The residents of the Last City moved about their day-to-day lives; people conversed, speaking softly about events they had heard, while others headed to work.
Others were more reserved. They held glum expressions with heads held high, looking to the Traveler. Children played in the streets, acting out the stories they heard of their great city defenders. Even then, those same Children, when they finished, they held an uneasy air to them.
The Traveler hung overhead, a silent and dead god acting as a protector for the remnants of humanity. Yet its silence offered an uncomfortable answer to those that gazed upon it; many could remember the scarring conflicts that arose throughout the Last City's lifespan, while others could remember the struggles of life outside the city.
Subaru observed silently from a rooftop, staring at the Traveler before turning around and transmatting off the roof.
The further you went out from the center of the city and past the more densely packed areas of the city, past the massive walls surrounding the Last City, you would find a large building of Mexican influence on the outskirts, sparrows, and jump ships parked nearby.
That was where Subaru was headed.
It had been two days since his last mission, and Subaru was hungry for more action even if he had been punished; that drive to prove himself still burned. No matter how much trouble he could or would get into, he always returned to that state of uselessness and needed to prove himself. It was like it was ingrained into his very soul. Subaru pulled up next to the other sparrows parked outside next to the large building. His ride stopped, and he hopped off, heading up to the glass door of the building, grabbed it by the handle, and walked in.
It was bustling; a dozen or so guardians gathered at spread-out tables, some ghost hovering above chatting. Past all those tables at the other end of the room near the staircase that sat off to the very right of the back of the room was a bar with a series of empty chairs and a kitchen beyond that with a doorless doorway into it the kitchen which emerged a well dressed young man carrying a tray of food to a nearby table.
Subaru noted a pathway to his immediate right, which led up to the stairway he could take to avoid walking through the busy aisle. He moved along said pathway, noting the happy laughter and music in the language he lacked any understanding of being played on a stage off to his left by a fellow guardian. Most important of all, however, was the smell; it hit his nose immediately, taking him back for a second. It wasn't unpleasant; it smelled great; he could taste it in the back of his throat. He arrived at the bar, taking a seat. As he did so, a man from within the kitchen noticed him and walked out of view momentarily before reappearing from the kitchen's doorless entrance and stepping in front of the bar.
The man was muscular, stood a head taller than Subaru if he was standing up, and had a tanned brown complexion. His hazelnut-colored eyes stared into Subaru's fixated as his firm jawline gave him a slight authoritative look; on his upper lip was a fat caterpillar of a mustache, thick and well-groomed much like the man's combed short hair on top of his head. The man wore attire fit for a kitchen, dressed in a black collared shirt with a red tie, black pants, and dress shoes.
The man let out a sniffle and shook his head. He sighed and placed his hands on the bar, "What can I get for you?" His voice was deep and collected.
"I was, um, told this is where Alejandro lived," Subaru said nervously, "But all I see is a restaurant?"
The man snorted and cracked a smile; he muttered, "They always fucking say that," before answering Subaru, "Alejandro lives here; this place doubles as our home; now, what do you want with my boy?"
Subaru perked up at the last bit of the man's sentence, "Boy? Is he your kid? But you don't, uh. Well, he's green, and uhhhh," He began to stumble over his words, earning a loud laugh from the man.
The man's tough exterior faded, and he took a more relaxed posture. As he finished laughing, he couldn't help but keep a broad smile, "Yeah, I get that a lot. Alejandro is adopted, but he is familia nonetheless," The man stood up straight and offered out his hand, "The name's Miguel, I have more kids than I can keep track of, but I love them all. What's your name?"
Subaru took the hand and shook it, "It's nice to meet you, Miguel," though as he went to speak the words of his name, hesitation ran rampant. Pressure built up in his throat as he earned a curious stare from Miguel; Subaru's lips quivered between a neutral position and an awkward smile, "S-S-Su-Subaru…." He managed to sputter out as he let go of the hand. Even after naming himself, he still felt uncomfortable speaking it. It felt unearned if he had to label it.
He couldn't help but wonder if something was wrong with himself.
"Well, Subaru, I will let Alejandro know you're here."
Miguel stepped away from the bar and quickly headed up the stairs nearby, his footsteps loud and heavy as he made a genuine pace to his movements. After a minute, Miguel returned and approached Subaru, "He'll be down in a few, but in the meantime can I get you anything to drink? I got all sorts of booze and soft drinks you could try?"
"No, but thank you," Subaru didn't consider himself much of a drinker and, in general, felt no desire to be drinking anything at the moment, alcoholic beverage or not. Miguel headed back into the kitchen, leaving Subaru to sit by himself, occasionally turning his head awkwardly to the right and left while his hands tapped away the surface of the bar counter.
After close to fifteen minutes and a few guardians leaving, did Alejandro appear to be rushing down the stairs wearing his gear? Notably, his hair was freshly wet, "Hey! There's my new fireteam member! How are you doing, my amigo?"
Subaru stood up, cracking a hesitant smile as Alejandro approached.
Subaru noticed Alejandro sniffed the air puzzledly for a second but didn't say anything; he ignored it, "I am doing great, Alejandro," Subaru extended his hand out, "I go by Subaru now, so you-" Alejandro took his hand and pulled him into a hug, a hand patting Subaru on the back firmly before being let go.
"Subaru, eh? Nice name, I guess. Doesn't change how much of a stupid pendejo you are," Alejandro leaned onto the bar counter smiling proudly, "So, you ready to learn?"
Subaru gave a soft nod remembering why he came here in the first place; Alejandro had offered him some training and a place to practice his powers with relative peace and quiet. A casual glance at the people gathered here made him wonder what Alejandro thought was quiet, "So how are we doing this?"
Alejandro stopped leaning against the counter and gestured for Subaru to follow. The two headed up the stairs and walked through a hallway passing many doors before heading down another flight of stairs into what looked like a living room space. Subaru didn't get a good look at it, but it seemed comfy enough.
"Does your whole family live here?"
"No, only a few live here."
They headed outside, stepping onto a large backyard patio with a few chairs and table setup; what lay before Subaru was a large fenced-off backyard. Near the end of said backyard, towards the right corner of the fencing, was a shack.
Notably, however, past the fencing was a field of solar panels. Subaru couldn't help but wonder what they were powering.
The two continued walking towards the shack; when they reached it, Alejandro opened the door and told Subaru to wait. After a minute, he returned and held a metal box with a simple combination lock around it, "So, what are we doing?"
Alejandro stepped off to the side, placing the box down as he crouched down, working on the combination lock, "Simple, I reviewed your provided combat footage and mine," Subaru eyes widened at the statement.
"Mine? I don't think I even recorded or provided you anything?" As he said that, Sancho appeared over Alejandro's shoulders, looking Subaru in the eye.
"I asked your ghost for your footage," Sancho dryly answered as he turned to look over Alejandro's shoulders, "Alejandro here merely observed where your deficiencies lay and have taken steps to fix that. However, I disagree with what he has planned."
The combination lock to the box popped open, "Hey now, don't go spoiling my plan. This method is the best way for him to learn," Alejandro lifted the lid and reached inside with how he was positioned; Subaru could not exactly see what he grabbed. Even when he stood and approached, Alejandro persistently kept the object obscured, "Open up the palms of your hands," Subaru reluctantly obliged his fellow guardian.
A sensation formed in the core of his being that told Subaru he was going to hate whatever hair-brained idea Alejandro had hatched in his head. A weight entered the palm of his hands, but Alejandro still obscured the object as he forced Subaru to grip onto what felt like an oddly lumpy but hardball.
"So, amigo, have you ever focused your light before?" Alejandro asked as he kept a firm grip on Subaru's hands.
Subaru's expression switched to one puzzled; his brow raised as he thought about what that meant. After a minute, he hesitantly answered, "Like when I throw a void grenade or my super?"
"So, no, I guess you really don't know how to really work your light," Alejandro chuckled, "Well, I figured as much. While reviewing the footage, I noticed you used up a lot of ammo trying to take down your foes, while not much of an issue when fighting Fallen. Hive, however, is a different story, following so far?"
Subaru wasn't sure what that first part meant, but he silently followed what Alejandro said. He did understand the second half, his mind briefly flashing an image of the dead ghost, "So, we guardians have some kickass powers, right? We use the light to do all these fancy actions, and if you know how to do so properly, you can apply your light to other objects."
"Right," Subaru answered; he could get that under wraps. It sounded like it would make his weapons have a lot more of a kick to them.
Alejandro chuckled again, "So, I noticed you carelessly use a lot of your light. Now I've never seen you exhausted, but that's probably because you were too high on adrenaline to notice. But one of these days, if you keep hucking void grenades or nova bombs willy-nilly, it'll catch you off guard. You'll be exhausted," Alejandro's hands moved a bit, grabbing onto something Subaru couldn't see thoroughly, but it almost looked like a pin, "So, I figured I am going to teach you how to apply your light more practically."
"Oh, okay-" Subaru didn't finish his sentence as he heard a slight click, and Alejandro removed his hands; he spun a silver metal pin on his pointer finger as he wore a wide grin. Subaru's eyes focused on what was now in his hands, a small round green object with a small handle, "Uhhh," It took his brain a moment to process what he was looking at, then his attention snapped to Alejandro, "The hell are you trying to kill me? This is a live hand grenade!" He shouted in a panic but mindful enough to keep his hands on the now-armed explosive.
Alejandro proudly puffed up his chest and smirked at Subaru, "Yep, you'll keep trying with these live hand grenades. That way, you'll learn how to apply your light to other objects and cut out some of the hassles regarding your void grenades. Why waste all that light when you can apply it to already explosive material," As Alejandro spoke, he also moved towards the metal box, grabbing it and moving further away from Subaru.
"You got this, amigo!" Alejandro shouted as he gave thumbs up, only for Subaru to glare at him with confusion, panic, and anger.
"YOU HANDED ME A LIVE HAND GRENADE! YOU ABSOLUTE ASSHOLE!" Subaru exasperatedly yelled as he looked back to the live explosive, his hands tightening as he focused on putting his light into the object. Sweat ran down his face as he narrowed his brows and concentrated on the grenade.
The grenade trembled between Subaru's unsteady hands; he could feel the light coursing through his body in a way it hadn't before. Before this, it felt easier to naturally manifest it through a void grenade or a nova bomb or to fly, but now? It felt like the energy needed to be corralled into place as if he needed to exert more effort into this action.
"I…." Subaru spoke one word at a time, his hands shaking as he kept a steady grip, "Think…." He could feel the light moving through him, "I got this!" He proclaimed to no one in particular only as he said that proclamation; however, the grenade he was trying to imbue with his light did not fill, and his hands slipped a second after.
The spoon of the grenade fell to the ground with a soft thud. The wind whistled in Subaru's ears as he stared at the hand grenade.
"Eh-" Subaru managed to get out, his brain finally catching up as the grenade violently detonated in the palm of his hand. The blast ripped his appendages to shreds while shrapnel dug into his body and face taking out his vision as he was sure he fell back and then nothing. For a brief moment, he saw a blue-tinted version of the area he stood around, and then he heard that familiar noise from his ghost, and in a flash, his eyes opened up, and he pushed himself off the ground.
Subaru dusted off the dirt and smoke in his torso and legs, groaning, "THINK FAST!" However, he barely had time to react as another grenade came flying towards him, doming him right into the side of his head, falling on his side, gasping in a brief pain as he rolled onto his back and glared at Alejandro.
Alejandro wore a confident smirk as he casually juggled a hand grenade with a single hand, "If you can catch a hand grenade, you can catch anything."
At least Subaru wasn't the only one glaring at Alejandro; Sancho, too, was sending his partner an intense glare. However, Alejandro didn't seem deterred by the glares.
Subaru grumbled and got back up, rubbing the side of his head while reaching down for the grenade at his feet, "Damn bastard," He muttered.
If this was what training would be like, he almost preferred the prospect of being swarmed by Hive thralls.
At least they didn't talk.
As time progressed, Subaru continued to try and focus his light on the hand grenades he was given; the sounds of the explosives going off drew out the many occupants from inside. Many of them watched from the fencing or windows; it was quiet, with slight murmuring amongst the watchers.
Subaru felt ragged and exhausted even after each revival. He had gone through at least forty grenades and created a small crater in Alejandro's backyard. Subaru clutched the hand grenade tightly, his skin tingling as all eyes were on him.
The Light moved through his body once more, though strained, requiring more effort to gather and utilize it. Subaru's hands shook, the mental fatigue catching on, his vision beginning to blur with a lightheaded sensation picking up. The grenade between the palms of his hands trembled, and light collected in the palms of Subaru's hands, shakingly reaching out into the object he wished to imbue with his power.
However, the constant trembling, shaking, and fatigue took its toll on Subaru. The grenade slipped out from his hands and fell onto the ground, fuse now lit. Subaru attempted to bolt, yet his footing slipped, and he stumbled only for the swift detention of the grenade to propel him forward across the backyard. He landed face first and rolled onto his back, staring at the sky as he felt blood leaving his body.
Slowly the world grew colder.
His vision began to fade.
Then nothing.
For a time.
Subaru awoke to the night sky; sitting up, he took a deep breath and slumped his shoulders. Ghost sat hovering next to him, silently observing his movements, "Welcome back, amigo," Subaru craned his head over his shoulder to see Alejandro standing behind him with a warm smile and a hand offered out.
Subaru turned and took the hand, using it to pull himself up. Once on his two legs, he stepped back from Alejandro and noticed the table on the backyard patio, a plate of food set out, and a glass of golden bronze liquid.
"Food?" Was the first word out of Subaru's mouth as he glanced back at Alejandro.
Alejandro grinned over his shoulder and chuckled, "Yeah, yeah. Food. Got you a plate and everything," He stepped to the side, allowing Subaru to sit at the outdoor table.
The food was appetizing to stare at, five flour tortillas stuffed with cheese, beef, lettuce, and chopped onions. He couldn't wait a moment longer before he dug into the food, the first bite hit his mouth, and he savored the savory flavor of the meat.
It had a nice kick to it.
Most of all, it was fresh and warm.
"Figured you'd enjoy a nice warm meal," Alejandro spoke with an amused tone as he sat next to Subaru, "We were closing up, and I asked if I could get a plate for you, you know, waste not and all that."
Subaru swallowed the food in his mouth and reached for the drink; he didn't know what it was and didn't care much to ask. When the liquid hit his taste buds, he was washed with a sweet apple-like flavor. It was enjoyable, and he could help but chug the glass until it was empty.
"It tastes good, yeah?" Alejandro politely asked.
Subaru held a hand to his mouth and burped into it, and he gave a slight nod.
"Yeah, that apple cider is pretty good; this nice couple happens to sell the stuff all the time," Subaru nodded in agreement with Alejandro's statement. He took another bite of food as the hunter spoke, "You know, we haven't gotten to know each other much. I don't blame you if you're just nodding to get me to shut up."
Subaru didn't respond.
A sigh followed, and Alejandro leaned onto the table, "Bustin' my balls today, brutally honest, such a cruel man," He feigned a defeated tone while shooting Subaru a sly smile.
Subaru ignored Alejandro and reached for the next taco, slowly lifting it and taking a bite as he gave the man an awkward side eye. He just wanted to eat his food in peace.
"You know Nivá isn't that bad of a person, right? I know you and her don't exactly have the best of introductions, but," Alejandro paused and shook his head, "You know she isn't so bad once you get to know her," Subaru looked away from Alejandro, his gaze shifting off to the ground.
Subaru snorted, "Yeah, I am sure all those deaths were just a misunderstanding," Subaru reached for his glass, "And the ass kickings, too," He added.
"Well," Alejandro's expression changed, his eyes thinking and jaw shifting as he thought about what to say. "I mean, you did deserve it," He added the last part with a bit of hesitation, earning a glare from Subaru. Alejandro raised his hands defensively, "Listen, amigo, you were kind of being an ass, and I think you kind of acknowledge that," He gestured to Subaru.
Subaru glumly looked down, his head lowering, "See what I mean? Anyways, you were saying stuff about a great hero to our wonderful Last City; Nivá idolized that man a lot, a real personal hero for her, sure, but I think anyone would've done what she did in her place. Saint was a damn hero, you know? Like an absolute legend."
A pit in Subaru's stomach formed; his hands clasped his drink tightly as his eyes avoided looking at Alejandro. Ghost materialized above his shoulder, chipping in on the conversation, "He's right partner. Saint was a hero, and I should know I met him."
Subaru internally cursed as Alejandro gazed at his ghost, "You met him, little guy?"
"Yep! I remember having a charming conversation oooooh a few centuries ago, I believe? Well before his disappearance," Ghost explained; he then floated and nudged Subaru, "He told me never to give up searching, and I didn't. Eventually, I found you! Well, give or take a century or two, and scanning most of the cosmodrome. I scanned waaaay too much!" His laced with a thick layer of nostalgia.
Subaru couldn't help but smile and roll his eyes at his ghost, "You scanned that much for me? A worthless pile of meat?" Even if he found his partner amusing, it didn't change how he felt inside; the constant slurry of emotions that made up Subaru could be best described as inconsistent and unstable. Ghost floated back and looked worriedly at Subaru, "What am I wrong? I keep messing up, and really what I have done so far."
"Partner-"
Alejandro interrupted the moment, "Phew, and I thought I was self-deprecating," He earned both sets of eyes on him, glaring at him, "What? All I am saying is you, my amigo, you're getting a pep-talk from your ghost, and here you are throwing it to the side. What's next? You will tell me not to go to the Tower tomorrow?" He added quietly, "How the hell did we get to talking about your self-esteem, amigo."
Subaru looked away and sighed. He took a swig of his drink, placing the glass back down and pinching the bridge of his nose; he closed his eyes, processing what was just said. He wasn't sure what that last bit was about, but Alejandro wasn't wrong.
But could he change?
Subaru cursed himself and lowered his head.
"Subaru, I am not trying to be a dick. However, you, my amigo, have some problems. I don't think I can help fix them; that's on you to figure out what's going on up in that head of yours and get it in order. Maybe also listen to ghost too. He cares a lot about you, dude," Alejandro spoke, placing a hand on Subaru's shoulder and giving him a firm pat.
"Thanks, Alejandro, though frankly, you could've been more tact," Ghost chimed.
"I've been telling him that for years," Sancho said as he joined in on the conversation.
Subaru let out an audible sigh and opened his eyes. He gazed at the talking group and coughed into his hand, clearing his throat, "Listen, I think I just want to eat in peace. Maybe talk about this some other time, guys?"
All eyes fell on him, then one another. Sancho dematerialized, and Ghost looked away before dematerializing and leaving Alejandro the only one left.
"Do you have anything else to add?" Subaru asked, hoping that Alejandro would say no.
Alejandro sat there momentarily quiet, his eyes narrowing as he thought about it; after a minute, he stood up from the seat, "Well, finish eating," He stepped away, heading for the backdoor Subaru's eyes followed his movements. As he opened the door and stepped inside, Alejandro turned around, "The Vanguard's got a mission for us," That said, the door closed, leaving Subaru to his silence.
/.\./.\
Subaru sat quietly in his ship, resting in his seat as he occasionally ensured he kept on course with Nivá and Alejandro's ships as they entered the earth's orbit. His fingers tapped along the arms of his chair as his comms blared to life. Alejandro's voice came through, "Alright, we're heading back to the moon hope you all are prepared; we're going to be doing a heist!"
"A heist?"
"Yep, that information Subaru's Ghost pulled off of that dead one revealed the hive has a massive-"
"Do you mind if I cut in?"
"Huh?" Alejandro spoke, confused by the sudden interruptions
"I retained a copy of the data, and I think I can get this across faster and more concisely… If you don't mind," Ghost spoke awkwardly, sheepishly floating about the cockpit of the jumpship.
"He has a point," Sancho chimed in with a small snort being heard from Nivá's end.
A moment of silence followed. Alejandro said nothing, "Well… Go right ahead then," Alejandro said almost dejectedly, "I'll get us on course to the moon, line-stealing little bastard," muttering the last part under his breath.
"Thank you," Ghost said, "Well, we are not currently aware of the Hive's current plans; from what we've seen, it can't be good. That dead guardian and his ghost had gained information about a massive library called the World's Grave. A repository of information including what they know about Earth."
Subaru spoke up as he adjusted his gaze to his floating companion, "So, we bust in there and steal the information?"
"Exactly," Ghost said with excitement, "As much as we could possibly gather, we just have to be able to force our way in. We'll need to find an ancient knight who protects the Grave to do that. Thankfully I can lead us to him; you just need to do your thing and blow this Gravekeeper up."
Subaru squinted at his ghost, wondering if that was an attempt at humor.
"Should not be a problem. You have me after all," Nivá spoke boastfully, "The Hive will die like little babies, crying much like Subaru."
Subaru lips curled into a snarl; he held back the urge to say something and shook his head to clear the thoughts. From that point forward, he tuned out the conversation, only checking back in once they exited from the jump.
Subaru, Nivá, and Alejandro transmatted onto the moon's surface. The moon's surface kicked up dust as the fireteam stood not far from the Archer's Line, a waypoint ahead of them. Their movements are quick, preceding up the hill and heading for a building Subaru had passed on his last adventure in the area.
An unnatural silence blanketed the landscape, not a single Fallen or Hive in sight for them to fight. Arriving at the round building, they headed inside, heading for a large opening in the structure that led further into a small valley where exposed Hive structures stood out against the moon's surface.
A glowing green symbol marked the entrance to the Hive structure, Subaru had no idea what it could mean, and he was sure the others didn't either. But a part of him wondered if it was some denotation of purpose or an identifying mark similar to the symbol used by the Fallen and their houses. Of course, he didn't have time to ponder such questions and headed into the entrance of what was surely a massive hive complex.
The descent began as Subaru kept a steady pace behind Nivá and Alejandro, the first room they entered was silent and orange illumination from hive lanterns provided light. A central spire sat in the room, hosting what looked like cocoons or potentially eggs, whatever they were. He hoped that they wouldn't be a problem.
"I'm taking more scans now. The Hive really tore up the moon. There are so many catacombs here! What is all this for?" Ghost chimed through comms.
"Another million glimmer questions, we'll find out once we steal from this World's Grave," Nivá spoke over comms.
The question made Subaru's spine run cold the thought had never occurred to him what the Hive were exactly doing down here; what exactly were all these catacombs and temples for? Descending around the central spire was one quick jump before landing on the carved-out cavern floor; Subaru noticed a pool of water and more of those sacks. The urge to shoot or prod them nagged at the back of his brain though he resisted the intrusive thought nonetheless.
The fireteam would then head straight for a large passageway opening up into a large chamber filled with Hive. Acolyte's attention snapped straight to them; the howls and wicked cries of the Hive echoed throughout the room. Bolts of arc energy soared through the air, the accuracy of which thankfully was missing them, if only by a small margin. Nivá leaped forward, arc energy coursing around her body and smashing into an unfortunate duo of acolytes.
More foes poured into the room from a nearby hallway, around three dozen new combatants consisting of thralls, acolytes, and knights. Nivá looked at the oncoming horde, unholstered her shotgun, and met them head-on.
Alejandro followed behind Nivá, his agile and athletic frame granting him unparalleled maneuverability as he ducked and weaved. His hand cannon fired off round after round into the knees of acolytes before a swift stab to the skull from his combat knife.
Subaru, however, remained back, laying down a suppressing fire, his rounds finding marks on the exposed sides of his foes. A knight equipped with its cleaver and a shield, its three unholy glowing eyes narrowed as it spotted Subaru. It let out a howl; shield raised forward as it charged through the group knocking aside allies. Subaru pulled back as the knight closed the distance; he landed shots on the shield, the damage it was taking creating glowing green cracks upon its chitinous surface.
It wasn't enough to break it; the knight closed in and swung its shield, batting Subaru across the air and into a wall, landing on the ground with a thud as his rifle landed a few feet away. It approached Subaru, who still breathed and began to get up. He brought his gaze to the knight as it closed the distance again, its sword raised high as it soon came down for a finishing swing.
Subaru gritted his teeth and channeled energy into the palm of his hand, void coalescing into the palm of his hand as it met with the blade of the knight. A loud boom followed the Hive cleaver shattered the fragments scarred with the fading glow of void energy. The knight stumbled back, howling in rage at its broken blade. However, Subaru's arm was torn apart in the process, leaving nothing but a gnarled mess of scorched skin and armor. Subaru didn't waste the opportunity to get back up and follow up with another punch; however, this time, his arm was not torn to shreds by the void energy.
The knight stumbled back, its carapace searing. Subaru dived for his rifle; as the knight regained its barrings, Subaru held his rifle with one hand and opened fire into the searing chitin, the rounds penetrating and hitting the insides of the knight. Subaru held the trigger until his rifle stopped pumping rounds out; he heard a click and gritted his teeth. The knight howled, taking slow steps towards Subaru. It raised the sword back weakly, and Subaru looked away, expecting the blade to come down at any moment, but it didn't.
Subaru looked back to the knight and saw it standing there stiff and slowly began to fall forward. He rolled out of the way as the body landed face first; Subaru lay there looking at the body swearing to himself in relief. Ghost appeared and floated over to his arm, "Alright, let's get this fixed."
The battle began to die down, Alejandro and Nivá 's swift movements whittling down the horde to nothing.
Subaru laid back, panting as his ghost fixed his arm and armor, knitting flesh and popping bones back into place as the material of his armor was fixed from his ghost's stores of materials. After a few minutes, Subaru got up and dusted himself off, Ghost floating to examine some of the Hive corpses.
Subaru stepped up to his fireteam, rolling his arm as his shoulder made a small pop. He took note of the environment noting how the interior of the Hive's base of operation blended the rock of the moon as well as… Well. He wasn't quite sure what material the Hive used when constructing this place, but it had an almost organic feeling if he put it into words.
Very fitting for what was a bunch of killer space bugs.
But Subaru wasn't sure if that was better or worse. Stepping out of his thoughts, he tuned back in on reality and looked to see what his ghost was doing.
"I wasn't expecting this place to be a necropolis. And they weren't expecting us, strange if you ask me. I figured after last time they'd…." Ghost said as he examined the body of a Hive acolyte, "Alright, let's go kill the Gravekeeper. It isn't too far from us," he floated back to Subaru and disappeared.
The fireteam continued their trek into the hive necropolis, moving through winding tunnels before coming out on the entrance leading into an expansive open balcony. Off to the side was a gaping hole leading down into the depths of the moon.
"Seeing the Hellmouth up close… The Hive must have spent millennia working on this place. How many resources did they pour into it?" Sancho commented with a hint of wonder and a tinge of fear.
"Putting a lot into perspective, isn't it?" Alejandro added.
Subaru hopped off a small ledge, still staying behind Alejandro and Nivá. His grip tightened on his rifle as his eyes narrowed. The lack of Hive immediately swarming them put his nerves on edge; he was confident the others felt that way too. However, their target was close; perhaps this portion of the Hive's subterranean base of operations was less guarded or simply held a different value in the enigmatic minds of the Hive.
It was a quick walk as they approached a small sectioned-off structure with a massive set of chains leading down from the surface into the ground. A Hive knight bowing before it and a wizard floating in the air ominously chanting. Religious purposes were not what Subaru had in mind when standing before a giant chain, but he shouldn't worry about that. What did unnerve him, however, was that neither foe seemed to notice their presence. That was until Alejandro went in for the kill, throwing knives at the wizard and breaking its solar shield in one swift move as it wailed like a banshee. However, Subaru didn't follow up on Alejandro's actions; instead, he followed Nivá's, who charged forth at the alerted Gravekeeper. Its crimson carapace tattered and weathered from time as it swung its sword at Nivá.
However, the titan ducked below the swing, hitting the knight in the stomach, only for a backhand to send Nivá flying back. Subaru opened fire on the knight, his rifle hosing the enemy down in a rain of hot metal. The bullets bounced off the carapace despite its weathered appearance; it was tougher than it looked. The Gravekeeper howled, making a move to turn toward Subaru, but Alejandro came around from behind, taking potshots at the exposed back of the knight as he ran towards it. Irritated, the Gravekeeper swung back around, attempting to grab Alejandro, only for the hunter to jump onto its thick arm and leap over it, landing behind the knight once more and firing rounds into its back.
Subaru had lined up his next shot as the knight turned around to swing again at Alejandro. The hunter ducked below the jagged sword as Subaru pulled the trigger; a small burst fired off, the rounds smacking across the knight's face sending its head jerking back as it howled angrily. Its head snapped back immediately, pulling its free hand from its monstrous face exposing the lack of a left eye. The knight snarled, but its remaining eyes showed signs of shock as it found the world turning upside down.
Nivá had come from behind, putting the Hive knight in a suplex. The ground cracked from the force put into the move; Nivá threw off the knight's body and stood tall, huffing as she looked down at the knight, "Not so tough, if you ask me," Nivá spat.
Subaru and Alejandro moved up, eyeing the unmoving body of the knight. Alejandro stepped on the chest of the fallen Hive while Sancho appeared and examined the corpse looking through the variety of small trinkets attached to the waist of the knight before grabbing one of the trinkets; Sancho then disappeared.
"We have the key," Sancho declared.
Subaru gave one last glance at the Gravekeeper; he approached the corpse and gave it a slight kick in the side. After a minute, he stepped back and joined up with his fireteam.
Ghost spoke up over comms, "The path ahead should lead us to the Grave… Not our grave, but the World's Grave," A small waypoint marked the way forward, just ahead on the other side of the balcony, a passage leading to their target.
"Is anyone else feeling we ended up doing this a bit too easily? Maybe the Hive is on vacation?" Alejandro, in a half-joking manner, asked. One didn't need to see his face to know he was smiling.
"Yes, very much," Subaru responded though not to the last part; as they entered the small passageway, Nivá took point as the howls of Hive thralls became clear, "Well, there's some Hive for you, Alejandro," It wasn't of any threat to them as Nivá charged through them arc energy crackling around her body as thralls disintegrated the screams of the thralls the last fading traces of their existence.
"I think the Hive might have their forces focused elsewhere, and who knows how many are on Earth," Ghost theorized but quickly added, "We've most likely struck at a time they weren't expecting, or they are overconfident in that we wouldn't strike so they didn't station many forces here. Either way, we're not exactly a marching army, so we have the element of surprise on our side."
"But we sure are making noise," Sancho dryly pointed out.
"Enough chit-chat. We have a job to do," Nivá bluntly growled as she continued the charge head-on.
The fireteam headed into the next chamber, fighting their way up a staircase as they reached the entrance housing the World's Grave; Subaru felt a sensation like that from the cosmodrome. He shivered, knowing it was another darkness zone they had entered. Before them was a group of seven Hive kneeling arms stretched out towards the golden pillar at the back end of the room in the form of apparent worship.
"That's the Grave! Clear out the Hive!"
Two knights and two acolytes closest to the World's Grave on a raised platform, another three acolytes on the lower level right in front of a pool of water; at least Subaru assumed it was water. It would be a brief fight.
Subaru stared at the golden pillar, his nerves tingling as he cautiously eyed the World's Grave, "Hmm, figured it would be uh bigger and a library and not so… phallic?" Alejandro commented from behind, earning a brief confused glance from Subaru, followed by Nivá slapping the hunter on the back of the head. Subaru turned his attention back to the World's Grave. He took a few more steps towards it and opened the palm of his hand. His ghost appeared and flew right up to it, hitting with it a small beam of energy, analyzing the structure.
Ghost turned around and faced the fireteam, "It's going to take a bit, the Hive has it encrypted, and I am not sure how long it will take."
"Not an issue. If the Hive comes, we'll defeat them," Nivá confidently spoke as she punched a fist into the palm of her left hand.
Alejandro focused on the room's layout, which Subaru noticed and commented, "How defensible is our position? Think we can hunker down around Ghost?"
"Decently defendable wish we had more cover, though, but the Hive got one way in," Alejandro pointed to the path they entered from, "There isn't anywhere else they can come from; Nivá and I will move around the most… You," Alejandro paused and looked at Subaru and the surrounding area, "Well, we don't have a lot of room to work with but try to stay close to your ghost."
Subaru nodded and looked back at his Ghost, "I think we're ready."
"The moment I break-in, the Hive will be all over us. Be prepared." Ghost answered back as it continued working away at the Hive's encryption.
The team took up their positions in the room, and as Ghost said, the Hive would be on them the moment he broke in. They were howling in anger as they first poured in from the entrance. Simple thralls led the charge, with acolytes following behind, providing fire support.
Nivá let the thralls get in close; using her shotgun, she fired off rounds blasting apart the frail Hive thralls. Those that flanked her found a fist punching through their skull or a shoulder crushing the bones in their face.
The pool of water rippled, distorting as thrall claws emerged from below its surface. Subaru's eyes widened, the mind-breaking sight confusing him only momentarily as his instincts kicked in, making him backpedal up the platform and get closer to his ghost. At the same time, his rifle unloaded rounds at the emerging thralls now being followed by acolytes.
"They're rising out of the water," Subaru yelled as he did his best to keep his cool; all the while, more acolytes and thralls poured into the room for every foe that died to the fireteam, and more arose to take their place.
Alejandro clicked his tongue, jumping over an acolyte while throwing a grenade down between the legs of a thrall, "Yeah, I see that. Nivá, do your thing!"
Nivá jumped into the air; at the peak of her jump, her body crackled with arc energy. Defying the laws of physics, she flew forward like a human missile crashing between the horde of emerging Hive.
Despite the effort of Nivá, more Hive began to emerge from the ankle-deep pool; Nivá clicked her tongue and kicked the head off the first knight, attempting to pull itself out of the water.
The Hive began to break out of the pool, a few thralls lunging at Nivá, which she casually punched their heads off, while a combined effort from Subaru and Alejandro gunned down acolytes and the occasional knight.
Nivá eventually got out of the pool of water; as Hive began to pour in from the entrance on the right faint but growing howls and screams could be heard from outside the room, along with the occasional roar.
Those sounds drew ever closer to their position.
"There's so much information! T-they've broken the Bekenstein limit!"
"The what?" Subaru questioned his ghost as he put down an acolyte with a bullet to the head.
"It's a limit on-" A stray round from an acolyte zoomed dangerously close to Ghost, his shell jumping a bit as he kept up his theft of Hive data, "Oh! I'll just tell you later!" Ghost shouted, "Just keep them off my shell!"
Subar complied with his partner's request, returning fire on the acolytes and chucking a void grenade at the feet of charging thralls. The blast consumes the lesser Hive.
A loud, overbearing series of howls drew the attention of the fireteam once more to the upper platform and the doorway they came from. A knight stood in the middle of the doorway; its carapace weathered, an eye missing as thralls flanked in from its sides, the horde of lesser Hive loudly screaming and howling, drowning most other sounds.
Subaru's body froze briefly at the sight of the knight, only to begin moving as thralls swarmed towards his position like rabid animals.
The Gravekeeper was alive and angry, his remaining two eyes narrowing in on the group as it spoke in its foul tongue, loud enough to be heard over the howls of the lesser Hive. But only one word was understandable, "Aiat."
"Uh, shouldn't he be dead?" Subaru worriedly spoke as he jumped back into the air from a lunging thrall.
The thrall's head jerked to the side, and its body fell to the ground, a knife lodged in its skull, "Yeah, he should. Tough bastard, eh?" Alejandro commented as he slid past the dead thrall, grabbing the knife from its head before jumping into the air, and spinning around to throw the knife into pursuing thralls, "Nivá, think you can handle him?"
Nivá shotgun blasted a hole through the torso of an acolyte; her head swiveled and snapped to the gatekeeper knight. Her body moved with the intent to kill. She plowed through thralls trampling them beneath her foot.
Subaru lobbed a void grenade between a horde of thralls and watched as Nivá engaged the knight, the fireteams titan swinging with a sharp right hook coated in void energy. Certainly, an already injured foe would not survive or dodge such a blow, but this knight allowed Nivá to get in close and punch it right in the gut.
The Gravekeeper's feet didn't budge an inch, its green hate-filled eyes leering down at a Nivá who, no doubt, in return, was giving the same look back. Nivá jumped back, as did the knight, before Nivá charged back in blows blocked by the knight. The knight held both of her hands, slowly crushing both with its mighty strength. The titan growled, reared her head back, and slammed it straight into the Gravekeepers chest.
The Gravekeeper stumbled back, letting go of Nivá 's hands, allowing the titan to charge in for another punch. Only the knight caught that fist and growled, staring Nivá in the eyes as he began to twist the titan's arm. Armor cracked, and metal yielded, the whirring of mechanical components shattering as Nivá was stubbornly brought to her knees. Yet she did not cry out as the Gravekeeper got its claw around her neck and snapped it.
Subaru watched a little horrified at the sight of the injured Gravekeeper manhandling Nivá, the brief moment of distraction allowing a thrall to pounce on him. But before it could land, the thunderous crack of Alejandro's hand cannon blew the head off the thrall. Yet even after being saved, Subaru did not move; he stood silently watching the knight lift Nivá corpse with one arm chanting something in its foul tongue.
"Stop that knight! It's going to draw out her ghost!" Sancho exclaimed over the comms.
"Subaru, what the hell are you doing?" Alejandro screamed as he avoided the sharp claws of a thrall.
Yet these cries fell deaf to Subaru.
It was an indescribable sensation to Subaru, a feeling in the very core of his being. At the same time, he swore he heard whispers in his ears.
"M. L..e"
"S.b.r."
"R.n"
His muscles tensed, and his body spurned into moving. Subaru jumped from his position into the air, gliding as he beelined for the Gravekeeper.
Subaru rushed in head first, screaming in rage, adrenaline pumping through his veins, as he fired upon the Gravekeeper. The bullets cracked and chipped away its chitin while the knight howled in anger, its ritual interrupted as it swung its gaze at Subaru, "Aiat!" It spoke as it closed the distance between them. As the knight came in for a swing using Nivá's corpse as an impromptu sword, Subaru ducked below it and, slid through the gap between its legs, and got up just as swiftly to turn around and unload into its exposed and cracked back—the rounds impact, creaking more fractures and chipping away pieces of chitin.
The Gravekeeper swung around again, holding Nivá's body by the ankle. Subaru had lined up his neck shot in a matter of seconds; a single round fired from his rifle smacked the right eye of the Hive knight, and just in time for Subaru to duck as the body passed over him, hitting the wall, shattering and breaking apart the corpse, pieces of armor falling to the ground. In the brief seconds available, Subaru slid forward to grab a shard of Nivá's armor; propping himself up, he rushed forward and stabbed it into one of the cracks on the side of the Gravekeeper.
The Gravekeeper howled, head arching back as it dropped Nivá's dead body, its singular middle eye wide with pain. Subaru moved to shoot the knight in the back. Switching to his shotgun, he fired a shot shattering the knight's back, exposing the soft flesh beneath. The Gravekeeper stumbled forward, but another blast from Subaru's shotgun sent it crashing to the ground face down.
Subaru stepped back, taking in his kill, but the sounds of gunfire and howling Hive drew his attention back to Alejandro. But as he stepped towards a panging sensation that overwhelmed his head, the faint whispers returned.
".u.a.u!"
".. ….!"
"... … …?"
Subaru clutched his head, momentarily distracted, yet he heard an immediate growling noise to his right when it cleared. He pulled back just in time to avoid the meaty claw of the Gravekeeper from crushing his skull in but could not prevent the follow-up that grabbed him by his throat and lifted him into the air.
A singular hateful green eye met Subaru's gaze; blueish-purple blood dripped from the sides of its mouth. Its grip was firm despite the injuries to its body that would've killed an ordinary man twice over. The Gravekeeper's grip slowly tightened, "Aiat: Bearer of the Sky, die painfully! Slowly! Aiat!" It spoke bitterly in understandable English.
Subaru gasped for air, tears running down his face, his face turning red as he gritted his teeth and did his best to stare down the Gravekeeper, "Aiat: Your corpse will feed new broods, your light ours to consume! Aiat: Like those before you! Aiat: Your world is ours to devour! Aiat!"
He called on his light, the void energy he had become used to using. Subaru called for it. He felt it pooling in his body, building up. His hands defiantly grasped the thick limb holding him up, his eyes locked with the Gravekeeper as his rage built; such malevolent desires for those living on Earth, the idea of such beasts capable of enacting mass slaughter on innocent people.
His people! The ones he was raised to protect!
The void energy Subaru had been building up skyrocketed, reaching a point well beyond the normal scope of his abilities.
"I will enjoy devouring your young! Aiat!" Laughed the Gravekeeper, its mouth spread into a grin.
Subaru's eyes snapped wide open, his hands squeezed tightly at the chitinous armor, the carapace breaking as void energy coursed around his fingers. The Gravekeeper's eye widened in surprise, and his grip tightened around Subaru's neck, squeezing tighter and tighter while Subaru silently screamed in rage. His void energy reached a critical point, and Subaru's body was practically covered in a thin but intense layer.
"In the name of Crota! Aiat!"
It couldn't be contained or controlled by Subaru like a bomb; it needed to escape.
"Aiat!"
And so it did.
Void energy ruptured outward from Subaru's body in a display of pure entropic power; the void energy consumed the Gravekeeper and warlock in one stunning display of death. The display was so bright that Alejandro shielded his eyes and ducked for cover. The flash destroyed the remaining Hive in the room.
Not a trace remained of the aliens.
Subaru lay flat on his ass, panting and staring at the ceiling.
Alejandro ran out of cover and over to Subaru, screaming in Spanish a series of curses, "Holy shit," He stood over Subaru, the dust settling on the ground. Subaru looked to Alejandro, and if his helmet were off, he'd be flashing a weak smile, "You good?" Alejandro spoke with a modicum of concern.
Panting, Subaru reached for Alejandro's arm to pull himself up, "Yeah… Yeah…" His legs wobbled as he gathered the strength to move back towards the World's Grave, "Kind of just let all the void energy out… I am not doing that again," Subaru paused, leaning on a nearby pillar for support while Alejandro revived Nivá. After a moment, Subaru made his way to his ghost, Nivá and Alejandro following behind.
He pushed any remaining thoughts out of his mind concerning his brief bout with the Gravekeeper as nothing more than adrenaline-fueled nonsense. Subaru stood behind his ghost, "Ghost, are you good?" He calmly asked, noticing that his partner was silent while staring at the World's Grave.
Ghost shook his shell, turning around to face the fireteam once more, only his gaze slowly fell to the ground, "N-no."
Subaru's brows furrowed at the state of his partner; he took a step towards Ghost, "What's wrong?" His gut churned; seeing his Ghost so scared made him uneasy.
"T-The Hive… I."
"What is it, partner?" Subaru spoke, concerned about what Ghost had found.
Ghost floated down the middle of the group, looking between them all, "They've been around way longer than the Vanguard has ever thought. They've seen and worked to see thousands of worlds consumed by the Darkness! So many people were erased by the Hive..."
"Is that what they are trying to do on Earth?" Alejandro asked.
Ghost nodded and floated up to Subaru, "Yes, they've been building an army for a long time."
"Since the Great Disaster?" Nivá asked.
"No, longer than that," Ghost responded, his voice flat.
Alejandro audibly clicked his tongue on comms, "Damn, these pendejos," Alejandro kicked the corpse of a thrall, arms thrown up in the air, "Can't they just leave us alone?" The hunter paced towards a dead acolyte, crouching to grab a knife lodged in between its eyes, "Why is it that every gringo alien that comes to this damn system attacks and tries to kill every last human? What did we do to deserve this? Is the universe just full of hostile life?"
"Well, whatever the case. We gotta fight," Subaru answered with a shrug as he gave a comforting pat on Ghost's shell.
Alejandro sighed and glanced at Subaru, "Fuck, you're not wrong about that. Honestly, I was just bitching," He shook his head and crossed his arms as he deeply sighed, "I may not have been here for La Gran Reconquista, but fuck I knew guys that were there, you know? Never mind, just ignore me."
"I kind of get what you're saying," Subaru said, scratching his neck.
"Well, I am glad that you two can talk about this; however, let's save all the talking for the Vanguard and get out of here," Nivá interjected, her head craned to the passageway they came from, "Preferably before the Hive brings proper reinforcements."
Subaru nodded and prepared with his fireteam to leave, but not before giving the World's Grave one last look and feeling unease.
Author's Notes:
It took me a bit to get this out. Initially, I planned on a two-week break, but that kept extending, and family was coming over, and honestly, I enjoyed the time I had with people I hadn't seen for a while. So much so that I nearly forgot about the dock.
I swear I didn't do this on purpose.
Anyways, enjoy the Chapter!
And if you'd like to join a Discord server, I got one for this fic and another from a friend's server for creative writing!
Titan Gang (My Server) dis cor d . g g / D H Z a
Goblin Industries dis cor d . g g/g b