Queen's note: Take a breath, let yourself feel… take a breath. Time to step back up, your mortal is safe. Take a breath, lean on your brothers if you must.

Time to eat.

Garnets

Chapter Ninety Two:

Never Again

Sound had Haco looking up from where he was standing in a guard position. He was on the outside of the barrier and doors to the altered forge room. He was not the only one, though only a few dared stay in the nest. Haco could see where Commander Malum had settled to sit in the middle of the path to the room behind them. Taking up space between the dead, with his weapons hidden under his cloak. With his armor and the dark fur he looked like a gigantic wolf waiting.

Commander Malum had only moved when their group had come in. Looking up as the Slayer approached, and grunting in surprise when the War King passed Malum a large glaive that was a bit over sized to the Slayer.

There had been some clean up from the last time Haco was in this hall. Not a lot but a different path was now leading from the forge room that held the nest, and to both the lift to the vault above and a path to the armory below. Some of the other Sentinels, likely those fast scouts of the Shadowed, have been bringing every and any empty battery they could find in the throne room building. Setting up neat rows by the entrance to the Mother Wraith's nest, to be cleaned and inspected. Broken ones set aside and one woman was currently taking three broken batteries completely apart to rebuild into one that would work.

Salvageable weapons too, had been picked up and neatly arranged near the armory. Though none of the mummified bodies had yet been turned to ash, or had anything done to them more than being arranged a bit more neatly.

Haco thought of the gardens on the Slayer's flagship Fortress of Doom. The painting of a sunrise, or sunset that the little human made over the memorial planter. That cute, honest attempt of trying to give respect to those dead long before she was born. Haco wondered if he could get Lily, and the other young ones to do something like that again for these fallen brothers and sisters.

Once Taras Nabad was lifted, safe, and likely fully purged. And secured. Haco hopped Bastet would make a larger barrier on the to-be Fortress city, keep anything other than their controlled portals in. If Jade could work unhindered, then so much space would be kept safe for the young pups. Argenta, human and wolf pups alike.

Haco looked up at seeing movement, watching one of the Shadowed moving amidst the dead with an active, though old, data pad. Gently inspecting, trying to find identifiers, anything personal that might have a clan name. He looked like another healer, not Pa'x, and watched notes being taken. What an odd thing to take hope in, Haco wondered to himself. Then smiled in his helmet as he placed why that seemed hopeful.

This new group of Sentinels felt hopeful to start minding the dead. Hope that there is time to do so.

Haco scanned around again, before his sight landed on Valen. The former Commander, still commander as far as Haco was concerned, was standing beside Malum's left shoulder. Habits as well as ages of both training and practice kept Valen up on his feet even as his head was bowed. His black and white eyes half closed, arms crossed loosely on his chest, Valen looked strangely unguarded.

The somewhat shorter man looked so fatigued and worn out now that Valen stopped moving. Whatever the Last Gift had done to Valen, it took something from him, though did not kill the man. If you stepped up beside Valen, one could sense the new, ragged edge to his wraith gift and… him.

Haco wondered if he could even partly be able to wield a Crucible. You had to be strong enough, not to hold or fight with one, if Haco remembered right. You had to be strong enough to stop the Crucible. He had no idea how Valen managed to curve the Last Gift's anger and fear to leave that Baron alive, trapped but alive.

Malum was slowly shifting, looking at his old friend before carefully lifting his arm. Noticing how Valen was practically sleeping on his feet as well.

"Valen?" the Sentinel giant asked in a low voice.

"Hmm?" Valen stirred a bit, looking up but not seeming to be able to focus on what was around him.

"Are you alive brother?" Malum asked, watching his old friend.

"...mm…" Valen wavered a moment, the rumble of sound might have been an attempt to answer. Valen barely uncrossed his arms, and if Malum had not lifted his own left arm to let the man lean on he might have fallen.

Haco took a step, but two of the wolf looking Sentinels were already over there. One on either side, supporting the older immortal. "I think the effects of wielding the Last Gift are catching up to him."

"Valen used one of the Slayer's crucibles?" Malen asked in shock, partly turning but froze as one of his men was using his side to brace on before getting into a spot to take most of Valen's weight. Having to lift him mostly to start moving with the other Sentinel away from the dead behind Malem.

"Yes," Haco nodded, "I could only see the last part of the fight. Lord Valen was using the Last Gift to take down a Baron of Hell. I don't know how he managed not to let the crucible kill it so the Lord Slayer to make an example. And take revenge."

"Baron," Malum muttered, tracking the two and motioned to the lift, the vault would have been cleaned up. He paused and turned. "The same baron that tried..."

"That tried to eat the little princess? Yes." Haco lifted his hands, showing the new coating of death char and… white? Something caulky. At the head tilted, the warrior grinned as he took his helmet off. "Don't give me that look, Commander Malum. She won't be an heir to a throne, but if Lily isn't coming out of the Mother's nest with at least two of the Slayer's mark and a stronger bond… Bastet didn't hit him hard enough."

There was a low snort from the door to the forge, and nest, area. Haco looked back, as the doors were open he saw their War King passing through the barrier. Holding his human daughter carefully between his arms. From his angle, Haco could see angry red lines on Lily's legs from where he was. Also the faint shimmer of a Mark that was on her left arm. Hazy, half lidded eyes were peering around, Lily not fully awake but watching the middle distance before shifting a little to lean against the Slayer's front. An odd echo from the past for Haco, having seen not just Bi'jay, John, caring a foster like that but other brother and sister Sentinels. A charge that was sleeping but having been woken to be moved, yet still so tired to go back to sleep.

"How is the little lady?" Haco asked, daring to step over to meet his friend. Maybe one of the few that the Slayer would let get in his way and shift to show him the human dosing as they were still again. Looking first at the red, raised new scarring down Lily's legs. "I'm so sorry princess…"

Some part of Lily was just awake enough to stir at Haco's voice. Lifting a hand to slowly flex her fingers in an attempt to greet before sleep really settled again. Affected by the mix of everything happening.

Haco flexed his hands around the bones he held. Staring, making himself see the damage, how Lily was notably pale in that way of one losing blood. Not that critical amount, thankfully… hopefully, but too much nonetheless. Haco found himself grateful for Pa'x experience, and of course Mother Bastet. Getting a look at the damage, the visible bruising started to form, though it was stripped oddly from the Wraith energy used to heal.

Haco was worried what bruising might be under that thin layer of armor that would not have been exposed to the wraith energy.

"The vault has been cleaned up," Malum spoke as he sat on his knees, about to get up while watching the Slayer. "I asked the Geo-Witch to work on sealing the top throne room proper. Mother Bastet had us take fragments of her nest around the rest of this building at least. It won't be dawn before she can extend the shield-barrier to the next levels up, then down."

Glowing green eyes blinked, the Slayer thinking that over before humming a pleased tone. Vega might not be able to get a portal in the barrier yet, but nor would the Lich, Corpse Lord, again.

The Slayer turned to look at the batteries, tilted his head and then down at Lily. An idea was forming visibly, but he chuffed at his new daughter, turning to start after the two now carrying a fully unconscious Valen to the lift.

Want?

It was, strange to say the least to feel the Slayer's primordial speech to be in what could only be called… Subdued.

Asin and Haco exchanged looks, then fell into step behind Bi'jay. John.

Why did he have to change his name?

"What do you want brother?" Haco asked as he put his helmet back on, like Asin. Even being mostly behind him, Haco could see John struggling to say something. With his hands full, and not wanting to let go of his human- understandable.

The Slayer snorted, huffed in annoyance before stepping up on the lift. Looking at where Valen had been laid out with a worried expression. Attention turning to the Last Gift, feeling the guilt and worry from the living weapon. John tried to give the crucible reassurance, yes it was the Last Gift's fault in a big way, but Valen had willingly picked the crucible up. By the time he had gotten the living weapon to settle again, they were in the vault itself.

There was still the lingering scent of burned skin and ash, from those Hell Growth monstrosities that came out of the hijacked portal. Those that stayed behind had done well with cleaning both the mess and death char. Even now ancient displays were tidied, and some empty jars and containers were gathered to go down the lift. The Sentinels tried to get whatever pure, liquid energy from Bastet as she was willing to let them have.

Not just for batteries but also likely to make that refined stuff for the healers.

As he walked through the vault, towards his old room, John remembered he promised Asa to find more of the flasks. That had been just a few odd days ago, though it felt longer. Did he have any bottles in subspace? He should find a spot to empty it out and reorganize. The Slayer only partly did that once recently. After finding the Fortress of Doom in hell, he emptied enough to find the tools he needed to adapt Vega to the Argenta systems.

…How big had his subspace gotten?

The Slayer shook his head, not right this moment he needed to do that. Looking around the room he found himself standing in. His private room after the Divinity Machine, other then it had room for his foster at the time, and wolf back then to play. Now it still smelled half abandoned, half like cleaners. The blankets on the bed had definitely been taken off, neatly folded off to the side of the room, with fresh blankets spread out. A larger woven and a relatively 'small' pelt that was pale cream, both having been preserved in the vault's storage that was not taken to the Fortress before the portals were compromised.

John looked down at the sleeping Lily, then at the newly made, and clean bed. He started to turn, catching a glimpse through the door of Valen being carefully lowered to the floor. Then he grunted in surprise as a white haired woman bodily shoved aside both taller men, startling Asin and Haco both they almost lost their control over reflexes.

"What. Happened. To the child?" Jade demanded, looking far healthier than when the group had first found her and Jade's family. Between her wraith gift and whatever Bastet did she looked notably more muscular, and there was a trail of hovering pebbles in her wake as the woman came right over to the Slayer. Reaching up to check Lily's head, then drawn to the angry new and red scar lines on her legs. There was a pause and Jade almost hissed out. "Who did this?"

She glared at the Slayer, then the two Sentinels. The white haired woman looked about to rage war herself.

John could not help but think of the head woman of the keep he was trained at. He tried to say something, getting out just a jumble of Primordial and a sore throat.

"It's very, very dead." Haco gave a low growl, still satisfied with what ended up happening. He looked over at Asin, "But I think the little princess might need a change of clothes, and cleaned up. Also, we found out a new weapon idea for the less… non fighters."

"You did?" Asin blinked, glad he was no longer attracting Jade's attention as she lifted Lily out of the Slayer's unresisting arms.

"Anything is useful my lords." Jade noted, paused and eyed them as she stood up tall. "Now get out so I can help the child change."

The three knew better and filed back out of the room, one of the Sentinel women pushing the heavy door closed behind them. John hesitated, standing by the door and staring at it. As if he wanted to go back in, but knew that Lily was not fond of changing in front of others. Even if he had helped her with medical things before even getting Valen.

He wanted to help take care of his daughter.

Jade looked scary though.

…Not that the Slayer could do nothing but he wanted and needed Jade's help. It was a good thing she liked his daughter, right?

He waited, standing still at the door for a good ten minutes. Another he moved to backtrack and check on Valen. John's old friend had most of his armor, and under suit removed to check for any possible sliver from the gorgon crystal that was not Last Gift. The crucible had protected Valen very well as it turns out. What crystal was leftover was blue, and filled into the grooves of his armor, and a few spots on his prosthetic arm. As if to reinforce spots on the underside of its casing.

"Doesn't look like it's in the joints," Pa'x said as he sat back, taking his helmet off for the first time, scratching at his gray hair. Smiling as his dark wolf came over to nose up under his arm. Sniffing around Valen's form intently before sitting and reaching a paw to the left knee. Pa'x moved to check the spot, seeing the bruised spot forming. No slivers.

"Good girl Lexi." The healer looked up at the Slayer from where Pa'x was sitting on the ground, "I think Lord Valen will be alright, he might sleep the next day or so from the stress of… ah, 'feeding' the crucible. But not too much was taken I don't think. No more than what it takes out of you going into Hell, like we used to."

The Slayer chuffed, relieved at that as he sat down on the ground where he could watch the door to his room. And seeing Valen being taken care of, he could sit a minute, though the Slayer made a miscalculation. He sat.

A lap had appeared.

'Lexi' rubbed against her person's back carefully, as she knew he was working before padding over to the War King. In that shameless way of a confident sentinel wolf, she pushed into the Slayer's personal space. Polite about the way the giant lupin form placed her paws and then flopped into the new lap. Lexi gave the rumbling one a good sniff around his exposed head and neck before she leaned against his front.

Putting more and more weight on the Slayer until his hands came up to grasp the brown and black mixed fur. The soft spot for animals had his almost blank look going softer. More neutral. John took a deep breath, suddenly missing this. The smell of a live wolf, the feel of the thick fur. Shameless and unrestrained attention offered to any sentinel, more so to their own person.

He missed Sage.

He missed her as a puppy stretching out over his legs to 'help' in training. How even at full grown she would still sit on his back pushups. He missed how his big girl would get so mad at him for not following the bedtime routine with or without a foster.

His big brave fluffiness that loyally followed him into Hell itself until she never made it back. Only to stay as a phantom and keep following him until her soul gem cracked.

John shifted, blinking at a sudden thought as he cupped his hands against Lexi's cheeks, rubbing his thumbs on the fur. She had such pretty golden-green eyes, like oxidizing copper. Getting off some clinging death ash. Noting that Pa'x had his wolf very desensitized as John was even able to open her jaws to check her teeth. No damage from the fight earlier, and his left hand was soon being playfully chewed on.

Where had he put…

There was no wrestling with the big wolf, she was filling up his whole lap. Just being pushy for giving attention to the Slayer, waiting for her person to be done. Haco tilted his head watching the two, smiling a bit as he saw another big wolf, this one a bigger pale cream male that was ash stained, coming over to stretch out behind the Slayer.

The odd outlander turned brother always did have a genuine thing for and with animals. Wolves, wintherin, littler things from farms on the colonies.

Haco watched as John grasped the dark wolf's neck again, fingers digging in carefully to the near black mane. Then pressed his head against Lexi's, Haco recognized the old, subtle sign of this demigod seeking comfort from something but mostly hiding it. It took a minute before the Slayer looked up and around the inside of the Vault noting that the main door was locked.

Ruffling the manes of both wolves, the Slayer got up. Studying the pedestals around and walking to one he was sure… kneeling and feeling over the ridges as a few Argenta gave him a puzzled look.

There was a double click as his fingers sank into the trigger spots. John had to extend a good amount of self control to not just break the hidden storage area. The hatch grinded as rust or build up broke and fell the inside hinges. It smelled like a nearly spent battery, something he only partly remembered hiding in this spot those ages ago, not sure if it would help. There was a green soul crystal inside, carefully wrapped in old leather that needed replacement as it was cracked and aged now.

Maybe the battery did help, the Slayer reached out and carefully picked up the stone. Faintly feeling something familiar on the edge of his senses. Like someone trying to wake up but still so tired.

There was a large crack down one side, with a few more spidered out from it.

John, back then, did not know how to fix the cracks on his own. He did now, and carefully pried off the dried leather, once intricate knots breaking apart. He smoothed a thumb over the cracks, focusing to fill in with his own power, and give strength.

Much like he had done for Valen's wolves, heard a low grumble somewhere in his mind or heart. A please, happy grumble he used to know.

"Brother," Haco called softly, drawing John's attention. The not quiet man perked up at seeing the door open and Jade standing there.

"I got the worst of the… I'm not sure what the slime is, off the girl." Jade said, watching the War King coming right over, surprised to recognize the kind of worried expression on him. It reminded her of Jade's late husband whenever Amber had gotten sick from the hell gasses or just from being out in the cold for too long.

The Slayer winced, looked down but had… a shiny? Something that looked like an emerald disk that fit in his palm. Jade stepped aside and let him in, watching carefully, seeing an echo of her husband in the actions. Still very convinced more then any that he was the girl's father. By blood or not.

John leaned over his old bed, making sure Lily was under the fur blanket. He hesitated before standing up to take off a glove and reached out, gently pressing his thumb against her pulse point on the side of the neck. Staying oddly still before sighing and leaned over to press his cheek against the human's own cheek. Slipping the stone against her side.

Affection. Worry-Reassurance.

Lily stirred at the primordial words, blinking upwards as she focused on the glowing green eyes. She smiled, about to go back to sleep again after having been kept semi awake to be helped changed. Lily lifted her right hand, giggling as she smacked not herself but John's cheek and got rumbled at. She patted his face before clumsily trying to sign.

Lily's hand wavered as if not sure if she remembered what she wanted to sign. Or try and reach out again, but ended up tapping her thumb to her head, fingers semi spread.

John felt a part inside himself melt a bit under the chest plate. Shifting to sit on the side of the bed, freeing his hands, trying to be careful to only use human signs. My flower. You see me?

It took a second before the signs clicked in. Lily smiled as she started to shift to her left, fumbling with one of the pillows. John pulled it down to let Lily curl around the pillow, one hand grasping the back of his fingers until she settled back down into the haze of drugs and the new… gift? Mark? The Slayer was not sure, just that he could sense Lily now. Sense the others now, sense that his adopted daughter was safe again.

John hummed as he pulled his hand back, feeling a bit awkward knowing he was watched. Paused and then touched a spot where Lily's knees were under. His jaw tightened as he remembered the scene from a drone playing. The Slayer patted his human's knee and stood, fitting his glove and gauntlet back on. Walking out of the room with an eerie lack of sound.

The Slayer only paused to take his helmet from Asin's hands. Fitting it back on as he walked out of the inner vault. Finding the old lift to the throne room properly working again.

Had Jade fixed it?

That was good.

Haco was walking on the lift as it was starting to move. The taller man stepped over behind the Slayer, completely ignoring the warning growl. Haco stood in the guard position refusing to leave until the lift settled in the throne room proper and the growl settled into a neutral rumble. He kept following the Slayer as the new god walking around the central area, Haco able to recognize something few would.

It was not just anger that had the shorter Slayer flexing his hands. He was looking around the patched up throne room, but not really seeing it as the Slayer was walking again. Maybe seeing ghosts as he hesitated at spots, phantoms that Haco could not see, or in some cases the worst kind of phantoms that were only in the mind.

Haco stayed with his old friend, his king and brother. Keeping some distance until the Slayer was outside and looking over the upper city. They could hear the winthrin on the level below and around towards the north. It had taken some time and convincing after the Baron was taken care of, to get Viola fixed up enough to try and get into the air.

She had barely made it but was at least safely settled in the roost with her grown hatchlings and mate. The surviving eggs would be in the vault by now.

A low sound came from the Slayer as he stopped moving, looking at what once was a living city they both knew. The Slayer was standing so still in the fading light of sunset, it was almost hard to notice him breathing Haco noted to himself coming over.

There was no warning growl this time as Haco rested a hand on the Slayer's shoulder. Pulling the shorter, not quite man around, and in the quiet moment wrapped both arms around his brother.

Not a god at this moment as the Slayer dropped his head against Haco's chest. Locking his own arms around Haco's torso, leaning on the sentinel as for just this moment, letting his guard down while taking a shaky breath.

"We weren't too late brother." Haco assured, thumping his head against Bi'Jay's… John's own. "You aren't, and won't be alone, nor will your daughters. We'll be here now."

John allowed himself to let out a whine, mixed with frustration and… fear. Haco reflexively held tighter in return. "It will never happen again if I can help it brother."

A low primordial sound came from the Slayer, the sound vibrating through Haco's chest. John took another few calming breaths before holding tighter.

...hungry.

Haco grinned as he gripped just as tight back, "Then let's get you something to eat brother."

Added note: hello again to new people that have started following Garnets! don't be shy, come say hi in reviews or the discord!

Reviews!

XFireStoneX:
To be honest, I'm kinda scared to se what cookies Bastet would make...