Chapter 34 – Lair of Deception III
Savathun had a seen a great deal of events in her lifetime. But since forming her pact with the Worms, things had become quite tiresome for her. From her Throne World, the High Coven, she guided her Hive minions from one star system to the next, devastating its people and resources as tribute to the Worms to maintain her immortality in the normal realm. But centuries of watching planets and its people be consumed by the Hive left her quite bored. That is, until she caught word that Oryx had found the Traveler once again, and had actually been bested by its defenders not once, but twice.
The Traveler was the ultimate prize the Worms, and its destruction would mark their victory over the Light. Savathun had offered to assist Oryx as he recovered from his second defeat on Earth's Moon. But her brother was stubborn, insisting that he had a plan to crush the Traveler's protectors, and his plan manifested into the Dreadnaught. Savathun however, hatched a plan of her own to battle the Guardians, but Oryx would pay the ultimate price for her to succeed.
And now, Savathun had the Vessel of the Light right before her, his power ready for her to claim! Yet her brother had somehow managed to throw a wrench into her plan.
The human that Oryx had Taken now stood before her, standing in her path to claim Tobias' Light.
"So what do you seek then?" Savathun asked Titus.
"To see a future, where there is peace." He replied, pulling out a small blade from the small pouch that was strapped to his waist. In his hands he now held the Blade of Famine, and the Shroud of Ir Anuk. "And this…is what will take me there."
Titus grimaced for a few moments, his chest expanding before the Ravenous Heart came out of him. The black sphere lurched, extending and retracting in various places before it began to glow, recognizing the objects that Titus had gathered around it. A pair of tethers extended from the Heart, latching onto the Shroud and the Blade in Titus' hands. Taking them from it, the trio floated in front of him silently as Savathun watched on with great curiosity. What was this?
Titus then raised his right hand, noticing that it had begun to glow as well. The markings from the Tablet of Ruin had lit up now, removing themselves from his hand and beginning to circle around the Ravenous Heart. Slowly, the ancient Hive Arcana began to lock themselves into place around the Heart, turning dark gray. Once each of them found where they belonged, formed a pair of stone circles around the centerpiece. The Blade of Famine then locked itself into place where these two circles overlapped while Titus raised an open hand to the opposite end where a handle formed for him to grasp.
"What…is that?" Savathun inquired slowly as she watched Titus raise this weapon now. It was a small weapon, but the Shroud began to wrap itself around it, concealing the weapon completely. It then began to morph, growing longer and becoming monotone in color.
Titus now held a lengthy sword, with a jagged white blade while the handle of the weapon was black. The hilt was missing though, and floating in its place was the Ravenous Heart that was now contained within a glass polyhedron. Examining his new weapon, Titus swung it through the air slowly as if to check its weight. Savathun though, had to set her feet down on the floor to anchor herself as the blade released a massive energy wave with each swing that threatened to push her away.
"What is that weapon?" Savathun demanded this time. When Titus had first entered the room, she could sense her brother's presence. But now that overwhelming pressure that radiated from Oryx…she could feel it coming from Titus now. It was as if the Taken King was standing before her!
Titus remained silent though as he now raised the weapon, pointing it straight up the ceiling. A heavy dark aura appeared around him that traveled over to the Guardians that were resting on the other side of the room, collecting the Darkness that circled around Diana, Niko and Carmen. The pair of Hunters began to stir, the smaller of the pair complaining verbally.
"Ugh, what the hell happened?" Carmen muttered after a few moments, placing a hand on her head. Her memory was foggy at the moment as she tried to adjust to the new setting she was in. Just moments ago she was in a small settlement back on Earth fighting off the Fallen, and then everything went black. Now she found herself resting on her stomach, looking at Niko who was just getting to his feet.
"Where are we?" Niko asked as he looked around before spotting Diana and Tobias on the floor ahead of him.
"You broke my illusions?!" Savathun exclaimed as she realized that the Guardians were loose now.
"Get your friends and get out of here!" Titus hollered at Niko and Carmen who finally caught sight of him, and they were in shock to see him once again.
"How many times do we have to kill you?!" Carmen shouted at him as she drew her hand cannon, but she froze upon feeling the intense Darkness that filled the room. Her senses had returned, and being the presence of both Savathun and Titus at the same time was bone chilling.
"I'm trying to help you!" Titus yelled in return. "Now get out of here!"
"No, I'll never allow that!" Savathun shrieked as her shadow on the floor became solid, growing in size as it raced toward the Guardians. It quickly took shape into multiple hands that began to reach out for them.
"Oh crap!" Niko exclaimed at how quickly Savathun's shadow had gotten to Tobias and Diana. He and Carmen were still recuperating, and neither of them were prepared for combat at the moment.
"Their power is mine!" Savathun shrieked, but as the limbs closed up around Diana and Tobias they were suddenly diced to pieces, leaving the two Guardians unharmed. "What?!"
Titus now stood in front them, his weapon pointed at Savathun as he stared her down.
"You will not touch them!" Titus boomed at her.
"Then I will kill you first!" Savathun said as her trio of eyes twinkled. She shrieked at the top of her lungs as he body became surrounded in an evil red aura before she threw herself at Titus. Sensing the Darkness intensify around Savathun, Niko and Carmen found themselves staring at her with wide eyes as she charged at them, as if they were deer staring into a pair of headlights.
Titus though, simply raised his sword and dropped it down in front of him, perfectly timing this chop to intercept Savathun and smash her down to the floor in front of him, violently cracking it. Placing just the tip of his sword on top of Savathun, she began to struggle as she had been pinned to the floor just by this slight bit of contact between them.
Carmen gasped when Titus turned to look back at them.
"Go, it's not safe here. Get your friends, and get out of here." Titus announced once again, nodding toward Diana and Tobias. Both of them still lay motionless on the floor.
"What…what is that?" Niko asked as she pointed at Savathun who was flailing wildly, trying to break free.
"This is the Savathun, Oryx's sister." Titus replied, leaving the pair of Hunters speechless. "When you all entered her Throne World she trapped each of you in an illusion, and you've been under her control ever since. Tobias was the first to break free, and the rest of you were turned against him until his own power was used against him."
Geez, no wonder he wanted them to leave. Their mission had already gone off the deep end as they were pitted against each other by Savathun.
"What about Oryx's daughter?" Niko asked.
"Ir Anuk? I killed her already." Titus stated.
"But, why? You attacked us back on the Dreadnaught. And on Earth." Carmen pointed out. "Why are you helping us now?"
"I was under Oryx's control all of that time. I was freed thanks to you guys, so consider this as thanks. And now that I'm free, I have a mission of my own to complete." Titus revealed before he shook, momentarily losing his balance. "I can't hold her back for much longer. Get going."
"Niko, what should we do?" Carmen asked him softly. Titus had always been the enemy, and now he was helping them? Nothing was making any sense right now.
"Tobias and Diana are injured. Their safety is priority number one right now. Let's get them and go." Niko said as he looked toward their teammates. He didn't know what happened to them, but making sure they made it out of this mission alive was all they had to do now. Ir Anuk was dead, and it was best that they didn't delve any further into this fight than they had too…for the time being at least.
Being larger than Tobias, Niko hoisted him up on his back, while Carmen, being shorter than Diana, had to throw her body over her shoulders in order to carry her. Niko then looked toward Titus, giving him a nod before he and Carmen began to run toward the exit of the room.
Giving a sigh of relief, Titus relaxed a bit knowing that Tobias would safely exit the High Coven. Focusing on Savathun Titus had to quickly decide how he would fight her now. He had completed the Touch of Malice, and the power from it was astronomical. But the threat in front of him was nothing he could take lightly. Even with this fearsome power, Titus could fall victim to Savathun's clever traps, and all of this would be for naught. He would proceed with caution.
"Uh, can you give us directions on how to get out of here?"
Titus' head snapped to the side to see Niko standing behind him once again.
"Are you kidding me?" Titus replied.
"Not really. You said we were caught in an illusion. Neither of us knows how to get out of here." Niko explained, causing Titus to curse under his breath. He hadn't accounted for that, nor did he have any sort of plan to help them escape the High Coven. There was no way they would be able to pass through Savathun's lair without any guidance.
"Damn." Titus muttered. "I don't know."
Looking up, he tried to recall everything he had read in the World's Grave surrounding the Hive pantheon. He tried to recall anything he could about the High Coven.
The High Coven was a world of illusions, shaping itself to fit whatever Savathun wanted it to be. Because she was the ruler of this Throne World, she held the power to do this.
'But could I…Take that from her.' Titus said as he looked down at the Witch Queen. Kneeling down, Titus extended a hand toward her Savathun and placed it on her head.
"What are you doing?!" She shrieked at him.
The room around them began to change, twisting and morphing until it mirrored Oryx's throne room on the High War perfectly.
"There, her Throne World now matches the High War. It's like you're back on the Dreadnaught now." Titus declared to them. Niko and Carmen were shocked once again by him. It was just one surprise after another with this guy.
Carmen and Niko didn't know whether to thank him or not, but their options quickly dwindled as Savathun was no enraged by Titus' actions.
"You can't do that!" Savathun shouted as she forced Titus back, allowing her to rise up from the floor. She couldn't believe that this, human, had just forced her to alter her Throne World. How was such a thing possible?!
Titus himself couldn't believe that it actually worked, but he wasn't going to complain. This put him at ease now. The Guardians had gotten away, and now all he had to do was defeat Savathun.
"You've gained the Essence of the Feast?" Savathun asked him, pointing a finger at him. It was the only way to explain him being able to wield her powers. It explained how he was able to mold the Ravenous Heart into a weapon as well.
The Essence of the Feast filled you with an endless yearning for power through Hive Sword Logic.
The Worm Gods had granted Savathun and her siblings this yearning as part of their pact to become immortal. But the Essence of the Feast could never truly be satisfied. Oryx had sunk so deep into this desire for power that he set his sights on the Worm Gods, killing Akka, the Worm of Secrets to discover what powers they held. And now, Savathun could see that Titus had the same ambitions due to the Essence of the Feast. And with his rapid growth, nothing would stop him from gaining audience with the Darkness.
She had to destroy him now, or else he would succeed them within the Hive pantheon.
Allowing her feet to touch the ground, the floor of the entire room became black. Numerous hands began to rise from the floor around Titus, grabbing onto his limbs, but he only swung his sword in response. The darkness that had covered the floor wavered away, surprising Savathun as Titus stared at her.
"There's a reason you wouldn't fight Oryx directly. Why you tried to have the Guardians do your dirty work. Your illusions don't work on Oryx, and they won't work on me." He stated. "You will not defeat me."
The Hive had always fascinated Toland. From the moment he first witnessed them exiting their Hive Seeders at the Battle of Burning Lake decades ago. There was something different about these creatures. They weren't like the Fallen, not even close. The Fallen seemed to be in disarray, but the Hive, it seemed as though they were trying to achieve something.
Traveling up to Earth's Moon following the Battle of Burning Lake, Toland had ample opportunity to observe the Hive on his own. He saw the hierarchy that they had in place, how the Thrall gave tribute to the Acolytes, and the Acolytes to the Knights and Wizards. It was all so organized, yet he saw no clear ruler of these beings. The Knights and Wizards acted as leaders over small portions of them, but further study of their tribute system led Toland to believe that there was indeed Hive that were higher than the Knights and Wizards.
And his discovers in the World's Grave backed that theory. In fact, the Hive that he had seen so far were those that had crossed to the mortal realm seeking to grow stronger. The Hive possessed their own realm, where their gods housed themselves, relaying their commands to those that served them.
From the moment he had discovered the existence of the Hive Ascendant Realm, Toland wanted to go there. And his opportunity finally came when he found himself resting before Ir Yut, the Deathsinger.
He listened to the song she sung, and his physical form was lost to it. His consciousness remained though, and with nothing tethering him to the mortal realm, he ventured further into Crota's Oversoul Throne until he found the Crossroads.
From that point forward, Toland spent a great deal of time traversing the Hive Ascendant Realm. He was able to witness their history, how they had been born, the heinous acts of genocide they committed. He saw everything that this race was capable of, and he found himself admiring them.
The Hive lived by a code, survival of the fittest, taken to the ultimate extreme. And this code established order in such a way that no one ever thought to go against it. Such order…was incredible to witness as the Hive conquered and reshaped galaxies.
Toland was largely ignored by the Ascendant Hive. They didn't seem to care about his pathetically small presence among them. They allowed him to travel through their worlds freely. They probably didn't think he could pose a threat to any of them, and their assumption was correct. What could he do to the Hive gods?
The thought of trying to do anything to the Ascendant Hive had never even crossed Toland's mind. He only wanted to study them, and understand them. To understand their worlds, and how the Hive pantheon coexisted.
Oryx though, really stood out to Toland. Even though Oryx had two siblings that were almost equal to him in terms of power, and many powerful children as well, there was something about Oryx that was…different. Oryx was closer to the Darkness than the rest of his family, as if his power came from it directly. It seemed as though that was why there was gap in power between Oryx and his siblings. And that seemed to be why his siblings were so bent on overcoming him.
Toland had grown accustomed to living in the dense Darkness that filled the Ascendant Realm. There was no Light here.
At least, not until the Guardians launched their assault of the Dreadnaught. That was the first time that Toland had felt the Light in a very long time. He felt the Traveler's Light within Tobias as he watched him travel through the High War.
But once again, Toland was sensing the Traveler's Light in the Ascendant Realm. Venturing out into the Crossroads, it didn't take him long to find the trail of Light that was being left behind, following it on the Tombships.
"Oh man, we're so lost." Carmen muttered as she looked around, unable to get an understanding of their location.
They had been riding these Tombships for ages now after they had fled from the High Coven.
"Can you remember which one these ships we took?" Niko asked as he glanced up at a pair of Tombships as they passed by above them.
"I have no clue. I kind of remember when we were working together to jump from ship to ship, but then there's huge blank spot." Carmen explained as she struggled to recall what had happened before they woke up in Savathun's throne room.
"Well, this is a fine mess we've gotten ourselves into." Niko noted as he glanced back Tobias and Diana who they had laid down, side by side. Both of them were still unconscious, and Diana's Light was dangerously weak. They needed to get out of here if she was going to recover, because if she passed away in here, they wouldn't be seeing her again.
Niko stood still for a moment, racking his brain for an idea. Anything that would help them figure out this puzzle so that they could leave this realm.
"Guardians, what are you doing here?"
Niko and Carmen looked up, watching as the white featureless form of Toland descended onto the Tombship they had been riding.
"You're back!" Niko exclaimed as he remembered the man who had guided them through their first trip into the Ascendant Realm. "We need you to find us an exit, like right now!"
"That's what I intend to do." Toland responded as he glanced around for a moment, checking their current location on the Crossroads.
"So…we're saved?" Carmen asked as she looked at her fellow Hunter.
"Heck yeah we are!" Niko replied, glad that there were a few positives to their situation now. Things had been looking pretty bleak as they fled the High Coven with an unconscious Diana and Tobias. "So what's the word Toland?"
"Based on the state of your teammates, I'm assuming you'd like to get out of here quickly." Toland noted as he glanced at Diana and Tobias.
"You got that right." Carmen said with a nod.
"The Dreadnaught is still a fair distance from here, but a portal to the Oversoul Throne is nearby." Toland pointed out to them.
"Whatever gets out of here the fastest." Niko said, snapping his fingers. Receiving a nod from Toland, he then motioned for the two of them to follow him as he became airborne again. A pair of Tombships was approaching them, which Toland floated up to. The Hunters quickly collected their teammates and jumped up, using these two ships as a stairway to reach the final ship where Toland had stopped.
"Where now?" Carmen asked.
"Now we wait." Toland said as he motioned for her to relax.
The emptiness of space surrounded them for only a few more moments. Then Carmen found herself staring at one of the most incredible things she had ever seen. All of a sudden their surroundings changed, and Carmen was looking up at a planetoid that had been broken into several pieces, but rather than floating off aimlessly, it seemed to be bound together by a swirling green fire at the center.
"What is that?" Carmen asked in bewilderment.
"The Oversoul." Toland responded. "Though, it lays dormant now that Crota has been destroyed."
Going over to the edge of the Tombship, Carmen could see that they were way above the floating islands beneath them, but one spot in particular gained her attention. It was like an arena.
"Is that…?" She began, causing Niko to nod.
"Yup. We killed Crota down there." He proclaimed. Staring down at the stage where Crota had stood when they fought him, he could see the Ascendant Sword that Diana had wielded to kill him. It stood in the same place where she had left it, jammed into the ground, tilted to the side slightly. Niko still got chills whenever he thought about how they toppled the Hive Prince.
"Damn it!" Niko muttered as he slammed his fist against the wall of the lower chamber he, Diana and Briggs had taken refuge in.
Things had taken a turn for the worse. Their six man raid team had been whittled down to just the three members of Undaunted. All of them had been caught off guard out in the center of the arena as they watched Diana beat away at Crota with the Ascendant Sword. None of them had taken note of the Ogres as they approached the Guardians from their flanks.
Three lives were gone in an instant, with no hope of returning.
"Even with Eris' guidance, it still wasn't enough to take down Crota." Diana said softly. She was seated on the opposite side of the room, staring into the black pool resting at the center of the space.
"It's not over." Briggs stated, causing both Niko and Diana to look toward him.
"Iggy, we just lost half our team. What can we possibly do at this point?" Diana asked him. There was uncertainty in her voice.
"Yes, we lost some of our comrades just now. But I won't use that as an excuse to give up." Briggs stated, causing Diana to flinch momentarily.
Niko wouldn't admit it, but he had lost hope too. The fight to get to Crota's arena was gruesome as they fought off the concentrated Hive forces and overcame all sorts of obstacles. But despite all of the work and effort they had put in, half of their team had been killed without warning, and there was nothing they could've done about it.
"When we accepted this mission, we knew that dying was a possibility. That some of us may not come back from this. Eris knows that first hand." Briggs continued as he took a moment to look at each of them. "But if this is where our journey as Guardians ends, then let's go out in a way that everyone will remember centuries from now."
Briggs' resolve had always impressed Niko. But it was at this moment, that Niko knew that he would be willing to fight alongside this Guardian for eternity if he could.
Punching his palm, Niko stood upright now, giving his fireteam leader a nod.
"Let's bring that bastard down." Niko declared. The two of them then looked toward Diana. But she was still seated, lacking courage still.
Reality had hit her like a ton of bricks. Death was permanent here. She couldn't be brought back to life like in her previous mission. The thought of dying had never in crossed her mind until she witnessed the loss of three of teammates. And now she was beginning to realize that if she were to jump onto that platform wielding the Ascendant Sword to fight Crota, she could be gone in an instant.
"Diana?" Briggs said softly to her. He was kneeling beside her now.
"I can't do it. I don't want to die." She whispered to them, shaking her head.
"You won't." Briggs said sternly as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "You have my word. Just place your trust in me…and I'll bring us back home."
Diana stared at him for a moment. Was it possible for an Exo to sound endearing with their mechanical voice? That didn't matter, because Briggs' words had settled her mind. She would trust in him.
Taking a deep breath, Diana rose to her feet as well.
"Okay, let's do this."
"All in then." Briggs said as he extended his hand toward them. Diana and Niko each placed a hand on top of his own. "Niko, Diana, you're going to bum rush the Swordbearer as soon as you lay eyes on it. Niko, do whatever you have to-to clear the area for Diana. Then head straight for the left tower and eliminate the Knights. I'll handle the right tower. Once Diana is in position, we'll unload everything we've got into Crota and bring him to-his-knees."
Niko and Diana gave him a nod, and with that, they were off, charging back into the arena.
Racing up the stairway, the three of them were immediately spotted by the horde of Thrall that had been waiting. Briggs darted off to the right side of the arena, leaving Niko and Diana to engage the enemies.
"Gimme so cover fire Diana!" Niko called out as he pulled out his tanto, activating Arc Blade. Jumping into the mass of Thrall, Niko spun on one foot to unleash a shockwave that vaporized a number of Thrall. But even after witnessing their allies being destroyed by Niko, the remaining Thrall rushed the Hunter anyway to meet their doom by the same fashion.
"Here comes the Swordbearer!" Diana pointed out as the fiery Hive Knight stepped out into the arena, beginning to charge toward the duo of the Guardians at the center. Putting three shots into the Swordbearer, Diana gained its full attention as it began to charge toward her. But this allowed Niko to blindside it easily, gutting it with his glowing tanto. Roaring before it burst into flames, the Swordbearer left behind the item that they needed. The Ascendant Sword.
"Let's go Diana!" Niko shouted as he now rushed over to the bridge on the left side of the arena, using it a stepping stone to reach the tower where a pair of Hive Boomers were located.
Exhaling, Diana mustered up all of the courage she could, recalling that her teammates had her back. Then she picked up the Ascendant Sword once again and glanced up at platform above her. She could just see the tip of Crota's crown from her current position, but the next time she would see it would hopefully be the last. Racing over to the left side of the arena, Diana found the same ledge that she could use to jump up to Crota's platform directly.
"I'm ready." Diana said as she glanced up at the tower beside her.
"Hah!" Niko shouted as he cut down the final Boomer Knight in the tower. "I'm all set. Briggs?"
Within the right tower, Briggs stood within his Ward of Dawn, reloading his Gjallarhorn. The remains of the Hive Boomers were scattered around the room, but the Titan paid no mind to them as he approached the windows of the tower to take a look at Crota.
The Hive Prince stood at the center of his platform, looking back and forth between the two towers. He had seen Niko and Briggs enter the towers, and clean out the Boomers, but this didn't seem to both Crota in the slightest.
"Ready and waiting. Let's commence the attack. Niko, get his attention." Briggs said as he raised one hand, giving Niko the signal to attack.
"Hey, ugly!" Niko barked at Crota as he fired away at the Hive Prince with his hand cannon. Crota turned to face Niko's tower now, raising a hand to cast a few energy bolts at the Hunter. And with Crota now preoccupied with his teammate, Briggs had the freedom to fire his Gjallarhorn with no resistance.
Diana was chewing on her lower lip as she stared up Crota, her heart racing. The Hive Prince towered over her, and the cleaver he held was almost as large as he was. Could she really do this?
But before she could overload her mind with a number of questions, a rocket shell detonated on Crota's back. He didn't even flinch from the force of the explosion, but Diana recognized this as her cue to jump. Crota spun around in search of his attacker, but as he turned he caught some movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned back, spotting Diana as she charged toward him with the Ascendant Sword in her hands.
Diana felt her stomach drop as Crota was staring at her now while she approached. Taking his sword in two hands now, Crota raised his weapon above his head as he lunged at her, prepared to utterly destroy her. But before he could drop his blade down onto her, a second rocket detonated against his back, and this one caused him to stumble forward as he went down onto one knee.
"Kill his ass Diana!" Niko roared.
For a fraction of a second, Diana's heart had jumped into her throat. But swallowing it back down as she saw the Hive Prince down on one knee, she raised the Ascendant Sword and brought it down onto Crota with all the force she could muster. The blow knocked Crota over onto his side, causing body to burst into flames with a deafening roar. There as a brief flash of light before they were all blinded by Crota's Oversoul as it roared to life, shaking the entire arena. But after a moment it too burst into flames that were carried away by a great gust of wind. The winds howled until they died down, allowing a silence to set in as the three man team looked around at each other.
Diana then spun the massive blade she held, and taking the handle with both hands, slammed it into the ground. The weapon pierced through the surface, lodging itself into the floor where it remained as Diana stepped back from it.
"We're getting off here!" Toland called out, snapping Niko out of his thoughts. The arena where they had fought Crota was long gone. The Tombship they were on had taken them all they back to a long corridor that led back into total darkness. Niko recognized it because he had been running from the dark area last time he was here. That was truly a frightening experience, one he wasn't too keen on having again.
"Do we really have to head back there?" Niko asked as he scooped up Tobias in his arms and jumped off the Tombship, joining Carmen and Toland on the ground.
"Don't worry. This area has been uninhabited since you all killed Crota. There is nothing to worry about." Toland explained to him, sensing Niko's discomfort.
Niko loved battles, he adored action. But fighting in total darkness, with their mobility restricted, and being mugged by Thrall and Knights for every waking moment…not even Niko would do that again. Breathing a sigh of relief, Niko gave Toland a nod as a motion for him to lead the way.
Moving on foot now, they came to a massive gorge. On the opposite side was a dark area, with only a tall lamp lighting a very small portion of the land. Crossing the bridge, they began to venture through into the rocky landscape, spotting another lantern in the distance. Following these, Toland guided them back to the starting point, but it was different from what Niko could recall. There was a ray of white light, heading straight up, piercing through the darkness.
"This will take you back to Earth's Moon." Toland declared as he looked at Niko and Carmen.
"Oh man, we can't thank you enough." Niko said to him.
"I was looking forward to our next meeting Guardians. I didn't expect it to be under such circumstances though." Toland noted as he glanced at Tobias and Diana, both of which we being held up by Carmen and Niko.
"Yeah, maybe next time things will be a bit better." Carmen said. "But I really want to get out of here, soo~ ciao."
Carmen stepped into the ray of light with Diana on her back, and disappeared.
"Until next time Guardian." Toland said as he motioned for Niko to follow his teammates. Niko gave Toland one final nod before he stepped in as well, looking up to see if he would experience the drop into the Hellmouth in reverse.
Watching them go, Toland felt weighed down suddenly. He could feel an incredible power coming from the Ascendant Realm. Far into the Crossroads, from deep within the High Coven. Something otherworldly had just been born.
'What a fearsome power.' Toland noted.
Earth's Moon
Ocean of Storms
Hellmouth
Niko's fuzzy vision finally cleared up as he caught a glimpse of the sun way out in the distance. As he looked around, he realized that he was airborne, flying upward, exiting the massive pit that led down into the Hive underworld. Being jettisoned out of the Hellmouth, Niko was tossed onto a platform where Carmen was waiting for him, having already placed Diana on the ground.
"We made it back!" Carmen exclaimed as Niko landed a feet from her, stumbling a bit from the extra weight of Tobias.
"I'm glad that's over with." Niko said to her as he kneeled down to put down Tobias as well. "Hopefully the two of them wake up soon."
Niko glanced up the sun once again, smiling a bit as he stared at the star. It was a relief to see it once again. While they were on the Crossroads, he was beginning to think he would never see the sun again.
"Uh…Niko?" Carmen said softly.
"Hmm?" He said as he glanced at her. She was looking in the opposite direction, frozen in the place.
"Turn around." She said, her voice beginning to quiver.
Whirling around quickly, Niko's jaw drop as he stared at something he never thought he would see.
The Earth…it was a smoldering mess. That had been cut in half, right down the middle.
A/N
Not even going to say anything this time except, DESTINY 2!