Hey. It has been a month since my last upload. I am not proud of that. But, but, but, but I do have an explanation. Earlier this year I changed majors from Mechanical Systems Engineering to Creative Writing. Overall, this has been a good change. I enjoy my work much more now and no longer have random bouts of suicidal depression. However, there are drawbacks. I am writing a lot, it's just that most of it is for class instead of for fun. As such, I'm kind of burnt out and not motivated to do much writing for this or any other story I'm working on. I'm afraid I can't promise faster uploads, especially since we're so close to the end. All I can ask for is your patience. That will be all, I'll stop wasting your time and let you get on to why you're actually here.
Chapter 42: Push Forward
"Where is the Great Machine?" -Chelchis, Kell of Stone
They stood in silence, listening to the last of the boiling rain sizzle as it struck the ground. The last remnants of Belos dissolved, melting away into nothing. Together, Eda, Raine, and King rejoined Royal and Luz.
"What was that?" King asked incredulously, still hardly able to believe what he had seen.
"The power of the Boiling Isles," Luz responded. "Oh, that reminds me. I met someone while I was under." She knelt beside her adoptive brother. "Your dad's been watching you all this time. He loves you and he's very proud of you." The young Titan smiled, wiping away a tear with a lone claw. While the younger two celebrated, Eda wiped her hands against each other with a small grin on her face.
"Well, that's one problem dealt with. Where's the Collector?"
"No clue," Royal said. "I can't feel his presence." He let his Light spread, searching for any sign of the Disciple's presence. When he found nothing, he pulled his power back. "And then there's still the Vex."
"With Belos gone and the Collector nowhere to be seen, the Vex are now our most pressing threat," Raine agreed.
"They withdrew from the Isles, not long after Luz arrived at the sanctuary," Lancer chimed in. Royal nodded contemplatively.
"Then we should return there," he said. "Regroup and get our bearings. If I know my siblings, they'll do the same." His motion tracker pinged, letting him know that multiple friendly signatures were approaching. He turned as the rest of the Hexsquad touched down, Camila in tow. Amity instantly hopped off her Palisman and ran to Luz. She nearly tackled her girlfriend to the ground with a hug. Luz's cries were quickly drowned out by a flurry of questions from Amity, asking if she was alright and what had happened to her. The rest of her friends joined in, seeming to crowd the girl. While Luz tried to answer the myriad of questions, Royal watched with a content smile on his faceplate, Eda not far from him. He could see Camila moving beside him out of the corner of his vision.
"So you two must be the famous Eda the Owl Lady and Royal-6 that I've heard so much about?"
"Guilty," Eda said, holding out a hand. Camila accepted the gesture and the two shook. Camila and Royal shook hands soon after.
"I want to thank the both of you for looking after my daughter over these months," Camila said. "I don't know what I would have done if anything happened to her."
"Don't mention it," Eda said. Royal nodded in agreement.
"Getting to know Luz over the last few months has been my greatest honor and privilege," he said. "You raised a wonderful young woman."
"Your Brother and Sister spoke very highly of you," Camila noted. "I'm sure she was in good hands." Royal nodded for a second before a look of frightened realization came over him.
"I would like to apologize for anything my Sister may have said to you," he repented profusely. Camila laughed and assured the Warlock that everything was fine.
"I must admit, learning about all of this was such a shock," she said. "And seeing you wield and your fire and lightning and… purple?"
"It is Void energy," Royal corrected with a grin as Lancer appeared beside him.
"I hate to interrupt, but we should get out of here. It's only a matter of time before something nasty comes poking around here."
"What about Vee?" Camila asked, worrying for her adopted daughter.
"If she's still with Venator, then she's fine," Lancer said. "For now, we need to get out of the line of fire. We can come back once we know everyone is safe."
The wreckage of the pyramid burst, flying away in large tumbling piles. The Collector levitated out of the ruins. He remained in the air for a moment, slowly curling and flexing his fingers. After a moment, he lowered himself to the ground. A slight twitch of one finger pulled some of the rubble to him. He willed it to compress itself into a small, sculpted lump. Placing the lump on the ground, he sat upon it and placed his hands together in thought.
A pile of rubble before him shuffled, falling apart in a pathetic heap. A few Trappers pushed through, holding their spears at the ready. The Collector made no move to acknowledge their presence as they stopped before him and fell into kneeling positions. Bill pushed through the crowd, elbowing his way through his subordinates.
"My lord! Are you unharmed?" There was an uncomfortable silence as the Collector refused to answer, staring blankly into nothing. The Trappers held their breath as they waited for their master to speak.
"They abandoned me," he muttered, his tone dull, almost broken. "I am alone again."
"But you are not alone," Bill offered. "We remain your loyal servants." The Collector finally focused on his devotees as if he had just noticed them for the first time. His expression was unreadable as he rose. One of his hands traced through the air, glowing magical light coiling in his palm.
"No more games."
Paladin's Sparrow rushed over the waves with the island coming into view. He came to a stop over the beaches and dismounted. He glanced up and down the beach, taking note of the boats located at the docks. The sight gave him hope that most had been able to evacuate. He saw someone running toward him and turned to face them. Katya stopped not far away and called back over he shoulder.
"It's Paladin! He's back!"
The Titan jogged over to meet Katya as others began to file in. Most of the people watched him from a distance, though some came up to offer their thanks or praise.
"Is everyone alright?" He asked. Katya nodded slightly.
"Most of us managed to withdraw," she said. "You bought the rest of us enough time to get away."
"And the wounded?"
"Evacuated." She gave his chest plate a punch. "You pulled through big guy." After a second of realization, she shook her hand in pain.
"Good, good." Paladin let his shoulders hang loosely, a weight that he didn't know had been there suddenly evaporating. He looked around at the people, at his people. This time, he had succeeded.
The people around him began to murmur excitedly as their attention was grabbed by something in the distance. A few pointed over Paladin's shoulder and the Titan turned in time to see the unmistakable trail of another sparrow, flanked by just shy of a half-dozen Palismen.
Royal's sparrow came to a stop and he hopped off. Beside him, the Hexsquad dismounted. The Warlock and Titan embraced, with Paladin gripping his Brothers forearm and pulling him into a one-armed hug.
"Good to have you back."
"Good to be back. Sorry for the delay," Royal said, glancing at the walls of the settlement behind Paladin. "Seems like you had things handled in my absence."
"I'll give you the details later." The Striker's gaze passed over the Hexsquad as they mingled with the others. "Where's Venator?"
At those words, a large ship appeared on the horizon. Everyone turned to watch as it crested the waves, slicing through the water like a bullet through paper. Paladin grinned a little; he had left a few ships behind for the away team and it looked like Venator had reached them. The boat came into the dock with Venator standing at the bow. She jumped off and landed before the assembled Witches, Humans, and Guardians with an exaggerated bow.
"Did ya miss me?" She asked. Paladin gave her a light shoulder tap as Royal stepped forward. Venator pulled her Brother into a hug, hammering his back.
"Good to have you back, you old bookworm."
"It's good to see you again too." Royal quickly glanced back before speaking to his Sister in a whisper. "What exactly have you said to Camila?" Venator flashed a cheeky grin.
"You best believe that I will bed that woman."
Royal couldn't help himself but laugh a little, relieved that everything was settling back to some sense of normalcy. "Sometimes, I find it hard to believe that we're technically the same person." Venator nodded in agreement before turning to Paladin.
"Managed to save most of the puppets trapped in the pyramid, they're below deck," she said with a tilt of her head.
"I will ensure they are taken care of," the Titan said as the boat finished docking. "Get yourself some rest." He turned away as Vee rushed off the boat. She dove into Camila's arms as Lilith and the others followed behind her. Camila returned the hug, comforting her adoptive daughter. Venator walked closer, wringing her hands a little while the Clawthorne sisters reunited.
"Sorry I couldn't help you more." Camila offered a smile and took Venator's hand.
"Thank you for keeping her safe."
"Might this unit intrude?"
Everyone instantly moved back at that voice, with the Guardians slipping into combat stances. Ignosi stood not too far away from them, having been waiting for an unknown amount of time. The Sub-Mind kept its arms tucked behind its back as a variety of guns and staves were leveled at it.
"Do not shoot," it said. "But listen."
"Why would we listen to you?" Amity questioned. Ignosi's gaze flicked to her for a second. She met it, uneasy but firm. The Sub-Mind studied her for a second. Not finding what it was looking for, Ignosi looked back to the Guardians and extended its hands to the side in a show of peace.
"Shall we negotiate?"
The three Royals all shared a glance. Paladin offered half a shrug, almost as though he was willing to hear the Vex out. Royal remained contemplative for a second before sighing and looking back to Eda.
"Can you get everyone else situated?" He asked. The implication was clear, get everyone out of the line of fire. The Witch nodded and began to shepherd the others away with some mild protesting from Luz. Once they were alone, the three Guardians faced Ignosi.
"What are you here to negotiate about?" Paladin asked, curling his left fist just in case.
"An alliance," it replied smoothly, "to kill the Collector."
"Armistice?" Paladin questioned. "With the Vex."
"Correct."
"Why come to us?" Venator asked. "You've been spending all this time doing whatever the Collector asked of you."
"To be blunt, we believe ourselves more capable of killing you once the dust settles."
"So that's how it'll be," Royal scoffed. "We take down the Collector then you stab us in the back before anyone's guns have cooled down."
"Of course."
"How about instead we send you back to your master in pieces?" Venator snapped, pulling a knife on the Sub-Mind. It stared at her, almost as though it was daring her to go for it. Paladin pulled her arm back, shaking his head. They weren't in any position to fight off another Vex invasion. Venator huffed and sheathed the knife.
"You know that you have no other options," Ignosi said as though nothing had happened. Royal was about to object before realizing that it wasn't wrong. Three Guardians and a small island of people still reeling from recent events couldn't hold up against both a Disciple and the Vex. His fingers curled into fists, a sign Ignosi did not fail to pick up on.
"I see that you understand the situation. Do we have a truce?" It extended a hand for them to shake. The three Guardians all shared a glance but had remarkably little to say. Royal sighed and stepped forward, accepting the Vex's outstretched limb.
"Deal."
"You agreed to what!?"
Royal sighed as he listened to Eda's outburst. The three Guardians had finalized the details with their new allies - despite how much it pained Royal to call them that - and returned to deliver the news to the others. The reaction was about what he had expected.
"The Vex want a cease-fire," Raine said from their seat. They were still recovering from what had happened, but they insisted on being present. "They can do that?"
"News to us too," Venator said. "I was in favor of smoking the fucker."
"Which would have only further escalated the situation," Lilith chimed in. Royal nodded in agreement.
"Until we know where the Vex's current base of operations is, we can't make a move against them." Alador, who had remained silent up until that point, looked up at those words.
"They're on an island," he muttered. In an instant, all eyes were fixated on him. The man shifted nervously under everyone's gaze. He took a breath to steady himself. "While I was working with Ignosi, it mentioned operating out of an island somewhere in the Boiling Seas."
"That's great," Venator nodded. "We've narrowed it down from literally anywhere on the planet to anywhere in the giant, oceans filled with boiling water." The three Guardians shivered a little at the mention of the water.
"Well, the Vex must need a big island for them to operate on," Raine offered.
"And they would likely want to remain close to keep an eye on their… assets," Lilith added. Nodding at their words, Royal quickly muttered some instructions to Lancer. The Ghost projected a map of the Boiling Isles and the surrounding waters onto the table.
"My sweeps have already knocked out these areas," he said, gesturing to several large swathes of territory. Lancer dulled them out as he moved. "Which still leaves us with a considerable amount of territory. And with our joint attack on the Collector being tomorrow, we simply don't have time to check it all."
"We don't have to check all of it." Royal turned to Luz as she spoke, waiting for her input. She pointed to a large chunk of unchecked territory. "Here. The Shimmering Shoals."
"An archipelago that has become a graveyard of ships over the recent years," Lancer elaborated. "Located just far away enough to be inconvenient to search, but just close enough for the Vex to watch everything that happens on the Isles." Paladin set a hand on his chin.
"We're making a lot of assumptions here," he said uncertainly. "And acting on very shaky intel." He put up a hand to cut off Alador. "I'm not questioning your validity, just making an observation. All of this could be a Vex trick."
"There's only one way to find out," Venator said. "I'll take a look."
"Count me in," Lilith said. Venator seemed a little surprised but recovered quickly.
"You're more than welcome. She gave a cheeky salute before sauntering out, Lilith not far behind. Once they left, Paladin gave Lancer a look.
"I'm going to busy myself with freeing those enslaved by the Collector. I think you should show the others our little discovery." At that, the Titan departed. Royal turned to his Ghost.
"What is he on about?"
Lancer chuckled, a mischievous glint in his eye. "Oh, you're gonna get a kick outta this."
Darius grunted as he extended his bandaged arm. Hettie watched patiently, jotting down a few notes. Darius let his arm fall back to rest as she finished. He had been interred in the infirmary since he got back. After his last injury, he was getting really sick of this.
"Your recovery should take about a week and a half," Hettie said, checking the integrity of the healing spells. He tried to object, only for Hettie to quickly cut him off.
"If you attempt to leave this room, I will tie you down," she threatened. Darius instantly shut up. He remembered something Paladin had told him about Human militaries; never disrespect the doctor.
There was a knock at the door and Hettie looked up. Paladin was waiting in the doorway. He gestured for her to join him and, after some slight quiet complaining, she complied. Another Healer stepped over, one of the students from Hexside. She seemed a little familiar, though Darius couldn't place it. He could overhear Paladin speaking with Hettie.
"Is there a reason you are dragging me away from my work?"
"I was on my way to undo the Collectors puppetry and I want a Healer on hand in case of emergency."
Darius didn't catch her response as Hunter appeared in the doorway. His Healer looked up and smiled.
"Hunter!"
"Viney? What are you doing here?"
Viney laughed at that remark. "What does it look like I'm doing?" Darius coughed, drawing their attention. Hunter quickly moved to his side.
"Darius, how are you feeling?"
"A lot better now that I know you're alright," he said weakly before hissing in pain as Viney checked his bandages. Hunter reached over and tried to help, only for his teammate to shoo him away. He relented, deciding to let the Healer do her work.
"We did it," Hunter said to Darius. The older Witch nodded, a small smile on his face.
"So I've heard. Your predecessors would be proud of you." He tilted his head to look Hunter directly in the eye. "I'm proud of you." Hunter swallowed a lump he didn't know had been forming in his throat and nodded. There was no doubt in Darius's mind that the boy had never heard those words said to him in his life.
Hettie watched as Paladin slowly yet steadily freed the puppets from their fate. He moved with the swift efficiency of a trained soldier, never spending more time than he needed. Each freed Witch was given a few instructions by Paladin as he sent them off to join their kin where others would help catch them up. So far, her skills hadn't been needed, but she remained vigilant. Beside her was a young Witch. Ordinarily, Hettie would have objected to her presence. However, Paladin had insisted that she had earned the right to be here. Willow's eyes tracked the Titan as he moved. The Witch busied herself with her hands, weaving her fingers around each other as though she was attempting to tie them into a knot. Hettie afforded her a glance.
"Steady your breathing," the Healer instructed. "There's no point in giving yourself a heart attack." Willow jumped, as though she hadn't been aware of her presence. After taking a second to process Hettie's words, she forced herself to calm down.
"Sorry." Willow clammed up, remaining silent. Hettie sighed.
"Why did he insist you stay?" Hettie's curiosity came from a place of genuine concern. As the head Healer, she took her job very seriously. Any opportunity to help was one she would take.
Willow looked up at the Healer, "I'm not sure I want to talk about it."
"I'm the head of the Healing Coven," Hettie asserted. "That includes therapy. You won't find anyone more qualified."
Willow tilted her head to the steadily decreasing horde of puppets, "My dads. I haven't seen them in so long."
"You were one of the kids trapped in the Human Realm, weren't you?"
Willow nodded, "The entire time we were there, I was trying to keep our spirits up. Then, when we got back, I was the one pushing us forward. I just kept thinking; 'what would dad do?'" She stopped, holding her arms close as Hettie offered a sympathetic glance.
"You've been taking on their burden, haven't you?" When Willow nodded, Hettie continued. "It's important to take time for your own health. No one Witch can bear the weight of the world." She gestured to Paladin who was oblivious to their conversation. "That's something he could stand to learn."
"Then what should I do? I can't just stop!"
"You can and you have to," Hettie said. Slowly, hesitantly, she raised a hand to her cowl. Her fingers slipped under the fabric and she pulled it up. Willow held a hand up to her mouth as she saw the heavy scarring over Hettie's eyes.
"I know the price, it's not one anyone else should pay." Satisfied that Willow got the point, she lowered her cowl, once again covering her eyes. As she did, Paladin drew back to his full height.
"I found them."
Willow was instantly at his side. There, lying on the ground next to each other, was Gilbert and Harvey Park. Paladin channeled his Light into each of his hands and rested them on their foreheads. Willow watched anxiously. Eventually, the symbols melted away. The two men slowly reverted to normal. They slowly looked around the chamber with a mixture of fear and confusion. Paladin offered them each a hand which they hesitantly accepted. With a slight pull, they were both on their feet.
"Papa? Dad?" Willow stepped closer.
"Willow?" Harvey asked, still unsure what was happening. "Where are we?" Rather than answer, Willow dove into her father, pulling him into a hug. Gilbert was quickly dragged in as well. They remained like that for a while, happy to be reunited.
As the Park family embraced, Paladin moved beside Hettie. Giving himself a moment to rest, he leaned against the wall. He tugged off his helmet and passed it over his hands. He was technically checking the integrity of the armor after the battle, but, in truth, he just giving his hands something to do.
"Something I could stand to learn, huh?" He asked coyly. Hettie smirked.
"You heard that?" The Striker tapped where his ears would be and Hettie nodded. "Should've figured."
"I tend to forget that you are not like the people from my home. I suppose I still have some things to learn, even after all these centuries."
"How old are you exactly?"
"Does it matter?" Paladin asked, to which Hettie shrugged, genuinely curious. "I'll admit, I stopped keeping track after I hit triple digits." He looked back to the Parks, his optics shining brightly in the dull light. "But moments like that make living worth it."
Lancer led Royal, Eda, Luz, King, and Camila into the tower. The ruins hadn't changed much in the months since the residents of the Owl House had been here. The Ghost led them through the dark halls until they arrived at a familiar chamber.
The high walls stretched into the shadows, alcoves carved into them at regular intervals. The golems waited, eternally vigilant and awaiting their master's return. Lancer flew over to a nearby golem, illuminating it with a beam of light. Noticing another of the constructs by her feet, Camila kneeled next to it to inspect it more closely. The sight of the flesh-like matter holding its form together caused her to blanch.
"Is there a reason you brought us here?" Royal asked. "We've already crossed these things before."
"Remember what you saw in the pyramid?" Lancer prodded. "They are the army of the Titans. Our ace in the hole."
"An army?" King asked, looking up at a golem apprehensively.
"All they need is a commander," the Ghost replied. "And a wake-up call. Bring them to life with Solar Light and King can lead them against the Collector."
"But don't they deactivate once they leave the tower?" Luz chimed in. Lancer chirped as his shell spun pensively.
"I hypothesize that is because they have been ordered to stand guard," he said. "Should King override that…"
"I don't know about this," King muttered. "There has to be another way."
"When it comes to the Darkness, there is no other way," Royal stated matter-of-factly. "Neither it nor those who follow it can be reasoned with. They are an infestation that is to be uprooted."
"But what if you're wrong?" King countered.
"You haven't seen what they've done to my home!" Royal snapped. He gestured to Luz and Camila. "Our home! The Darkness brought us to the edge of extinction! The Collector is just another-"
"You don't know what he is!" King shouted.
"He killed me!" Flames were starting to grow on the Guardian's body. Luz tried to step between the two, only for Eda to place an arm across her chest and shoot her a glance. This needed to be sorted out now. Royal continued his rant unabated. "He tried to kill all of you! Butchered your kin!"
"He's a kid!" King's retort came with a sudden burst of crystals that erupted from around him. "He's lost and confused and scared!" Royal's flames continued to lick his body as he reached out to touch the sapphire crystal.
"Where did you get that?"
"You think the Darkness is evil," King said, ignoring his question. "What does that make me?"
"Where did you get that?" Royal repeated, emphasizing each word. King met his gaze, holding his ground. Lancer appeared beside his Guardian, watching warily.
"Royal, this isn't the time." Royal ignored him, repeating his question once more.
"Where. Did. You. Get. That."
"He taught me. Because we talked!"
"Have you learned nothing?" Royal was furious now.
"Apparently, I've learned more than you." Royal was about to speak again, fury written across his faceplate, when Lancer flew in front of him. The two shared a look for a moment. Royal's arms curled angrily as he glared, but Lancer eventually won out. Royal sighed and his arms slackened.
"You haven't seen the Darkness like I have," he said, much more quietly now. "The things it can do. I've lived in the wake of it's destruction. Seen the effects of its corruption." He knelt next to King and gently set a hand on his shoulder. "I don't want you - any of you - to be a victim of that."
King summoned a small shard in his palm and clutched it. "I understand, but we need every weapon we can get." Royal seemed conflicted as he weighed up King's words. Eventually, he sighed a looked back to the Demon.
"For the coming battle," he asserted, "and then never again."
"And what if it didn't have to come to that?" Royal cocked an eyebrow, prompting King to elaborate. "The Collector is just a kid. A very powerful, very confused kid. I think I can convince him."
Royal glanced at the others, who offered him a variety of expressions ranging from uncomfortable wariness to conflicted indecision. Eventually, he turned back to King.
"We'll do it your way. But at the first sign of things going wrong…" He made a gesture with his hands that got the point across. He would not hesitate to put the Disciple down. King accepted his terms with a hesitant nod and the Guardian turned back to the golems that they had come for.
"Now, about that army."
Venator's sparrow cut over the waves smoothly with a Witch in tow. So far, they hadn't found anything of note. Lilith was starting to get restless. Venator couldn't blame her. Their work was dreadfully boring. In truth, she had only volunteered because she felt a need to busy herself. To keep herself from thinking too much. And the reason for such was currently pestering her.
"Just when I think you can't sink any lower, you go and cry out your sorrows over a bottle of cheap beer to some random harlot you just met." The Nightmare of Elisabeth snapped. Venator couldn't muster the energy to bite back, electing to wield silence as her defense. The results were less than impressive.
"I'm beginning to suspect our intel may be more shaky than we expected," Lilith commented, a welcome reprieve from her current company. Venator flexed her servos to prevent them from locking up - the Exo equivalent of stretching your muscles - and looked up at her.
"Hey now, you promised me you were gonna leave the downer attitude back at the island."
"I never promised anything of the sort."
"You did when you volunteered for this mission," Venator said. The two continued in silence for a minute before Venator spoke again. "Why did you volunteer?"
Lilith seemed caught off guard by the question but, to her credit, managed to recover. "I don't really know honestly. It just… seemed right. Over the last few months, I've just felt so useless. I couldn't help during the Day of Unity, I wasn't able to awaken my Harpy form, and when everyone else was facing down the Collector, I was puppetized and stuffed away."
"I mean, you helped drag my ass outta that pyramid," Venator muttered. Lilith heard her comment which did not help her case.
"But until then, you and Vee did everything to protect us!" The Witches fingers tapped her Palisman. "I just wish I could do more to help when the people I love need me most."
"Yeah, haven't we all been there," Venator said. "All you can do is be there when you're needed." Her Nightmare snorted, a strange sound to hear from an Exo's throat.
"Don't act like you've changed," she snarled. "Deep down, you're still the same coward you've always been."
"How will I know when I'm needed?"
"To be honest, still trying to figure that part out. But I've spent enough of my life looking at my past with regret. Wherever my Brothers need me, that's where I'll be."
Lilith smiled, "Are all Royals this close?"
"Nah, I've just got a magnetic personality."
Before the two could continue their conversation, Venator received a ping from Blip. Looking ahead, she could see another island coming into view. Pulling back on her handlebars, she slowed her bike. Lilith followed suit, matching the Hunter's speed. Venator slung her sniper rifle off her back while Lilith took an old-timey spyglass off her belt. The two looked through their magnifying tools and observed the island ahead.
The terrain was crawling with minor Vex forms and the natural landscape had been desecrated. The entire island was an affront to nature, jutting out of the water like a violent insult to creation itself. Energy rippled around the entirety of the island, producing a dull hum that was hard to pick up on but impossible to forget once noticed.
"There's our mark," Venator said. "Blip, save these coordinates. Lilith, our jobs done. You wanted to know when you'll be needed. I have a feeling it'll be very soon."
Alright, that wraps up that chapter. This one was a bit slower and more character-focused. This is to counterbalance how action-centric the last chapter was and the next two will be. We're preparing for the final battle, hope you all are ready. And it took me an embarrassing amount of time to realize that I was spelling Camila's name wrong. Not feeling super great about that.
Also, damn Crota's is a fun raid. Never played the D1 version, but I've heard it was a neat patrol zone. Already got the scout and LMG crafted and I'm eying up that auto next. Shame I'm getting absolutely zero armor to drop but I can live with that. I'm so glad the dude from Dares of Eternity got his own raid.
In news unrelated to this story, Mortal 1 Kombat was released recently. I've been a fan since MKX, though more so for the lore. I'm hilariously bad at fighting games. But I took the plunge with this one and it's pretty damn fun. Rain is my boy. I love him in general and doubly so in this game. They took the Starscream of MK and made him the Armada Starscream of MK. It's glorious.
Also, the Titanfall 2 servers are back! My G33 Northstar can fly again! Words cannot express my elation, so I shall instead attempt to telepathically transmit my joy into your mind.
GuardianLightTheVanguard: Alright, damn. You gave me a lot to dissect here. Firstly, thank you for the compliments. I say it a lot but it genuinely means more than you know to have so many people reading my story and enjoying my story. I can only hope that I don't fumble the landing. Second and more substantially, I'm not certain if I'm going to include the new supers. While they would undoubtedly allow for some cool action scenes, I'm conflicted as to their inclusion. On the one hand, I'm fairly certain that the lore explanation for them is that we are venturing into the Pale Heart of the Traveler and thus becoming closer to the Light. So I'm not certain if I want to introduce them long before we get to that point. I had a similar dilemma with Strand as I considered giving it to the Collector but ultimately decided against it since we Guardians are canonically the first to discover it on Neomuna. However, I did technically give Royal access to the Forsaken supers long before the actual events of Forsaken. However, however, I'm not aware of those supers existing for any real lore reason. The chances of their inclusion are greater than zero, but I am largely leaning toward no. Sorry to disappoint you.
Frank180: I may have some ideas for a follow-up in mind. No spoilers though. Honestly, I tend to have this problem with writing where I always want to be about five chapters ahead of where I actually am. Now that I'm at the end of the story, I want to be at the start of the next one.
Trials sweat: I've been keeping an eye on the other Destiny x Owl House stories. I like them, good to see other people throwing their hat in. I've always enjoyed really out-there crossover ideas. Where's the fun in crossing over two similar franchises?
OMAC001: The incoming disciple is one we are intimately familiar with. I fear I have already said too much, so I'll be keeping my lips tight on that one.
GodzillaMaster: Belos's death is truly one of my favorite moments in any animated show. Alas, Owl House must once again take second place to Clone Wars in that regard. Good soldiers follow orders. And... look, I'm a dumbass. I really should've picked up on the fact that you were joking but I can barely decipher sarcasm in person. Doing it over text is just too much for me.
Jebest4781: And a thanks to you, my good sir.
davisjustus99: I'm not familiar with this Yu-Gi-Oh you speak of. I only know of Paradoz-Billiards-Russian-Roulette-Fourth-Dimensional-Hypercube-Chess-Strip_Poker.
Today's ending bit was inspired by a very... special weekend in recent Destiny history. I have thoroughly exhausted my list of ideas for these ending bits so if you guys have any to suggest, then please, I beg you.
It had been a few hours since Venator and Lilith's departure and there wasn't much left to do but wait for their return. In that time, the leaders of what was left of the Isles were conversing among themselves, trying to formulate a strategy to fight against the Collector.
"If we're going to do this, we're going to need more than just an army of automata," Raine said. "We'll need weapons. Lots of them."
"Where are we supposed to find enough weapons to supply ourselves?" Eda questioned. "Even if each Royal cut themselves down to a few guns, we still wouldn't have enough firepower for either the Collector or for the Vex retaliation."
While the others continued to debate, Royal and Paladin shared a nervous glance.
"Should we?" Royal quietly asked. Paladin grimaced uncomfortably.
"To unleash weapons of such devastation doesn't seem right, even upon the minions of the Darkness," he mused. "It is crossing a line that we cannot walk back."
"We may not have the luxury of making that choice."
"What are you two talking about?" Camila asked. Everyone else fell silent as they collectively turned to face the Guardians. The Brothers shared one last look before Paladin sighed a gestured for Royal to speak. Clearly uneasy, the Warlock tapped his fingertips together.
"We may have a way to level the playing field," he began. "But it is dangerous and a direct violation of Vanguard protocol."
"Considering the circumstances, I don't care much about protocol," Eda snarked, prompting a giggle from Luz.
"When did you ever?"
"Got me there."
Royal shook his head, "You don't understand. These weapons were deemed too dangerous to be used against enemies like the Vex."
"Show us," Raine said. Royal sighed and nodded.
"Your world, your call." He gestured for everyone to follow him out to the beach. Once they were at the shoreline, he stopped. He held out his palm and Lancer appeared in it.
"You sure about this?" The Ghost asked nervously. Royal just nodded, not trusting himself to speak. The Ghost transmatted a sleek auto rifle into his hands. It was of Omolon design, featuring their signature liquid ammo system. The light-blue exterior was polished to perfection and the gun showed no signs of use or wear.
"It's… an ordinary gun?" Alador noted. Paladin shook his head.
"You may want to take a step back."
Royal kneeled in the sand and carefully shouldered the rifle as though it may explode at any moment. Steadying himself, he aimed down the sights and squeezed the trigger.
Then, all hell broke loose.
The weapon roared a promise of pain and extinction as it unleashed a volley of dozens of grenades. A veritable torrent surged from the weapon barrel, far too large and far too numerous to be naturally produced by any weapon. And yet, here that weapon was, a tide of pain flowing from within it. The sky was choked with grenades that sailed in a shotgun pattern. They flew over the horizon where they would undoubtedly ruin some unsuspecting creature's life.
Royal let go of the trigger, stopping the horror show. Quickly stowing the weapon, he turned back to the others. The looks on their faces were those of shock, horror, and, in Alador's case, morbid curiosity.
"Now do you understand our hesitation?" Paladin asked. Raine nodded numbly.
"That must never see the light of day again."