"This is the Young Wolf! We need immediate backup! Hive forces have engaged us! I repeat, we need backup! Does anyone read me?!"
"Io open the fucking door! We can't hold them!"
"I'm trying, Magnus! Come on open, you son of a– Nyx behind you!"
"Oh shit… gah… get off me, you ugly mother–"
"Nyx..! NYX! Stay with me!"
"...dian… olf… Wolf… ke up… Guardian… GUARDIAN WAKE UP!"
"AHH!" A man in armour jolts up from the rude awakening but soon winces in immense pain. Smoke fills his lungs, and flashing lights and electrical sparks sputter around him. He hastily undoes the harness, keeping him restrained in his seat. Looking around in a daze, he sees a bright light almost blinding him and realizes what it is. "G-Ghost…?" The Guardian, the Young Wolf, calls out to his partner but hears only silence. Exiting the cockpit, sharp pains fill his entire body as he attempts to move. "Ghost… where are you…?"
Wolf struggles to stand as he crawls out of the wreckage of his ship, his head spinning and pounding in pain. The world spins around him, causing a feeling of nausea, and soon, blood and the remaining contents of his stomach are forcibly expelled from his body before collapsing onto the burnt grass.
"I… I'm h-here… Guardian…" A damaged mechanical voice calls out from the wreckage, grunting in pain underneath some metal debris. Wolf crawls towards the source of the voice, trying to overcome his nausea, and removes the debris, freeing his companion.
Ghost rises from the wreckage a few moments later, his perfectly good shell now damaged from the crash; while he'd be repaired later, the needs of his Guardian matter most. His damaged shell expands and shines brightly amongst the darkness of a forest they now find themselves in; the light pulses and mends Wolf's injuries from minuscule to fatal ones. Wolf's strength returns to him slowly as the world around him begins to come into focus and begins to stand. Looking around, Wolf notices his small companion's state and catches Ghost before he falls to the ground, holding him in his armoured hands.
"G-ghost… are you alright…?" Wolf asks worriedly as he inspects the damage to his friend's shell, slowly mending the damage done with the soothing light of solar energy.
"Ugh… I-I'm fine, Guardian… what about you?" Ghost replies as his damaged voice begins to heal.
"I'm alright… I wasn't expecting the Sol Divisive to activate that Vex gate. Those Hive got me exactly where they wanted me." Wolf reflects on what happened before the crash; members of Xivu Arath's forces ambushed him multiple times on missions, proclaiming vengeance for the humiliation against their God of War. The group of Hive were all-powerful, empowered by an Ascendant Hive Wizard amongst their ranks, possibly a Deathsinger. Whenever Wolf was out on missions or just patrolling, this same group of Hive frequently ambushed him. But even their numerous strength did nothing to stop Wolf from slaughtering every last one of them. "They really wanted me gone after what Eris pulled when she became a Hive God, and let's not forget that Crow is on his way to light the path for us into the portal."
"Well, we did help her banish Xivu Arath from her own Throne World, so that's a bit of an understatement. As for Crow, well, considering that Xivu Arath did have some sway over the Taken, I'd say her horde's attempt to stop us didn't exactly work." Ghost remarks as he starts floating injury-free around his Guardian, inspecting him for other injuries. "But other than that, you look awful! Your armour's practically destroyed! You're covered in a mixture of Hive chitin, your own blood and mud! If anyone were to see you, they'd probably freak out, call you a monster and run away from you!" Ghost begins to vent as he inspects his Guardian's state of attire. "Not only that! What were you thinking?! We could have just run away and called for backup! Eris! Saladin! Hell, even Shaxx! But noooooo! You just had to kill all those Hive on your own! AGAIN!"
Wolf grunts in frustration as his Ghost reprimands him about his recent actions. "Well, what did you want me to do, Ghost?! Risk more lives?! The first time this happened, if you haven't forgotten, that Hive Knight almost killed Nyx! Io-7 was trying to open that damned door and almost got eaten by those Thrall! And don't get me started on Magnus because we both know that hothead is too dangerous for his own good!" Wolf takes a breath before continuing, "They were after us. They didn't care about Nyx, Io or hell even Magnus! They were after us! US! Eris barely got us out of there in time."
"And Eris warned us to stay at the Tower! FOR OUR SAFETY!" Ghost counters, recalling Eris's warning about small groups from Xivu Arath's forces gunning for them and advising them to stay at the Tower to recover. "Ha… Guardian, what happened to them wasn't your fault. We didn't expect those Hive to even be on Neomuna."
Wolf remains silent for a while, observing the flames of his ship as embers dissipate on his fractured armour. "There was so much fire… it was chaos…" memories flood his mind, walls of a medical bay surround him, figures consisting of doctors and other Guardians working tirelessly to treat them of their injuries. He looks around frantically to find her still and quiet on that bed. "I-… I know… but they got hurt because of me, Ghost. Nyx is in critical condition because of me... I-I'm not sure if she'll wake up… I… I just…"
"You were angry. I know." Ghost comforts his Guardian, floating closer to him, removing his helmet to let his Guardian's hair drop. His facial features reveal an 18-19-year-old face, dishevelled black hair, bright blue eyes gazing into the fire burning in the night, and a fair face with no damage or scars from his numerous battles. Yet the bags under his eyes tell a different story. "She was there for us after we first arrived at the Tower, showing us the ropes and helping us in training and on missions. She means a lot to you… even after Cayde died." Ghost's shell drops low, but he straightens himself up and floats directly in front of his guardian eye to eye. "But that doesn't mean she'll stay down forever, Wolf. She may be a Hunter, but she's a fighter! Always has and always will be! She'll make it; Star and Eris will make sure of it. I just know it."
Remnants of tears form in Wolf's eyes before wiping them away with his hand. Nyx's Ghost, Starlight, was always hopeful; she assured Wolf that Nyx would survive, even if Star had to expend all the light she had to heal her. "You're right." Wolf takes a breath before chuckling lightly, reminding himself of how Nyx always teased him while doing things elegantly and gracefully. Wolf wonders if the cool and sassy Awoken always did things that way; even the jokes, pranks and tricks she pulled held a special kind of elegant flair. That was the kind of Hunter Nyx Cahn was, a professional with a playful side. "Besides, she would probably have Ash-8 lecture me about being a stereotypical Titan again if she found out what I did."
"To be fair, Ash did lecture you after you took down the second group of Hive that came after you in the Cosmodrome." Ghost chuckles a bit; the old Exo Warlock had much to say to Wolf even when he was starting out.
Ash-8 was a wise and old warlock of the Dark Ages. He was a Warlord but one of the few who genuinely cared for the settlers under his watch. Worked tirelessly every single day alongside other Risen during the Dark Ages to ensure that they were protected from various dangers that plagued them during those dark times before eventually joining up with Lord Saladin's Iron Lords. Ash's first piece of advice to Wolf was always to be prepared, regardless of the situation. Observe the surroundings, entrances, exits, corners and angles for shots, etc., instead of blindly rushing headfirst into danger, as any other Titan would. The old Exo reminded Wolf of that first lesson after Wolf hunted down and ripped the head off of the Knight, who put Nyx in critical condition.
Ash's Ghost, Hannibal, taught Wolf that knowledge is important even on the battlefield: know your enemies' tactics and their weapons and rise above them with your own. Outsmart even the smartest of foes on the battlefield. That advice paid off very well when the third group of Hive showed up on Titan, even against his fight against Savathun.
Wolf had begun to see a pattern in their attacks and their forces: a few wizards, three at most, 5 knights, while the rest of the forces consisted of Thrall and Acolytes. They were strangely organized. It was as if they had a plan, but their attempts failed when Wolf slaughtered them all. It wasn't until Eris informed him that these Hive were following the orders of a Deathsinger, which was hunting them. Thankfully, Wolf managed to kill it but was so tired that he didn't realise that it was a trap, only until his ship got caught in a Vex trap set by a surprise ambush by the Sol Divisive Vex and sent him through the Gate and ending up who knows where.
"Could we be in a simulation?" Wolf asks as he observes his surroundings, a dark forest in the middle of nowhere. "It seems like we are on Earth. I highly doubt the Vex would send us back to Earth, they aren't that stupid."
"Hmm, I don't think this is a simulation." Ghost floats over to scan some rocks and leaves nearby the wreckage of their ship. "These rocks and leaves have an identical composition to those back on Earth; I don't detect anything on the scanners to determine we are in a simulation. Besides, something about this place is different. It feels alive."
Wolf kneels on the ground and grabs a handful of dirt. It feels natural. He even feels the cold breeze of the wind on his exposed skin. "Yeah, it feels like we are on Earth, but something is off. The air is... different... pure even. Where are we?"
"I'm not sure," Ghost sends out a burst of pulsing light, which flows over their surroundings. "Hmm, that's strange."
"What is?" Wolf asks.
"I can feel some paracausality around us, but it's different. It seems to be somewhat similar to Light and Dark, but it's I'm not sure how to describe it." Ghost's shell twists in confusion. "It feels 'off' compared to what we are used to."
"Hmm, we'll deal with this later, can you try and contact the Vanguard? We may need some help." Wolf requests his trusty companion; something about their surroundings feels off. He can't tell what it is, but something feels wrong. So very wrong. He can feel it.
"Alright. Commander Zavala, Ikora? Does anyone read me? This is Ghost." There is no answer, just static, accompanied by a tense silence. "Let me try a different channel. Hello? Osiris? Saladin? Does anyone read me?" No response. "Hang on, let's try this... does anyone..." Ghost stops speaking momentarily before his voice intensifies, his shell's components twisting rapidly. "Oh no... no... no, no, no, no..."
"Ghost? What is it?" Wolf becomes worried; he can feel his heart racing and his mind aches due to the building stress he's been under the last few weeks. He wants to remain calm, but he can't shake the feeling that something is wrong. He wants to deny it. "Please tell me help is on the way.
"I... I... there aren't satellites... I can't connect to any Vanguard servers! I've tried every known channel. But... there are no Vanguard channels!" Ghost reveals fear consuming him. Wolf's eyes widen, and he remains silent as he contemplates this new development. He can feel his heart beat faster; he can feel his mind ache in pain.
"We repaired the satellites after the Red War ended... how can there be no satellites?!" Wolf angrily asks. He remembers the Vanguard and Consensus assigning a group of technicians tasked with repairing the satellites the Cabal sabotaged after the City was retaken. "Try again, scan every channel!"
"I've checked multiple times; I'm getting no signal! I..." Ghost becomes silent before turning around to face his Guardian. His singular blue eye widens in horror. "I-I... I can't sense the Traveler."
"What?" Wolf's face paled in horror.
"I-I'm serious! I can't sense the Traveler!" Ghost repeats once more. "T-The Vex must have sent us somewhere. An alternate timeline, dimension?! I... I don't know... we'd have to find a terminal to confirm this, but I- by the Traveler..." Ghost becomes speechless, his gaze pointing towards the night sky, horrified at the sight before him.
"Ghost? What is it?" Wolf feels rage, fear, stress and confusion coursing through his body. The feeling at the back of his mind is clawing out, wanting to be released.
"Look up."
The Guardian looks up and is speechless at the sight before him: a fractured and broken moon eerily similar to the moon orbiting Earth, looming silently above them. Wolf takes a step back as he assesses the situation. The Hive lured him to that Vex gate, allowing the Sol Divisive Vex to send him and his Ghost into an unknown reality after the Hive's failed assassination attempts on his life. He tries to remain calm; panic does nothing, but he feels himself hyperventilating, his face becoming sweaty, his hands shaking. He's been pulled into different dimensions before, and this would be no different. However, not this time. He feels rage building inside him, his blood boiling, and all the stress from the last few weeks finally being unleashed.
The Young Wolf roars into the darkness, and the Darkness roars back.
Hello and welcome to "RWBY: The Wolf of Avalon and the Curse of the Dark Crown". I am your humble author and new fanfiction writer, Simba791, and I shall be your guide on this new journey. This is my first story I've published, and I'm nervous, and excited at the same time. I hope you'll join me on this journey as we follow the Young Wolf and his Ghost as they traverse the world of Remnant in their attempts to find their way back home, meeting allies and making enemies. All while running and gunning, doing what a Guardian can and trying not to get an Edge Transit drop lol.
So I've updated the chapter per the suggestion of a reviewer, CheesusChrist15, as he identified a few things i needed to change. I thank you oh mighty lord of cheese lol. So I've changed some stuff around to the best of my ability, but if it doesn't seem right to anyone of you, please let me know and I'll try my best to work on it.
So once again, thanks for reading, expect the next chapter soon as I'll try to finish it off to the best of my ability and get into some action.
Per Audacia Ad Astra, I'll see you starside!