AN: Happy New Year! This chapter was supposed to start with Crow and Mavriel testing out their new hand cannons, but after reviewing Observation Haki's capabilities, I've come to the conclusion that it definitely should be addressed first. I'm not going to suck myself into the rabbit hole that is One Piece for one perk, so I'll be relying mostly on the wiki and YouTube to get my info. If it's not accurate? Well, that's bound to happen with so many different properties to draw Perks from. Try not to let it bother you. Also, most of this was written while drunk for New Years, so if it sucks I blame that. I went back and cleaned it up a bit, at least.
Observation Haki is stupidly broken.
Being essentially willpower, I would have thought I'd kind of suck at it. My willpower used to be pretty terrible.
And then I gained intelligence perks. And then [Latent Power]. And then [Long Live The King]. And the Light. Willpower boosts may not have been specifically mentioned, but across all these perks, my experience over the last two months, and my Pyro Vision, the very proof of an ambition recognized by a higher power, even if that higher power is the spellbook in my soul…
Well, I'm no slouch when it comes to willpower. Not anymore.
And with that will? Now, I can sense everything.
My awareness stretches across the Tower and further into the City, people appearing to my new sense like colored ink splotches in water. Emotions radiate from them: tension, joy, frustration. Intentions stand out as clear as day, and if I focus, calm myself just right, I can see the future. Only a second ahead, but still. Odd that it seems to work on Lightbearers, but perhaps that's because they aren't actively attempting to defy fate? Or perhaps it works thanks to being outside context? Hm.
I really need to roll a perk that lets me teach my bullshit to others. Teaching Crow is some of the most fulfilling work I've ever done, but I really want to start teaching him more. So far, I haven't taught him anything a veteran Guardian couldn't have.
One part of Observation Haki comes surprisingly easy to me: the Voice of All Things. It's kinda like telepathy, except it doesn't just work on people. Inanimate objects, too; at least some of them. Sometimes my will translates their communication into words, and sometimes it's just feelings, vibes.
Take the Ahamkara teeth, for instance. They already whisper faintly to anyone nearby, but now? I can hear Riven clearly. Her voice slithers into my mind, spinning temptations with calculated malice.
She clearly doesn't realize that I'm exceptionally good at ignoring people, and that skill extends to her too. Mental attacks? An immunity perk renders them useless, though that doesn't stop her from talking at me endlessly.
Shoving the bones into Spectre's inventory at least shuts her up.
{Crafted Hawkmoon +200 points
Assisted in Crafting Malfeasance(s) +100 points
Acquired Malfeasance +100 points
Rolling…
Benevolence - Cursebite Ring - Dark Souls (100 points)
Roll Success. Current stockpile: 550 Points.
Purchase Cursebite Ring?}
One of the infamous bite rings commissioned by Sir Arstor of Carim, made of iron and with a gem carved into the shape of a skull. Despite the dreadful rumors surrounding its creation, this ring is an unmistakable asset, in its ability to help improve one's resistance to curses.
Not groundbreaking, but I could see it being useful down the line against the Hive, or possibly even Nezarec. On the other hand, I kinda want to hold out in hopes I roll an expensive perk.
… I'll pass on this one.
Anyways, of my weapons, Bad Juju 'speaks' the loudest. It doesn't whisper or tempt though; it screams.
"FETCH ME THEIR SOULS!"
Every time I glance at it, the hoarse, deranged voice bellows the same line, or something similarly edgy. Whatever subtlety that Ahamkara once had was obliterated by Toland's curses. Now it's just ravenous fury, twisted beyond recognition. Very one track mind.
Malfeasance is odd. No words, just static, a faint hum that reminds me of cosmic background radiation. Unsettling, but not actively obnoxious. Probably harmless.
The Moonlight Greatsword is pleasant. Quiet. It emanates a gentle feeling of companionship. No words, just a constant assurance that it's always by my side.
But there's been an elephant in the room this whole time. My connection to the Traveler feels closer than ever, like a thread pulled taut between us. As I look up from the Tower, I feel its presence waiting. Patient.
"Alright. Let's talk." I murmur.
The response is immediate, a voice resonating in my mind; A soothing, female voice that wraps around me like a warm embrace.
'Owl.'
The single word reverberates through me, carrying warmth and pride.
'You are remarkable.' She continues, tone motherly. 'Your spirit burns with such wondrous power that we can speak like this: like equals.'
The words catch me off guard. "Equals? I'm egotistical, but not that much. You're quite a bit beyond me."
'I speak truly.' She says. 'Your gift is unique, transcending even the rules of this universe. Perhaps you are not yet my level, but you could have existed without my burden, reached heights beyond even the First Knife. And yet, you offered yourself freely to the Light. You are the only one who has ever truly understood me. I cherish this connection.'
There's a pause, a ripple of hesitation that feels almost… human.
'I must apologize.' The Traveler says, regret coloring her tone. 'I have asked so much of you all. Too much. There is always another battle, another life to save, another bird to protect. It was never my intention to burden you so. I value choice above all, yet I have taken yours from you.'
I hesitate before replying, the weight of her apology settling over me.
"You've given me so much." I say finally. "A connection to my best friend. A chance to make things better. And being a Speaker, even though I grumble… It's the best way to stop people from dying needlessly. I can't speak for everyone, but for me? It's all worth it."
The warmth in her presence intensifies, gratitude flooding through me.
'And that, Owl, is why you succeed where others falter.' She says gently. 'Your resolve, your compassion, your ambition; they are your strength. Never doubt that.'
For a moment, there's silence. A comforting stillness. Then, the Traveler speaks again, softer now.
'I will not keep you long. Your charge is waiting for you. It would be rude to keep him waiting, no?'
The connection fades slowly, like a song ending on a lingering note. I sit there, exhaling deeply, the warmth of its voice still echoing in my mind.
"Well." I mutter to myself. "That just happened."
Spectre's mechanical form materializes beside me, her singular eye glowing faintly. She stares at me, incredulous. "It worked? You had an actual conversation with the Traveler? With words?"
"Yeah." I lean against the railing, rubbing the back of my neck. "She's nice."
Spectre tilts slightly, as though processing my words. "...She? The Traveler is a she?"
I turn to face her, raising an eyebrow. "Seems to be. That bother you?"
"It doesn't." She replies quickly. "It's just… does that make her my Mother?"
Her question catches me off guard, and for a moment, I don't know how to respond. Then the warmth returns, faint but unmistakable, as the Traveler's voice whispers softly in my mind.
'Yes.'
"She says yes."
Spectre blinks. "Oh."
A long pause follows, the weight of her realization hanging in the air.
"Guess I'll have to start calling her Mom." Spectre says at last, her tone light. She seems happy.
I chuckle, shaking my head. "Don't expect her to pack you lunch."
Crow's voice flickers to life over comms. "They've cleared the Starling to take off. Gonna head on down here?"
I send one last look at the Traveler, before pinching a sheet of Void and swirling it around me, my surroundings shifting to the hangar. I send a surprised Amanda Holiday a nod as I stroll up the ramp of my ship, my hands rising to detach my mask. Spectre stores it away, and I plop myself in the copilot's seat.
Crow raises an eyebrow. "You're letting me fly?"
"Why not? I've let you copilot a few times, and you've picked up on it quickly. Say what you will about Uldren, but the echoes of his skills clearly propagated to you. Why don't you choose where we go? Earth, Mars, Io, The Reef… there's bound to be someone who needs shooting, somewhere."
Crow lowers himself into the pilot seat, moving through several stored destinations on the guidance screen. "Is there anywhere we could go, to accomplish multiple things at once? Surely there's some work we could-"
"Crow." I interrupt him. "Not everything needs to be work related. Now… where do you want to go?"
Crow decided exploring Lost Sectors on Io was the best way to test our new guns. He wanted to explore a new planet, but still managed to weave work into things. I let it slide since he actually seemed excited.
The air in this particular Lost Sector is thick with oppressive energy, Taken corruption oozing from every surface. Darkness pulses around us, shifting like smoke caught in a tempest. Crow and I move in sync, the crunch of boots on stone echoing softly through the cavern.
A pair of candlelight spells provide enough light to keep the shadows from swallowing us whole, but only barely. My grip tightens around Malfeasance, the weight of the hand cannon reassuring. Beside me, Crow holds Hawkmoon, the gleaming barrel catching the spell-light.
{Conversed with the Traveler +100 points
Rolling…
Source - Artificial Lifeform - Fate/Stay Night (600 points)
Roll Success. Current stockpile: 650 Points.
Purchase Artificial Lifeform?}
You were not wholly naturally born. Whilst you were in the womb, numerous experiments and treatments were carried out to transform you into an artificial being known as a Homunculus, a particularly powerful one at that too. A great deal of your body is made up of Magical Circuits, 1000 circuits of the highest quality lying within you. This immense magical power is supplemented by an innate affinity for all magics, increasing the speed at which you learn magic by a fair amount. Your body is unnaturally enduring as well, allowing you to survive wounds that would quickly kill a human, such as multiple gaping sword wounds, for much longer periods of time, though a thorough opponent can still kill you by destroying your organs or dealing a truly brutal beating. You may not be as powerful as your pseudo sibling Ilyasviel but you also lack the limited lifespan her increased power placed upon her, instead your lifespan remains unchanged from a humans. Also unlike your sibling, you are not just an imprint of Justeaze's personality and memories on a new body, though neither do you possess the Wish Granting Trait as a sacrifice. You may optionally choose the albinism-like colouring Ilyasviel possessed.
Well. A thousand high quality magic circuits sounds incredibly useful. And honestly, I think it would really help with the Wizard vibe if I went through with pseudo-albinism. I can probably explain it away as my heightened connection to the Traveler manifesting on my body.
Yoink!
It's going to be a heck of a conversation once I take my mask off, but at least I didn't double over with the body change. Unlike with my eyes, I barely felt a tingle as an important part of my spirit was entirely rewritten. Seems I lost the four circuits I already had, but I can't really be mad when they were replaced by a thousand better versions, all throughout my body.
"Ready?" Crow asks beside me.
"Yup. Let's go." I say. And with that, we step forward into the Taken-infested cavern.
The first wave hits hard and fast, Taken Thrall pouring from the walls like a living tide. Malfeasance roars in my hands, each shot embedding glowing slugs into their corrupted forms. One, two, three; they drop like broken marionettes and the slugs detonate in bursts of explosive Darkness.
Crow moves beside me, a blur of precision. Hawkmoon's crack echoes through the cavern, the first shot finding a Thrall's head. The second and third shots strike two more, each precise hit building a subtle glow around the weapon as its impact ramps up. By the fifth shot, Hawkmoon practically hums with energy, the audible screech of a hawk ringing out as Crow lines up his next shot.
"Watch your flank!" I call out, my Observation Haki painting the exact moment and place a Taken Psion will appear.
Crow pivots, Hawkmoon already raised. The glowing hand cannon spits Light, obliterating the Psion in one devastating shot. The ripples of energy fade, leaving nothing but faint traces of ash.
Damn, I do fine work.
But Hawkmoon's glow flickers and fades. He missed the weak point on that last shot, resetting the weapon's power.
"Thanks." Crow says, already scanning for his next target.
Ahead of us, the cavern widens into a grotesque arena. At its center looms the Lost Sector boss: a massive Taken Ogre, its glowing 'eye' radiating malice. The ground trembles as it roars, the sound reverberating through my chest.
The Ogre attacks immediately, beams of Arc energy ripping through the stone. I dive behind a boulder, popping out to unleash a volley of shots. Each slug burrows into the Ogre's corrupted flesh, glowing faintly with unstable energy. By the fifth shot, an eruption of explosive Darkness staggers the beast.
Crow steps into the open.
Hawkmoon is steady in his hands, the barrel trained on the Ogre's glowing eye. One shot. Two. The weapon grows brighter, energy crackling visibly around it. By the fourth shot, the air around Hawkmoon shimmers with power.
The Ogre roars, lurching forward with lumbering steps. Crow doesn't flinch.
The fifth shot screams through the cavern, the hawk's cry reverberating as the weapon reaches its peak. Crow pulls the trigger again, the sixth and seventh shots slamming into the Ogre's head like railgun blasts.
The final shot punches through the Taken monstrosity with a thunderous crack. The Ogre's roar cuts off abruptly, its towering form dissolving into nothingness.
"Okay, maybe I'm a little jealous." I call out, stepping forward as the silence settles around us.
Crow lowers Hawkmoon, the glow fading as the weapon cools. He looks over at me, a hint of a grin in his voice. "Not bad, huh?"
"Not bad at all." I agree, spinning Malfeasance before holstering it.
The air feels lighter now, the oppressive weight of the Taken diminished with the Ogre's defeat.
Between my eyes and Observation Haki, keeping track of everything during the fight was almost effortless. The instinctive awareness of my surroundings is uncanny, almost overwhelming. But I'll get used to it.
Actually... Haki might be the missing piece I need to complete my version of Limitless.
If I can sense attacks before they happen, maybe I don't need to keep my barriers active at all times. Instead, I could make them reactive, warping space only when necessary, using just the right amount for the attack. For that to work, though, it'll need to be automatic; something I don't even have to think about.
I frown, the gears in my mind turning. My new magic circuits could be the key.
I've fiddled with my old ones a bit, but beyond thought acceleration I hadn't put much work into attempting to learn magecraft. I have no Thaumaturgical Foundations to rely on, no ancestors passing down their insights.
But any decent Magus can use their magic circuits to store data and compute calculations, similar to a computer. With some self study, and the ludicrous amount I now have, I should be able to figure it out.
The doors to Zavala's office slide open with a quiet hiss, and I step inside, feeling the weight of the room before I even see its occupants. Zavala stands near the far side of the room, his expression as unreadable as ever. Beside him, Ikora leans casually against the desk, her sharp eyes betraying a keen attentiveness.
Then there are the two others.
Lord Saladin, a towering figure of steel and discipline, stands at attention, his presence radiating the authority of a seasoned general. Beside him, Osiris is far less rigid, though no less imposing. His gaze is sharp and calculating, a man who has seen the secrets of the universe and lived to speak of them.
"Speaker." Zavala greets me with a small nod.
I step forward, my boots echoing softly against the floor. "Commander Zavala. Ikora. Lord Saladin." I nod respectfully to each of them before turning to the former Warlock Vanguard. "Osiris."
Saladin's nod is curt but respectful. Osiris, however, doesn't bother with such formalities. His expression is unreadable, though his lack of warmth speaks volumes.
I don't hold it against him. He didn't really get along with my predecessor, after all.
"Is this everyone you wished to know?" I ask Zavala, looking around the room.
He nods. "For now, I believe it's best if the contents of most of your visions are kept to the people in this room."
"Not everything needs to be a Consensus problem," I agree, settling myself. My eyes sweep across them, each a pillar of humanity's survival in their own way. "Now, settle in. I'm going to be dropping a lot of ancient history on you."
"I'll start with the first race blessed by the Traveler." I begin. "Let's call them the Precursors."
Saladin's brow furrows slightly, but no one speaks.
"They called the Traveler 'the Gardener,' their deity of life. It ushered them into a golden age unlike anything we've ever seen. For eons, they prospered, building wonders that defied imagination. But there was a silence between them and their god, a silence that grew heavier over time. The Traveler lavished them with gifts, but not with guidance. And though they lived in paradise, they came to crave a greater purpose. They desired meaning."
Ikora leans forward slightly, her curiosity evident as I continue.
"Their scholars, driven by this yearning, discovered that the Traveler shared a connection with another entity among the stars. They called it 'the Veil.' And when they found it, they arrived to claim it. By then, they already knew much about the Light; how it could bend the laws of the universe, create life, and fuel their prosperity. But they also came to understand that it could bring ruin just as easily."
I let the weight of those words settle. From the darkening of Saladin's aura, I can tell he's thinking of the Warlords of old.
"So, they began to see the Light not as a source of boundless hope, but as a force of chaos: an untamed fire that could destroy as easily as it created. And as they studied the Veil, they discovered the Darkness. A power shaped by thought and consciousness. In the Darkness, they saw the means to bring order to the chaos. To carve away the imperfections of existence. To calcify it into a Final Shape."
Osiris shifts slightly, his expression darkening. Saladin remains silent, his jaw tight.
"They brought the Veil back to the Traveler-" I continue. "-believing they could use it to strengthen the connection to reshape reality itself. But the Traveler refused. It would not allow such a perversion. And so, it fled their world, leaving them behind. But they would not be deterred."
I meet Zavala's gaze, the weight of the next words clear in my voice.
"Having witnessed the 'truth' in the Darkness, they turned to it completely. They used its binding power to merge their entire race into the salvation they craved. And so, the Traveler's greatest enemy was born."
My voice drops, heavy with the gravity of the name I am about to speak.
"The Witness."
Zavala's voice, low and deliberate, breaks the stillness. "Go on."
And so, I do.
CHAPTER 19 END
AN: Used a bit of Ahsa's in-game dialogue as a blueprint for the speech at the end. With Mav now capable of understanding the Traveler, we're heading into territory where headcanon is going to start coming out a lot more. The writers keep the Traveler distant, rarely able to express its own beliefs and reasoning for its actions, so I will simply use my own interpretation. If this drives the story into AU territory, thanks to either me missing some lore or newly revealed lore… well, it's a fanfiction. Reality can be whatever I want. Isn't that right, O reader mine?
Mavriel truly is a lucky bastard. 1000 high quality magic circuits? This bitch about to turn his body into a supercomputer.
Failed Rolls
[Divination - Voice of the Gods - Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (600 points)] (Insufficient Points)