Within my "it's over", I found an invincible "we are so back!" And so we are back. We're here for Season Three. Took me a while to get into the groove. I took a bit of a break from writing after finishing Season Two. Now, I'm back and fully motivated. Got a lot planned for you guys, so I hope you have fun.
Also, as a side note, I got myself Conditional Finality! Suck it Nezarec you rotisserie chicken fuck!
Chapter 33: Falcon, Lion, Snake
"Lightbearers have always seemed... efficient at creating their own chaos." -Nezarec, Final God of Pain
Royal's body slumped to the ground, lifeless and empty. From his perch in the air, King watched through wide, horrified eyes. He hoped that the Guardian would stand back up, yet there was a pit in his gut that told him that wasn't going to happen. The Collector pulled the glaive out, disappointed by Royal's current state.
"Aww, it's broken," he whined, prodding Royal's corpse. He snapped his fingers and long, pink threads appeared from nowhere. They snatched Royal by his wrists and ankles and dragged him into the air. King reached out to the Warlock, only for the Collector to fly between them.
"Oh well, we should get moving King," he said cheerfully, "It's time to play Owl House! What are the rules?"
"Right, yeah," King said nervously, "Basically… we play pretend! And go on adventures! But we'll need more players…"
"Oh don't worry about that, I know just how to get them." The Collector snapped his fingers again. Instantly, the space above the Skull began to ripple. A loud boom could be heard as the massive pyramid from the Trappers island warped in. Small shapes began to fly out of it, swirling around the Collector. They were like little blue stars, with strange faces in the center.
"Go," the Collector commanded, "Find us some new playmates." The stars flew off, pursuing the fleeing civilians. The Collector summoned a small star platform and pulled King to it. Royal's corpse was dragged along behind the two as they flew up to the pyramid. King looked on anxiously as it opened for its master. The walls folded away granting them access.
"So what happens while we wait?" King asked nervously.
"I have to go take care of some stuff," the Collector grumbled, "Can't have any fun until my work is done. My little minions will bring anyone they find back here. In the meantime, feel free to explore. You're my best friend after all. The pyramid will take you wherever you want to be." The Collector floated off, leaving King alone. The young Titan scratched his chin as he thought.
"Take me to Eda," he said. The pyramid obeyed, opening to a long hallway. Cautiously, he began to walk down it. Large rooms appeared on the sides, empty prison cells. As King walked down the hall, he saw Pyrikaga and Sarkarae locked in their own rooms. Sarkarae snarled, pounding on the bars of its cell. As King walked past, it let out a low growl and tried to fire on him, only for a protective orange barrier to absorb the blast. Pyrikaga paced within its prison, staring at King with its unblinking optical lenses. King paled and started walking faster.
He arrived at the end of the hall and stood before a lone cell. He could make out a large figure, sleeping on the ground. It was the Owl Beast, sleeping peacefully. Stepping lightly, King slipped through the bars. He sat down beside his adopted mother, listening to her rumble.
The Collector pushed through his pyramid, navigating the twisting halls as though he had never left. He arrived at a large room and stopped. A large statue stared down at him and he kneeled. A familiar presence washed over him as his master spoke.
"Disciple." It was a single word, yet the voice carried incredible power with it. A smoky figure looked down on the Collector, watching him with its inscrutable gaze.
"My Witness," the Collector bowed his head, trying to avoid eye contact. He felt dread sinking into his bones. The power of the Deep rolled through him.
"We did not expect your return."
"I have finally been freed from my cage," the Collector said, "Now, I can return to the Flower Game."
"The touch of the Sky still seeps into the planet you dwell upon. Uproot it, then you may return to us."
"Of course, my Witness." The communication ended, leaving the Collector alone. He stood up, shuddering slightly. Snapping his fingers, he summoned Royal's glaive. With a flick of his wrist, he spun the weapon around as he thought.
Suddenly, he got an idea. He dragged Royal's corpse to himself. With another snap, a crescent moon symbol slammed into his exposed metallic forehead. The symbol burned, seared by his Light. The Collector frowned a little, disappointed but not surprised. More pink threads descended from the abyss. They lashed around his wrists and ankles once more. The Guardian's corpse rose at the Collector's call. He waved his hand slightly, with the Guardian moving in unison. A proud warrior of the Light, now nothing more than a puppet. The Collector summoned a new weapon from the pyramid. It was forged of twisted black stone, with two long, flat blades, curved into a crescent at the top and bottom edge. The corpse-puppet grabbed the weapon and stood at attention. The Collector grinned.
"Like a little toy soldier."
"Wake up."
Royal's optics powered on. He was lying in a field of flowers, his wounds having faded. Slowly, he sat up. The Nightmare of the Outcast floated before him, looking at him with an unimpressed expression.
"Now that," he began mockingly, "That was truly something pathetic. What was it you said? 'I will be greater than you.' Please, you'll always be in my shadow."
"Where am I?" Royal questioned, struggling to stand up. He felt weak, struggling to bear his own weight.
"Don't you remember what happened?" Outcast derided, "It's exactly as I said. You're a failure. The Vex are free to ravage the Isles. The Collector slapped you around like you were an insect. All your friends are dead."
"No, you're lying," Royal denied, starting to panic.
"Doesn't matter if you believe me or not," Outcast shrugged, "All that matters is that you're dead, stuck in here with me."
"Then what happens next?" Royal asked. Outcast grinned, his crimson form glowing with Dark power.
"This." He struck Royal in the face, causing the Warlock to fall to the ground. He clutched his face in shock, surprised that the Nightmare was able to touch him. The Outcast set his feet on the ground and slowly marched closer to Royal, cracking his mechanical knuckles with each step.
"Oh I've been waiting so long to do that," he said, relishing the moment, "At first, I thought that I had no need for a lesser copy of myself. But now, I've realized something." He grabbed Royal by the neck and lifted him up.
"I have decade's worth of personal issues to work through. Why should I take it out on myself, when I could take it out on you?"
Paladin crested the top of a hill, sweeping his gaze across the horizon. The Isles were barren, devoid of life. The survivors of the Day of Unity followed him from behind, a dirty, panicked crowd. They had only encountered a few scattered Vex which had fortunately been dispatched without issue. Synegorus must've been withholding its forces, aware of something that he didn't know. Darius approached from behind as Paladin pulled out his map.
"Scholar's instructions say that we need to go here," he said, gesturing to a spot in the Boiling Seas.
"There are no land masses out there," Darius noticed, "Are you sure you received the right coordinates?"
"Lancer is many things, but he knows when to focus on the job," the Striker answered, "We should move for the docks and find what ships we can." Darius nodded and turned back to his fellow Coven heads. As he did, a loud boom could be heard from the auditorium. All eyes turned as a colossal charcoal pyramid appeared in the sky. A wave of dread washed over the crowd.
Paladin shook his head as he felt the Darkness wash over him. Voices began to whisper in his mind as dozens of shadowy, crimson figures appeared around him.
"You failed us."
"Duty, forsaken."
"The city has fallen."
"And you call yourself a Titan."
Paladin smacked the side of his helmet, clearing his mind of the whispers. All around him, others seemed to be suffering from a similar fate.
"We need to keep moving," he called, "We're heading to the docks. Everyone, follow me." As he said that, Derwin pushed through the crowd. He gestured to the Titan.
"Paladin! Venator saw something coming!" The Titan instantly set off, rushing over to his Sister. She was bringing up the rear of the crowd, watching the sky with her sniper rifle. Lilith, Steve, and the other BATTs stood near her.
"What is it?" He asked, "More Vex?"
"No," she said slowly, "They don't look like any Vex I know. They look like… are those stars?" Lilith leaned forward, squinting to get a better look. Suddenly, a crescent moon slammed into her forehead, causing a wave of magic to roll over her body.
The reaction was instant. Her body transformed into one made of wood. Her joints became locked and her features faded. Symbols of stars appeared on her clothes and face. The puppet Lilith dropped limply to the ground.
"LULU!" Hooty shrieked, still resting on her back. Another moon hit him, subjecting him to a similar transformation. Everyone else watched, slack-jawed and wide-eyed as the puppets vanished.
"We all saw that, right?" Venator asked.
"Really wish I didn't," Katya replied in horrified disbelief. Paladin looked up, watching as a swarm of stars flew overhead.
"Run!" He shouted, pulling out his rocket launcher. The crowd began to run, pushing over each other in their hurry. Paladin fired a volley of rockets into the approaching stars. Dozens of them exploded, only for more to flood past. Venator lept into the air, grabbing hold of one and riding atop it. She fired her revolver into the Dark creatures. Yet it still wasn't enough.
Dozens of Witches and Demons were struck by the crescent symbols, transforming into yet more puppets and being whisked away to a place unknown. Darius tried to lead the rest of the civilians away while Steve directed the remaining Coven scouts. Using their spells, they tried to shoot the star creatures out of the sky. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough. Even the Coven heads weren't spared, with Mason, Terra, Orslan, and Raine being snatched away.
Darius transformed into his Abomination form, slicing through the strange creatures with his scythes. As he did, he heard a cry from behind him. He turned just in time to see Eberwolf get struck by one of the stars. Darius cried out as his friend was stolen away. In his panic, he failed to notice another star approaching him from behind. Before it could strike, Venator jumped onto its back, firing several tainted slugs into it. Entropic power consumed Darius's would-be assailant as the Hunter landed beside him.
"Come on! We need to keep moving!"
"Mija?"
Luz offered an awkward smile, holding her arms to the side. After everything she had done, this wasn't how she expected to end up back home. To be honest, she had always pictured Eda, Royal, and King beside her. This was something she wasn't prepared for.
Luz subconsciously tensed up slightly, waiting for her mother to scold her. Instead, she felt a pair of arms wrap around her back. Camilla didn't speak, tears of relief streaming down her face. Luz joined in, the weight of the last few days finally falling off.
Eventually, the moment had to end. Camilla gestured for the five to join herself and Vee inside where they would be out of the rain. Soon, they were all resting in the living room, bandages carefully placed over their scrapes and wounds. Camilla sat on the couch, holding a drink as she thought.
"So these… Trappers turned out to be servants of a god called the Great Huntsman, who is actually a powerful minion of… the Darkness?" She cautiously prodded, "And King is a Titan, who they intended to sacrifice to awaken their god?"
"Yeah," Luz confirmed, looking sullen, "Royal didn't want to talk about the pyramid much. It really shook him up. Then we got back to the Isles and regrouped with Eda and Lilith. Turns out, Paladin and Venator were alternate timeline versions of Royal who had somehow forced their way into the Demon Realm."
"I'm sorry, slow down," Camilla said, holding up a hand, "I can buy the… what did you call those time-traveling robots?"
"The Vex," Amity provided.
"Yeah, those. And I can accept that this Royal character has magic powers."
"The Light isn't magic," Willow spoke up, "He put great emphasis on that."
"But alternate timelines?" Camilla questioned. She set her drink down and rubbed her face. Luz pulled out her phone and scrolled through her photos. After finding the one she was looking for, she held it out to her mother. Camilla accepted it and looked at the photo. It depicted the three Royals chatting amongst themselves before the Day of Unity. Their helmets were resting off to the side, revealing their near-identical faces.
"Royal described the Vex Domain as the place where timelines meet," Luz said, "They're different, but the same."
"Men of metal," Camilla muttered, "A traveler from beyond the stars. A great collapse and alien raiders." She slumped back in her chair, still unsure of how she felt about Luz's interdimensional found family.
"This is all just so much to take in," she said weakly, "Please, what happened next?"
"Well, after Royal met up with his Brother and Sister, they tried to kill the Emperor," Luz continued, "Unfortunately, it didn't work. Then, the Day of Unity arrived. We fought Belos and were losing. Then…" Her voice got caught in her throat as she began to choke up. Amity placed a comforting hand on her back.
"King released the Collector and he stopped Belos," she managed to say, "The last thing I saw was King being taken away by the Collector. Then, we were here."
"You've all gone through so much," Camilla said, trying to offer a comforting smile, "You've all been so brave."
"We have to get back," Hunter declared, "No matter what it takes."
"And you will," Camilla comforted, "But for now, you need to rest. You're all safe here."
The Collector watched as his newest puppets clattered to the ground. He snapped his fingers and the corpse of Royal marched over.
"Take them to the archive."
The dead Guardian didn't respond, simply obeying. It began to gather the lifeless puppets, carrying them further into the depths of the pyramid. King took that moment to return, approaching the Collector from behind.
"Hey, uhh, buddy," he greeted, "What's all this?"
"I found our playmates," the Collector responded cheerfully. He gestured to the puppets.
"Oh… wow," King managed to say, before noticing Lilith in the pile.
"Do you think you could… un-puppet her?" He asked.
"Why would I do that?" The Collector asked, sounding genuinely confused.
"Well, we can't play Owl House without the Owl Lady," King explained, "And she's kinda stuck as an Owl Beast. We need to brew some elixir, but I don't know how."
"Oh, I could just do it myself."
"No!" King shouted in panic, quickly correcting his tone, "Uhh, the Owl Beast really doesn't like you. I think your presence makes the curse worse." The Collector grumbled but acquiesced. With another snap of his fingers, Lilith was freed from her puppet state. The Witch gasped, drawing in a deep breath of air. She shot up, looking around in panic.
"King? Where are we? What happened?" She looked up, seeing the Collector leering down at her. Letting out a panicked cry, she crawled back.
"Lilith, it's ok," King calmed, "This is-"
"I'm King's best friend," the Collector declared. Lilith offered him a confused glance.
"Just, come with me, I'll explain on the way," King said.
"Be sure to hurry back," the Collector said, "I got something I wanna show you."
The Guardians had been fighting for hours. The star-like creatures had been wearing them down the entire time. They would attack in waves, striking and fading over and over again. Their numbers had been whittled down slowly and steadily. The only relief they had was that they were almost at the docks.
"Just a little further," Venator called out, trying to encourage the civilians onward. They were currently in a lull, waiting for their foe to return. They kept moving, relief washing over themselves as they realized they had made it.
"Now, we just need to find ourselves some ships," the Hunter muttered, looking around at the largely empty docks.
"Where are all the boats?" Vitimir questioned. The others began to look around worriedly, muttering amongst each other. Vitimir glared at Venator, crossing his arms.
"You've led us here to die!" He accused, "Guardians bring nothing but death wherever they go!"
"Last time I checked, we saved your sorry ass!" She shot back, "Now buck up and start looking for a ship. Maybe there's some put away in storage." Some of the others began to disperse as the Potions head continued to bicker with the Hunter.
"Even if we find a ship, there are hundreds of people that need to be transported! You've been leading us in circles without a plan!"
"I don't have to deal with this," Venator scoffed, "Either get down there and start looking or I will throw you into the Boiling Seas myself!" Several others looked at the Hunter nervously as Vitimir narrowed his eyes. Eventually, he turned and stalked off. Venator glanced around, noticing the Witches staring at her.
"Nothing to see here folks, back to it," she said. As they uneasily returned to their search, Katya jogged over to her.
"We found a ship," she reported, gesturing for the others to follow her. She led the Hunter and the other civilians over to a large building near the waterfront. A crustacean Demon stood in front of the door, fiddling with the lock.
"How do you know there's a ship in here?" Paladin questioned, standing behind the Demon. He clicked his teeth in a show of irritation.
"Because it be mine," Salty answered, "I locked it up before the Day of Unity. Just had one of ye Guardians as crew, ye seem capable. Now if only I could remember where I put me keys."
"We don't have time for this," Paladin said, seizing the massive doors and tearing them off their hinges. Inside was a massive boat, suspended over the ground on a set of rails that lead into the water.
"We'll need to lower the winch," Salty said. Venator ran around to the other side of the boat, inspecting the chain that had dragged it out of the water. She pulled out her knives and, with a single swift swipe, cut through the metal chains. Paladin grabbed onto the bit still connected to the boat as it slid down into the water. Slowing its descent, he held it in position for people to board.
"Aye," Salty nodded, "That'll do."
"Always carry a second knife," Venator quipped, spinning the blades around her fingers before sliding them back into place, "Just in case the first one doesn't get the message across."
The civilians began to board as quickly as they could. It would be cramped, but they would manage. Everyone who had Palismen took off, flying alongside the ship. Salty and Paladin raced to the bridge.
"Head to these coordinates," Paladin said, scribbling them down on a slip of paper.
"But there be nothing out there?"
"Just trust me," Paladin ordered, "Is there anything else you need to get the ship going?"
"The engine be needing fuel, don't suppose ye can do anything about that?"
"You got it. Just get us moving." Paladin raced down to the engine, sparking up his Solar power. Using his Light as fuel, he started the engine. The ship began to move and not a moment too soon, as some of the airborne Witches reported that the stars had returned. With Paladin busy fuelling the engine, that left Venator alone to fend them off.
"Does this vessel have any countermeasures?" She shouted up to Salty.
"If they shoot us, we can counter by sinking!" Salty shouted back. Venator nodded, grimacing slightly under her helmet.
"I'm sick of being the underdog," she groaned to herself, stepping atop the railing on the edge of the ship, "Underdogs suck!" With a light-powered leap, she jumped into the air right as the stars drew close. She plunged her knives into the first of the strange creatures, using them to drag it around. Forcibly steering the flying creature through the air, she summoned her Golden Gun and opened fire. With each shot, numerous stars exploded.
Her current vehicle bucked wildly, trying to throw her off. It spun, finally tearing the Hunter off. She managed to leap toward the ship. Grabbing hold of the railing. The star was about to attack her before a spell blasted it out of the air. Katya leaned over, grabbing her arm.
"C'mon," she said, pulling the Hunter back up, "You're not slipping away that easily." Venator grinned and pulled herself back on board.
"Thanks for the save," she said before the two were forced to duck under a blast from another star.
"You can thank us by buying the next round of drinks," Amber joined in, shooting their assailant out of the air with a quick spell.
"Please, we get through this and I'll buy you the whole damn bar."
Synegorus observed the Isles from its place within the Vex Domain. Its optics glowed brightly as it pondered. Everything that the Vex had been working towards had been completely uprooted. One Guardian was negligible, three were a nuisance. However, this new Dark entity posed a great threat, one that the Paradoxical Mind could not account for.
Ignosi remained on the island, maintaining the machine and running numberless calculations at once. Legions of Vex were on standby, awaiting orders from their overlord. Much to Synegorus's frustration, it could not tell where Pyrikaga or Sarkarae had been taken.
Truth be told, the Mind could choose to manifest itself on the Isles now and sort the situation out itself. However, there were too many unknown variables. This Dark entity possessed an unquantified power. Synegorus needed to gather more information before it could make its move.
-]Theoretical: The situation has developed not necessarily to our advantage[-
-]Practical: This unit must exercise patience[-
Alador grunted in pain as he pushed himself onward. One of his ribs was definitely broken, he could feel it. The shattered bone ground against itself with every step. Yet, he didn't let that distract him. Instead, he used the pain as fuel to push himself onward.
He descended the steps to the Skull. As soon as he was able to stand, he had dragged himself up there to find his daughter. Instead, he was met with an empty cavern that looked like a ghoulnado had torn through it. Now, he working his way back to the auditorium from the Day of Unity.
He entered the arena, looking around at the empty space. A large, obsidian pyramid hung overhead, dominating the horizon. His gaze lingered on the bloody corpses the Vex had left behind. Letting out a sigh, he kept walking, looking for anyone who was still alive. As he moved on, he passed a few smoldering Witches, their bodies still on fire.
Aladors foot kicked a loose chunk of stone, causing him to grunt slightly in pain. Looking down at the offending stone, he saw that it wasn't a stone at all. Rather, it was a familiar amethyst-colored helmet. The armor had been twisted by battle damage. Alador turned it over, inspecting the technology.
A bright glint caught his eye as the flames reflected off something nestled in a pile of rubble. Alador slowly limped over, holding the helmet loosely. He brushed away some of the stones, revealing a small, dormant creature. If he had to compare it to something, he would've said that it looked like a strange Palisman. Delicately, he lifted it, inspecting the machine. As he rustled it, its light began to power on. It glowed blue as the Ghost came to life.
"Don't you dare throw me!" He shouted, startling Alador. The Ghost paused, looking around in confusion.
"Royal? Where are you?" He asked. Alador coughed into his hand, then winced as the action upset his broken rib. The Ghost spun to face him.
"Wait, you? What's going on here?"
"I was hoping you could tell me," Alador grunted, "Who are you?"
"I'm Lancer," he said hesitantly, "Partners with Royal-6."
"Fascinating." Alador pulled down his goggles as he inspected the Ghost.
"The last thing I remember is the Vex attacking," the Ghost explained, ignoring the Witch, "Then the Collector appeared out of nowhere. And Royal…" His voice trailed off as he remembered what had happened.
"Royal, you idiot!" He snapped, "What were you thinking?" Alador looked up, watching a swarm of strange star creatures flying toward the pyramid.
"We can worry about that later," Alador quickly said, "We need to get out of here!" He tried to walk off, only to be slowed by his wounds.
"Woah, easy there pal," Lancer chastised, "You're not gonna be doing yourself any favors if you keep aggravating your wounds. I know where we need to go, but it'll take a while to get there. Unfortunately, my locator is acting fuzzy. Thanks for that, Royal."
"Let's just get moving."
"So you're stringing the Collector along by convincing him to play your own game," Lilith recounted as she followed King.
"Yeah, as long as we're friends, I should be able to curb his worst excesses."
"Where are the others?"
"Luz is back in the Human realm," King listed, "Eda isn't far from here, locked in a cell. As for Royal… he got killed by the Collector and dragged away. I haven't seen him since."
"And what about-" Lilith cut herself off by letting out a fearful scream as they rounded the corner to the cell room. Sarkarae leered down at her, slowly dragging its blades against the barrier keeping it out.
"Just try to ignore them," King suggested, "I don't think they can hurt us."
"They?" Lilith turned, seeing Pyrikaga staring at her. Lilith quickly looked away, trying to ignore the Sub-Minds.
"To think, the Collector can keep such powerful beings in cages," she muttered, "It would be fascinating if I wasn't so terrified."
"Eda's right in here," King said as they reached the end of the hall, "Just be careful, she gone full Owl Beast." The two slipped through the bars where Eda lay on the ground, still fast asleep.
"She should still have a little elixir left," Lilith said, "Tucked away in here." She reached into her sister's impressive mane of hair and fished around for a few seconds. Eventually, she found what she was looking for. She pulled her arm back out, drawing the last bit of elixir Eda had with her.
"Not as much as I hoped," she grimaced, swirling the last few drops of elixir around, "But it'll just have to do." She pried Eda's mouth open and poured the elixir in. The Owl Beast's eyes snapped open and she gagged on the potion.
"Oh Titan, what was in that?" Eda asked, coughing as she did. She remained in her Owl Beast state but at least she was in her right mind.
"Edalyn!" Lilith cried, hugging her sister. King was quick to join in.
"What's going on?" Eda questioned, "Where are we?"
"We're in the Collectors pyramid," King explained for the second time, "Before you ask, Luz is back in the Human realm and I don't know where Royal is."
"We'll need more elixir if we want to get you back to normal," Lilith noted, "A shame we don't have any if the ingredients."
"We'll find a way to get more later," Eda said, "I'm just glad you two are safe."
Down the hall, the two Sub-Minds were listening in, since they had nothing else to do with their time. Sarkarae growled, slamming its fists against its confines once again.
"Planet spawns are… disgusting."
Venator crouched atop the crow's nest, watching the horizon for any signs of aggression. To her relief, the skies were empty, save for a few Witches still riding their Palismen. She turned around, looking through the thick fog. Salty steered the ship carefully, moving with caution. Suddenly, Venator caught something out of the corner of her eye.
"Land!" She shouted, "Land directly ahead!" Witches began to crowd the railings at the bow of the ship, trying to pierce through the fog. Soon, a cry went up from the civilians as the island drew into view.
"Finally," Venator slumped against the mast, "This ordeal is almost over. Then we can get out of here."
"Oh that is just like you, isn't it?"
Venator's gaze snapped up. A crimson figure sat on the edge of the crow's nest, staring at Venator with contempt. She was another Exo, wearing a short-cut cloak with a hood drawn over her head. The Nightmare laughed at her, lounging on the railing.
"Show up uninvited, fall for some damsel, and then cut out once you've had your fun," she mocked, "You never change, do you Ro-Ro?"
"Don't call me that!" Venator snapped, "Only she gets to. And you are not her."
"Of course I'm not," the Nightmare agreed, "After all, she's dead." The Nightmare faded away, cackling as it did. Venator balled her hands into fists before her arms fell limp. She tugged off her helmet and rubbed her optics, forgetting that she lacked the ability to cry.
"Hey, Ven," Derwin said, flying up behind her, "We've reached Lancer's coordinates. The rest of the BATTs are gonna go check it out before we land any of the civilians."
"Yeah, I'll come with," the Hunter nodded, "Just give me a second." The Witch nodded and flew away. Venator slipped her helmet back on and dropped off the crow's nest. She double-jumped over the water and summoned her sparrow.
"Alright, let's go check this spooky island out," she called, putting on her usual mask of confidence. The rest of the BATTs fell in behind her as she took off. The waves nipped at the Hunter's heels, causing her to subconsciously wiggle in her seat. Amber cocked an eyebrow as she watched the Hunter from above.
"What's eating her up?" She asked. Derwin shrugged.
"It sounded like she was talking to someone when I got up there," he began, "Only caught the tail end, but it seemed pretty personal."
"Whatever it is, it's not our place to pry," Katya said, "If she wants to tell, she will."
The four arrived at the island and set foot on the sands. The three Witches held their staves ready while Venator pulled out her hand cannon. She made a series of hand signals before moving up. Katya looked at Amber, with the two shrugging in confusion. Not understanding what the gestures meant, they followed the Hunter. Eventually, the group reached the edge of a thick forest.
They carefully moved through the trees, with Venator's hand cannon leaking black smoke. A wave of dread set over them, similar to that of the pyramid, only weaker. As they progressed deeper, the foliage became thicker and thicker. Venator pulled out one of her knives and began slicing away at the thick underbrush.
"Hey, there's something over here!" Amber shouted. Venator quickly cut her way over. The tree line ended, giving way to a small clearing. Venator pushed forward as the BATTs fell in line behind her. The four all looked up at the massive tower that stood before them. Venator holstered her knife as she gazed through the entryway. The ground was littered with rubble and shadows crept throughout the chamber, choking it in inky blackness.
"Let's get back to the ship and let them know it's safe to land. We can figure out whatever this is later."
There ya have it. If you thought I was just gonna be following the specials, then you got another thing coming. We'll be taking our time nice and slow. It's gonna be a hot minute before we get there. These buildup chapters aren't going to be the longest word-wise, but they'll be nice and dense. Uploads might be a little slow, my schedule looks to be a bit full for the coming weeks.
Also, just as an aside, some personal stuff has kinda come up. Let's just say that I've been doing some thinking on my current life trajectory and I realized that I've been spinning in place for the last few years. To spare you all the personal details, I'll just say that I have been considering joining the military. Nothing is set in stone yet but such a choice would drastically cut into my ability to write, so I figured that you all deserved to know.
Socialism: Why use many words when few word work?
Thatnewguy11: Define "alright"?
Guest: Well thank you my good chap.
Jebest4781: Shows up, individually reviews every single chapter, refuses to elaborate. Someone play the gigachad music.
OMAC001: Thanks. And I don't want to spoil that, so I'll be keeping my lips sealed.
GodzillaMaster: I'm not done with Odalia just yet, so look out. And I get what you mean with the Vex. I'm trying something a little different. May have gone too far in some places but hey, it is what it is.
"You know, Mija, you mentioned a body-swapping adventure," Camilla began, "What was that like?" Luz looked up from her portal research, tapping her chin as she recalled the memory.
"Oh, it was… really something," she said awkwardly, "Eda swapped us all around. Royal went into her body, Eda was in King's body, and he was in mine."
"So I take it you ended up in Royal's body then?"
"Yeah…"
"What was it like, being a wielder of the… what was it again? The Light?" Camilla asked. Luz drummed her fingers nervously on the table before taking a deep breath. She wasn't going to keep any more secrets.
"I died."
Her mother froze and Luz quickly elaborated.
"I'm fine, obviously. Just got a bit carried away and dropped a big tree on myself. Also, there's no afterlife." Camilla just stared at her daughter through hollow eyes.
"I think you need to go to bed," she said, "Just… give me your phone. I'll let your videos do the teaching from now on." Luz nodded and handed over her phone before slipping away.
"To think, she actually died?" Camilla muttered, opening the photos, "Let's learn more about this 'Guardian immortality'." She opened a folder of photos and videos Luz had taken of Royal. She had once for each of her friends, with King's being the largest for some reason. She began scrolling through the folder until something caught her eye. The photo was titled 'Royal's super secret Human disguise'.
"What's this?" She opened the picture and her eyes instantly widened as she caught sight of what the Warlock's less metallic visage looked like. Her eyes darted around the room before looking back at the photo.
"Ok, maybe he isn't so bad."
