"As much as you can get," Kayla said quickly, holding out a small goblet for Hayley to pour it in.
"What even is this?"
"Trust me, I think we'd rather not know," Kayla replied, scooping more into the goblet herself. "When this is full, we need to reposition. Use that orb…thing, I'm sorry, you got a name for it?"
"I-It's silly, but I call it Divine Protection…" Hayley said shyly.
Kayla blinked. "…Ok, we reposition, you use Divine Protection on me. Once I give the signal, Shifter's gonna Shadowshot him."
"W-When do you move?"
"When the others have the sword."
"A-And then…?" Hayley asked, not really wanting to know the answer.
"We pray."
"…O-Ok."
Kayla stood, looking at the overflowing goblet. "That should be enough, right? C'mon."
"Kayla, hurry up, we can't hold him off forever!" Jaeger shouted, plunging his knife into Crota again.
Crota roared, headbutting him to the ground and raising his sword again. Jaeger crawled away but Delta threw himself on the beast's back, trying to pull him down.
"FUCK!" he yelled, clinging on as Crota thrashed around. "Guy fights like a freaking bear!"
Crota grabbed Delta by the neck, throwing him to the ground but before he had a chance to finish him Athena rushed him, slamming her hammer into the Jaeger's knife like it was a nail. On his perch, Shifter fired again, two rounds for each knee. Crota stumbled as Delta stood.
"Jaeger, get the other arm with me!" Delta ordered, running for it. "Athena, kick that sword away from him!"
Crota yelled in rage when Delta and Jaeger pinned his off hand in place. He lunged his sword at them, but a flash of auburn struck his wrist. He turned, finding Athena hold his other arm in place. When he tried to move another sniper round pierced his shoulder.
"Athena, hurry it up!" Delta shouted.
Athena growled, plunging her teeth into Crota's wrist, much to the surprise of Delta and Jaeger. The Defender looked at his teammate, who shrugged and tossed a small kunai Athena's way. The Sunbreaker grabbed it and plunged it into the open wound on Crota's wrist. He roared, dropping the sword, which Athena kicked away.
"I got it!" Delta shouted, breaking away for it and grabbing it. "You two, get out of there!"
"Don't need to tell me twice!" Jaeger said, activating his camo unit.
Athena growled, kicked away by Crota again before firing on him with her shotgun.
Nearby, hidden by a fallen statue, Kayla waited. "They got it!" she whispered. "Now, do it now!"
Hayley nodded, through a white-hot orb of light over Kayla. "It won't offer you much," she admitted. "Enough to survive one hit." The Sunsinger hesitated. "Maybe."
"Good enough," Kayla sighed. "Shifter, hold back, let him focus me."
"Noted," Shifter responded. "And the signal?"
"You won't miss it," Kayla replied, inhaling sharply before stepping out with her SMG ready. "Hey, dickhead!"
A burst of gunfire struck Crota's face as he loomed over Athena. His eyes narrowed on Kayla as she walked towards him, still firing.
"You really do have a deathwish," he snarled, striding towards her.
"Kayla, what are you doing?" Delta whispered shakily, flinching when Crota grabbed her by the throat.
"Ack!" Kayla croaked, holding firm as Hayley's Protection wore off. She stared down into his bleeding, rage-filled eyes. "Wait!"
Crota blinked, curiously. "What?" he asked tersely.
"D-Don't I get any last words?" Kayla asked nervously, heart racing.
Crota looked at her friends. All of them were on their last legs. "I must admit…" he said, turning to her. "You have brought me the closest to death. Go on. Why not?"
Kayla's fearful grimace turned into a smirk. "Eris Morn sends her regards."
Before Crota to process what he'd heard, Kayla pulled a goblet from behind her and threw it over him. Water?
"No…" he gasped, feeling a searing pain burn him to his core. "NO!"
He dropped Kayla, smoke pouring from him as the stench of burning flesh stagnated the air. Kayla hit the ground hard. "Shifter!"
The Nightstalker grinned, firing off a Shadowshot behind Crota. It let off a tendril, snaring his off hand. Another Shadowshot appeared behind him, pinning his main hand behind him before a third wrapped itself around his legs.
Delta readied the Sword. Kayla turned to him. "Go! Right where the Light is!"
Delta roared and charged, plunging the blade deep inside Crota's stomach. He howled in pain as the sword shifted inside him, devouring the Light the was now coursing through him. As he screamed, flailing against his bindings, Fireteam Storm saw several figures burst out of the wound, circling him like vengeful spirits. One, a Titan, grabbed his right shoulder, while another, this time a Hunter, grabbed his left. Both forced him down, while a final one, a Warlock floated before him. She grabbed the sword, pushing it deeper and deeper into his exposed flesh.
"What the hell is it doing…?" Delta asked in horror.
"I-I think the sword is eating him…" Hayley gasped.
"NO! PLEASE! NOT LIKE THIS!" Crota wept, looking up at the void in the sky. "Father! Help me! Please… FATHER! LET ME IN! LET ME BACK IN, FATHER! DON'T LEAVE MEEEEEEEEEEEE-!"
The Light grew brighter, engulfing the Oversoul Throne as Crota's screams echoed into the Ascendant Realm. When it faded all that was left was Fireteam Storm, and the lonely Warlock. All eyes were on her.
She turned, holding her hand out. A murky, dull-white portal appeared beside her. "This is the last of the strength of those who died at Mare Imbrium. It won't last long, so…hurry. Please."
"Is that…?" Hayley asked.
"Can't be…" Jaeger replied in disbelief.
The Light-Spirit of the Warlock said nothing. "Wei…it is done," she said with a sad smile. "And Eris? …I…doubt you can hear me, but…I am sorry…"
With that the Warlock faded away. Kayla looked around and stood, heading for the portal, followed close by Fireteam Storm. All six of them were spat out a way aways from the edge of the Hellmouth. The Moon was silent. Delta fell to his knees with a sigh of relief, Athena head off to the side in quiet contemplation. Shifter sat down roughly, his old eyes blinking as he processed what had happened. Hayley welled up, letting out a loud scream of joy at the sight of Earth in the sky, while Jaeger collapsed on the floor, kissing the ground over and over.
Delta looked up at Kayla. She was stood in silence. "Hey…Kayla you…you alright?" he asked.
The Voidwalker swayed and collapsed on her back; limbs sprawled on the white soil of Luna. "He's gone…" she breathed in relief, before curling on her side in bits. "He's gone, he's gone…he's gone, he's gone, he's gone…he's gone…"
A/N: Fireteam Storm return to the Tower, with the Speaker waiting to cast judgement. Meanwhile, Eris heads to the Reef for a very special mission. Chapter 36: Kings and Queens