Hey y'all! Apparently, Fanfiction hates me and is continually removing format from my documents. I hope it isn't entirely rubbish! I'm going to keep and try updating this one every week so stay tuned! xoxo
Al-Jestis stood before the vast gray door of the entrance to the Temple of Crota. He idly remembered the stories of how many Guardians, like him, had fallen to the Hive's terrible logics and magicks.
Cinnamon Roll, his Ghost, took a brave moment to materialize from Jestis' pack and survey their surroundings. Blackish brown chitin lay on the ground, evidence of battles past. She turned her cyclopean eye on her Guardian, clearly apprehensive.
"I know that the bounty is good," She ventured softly. "But is it worth being lost to the Darkness? To the Hive?"
Beneath his helmet, Al-Jestis' features contorted in a fair approximation of a frown. The two of them had gone over this, time and time again.
"Cinna, I know you're worried, but this will be worth the trouble! We need a new warp-drive for our StarSkipper, and this would be enough to buy us two. Maybe even enough that I could ask Amanda out for a pint."
Jestis' head dipped towards his chest, briefly contemplative. Prone to brooding, Jestis would soon fall into a thoughtful and depressed silence.
Knowing where this road went, Cinna bumped into his shoulder playfully. "Hey," she chirped. "Maybe you can buy me one instead. Show a Ghost a good time, eh, Jes?"
He gave a good-natured huff. Indicating a small outcropping, he stalked over to some cover, Cinna floating silently behind him. Crouching down, he extended a hand to her.
"You can't drink, silly!" he said gently. His dexterous fingers rubbed her center sphere, right between her outer horns. He stroked her like someone would pet a cat, musingly.
It felt like liquid ecstasy to her. If she had a mouth, and saliva glands, she would've drooled.
"Uhhhhh…ehhhh…i knowww." Cinna moaned in her husky voice. Unable to think past his ministrations, she slowly lifted and hovered above his palm.
"But it's the thought that counts," She stated firmly.
Jes nodded. "Which is why I'm going to get you a new shell after this score!" He indicated her carbon-scored, slightly dinged up outer body.
Her points dropped in embarrassment. "You don't have to do that.." She mumbled.
Jes was firm. "You do nearly as much work as I do! We should split the bounty!"
"A bounty we don't have," She began. "A bounty in an incredibly dangerous-"
"A bounty that's waiting." He said, standing. She groaned, but she followed nonetheless. Of course she would follow.
She loved her Guardian. Of course, all Ghosts were supposed to be dedicated to their charges, but Cinna knew what she felt for Al-Jestis-13 was more than dedication. More than that, she wanted things that Ghosts couldn't have. Wanted to do things they couldn't do, not with the current technology in their possession.
Cinna felt the tugs of desire, and began to remember a story one of her Brothers had told her, in confidence. As she dug through her data and began to review the story, she noticed movement on the tracker.
Day-dreaming could wait until later. Desire wouldn't do her too much if it got her Guardian killed.
Down beyond the opening gate of the Temple of Crota, sat a huge Ogre, accompanied by a small coterie of ugly Acolytes. The loud huffing pants of their wet, raspy breathing was paired with the sound of their own chitin scraping against their skin.
Jes cloaked himself in a self contained invisible field. It had a very low battery life, but could be recharged often. As long as he avoided the Hive and stayed outside of their notice, he'd be golden. Even though he was cloaked, he'd heard stories about how powerful their scent of smell was.
Holding an unnecessary breath in, he skirted around the Ogre. He gave it an enormous berth, not wanting to deal with it on a good day, much less today.
The disgusting monster cocked its head to one side, slowly swinging it to another. Its massive head had purple-pink rotting flesh glowing with power that lay below the surface.
Jes froze as the Ogre took a lumbering step towards him. Its head swung from side to side, until it seemed to lock directly on him. Jes wondered if the beast could hear his mechanical heart pounding in terror.
Cinna posted a small timer onto his HUD, reminding him that he had few precious seconds left until he was exposed.
The Ogre tilted it's head upwards, as if listening to a distant song, and then stomped away, turning it's back to Jes.
No sooner than it had turned away, Jes' invisibility vanished. He took advantage of the moment and scurried off further into the Temple.
Jes and Cinna rested deep inside the temple. Five solar cycles had passed since they had first entered, and had passed without any incident.
Jes slumped back against a dark wall, resting his body. Though he was powered by the Light, it didn't seem to do much about his muscular aches. Or maybe it was this place…
Jestis' thoughts were dark and murky, like swirling tendrils of malignant mist. Was his Light being choked out, smothered by the weight of the Darkness in this deep place?
He knew he could die here and no one would ever find his body. That was alright to him. He was a warrior; death was all but a certainty.
However, Cinna was his Ghost. She might have raised him from death, but they were a team. He was no good without her. Therefore, he always felt deeply responsible for her. And now, in this dark place, deep below the Lunar surface, he began to feel uncertainty.
Fear bloomed in his belly, and his mind began to run wild with nightmarish stories told to him. Old tales the Hunters of the Tower spoke of in hushed tones. Of the things that the Hive would do. Civilians would be the easiest off. Killed, and then devoured, or devoured and subsequently killed, if they were lucky. No one ever knew what happened to those who were dragged off, screaming into the darkness, to the depths of Crota's Abyss.
Guardians were a different matter. Light was power, and the Hive could feed and breed an entire brood from a single Guardian's Light. He could only imagine being chained, tortured, having his Light slowly drained away to feed the next army that might crush Earth once and for all.
Al-Jestis shook his head in an attempt to clear his thoughts. "I'm going to try and rest," he said in a whisper. He lay onto his side, back to the wall. "Keep watch for me?"
Cinna spun in a small circle. "You know I will. Even if I do want to be held." She said in a teasing tone.
On the nights that Al-Jestis' paranoia was quelled, and his heart easy, he would lay down to sleep and Cinna would rest herself in his hands. Al-Jestis would hold her close to his body, even though he thought that she couldn't feel his body warmth. She could feel it, though.
"I'm sorry, Cinna. When we're out, I'll never let you go." He said, sleep filling his words. He was soon asleep.
"Ah, I was mostly joking anyway." She hadn't been joking.
Like a beast sniffing the wind for danger, Cinna could pick up on Jes' emotions as though they were her own. She could feel his fear, taste his stress, and she wanted to comfort him, more than anything.
Aside from his other emotions, she could also feel something new. Something that Al-Jestis himself probably wasn't aware of. Cinnamon Roll had heard of such feelings before, but only through an experience of a fellow Ghost, Arga.
This Ghost was so incredibly close to their Guardian. Enviably so. The two of them were apparently inseparable; to the point that the Guardian was more inclined to speak to other Ghosts than they were of their own kind and ilk.
Bonded and tied by a mental stream, Arga felt when his Guardian began to feel desire. Guardians might be risen dead, or in this Guardian's case, an Exo, but their bodies remembered old patterns. Addictions, preferences, desires.
Cinna couldn't imagine doing what Arga did next. Arga had gone directly to his Guardian, and confronted them about their feelings, the rising lust in the Lightbearer's loins. The Guardian had been, understandably, immensely embarrassed and had tried to pass it off as less than a problem.
Arga was incredibly insistent, however.
With a shiver of embarrassment, and maybe a bit of excitement, Cinna recalled Arga's memory.
Arga was of the opinion that his Guardian couldn't function at full efficiency if he was distracted. Not to mention that Arga practically shared his Guardian's emotions; especially when they were being broadcast at such volumes. Arga offered his help to his Guardian, who was a bit baffled at such a concept, but was incredibly curious, and consented.
Arga had soothed his Lightbearer; letting him know that if they had any problem with the Ghost's actions, to tell him and he'd stop.
Then he'd disrobed his Guardian, transmatting sleek armor and cloth off of their body. Once the Guardian was comfortable in his bunk, Arga had nestled in between their legs, resting against their flaccid synthetic flesh member.
At the cool touch of Arga's shell against their flesh, the member had quickly burgeoned into its full length. Arga had begun to vibrate, gently stimulating the faux-leathery flesh below their now-pulsing phallus.
With gentle, controlled, and precise motions, Arga spiraled up and down the Guardian's member, sending pleasure pulsing throughout their body. When a pearl of glistening pre-cum emerged from the tip of their tumescent cock, Arga increased his speed.
Within a short time, the Exo was thrusting their hips, metallic breath coming in a panting gasp.
Arga didn't stop when they came.
Pale blue Exo cum spurted out of their member, absolutely drenching the little light in hot, musky fluid. Arga had groaned with his Guardian, feeling pleasure in having fulfilled his partner's desire. Afterward, the Guardian had been deathly embarrassed, but had helped Arga clean up. Afterwards, the two of them cuddled for hours. And then the Guardian had gently slid Arga back down to their loins, lustful once more.
Arga, had been more than pleased.
When Arga had last spoken to Cinna, his Guardian apparently was searching for Vex ruins for secrets. Looking for a way to give Arga a proper body.
That sounded awfully nice to Cinna. A body. A form.
Some way to be closer to Jes. To please Jes as Arga had pleased his Guardian, but also to embrace him, to feel his touch.
So, she decided. She would confront Jestis about it, and hopefully he wouldn't be disgusted with her. He was so amazing, after all. So protective, and caring, and-
A skitter further down the tunnel roused her from her imagination.
Jestis stirred as soon as Cinna had. He was awake, she knew, but staying still so as not to give himself away.
…scratch…scratch…thud.
Thud.
THUD.
Deeper below Luna's surface, past the breeding pits and Brood-Ships, and Hive Seeders, past the ancient tunnels filled with bones and carcasses of long-forgotten monsters, a Wizard waits.
Sarthuk of the Silvered Brood hovers above the ground, perfectly centered between five of her sisters. They swayed and twitched erratically, heads bowed in perfect concentration. Armor and chitin lay on the ground beneath them, exposing their bodies showing the glowing glyphs and powerful symbols etched into their pale gray skin.
Where the five sisters were frail and dessicated; bodies having gone to malnutrition after weeks without feeding or consuming light, Sarthuk was powerful and well-curved, the angles and soft curves of her body clearly belonging to a brood mother.
As the Five Sisters concentrated, they cast their fey magicks into the Strands of the universe, plucking at the threads of the fabric of reality. All was silent as they waited for a presence. A feeling. An opening on the other side of the energy they cast.
Idly, Sarthuk heard the restless booming thuds of her newest project; an abomination born of the grafting of flesh from the four-armed raiders onto one of her own Ogres. She remembered the days spent corrupting that young Thrall, filling it with anger and malice and hate and pain. Pushing it until it was strong enough to bring its own rage unto reality.
Thud…Thud…a pause…thudthudthud.
She knew that keeping Ogres was incredibly dangerous; feeding and sating their thirsts was not only downright expensive for her resources. It was also possible that the Ogre could try to break its manacles, and upon realizing its own strength, it would be quite an issue.
Sarthuk focused as suddenly, she could feel something. As if someone had opened a door at the far end of a hallway, and were listening. She felt, more than anything, the pride and anger-joy of the Sisters at their own success.
"We have toiled, and we have wrought pain. But yet still, we gain no footing. What would you have us do, O High One?"
Thud..thud..thud..
"I would have you-" the reply from the other side was cut off as the massive abomination blundered its way into the room. The Five Sisters immediately broke their concentration, seeking angles and advantage.
Rage coursed through Sarthuk's veins. Hot, burning rage. She would kill this monster for its impudence, regardless of its strength, and regardless of the time she'd spent crafting it.
The four meter tall Ogre crawled into the room, roaring as it searched for anything it could slake its bloodlust upon. It crawled like a massive insect, given strength by the two extra appendages that Sarthuk had grafted onto its flesh.
"What is that?" hissed one of her Coven.
"My project. If you wish to live, my Sisters, then prove yourselves." Saying so, Sarthuk retreated and the Five Sisters advanced. Their hands crackled with energy, fingers dancing as they began to cast spellwork.
The beast tilted its head sideways. Four orange eyes blinked from a massive, triangular head. It stumbled towards them with a lethargic, lumbering gait. The youngest of the Sisters, perhaps lulled into a false sense of security by the creature's slow pace, gracefully floated within reach of the beast. Her hands shot up, casting a cloud of poisonous smoke to hide herself in.
The monster roared, flesh sizzling on contact with the cloud. As the Sister began to cast a powerful cantrip of undoing, an enormous three-clawed hand raced forward, gripping the young Wizard around her waist. In blinding speed, it slammed her into two nearby pillars before opening its maw wide.
The Sister screamed as the beast chomped down on her torso; its two front arms holding it's food protectively close to its mouth. Sarthuk only watched. If the Sister was not strong enough to survive, then she could not be allowed to survive. Such it was. Aiat.
The monster turned away from the remaining Sisters. Completely distracted by the promise of new food; it did not notice the four elder Sisters beginning a spell of their own. They knew that they could not face the creature individually. Brute strength was for Knights and Acolytes, after all. However, they could subdue the creature if they worked as one.
The four of them quickly arranged themselves in a diamond around the beast, who was still noisily devouring their former Sister. Around them formed a prism of emerald-green fire. They slowly retreated away, and the prism descended towards the beast.
Sarthuk watched, and she was satisfied, for the strength of her Sisters was wisdom and cunning and trickery. It mattered not if she had to lose a member of her Coven if the remainder of her Sisters would learn a powerful lesson.
She raised her own hand just as the cage of power was mere feet away from the beast. It still had room to move, and Sarthuk perhaps was not yet finished with this monster. It had power, and that power could be transferred to another, perhaps. Sarthuk put the monster to sleep with a gentle nudge of her mind, and it gently slumped over.
The Four Sister turned to Sarthuk, watching her bleakly.
"Take this warrior away. Do not harm it, for it has the mind of an Acolyte, and it will remember such things."
"Yes, Mistress." Her Sisters crooned in unison.
"We are to teach, to feed, and to train it. We may have great use of its strength."
"And what strength it has, Mistress!" exclaimed Ir-Da. "It may have been damaged by our Late Sister's spell, but look how the skin knits together! It will be healed soon."
"To gaze upon its form as well!" cried An-Yut. "Such musculature! The grafts took quite well to the old flesh, and I see that all of it grows in, ah, proportion to the remainder of its mass."
The Sisters looked upon the massive and muscled form of the creature. Fully nude, they could see that there was a certain elegance to the beast, one that was not typically found in the subjects of Hive ritual. Four hugely built arms supported a torso sleek with muscle, covered in sleek light-blue skin. Below the second pair of shoulders hung a well-shaped waist. The hindlegs were digitigrade in nature, and one of them was draped over its groin, due to the way the monster reclined.
The others cackled. "An-Yut, you would consider a bulkhead a proper mate were it endowed with great proportion."
An-Yut sputtered. "It is not wrong for a Brood-Sister to want to breed, Ar-Gen. Shall I throw you in this monster's prison for entertainment?"
Ar-Gen shrank a bit at that, making herself smaller and to look less threatening. Sarthuk knew that if those two spent any more time together, their ego's would lead to their demise. Normally in Hive Culture, this was not any kind of a problem, as fighting came as naturally as any other biological function. But in these cycles, forces were in short supply, and while she could stand to sacrifice one Sister, two more in one cycle was a bit too much.
"Return the creature to its cell. I want Arcana structured around it, so that no matter what it may do, it may not step foot again outside of its enclosure. I say this and this is good. Aiat."
"Aiat." They echoed. The foursome cast another enchantment, this one to lift the creature off the floor. As they began to escort it out of the Ritual Chamber, Sarthuk paid special attention to An-Yut, who was positioned near the creature's hind quarters.
The young Brood Mother was giving the abomination special interest. In the small amount of time it took for them to guide the sleeping creature out of the hall, An-Yut had glanced no more than five times at the beast, most likely attempting to gauge the creature's endowments.
"An-Yut," Sarthuk called, as the coterie turned down a corridor. "Remain with me awhile."
"Mistress?" she asked, and came to float beside Sarthuk. Sarthuk indicated the path before them and they began to float along the path, deeper into the guts of Luna.
"I require your assistance."
An-Yut was eager, that was good. "Anything, Mistress. What would you require of me?"
"This new warrior I have made, it is special. Would you agree?"
"Yes, Mistress, it is quite hungry, and it has such power."
"I thought you might see things from my perspective." Sarthuk cooed as they made their way past an armory. Strong, powerful odors wafted out as the Armsmiths crafted powerful machines of death.
"I've always admired you, An-Yut." at the sudden look of surprise from the Sister, she continued, "Aiat, it is true. I can see your hunger for strength and for secrets. You remind me as I was, so long ago on King Oryx's Dreadnaught."
"This is all very flattering, Mistress, but you have asked for my aid."
"Very true. In this new age of uncertainty, we must begin our army anew, must fortify our ranks with strength and rage. If we are ever to bring our King back, we must do so in his name. In his image."
They crossed deeper into the catacombs. "Thus, it is my decision to have you guard this new creature. I will name it, I think, as Athaneros, the Silent Hunger. I must continue my work, to conquer and explore new avenues to build us a stronger force."
Sarthuk was silent for a beat, waiting for An-Yut to reply.
"You are most gracious, Mistress, but why not any of the other Sisters? I do feel as though I may be helpful in other efforts."
"You make a good point, An-Yut, a good point indeed. However, Ir-Da trains our forces, and Il-Rut raises our broods. That would leave Ar-Gen-"
Sarthuk saw the Sister stiffen at the mention of Ar-Gen.
"-and I trust her not. I think her intentions are sinister, and wholly selfish."
"Mistress, is not selfishness our last defense? The struggle that keeps us sharp, that hones our blade and our tongues?"
An-Yut was starting to annoy Sarthuk. Sarthuk didn't fear any such thing about Ar-Gen, but she knew that trickery held stronger bonds if you tied the binding rope behind someone's back. The more her Sisters feared and distrusted each other; the more they would trust Sarthuk.
"So it is," She admitted, "But now is not the time for division. We have enemies on all sides. What we need now is unity." She caressed the chitinous shoulder of An-Yut, causing the Sister to shiver in delight.
Sarthuk's bony finger slid along An-Yut's jaw until their gazes met. Eyes burning with Soulfire bored into each other. "Would you not agree?"
Sarthuk floated further down the passage, until she reached the doorway of her observatory. It was a large alcove, with countless items embedded into small niches in the walls. Preserved bits of Wyrm, bone, Eliksni, Cabal, and Human bio-matter, all preserved in crystal domes. Outside of the massive chamber was a balcony that looked over one of the massive sub-Lunar chasms.
An-Yut followed Sarthuk out onto the balcony. Sarthuk now stood on her own legs, as opposed to continuing to hover. It was always wise, in her opinion, to keep the body as sharp as one's magick.
"I command you to watch Athaneros. To learn of him, to be responsible for catering to his hunger, for now. In future days, we will test him against others in the Great Pit of Heresy. For now, care for him, and report back to me every two cycles."
"Yes, Mistress." An-Yut executed a floating curtsy.
"After, you shall be greatly rewarded. And if you find your duty to your…liking, we shall continue along this path."
"That is most kind."
"You also must gather your Sisters in seven cycles time, and we again shall attempt to commune."
Feeling she had been dismissed, An-Yut excused herself and took leave of Sarthuk.
"An-Yut?" Sarthuk said, as An-Yut reached the tall doorway. "We, the Hive, have always been so narrow minded when it came to our strength. We are the Hive. We are Eternal. But I find it a great shame that we never took the strength of other, inferior races, and made it ours entirely. Would you not agree?"
Not entirely sure of the Mistress's intentions, An-Yut wisely decided to be honest. "I am not sure, Mistress."
Sarthuk nodded her head, glittering silver in the low light. "You will, my Sister. You will."
A Guardian and his Ghost stood deathly still for three minutes, refusing to breathe, straining to listen.
Al-Jestis didn't speak for a moment. He slowly holstered his hand cannon and took a step backwards. The Darkness weighed on him, ever oppressive, ever terrifying. But as dark as it was, there was something else. A warmth. A pull…
"We go back." He mumbled softly.
"Really?" Cinna asked hopefully. She knew, just as well as any Ghost did, the near-suicidal frenzy and rage that all Guardians seemed to possess.
"Yes. I'm sure there's another Guardian in the Tower that wants half of this bounty. I think," He stopped momentarily. Faint echoing screams bounced off of the walls of the chamber, chilling his blood. But if he went deeper, he'd be safe, wouldn't he? There was a place, deep within the abyss, full of life, full of something. Somewhere he'd be welcome.
"I think, half a bounty is better than a Final Death." Jes said, more to himself than anything. His words sounded strange. Stale and could inside the fetid air.
Cinna spiraled in the air. "Thank you, Jes! Guardians are stronger together, after all!" She knocked into his shoulder playfully. Jes didn't seem to notice. There was a special place down there.
Jes turned to say something to Cinna, but froze. There was a soft noise now. Like a gentle step, followed by a short scrape.
"Cinna, give me the distance on that echo." Jes said, preparing to cloak himself again. The special place was coming to him! His blood sung with the closeness of it.
"But, I thought you said that we were leaving. Shouldn't we get-"
"Cinna!" Jes hissed urgently. Every muscle was taut, ready to take him into the Dark below.
She measured the spectrum of the sound, calculated its trajectory and angles.
"On foot? It's tens of kilometers, quite deep inside the guts of Luna."
"And how far from the Temple doors?" Jes felt the pull, and knew it was wrong. He had to get out, he knew Cinna wouldn't be welcome in the special place.
"About five kilometers. Jes, I really think that we-"
Jes yanked Cinna out of the air, abruptly turned, and ran.
His footsteps were swift, but made little sound on the Temple floors. Cinna kept asking him what was wrong, she wouldn't stop asking what he had seen, but Jes didn't stop until he had run nearly a kilometer.
He turned a corner, entering a darkened hallway. He hunkered down by a pile of bones, purple-black with Hive biomatter.
"Will you tell me what is going on?" Cinna demanded.
Jes's chest was burning, but he kept his breathing low.
"I had to get out of there." he said softly. "It felt like something was pulling at me, drawing in me deeper and deeper. I had to, Cinna."
Cinna couldn't properly convey emotion in her form, but she did her best. "You should have said something, Jes!"
She spiraled indignantly through the air. "You took three wrong turns and now we're even further into the Temple of Crota than we were before!"
Anger flared in Jes. He knew it was his fault, this mission, the wrong turns, all of it.
"Just shut up for a second!" he snapped. And immediately regretted it.
"I'm sorry, Cinna. We just need to go, okay? Can I make it up to you when we get out of here?"
Cinna floated away from him, ignoring his request momentarily. No one, not even her Guardian, yelled at her. She pretended to investigate something on the walls.
"Cinna?" Jes asked cautiously. "I'm sorry."
Cinna mumbled something about Hive runes, and turned to float alongside the other wall.
Though Jes was still immensely uncomfortable, he knew he needed to patch things over with Cinna, and he needed to do it quick. He'd never heard of any other Guardian with such a sassy Little Light; but she was his partner and just as much his responsibility as he was hers.
"Cinna…" He crooned gently. "I'm sorry that I grabbed you."
She spun to face him. "And?"
Jes almost rolled his eyes, but he thought better of it. She could probably see through his visor.
"And I am sorry for shouting at you. This whole damn thing is my fault, and I just went and put us into a further mess. But let me make it up to you. We'll get out safe, and then we'll do anything you want."
Indescribable feelings blossomed inside of Cinna. "Anything?"
Jes toed a small bone fragment around. The ancient ossified material crumbled into dust. "Anything." He mumbled.
She drifted back into range. "Thank you, Jes. But you can grab me anytime." Cinna blinked her eye at him, and then began to truly survey the walls.
Jes had no idea what that meant. But at least things were better now. It's not like he would survive long without her, anyways.
Cinna was incredibly proud of herself. She had been so smooth! Telling Jes that he could grab her at anytime, winking-yes, she had done that!-at him. Those Guardian courtship tips that one really uncomfortable Cryptarch had given her had worked!
Cinna began to catalog and analyze the tunnel around them. It was similar to the standard Hive architecture, but there were minimal differences. Small, organic changes, not only in the stone and metal, but also in the air.
"That's interesting," She mumbled to herself, scanning the opposite wall.
"What is it?" Al-Jestis asked.
"There's microscopic changes in the air. Small organic particles. They shouldn't be here."
Jes felt a flicker of discomfort and rested his hand on his hand cannon. "Is that going to be a problem?"
She turned to face him. "Don't take your helmet off anytime soon. I have no idea what these spores could do to you, but knowing how the Hive are? Make sure it stays on. I'll purge your air filters every fifteen, and you should be okay."
Jes looked around. The walls were of a softer design, and they almost looked organic in nature, as if he was stepping down into a beast's throat.
"Let's get out of here." Jes said. "Which way do we go?"
"Well, if you hadn't sprinted off on your merry way, we could've been out by now."
"I said, 'I'm sorry.' "
"But," Cinna said, drawing the word out. She floated deeper into the throat-like tunnel. She was silent for a few moments.
She hung in the air, unmoving and unblinking.
"Cinna?" Jes asked.
"It's this way." She said softly.
Jes felt a shiver run through him.
"Cinna? What are you talking about? Don't we need to get out of here?"
Cinna turned to face him. She seemed hesitant. "We're a lot further in the Temple of Crota than I'd previously thought, Jes."
Jes could feel the world spinning. "How much further?"
Cinna's points drooped, defeatedly. "From my scans, it looks like we're almost at the fifth terrace of the Hellmouth. I don't know how it happened, but we are far from the surface. Too far to turn around."
"So, what do we do?" Jes asked, already knowing the answer. He had gotten them into this, after all.
"We have to go down, this way. Sensor indicates that this tunnel merges with another catacomb, and it should let us out near Archer's Line."
As Jes was about to speak, Cinna floated deeper into the passage. It was wide, and tall enough for the Hunter to walk through, but if something came charging at him from deeper below, there'd be little elbow room.
"Besides," Cinna said, "There's no record of this passage."
"What about Toland's journal?"
"Mm, nothing."
"Shanks!" Jes cursed. He slunk after Cinna, his feet slightly squelching as he tread on the floor.
"Look on the brightside." Cinna said. She continued to talk in a monotone way; clearly obsessed with the flow of new data before them.
"The brightside?" Jes whispered. Now that they'd gone deeper into the passage, there was no ambient light, save from the sterile blue glow that Cinna emitted.
"No one has ever found this tunnel."
"So, what? The Hive make new things all the time, I'm sure. These buggers are busy down here, doing Light-knows-what."
"Ah, but this is not a new tunnel, my dear delightful, yet misinformed Hunter. Carbon dating shows that this material predates The Great Disaster by at least a hundred years. And not only the Lunar stone, but the Hive Biomass. This is ancient."
Jes was quiet for a second. He knew Cinna wanted him to ask why it was so important, but he couldn't let her have all the fun. He brushed aside a low-hanging strand of mucus, and it crumbled against his hand.
"So." He began. "We start to map the "new-but-old-tunnel", return with the small data we have, and then the Cryptarchy pays us through Vanguard funding to explore the passage?"
Cinna turned in the air to look at him. "You're not as dumb as you look," She teased lightly.
"Thank you." Jes said. He was still on edge, but there was little to no sign of any recent Hive activity. He still kept a hand on his hand cannon, however, and his eyes on his tracker.
"All we need," Cinna said as they rounded a corner and entered a larger chamber. "Is an artifact of any kind. Hive fabric, scrolls, armor, Boomers, Swords. You know the business."
"Speaking of." Jes said. He strode forward into the chamber. There was a Hive carcass slumped against the far wall, decrepit with age. It glistened with tiny patches of Wormspore, softly shining green light. The creature's mouth hung open, most of the teeth having long rotted away.
It was in an extreme condition of decay. With so little remaining of it's initial form, it was terrifying to see how familiar it looked to humans.
"Can I get some light?" He asked. Cinna floated towards him.
"What else am I here for?" She quipped.
Jes unsheathed one of his many knives. He began to deftly cut away one of the cloth wrappings around the corpse's waist.
As he tucked it into a belt pouch, he asked Cinna, "What do you think it is? It's a bit big to be a normal Knight."
Cinna spun around the body, scanning its ancient form. "I have no idea. There's no Swarm markings, and these runes are old, even for the Hive. We could be looking at an old Phenotype, bred out of existence."
Jes grunted. He squatted down, putting a hand on the back of the skull, bracing his other hand on it's chest.
"What are you doing?" Cinna asked warily.
"I think Eris Morn would find this incredibly interesting." He said. With a yank, Jes ripped the skull away from the rest of the body. He turned it over in his hands. It was nearly a foot and a half long, quite large indeed.
Cinna rematerialized the skull into his pack. Jes stood and dusted his gloved hands off on his thighs. "Was there anything else you needed?" Jes asked.
Cinna spun around the room. "No, I think we're quite good. Although," She moved further away from Jes, chasing shadows away with her projected light. Jes watched as she illuminated the opening to another tunnel. Where it led, Jes could only guess.
He stepped over to where she was. Together, they silently peered into the abyss before them.
"Which way is it to the surface?" Jes asked softly.
Still facing the new tunnel, Cinna said," It's across the way from where we entered."
Jes nodded. "Let's go back that way, then."
Cinna couldn't agree more. They could uncover all of this place's mysteries when they returned, hopefully with at least one other Guardian.
The duo made their way to the other tunnel, leaving the remnants of the corpse behind. They made remarkably good time, and soon found themselves in front of a massive boulder, blocking the exit. Jes and Cinna began to move the stones away until there was an opening large enough for Jes to squeeze out at the bottom of the room.
It was slow work. Jes had heard myths of the old Luna, back when gravity was close to nonexistant. Apparently, the Traveler had changed that, allowing Humanity to have an easier time building bases on and inside of Luna.
When the gap was barely large enough for Jes to go through, he tossed all his weapons through, and then began the slow process of pushing himself out to freedom. He used his feet to push himself along, and within a few minutes, Jes emerged into an old Lunar station, built by the old colonizers.
It was slightly dark in the room, but Jes could see the outside light through cracks in the ceiling.
"Is there anything here we can take with us too?" Jes asked.
Cinna scanned around, and chirped a few times. "Unfortunately not. Fallen have been through here, picking and scavenging even the most minute of materials."
Jes nodded, looking back to where he'd squeezed out. Asides from the small gap, there was a wall of Lunar stone. It wasn't surprising that none of the other scavengers on Luna, whether it be Fallen or fellow Guardians, had ever chanced upon it before.
Jes indicated the rubble. "Let's leave that here until we return. We don't need anyone else coming in and taking our score."
Cinna bumped into him. "Or you know, any new Guardians stumbling into an ancient Hive tunnel. It's safer if no one knows of it, for now."
Jes agreed.
A short Sparrow ride later, and Cinna was soon able to call the ship into transmat range. She set the course for Earth, calculating their flight vectors and aligning their trajectory to the Tower's hangar bay.
Jes wasted no time in sealing the artifacts away in pressurized containers. He didn't want the oxygenated environment to accelerate any decay process. Soon they were tucked away and safely secured, and Jes strapped the cases in a cargo hatch near the back ramp.
Jes began to disrobe. He felt oddly shut in, as if his armor had become a skin-tight casket.
His gloves came off first, and he reveled at the feel of open air on them. Jes unfastened the seals of the rest of his armor, and soon his hands were covered in the fine Lunar grit of the tunnel he was recently in.
When he was completely nude, he made his way to the cockpit of the ship. He dumped the skintight ballistic gel underlayer into a sanitizer, and soon the bridge filled with the soft whine of the rays repairing and cleaning his armor. Cinna rested above the huge dashboard, making micro adjustments to her shell.
She turned when Jes plopped down into the seat. Cinna almost remarked on his state of undress, but then realized that would let Jes know that she did, indeed, take notice.
Cinna soaked the sight of him in. He was unbelievably sleek, every inch of his body covered in rippling muscles. Aside from the hair on his scalp, the only other hair was a neat patch of light brown curling hair above his genitals.
Jes absentmindedly crossed his arms over his chest, in a contemplative manner.
Cinna thought about asking him, right then and there. But how would she approach it? He did say he'd do anything she wanted once they were out, but that had been easier when he was offering it. If only he could read her thoughts.
Cinna floated down, and did the bravest thing she thought she'd ever done. She floated above his groin, and then settled into his lap. Jes jumped slightly at the touch of cold metal against his skin, but he didn't seem to mind otherwise.
She rocked back, just enough that she could feel his flaccid cock, perfectly positioned between two of her horns. She would've gasped if she wasn't trying to be discreet.
"I think," Cinna began, "that we should talk to the Cryptarchy first. We'll be landing soon, and I think we should jump on this opportunity."
Cinna began to gently vibrate. It wasn't strong enough that Jes would have consciously noticed, but his body might.
Jes looked down at her, a mingling look of affection and bemusement on his face. "I think that's a good idea." He said absently. One of his hands moved to gently cup her shell. He stroked her like a cat, and she purred.
Beneath her, she felt his member engorge, slowly expanding. Excitement rushed through her as she slowly rose, pushed by his now near-erect phallus. She would've been panting, if she had lungs.
Cinna took a moment to look at Jes. His eyes were closed, mouth slightly agape in wonder and pleasure. His head lowered, and he looked at Cinna. Something passed between them.
And that's when the ship entered Earth's atmosphere.
Jes was flung out of his seat by the sudden braking of his ship as it careened towards the Tower. Cinna went spinning, flying across the room. Jes caught her one-handed and brought her in close to his chest.
Soon the ship leveled out and flying became smoother.
Jes soon recovered, and stood, still gently clasping Cinna. He stepped to the viewscreen, seeing the Tower looming high above the great walls of the city.
Cinna gently wriggled out from his hand and floated beside him expectantly.
"We're finally home." Jes said, releasing a deep breath that he seemed to have been holding for a long time.
Cinna took note of his backside, his member nearly erect, but hanging limply between his legs. A gossamer strand of pre glistened on the large tip.
"Yes," Cinna said, a bit sadly. "Home."