AN: Moon's Haunted. The heat has also been broken at my new place, so I wrote this chapter while freezing my ass off. Took a bit to get it replaced, but it's working now.
Elsie Bray POV, Last Timeline...
The Last City hummed with life, a patchwork of old-world echoes and new-world resilience. It was a place I visited as rarely as possible. Too many eyes, too much noise. No better place to purchase supplies, though.
I kept my hood low, my pace steady but unhurried. The fewer people who noticed me, the better. Most don't. Most have no reason to.
I ignore the ones who do. They always lose interest eventually.
Except this one didn't.
At first, I thought he was just another curious onlooker. He lingered at the edge of my vision as I moved from stall to stall, a shadow I couldn't quite shake.
Then he spoke.
"Elsie Bray."
I whipped around, my hand instinctively going for the hilt of the knife hidden under my cloak. He stood a few paces away, unarmed and entirely too confident for someone who had just said my name aloud in the middle of a crowded market.
I tried to size him up, but he was a strange one. He looked young, with short messy brown hair and dull blue eyes. Pasty white skin, and clothing that was out of fashion even before the Collapse.
I turned away, hoping he'd take the hint.
He didn't.
"Elsie Bray." He said again, softer this time, like he was trying not to spook me.
My first instinct was to disappear, to vanish into the crowd before he could say anything else. But I couldn't ignore the threat.
I turned back to him, my voice low and dangerous. "Who are you? What do you want?"
He held up his hands in a gesture of peace, his expression open, almost guileless. "I'm Mavriel, a Wizard-"
Wrong answer.
I grabbed him by the arm and hauled him into the nearest alleyway, shoving him against the wall before he could protest. My knife was at his throat before he had time to blink.
"How do you know my name?" I demanded.
His eyes widened, and for a moment, I thought he might panic. But instead, he started talking. And he didn't stop.
He spilled everything; things he shouldn't have known, things no one should have known but me. He spoke of timelines, of futures lost. He spoke of the Celestial Grimoire, and the magic it granted him.
I didn't believe him, of course.
But he was persistent.
"I can prove it." He said, his voice steady despite the knife still pressed against his neck.
I hesitated. There was something in his tone, something almost desperate. Not fear, but loneliness.
"Fine." I said, stepping back and lowering my blade. "Prove it."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a stick. A wand, apparently. I almost laughed. But then he started speaking.
He spoke bastardized latin. And when he was done, the rock at our feet wasn't a rock anymore. It was a rat, scurrying away.
The look on his face was… unexpected. He was proud, but not in an arrogant way. He looked like he was hoping for approval, like a child showing off a drawing to their teacher.
I wasn't impressed, but I feigned it well enough.
"Not bad." I said, crossing my arms. "What else can you do?"
His face lit up, and he launched into a series of demonstrations.
He repaired a shattered wall with a muttered word, the cracks sealing themselves as if they'd never been there. He hypnotized a merchant into giving him free food, something I found both amusing and a little alarming.
Those, I had to admit, were more impressive.
By the end of it, I still wasn't sure what to make of him. His power was real, that much was clear. But his story? Jury was out.
"What do you want from me?" I asked him finally.
He hesitated, his earlier confidence faltering. "I don't know." He admitted. "I just… I thought maybe I could help."
There it was again; that loneliness. It was so raw, so achingly familiar, that it made my chest tighten.
I wanted to push him away. But I couldn't. Because the truth was, I was lonely too.
Present Timeline, Mavriel POV:
My feet land on the Lunar soil, my eyes drifting across the landscape and noting the way Darkness saturates the environment. The Light feels choked, and I can tell some form of Hive ritual is suppressing it. A Darkness Zone.
Wonderful.
I take a moment to orient myself, my gaze drifting across the grey expanse. In the distance, other ships deposit Guardians onto the moon's surface. They're scattered, landing hundreds of feet apart, slowly forming teams. To my left, about half a mile away, I spot Sora. She's easy to recognize, her Light more intense than any other Guardian I've seen, except maybe Ikora. Crow is with her, nervousness echoing in his own Light.
The Hive should be swarming the surface, reacting to the Pyramid ship's awakening. This place should be teeming with activity. Instead, there's... nothing. No skittering claws or distant, guttural chants. Just silence.
I ignite my Pyro wings, flames unfurling from my back in a radiant burst. The heat licks at my shoulders as I take to the air, soaring high above the landscape. I land on the jagged peak of a mountain, the elevation giving me a much-needed vantage point.
The Scarlet Keep looms in the distance, a sinister fortress that pulses with malevolent energy. Its spires pierce the sky, jagged and dark, freshly constructed and radiating Hive magic. My eyes narrow as I focus on the structure.
Ritual's to protect the local Hive from the Pyramid influence, spells to choke the Light of Guardian's in the vicinity of the keep… and some form of surveillance spell connected to a network of Hive Shriekers all throughout the area.
The Scarlet keep act's as a giant amplifier for Hive magic. I can see several important looking Hive inside the keep, all participating in the ritual's sustaining the magics.
A mental request to Spectre has my spear appear in my hand, in its unawakened form, sans the large metal parts. Vasavi Shakti seems to only gain the large metal restraints when I intend to use the full activation of the spear.
I depress a button on my gauntlet, transmitting on the general announcement frequency. "Attention all Guardians-" I say, my voice firm. "-That Scarlet Keep seems to be the source of a ritual impairing standard resurrection. Keep close to each other, and use your own Light to jumpstart the resurrection of allies if they fall. Converge on the keep."
The transmission cuts out, leaving the air silent once more.
As I scan the area, I spot movement near the base of the Scarlet Keep. A Hive portal shimmers into existence, its edges crackling with dark energy. From the portal emerges a veritable swarm of Hive. Thralls pour out first, their clawed hands tearing into the ground as they rush forward. Behind them, Acolytes take position, their weapons glowing with anticipation. Knights and Ogres follow.
The Hive are clearly preparing for a fight.
Something's off, though. They seem way too coordinated. Crota's death should have left them without solid leadership.
… Something fishy is going on. I consider using Vasavi Shakti's full release to obliterate the keep, which would definitely throw the Hive into chaos, but I'd rather save it for if someone strong is here, controlling the Hive.
"It's no use…"
I tilt my head to stare at the red humanoid phantom levitating next to me, having appeared when I wasn't looking.
"So that's what a Nightmare looks like." I murmur.
Nightmares are manifestations of Darkness formed from using the Darkness's inherent connection to thought and memories to draw upon past trauma, or even past foes.
My best guess is that this Nightmare is an imitation of someone who died during the Great Disaster, the Vanguard's first attempt to take the Moon from the Hive.
I experimentally wave my hand, passing through the Nightmare. Non-solid.
"He killed Wei… how do we stand any chance?"
"Lovely fellow." Spectre dryly notes from my shoulder.
"It's a psychological attack. Probably would be more effective on someone who actually knew the poor bastard." I comment, my eyes studying the Darkness energy making it up.
"Enogeb." I intone, the energy making up the phantom scattering. Only temporary, I can already tell. More testing will be needed to see if anything in my kit is more effective.
Perhaps a more involved incantation of Backwards magic- fuck it, I'm calling Zatanna's magic Logomancy.
Perhaps a more involved Logomancy spell would be able to handle it. Or maybe the Light can manage?
My wings propel me several dozen feet, landing next to another weak Nightmare. "They're everywhere!" It screams, cowering in place on the ground.
Gunshots echo in the distance as Guardians begin skirmishing with the growing Hive presence. I've got a bit of time before things become truly hectic.
Time to experiment.
Crow POV:
Hawkmoon's cry cuts through the battlefield, sharp and piercing. My shot lands true, the bullet carving through the Ogre's massive eye with deadly precision. The beast lets out a gargled roar, its towering form collapsing in death.
I take a quick breath, steadying myself, and shift my attention to Sora.
She's a force of nature, moving through the Hive with terrifying grace. Every shot from her hand cannon impacts a head and erupts into an explosion of flame, incinerating her targets. She moves like she's dancing, each motion purposeful.
She was pissed off at Mav for something he said, but she seems to have forgotten whatever it was as the 'thrill' of battle fills her.
Her hand cannon spins into its holster as she draws another weapon. This one is monstrous; an intricate fusion rifle crafted from Ahamkara bone. It screeches as she pulls the trigger, sending jagged beams of energy streaking across the battlefield. Wherever those beams land, the Hive are consumed in bursts of flame, entire swarms obliterated in seconds.
Dozens of Thrall, their bodies suffused with a strange reddish energy, pour out of a cavern ahead. Their shrieks fill the air as they charge straight for us, their clawed hands grasping for blood.
I plant my feet firmly, remembering the advice Mavriel drilled into me during training.
"Find the emotion you need." He'd said. "Twist it. Shape it."
He makes it sound so simple, but it's anything but. Still, I close my eyes for half a second, searching for that spark inside me.
The Hive's screams grow closer.
I find it.
Lightning cracks from the sky, a raw, untamed power surging to me as my body becomes a conduit for the Stormtrance. The air hums with energy, and I rise as if carried by invisible strings, my form wreathed in tendrils of electricity.
I thrust my hands forward, and the storm responds. Bolts of lightning surge through the Thrall, disintegrating them in a violent wave of energy. Their forms crumble to ash, mixing into the lunar surface.
In less than ten seconds, the entire horde of Thrall is gone.
When my super ends, Sora moves to take point once more. She dodges incoming fire with ease, the motes of Light from my super rushing toward her like they're drawn to her presence. A metallic device on her cloak glows faintly, some kind of mod that enhances her ability to collect Light.
She leaps into the air, her form silhouetted against the faint glow of the Earth. A bow of pure Void energy forms in her hands, and she fires two Shadowshot arrows in quick succession, each one striking separate groups of Hive and tethering their life forces together
The tethered Hive struggle, their movements sluggish and disjointed, as if the Void itself is siphoning their strength.
Two full power shots from my cannon clear out both groups before Sora even lands.
I step toward the motes of Light she's generated, their warm glow filling me with renewed energy. My reserves recharge, though not completely; maybe two-thirds of the way.
Mavriel talked about this.
"Guardians who trust each other, who understand how to fight together-" He'd explained, "-can create a loop. One uses their super, the others gather the motes. Done right, and with enough Guardians, you can unleash supers almost nonstop."
He wasn't exaggerating. Between Sora and me, we're keeping the momentum going, our Light feeding off each other's efforts.
I think back to Mavriel's explanation for why we can't gather the motes we create ourselves. His first attempt had gone over my head: something about energy signatures and Light harmonics. But his second attempt had been simpler.
"The Light promotes cooperation." He'd said, head tilted slightly as he does when listening to the Traveler's words. He grinned, as if she said something amusing. "The strength of the pack is the wolf. And the strength of the wolf..."
I glance at Sora as she lands gracefully nearby, her eyes scanning the battlefield. She's already calculating our next move, her focus unwavering.
"...is the pack." I murmur, finishing the quote.
We're close now. The Scarlet Keep looms in the distance, the malevolent energy emanating from the fortress a heavy weight pressing down on us..
The telltale sound of a Nova bomb detonating echoes ahead. Seconds later, two more detonate in the distance, coming from the same area. Another pair detonates seconds later.
The sound of Nova Bombs detonating in rapid succession makes the ground tremble beneath our feet. Each explosion radiates with Light, powerful enough to momentarily disrupt the oppressive malevolence pressing down on us from the Scarlet Keep.
Sora's head tilts slightly as she listens to the fading echoes. "That's definitely Mav.," She says, her tone calm but edged with excitement. Battle is what she lives for, it seems.
I nod, gripping Hawkmoon tighter. "Guess we'd better catch up before he wipes out the whole Hive horde on his own."
We move in sync, exiting the narrow lunar crevice that had funneled so many Hive into our line of fire. The terrain opens up as we crest the rise, revealing a sprawling, crater-pocked battlefield.
What we see brings us both to a halt.
Mavriel is a blur of golden fire and death.
He stands at the center of an ocean of Hive, his movements unnaturally fast as he weaves between claw swipes and arcs of Hive magic. His spear, Vasavi Shakti, burns with radiant power, its golden flames illuminating the battlefield like a second sun.
An Ascendant Knight charges at him, cleaver raised high. Mavriel sidesteps effortlessly, flourishing the spear in his hands before thrusting it forward. The weapon pierces through the Knight's chest with a burst of fire, disintegrating its massive form in a blaze of ash and embers.
Behind him, a group of Acolytes unleashes a barrage of Void bolts, their projectiles streaking through the air. Mavriel twirls Vasavi Shakti, the spear's flames leap to form a crystalline protective barrier around him. The Void bolts dissipate harmlessly against the fiery shield.
And then he moves.
In one fluid motion, Mavriel leaps high into the air, his wings of golden flame unfurling behind him. The ornate red gem hanging from his belt glows brightly, and he hurls his spear downward like a thunderbolt. It strikes the ground with cataclysmic force, sending a shockwave of fire rippling outward. The Hive caught in the blast are incinerated instantly, their death screams swallowed by the roar of the flames.
Sora lets out a low whistle. "He's showing off again."
I can't help but grin. "Yeah, but you've gotta admit, it's cool."
As if hearing us, Mavriel glances over his shoulder mid-spin. His glowing eyes meet ours for the briefest moment before he turns back to the battle, effortlessly parrying a Thrall's strike, flames retaliating like whips to ash the nearest Thrall.
"Think he needs our help?" I ask, though I already know the answer.
Sora shakes her head. "Probably not, but where's the fun in letting him have all the glory?"
She draws her fusion rifle, its frame glinting in the moonlight, and takes aim. The weapon screeches as it fires, a sweeping beam of energy cutting through a cluster of Hive attempting to flank Mavriel. The detonation of flame that follows sends the charred Hive tumbling through the air.
Not to be outdone, I raise Hawkmoon and take aim at a distant Wizard hovering above the fray. Its hands are raised, channeling some kind of spell to attack Mav. My first shot hits its shield, cracking it but not breaking through. The following three break it and then stagger it, before finally killing it.
Mavriel's voice cuts through the comms, sharp and commanding. "Crow, Sora, keep your focus. More portals are opening near the base of the Keep. One of Crota's remaining daughters is performing a summoning ritual to bring Hive from across the moon here."
As if on cue, the ground ahead ripples with dark energy, and several Hive portals tear open. From them pour more Thrall, Acolytes, and even a towering Ogre, its tumorous eye glowing with fury.
"Great." I mutter, gripping Hawkmoon tightly.
Sora doesn't hesitate. She leaps into the air, Void energy swirling around her as she draws her bow once more. A Shadowshot arrow flies from her bowstring, striking the Ogre and tethering it to several Acolytes nearby. The Void energy weakens them, slowing their movements and leaving them vulnerable.
I don't waste the opportunity. Lightning surges through me as I activate my super once again. The Stormtrance flows through me once more, tendrils of electricity lashing out and disintegrating the tethered Hive. The Ogre roars in pain as the storm tears through its massive frame, leaving it a smoking husk.
"Mav, we're clear on this side." I call out, the last arcs of lightning fading from my hands.
Mavriel doesn't respond immediately, both hands raised to the sky, and I can feel the Light in the air growing before the clear sky spits out dozens of Arc Lightning bolts, decimating the horde ahead of him. Showoff.
With a flick of his wrist, Vasavi Shakti reappears, and Mavriel lunges for a nearby Knight, the spear cutting through its chitinous armor as if it were paper. The Hive collapses, its body consumed by golden fire.
He twist's his head towards the remaining forces from this wave, maybe 20 assorted acolytes. "Llik sevlesruoy!"
With stiff movements, they turn their weapons upon themselves, unloading shredders and their versions of sniper rifles into vital spots. One manages to resist, shakily straining to turn its weapon on Mav, but a bolt of Arc lightning absentmindedly launched from his off hand deals with the outlier.
Finally, Mavriel turns to us. "Good work. But we're not done yet."
He gestures toward the Scarlet Keep, looming ominously above us. "The Hive are throwing everything they have at us to keep us from reaching the Keep. If we don't disrupt the ritual they're conducting inside, it won't matter how many of them we kill out here."
Sora nods, her determination shining through. "Then we'd better move fast."
Mavriel stows his spear on his back, the flames dissipating as he does. "Much as I enjoy playing one man army, the longer this goes on, the more likely it becomes that someone dies permanently. You two head into the keep and deal with the ritual, I'll keep the army from overwhelming our forces."
With that, he takes to the air, his wings of flame carrying him towards the bulk of the portals summoning Hive in the distance. Sora and I exchange a glance before heading into towards the keep.
CHAPTER 24 END
AN: I wonder who could be unifying the Hive on the moon? Spoiler alert: It's a Savathûn plot. It's always a Savathûn plot.
Thanks to his lack of sufficient points, Mav didn't roll anything this chapter. Praise be, my life is slightly easier.