The writing shall continue until morale improves. We're back with chapter 3 of this little experiment, and I'm both excited and anxious to share it. This is where things will really start spinning up. Hope you all enjoy.
Also, for anyone wondering, Royals armor is as follows.
Helm- Facade of the Hezen Lords
Chest- Annealed Shaper Robes
Arms- Reverie Dawn Gauntlets
Legs- Righteous Strides
Bond- Dawnsigner Bond
Shader- Nectar Dynamo
Lancer uses the Imperious Sun Shell, default color.
Chapter 3: Royals and Renegades
Several days had passed since Royal had last been to Bonesborough. He and Lancer had been investigating the suspected Vex presence in the forest. So far they had come up empty. It wasn't like the Vex to stalk through the night, they usually preferred to make their presence known. They wouldn't be hiding unless they were ordered to hide. Which meant they had a Mind ordering them. Royal wasn't a gambling man, but he knew where he would put his Glimmer.
He crouched over a set of tracks, inspecting them closely. They didn't match any kind of Vex; they were too small to belong to a Minotaur, Goblins and Hobgoblins didn't have sharp claws, and Royal didn't even entertain the idea of it being a Wyvern. He sighed, they had been at this nonstop for days now. Maybe he was looking at this from the wrong angle. It must be a flying form. Harpies would be most likely and Royal knew exactly where to look. He summoned his Sparrow and took off, heading back to where he had first crash-landed on this world.
It took longer than he would have liked. Every second he spent was another second the Vex spent entrenching their presence. If they got in too deep, then nothing would be able to shake them out. He finally arrived at his crash site and disembarked.
"Lancer, can you get me a scan?" He asked.
"Sure, just give me a sec," his Ghost said, beginning his sweep of the area. After a brief pause, he spoke up again. "There's nothing here."
Royal raised an eyebrow. "That's good, right?"
"No, I mean there are no Vex here. Not even their pieces."
Royal cursed, he should've disposed of the Vex properly. He had gotten lazy, so used to being on the run that he neglected to take the proper precautions.
"Any idea where they went?"
"I have a theory," Lancer hummed, "Our arrival created quite the noise, someone likely would've heard it. Logically following, they would report it to the local authorities. Said authorities would confiscate the evidence for investigation."
"So, if we find the authorities, we find the Vex tech?" Royal questioned.
"Lollipops for you. Of course, we still have our little rogue friend to deal with."
"One problem at a time. If the locals have Vex tech in their possession, then we're all in danger. There's no telling what might happen."
"I don't think we can just leave them to roam the wilds."
Royal scratched his chin, thinking. Lancer spoke up again.
"We could split up, you track down the Vex tech, I find our murderous friend."
"Absolutely not," Royal instantly shot the idea down, "We only have each other out here. Besides, what would even happen if you found the Vex? You're not very good with guns."
Lancer scoffed indignantly, "Oh come on, I'm not that bad of a shot."
"You literally cannot hold a gun."
"...just because you're right doesn't mean I have to accept it."
After a mild amount of protesting from Lancer, the duo finally agreed to head back into town and see what they could find. There was no way Royal was going to let Lancer go Vex-hunting. He had spent all his time in the Vex Domain trying to keep Lancer safe, not because he was Royals Ghost, but because he was Royals' closest friend. The last time they had been separated had been during the Red War when Ghaul stole the Light. Royal clenched his fist at the memory, of how Lancer had needed him and how powerless he was to help.
Bonesborough was busy today, more so than usual. It seemed that everyone was in a festive mood, banners and decorations had been put up everywhere. Confused, the Guardian ducked into an alleyway to avoid raising suspicion.
"Any idea what the occasion is?" He muttered to Lancer under his breath.
"Last time we were here, the reporter mentioned an upcoming celebration. Called it a 'Covention' or something. It's like if a job fair met a propaganda rally." Lancer replied.
"Think the Emperors Coven will be there?"
"I don't see why not." Royal grinned at that, now they had a lead.
"Now we just need to find when and where this is going down."
Lancer turned slowly to a poster placed on the wall beside them. "I think I have a hunch."
"Why would this even be down here? How often are people ducking into alleyways?" Royal asked, looking at the poster in confusion.
"Considering how many times we've ducked into one, I don't think you can criticize."
Royal shot a deadpan look at his Ghost, not that he could see it through the helmet. He turned back to the poster, saving the details to his heads-up display. It was time to partake in some local customs.
A few hours passed before the event started, which was rather fortunate as Royal had gotten lost no fewer than seven times. Lancer had, as usual, declined to offer him directions, being far too amused by Royals' bumbling. Eventually, he found the location, despite Lancers' unwillingness to help and Royals' own unwillingness to ask the locals. He looked at the building the Covention was occurring in, mildly impressed. It was a large place, with innumerable stands for all kinds of minor Covens. They had Illusions, Geology, Plants, Fishing, Archaeology, Baking, and… was that a Coven dedicated entirely to small pets? Royal shook his head, this world was endlessly confusing. He set out, heading further into the compound where the Covens grew larger and more important. The people around him parted, staring at him in some mixture of confusion, awe, and fear. Rumors had spread of a strange figure clad in amethyst-colored armor. Royal didn't appreciate all the attention his armor brought but he couldn't exactly take it off. Only the Traveler knows how these people would react to seeing his face. The mental image caused Royal to snicker slightly, drawing wary glances from some of the Witches near him. The main Covens were right ahead of him now; Illusions, Healing, Abominations (not that Royal understood what that meant), and a few others. He was so caught up in looking around that he failed to notice someone coming up behind him.
"Hey, you!" A voice called. Royal tensed, he recognized that voice. Turning around, he saw the same Witch that had been trying to sell him Vex tech glaring at him. She looked pretty much the same as she had then, even wearing the same dress. Then again, Royal had been wearing the same suit of armor for years now, so he decided not to bring that up.
"You got a lotta nerve showing up here after what you pulled last week. Do you know who I am?" The lady pointed an accusatory finger at him. A crowd began to form around them. Royal groaned, people loved forming crowds here, did they have nothing better to do with their time? He looked at the Witch, boredom evident in his posture.
"Can't say I know, nor do I particularly care."
She let out an offended gasp, placing a hand across her chest. Before she could retort, another person ran up behind her. The new arrival bent over, placing her hands on her knees as she panted.
"Jeez Eda, don't run off like that," she wheezed. As she caught her breath, Royal inspected her. She was young, with tanned skin and short black hair. She wore a hoodie with something attached to the hood. However, What caught Royals' attention was her ears. They were round, as opposed to the pointy-eared Witches that inhabited the Isles.
"Lancer," he whispered over their private comm, "you seeing this?"
"Bio scans are coming back positive, she's Human alright."
Now that had Royal truly interested. The girl finally drew to her full height and looked up, seeing Royal for the first time.
"Whoa mama," she muttered. Luz hadn't expected to run into this guy of all people. Eda turned back to face her.
"Sorry about that kiddo, saw a problem I needed to take care of," she gestured to Royal. The Exo ignored her, leaning in a little closer to Luz.
"You're human." It wasn't a question, just a statement of pure fact. Luz looked at him nervously before steeling herself.
"Yeah, I am. Why do you ask?"
Royal tilted his head for a second, not sure exactly how he wanted to take this. After a half-second, he answered.
"It's just been a long time since I've seen another human," neither a lie nor the full truth, "I wound up here in the Demon Realm not long back." The girls' eyes lit up at that.
"Another human? I thought I was the only one here. Are you also trying to learn magic? Oh, we should swap notes! And if you're trying to get back to the Human Realm, Eda here has a portal-" She was cut off by her mentor tapping her staff on the ground.
"Slow down there Luz, let's not forget that this guy attacked me. Not to mention we have no reason to believe him. For all we know, he could be another con-man."
If Royal had blood, it would be boiling at the accusation. While Edas' objections were reasonable, he still didn't appreciate being second-guessed, especially by some non-human vagabond. Lancer sent him a quick ping, warning him to calm down before he caused a scene. Royal took a deep breath, settling his nerves and getting his anger under control.
"I'd rather not remove my helmet out here in public, my face would draw too much attention. Is there somewhere we can meet up afterward?"
Luz was about to speak up before two more Witches ran up behind her. One of them, a girl with short black hair and thick-rimmed glasses, called to her.
"Luz, come on. The Emperor's Coven is about to begin their presentation. We need to be quick if we want…" Her voice died in her throat as she caught sight of Royal standing there. Her companion stepped forward.
"Who's this guy?" he asked.
"I'll explain later," Luz said quickly, "Gus, do you have a pen and paper on you." The Witch smiled, pulling said items out from behind him.
"Always, you never know when you'll need to write something down."
"Nerd," Lancer snarked. The Guardian couldn't help but agree. Not that there was anything wrong with being a nerd of course. If anything, he found the boys' academic initiative respectable.
Royal was pulled from his thoughts by Luz offering him a small slip of paper with some directions written on it.
"Here, this will tell you where you can find me," she explained before she turned back to her friends, "now come on, we don't wanna miss this." The two Witches cheered as the three of them headed into the auditorium. Eda shot Royal another look, pointing at her eyes, at him, then back at herself. Royal simply offered her a cheeky wave in return. After the Witches had departed, Lancer spoke up again.
"Do we want to head in there as well?" Royal shrugged in response.
"We don't have any other leads, let's just try to keep our distance, I feel like this 'Eda' character might try something."
Royal found a seat without issue. He was in the top row, near the back of the room. Out of sight while still being able to observe everything. A Witch dressed in robes with a strange red creature covering the top half of their head walked onto the stage. He grabbed a microphone, causing Royal to question the technological logistics of this world yet again, and began to speak.
"Hello, Bonesborough! Students ask me all the time, 'Principal Bump, what's the height of magical achievement?'" He began. A Witch in the front row stood up eagerly.
"Is it this?" They drew a spell circle aimed at their head, causing it to swell up enormously. He crushed the Demon standing next to him since his neck was no longer able to support his weight. Principle Bump cringed slightly, unsettled by the display.
"Wow, I failed you as a principle," He murmured before addressing the audience once more, "It's being selected to join the best of the best. And there are none better than the jewel of the coven system and the enforcers of His will, the Emperor's Coven." On cue, numerous Coven members appeared in a burst of magical smoke. Bump continued, talking about how only the best could join their ranks and that there may be a few such candidates in the audience right now. Royal rolled his eyes, he hadn't come here for a propaganda campaign. He was prepared to drown the rest of the event out before Bump said something that caught his attention.
"And now, I'm pleased to introduce the esteemed leader of this coven and this year's mystery guest. You know her, you love her! Lilith!" The crowd cheered as a massive raven made of light appeared on the stage. Lilith herself appeared as the apparition began to fade.
Royal listened as Lilith introduced herself, promoting the Emperors Coven and explaining how she had come from humble beginnings. Royal could relate to that, he had been raised with no memories or equipment save for rags and a metal pauldron. He had nothing but his Light, his hands, and Lancer. From that, he had managed to become an accomplished Guardian, helped to win the Red War, and survived the Vex Domain. The presentation eventually concluded and the crowd dispersed. Royal kept an eye on Lilith as she spoke with Principle Bump.
"So what's the plan?" Lancer asked him.
"Wait until she's alone," he responded, "I doubt she'd react well if we just waltzed over there and asked if she picked up any Vex tech."
Lilith eventually departed, with Royal loosely trailing behind. When he eventually caught sight of her again, she was instructing a group of children. Out of the corner of his eye, Royal could see Eda approaching the Coven head with a determined look on her face.
"This is going to be good," Lancer chirped, "should I get some popcorn?"
Royal ignored his Ghost, focusing instead on the two Witches as they bickered. He couldn't understand what they were saying, but there seemed to be a lot of history here. As the two argued, a panicked Luz came running up from behind Eda. She said something that Royal couldn't make out. Lilith donned a smug look, shooting off one final dig before leaving. Fortunately, she was walking directly toward Royal. Just before she passed him, her hand lashed out, getting ready to draw a spell circle. Royal held up his fists and set them alight. Lilith seemed surprised, before looking at him in recognition.
"Oh, it's just you, our resident Mysterious Stranger. Why have you been following me?" She inquired. Royal extinguished his fire and lowered his hands.
"Actually, I wanted to talk with you. Alone if possible."
She looked at him through narrowed eyes for a second before sighing.
"Alright, what do you want to discuss?"
"I have reason to suspect that you or your subordinates investigated a crash site recently. Is that true?" He asked, already knowing the answer. Lilith nodded.
"Is it also true that you recovered some… foreign materials from the area?" Lilith looked at him with an unreadable expression before responding.
"No, the impact area was barren. If there were any such samples then someone else would have acquired the first. Would this material be dangerous?"
"Unbelievably so," Royal replied, "It's a bronze-colored metal, very mechanical in appearance."
Lilith nodded, "And does it have a name?" Royal paused at that.
"Only if the word 'Vex' means anything to you," he said hesitantly.
"I'm afraid not. I will inform my guards to keep an ear to the ground. Is there any way for me to contact you?"
Royal grinned under his helmet. "Oh don't worry about that. Just put up a posting and I'll be able to find you."
"Very well then. Now, if you will excuse me, I am needed elsewhere." Royal nodded and stepped to the side.
"Of course, you are a busy Witch. Thank you for your time."
He gestured to the side, allowing her to pass. Lilith left quickly, leaving Royal alone again. Lancer spoke up again.
"You think she's telling us the truth?"
"Not entirely, the trouble is figuring out which parts are lies. Which is why I slipped a little tracker beacon on her."
"Crafty little devil, aren't you? While we're here, why don't we do some browsing? Might be good for getting some experience."
Royal agreed begrudgingly. He would rather leave and get back to his own business but they were already here. After all, there was no better way to learn a culture than to rub elbows with the people. Royal returned to the main foyer of the building and began to look around. An hour passed with only a few odd looks being shot his way. This world continued to baffle Royal, they had such sophisticated infrastructure yet such primitive technology. Then again, magic was the wildcard. He would need to do some more research on the minutiae of magic and learn its rules even if he couldn't perform it himself. Royals' attention was quickly captured as a large group of Witches and Demons began to filter their way back into the auditorium.
That was odd, he thought, there aren't supposed to be any more presentations today. He headed over to one of the Coven booths, this one being run by a short lizard-like Demon.
"Do you know what all this is about?" He prodded.
"Didn't you hear? There's a Witches Duel that just got announced, sponsored by the Head of the Emperors Coven."
Royal looked back at the auditorium entrance, so Lilith was going to be dueling someone? Logic told him that it would likely be Eda, the two seemed to have some bad blood between them. Perhaps this was meant to be some form of mild entertainment for the people of Bonesborough.
"Can we watch? Please please please." Lancer begged.
"Alright, fine. Might be a good way to learn how magic works."
"And we get to watch people beat each other up for our amusement," Lancer added.
"Oh naturally. It'll be like the Crucible, but someone else suffers instead of me."
The pair navigated their way through the crowd. The room was far more packed than it had been before and Royal had difficulty finding a seat. Eventually, he sat down high in the top row of the auditorium. Unfortunately, he could only see one side of the arena but he didn't have any other options.
The last of the audience finally found their seats as Lilith started to introduce the combatants.
"Beloved citizens, the Emperor's Coven proudly presents an impromptu demonstration of the sort of Witch we seek every year. Introducing Amity Blight."
A young Witch girl with green hair stepped forward. Royal raised an eyebrow, he recognized her from his time spent at the library. As the audience cheered, Lilith continued.
"Versus… some human girl."
What?
Royal blinked in surprise, surely he heard that wrong. Was she referring to Luz? She had to be. But that didn't make any sense, why would you throw a human into a Witches Duel? Did that not contradict the name? Royal was fairly certain most humans couldn't sling bolts of magical energy around with their minds, with himself being the exception. Now that he thought about it, why were they sending children to fight? Sure, Guardians honed their skills via live-fire exercises in the Crucible all the time. But Guardians were hardened, immortal warriors. These were literal children. Just the idea enraged Royal, all these people gathering to watch as two young girls fought each other for their amusement.
Down in the arena, Amity summoned forth a colossal Abomination. The golem towered over the arena. If Royal had been worried before, now he was panicking. This wasn't right, none of this was right. An innocent girl was going to be slaughtered. He had to do something to stop this, his duty as a Guardian and his conscience required it. He stood up suddenly, though everyone nearby simply ignored him.
"Please tell me you're not going to do something stupid?" Lancer pleaded.
"I can't promise you that, but these creatures have certainly surprised me," he spat, vitriol dripping from his voice. He gathered his light into him and leaped over the arena. He could feel the warmth flowing through him, he was one with it, one with the heat. And so, like heat, he rises.
Amity hadn't expected to end up in a Witches Duel today. She also hadn't expected it to be sponsored by her mentor. And she definitely hadn't expected her opponent to be an annoying human. Still, she was a Blight, which meant she couldn't back down from a challenge. Her Abomination was larger than usual, but she just chalked that up to adrenaline bolstering her power. She pointed a finger at the nervous Human and ordered her Abomination to attack. It lumbered forwards with destructive intent only to be struck by a burst of searing energy. The Abomination crumbled under the assault and both the Witch and Human looked around in confusion.
"THAT'S ENOUGH!"
Amity's gaze shot upward. Unbeknownst to her, everyone in the room was doing the same. Flying above the arena was a figure wreathed in burning light. Massive flaming wings sprouted from their back and their hands were coated in flames. Once the figure was satisfied that it had gotten their attention, they allowed their light to dim. They dropped at lightning speed, slamming into the ground and sending out a ring of burning energy. They drew to full height, revealing them to be the stranger that had been the talk of the town lately.
"WHAT IN THE TRAVELERS' NAME IS GOING ON HERE? YOU BARBARIANS ARE PITTING TWO CHILDREN AGAINST EACH OTHER FOR YOUR TWISTED AMUSEMENT!" His voice echoed around the room. Amity stepped back, terrified yet equally ashamed of her fear. Lilith walked forward, frowning.
"You dare to interfere with a Witches Duel? Have you no respect?" The stranger snapped his gaze to Lilith.
"You pit children against each other in a blood sport and you have the audacity to accuse me of wrongdoing?" he shot back, the venom in his voice so potent that it was nearly tangible. He looked over at Luz, who was staring at him in equal parts awe and fear.
"As a Guardian, I swore an oath. To protect the Last City. To fight for the Traveler. To defend Humanity. It would be an immeasurable failure to stand by and do nothing as you condemn an innocent child to be mauled." His voice was quieter now, though it lost none of its power or potency. He gestured to Eda, then to Lilith.
"That you use children to fight your petty battles is beyond disgraceful," his voice no longer echoed around the room, "I am ending this. Now." He stepped forward, heading for Lilith as she was closer. However, in his rage, he failed to notice an odd bump on the ground. As he stepped on it, a series of massive spikes erupted from the ground. Rather than impaling him, the spikes cut through empty air as the stranger dashed through the air, leaving a burning trail in his wake.
"SPIKES?" Luz shouted, turning to Eda with an accusatory glare. Her mentor simply gave her a nervous thumbs up. Standing up, the stranger looked at the death trap in disgust.
"I find myself further vindicated," he whispered. Amity could only barely hear him. Lilith pointed a finger at her estranged sister.
"Edalyn cheated, such a trap could have severely wounded one of our pupils." The stranger turned to face her as Eda approached the group.
"Maybe so, but that still does not absolve you of your severe lapse in judgment," he looked down at Amity, causing a bolt of fear to race through her. Despite that, she stood her ground, ready to order her abomination to defend her. Rather than attack her, however, he simply dropped to one knee.
"Child, leave this place," his tone was rough, with an edge Amity couldn't place. He shot Lilith a glare, "and reevaluate who you put your faith in. You too young Luz."
Amity looked to her mentor who nodded in return. She turned to leave, hoping to head home and escape from the strangers' wrath. However, before she could leave, she felt a hand snatch something from the back of her neck. As she spun around she saw Eda hand the stranger a small slip of paper. A grin formed on her face as she began to taunt Lilith.
"A Construction Glyph? You know this is an illegal item in duels, right Lilly?"
Lilith glanced at the glyph nervously as the stranger burned it to ash in his hand. Amity, meanwhile, was in shock. She hadn't placed that glyph on herself, the only person who could have was…
She stared at her mentor, betrayal streaked across her face. Lilith cleared her throat awkwardly.
"Why would you do this?" she asked, barely keeping herself from tearing up, "did you not believe I could do it myself?"
"No! Of course not. I have the utmost faith in you, my pupil, I only did it because I knew Edalyn would cheat." Her mentor explained hurriedly. Eda smirked at her.
"One cheat doesn't cancel out the other. Though I'll be honest, I didn't think you had it in you, sis."
Amity didn't see what happened next, fleeing from the auditorium with tears threatening to fall from her eyes. She heard someone follow her, but she didn't turn back. All she could think of was how betrayed she felt. Her own mentor had cheated, using Amity as an unwilling puppet. Now her future was in jeopardy. Her reputation was potentially ruined.
She finally found a secluded spot where she could sulk. Slumping against the wall, she buried her head in her knees. She was furious at Lilith, for not trusting her to be strong enough. She was furious at Luz, every time she showed up something went horribly wrong. Most of all, she was furious at herself. A Blight was not supposed to show fear, yet she had cowered and ran.
She looked up as someone came running around the corner. A cursory glance told her that it was the Human. Had she come here to taunt Amity? Kick her while she was down?
"What do you want," Amity spat, unable to keep the emotion out of her voice. Luz sat down beside her awkwardly.
"I wanted to apologize." That caught the youngest Blight by surprise. She looked at the Human with curiosity.
"Unless you're going to apologize for trying to be something you're not, I don't want to hear it."
Luz sighed, "You're right. I'm not a Witch." She pulled out a piece of paper from her pocket. There was a pattern on it, completely unlike anything Amity had ever seen before. Luz placed it on the ground and tapped the symbol. The paper folded in on itself before floating into the air and transforming into a ball of light.
"That's nothing, any Witch can cast a light spell. Though I've never seen it done that way before." Despite her best efforts, Amity couldn't help but be intrigued. Luz chuckled quietly.
"I can't cast magic as you do, so I've had to find my own way," she paused for a second, "I know we didn't get off on the best foot, but I'm just trying to learn magic. I've been working hard for this. It might be nothing to you, but to me, it's everything." Luz stuck out her hand toward Amity.
"Truce?"
She looked at the outstretched limb for a second before accepting it.
"Truce." As the two shook hands, Amity dispelled the Everlasting Oath.
"The Oath is undone," she said softly. Luz smiled gratefully.
Unfortunately, the somber atmosphere was interrupted when Eda came sprinting around the corner.
"Kid, we need to get out of here." She grabbed Luz by the arm and dragged her along, fleeing the building as fast as she could.
Amity watched them go. All her life, she had known exactly what was needed of her, the role she was meant to fulfill. Now, new figures were showing up on the Isles and she had never felt more lost.
Lilith raised a barrier, blocking a few fireballs, and quickly retaliated. She drew a spell circle and the ground beneath the Stranger responded. It curled upward, wrapping around him in an attempt to trap him within a stone tomb. Instead, he struck the stone with his hands, causing them to disintegrate as electricity flowed between his fingers.
Lilith cursed her sister. This had started as a free-for-all. When Eda had proposed a cease-fire with Lilith, she agreed. However, the second the Strangers' attention was focused on Lilith, Eda had taken the opportunity to escape.
Lilith dodged another bolt of lightning. She didn't know how this self-proclaimed Guardian was doing all of this without spell circles. Now that she thought about it, he had claimed that he was sworn to 'defend Humanity'. Why would a Witch swear something like that?
She didn't have much time to ponder these questions as she continued to dodge the fire and lightning that were being launched at her. The crowd was cheering, they didn't know what was going on but they were certainly enjoying it. She signaled her Coven guards to aid her. The Stranger finally stopped his assault, looking around as he became surrounded by Witches. As they closed in around him, he stared at Lilith.
"This isn't over." He lept into the air and dematerialized, leaving nothing behind.
"Search the area, find him, and bring him here. And while you're at it, see if you can't find my sister," she ordered. The Coven soldiers saluted before dispersing. The crowd finally calmed down, seeing that the fight was over. They started leaving the auditorium. Lilith sighed as she began to clean up. What a day this had turned out to be.
"Well," Lancer quipped, "that could have gone a lot better."
Royal braced himself against the wall. Even as an Exo, he wasn't immune to nausea. He had been forced to use the Blink technique to escape. He cursed himself for not practicing it more. He'd never been very good at Blinking and now he was paying for it.
"We should probably get out of here," Lancer continued, quickly scanning Royal, "What's the plan now?"
Royal pulled out the piece of paper Luz had given him. There was an address written on it, not that it meant much to him. However, he knew where Eda lived and he also knew that Luz was being trained by Eda. He had his destination. Even if he was still angry at Eda for putting her student in danger, he knew that he would have to be more diplomatic.
"The plan is to see if we can't get ourselves some allies."
Retracing his steps was mildly difficult but he managed to find his way back to Edas' shack in the woods. He stepped carefully over the ground, remembering what had happened the last time he had been here. Eventually, he found himself facing the front door. The face of the tube creature that had attacked him was plastered on the front, staring blankly into space. To avoid suspicion, Royal stepped out onto the main path. The face in the door turned, staring directly at him. Royal held up his hands, showing that they were empty. The bird tube snaked out from the door, causing Royal to shiver in discomfort, and poked his head through an open window.
"Eda," it called in a sing-song tone, "you have a guest." Royal winced, he had forgotten how grating the creature's voice was. The tube retracted as the door opened, revealing the aforementioned Witch. She walked out, her face buried in a cookbook.
"Look, if you're here to collect my taxes, then I have bad news for you," she said without looking over at him. Unsure of how to begin, Royal awkwardly coughed into his hand. The Witch looked up at him and narrowed her eyes.
"You again? If you're not here to pay me back or apologize for attacking me, then beat it."
Royal held up his hands placatingly, "I just wish to speak with your apprentice."
"Well she isn't here right now, so why don't you beat it Buckethead."
"Eda, who's there?" Luz called from inside the house, immediately contradicting her Mentors claim.
"Not here huh?"
"Alright fine, I'll call her down. But you are going to wait outside, got it?" She challenged. Nodding, Royal accepted her terms. Eda ducked her head back inside and called Luz down. She leaned against the front of her house and stared at the Guardian through narrowed eyes. A few seconds later, the Human stepped outside.
"Alright, King decided to turn in early, what do you need me for Eda…" her question died in her throat as she saw Royal standing on their lawn. She stepped back for a second, vividly remembering all the fire and threats he had slung around.
"Wait," Royal called, "I just want to talk. I'm sorry about what happened at the Covention, I let my anger cloud my judgment. I mean you no harm."
Eda chimed in, "Well if you're apologizing-"
"I'm not apologizing to you, only your student, You still have a lot to answer for," he cut her off, not breaking eye contact with Luz.
"Apologize to Eda, then we'll talk," she said, crossing her arms. He looked at her for a second, wondering if she was joking. She made a 'go on' gesture with her hand and Royal groaned.
"I'm sorry for threatening you, Eda," he forced out.
"And for attacking me?" She prompted smugly.
"And for attacking you." He repeated as Lancer began laughing over his comm.
"And for destroying my stuff?"
"Not really." Lancer laughed even harder at that. Luz seemed satisfied and uncrossed her arms.
"Alright," she said, much more cheery now, "what did you want to talk about."
Royal hadn't planned that far ahead. How did he explain that he was trapped in an alternate universe? Fortunately, Lancer solved his problem for him.
"We should start with introductions," he announced as he materialized next to Luz, causing the young girl to jump in shock, "that walking disaster over there is Royal-6, Warlock of the Last City. I'm his partner in crime, the illustrious and magnificent Lancer."
Luz and Eda stared at the Ghost with blank expressions. Royal, on the other hand, smacked the faceplate of his helmet.
"Not the response I was expecting, you lot were a lot more lively earlier," he quipped. Luz finally snapped out of her shock and reached out to touch Lancer. She tentatively placed her hand on top of him, slowly petting his shell. He rolled into her hand, spinning around while making several appreciative chirps.
"Oh yeah, that's the stuff."
Luzs' eyes lit up. "Eres tan linda, necesito conseguir una como tú para mí!"
"You better believe I'm bloody cute."
The bird tube tried to sneak up on Lancer in an attempt to eat him, only for Luz to slap him over the head and hold the Ghost close to her chest. Eda glanced at Royal, looking just as confused as he felt. Sighing, he gestured to her house.
"Think we can head inside? This is going to be a long story."
"Where do you want me to start?"
Luz finally stopped playing with Lancer, looking over at Royal as he sat on a stool Eda had pulled over. She and Eda sat on the couch across the table from him. Eda snorted and pointed a finger at him.
"How about; what the heck are you and what are you doing here?"
He nodded, "Well you already know my name, Royal-6. You can just call me Royal. I'm a Guardian of the Last City; a chosen defender of Humanity, blessed by the Traveler to wield the Light."
"You mentioned that back at the Covention," Luz spoke up, "what does it all mean?"
"I'll get to that in time. As for what I'm doing here, trying to find a way out. I've been trapped in the Vex Domain for a long time. Finally found an exit, only to get spat out here. I need to find a way back to my Earth." Luz perked up at that.
"So what are you? When I last asked, you didn't really give me an answer," she asked. Royal placed his fingertips together.
"It's easier to just show you." He reached up, grasping his helmet, and slowly lifted it off. Much to Luz and Edas' shock, his face wasn't made of flesh like theirs. Instead, they were greeted by a face made of black and white metal with bright orange optics staring out at them.
"I'm an Exo," he continued, his rough mechanical voice no longer being explained by his helmet, "essentially a human mind in a robotic body."
"That is so cool," Luz whispered as her eyes sparkled. Meanwhile, Eda rubbed her face tiredly.
"I'm just going to ignore the fact that I don't know what 'robotic' means. Care to explain what you mean when you say 'Traveler' or 'Light'?"
Royal nodded and began to explain while Luz listened with rapt attention. He detailed the arrival of the Traveler and how it elevated mankind to a Golden Age. Technology advanced by centuries, Human lifespan tripled, and colonies sprang up across the entire Sol System. Luz was in awe, though not without questions. However, she elected to wait until after Royal was finished. His story took on a far darker tone as he told them about how the Travelers' ancient enemy, the Darkness, had attacked them. Luz curled up in fear as Royal described how it had torn through the system, leaving billions of casualties in its wake.
The Darkness finally made its way to Earth and the Traveler had sacrificed itself to save mankind. In its dying breath, it released the Ghosts to find worthy warriors. These warriors would be raised as the first Lightbearers, granted immortality and incredible power so that they could safeguard Humanity. Initially, they had been divided up into numerous warring clans. However, they eventually began to unify underneath the dormant shell of the Traveler. The Last City was built and colossal walls were raised to protect it.
Royal skimmed over the next few centuries. Luz quickly grabbed a pencil and paper and began taking notes on what he mentioned. He spoke of the enemies that threatened Humanity; the scavengers known as the Fallen, the militaristic Cabal, the aggressive scourge of the Hive and their Sword Logic, and the Vex, who could wield time itself as a weapon. He also briefly mentioned the City's history; the Battle of Six Fronts, the Great Disaster, the Awakening of the Vault of Glass, the Fall of Crota, the Arrival of the Dreadnought and its Taken King, and, finally, the Destruction of Siva.
"After that, things quieted down for a bit. Lancer raised me and got me back to the city. Everything was calm for a while." He looked down with pain written all over his face.
"What happened next," Luz asked with a worried edge to her voice.
"The Red War."
Everyone turned to look at Lancer as he chimed in for the first time. Royal nodded in confirmation.
"The Cabal, lead by Dominus Ghaul, attacked the City. They drove us from our home and hunted us for sport. Worst of all, Ghaul managed to steal the Light."
Luz gasped. "What happened?"
Clenching his fists, Royal continued, "We managed to retake the City. One of our best Guardians, a Titan named Levi, had managed to reclaim his power from a shard of the Traveler. He broke Ghaul and the Red Legion along with him. Everything seemed to return to normal again. Then I was sent to investigate increased Vex activity on Mercury. It was supposed to be a simple recon mission. Instead, it was a trap. I was stranded in the Vex Domain, with no way out. I was forced to spend years running from the Vex as they hunted me. Lancer and I finally managed to escape. Now, we're here and we think that the Vex might be trying to follow us."
"What are the Vex exactly?" Luz asked. Royal weighed the question for a few seconds, trying to find an appropriate answer.
"The Vex are evil so potent that they despise other evil. Their only goal is to assimilate all realities into their grand pattern. So far, the Light has proven to be our only real way of combating them, as the Vex are incapable of simulating it. If we were forced to play by their rules, they would have destroyed us all a trillion times over."
Luz lowered her notepad and tried to process everything she had just heard. Most people would find it rather difficult to grasp the concept of your entire species being endangered by aliens while superpowered, immortal beings used all kinds of magical powers to defend them. Luz, however, was quite capable of comprehending it. It was just like one of her stories from back home. Granted, this time it was real. And terrifying, it was also very terrifying. Now those monsters from her stories were trying to invade her new home. Eda set a hand on her shoulder reassuringly.
"This 'Light' stuff, is that how you summon your fancy flaming wings and sword?" Eda asked.
"Bingo," Lancer hummed as Royal continued.
"The Light is a Guardians' most powerful weapon. There are three classes of Guardians; Hunters, Titans, and Warlocks. Hunters act as the eyes of the Last City, using their blades to cut down our foes before they arise. Titans serve as the insurmountable bastion, the wall against which our enemies are broken. Warlocks are the scholars, we seek to understand the Light on a more fundamental level. And when we march to war, we glass the battlefield like the malevolent gods of old mythologies. The Light itself has three main disciplines."
He held out his left hand with his palm facing upward, coating it in fire.
"Solar. For those who wish to dance across the surface of the stars." As Luz gazed at the fire, she felt the warmth radiating within her soul. He held out his right hand in a similar fashion, summoning a ball of purple energy.
"Void. For those who wish to wield the fundamental power of physics itself." Luz stared into the orb and heard it sing with beautiful power. He clapped his hands together, smothering the ball of energy and the crackling flames. Slowly, he separated them, bolts of electricity dashing between his fingers.
"Arc. For those who wish to feel the lightning flowing through their veins." Luz felt her nerves begin to race excitedly, she hadn't felt this energized in a while.
The Arc power died and he pressed his fingertips together again.
"So that's my story. Any questions?"
"Oh boy, do I have a lot," Luz began, "starting with the most important one, when does the Traveler arrive?"
"Records from the Golden Age are rare. Records from before then are almost unheard of. Our best estimates place it at around the early 21st century." Luz placed a hand on her chin.
"It's 2019 currently, do you think they'll come knocking anytime soon?"
Royal rubbed the side of his head, "Well, Lancer and I have been batting around some theories-"
"By which he means I've been theorizing. He's been sulking and assaulting defenseless rocks." Lancer interjected. Royal waved dismissively as he continued.
"We have reason to believe that the Traveler is set to arrive in Sol sometime soon. However, the nature of our arrival complicates matters. The Vex could have indirectly sent us to a separate timeline."
"Wait those exist?" Eda questioned. Royal shot her a quick look, if Luz didn't know any better, she would have sworn it was discomfort.
"Yeah, the Vex jump between them all the time. While I was trapped in their Domain, I even met alternate versions of myself. That was… weird... to say the least." Royals' voice drifted off as he stared into space absently. Luz cleared her throat, shaking him out of his trance.
"Well, what if I told you that we have an easy way back to the Human Realm? Or my Human Realm at least." Lancer and Royal both looked at her with interest. Eda, on the other hand, stood up suddenly.
"Woah, hold on their kid. Let's not get ahead of ourselves. That's supposed our little secret, for business ventures only."
"You're still just upset about him torching your stuff and calling you a barbarian, aren't you?" Luz deadpanned. Eda huffed.
"No, I'm not," she protested. Luz gave her a look to let her know she wasn't buying it.
"Alright, fine. Maybe I am," Eda relented as she threw her arms up into the air. Royal leaned forward.
"I need you to tell me about this 'little secret' of yours."
Luz smirked, "Gladly my robot-zombie friend."
"Don't call me that."
Alright then, that does it for now. Been knocking away at chapter 5 and I finally managed to overcome a massive bout of writers block. Not gonna lie, very excited to show you all what I have planned, even though I'm basically plotting it out as I go. I have a vague structure, but most of the details come to me as I'm writing. But that's all from me, now get out there and bank those motes.
Also, musizlover2008, way to just steal my thunder mate.
