Alright, lads, Act 2 is upon us. I am feeling... mostly just kinda alright about it going in. It'll probably be fine, but we'll see. So far, post TFS has not given me much in the way of ideas, though Revenant has given me more to work with than Echoes. On with the chapter.
If you enjoy it, feel free to leave a review saying what you liked. If you hate it, feel free to leave a review doing to me what D-16 did to Sentinel Prime.
Chapter 31: Into the Depths
"Hey, hey, I'd be right there with you. It's just… you know, back pains." - Fynch
Luz was starting to get sick of caves. It seemed like Savathûn had stuck everything important into some bottomless pit buried underneath thousands of tons of rock and legions of Scorn. They were all the same, too: same dim lighting, same damp air, same feeling of cold oppression. It made for a nice dichotomy within the Throne World; Savathûn's palaces and temples were grand and shining, masking the disgusting mire of her mind. Luz might have appreciated it if she was in any mood for poetic symbolism.
At least this cave was familiar. Luz navigated it quickly enough, ducking through tunnels and easily avoiding misdirection. She let her vision guide her motion, following the currents of Darkness that flowed through the underground network of Savathûn's realm. At least she could listen to Royal and Amity's conversation to keep her brain percolating.
"I don't know how I did it," Amity said, looking over her hands. "I just tried to summon a shield, and I could feel my magic swirling into being. I didn't even call upon it." Royal set a hand on his chin as he thought. He had contemplated Alak-Hul's sentiments the entire journey, trying to glean ulterior motives from them. Despite his efforts, he could find none. It appeared that the Knights' act had been genuine. But in Savathǔns realm, appearances were deceiving more often than not.
"The Light is not something that one can force," Royal said. "It can only be bestowed, not seized. It is a partnership. Or at least, it is supposed to be. I suspect your magic interferes with this, as it is another way of directly imposing your will upon the Universe. Seeing as the Light is a fundamental aspect of reality, it overpowers your meager biology."
Amity was clearly unimpressed by his jab at her paltry bile sac, as shown by the deadpan stare she fixed him with. "How long did you meditate to reach this profound conclusion?"
Royal shrugged. "I've been pondering it since the first Witch-Guardians were raised. Any weapon we can wield against the Darkness is one we must seize."
"Then what should I do?" Amity questioned. "How can I use my magic if I can't actually use my magic?"
Royal fell silent for a moment as he thought. He looked at his hand, cycling between the three elements. After a brief pause, he spoke. "I will not pretend to understand, but I think you need to relearn how to wield magic to use the two in tandem. Tackle it from a different angle, so to say."
"Relearn? Is that all you've got for me?"
"I wish I could offer more, but it is not my area of expertise." The two fell silent for a while, following Luz as she continued her march. They were getting deeper, passing familiar obstructions and pathways. They were close; she could feel it in the spot where her skull met her spine.
"Alak-Hul mentioned something else, didn't he?" Royal asked. "A relic of Savathûn's?"
"Something she took with her along with Lilith when she left the Isles. Something she used to study Isles magic," Amity confirmed. "Supposedly, it lies within Savathûn's most secure vaults."
"If reports from the Hidden and Fynch are to be believed, that will lie in the base of her palace, a place known as the Apothecary."
"Think it could be worth investigating?"
Royal grimaced. "It's hard to say. No matter how tempting they may be, we don't have time for distractions right now."
"But maybe this secret is exactly what I need."
"And what if it isn't? We cannot afford to waste time hunting specters. We don't even know if anything Alak-Hul said can be believed. How can you confirm he isn't acting on Savathûn's marching orders?"
Amity frowned but nodded; his words had truth to them. She had no reason to believe Alak-Hul. Who's to say it wasn't all some grand deception meant to lure them away from their quest to uncover Savathûn's plans? But at the same time, the thought nagged at her. She couldn't shake the feeling that whatever Alak-Hul had mentioned was important.
"Fynch also mentioned that Savathûn had something important," she said. "Something she stole centuries ago. It might shed light upon what happened to Lilith after she-"
Royal cut her off. "Don't go there."
"I thought you cared about her?" She accused. Royal rounded on Amity, fire leaking from his palms.
"I do! Traveler above, of course, I do!" He stepped closer to her, the flames on his body growing fiercer with every word. Venom dripped from his words, and hatred filled his optics. "I want Savathûn to burn for what she did to Lilith! For what she did to the Isles! I want to force her to watch her plans crumble around her before casting her worthless, rotting carcass into the sun!"
With his tirade now finished, Royal forced himself to quiet down. The last thing he wanted was to bring down a horde of Scorn on their heads. Amity had already stepped back, and Luz watched him with concern. He smothered a small flame on his shoulder before rotating on his heels and continuing down the cavern.
"I'm really wondering why he wanted to return to this place," Amity said. Luz raised an eyebrow as she looked at the Titan.
"Return to the Throne World?"
"No." Amity waved her hand to dispel the query. "Return to this time—this system. He was happy on the Isles. Here, it's just one violent breakdown after another."
"It's about loyalty," Luz replied. "Commitment. Duty."
"Or suicidal fanaticism," Amity muttered. "One of these days, he's going to break a part of himself that Lancer won't be able to fix."
"He's getting better." Those words felt like ash on Luz's tongue. Royal had made progress, but it seemed that for every step he took forward, he took a massive leap back. If it wasn't the Eliksni, it was the Cabal. If it wasn't the Cabal, it was the Hive. And the looming shadow of Outcast hung over everything like some mythical specter of vengeance.
Despite the platitudes forming between her lips, she had to admit that Amity was right. She worried for her teacher. Every step they took seemed to open wounds she did not even know he had. He was damaged, maybe beyond repair, scarred by what he had seen and traumatized by what he had experienced.
But she wouldn't be so quick to give up on him. He could be better; she knew it. Hell, she had seen it before, even if she may not quite recall it. He had learned to embrace the Isles and its people and become better for it. He just needed to learn how to move past the pain and grow from it.
"I'm not giving up on him," Luz asserted, conviction audible in every word. Amity raised an eyebrow before smiling and shaking her head.
"I wouldn't expect you to."
After a moment, they caught up with Royal and continued their trek beneath the surface. They entered the cavern housing the mirror. The Altar of Reflection awaited them. Luz could feel the tablet burning as they stepped closer. It hissed, desperate to be heard as it whispered its secrets in her ear.
Stepping through the portal, they emerged into the watery plane that stretched infinitely yet couldn't even reach their ankles. The altar awaited them, standing as a single island in an ocean of repressed thoughts. The spectral image of Savathûn still hung over the plane, seemingly disinterested in the Guardians. The exit portal awaited them, burning softly with latent Hive magics.
The tablet burned ever more fiercely as Luz approached the altar. It lashed out at her flesh as she withdrew the stone and set it in place. Her eyes glowed as she pierced the veil separating past from present. The tablet would hide nothing from her.
The waters around the altar began to move, splashing as it rushed into place. They spiraled into being, taking the shape of Savathûn, flanked by a coven of her closest lieutenants. Wizards and Witches, masters of the Hive lore, bowed before their god as Savathûn held the tablet overhead.
"I will never be the Taken Queen. I refuse to play second fiddle to my brother, Oryx. When Oryx carved the Tablets of Ruin, he described the ability to create the Taken. But Oryx's chisel was affected by viral power from the Deep."
The image changed, sculpting itself into a visage of Savathûn consulting the tablet in private. She was surrounded by curiosities from distant worlds, most of which Luz did not recognize. One struck her as intimately familiar: a circular mirror inlaid with stars, shattered into many glass daggers.
"I studied its vermicular path. I read between the lines. The tablets hide a riddle. The answer to this riddle is something far greater than the power to Take. It is the power of the Witness: to move worlds, not just across reality, but from one reality to another."
Once again, the waters fell away, and once again, it reshaped itself. Now, it beheld Savathûn sculpting her grand palace. She set the inverted dome into place, like a bowl meant to contain the stars.
"This is what I will do. I will not Take, for that is the principle of the Deep. I will give, as is the principle of the Sky. I will grant the Traveler a safe haven away from its enemies. And once it hangs in the sky above my Throne World… I will seal it away."
The waters crashed to the ground in a spray of mist, leaving the Guardians in stunned silence. Luz's mind was racing; could Savathûn actually do that? Trap the Traveler within her Throne World? Such a thing would deprive Humanity of the Light. And without the Light, they would be vulnerable. Helpless. Doomed.
"She can't do that, can she?" Amity asked. Royal's grip on his rifle grew slack as he shook his head.
"No, the Traveler wouldn't comply. It would resist and overpower her." He didn't sound very confident, trying to convince himself rather than offer reassurance. His rifle clattered to the waters with a soft splash before fading into transmat. "We need to tell Ikora; she'll know what to do."
"Then we need to move," Luz said. "There's no time to be lost." Royal nodded, and the three took off through the exit portal. The world flashed and faded. After a second, they were in the Quagmire once more. Royal's feet had barely hit the ground before he was thumbing his radio.
"Ikora, can you hear me? Come in!"
The radio scratched to life. "I can; what have you discovered?"
"We've found out what Savathûn is planning," Royal said. He quickly laid out precisely what they had learned from the tablets, detailing what they knew of Savathûn plans and everything they had uncovered up until this point, with Amity jumping in every so often to clarify something he missed. The Warlock Vanguard listened without a sound save for the occasional radio crackle. Eventually, Royal reached the end of his ramblings, and Ikora took a breath.
"So the Witness is responsible for the planet's mass exodus from Sol. And it seems I am responsible for Savathûn's theft of the Light."
"Ma'am, that's not true," Royal said. "I'm sure-"
Ikora cut him off. "It is alright; in truth, I expected this. I was the one who welcomed her into the Tower and allowed her access to the Vanguard archives. And now, Humanity is at risk of losing the Traveler to the Hive."
"We still don't know how Savathûn stole the Light," Luz said. "If we find out how, maybe we could reverse it?"
"Perhaps." Ikora paused for a moment, likely consulting one of her Hidden agents. "Fynch has mentioned that he has a new lead, though I must admit that I'm not so confident in this one. But we cannot afford hesitation right now; Savathûn could act at any moment. Find what we need, no matter the cost."
"Understood," Royal said. "We won't let you down."
"Everything counts on you, Guardians. Good luck." The line went dead, and Luz quickly contacted Fynch.
"Hey, I assume Ikora sent you?"
"She said you have another lead for us," Luz said. "We're getting close to the root of Savathûn's deceit; we can't afford any delays."
"Well, don't worry because I've got a lead that'll blow this case wide open. I was doing some digging and-"
Luz rubbed her temple and sighed. "Please don't tell me it's in another underground temple."
Fynch had a noticeable pause before he spoke again. "Okay, I won't tell you that. You'll need to head to the coordinates—hey, you're actually not that far away. I'll send you the coordinates." Luz's HUD flashed as Fynch transferred the information. Sure enough, it was leading them underground. Fortunately, it wasn't far from their current location. Royal led the way into the giant stony maw, using his burning hand as a torch.
"I've got a good feeling about this lead," Fynch said, eagerness slipping into his voice. "This could be big! Big enough to crack this case wide open!"
"Fynch, a hunch is not enough," Ikora replied. "We need evidence. Compelling evidence."
"Okay," Fynch said as the Guardians ventured down the steep path of the cave. "How about a secret, underground temple? 'Cause I found one, deep in the tunnels. And guess who it's dedicated to."
Amity narrowed her eyes beneath her helmet. "Savathûn."
"Yes! Well… kinda. Turns out it's dedicated to Sathona. You know, Savathûn before she was a Hive god."
"Are you sure?"
"I didn't see much, but the statue at the heart of the temple looked just like her! I mean, talk about compelling! Like, just imagine what's buried down there!"
"Imagine?" Ikora questioned. "So you haven't seen this object?"
"I didn't get eyes on it per se, but I know it's powerful, enough to attract a whole mess of Scorn."
"If this object is what you say, it'll be worth it. Stay alert, Guardians. We can't afford to miss this one."
"Understood, Ikora," Royal said. "We won't let you down." The path continued downward. Luz lost track of time as they walked. Despite the soothing powers of the Light, a dull throbbing ache had started biting at her legs.
"So Savathûn built a mausoleum to her younger self, only to abandon it," she said, trying to distract herself from the growing sore. "Any clue why?"
"Eh, embarrassment? Who isn't a little ashamed of their past?" Fynch replied.
"Well, I can relate to that, at least," Amity muttered.
They continued for some time. The air was thick with moisture and something else. The aura of ancient, powerful life permeated the cave. As they walked, Luz could see the symbol of Savathûn etched into the walls.
The cave's rocky floor gave way to the paved tiling of that strange, ubiquitous Hive bone. The natural walls of the tunnel faded away until all that remained was the intricate carving of Hive architecture and the looming stench of dead regrets, long since buried and left to rot. The tunnel gradually expanded, funneling outward as a bright orange light emanating from the heart of the Throne World. A powerful heat radiated from this deepest of places, raw energy bubbling and boiling with the power of a planetary core. Luz could tell that it was, at its core, Light. But it felt wrong; even the Traveler itself was a victim of Savathûn's perversions.
The tunnel gave way to a colossal cavern of impossible size. Imposing stone spikes shot up and down like speartips planted in the ground. Light churned in the depths below, illuminating the spacious cavern with its immense power. The path they tread upon led to a balcony overlooking a bridge that spanned almost the entirety of the cavern. Nestled at the furthest edge, obscured behind layers of fog and enchantments, was Savathûn's temple to her own ego and vanity. The bridge was crawling with Scorn in their hundreds. The broken bodies of the Hive defenders were strewn amongst the countless slain Scorn. The Scorn gathered their own while chucking the Hive into the inferno below; there would be no courtesy for their enemies dead.
"Ikora, Fynch, are you two seeing this?" Royal asked.
"There's… there's a lot more Scorn here than last time." Fynch was audibly nervous, more so than usual. He gave a few uncertain clicks, no doubt fidgeting in his hideout.
"None of this makes sense," Ikora said. "Why didn't Savathûn return to bolster her defenses with the Light?"
"It could be bait," Luz proposed. "Lure the Scorn in, trap them, then turn them against the Witness."
Resting a hand on his chin, Royal shook his head. "Savathûn is many things, but reckless is not one of them. I highly doubt that she would gamble the sanctity of her Throne World for a handful of Scorn brigades."
Amity nodded in agreement. "Savathûn and the Witness are clearly fighting a turf war. You know I never got along with Odalia, but she did teach me a few things; namely, you never cede ground unless you're losing."
"Then, in that case, maybe Savathûn is content just to sit back and let us do her dirty work for her," Luz said, peering off the balcony's edge and down dozens of floors to the roiling sea of Scorn below. Even from up here, she could hear their bloodthirsty screams. The slaughter of the Hive had not sated them. Shuddering a little, she stepped away from the ledge. "We can only focus on what we know for certain." She pointed to the temple, waiting patiently for the Guardians to plunder its secrets. "Whatever is in there could be key to undoing Savathûn's plans, and there's a whole mess of Scorn between us and our prize."
"How do you propose we get through all of them?" Amity asked. Luz's mouth curled upward into a smirk as lightning flashed in her eyes.
"I was gonna take a note from the Hive and carve a path of violence straight through the Scorn."
Royal rolled his shoulders and drew his sword. "I like that plan." Flames coursed over his body as he approached the ledge. His boot rested on the lip, one step away from the great drop before him. "Follow behind me and stay close. Don't want to get dragged down by the Scorn." With that, he propelled himself forward and over the ledge. Flames trailed behind him like the trail of a missile. Luz wasn't far behind him, lightning snapping between her fingers. Scorn screeched and howled as the Guardians met them. Dozens were flung off the bridge, plummeting into the churning inferno below. Those were lucky, as their fellows had their rotting flesh melted off their bones. The endless tide either didn't regard or register their fellows' screams as they continued to pile in. They hurdled themselves at the Guardians, with some of the Wraiths even grabbing the bodies of their brethren—living and dead—to use as impromptu shields. Luz ducked as one Wraith swung the upper half of a Stalker at her and fired twin streams of lightning into its chest, briefly staggering the monster. She tried to swiftly put the beast down, only to be sent reeling as another Wraith slammed its blazing torch against the side of her helmet.
Luz's ears rang as she stumbled. Her vision fought to right itself as the Scorn closed in. With Royal too preoccupied with dealing with his own branch of the swarm, the Wraiths charged. As they drew closer, Amity's shield sliced through them. The Wraiths collapsed into a puddle of stinking meat as the shield rebounded off the floor and further into the horde. Amity landed before her, cracking the bridge under the weight of her armor and the force of her impact. Her shield returned to her arm, and she raised it before herself. A wall of hardened Void energy shot outward, and the Scorn slammed into it. They blunted their mauls and broke their teeth against Amity's barrier. Luz looked up at the Witch as she tried to blink the blinding lights out of her eyes before springing to her feet and cycling Void energy through her hands.
The space around her fists blurred as gravity compressed light around the barely contained power in her palms. Luz flung her grenades, unleashing the fury of deep space upon the Scorn. Vast swathes of the reanimated corpses were dragged screaming into singularities where they were crushed smaller than atoms. Those who managed to avoid Luz's barrage were granted only a brief respite before Royal's flames scoured their flesh. The stench of the burning dead assaulted the women's noses. Luz suppressed the mounting wave of nausea as the remaining Scorn flailed on the ground, desperately trying to extinguish Royal's ever-burning blaze.
The Guardians rushed up the bridge, stepping over piles of half-melted Scorn. More waited ahead; Luz could hear them screaming in the distance. Sharp ridges lined the bridge, and small balconies harbored statues resembling Savathûn. No one could accuse the Witch Queen of being humble.
The path ended, sharply dropping into the inferno below. Across the gap, the drawbridge was raised at a smaller checkpoint, and there was no way of easily lowering it from this side. Luz quickly checked the distance; it was too far to fly and she didn't want to risk Stringbean being shot out of the air.
Amity stepped forward, projecting her Abomination goo across the gap. The purple slime stretched itself thin as it struggled to bridge the divide. It wavered, unable to support its own weight, let alone that of the Guardians.
"It's no use," she said, recalling the slime. "I can't make it across."
"This is a temple to Savathûn," Royal said. "There has to be a secret of some kind. Look around the bridge; maybe there's a switch or something."
Luz began poking around, peering over the edge or behind statues, looking for anything that might help them forward. Her vision snapped and boiled as she tried to see deeper. Alas, she had nothing to uncover. She stepped back from her current query and glanced at the raised bridge. She could see the air churning, concealing something from her. She took a deep breath and extended her senses outward, searching for a new path. Following the ripples, she turned to the left side of the bridge. Large columns of stone emerged from beneath the layers of reality, pushing into the air like the pillars of heaven.
Luz felt her legs threaten to give out from under her, and she collapsed to one knee. Her breath came heavy and staggered. Black smoke leaked from her eyes like gaseous tears. Savathûn had buried these secrets deep, smothering her temple in a thick blanket of illusions. Amity reached out to help Luz up, only for Luz to wave her off. She would be fine.
Though the columns provided a direct path around the obstacle, they were far from stable. Chunks of rock tore free as the Guardians leaped across, causing the pillars to sway like towers in a hurricane. The rest of the bridge lay beyond, with Raiders on patrol. They bore their malformed crossbows as a Chieftain barked incomprehensible orders to them. As Luz tried to balance herself, her mind couldn't help but wonder. How did the Raiders know where to aim with their helmets covering their eyes? And why did they wield a long-range weapon with shots that spread out as they flew? Then again, only the Scorn could design a sniper that grew less effective with range.
Royal was the first upon the Scorn, tearing them apart with his sword. The Chieftain screeched and opened fire as the Raiders fell back, tacking a vantage point above the Guardian. Their crossbows hummed as they lined up their shot. The Chieftain blocked Royal's downward cut with its weapon, causing Lament to whine as its teeth ground through the metal. There was a snap as the Raiders opened fire on the Warlock. Before the Void bolts could hit him, Amity dove before him and planted her shield in the ground. The bolts slammed against the wall of unyielding Light as a shell of protective energy enveloped the two. The Raiders tried to reposition, but Luz was already upon them. Coldhearts reactor thrummed, steadily rising in pitch like a musical instrument reaching a crescendo. The Scorn were sliced apart by the ionized beam, falling to the ground in smoking heaps. The last one fell, and Luz slipped in a new battery as Royal dragged his sword through the Chieftain's waist, spilling his innards across the ground like grisly tinsel.
Amity retched, turning away from the pile of rotting intestines. "Titan help me. Out of all the parts of being a Guardian, the worst is easily all the smells."
"At least you still have a nose," Royal said somewhat bitterly. "Quit complaining." Amity rolled her eyes before joining Luz in her search for the way forward.
Sensing a lull in the action, Fynch spoke up. "Oh, hey, hey, before you go into the temple, we should take bets on what this object is going to be. Now, I don't have any Glimmer myself, but I do have a pretty solid theory based on what we've seen so far."
"This isn't the time, Fynch," Aurora said, her voice bristled with thorns.
"I agree, don't distract the Guardians," Ikora said. "We're already taking a gamble that this thing has the answers we need. The Traveler and the Last City are depending on it."
"I think I found the controls for the drawbridges," Luz said. "Fynch, think you can give me a hand?"
"Yeah, you got it. Just give me a second." There was a pause filled with a few bony clicks as Fynch remotely accessed the Hive runes. "Any second. Just a little twist. And presto!" The large drawbridges groaned, shaking off clouds of dust as they swung into place with a loud thud. "Did I get it?"
"Yeah, you got it. Thanks, buddy."
"Anytime."
"You really just can't help but make friends wherever you go," Royal said as they stepped onto the drawbridge.
Luz shot him a teasing grin. "You should try it sometime." Royal was about to respond, only for the words to fall by the wayside as they heard a mighty boom. Something big was trying to smash its way through something tough. The Guardians prepped their weapons as they reached the end of the Drawbridge. The doors to the temple shook beneath the colossal fists of a Scorn Abomination. The wretched beast slammed its Arc-charged fists into the smooth doors. Electricity rippled through the heavy metal rivets nailed into its flesh. Royal looked at Amity before nodding. Amity returned the nod before summoning her gauntlets and charging forward. The Abomination sluggishly turned to face her as she leaped into the air. Her fist met the jagged, rusted metal necklace welded to its neck. The tarnished metal splintered, driving shards into the creature's body. It writhed, clawing at the flesh on its neck as Amity dropped to the ground. The Abomination tore chunks of its own flesh out in its desperation. Eventually, its frantic flailing came to an end, and the Abomination slammed to the ground.
"Huh, that was… surprisingly easy," Amity said, letting her goo swirl back into her flask.
"You're just that good," Luz said as she approached the door. Amity grinned.
"You know it."
Luz set her palms against the door, feeling it up and down to find a handle, lock, or anything she could use. The perfectly flat surface offered nothing. Acting on a hunch, she pumped Light into her hands and pressed them against the door. There was a resounding click, and the doors slowly ground open. The three brought their weapons up as they slowly entered the mausoleum—brilliant green wisps burned in their presence, solidifying into a path. Luz glanced back at her companions, who could only answer with shrugs. She had the special vision; if she didn't see anything unusual, it must be safe to proceed.
The chamber was utterly silent, save for the sound of their boots meeting stone. A massive statue dominated the center of the room: Savathûn in all her repugnant glory. However, now that Luz had taken a better look through the pale light, she could tell it wasn't quite Savathûn. Sathona was gaunt, little more than a skeleton with eyes. Her frail hands clutched the shriveled corpse of a worm the size of her torso as tattered fabric hung from her body. She stared into the distance, looking for something Luz could only guess at. Purpose? Glory? Freedom? It could have been any of these or even all at once. It was hard to believe that this feeble creature who looked like she could barely withstand a gentle ocean tide would become the Witch Queen.
"There she is," Royal said. "Fan out and look for anything out of the ordinary. Based on what we've found so far, it will likely be something small but significant."
Amity cast a glance around the sparse, unadorned room. "There's not a lot of places to hide something in here. Luz, can you see anything?"
"Nope. There's nothing here but the statue."
"That can't be true," Fynch protested. "There's gotta be something."
"Fynch, please tell me they didn't do all this for nothing," Ikora said.
"No, no, wait. What if the object is the statue itself?"
"Or a part of it," Luz proposed, turning her gaze to the statue itself. It took a moment to find anything, but she could feel a pressure mounting behind her eyes. Whatever the memory was, it was ancient and almost impossible to detect. "There! The worm-familiar!"
Ikora let out a sigh of relief, "Of course. This is Savathûn's temple, after all. There had to be a trick to it."
Royal soared up until he was at eye level with Sathona. Ignoring her petrified stare, he melted through her arms and secured the worm-familiar. As soon as his hands touched it, Darkness flooded the room. Royal was flung away from the statue, still clutching the familiar. Amity recoiled from the blast of cold energy. Luz caught the worst of it, writhing as her eyes bled smoke. She heard thousands—maybe millions—of voices speaking in unison. Most said the same thing, not that she could understand their words. A few voices diverged, small fragments of the whole splintering off like shards of ice falling off a glacier. The shards crashed into the still ocean of her subconscious, stirring things buried within her.
The freezing pressure in her subconscious faded as the chamber swelled with Hive magic. The path they had just walked became choked with acrid black smoke, the essence of the Taken. An insurmountable wall of entropy barred the Guardians in. Something lurked behind the wall, something that set Luz's nerves on fire and submerged her brain in a lake of ice. The hairs on her body rose sharply like millions of miniature daggers poking from her skin. The thing was drawing closer.
Without so much as a gesture, the two Warlocks fell in behind Amity as she raised her shield. Their weapons wavered slightly. Luz could tell that Royal felt the presence of the being as the joints in his fingers twitched erratically. Amity shuddered, sucking on her teeth as she drowned in the overwhelming presence.
"There's magic at play here," she said. "Not Hive, not Isles. Something different." She paused to taste the air before tilting her head. "It's ancient. It almost takes like… bones and dust?"
Royal's optics widened. "No… it can't be."
The deafening creaking of an ancient being resounded through the chamber as the leg of a massive beast stepped through the barrier, shattering the ground beneath its enormous weight. Elegant fingers, thrice as long as Luz was tall, curled around the broken shards. Its skin was textured like ancient parchment, with rough grooves like shallow canyons cut into the thick exterior.
The room shook again as a second, equally long limb passed the barrier. Once again, the ground shattered beneath the beast's stride. It half-groaned and half-chuckled as it pulled its head through—at least, Luz assumed that was its head. Four massive plates of flat, triangular bone converged to protect the monster's face. The edges were sharper than obsidian, framing the creature's jaw like a vicious vice. Its jaw opened with a loud creak, unhinged wide enough to devour Luz, her friends, the statue of Sathona, and everything else within the room. A pale blue glow radiated from the creature's gullet, shaking Royal from his stupor.
"MOVE!" He flung himself out of the way. Luz acted without thinking, following his order on trust alone. Amity did the same, quickly falling back to the statue. The titanic beast spewed a torrent of searing blue flame. A few stray cinders caught the hem of Luz's robes, instantly igniting the fabric as though it were dry wood amid a wildfire. The creature slowly swung its head from side to side as though each motion were a great effort for a creature as ancient as it was, spreading gallons of liquid fire throughout the room. Luz scrambled behind the statue while Amity fired a few rounds into the beast. Her bullets bounced harmlessly off its thick, bony plates. Its skin was just as impervious, absorbing Amity's fire with little effort. Its attention swung to the Titan just as she slipped behind the statue.
"What in the Traveler's name is that thing?" Luz practically screamed, frantically patting her robes to extinguish the flames. The flames weren't hot but burned more than any Solar flame she had ever witnessed.
"Ahamkara," Royal muttered, his voice distant despite how close he was. Gathering himself, he shook his head and thumbed the radio. "Ikora, we've got a Traveler-damned Ahamkara on top of us!"
"That's impossible; the last Ahamkara died years ago, cursing the Dreaming City."
"WELL APPARENTLY FUCKING NOT!" Royal shouted. He recoiled from the edge as more searing blue flames scoured the ground beside him.
Ikora cursed. "I shouldn't have sent you down there, not on such shaky intel."
"I knew they weren't all dead!" Fynch cheered. "I knew there had to be one left! At least one!"
"Not the time, Fynch," Amity snapped, cycling a new magazine into her rifle. She turned to Royal. "My bullets aren't even scratching that thing. How do we kill that beast?"
Royal slumped against the base of the statue, slamming his fist against his head as he tried to recall what he knew of the Ahamkara. "Dammit. Ahamkara. Wish Dragons. They feed off the desires of other species, siphoning from the imbalance of what is wanted and what is granted."
"How does that help us?"
"I'm getting there, let me think!" He paused momentarily, fiddling with his fingers as he tried to collect his thoughts. "It needs time between breaths to prepare its flames. That's our window. Fire down the beast's gullet; that's its only weak point. If we hurt it enough, it may try to enact a wish. The plates on its face will unfurl, and its eyes will glow. We must quickly gouge them out to stop the wish and slay the dragon."
"That's how Iris slew Riven," Ikora confirmed. "But that was a six Guardian effort. You'll need help."
"It'll take too long for anyone to get here," Royal said. "We'll manage."
There was a pause as Ikora weighed up her options. "Understood. Good luck, Guardians."
Luz focused on the Ahamkara, gauging the duration of the dragon's assault. The tide of flame stemmed, and Luz began to count. After a disturbingly short pause, the torrent resumed. She noted with no small amount of concern that the base of the statue was starting to liquify.
"We've only got a five-second window before we get melted," she said. "And this statue isn't going to last much longer."
Amity drew her rocket launcher and quickly checked it over. "We should scatter to split its focus; buy ourselves a few more seconds."
"Good idea," Royal said, hefting Sleeper Simulant. "Once we have an opening, go for it." The three waited a few painstaking seconds as the fires raged around them. Eventually, the Ahamkara's voluminous lungs ran dry. Seeing their opportunity, they dashed out of cover, splitting in all directions. A rocket sailed free from Amity's launcher, detonating within the creature's gullet. A crimson beam from Royal's rifle scattered against the back of the Ahamkara's mouth, splitting into dozens of smaller beams. Lightning coiled around Luz's hand as she thrust it forward, firing a stream of lightning into the dragon's mouth. The Ahamkara growled, shaking its head furiously as it writhed. Its colossal jaws snapped shut like the gates of hell itself, barring any further entry. The thick plates covering the Ahamkara's face unfurled, revealing ten eyes as dark as the deepest recesses of space. Stars began to twinkle within its gaze as magical energy swirled into being. The Ahamkara was enacting Savathûn's final gambit: a wish.
"The eyes!" Royal shouted. "Aim for the eyes!" He swapped to a hand cannon and opened fire, piercing the luminous carbon-black spheres and causing the humors within to cascade down in a horrible waterfall. Amity drew her pulse rifle and opened fire while Luz did the same with her hand cannon. The eyes burst with a sickening pop, and the Ahamkara screamed. The plates snapped shut over the blinded creature as it opened its mouth once more. However, instead of fire spewing from its jaws, it began to leak acrid black sludge. A beam of sickly green energy erupted from one of the dragon's legs, closely followed by another, then another, and more and more at a rapidly increasing pace. The Ahamkara exploded in a cloud of magical blue smoke, with the distinct cackle of Savathûn resounding throughout the entire temple. The Throne World began to shake as thin cinders that were once an Ahamkara drifted through the air.
"It was an illusion," Royal said as though he couldn't believe it himself. "It was a Traveler-damned illusion!"
"Certainly felt real," Luz said, gesturing toward her still-smoking robes. As she spoke, a massive stone spear crashed through the temple's roof. It skewered the ground, smashing through the floor and unveiling the churning inferno beneath. The Throne World continued to rumble and shake as though the Worm Gods themselves were tearing through the earth.
Amity took a few cautious steps back. "Savathûn's pulling the cave down on top of us!" She turned and broke into a run with the Warlocks hot on her heels. The ground crumbled and fell away behind them, constantly nipping at their heels.
They tore across the bridge and back into the broader cavern. Massive cracks like thunderbolts splintered the ceiling. Boulders fell upon the temple like hail, gouging immense chunks of the surrounding spires. Scorn still littered the bridge ahead, either oblivious to or unconcerned with the fact that the world was literally falling apart around them. Amity gritted her teeth, grinding the bones together so fiercely that they threatened to crack, and summoned her shield. She crashed into the Scorn lines, shattering them as though she had just charged through a window.
The Scorn hurled themselves at her, breaking their bodies against her shield. Her legs pumped like industrial pistons as she bulldozed through the Scorn ranks. A portal snapped to life at the end of the bridge, crackling with Hive magic. Not seeing any other way out, Amity beelined for the portal.
With the ground beginning to fall away beneath her boots, she leaped into the air. Ghost appeared in her hands, already in staff form. Luz did the same with Stringbean, leaving Royal to take off with a trail of flames behind him. Amity flew through the portal, vanishing with a crack. Luz was about to fly through before glancing back. Royal was losing altitude as stones rained atop him. Gripping her staff tightly, she reached out and grabbed his hand. Her arm was nearly torn out of her socket as Royal dragged her down. She could feel Stringbean's exertion as she tried to keep them aloft. With one last surge of energy, they passed through the portal as the cave collapsed behind them.
Stringbean shifted back into her snake form as they spilled through the portal. Royal was torn from her grip, painfully sliding across the rocky ground. Luz took a tumble of her own; dozens of small rocks dug into the gaps between her armor before she finally slid to a stop. Amity wasn't far, already picking herself up from the ground.
Luz lay still for a moment, listening to her raging heartbeat. She forced her breathing to calm as Stringbean limped toward her and hissed. Luz smiled and stroked the Palisman. "You did good, girl." She forced herself up—doing her best to ignore the cracking sounds her spine made—and turned to Royal. "You really need to go on a diet or something."
The Warlock slowly raised a single hand and flashed a thumbs-up. "I'll get right on it."
Despite the chaos they had just escaped still being fresh in her mind, Luz allowed herself to smile before fully standing up. There was a crackle of static as her radio suddenly snapped to life.
"Guardians! Can you hear me?" Ikora's voice was panicked, though not overly so.
"Loud and clear, ma'am," Royal groaned. "We're a bit banged up but intact enough to keep going."
Ikora sighed in relief. "Good. Your signals went dark after you killed the Ahamkara."
"Yeah, well, we didn't do much actual killing," Amity muttered. "Turns out it was just an illusion and a good one at that. I've never seen anything like it."
"Savathûn is weaponizing your tricks against you," Luz said, prompting a grim nod from Amity.
"I hate to admit it, but she's good. I don't even think Ed or Em could've made something that lifelike."
"You did get the object, right?" Fynch asked. "Otherwise, this was all a huge waste of time."
Amity rolled her eyes. "Thanks for the concern."
Royal fished the Worm-Familiar out of transmat and held it up. "Safe and secure. We just need to bring it to the altar."
"Then don't let us keep you," Ikora said. "Your signal shows that you're not far from it now."
"Yeah, how did we even get here?" Amity asked as they began to walk. "A random portal opens up, and suddenly, we're right where we want to be? It's all a bit too convenient for my liking."
"It's possible Savathûn had that portal in place as a designated exit," Royal offered. "Though that doesn't explain why the temple collapsed?"
"Savathûn must've been trying to bury us to prevent us from uncovering her plans," Luz said as they entered the chamber with the portal to the Altar of Reflection. Amity nodded, though she seemed uncertain. Luz approached the portal and reached out to it. As the tips of her fingers brushed against the glowing sheen, the mirror shattered. There was an eruption of force as the magical backlash whipped into Luz, sending her flying back. Once again, she found herself scraping across the ground. All she could offer was a weak groan as Amity rushed to pick her up.
"Alright, scratch that," Royal said into his radio. "Ikora, the portal closed. Savathûn has us locked out."
"Unfortunate, but not unexpected. It was only a matter of time before she caught wind of you. Return to the Enclave, Eris has an idea. We need to rest and regroup."
"Sounds like a plan," Royal said. He looked at the other two, watching as Amity helped Luz back to her feet. "Traveler knows we could use some rest."
I'll be back with your court-mandated opinions of Act 2 in two weeks I guess, see y'all then.
GuardianLightTheVanguard: 1) what could Alak-Hul be referring to, I hope it's about Lilith or OwlBert and Lilith's Palisman Crow.
2) Finally, Amity managed to Awaken her Magic and now She can combine her Magic With the Traveler's Light.
3) Pal and Amity are Friends Again, How Cool and It's Good That Pal Is Being Nice to Amity.
4) Did you see the Gameplay on YouTube or are you playing the Closed Beta Test of Destiny Rising My friend.
5) I hope that after you read the comment naedinefebruray2.0 I hope you consider accepting his work so that his work and his story can reach more people besides the Fanfiction website and I would really love to see your story in a story Comics, as naedinefebruray2.0 said, it can reach a larger audience like a Comic. Please Think About This my friend Penguin1673.
6) Continuation of the 5th Question. Furthermore in chapter 29 you said that Witches And Warlocks has surpassed 50,000 views and now think and imagine those who stopped and read your work when they discover your ad that has a comic book made in collaboration with the artist naedinefebruray, and I'm already up to I'm already imagining he could do the cover art for the Witches And Warlocks Comic, and I know you might think I'm going too far with this, but I would really love to read a comic of your work, because I'm a huge fan of Destiny and The Owl House Just like you and I've been reading your work since the beginning of Witches And Warlocks and You know it too and finally an opportunity From this Surge, take advantage and don't waste this Opportunity, it's the chance for your Work to finally reach New Destinations.
Ps: I'm sorry for the inconvenience and for the message being too long, but when I stopped to read Naedinefebruray2.0's comment, I realized that I had to talk to you about how much this proposal is a great advantage for you and also for me and other people Who Have Read Witches And Warlocks And Are Reading Light Does Not Yield We Would Love To See Your Destiny And The Owl House Crossover Work In A Comic Book. Don't miss and take advantage of this opportunity and talk to Naedinefebruray2.0 He will be Waiting for your Response, Think about His proposal Please My Friend Penguin1673 and I will be here Waiting for your Response
1. Wait, and you shall see my friend.
2. She's had her magic up until this point, she just hasn't been able to reach her previous level of skill with it. Now, she's starting to figure out how to not only use them simultaneously, but have use them in tandem with each other.
3. Yes indeed.
4. I don't have access to the beta, but I've been seeing a few things here and there. It's a gacha game. I don't really play gacha games. Simple as, honestly.
5. I will get into that when I get to the relevant review.
6. Yeah, 50,000 viewer is just crazy to me. I can barely even picture 5,000 people in one room, let along five times that. Really humbling stuff.
GodzillaMaster: Aw, Pal is starting to care. How nice
Oh wow, Amity figured out how to combine magic with Light? That should be a big gamechanger when the other witch guardians learn about this and figure out how to do the same
This strike was fun, especially the part with the first gate and the fight against Alak-Hul
Gotta get some development in there, don't I? I had a lot of fun with the Strike, leaves me looking forward to shit like Hypernet and Liminality.
GodzillaMaster: Damn, how'd I miss this chapter?
So Amity "helped" Savathun? Has to be hard for her
Hang on... didn't I already...
Hey, now she knows how Luz felt about helping Belos way back when.
Unity123: Given the respect Alak-Hul has given to Amity, and his physical depature would hint to his involvement in future stories. And if someone as strong as a Darkblade can walk his own path, why not someone as insignificant as a ceratain Acoylte compelled to let go of a Ghost she could have crushed in her hands.
Any Dungeon and Raid can be done with Royal, Luz, Amity, Iris, and two random Guardians selected by your convienience.
I know Destiny Rising is still in its first testing phase, but this could be timeline that interacts with Amphibia, just a thought.
I'm leaving Alak-Hul on the table for the future (holy shit season 3 reference) but no promises. As for Luzaku, I've got an idea or two for her.
That is more or less the plan.
Maybe. No plans at the moment. But hey, things could change.
naedinefebruary2.0: Wassup,
Having read your absorbing Story, Light Does Not Yield, I found many things to admire in the weighty narrative and imaginative flair. Your storytelling is truly remarkable, and I really do think that it can reach a wider audience as a comic. I'm a commission artist with broad experience in converting literature into striking comic format. I will be proud to reformat your story into this dynamic format. Let me just take you through some of my portfolio samples of previous works. Your literature is a masterpiece, and as goes the proverb, A comic can capture the essence of the story, so that would add more power to your literature. I look forward to the possibility of working together. As I am open to commission I'd really appreciate that if you could commission me for this. If you're messaging me on Discord, please also check my Twitter and Instagram, where I've uploaded my work. You can contact me on Discord, Twitter, and Instagram as well.
Alright, I am 99% certain this is a bot. Looked into the accounts and whatnot, found a bunch of reviews on other stories saying almost the exact same thing word-for-word. On top of that, this review mentioned nothing about the story speifically outside of the title. On top of that, this account is following over four thousand people on . Very curious, very suspicious.
If you are a real person, then apologies, but you're being very suspicious. I also do not have the money to commission a comic or anything.
hornig3: Now what the hell could Savathun have from the isles? The Collector's body? Or was that the obvious thing? Perhaps a palisman like batqueen of even owlbert! If it's owlbert you had best prepare for a myriad of vengeful words from us nerds! Also wondering if you'll have a brief interaction with Luzaku to mess up the guardians thoughts on lucent hive even more and even side with Crow during season of the risen, if not I understand it might be a bit too much.
You'll find out soonish, just you wait. And man, you guys really want Luzaku. As I mentioned before, I have some stuff in the kitchen at the moment, but it likely won't be for a while. The current story is already packed with a lot of stuff.
BlueRoseLevi: Average Penguin W of a chapter
Damn, Amity selling up Kelogorath by comparing him to Alak-Hul
Like the little illusion trick for the gondola bit was a fun shift up from the strike
Amity being able to mix magic and light was awesome
Pal and Amity character development let's gooooo
Alak-Hul being made intimidating love to see it
Like how Alak-Hul left on his own terms that fit a warrior instead of him being killed and his Ghost fleeing like a coward in game was a cool change up
Until next chapter I'll sit with my thousand yard stare from the PTSD that was the Lightblade GM
We got you your stasis glaive, quit complaining ya baby.
mmmplays27: 1) based Alak-Hul, being chill like that
2) I kinda wish you made an omake for this chapter where they gave hime the "Lightblade treatment (trademarkaka keeping him in a constant loop of jumping while they murder him. while it would not be the most engaging of chapters (which is why I'm kinda glad you went this route), it would have been funny nonetheless
also, I HAVE RETURNED TO THY COMMENTS! been loving the stuff so far, but didn't really see anything to comment on until now
MMMPLAYS LIVES! *STOMP STOMP*
1. Yeah, I really want to make sure I pay proper respect to the characters on both sides of the crossover, big and small.
2. GOD DAMMIT I WISH I DID THAT! FUCK!
Amity walked through the halls of the Sentry headquarters, consulting a few papers detailing supply shipments from the Last City. As a bridge between the Guardians of the Last City and the Guardians of the Isles, the task naturally fell to her. She hated it, but Paladin needed all the help he could get.
She sighed as she continued through the halls, stepping past a few other Guardians on their way to training or something far more interesting than what she was currently doing. She longed to be in the field, putting her feet to the dirt and actually getting something done. Instead, she was stuck at the base, burying herself in paperwork.
She looked up from her forms, her eyes heavy with exhaustion. The Light may be able to keep her going longer than would usually be possible, but its boons were not infinite. She needed sleep, and she needed it now. Fortunately, she was right outside the barracks.
The Sentry headquarters weren't large enough for the Guardians to have separate rooms. Instead, they were forced to bunk up in groups of sixteen. Expansion efforts had been considered but were unconfirmed. The barracks were usually vacant, as most Guardians would be deployed elsewhere, but the arrangement still made Amity's rather sparse accommodations at the Tower feel luxurious.
The back of her vambrace rubbed against her eyes as she opened the door to the barracks she had been assigned. With luck, it would be empty, and she would be granted a restful sleep. Unfortunately for her, it was anything but.
Hunter was sitting on a chair on the edge of the room, currently being straddled by Willow as the two did their best impression of a pair of teenagers making a series of questionable life choices. They tore their faces away from each other while Amity stood in the doorframe. Hunter let a small, unbothered grin slide onto his face while Willow fixed her fellow Titan with a glare.
"Do you mind?" She asked. Ordinarily, Amity would likely have had several different reactions, ranging from teasing to being a tad embarassed. Right now, she was too tired for any of that.
She sighed and shook her head. "Well that's just not fair."