Sup everybody, I return sooner than I expected. This chapter has been an interesting one to write. I initially thought it was going to be really short, but then it kinda ran away from me while I was writing it.
College has been keeping me busy, I've hardly had any time to actually play Destiny. The only reason I can get chapters out at all is because of the breaks in my schedule.
Chapter 10: Straight Down Memory Lane
A blizzard had swept over the Knee, blanketing the entire area in a blinding white screen of frozen death. It was not a natural occurrence, but rather the result of the Vex flexing their newfound power. No Witch in their right mind would dare to venture to this desolate place, save for the foolish or the devout. One such devout fool trudged through the snow. While it may be simulated, that didn't make it any less cold.
Sturme shivered, despite the many layers of clothes he was wearing. The implant on his neck buzzed, directing him onward. He had been provided with directions and told to get moving. The Mind, whatever that was, did not appreciate being kept waiting. Sturme had been working with the Harpy very closely. Yet it still hadn't revealed everything to him. That was what he was hoping to rectify with this venture.
He pushed through the trees, emerging on the edge of a clearing. The area was filled with shattered Vex forms, though he did not recognize most of them. A few pillars stretched into the air. One bipedal Vex stomped over to him, regarding the Witch with its calculating glare. Sturme raised his hands uncomfortably as the Vex scanned him.
"I was sent here to meet with your master," he said. The Vex ignored him, continuing to scan his body. Sturme began to feel uneasy, he hadn't told anyone where he would be heading. The Goblin concluded its scan and pointed at the pillars. Sturme nodded and walked with the Vex. Fortunately, the others seemed content to ignore him. When they arrived, the Goblin crouched down and stuck its arms out to the side. The other Vex ceased their actions as well, joining in something that looked like prayer. With a loud crack, the Conflux activated. The vortex spun open, allowing Sturme to look into the Vex Domain.
"It's beautiful," he unknowingly whispered. As he gazed through the portal, three glowing red orbs appeared, focusing on the Witch. He stepped back under the weight of the creature's gaze.
"You are the one called Sturme."
"Y-yes," he stuttered, "Who are you?"
"I have summoned you here for a reason," it ignored his question, "I believe you to be worthy of my gifts. You possess the proper vision for the future."
"My superiors do not agree with my vision," he said, "and the Guardian will try to stop us."
"Do not concern yourself with the Guardian," the voice spoke with vicious mirth, "I have already begun to unravel him."
"Who are you?" Sturme asked again. The Mind paused for several seconds.
"I am a being comparable to what you would consider a God. I am a master of motion, logic, mechanics, and force. I am Synegorus," the voice answered, sending out waves of power every time it spoke, "Lesser beings call me the Paradoxical Mind." The three orbs drew closer to the vortex, causing Sturme to shuffle in discomfort as he felt the unbearable intellect pressing down on him. He felt something wet run down his lower face. Brushing it and inspecting his hand, he saw that his nose had begun to bleed.
"Why do they call you that?" He asked, his curiosity overpowering his concern. The Mind withdrew for a second, causing Sturme to sigh as the pressure faded slightly.
"Because I enjoy the fear this title instills in them."
Royal, Luz, Eda, and the three Blight children had all returned to the Owl House. The Blights had decided to accompany them, seeing as the Knee had become a bit too crowded for their liking and they weren't expected to return home for a while now. Upon arriving, they were greeted by the sight of Hooty and King standing over a pile of torn stuffed animals. Royal collapsed onto the couch, nursing his aching head. The pain had only gotten worse over the travel and Lancer was busy trying to figure out why it hadn't faded.
"So this is the Owl Shack," Amity said, taking a seat as far from the Guardian as she could. Luz plopped down next to her.
"Welcome to where the magic happens," she said, throwing an arm around Amity's shoulder, "Literally, in this case." Eda sat down next to Royal, looking into his visor with concern.
"Lightbulb, what's the verdict?" She asked. Lancer phased into reality, shaking his shell.
"I found the source of the damage," he began, "There's something in his head and I can't get it out, for reasons beyond my comprehension." Royal twitched, clutching his head.
"The Vex," he muttered, "There's too many of them. We need to get out of here." Suddenly, he sat up, sticking an arm out to the side, "No, you go. I'll hold them off. Don't worry about me Brother, I'll find my own way home." With that, he fell against the back of the couch and shut down.
"That was…" Edric began.
"Ominous," Emira concluded. The twins and Amity had been brought up to speed by Luz on the return trip. They would have called her crazy if they hadn't just witnessed the Vex and Royal clashing.
"So there's something stuck in his head," Eda repeated, "Sounds like we need to crack his head open and dig it out."
"It's not physical," Lancer elaborated, "It seems that the Vex planted something in him. Like a virus, but for a computer."
"So, like a virus," Luz added as the Witches stared blankly, not familiar with computers.
"Sure, whatever. Point is, something is eating up his brain and I can't fix it."
"Here's an idea," Eda said, standing up, "What if we went into his head and sorted him out ourselves."
"How would you even do that?" Lancer asked, "It's not like you have some kind of mind-tap device or an interface we can plug him into." Eda cocked an eyebrow and held up a spell tome. Lancer blinked, floating awkwardly for a second.
"Right, magic."
"Yeah, I'm a genius," Eda bragged, "I can get the spell set up soon but I can't go in myself, I need to be here to pull the away team out."
"We're going into Royal's mind?" Luz squealed, "You gotta send me in there."
"Count us in," Emira said as her brother nodded.
"Oh no, you two are not going in there," Lancer objected, "Last thing we need is you breaking something important."
"Well we need at least two," Eda said, "I need to work the spell, you'll be keeping Rustbucket alive, and the Twins are off the table. Which leaves…" She turned to look at Amity expectantly. The young Witch shrank.
"I'm not going in there," she objected, "I-I don't want to."
"Well I'm not letting Luz go in alone," Eda said, "There's no telling what could be lurking in Royal's subconscious." Luz placed a comforting hand on Amity's shoulder.
"Come on, it'll be fun," she said with a smile. Amity relented if only to make sure Luz didn't have to go in alone. Eda had the twins begin preparing the spell as per the instructions while she gave the two a rundown on what to expect.
"You'll be looking for some kind of Vex thing," she said, "But be on guard, there's no telling what you may encounter in Royal's mindscape. He's seen things the rest of us can only dream of. Once you've taken care of whatever is killing our metallic friend here, ring this bell and I'll pull you out. And try to avoid stirring Royal's inner self, there's no telling how he may react." The twins finished their preparations as Eda delivered her warning.
"Is it too late to back out?" Amity asked, feeling even more uncertain than before.
"Yup," Eda said, "Have fun. And if you see any embarrassing memories, take a picture. Ok, bye." With that, the two felt magical energy surge through them as they entered Royal's mind.
Their feet hit the ground, causing them to stagger slightly. Luz looked around, taking in their surroundings. They were standing on a concrete road, with large bunkers and silos on either side. A few futuristic-looking tanks lay abandoned on the road.
"What is this place?" Amity asked, having never seen anything like it before.
"It looks like a military base," Luz said, though she didn't sound terribly confident, "Maybe Royal was a soldier in his past life."
"I still don't believe the whole "resurrected from the dead" thing," Amity said, inspecting one of the abandoned tanks, "Is this what Human military equipment looks like?"
"A bit less high-tech, but yeah."
"Dad would love this," she murmured. She had never been particularly close with her father. He was always so busy with work. In truth, a part of her envied him. He didn't have to deal with any of the family drama. Luz walked down the street, not having heard her friend.
"I think each of these bunkers is a memory," she said, opening a door. Inside was a glimpse of Royal standing in the Vex Domain with another Guardian. Amity joined her, watching as Royal conversed with his companion.
"There's too many of them. We need to get out of here," he said. The other Guardian, a Titan clad in obsidian-black armor, said something in his ear. Royal shook him off, "No, you go. I'll hold them off. Don't worry about me Brother, I'll find my own way home."
"Here, let's keep heading down," Luz proposed, "I bet the memories get older the further back we go. The two walked down the road, taking a glimpse inside a few of the bunkers as they did. They saw Royal flying a ship through a large Vex structure while being fired upon by Vex turrets, only to crash into a thick column and explode. Another memory showed Royal dueling a large four-armed alien. Inspecting the memory revealed that they were called Ikralis, Kell of House Sunset. Amity flinched with every strike, an action that didn't go unnoticed by Luz. Eventually, the two reached a large wall made of smoke. Luz placed her hands against it and pushed. The smoke offered mild resistance, allowing Luz to sink her arms up to her elbows. She pulled them out and shook them, feeling creeped out.
"I don't see any Vex," Luz said, "I guess we should check out the oldest memory." Amity nodded reluctantly and the two swung open the bunker doors. Inside was a memory of Royal alone with Lancer. The Guardian was wrapped in rags, looking around the room in confusion. His gaze passed over Luz and Amity without acknowledging their presence.
"Who am I?" He asked. Lancer backed up slightly.
"Well, there are two ways I could answer that. If you're asking about you specifically, then I don't know. I raised you from the dead, but your memories don't get to come along. Since you're an Exo, you should have your name and number on your person somewhere, maybe try searching on your wrist?" The two checked Royal's body, finding a small inscription.
"Royal-6," Lancer said, "Nice name."
"What is this?" Amity asked as the two memories continued.
"I think it's when Royal got raised for the first time," Luz answered, "He doesn't have any memories from his previous life, which explains the spooky barrier." The two backed out of the memory and returned to the smoke wall.
"So should we go through it?" Amity questioned. Luz pondered for a moment before shaking her head.
"Not yet, let's look around a little more and see if we can find the Vex out here." Amity nodded and the two walked off the path. They walked through the empty base, inspecting every corner of the compound. Eventually, after a few minutes of searching, they came up on a small board. There were a series of pictures across the board, each with a familiar face. The top of the board read: Individuals of the Boiling Isles. The board itself was divided into four sections; Friends, Allies, Enemies, and Unknowns. Luz saw a picture of herself, along with Eda and King, in the Friends section.
"Told you he loves us," she said, nudging Amity. The mint-haired Witch didn't respond, instead staring at her own picture in the Unknowns section. In an attempt to change the subject, Luz pointed at a picture of Lilith, right at the top of Enemies.
"Hey, isn't Lilith your mentor?"
Amity shook her head, "Not anymore. Things got broken off after the incident at the Covention.' She rubbed her arm cautiously.
"Well," Luz started slowly, not sure where to go, "we haven't found anything out here. I guess we should check out the creepy smoke." Amity didn't respond verbally, only nodding and turning back the way they had come. Luz watched her for a second, concern for her friend gripping at her heart.
"How is he holding up, Lightbulb?"
Lancer sighed as he continued to tend to Royal, "He's deteriorating, I can feel it. The Vex are beginning to overwrite his mind. Those two better hurry."
"So what happens if they fail?" Emira asked. Lancer shot her a look before responding.
"At best, Royal dies, permanently."
"That's our best case scenario?" Eda asked incredulously.
"Worst case is the Vex gaining control of Royal. Synegorus would be able to puppet his body. Without the Light, I doubt you would last long against the Vex."
"We did just fine earlier," Edric dismissed. Lancer flew up into his face, causing the Witch to back up quickly.
"No, you hid on the sidelines. We did the real fighting. The only reason the Vex didn't attack you was because they didn't consider you a threat."
"Cool it Lightbulb," Eda said placatingly, "Just focus on monitoring Royal." Lancer nodded and turned back to his Guardian, resuming his work.
The two returned to the wall of smoke. Bracing themselves against it, they pushed through. Amity shivered as the cold vapor rolled over her skin. They emerged on the other side, shaking themselves to be rid of the icy feeling.
"Woah momma," Luz whistled, looking out over the mindscape before them. Whereas the previous area had been neat and organized, this new section looked like a warzone. It followed the same basic layout, but the road was torn up and most of the bunkers were nothing more than piles of wreckage. A few still stood, but only barely.
"What happened here?" Amity asked, staring at the destruction in horror.
"He doesn't remember," Luz said quietly. She walked over to one of the few standing bunkers and gently pushed the rusted door open. It creaked, disturbing the dust on the floor. Inside, she saw Royal, dressed in a military-style uniform conversing with another Exo. The details of the memory were shrouded in a strange haze. They couldn't even see the other Exo's face.
"Clovis is having you deployed elsewhere?" The other Exo, a female, asked.
"Yes, Ms. Bray, it seems that your grandfather wants me to take command of some offsite storage facility. There's a lot of important artifacts being held there, or so I've been told."
"Royal, Clovis is nowhere near us, you don't have to call me Ms. Bray. Makes me feel old."
"Sorry Elsie," Royal replied, chuckling good-naturedly. Elsie gestured to the fins on the side of his head.
"Did you just get those?" She asked in a humorous tone. Royal chuckled again and nodded.
"Figured I'd celebrate my sixth reset with a little flair," he explained, "What do you think?" He struck an exaggerated pose, causing Elsie to laugh.
"They're nice," she complimented, "They suit you." Royal was about to respond before looking away and pressing something on his wrist. His eyes danced around the room as he listened to a radio transmission.
"Sorry Elsie, but I have to cut the reunion short. Your grandfather wants to see me. Last minute briefing or something."
"Do you know when you'll be back?"
"Can't say for certain but I'll try to swing around by Christmas. Provided all the paperwork doesn't bury me first."
"Then I better not keep you any longer. Until we meet again Royal," Elise said, holding out her hand. Royal accepted it and the two shook. The memory faded into obscurity, leaving Luz and Amity alone. The two exited the memory.
"So that's our mysterious lover," Luz said, rubbing her hands together. Amity looked at her, not understanding what she was talking about, to which Luz said she would explain later.
"I guess we better keep going," Amity said. Luz was about to agree until the two heard a set of heavy footsteps drawing hear. Thinking quickly, Amity dragged Luz behind a broken bunker wall peeking out slightly to watch the new arrival. Royal walked into view. His eyes moved across the landscape, scouring them for any signs of movement.
"It's Royal, we should ask him for help," Luz said, standing up to call out for her friend. Amity quickly pulled her down and shushed her.
"Eda told us not to make contact with the Inner Royal, remember?" Luz nodded, mildly embarrassed of her lapse in judgment. Suddenly, Royal stumbled as his form became overcome by static. He fell to his knees and screamed in pain. His form flickered between his usual Guardian armor, the uniform from earlier, and the human appearance Luz had designed for him.
"The Vex are really doing a number on him," Luz said, dread laden in her voice, "We need to hurry." Amity nodded, unable to tear her eyes away from the display before her. Luz shuffled, accidentally knocking a small chunk of rubble over. Royal stopped twitching and stood to his full height. His head snapped to where the girls were hiding and he pointed his glaive at them.
"Intruders detected," he said in an hostile tone, "Activating defense protocols." The ground beneath the two moved under their feet, dragging them into the open. The mental construct regarded them coldly.
"Hey Royal," Luz began with a strained smile, "Sorry for trespassing on your memories, we're just trying to help you out. Isn't that right Amity?" Luz looked over at her friend only to see that she was frozen in fear, staring at the razor-sharp edge of Royal's glaive. "Amity?"
"Interference will not be tolerated. Intruders have already caused substantial damage to core systems. Protocol dictates that all intruders are to be destroyed with extreme prejudice," Royal said in the same voice. He raised his glaive, preparing to bring it down on Amity. The blade plunged, causing Luz to grab Amity and drag her out of the way. The Witch didn't react, looking back at the Guardian as Luz practically dragged her away.
"Amity!" Luz's voice snapped her out of her stupor. Shaking her head, Amity looked at her friend. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," the Witch said, a little too quickly to be true. Luz was about to inquire further when Royal's glaive soared between the two, planting itself in the ground before them. Looking back, they saw the Guardian gaining on them. He flicked his wrist, causing another glaive to appear in his hand.
"Shatter and die," he commanded. The two slipped around a corner and hid as the Guardian raced past. They didn't move until his footsteps receded. Amity let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding in as Luz turned to her.
"What happened back there?" She asked, "You just froze up."
"It's nothing," Amity said looking away as she wiped her eyes, "Let's just get out of here before he comes back."
"It's clearly not nothing," Luz objected, "You've been acting off the entire time we've been here."
Amity paused for a second before replying, "There's a reason I didn't want to come in here in the first place." A few solitary tears fell from her eyes. Luz reached out for her as the two sat down.
"You're scared of him, aren't you?" Amity nodded, tucking her head into her knees.
"Blights aren't supposed to show weakness," she said, "but whenever he's near, I remember what happened at the Covention."
"It's ok," Luz said, pulling her friend into a hug, "There's no one here to judge you. If you don't think you can do this, then stay here and let me take care of the Vex." She rose to her feet only for Amity to grab her hand.
"You can't go alone," Amity protested, "What if you get hurt?"
"What if you get hurt?" Luz countered, "I'll be back soon, don't worry about me." Cautiously, Luz snuck out onto the main path, resuming their search. Amity reached out, but, much to her shame, failed to rise and pursue her friend.
"They're disturbed the Inner Royal."
Eda looked up from her tome, "How do you know?"
"Spike of activity in the neural processor." Eda and the twins stared at Lancer blankly.
"Could you use words we can understand?"
The Ghost sighed and simplified his vocabulary, "His brain is doing a big think."
"So what do we do?" Emira asked.
"We don't do anything," Lancer said, "This rests on Amity and Luz."
"But if they've disturbed the Inner Royal, then they could be in danger. Amity could get hurt," Edric said worriedly.
"So now you care about your sister getting hurt," Lancer snapped. The twins shared an offended glance.
"Is this about the library incident?" Emira asked, slightly indignant, "We've been trying to make up for that."
"Well, you'll have to forgive me for not being very receptive to your changed ways when you damn near got Luz and Amity killed, all because you couldn't deal with the consequences of your choices!" Lancer shouted, despite Eda trying to reign him in. The twins physically recoiled as Lancer attempted to calm himself.
"And I thought Glowstick had a temper," Eda attempted to break the silence, "Why don't you just get back to work."
"Fine," Lancer said wearily before turning back to the twins, "You say you're trying to make amends. Prove it with actions, not words." Eda shooed the twins off to the side as Lancer returned to monitoring Royal.
"Try not to take what he says personally," she said, "He's just under a lot of stress at the moment, being sidelined and unable to help."
"He's not wrong though," Emira said, "We messed up."
"But you're trying to do better," Eda replied, "And that's what really matters."
"Doesn't seem to matter. It's not like we can prove anything when he won't give us a chance," Edric said despondently. Eda furrowed her brow for a moment before snapping her fingers.
"I have an idea."
Luz slowly crept through Royal's mindscape, holding a glyph in one hand and her new weapon in the other. With luck, she wouldn't need to use it, but luck hadn't exactly been on her side lately.
"Come on Royal," she whispered, "Help me out here." A distant chime met her ears. Deciding not to question her good fortune, Luz snuck closer to the sound, holding her weapons at the ready. Placing her back against a shattered wall, she peeked around the corner. The Mindscape had been corrupted, the usual orderly environment being replaced by blocky Vex structures. Taking in a deep breath, Luz pushed forward. The chime sounded again, far louder this time. It sounded musical.
Rounding a corner, she finally found the source of the noise. High in the air was a strange glowing box of light, surrounded by the blocky metallic architecture of the Vex. It sang its refrain once again. Steeling her nerves, Luz drew an ice glyph at her feet and activated it. A platform emerged from beneath her, raising her to the same level as the Vex construct. Holding her weapon in both hands, she aimed at it and fired. The recoil of this weapon fit in her hand far more comfortably. As the bullet made contact, the prism shrieked. The mindscape rumbled, throwing Luz off her pillar. As she clambered back to her feet, the glowing cube continued to let out its high-pitched whine.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the Inner Royal step out of a nearby wall. He glanced at the Oracle before readying his weapon.
"Intruder detected," he said, "Initiating purge protocols." Before he could move, the Oracle chimed once again. Luz watched in horror as his eyes began flickering between their usual orange and vibrant red.
"New objective acknowledged," he said, "Eliminate the intruders." Slowly, his head turned to look at where Luz was hiding.
Amity was lost, there was no doubt about it. She was almost certain that she had somehow managed to end up back where they started. Unfortunately, she hadn't been able to find Luz. She wandered aimlessly through the mindscape, searching for a way back. Suddenly, she heard heavy footfalls coming toward her. Thinking quickly, she slipped inside a memory, barely peeking out as Royal walked past. He seemed different from last time, lacking the fins and a few other details. He stopped right outside her hiding spot, looking around suspiciously. After a few seconds, he placed a hand on the side of his head and spoke.
"Unit Four reporting, secondary intruder not detected in sector seventeen. Continuing sweep," he said, receiving a response that Amity couldn't understand. He marched off, causing Amity to let out a sigh of relief.
"Guardian field log, day… I don't know anymore, it's impossible to keep track out here," a voice said from behind her, causing her to spin around. She saw Royal, sitting on the edge of a cliff overlooking the Vex Domain. Realizing she was just in a memory, she began to leave.
"Lancer and I have been trapped in the Vex Domain for what feels like an eternity. So far, we've managed to avoid being killed. Traveler knows Lancer is the only thing keeping me from just divebombing the nearest Vex horde and ending it all," he continued, oblivious to the Witches presence. Amity stopped in her tracks and turned, listening curiously.
"Sometimes, in my weaker moments, I curse him to the pits for dragging me out of the grave. Other times, I consider terminating him, to spare him from this unending torment. This is how I know that I am a coward... because I cannot bring myself to do it." His voice was somber and heavy, laden with emotion. Royal sat in silence for a moment before sighing, "I will die here. I do not know where this certainty comes from, but I know it to be as true as the ground upon which I stand. I will die in this accursed hell." The memory came to an end and Amity left. Luz had only briefly talked over how Royal was trapped in the Vex Domain before arriving in the Boiling Isles, now she was beginning to understand exactly what that meant. Now with a better understanding of what the Guardian had gone through, she was starting to get why he was the way he was. A cursory glance around the area showed that it was safe, and she sprinted across the open road.
"Come on Luz, where are you?" She asked through gritted teeth.
"Who's there?" A new voice called. Amity stiffened, not recognizing it. She crouched low and slowly crept toward the voice. She turned around a corner and gasped at what she saw. A Human, wearing plain clothes with a purple jacket, sat with his back propped up against the wall. He was bleeding profusely, with one of his legs having been cleaved off. He coughed, spitting up blood that stained his clothes.
"Who are you?" He asked weakly, "Another intruder?"
"No," Amity said, crouching down beside him, "Well, I guess, but I'm not here to hurt you."
"Good, the others already gave me a proper thrashing," he said, laughing a little before groaning in pain, "Alright, no laughing."
"Here, I know a little healing magic," Amity said, soothing his wounds, "What happened to you?"
The man sighed before continuing, "Those metal bastards got to me. I thought we were on friendly terms, all inhabiting the same mind and whatnot. Guess they all forgot that it was mine first. I'll be fine, hurts like a bitch though."
"Wait, what do you mean it was yours?"
"Used to be the only conscience swimming around in here, Now, the others have turned on me. They must've been corrupted somehow," he explained.
"Other Royals? There's multiple?"
"Yup, one for each reset. Plus me, from before I went under. Back when I was of flesh and blood."
"This is what you looked like?" Amity asked, hardly believing what she was hearing. The Human Royal shrugged.
"Hell if I know, can't remember anything from before my sixth reset. But the kid cooked it up for me and I liked it enough to keep." He coughed again, spitting out even more blood, "How does a mental construct even bleed?" He complained. He closed his eyes as his body slackened.
"Do you know where Luz is?" Amity asked, shaking the Guardian lightly.
"Yeah, I know everything that happens in my brain," he replied, not opening his eyes, "Head back into my lost memories, straight down the path. You'll find the Oracle," He tilted his head slightly before speaking quickly, "And you best hurry, the others have found her." Amity nodded, rising to leave before Royal grabbed her by the arm.
"Listen, kid. I never meant to hurt you. I only ever tried to do what I thought was right," he said before another coughing fit overtook him. As he recovered, he looked into her eyes, "For what it's worth, I'm sorry."
Amity nodded, not trusting herself to speak. Royal let her arm go, falling back against the wall as the Witch ran back into the mindscape.
"Are you two ready?" Eda asked. The twins both nodded. Eda was preparing to send them into Royal's mind to reinforce Amity and Luz. Lancer wouldn't approve, but that was why she hadn't told him.
"You know how to find Luz, just be careful. I'm sending you in." With a flash of light, the twins vanished.
"I doubt Royal will appreciate all these people running around his head. But if he lives to complain, then he still lives."
Luz jumped over a piece of rubble as the ground behind her exploded. Slapping down an ice glyph, she constructed a wall behind her. With luck, it would hold the Inner Royal back for a bit. As Luz slipped around a corner, the wall exploded, shattering into pieces. Royal walked forward, eyes glowing pure red.
"You cannot hide from us," he said, a digital screech in his voice as the Vex exerted their influence over him.
"I'm not hiding," Luz called from above. Royal looked up just in time to see the young girl drop onto him, knocking him to the ground. She activated multiple light glyphs directly in his face, blinding the Guardian. She placed an ice glyph on his chest and tapped it, encasing Royal in an icy prison.
"Sorry Royal," she said as the Guardian's eyes continued to track her, "You'll thank me later." She looked at the Oracle, which continued to sing its refrain. She drew her hand cannon, preparing to shoot the Oracle once again. Before she could, a hand grabbed her by the wrist, squeezing tight. She gasped and looked over at the person grabbing her, seeing Royal's face staring back at her. He pulled her aside, tossing her into a nearby wall. As she attempted to reorient herself, two more sets of hands grabbed her. Two new Royals were holding her by the arms, with their eyes glowing red as well.
"Unit Two, Unit Three, keep the intruder bound," the Royal that had thrown her commanded, "This one will free Unit Five. Has the other intruder been located yet?"
"Negative Unit One," a new Royal said, appearing from thin air, "However, Unit Four did report that Unit Zero failed to accept new mission parameters and was dealt with accordingly."
Luz watched as the Royals conversed, confused out of her mind. As she looked around, she realized that all the Royals were a little bit different. Unit One had a horn on his forehead while Unit Two was made of grey-colored metal and Unit Three had small black strips running over the top of his head.
"Who are you guys?" Luz asked, shrinking as the assembled Royals directed their gaze at her.
"We are all the Inner Royal," Unit One said, "From past lives and past resets. A long time ago, I was Royal-1. Then, reset, and Royal-2 was born. Unit Zero is the man we were before becoming Exo. For years we have been trapped within our own mind, unable to do anything but lay dormant. But now, the Vex shall grant us new flesh."
"Where is Royal? The real Royal!" Luz shouted.
"He is right here," Unit One said, gesturing to the Oracle. Impaled on a small spire was the still form of Luz's Royal, the first one that she had ran into. Unit One continued, "He refused to accept the new parameters and was dealt with accordingly." Unit One gestured for the others, save for Unit Two, to join him. Seeing an opening, Luz slipped a glyph out of her pocket as the other Royals dispersed, no doubt to track down Amity. Soon, Luz was left alone with Unit Two. Luz discretely placed her ice glyph on his back, causing him to look at her curiously.
"What did you do?" He asked, reaching around to his back, trying to find the glyph. He finally found it, placing a finger on the glyph. In an instant, he was frozen solid. Luz stepped back, admiring her handiwork. Suddenly, she heard Amity scream in the distance.
Before she could race over to help, she heard one of the Royals returning. Disappearing behind cover, she watched as Unit Four dragged Amity, bound in chains, through the street. He stopped before the frozen Royal and shook his head. With a single strike, he shattered the ice imprisoning the other Royal.
"How did you let a fourteen-year-old girl get the better of you? We were trained military officers in another life."
"She is more resourceful than anticipated," Unit Two defended. He gestured to Amity, "You have found the other intruder."
"Yes, she was attempting to hide on the main path," Unit Four said as he left her near the Oracle. Luz watched Two leave while Four stood guard, drawing a basic-looking assault rifle from nothing. As Luz continued to observe, someone covered her mouth from behind. Luz jumped, only for a familiar voice to whisper in her ear.
"Luz, it's us," Emira said quietly, removing her hand from Luz's mouth. She looked around, seeing Edric nearby, who gave her a thumbs up.
"What are you guys doing here? How did you even find me?"
"Eda sent us after you," Emira said, "And gave us this tracker pad thing, she said it would lead us straight to you."
"I have never been so happy that Royal is so paranoid."
"They have Amity tied up over there," Edric reported, "Who are these punks?"
"Inner Royal's, a bunch of them," Luz explained, "They cut a deal with the Vex and are selling the actual Royal out so they can get their own bodies. We need to split them up so we can rescue Amity and take out the Oracle."
"Do you think you could shoot the Oracle from here with that gun thing Royal gave you?"
Luz shook her head, "Not from this range, I still struggle to use this thing."
"So, what's the plan?" Emira asked. Luz gestured for the two to come closer.
"Alright, we're gonna need some illusions so we can keep them separated. You two rescue Amity, I'll destroy the Oracle. Then we ring this bell and Eda will pull us out." The twins agreed and the three split up. Luz climbed atop one of the ruined bunkers, watching as each of the twins circled the Oracle. The remaining Royals had all returned and were spread out, watching for Luz.
Edric cast an illusion of the Human, allowing the Royals to catch sight of her. Two of them chased after her. Emira summoned another illusion, causing two more to abandon their post. Luz dropped off her perch, glyph in each hand. The remaining Royal, Unit One, regarded her with unblinking red eyes.
"So that is how you do it," he said with a familiar painful reverb, "Your secret is revealed to me. I shall know all that you possess."
"Synegorus?" Luz gasped. One, or rather the Mind controlling him, turned around to where Amity was bound. The twins were fast at work undoing her binds. He began moving to stop them, only for Luz to place her ice glyph on the ground and activate it. He dodged the spell and drew his rifle. Luz cast her light glyph, obscuring the Guardian's vision. She placed a few more ice glyphs, creating a multitude of structures to block One. He smashed through the ice and grabbed Luz by the throat, slamming her into a wall. He dropped her, letting her fall to her knees, and turned back to the Blights. Dashing forward, he batted Emira to the ground.
"Get away from my sisters!" Edric shouted, punching One in the chin. He moved with the blow as Edric shook his hand. One's head slowly turned to face Edric who gulped in fear. He lifted Edric by the throat while placing his boot on Emira's stomach.
"You cannot stop my ascension! I have bested armies of millions! Shattered galaxies of flesh and bone!" He roared, his voice gaining the deep, painful rumbling of Synegorus as the Mind began to exert its control over Royal. Luz forced herself to her feet, drawing her hand cannon and taking aim at the Oracle. She pulled the trigger and the gun barked. The bullet soared into the Oracle, causing it to shatter as it made contact. Unit One screamed with Syneogrus' voice before collapsing.
Luz dropped back to her knees, exhausted beyond belief, as the twins finished unbinding Amity and joined her.
"That's twice I've saved you," Luz said, managing a smile, "To your one."
Despite herself, Amity grinned, "We saved each other at the library, Noceda."
"Call it even?"
"Sure."
The twins each checked on the other Royals they had sent away, reporting that they had met a similar fate to One. Six stirred from his slumber, looking up at the kids.
"What did I miss?" He asked drowsily.
"Vex problem, other you's went all evil, we sorted it out. I'll explain more when we're out of here," Luz said quickly. Six shrugged, accepting the explanation.
"Fair enough I suppose. I'll get the others sorted out, they're not usually like this. Must've been Vex corruption," he muttered. He looked over at Amity, tapping a fist against her shoulder, "Thanks for the assist on Zero earlier, we appreciate it. You have the heart of a Sentinel, kid."
"Right, that's great," Emira interjected, "Can we get out of here now? I don't want Lancer to discover we entered without his permission." Luz nodded and rang the bell. The four faded as Six watched. The four returned to the real world with a jolt. Eda placed a hand on Luz's shoulder.
"Welcome back kid, did you find what you were looking for?" Luz flashed a thumbs up, looking at Royal's slumbering body.
"Does Lancer know you sent us in?" Edric asked, not seeing the Ghost anywhere.
"Yes," the Ghost said from directly behind the group, "He does. And he is not happy. I explicitly said that you were not to go in there."
"It was my call Lightbulb," Eda said, coming to their defense.
"I'll get to you," Lancer retaliated. Amity stepped forward.
"I get that you're still angry at them for the library incident, but they had changed," she said as her siblings watched in surprise, "They risked their lives to save me and Royal."
Lancer looked between the three before glancing at Luz, who just nodded in affirmation. The Ghost grumbled, accepting what she said.
"It's been a rough day for all of us," Eda said, drawing everyone's attention, "So how about we take a note from Leadhead's book and turn in for the night." The kids all mumbled in agreement and Luz took the Blights upstairs to the guest room.
Once they were gone, Eda slipped outside, heading for the shack where their prisoner was being held. She pushed the door open, causing the captive to look up. If his mouth wasn't gagged, he would no doubt be cursing her out.
"We're running out of time," Eda said as he glared at her, "I'll give you one last chance to speak before I am forced to use less civil means of interrogation." He didn't make a sound, just staring a hole through her head.
"Fine, be like that," Eda shrugged, pulling out the Vex staff and activating it, "Royal may have promised he wouldn't resort to torture, but I have a home to save." His eyes widened as the tip sparked to life, crackling with lightning.
"So why do you need me?" Sturme asked. He had been at the Conflux for hours, listening and learning, "What can I possibly offer to you?" The Mind narrowed its eyes on him, speaking with a voice that echoed with power.
"You grant us an entrance, a foothold into this world. With your help, we shall usher in a new age of perfection. You shall be my Herald, Harbinger of Salvation, Disciple of the Paradoxical Mind," Synegorus said. Sturme stroked his chin, pondering the possibilities. The Mind manifested a hand, scaled down to Sturme's size, and extended it through the vortex.
"Join me, and together, we can conquer time itself." Sturme grinned and accepted the appendage.
"Where do we start?"
That can't be good. For the most part, you can safely assume Understanding Willow happens pretty much how it did in the show, just with less explanation on Eda's part. Next chapter will be jumping forward to Grom, so get ready for the shippening.
Sorry if I'm not particularly chatty today, I'm just really mentally tired.
mysticalex: Luz has not been having a good time these last few chapters and I don't see that changing much anytime soon. The momma is not ready for trauma.
OMAC001: Just toss the whole timeline in the trash and move on to another, preferably one where the robots aren't trying to kill us.
SolarisHez: There goes flawless.
GodzillaMaster: Beauty lies in the eye of the beholder. I have some interesting stuff planned with Sturme, so keep an eye on him. As for Synegorus giving off Harbinger vibes, I can see the connection. I based a lot of its personality off of the Necrons from Warhammer 40k, specifically the voice work done by Matthew Vanston on YouTube.
Eda was a woman of many regrets. One doesn't become the most, or now second most wanted criminal on the Boiling Isles without their fair share. It would be difficult to list all of them or say which one stung the most. But if you were to ask her right now, it would definitely be giving Royal a bottle of alcohol. Apparently, the Guardians Exo body could still process food and drink and he even had a subroutine to simulate drunkenness. Not wanting to let this opportunity pass, she had managed to convince Royal to take a swig of booze. Now, she was regretting it.
"This is all your fault," Lancer said as the two watched Royal stumble around the backyard aimlessly, firing off bolts of lightning without a care in the world, giggling to himself all the while.
"Yeah, yeah, turns out Rustbucket is a lightweight," Eda dismissed as Royal staggered over to her and slung an arm around her shoulder.
"You wanna know something, pretty bird lady?" He said drunkenly, "Out of all the low-down, filthy, impure, vile, detestable, contemptible alien scum I've ever met; you're alright." Eda rolled her eyes at that endorsement.
"Your game needs work, but you can fail at flirting later," she said, practically carrying him back inside, "Now, let's see if you can still get hangovers."
Before you ask, no, I'm not shipping them.
