- Location
- Hiigara
The Gardens are easy peasy. Gauntlet and Calus are the road blocks.
Paradoxical [Destiny/Worm Post-GM]
- Thread starter ensou
- Start date
- Crossover
The Gardens are easy peasy. Gauntlet and Calus are the road blocks.
Twei
I have a face!
- Location
- the land where they write things
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Broken Legion. Isn't Burning Legion a WoW expansion or is that Burning Crusade?
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KhazintheDark
May or may not be insane...
- Location
- Not where you are. Probably.
Burning crusade was the expansion that had the Burning Legion as the main antagonists.Broken Legion. Isn't Burning Legion a WoW expansion or is that Burning Crusade?
Edit: DAMN YOU SARCASM PAC-MAN!!!
Bah! Humbug! PC Master Race!
I haven't looked at any of the upcoming lore, but it doesn't surprise me that there's going to be more info on the Nine. Given all the Taken happenings with the Reef, I won't be surprised to see some Savathun in there as well, given she appears to have taken command of the Taken.
KaneTW
(Verified Snake)
- Location
- Germany
Gauntlet just requires everyone to run (some platforming competence potentially required) and rotate assignments and Calus needs 4 instead of 3 people that know how to do shadow realm and punch a psion. It's really not that bad.
I have my Solstice stuff masterworked except for the pants. Fuck PVP forever.
Castle_Bravo
The user formerly known as Nuke_Equestria
How about we don't support closed platforms that are obsoleted from one generation to the next? I can run DOS games on my modern computer. Can you say that about you're PlayStation or Xbox?
Edit: Hell, I can run PlayStation and Xbox games on my Computer.
Edit: Hell, I can run PlayStation and Xbox games on my Computer.
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- Location
- Tel'aran'rhiod
I did it when mayhem was available, throwing nova bombs made it easier
- Location
- Massholistan
The rocksolid solution I found was to already be Legend when Solstice started, and therefore "avoided" the grind entirely and got 15 free masterwork cores
KaneTW
(Verified Snake)
- Location
- Germany
Nova bombs don't help with Masterwork. You need to get Legend Valor rank for that.
- Location
- Tel'aran'rhiod
But in mayhem I had all the nova bombs, I felt like oprah, "You get a nova bomb! You get a nova bomb! Everyone gets a nova bomb!". Made winning real easy so I prestiged twice.
- Location
- Hiigara
Gauntlet requires everyone to know every part and be able to competently perform it, which is much easier said than done for a lot of people. Calus requires constant communication and adjustment on the part of the people in the Void, which is also much easier said than done. It's not a lot more difficult than normal but it's a significant change. The only one that really isn't any different is Baths.
I got the full set of solstice gear masterworked, and the prestige completion was leaps and bounds more annoying than the pvp. Getting that done is just a matter of being present.
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Refraction
Twei
I have a face!
- Location
- the land where they write things
- Pronouns
- They/Them
So, uh, Forsaken is super hype. Have you guys heard that Forsaken is super hype and I am super hype for Forsaken? Because I absolutely am super hype for Forsaken. Ensou and I have been diving into the lore tabs, and I pretty much had to write something. Anything.
And thus there was... whatever this is. Which Ensou is pretty much bullying me to post.
And so it shall be. Aiat.
you should still probably at least wait a few hours after launch to make sure Forsaken lives up to the hype before you buy it though
... also this is arguably Forsaken spoilers but A: if they are they're so tiny that who cares and B: this thread is tagged spoilers what are you doing here if you're not okay with that, get out
And thus there was... whatever this is. Which Ensou is pretty much bullying me to post.
And so it shall be. Aiat.
... also this is arguably Forsaken spoilers but A: if they are they're so tiny that who cares and B: this thread is tagged spoilers what are you doing here if you're not okay with that, get out
Shards sleep, but do not dream.
For centuries, the portion of the Administrator twinned to Taylor Hebert laid dormant, following the loss of its host. The memories and power awaited the end of the cycle, when they would be harvested and analyzed by the core.
Of course, this did not happen.
Instead, the connection was reestablished.
Not with the same Taylor Hebert as before, exactly- for this Taylor Hebert was more than human, was inhabited by a life that was not biological, reanimated by living energy. But it was Taylor Hebert enough for the Administrator, the same genetics, the same biology.
The Administrator awakened.
Its memories spilled into the amnesiac Weaver, and the Weaver's memories filtered into it, decades of life as a 'Risen', fighting alongside 'Awoken'.
It spoke to her, and she spoke to it.
If a part of it had become Taylor Hebert, the parahuman, then a part of it was also becoming Weaver, the Risen, for all that it could not be Weaver without the Light that revived her.
Weaver had a chosen sovereign, a ruler whose decisions she trusted.
In time, Weaver carried the Administrator to her sovereign: for all that the Weaver bound the Administrator's rampant power, it still watched, still followed.
The Administrator did not expect to feel this sovereign, but it felt her all the same. How could it not? She warped the very laws of reality around her, bent it ever-so-subtly to her will, more than even Weaver could.
It felt her and it dreamed.
Shards do not dream, yet what else could it call what it saw? It was not a memory for it was new. It was not a hallucination for it was real. It was not a vision for it was so much more.
It dreamed that it saw a throne beneath the howling dark, and that on that throne there sat an immortal Queen, a queen whose crown was an event horizon, whose throne was built of secrets, whose power laid between the present and the future, the becoming and the being.
It dreamed that the Queen felt it in return, and that she dreamed of
[an alien child riven from its core so that it could grow on its own; a pitiful parasite yet a godling whose flesh spans a world; a being whose mother was too thoughtful and whose father was too thoughtless; the architect of a god's demise, executed by its host, in concert with a thousand pawns; a being to whom a million billion worldlines owed their lives]
It dreamed that the Queen reached out, her majesty replaced with wonder and curiosity, and asked, "What are you?"
The Administrator could not contain its own wonder, its curiosity, its excitement. It reached out, touched the Queen in the dreaming reality, and it answered with a voice that was Taylor and Annette and Daniel and Emma and Rachel and Lisa and Brian and Aisha and the Queen and the Prince and the Weaver and the Loyal and a trillion other voices:
"I don't know."
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If you were ever considering not posting it, you deserved whatever bullying you got.
This was great.
Twei
I have a face!
- Location
- the land where they write things
- Pronouns
- They/Them
I was considering at least waiting until tomorrow, for what it's worthIf you were ever considering not posting it, you deserved whatever bullying you got.
This was great.
- Location
- Massholistan
I do wonder if Weaver's presence in the story might save Mara from her death at hands of Oryx. It seemed she had foreseen it that time, but maybe it can still be avoided.
Weaver's reaction to seeing the Taken King himself is also going to be gold. The administrator might have interesting time trying to figure the man out if even the Vex couldn't.
Weaver's reaction to seeing the Taken King himself is also going to be gold. The administrator might have interesting time trying to figure the man out if even the Vex couldn't.
ensou
Magical G̶i̶r̶l̶ Servant Mordred-chan
- Location
- NEW YORK CITY!??
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Considering her death was intentional ("all part of the plan") and hugely important to her long term plans, it's unlikely.
Whether or not Weaver knows why it's happening and does or doesn't pull a Skitter on a stellar scale as a result is a whole different matter, of course.
Anbuspider
Maybe there, maybe not
- Location
- Ireland
- Pronouns
- What/And/Where
It's a wonder why this site isn't sponsored by some publishing company (literature or video game, take your pick).
I have never played Destiny before, but this fic has made me want to.
That's just how good a work you do Ensou.
I have never played Destiny before, but this fic has made me want to.
That's just how good a work you do Ensou.
Fanfiction's legality is very fuzzy. No company or individual that has a stake in an intellectual property covered here would be likely to sponsor it, simply for fear of that being seen as acknowledgement of the works' validity, which would in turn open the door for the members here to sue if any element of their fanfiction turns up in official works. Sounds outlandish, but it has actually happened before.
- Location
- Philippines
to those of you fighting over consoles, try pc it has Warframe. It is the game that heals the broken hearts of d2 players waylayed by bungie. Its free and the premium currency is tradeable. The gameplay is awesome and new content is coming regulary. Also there is a major lack of fanfics and crossovers with it, just putting it there
Reef
ensou
Magical G̶i̶r̶l̶ Servant Mordred-chan
- Location
- NEW YORK CITY!??
- Pronouns
- She/Her
20 Years Ago, 4 Vesta
Kali's power systems flickered a moment before stabilizing. Deep diagnostics ran for a few seconds before her iris finally blinked on, her core twisting wildly around to see what was happening.
"Kali!"
The Ghost looked up and saw the face of her Risen. "Weaver?"
Her current cradle of Weaver's hand jostled as the young woman's feet hurried through… wherever they were, Kali's lens currently blocked from being able to see anything other than her partner.
"Oh thank God, you're okay. I thought, I was starting to think–" Weaver's voice grew thick, but then she shook her head.
"I'm fine, Weaver," Kali said, lifting out of her partner's hand, her shell-pieces flying apart and then counter-rotating before snapping back to her core. "See? Nothing wrong."
She turned around and looked at their surroundings. "But… where are we?"
There wasn't much to see, just regolith below their feet, and darkness above with shapes inside, hazy and indistinct, almost like it was foggy.
"About two miles away from the ship. I had enough of the Light to bring myself back as soon as it settled. There was a hull breach only a few halls over, and I left from there."
Kali was once again rather glad Weaver had learned to self-resurrect so quickly. It certainly made some things easier.
Like surviving (potentially) certain death.
"Where are we going?"
Weaver glanced over at her. "No idea. It didn't look like there was anything in any direction, at least not before the horizon, so I just picked a direction."
"Vesta's horizon is only about a kilometer away."
Kali's partner nodded. "Yeah, I figured it was about that since I couldn't see the ship after fifteen minutes."
"Has there been anything else?" Kali asked.
"Not much. A few small ships passed overhead ten minutes ago, but they were moving too fast to try and signal."
"Ah." Kali paused, trying to think of how best to word what she was going to say next. "That's… probably a good thing. The Awoken aren't exactly, welcoming. To anyone. Risen especially."
"Why not?" Weaver asked.
Kali sighed. "History. History and politics. Essentially."
Weaver glanced at her. "Go on."
"Well, um. During the Collapse, the Awoken were stuck out here. No-one knows how they survived, when so many others died. But they did, and they carved out an existence here, far beyond anything else. They've always been reclusive and closed off, and they never reached out to help Earth and the Last City, even when it was on the verge of being destroyed. The only time I know of that they've worked with the City and the Guardians was during the Ahamkara hunts.
"The last I'd heard from the other Ghosts is that the Reef tracked a Fallen group to Earth and nine Guardians from the City were caught in the airstrike. Nothing in that valley survived," Kali said softly. "Since then, relations have been… cold."
She looked at Weaver. "As in, total radio silence, nothing in or out."
Weaver stared forward. "So they're unlikely to help us get a ship then."
"Unfortunately," Kali agreed.
Her partner sighed. "We'll have to be careful, then. See if there's some way we can get one and leave without drawing too much attention."
Kali bobbed in acceptance.
"That'll probably mean you'll have to hide yourself so I can be seen as a normal person," Weaver told her. "If they really react so badly to Risen."
Ugh. Kali really did not like being stuck in subspace unless there was fighting happening. The time on the Cabal ship had been more than enough for her today, but it was looking like she'd have to endure it some more.
Weaver peered at the horizon as they moved forward. "I think I see some lights."
Within a few minutes it became apparent it was more than a few lights.
"…Serenna," Kali whispered.
Her partner looked at her. "What?"
"Serenna. It's one of the largest cities on Vesta from what I got off that map. It's probably what the Cabal were targeting," the Ghost explained.
Weaver nodded. "And where there's lots of people, there's likely to be some who would be willing to help."
Ehhh… "Probably?"
She didn't want to put down the woman's hopes, but the Reef really did not like outsiders.
"Can you change my clothes so that I don't look so… foreign?" Weaver asked, and Kali blinked.
"Maaaaybe? I'd need to see what sort of things they wear, but at least for now I can make you look less obviously like a Guardian."
Kali looked at the available smart-matter they had and started programming some into unassuming clothes, looser fabrics that would hide lines and armor, making Weaver appear more civilian.
"Also, whatever you do don't use your Light," Kali said. "It's probably the fastest way to give away what you are. What we are."
Weaver nodded as Kali materialized the clothes she'd fabricated, replacing the generic helmet with a lower-face mask that covered Weaver's nose and cheekbones, and a hooded cloak to cast the rest of her face in darkness and obscure her face.
"Actually, can you channel a bit of Light to your eyes?"
Weaver's brow furrowed, but bit her lip and appeared to concentrate for a moment. After a second, her eyes started glowing with soft inner light.
"A little less…" The glowing wavered, and then slowly started dimmed until it was just her irises. "That! There! Can you hold that?" Kali asked.
"I think so?" Weaver responded hesitantly. "It takes more concentration than energy."
"Perfect." Kali drifted back, looking at her partner. Dressed in the loose subdued grays and whites, with a hooded cloak, hidden lower face, and glowing eyes that peered out from the darkness under the hood, Kali thought Weaver passed as a reasonably mysterious Awoken woman.
"Now, let's see what this city's like."
It reminded Kali a bit of the Last City, actually. They were on the outskirts and there were few (or more accurately, no) people on the streets, presumably because this was the equivalent of "night-time".
Kali had to make do with seeing things from out of Weaver's eyes, further limiting what she gather information on. Which right now was the streets and densely-packed living structures that looked like they were made of a mixture of regolith-concrete, metal ship plating, and reinforcement.
Weaver's vision drifted around, moving from shadowy corner to alley to building faces, constantly analyzing and checking. A few blocks and the apartments started showing windows of business and other places on their lower levels.
On the right was a flickering sign made of those glowing yellow light-tubes bent into shapes, proclaiming the business below it a bar. Inside the dimly lit building shapes could be made out moving around, the first sign of multiple people in one place they'd found so far.
Without even waiting Weaver crossed the street and pulled the door to enter, a collection of metal fragments stringed together tink-ing against each other.
Both Weaver and Kali froze.
At least half of the handful of people in the place—including the bartender—had two more arms than what a human should have, and an extra pair of eyes as well. Armor plates dotted a few of their bodies, a number having the white plastic-looking pieces on the backs of their hands, shoulders, and knees, secured in place on top of fabric wrappings. A few wore cloaks.
They were undeniably alien.
Fallen!
Weaver tensed as a number of the patrons—alien and Awoken both—of the bar turned to look at who'd entered, glowing eyes landing on her for a few seconds before turning back to back to whatever had held their attention before. Weaver relaxed slightly and walked towards the bar, taking a seat on one of the rough stools that looked like they'd been formed out of plate metal.
What were the Fallen doing here?
'You didn't say there would be aliens,' Weaver spoke to Kali silently.
'I didn't know!' the Ghost returned. 'I've never even seen any Fallen that weren't hostile!'
The bartender moved over to them, standing at least a foot taller than Weaver, looking down at her, glowing eyes standing out stark from the dark ceiling. "What can Erkis do for you?"
The Fallen's voice was rough, a growl that rolled in odd ways over words and reminded Kali of a rock grinder.
Kali could tell her partner's mind was racing, and after a moment Weaver replied. "Surprise me."
For a moment the Fallen stared at her. "Very well."
While the Fallen moved away to the other end of the bar, Weaver took the opportunity to glance around the room. The place could have been lit by candles for how dim it was. Awoken and Fallen were mixed together, a few even sharing suspiciously quiet, whispered conversations, and Kali was starting to get the sense that this was a… less than reputable establishment.
The bartender returned, a glass in his hand that looked like it steamed, except the steam immediately fell down the sides of the glass. He put it down on the counter and moved it in front of Weaver, but when her hand reached out to take it, fingers wrapping around the base, the Fallen's lower hand on the same side was suddenly around Weaver's and Kali felt her partner instinctively tap into her Light.
"Erkis does not know why you are here, Earthborn, but you bring no trouble and we will have no problems, yes?" the Fallen growled lowly, face suddenly inches away, the glowing eye-holes in his white breathing mask staring at Weaver.
The Risen woman nodded slowly. "Good. Forty-five Glimmer," Erkis told her, and Kali dutifully materialized the amount in Weaver's pocket. The woman took it out and placed it on the bar, the blue crystalline matter quickly disappearing thanks to Erkis.
'What can you tell me about these "Fallen"?' Weaver asked.
'They're nomads. Pirates and scavengers. They came to our system just after the Collapse, and started raiding outposts and settlements. The Guardians have been fighting with them ever since,' Kali said. 'They're arranged into Houses, like fleets and flotilla, each one separate and independent. They've attacked the City twice. The first was just the House of Devils, but the second was a combined attack of three Houses. Both times they were pushed back and repelled.'
'But why are they here?'
'I don't know. Fallen usually stick to their ships and crews, I've never heard of any living in a permanent location like this, much less any that don't attack other species on sight.'
'And yet they seem rather comfortable, here,' Weaver noted, glancing around at the number of inter-species interactions around them. 'Or at least not hostile.'
'Yeah. I don't… I'm sorry, Weaver. I'm really out of my depth here,' Kali said apologetically.
'It's okay. It just means we need more information,' Weaver responded. 'Do they live here? Are they citizens? Those sorts of things.'
'I don't know how we'd go about finding that out without arousing suspicions,' Kali returned.
'Hmm. Could you somehow hack their systems or something and find out? I bet there's some sort of city or plane— er, asteroid-wide network,'Weaver said.
'I… maybe. Yeah. That might actually work.'
Kali could feel Weaver grin behind her mask. 'Good. What would you need to do that?'
'Some sort of public access terminal. Maybe we could find a kiosk somewhere?' Kali offered.
'Mmm. I don't know where we'd find something like that.'
Kali gave the mental equivalent of a shrug. 'We could just… wander around, I guess?'
'True.'
"What is it that you seek?"
Weaver blinked, and turned to look at the Fallen that had spoken to her two seats to her left. "What?"
"What is it that you seek?" the Fallen repeated, gesturing around with their lower limbs. "None come here without a reason, without a desire to be fulfilled." The Fallen grinned behind a transparent breathing mask, their speech notably more comprehensible than the bartender's had been. "Perhaps it is something that I may… assist with? For a price, of course."
Weaver's hand tightened on her glass, before she forcibly relaxed it. "Information. Knowledge."
The Fallen's eyes gleamed. "You are lucky, wanderer. If it is information, your need look no further. But what are you willing to trade for such a thing?" they asked, tilting their head.
"Glimmer," Weaver said first, and the Fallen clicked in mild acceptance. "…and information."
The alien gave a hissing laugh. "I doubt that you will have anything I do not, but I accept. Come. Let us get away from these watchers."
They stood, rising to their full seven feet of height, the motions easy and fluid. Weaver warily followed, carrying her two-thirds full glass with her as the Fallen led her further into the bar and around a corner, towards a table pressed against the wall.
Once they'd sat down, the Fallen laced their top hands together, placing them on the table. "First, we trade names. I am Marix, former huntress of that you called the 'House of Wolves'. Once I hunted to feed the servitors. Now, I hunt secrets and stories, hidden in shadows."
'She's… female?' Weaver asked.
'Apparently,' Kali answered.
Kali's partner tapped her glass for a few seconds before responding. "Weaver. I have no story."
Marix's eyes sharpened. "But you do. Lost. Stranded. Marooned. And so, so far from home. Also too trusting."
Weaver froze in shock. "How…"
The Fallen's needle-like teeth reappeared. "You do not sound like those of the Reef. You have an Earth-accent."
'Shit,' Weaver thought, and Kali had to echo the sentiment.
They hadn't even considered that. That must have been how Erkis knew as well.
Then suddenly, the predatory tension emanating from Marix was gone as she leaned back in her chair, waving a three-fingered hand. "Do not worry. It is no matter. All are equal, even if their secrets are not. And this is but a small secret in my collection."
Weaver nodded hesitantly. "Tell me about this place. The people. What are Fallen doing here?"
The grin Marix gave was practically terrifying. "I will give you this. And I will even give it for free, so that you live to see another day and do not die before any favors are repaid by offending one who would not hesitate to kill you." The female Fallen's lower right hand came up to slowly tap on the table. "Shall I tell you of the two-souls? Of the wars that were fought here and the lives that were lost, Eliksni and Awoken together? Should I tell you of the Wolves and how they now bend their knees to a Kell that is not even 'Fallen', how they have been brought into the fold of her people? Should I talk of what it is like to be scorned by all the bright-eyes, to be considered so untrustworthy as to be beneath their sight?"
"…Yes."
Marix laughed. "A strong answer. Very well."
Weaver took a drink, waiting for the one opposite her to start.
"I will start with the Scatter. Once, there was the Mraskilaasan, that which you only-ever-two-arms called the House of Wolves. The Kells of the House of Kings called out, offering words of sweetness and the promise of triumph over the ones who sit beneath the Machine. Winter answered. Devils answered. And our Kell, foolish, ambitious Virixas, blinded by their false promises, decided to answer as well.
"We came, Earth-born. We followed him, followed to Ceres, beautiful Ceres, restocking, regrouping to join the fight for the Machine. Then the two-soul Queen came and we rose to protect that little which we called ours. Such a small fleet we faced. We thought there was no way to lose." Marix gave a sharp, hissing laugh. "We learned it was only so small because they needed no more. She called her pet death-bringers. I remember the feeling of it. At the end: Virixas, dead. Ketches torn to scrap. Wolves, half dead and scattered. Ceres… destroyed."
Marix scraped her fingers across the tabletop. "We warred. Wolves and Reef. Reef and Wolves. Baroness Irxis was the first to fall, first-favored for Kell, cut down by one of Skolas' Barons, Peekis. Both fleets, lost. Peekis, docked to two arms. Baron Parixas was next, tricked to travel to Iris, caught between Awoken and the Silent Fang that had lured him there. Skolas alone remained. Skolas the Rabid. Skolas the Mad." Marix shook her head. "Less than one third of the Wolves remained. But Skolas would not stop. War, he said. Fight more, he said. Places of healing, places of learning, all burned to the ground. Civilian cities, destroyed. And then Cybele.
"He called it the 'uprising'," she said, her sibilant voice sharp like a knife. "It was no uprising. It would have been nothing but massacre. Variks of Judgment told the Crows and the Queen. Once more, she came. Skolas was captured. All his murderer-leaders, captured. Servitors, captured. With no leaders, no Barons, no Servitors, there was no Wolves. 'Come,' said the Queen. 'Come, or starve and die weak and small, hunted to the last.' Less than five thousand were all that remained of the once-great Wolves. Some ran, ran to Winter or Devils or away. Most bowed to the Queen. With a new Kell came new ways. Better ways, some say. There is no fighting now. No need to move at first sign of trouble. No more docking. No more two-arms. First new hatchlings born in safety in centuries, without fear of Ether-deprivation.
"Some joined the Queen's Guard, the ones that have ambition. Most?" The Fallen shrugged, an oddly human gesture from the armored alien. "Most found new things. Now there is no fighting, no duty. There is freedom, to search and find and live. We are not Awoken, but the Queen is our Kell.
"Still, the bright-eyes remember the wars. They remember we fought and killed them. The Awoken have a long memory. They resent us, and there is… prejudice. Many still do not trust us even after swearing to the Queen. And that, lost Weaver, is how it is now."
Weaver blinked, and Kali nearly blanked out at the influx of information.
She'd known the Fallen were fairly complex, that they had a strong social structure and developed language and tactics and technology. But this?
The Fallen had only ever been labeled enemy in her mind. They'd been hostile ever since they'd entered the solar system, and she'd thought that was just the way they were. The idea of morals and an honor system, of distaste at attacking schools and hospitals, of them being anything more than the antagonistic force she'd known them as, had simply never occurred to her.
And now… now she had to wonder why that was. Was it because it was easier to depersonalize them? To see them as nothing like humanity?
She didn't know.
'Ask her why the other Houses are so aggressive. Why they seem to hate humanity,' Kali told Weaver. Now that she'd been given this bit, this hint of world-shaking realization, that there could be peace, she wanted more, she wanted to know why. Why were things the way they were?
"Why are the others so eager to fight us, then?" Weaver questioned.
Marix paused for a moment, as though thinking. "…I will give this to you, since it is so rare one of you wishes to learn. But it will be the last thing you receive for free. All other questions you will pay for," Marix told her, and Weaver nodded in acceptance.
The Fallen stared at Weaver, unblinking, her head tilted slightly. "You are not the first that the machine you name the 'Traveler' has visited and lifted up."
What?
"Why did you think we followed it?" Marix asked. "It did the same for the us. It came and gave us everything. But when its enemies came for it, it did not stay, like it did for you. It left, abandoning us to the things that had followed it. You call your fall the 'Collapse'. Ours was the Whirlwind, for we could only cower and watch as all we had was torn apart and destroyed. It took everything away."
The Fallen leaned back in her chair. "If it had left your system, taking with it all hopes and chances for your species to survive, would you not have followed it? Would you not fight for it, fight for the chance for your people to have a future and not die off?" Weaver swallowed. "I was born after the Whirlwind, as we traveled, following the ripples, so I do not know what it was like Before. But those that were alive then? That remember? The oldest of us are often the largest and lead us. They are obsessed, and see the Great Machine as the only chance for the Eliksni to ever be what it once was again."
For a moment, Weaver and Kali simply sat there, processing all they'd gained. It made an almost scary amount of sense and Kali had a growing feeling that everything around them was far more complex than anything she'd ever imagined. She felt so far out of her depth, but she could at least find comfort in the fact she had found her partner and would never have to go through this alone again.
"I have two questions, now," Weaver said, and Marix sat up, fore-hands back on the table. "First: Where can I access an information terminal anonymously. Second: Where would I start looking to get a ship?"
"Without any traces?" the Fallen asked, and Kali's partner nodded. "Those are small questions. One hundred glimmer for the first. Five hundred for the second. I take a risk by giving you any names such as that."
"One hundred and I'll tell you what caused that earthquake," Weaver countered.
Marix's eyes brightened. "Oh? I will be the judge of its worth, and deduct it, yes? I am fair."
Weaver paused for a moment, before opening her mouth to start. "It was a Cabal warship that crashed down a few kilometers away, manned by a rogue faction that wanted to attack the Reef. Only a hundred or so soldiers. The commander was a Valus Trau'ug."
Marix grinned. "A Cabal warship? There are many good parts on such a thing. Many good opportunities. That is very good information. And only two hours old. For that, I will give you both questions." From somewhere on her person she took out a data shard. "Location and access keys for secure data network terminal." A second shard came out. "Location and proof you came from me for ship contact."
Weaver picked up the shards and tucked them away in a pocket under her cloak where Kali promptly dematerialized them and started checking the data.
'Looks good,' she told her partner after a few seconds.
"Thank you," Weaver told Marix.
"Any more?" the Fallen asked.
"I don't think so," Weaver replied.
'Kali?'
'Nothing I can think of, unless you want a place to sleep, but that might be risky,' she said.
'Yeah. I can handle roughing it, especially if I never have to see red dirt around me again.'
"Then I wish you a good night," Marix said, standing. "Do not die, Earth-born. I would not like to lose such an… interesting new customer."
Weaver just nodded, watching as the alien turned around and easily slipped into the shadows, vanishing as if she'd never been there.
She looked down at the last remnants of her drink in her glass.
It was time to move on.
They had a lot to think about, anyways.
She wouldn't have noticed it were she not keeping to the darker streets, the ones that lay in the parts of the city that were less cared for and in disrepair.
She wouldn't have noticed it, and if she hadn't, it was likely their future would have been very different.
But she did.
It wasn't anything uncommon, especially for what almost seemed like a ghetto—likely for the Fallen, now that Kali thought about it. But it was enough to spur Weaver into action.
A mugging.
They heard the whimpers first, and the hissed 'give me everything you've got'. As they reached the darkened alley the sounds had come from, they could see the picture clearer: a blue-skinned man with bright purple eyes, staring down at a paler woman who had been knocked to the ground, a knife held out threatening towards her. "Don't make me say it again."
Weaver's jaw tightened and her hand clenched into a fist.
'Weaver…'
Risking revealing themselves for something like this…
'I know, Kali. But I can't. I just… This is what you brought me back for, right? To protect people?'
Kali sighed, but her partner had a point. 'I understand.'
Without waiting, Weaver strode into the alley silently. "What do you think you're doing?"
The knife shot up to point at her. "This isn't anything to do with you. Leave."
Weaver's mouth twisted down in a frown. "I don't think so."
She strode forward, the man's eyes hardening as he brandished the weapon threateningly. "I said leave."
"And I said no."
The woman on the ground kicked out at the man, but he noticed and stomped on her midsection, a sharp crack echoing through the alley and the woman crying out as she rolled to the side.
The man's expression turned to anger as he looked back at Weaver, who had closed the gap between them. "Fine then."
He lunged, and Weaver's left arm came up in an instant, inhumanly quickly, knocking his to the side as the crackle of Arc energy surrounded her right hand.
Without a word, the fist was buried in his midsection, electricity surging through his body. The man's eyes bulged before rolling up in their sockets as he collapsed bonelessly. His knife dropped out of his hand to clang on the cement to Weaver's side, the Risen immediately stepping on it and shattering the blade beneath her heel.
She turned to the woman on the ground, crouching next to her. "Are you alright?"
The woman nodded, though the tears in her eyes told a different story. "Thank you. Thank you." She laboriously pushed herself up into a sitting position, and Kali could tell Weaver was floundering as she tried to figure out what to do.
'You can heal her, you know,' Kali said quietly.
'What? How?'
'How do you heal yourself with Solar energy?' she replied.
'I can do that with other people?' Weaver asked incredulously.
'Yeah. Here, I'll help show you how. Instead of burning, focus on life.'
Weaver closed her eyes, concentrating. 'Okay, now what?'
'Gather Solar Light in your hands and put them against where she's injured.'
Kali could feel the energy collect in her partner, channeled to where she'd told her.
Weaver's eyes opened, and she put her hands on the woman's lower torso.
"Hey, what are… you… doing?" the woman said, trailing off as the Light circulated through her, from Weaver to the injury and back, knitting together flesh and bone, repairing burst blood vessels.
When she felt there was nothing left to do, Kali told Weaver. The Risen pulled her hands back, and the woman prodded at her side with wide eyes. "You… how?"
Weaver shook her head. "It doesn't matter. I was just in the right place at the right time. You should forget about me."
She stood from her crouch, looking over at the downed man. Satisfied that he wouldn't be going anywhere for a good while, she turned to leave the alley.
"Hey! What's your name?" the Awoken called out, hurriedly pushing herself up from the dirty ground.
Weaver shook her head, not wasting another moment in exiting the alley and moving quickly down the street, keeping to the shadows that would hide her.
'You did something good,' Kali told her partner.
'I know. But… that's only one person. How many people does that happen to every night? How many are hurt worse? How many more could I help? Isn't this what I'm supposed to be doing?'
Kali had no answer, but she knew that night, something important had changed.
A/N: So this is completely unbetaed besides me throwing snippets at @Twei. So uh. Review, please? I'll make edits and changes as necessary before I post to other sites.
Kali's power systems flickered a moment before stabilizing. Deep diagnostics ran for a few seconds before her iris finally blinked on, her core twisting wildly around to see what was happening.
"Kali!"
The Ghost looked up and saw the face of her Risen. "Weaver?"
Her current cradle of Weaver's hand jostled as the young woman's feet hurried through… wherever they were, Kali's lens currently blocked from being able to see anything other than her partner.
"Oh thank God, you're okay. I thought, I was starting to think–" Weaver's voice grew thick, but then she shook her head.
"I'm fine, Weaver," Kali said, lifting out of her partner's hand, her shell-pieces flying apart and then counter-rotating before snapping back to her core. "See? Nothing wrong."
She turned around and looked at their surroundings. "But… where are we?"
There wasn't much to see, just regolith below their feet, and darkness above with shapes inside, hazy and indistinct, almost like it was foggy.
"About two miles away from the ship. I had enough of the Light to bring myself back as soon as it settled. There was a hull breach only a few halls over, and I left from there."
Kali was once again rather glad Weaver had learned to self-resurrect so quickly. It certainly made some things easier.
Like surviving (potentially) certain death.
"Where are we going?"
Weaver glanced over at her. "No idea. It didn't look like there was anything in any direction, at least not before the horizon, so I just picked a direction."
"Vesta's horizon is only about a kilometer away."
Kali's partner nodded. "Yeah, I figured it was about that since I couldn't see the ship after fifteen minutes."
"Has there been anything else?" Kali asked.
"Not much. A few small ships passed overhead ten minutes ago, but they were moving too fast to try and signal."
"Ah." Kali paused, trying to think of how best to word what she was going to say next. "That's… probably a good thing. The Awoken aren't exactly, welcoming. To anyone. Risen especially."
"Why not?" Weaver asked.
Kali sighed. "History. History and politics. Essentially."
Weaver glanced at her. "Go on."
"Well, um. During the Collapse, the Awoken were stuck out here. No-one knows how they survived, when so many others died. But they did, and they carved out an existence here, far beyond anything else. They've always been reclusive and closed off, and they never reached out to help Earth and the Last City, even when it was on the verge of being destroyed. The only time I know of that they've worked with the City and the Guardians was during the Ahamkara hunts.
"The last I'd heard from the other Ghosts is that the Reef tracked a Fallen group to Earth and nine Guardians from the City were caught in the airstrike. Nothing in that valley survived," Kali said softly. "Since then, relations have been… cold."
She looked at Weaver. "As in, total radio silence, nothing in or out."
Weaver stared forward. "So they're unlikely to help us get a ship then."
"Unfortunately," Kali agreed.
Her partner sighed. "We'll have to be careful, then. See if there's some way we can get one and leave without drawing too much attention."
Kali bobbed in acceptance.
"That'll probably mean you'll have to hide yourself so I can be seen as a normal person," Weaver told her. "If they really react so badly to Risen."
Ugh. Kali really did not like being stuck in subspace unless there was fighting happening. The time on the Cabal ship had been more than enough for her today, but it was looking like she'd have to endure it some more.
Weaver peered at the horizon as they moved forward. "I think I see some lights."
Within a few minutes it became apparent it was more than a few lights.
"…Serenna," Kali whispered.
Her partner looked at her. "What?"
"Serenna. It's one of the largest cities on Vesta from what I got off that map. It's probably what the Cabal were targeting," the Ghost explained.
Weaver nodded. "And where there's lots of people, there's likely to be some who would be willing to help."
Ehhh… "Probably?"
She didn't want to put down the woman's hopes, but the Reef really did not like outsiders.
"Can you change my clothes so that I don't look so… foreign?" Weaver asked, and Kali blinked.
"Maaaaybe? I'd need to see what sort of things they wear, but at least for now I can make you look less obviously like a Guardian."
Kali looked at the available smart-matter they had and started programming some into unassuming clothes, looser fabrics that would hide lines and armor, making Weaver appear more civilian.
"Also, whatever you do don't use your Light," Kali said. "It's probably the fastest way to give away what you are. What we are."
Weaver nodded as Kali materialized the clothes she'd fabricated, replacing the generic helmet with a lower-face mask that covered Weaver's nose and cheekbones, and a hooded cloak to cast the rest of her face in darkness and obscure her face.
"Actually, can you channel a bit of Light to your eyes?"
Weaver's brow furrowed, but bit her lip and appeared to concentrate for a moment. After a second, her eyes started glowing with soft inner light.
"A little less…" The glowing wavered, and then slowly started dimmed until it was just her irises. "That! There! Can you hold that?" Kali asked.
"I think so?" Weaver responded hesitantly. "It takes more concentration than energy."
"Perfect." Kali drifted back, looking at her partner. Dressed in the loose subdued grays and whites, with a hooded cloak, hidden lower face, and glowing eyes that peered out from the darkness under the hood, Kali thought Weaver passed as a reasonably mysterious Awoken woman.
"Now, let's see what this city's like."
It reminded Kali a bit of the Last City, actually. They were on the outskirts and there were few (or more accurately, no) people on the streets, presumably because this was the equivalent of "night-time".
Kali had to make do with seeing things from out of Weaver's eyes, further limiting what she gather information on. Which right now was the streets and densely-packed living structures that looked like they were made of a mixture of regolith-concrete, metal ship plating, and reinforcement.
Weaver's vision drifted around, moving from shadowy corner to alley to building faces, constantly analyzing and checking. A few blocks and the apartments started showing windows of business and other places on their lower levels.
On the right was a flickering sign made of those glowing yellow light-tubes bent into shapes, proclaiming the business below it a bar. Inside the dimly lit building shapes could be made out moving around, the first sign of multiple people in one place they'd found so far.
Without even waiting Weaver crossed the street and pulled the door to enter, a collection of metal fragments stringed together tink-ing against each other.
Both Weaver and Kali froze.
At least half of the handful of people in the place—including the bartender—had two more arms than what a human should have, and an extra pair of eyes as well. Armor plates dotted a few of their bodies, a number having the white plastic-looking pieces on the backs of their hands, shoulders, and knees, secured in place on top of fabric wrappings. A few wore cloaks.
They were undeniably alien.
Fallen!
Weaver tensed as a number of the patrons—alien and Awoken both—of the bar turned to look at who'd entered, glowing eyes landing on her for a few seconds before turning back to back to whatever had held their attention before. Weaver relaxed slightly and walked towards the bar, taking a seat on one of the rough stools that looked like they'd been formed out of plate metal.
What were the Fallen doing here?
'You didn't say there would be aliens,' Weaver spoke to Kali silently.
'I didn't know!' the Ghost returned. 'I've never even seen any Fallen that weren't hostile!'
The bartender moved over to them, standing at least a foot taller than Weaver, looking down at her, glowing eyes standing out stark from the dark ceiling. "What can Erkis do for you?"
The Fallen's voice was rough, a growl that rolled in odd ways over words and reminded Kali of a rock grinder.
Kali could tell her partner's mind was racing, and after a moment Weaver replied. "Surprise me."
For a moment the Fallen stared at her. "Very well."
While the Fallen moved away to the other end of the bar, Weaver took the opportunity to glance around the room. The place could have been lit by candles for how dim it was. Awoken and Fallen were mixed together, a few even sharing suspiciously quiet, whispered conversations, and Kali was starting to get the sense that this was a… less than reputable establishment.
The bartender returned, a glass in his hand that looked like it steamed, except the steam immediately fell down the sides of the glass. He put it down on the counter and moved it in front of Weaver, but when her hand reached out to take it, fingers wrapping around the base, the Fallen's lower hand on the same side was suddenly around Weaver's and Kali felt her partner instinctively tap into her Light.
"Erkis does not know why you are here, Earthborn, but you bring no trouble and we will have no problems, yes?" the Fallen growled lowly, face suddenly inches away, the glowing eye-holes in his white breathing mask staring at Weaver.
The Risen woman nodded slowly. "Good. Forty-five Glimmer," Erkis told her, and Kali dutifully materialized the amount in Weaver's pocket. The woman took it out and placed it on the bar, the blue crystalline matter quickly disappearing thanks to Erkis.
'What can you tell me about these "Fallen"?' Weaver asked.
'They're nomads. Pirates and scavengers. They came to our system just after the Collapse, and started raiding outposts and settlements. The Guardians have been fighting with them ever since,' Kali said. 'They're arranged into Houses, like fleets and flotilla, each one separate and independent. They've attacked the City twice. The first was just the House of Devils, but the second was a combined attack of three Houses. Both times they were pushed back and repelled.'
'But why are they here?'
'I don't know. Fallen usually stick to their ships and crews, I've never heard of any living in a permanent location like this, much less any that don't attack other species on sight.'
'And yet they seem rather comfortable, here,' Weaver noted, glancing around at the number of inter-species interactions around them. 'Or at least not hostile.'
'Yeah. I don't… I'm sorry, Weaver. I'm really out of my depth here,' Kali said apologetically.
'It's okay. It just means we need more information,' Weaver responded. 'Do they live here? Are they citizens? Those sorts of things.'
'I don't know how we'd go about finding that out without arousing suspicions,' Kali returned.
'Hmm. Could you somehow hack their systems or something and find out? I bet there's some sort of city or plane— er, asteroid-wide network,'Weaver said.
'I… maybe. Yeah. That might actually work.'
Kali could feel Weaver grin behind her mask. 'Good. What would you need to do that?'
'Some sort of public access terminal. Maybe we could find a kiosk somewhere?' Kali offered.
'Mmm. I don't know where we'd find something like that.'
Kali gave the mental equivalent of a shrug. 'We could just… wander around, I guess?'
'True.'
"What is it that you seek?"
Weaver blinked, and turned to look at the Fallen that had spoken to her two seats to her left. "What?"
"What is it that you seek?" the Fallen repeated, gesturing around with their lower limbs. "None come here without a reason, without a desire to be fulfilled." The Fallen grinned behind a transparent breathing mask, their speech notably more comprehensible than the bartender's had been. "Perhaps it is something that I may… assist with? For a price, of course."
Weaver's hand tightened on her glass, before she forcibly relaxed it. "Information. Knowledge."
The Fallen's eyes gleamed. "You are lucky, wanderer. If it is information, your need look no further. But what are you willing to trade for such a thing?" they asked, tilting their head.
"Glimmer," Weaver said first, and the Fallen clicked in mild acceptance. "…and information."
The alien gave a hissing laugh. "I doubt that you will have anything I do not, but I accept. Come. Let us get away from these watchers."
They stood, rising to their full seven feet of height, the motions easy and fluid. Weaver warily followed, carrying her two-thirds full glass with her as the Fallen led her further into the bar and around a corner, towards a table pressed against the wall.
Once they'd sat down, the Fallen laced their top hands together, placing them on the table. "First, we trade names. I am Marix, former huntress of that you called the 'House of Wolves'. Once I hunted to feed the servitors. Now, I hunt secrets and stories, hidden in shadows."
'She's… female?' Weaver asked.
'Apparently,' Kali answered.
Kali's partner tapped her glass for a few seconds before responding. "Weaver. I have no story."
Marix's eyes sharpened. "But you do. Lost. Stranded. Marooned. And so, so far from home. Also too trusting."
Weaver froze in shock. "How…"
The Fallen's needle-like teeth reappeared. "You do not sound like those of the Reef. You have an Earth-accent."
'Shit,' Weaver thought, and Kali had to echo the sentiment.
They hadn't even considered that. That must have been how Erkis knew as well.
Then suddenly, the predatory tension emanating from Marix was gone as she leaned back in her chair, waving a three-fingered hand. "Do not worry. It is no matter. All are equal, even if their secrets are not. And this is but a small secret in my collection."
Weaver nodded hesitantly. "Tell me about this place. The people. What are Fallen doing here?"
The grin Marix gave was practically terrifying. "I will give you this. And I will even give it for free, so that you live to see another day and do not die before any favors are repaid by offending one who would not hesitate to kill you." The female Fallen's lower right hand came up to slowly tap on the table. "Shall I tell you of the two-souls? Of the wars that were fought here and the lives that were lost, Eliksni and Awoken together? Should I tell you of the Wolves and how they now bend their knees to a Kell that is not even 'Fallen', how they have been brought into the fold of her people? Should I talk of what it is like to be scorned by all the bright-eyes, to be considered so untrustworthy as to be beneath their sight?"
"…Yes."
Marix laughed. "A strong answer. Very well."
Weaver took a drink, waiting for the one opposite her to start.
"I will start with the Scatter. Once, there was the Mraskilaasan, that which you only-ever-two-arms called the House of Wolves. The Kells of the House of Kings called out, offering words of sweetness and the promise of triumph over the ones who sit beneath the Machine. Winter answered. Devils answered. And our Kell, foolish, ambitious Virixas, blinded by their false promises, decided to answer as well.
"We came, Earth-born. We followed him, followed to Ceres, beautiful Ceres, restocking, regrouping to join the fight for the Machine. Then the two-soul Queen came and we rose to protect that little which we called ours. Such a small fleet we faced. We thought there was no way to lose." Marix gave a sharp, hissing laugh. "We learned it was only so small because they needed no more. She called her pet death-bringers. I remember the feeling of it. At the end: Virixas, dead. Ketches torn to scrap. Wolves, half dead and scattered. Ceres… destroyed."
Marix scraped her fingers across the tabletop. "We warred. Wolves and Reef. Reef and Wolves. Baroness Irxis was the first to fall, first-favored for Kell, cut down by one of Skolas' Barons, Peekis. Both fleets, lost. Peekis, docked to two arms. Baron Parixas was next, tricked to travel to Iris, caught between Awoken and the Silent Fang that had lured him there. Skolas alone remained. Skolas the Rabid. Skolas the Mad." Marix shook her head. "Less than one third of the Wolves remained. But Skolas would not stop. War, he said. Fight more, he said. Places of healing, places of learning, all burned to the ground. Civilian cities, destroyed. And then Cybele.
"He called it the 'uprising'," she said, her sibilant voice sharp like a knife. "It was no uprising. It would have been nothing but massacre. Variks of Judgment told the Crows and the Queen. Once more, she came. Skolas was captured. All his murderer-leaders, captured. Servitors, captured. With no leaders, no Barons, no Servitors, there was no Wolves. 'Come,' said the Queen. 'Come, or starve and die weak and small, hunted to the last.' Less than five thousand were all that remained of the once-great Wolves. Some ran, ran to Winter or Devils or away. Most bowed to the Queen. With a new Kell came new ways. Better ways, some say. There is no fighting now. No need to move at first sign of trouble. No more docking. No more two-arms. First new hatchlings born in safety in centuries, without fear of Ether-deprivation.
"Some joined the Queen's Guard, the ones that have ambition. Most?" The Fallen shrugged, an oddly human gesture from the armored alien. "Most found new things. Now there is no fighting, no duty. There is freedom, to search and find and live. We are not Awoken, but the Queen is our Kell.
"Still, the bright-eyes remember the wars. They remember we fought and killed them. The Awoken have a long memory. They resent us, and there is… prejudice. Many still do not trust us even after swearing to the Queen. And that, lost Weaver, is how it is now."
Weaver blinked, and Kali nearly blanked out at the influx of information.
She'd known the Fallen were fairly complex, that they had a strong social structure and developed language and tactics and technology. But this?
The Fallen had only ever been labeled enemy in her mind. They'd been hostile ever since they'd entered the solar system, and she'd thought that was just the way they were. The idea of morals and an honor system, of distaste at attacking schools and hospitals, of them being anything more than the antagonistic force she'd known them as, had simply never occurred to her.
And now… now she had to wonder why that was. Was it because it was easier to depersonalize them? To see them as nothing like humanity?
She didn't know.
'Ask her why the other Houses are so aggressive. Why they seem to hate humanity,' Kali told Weaver. Now that she'd been given this bit, this hint of world-shaking realization, that there could be peace, she wanted more, she wanted to know why. Why were things the way they were?
"Why are the others so eager to fight us, then?" Weaver questioned.
Marix paused for a moment, as though thinking. "…I will give this to you, since it is so rare one of you wishes to learn. But it will be the last thing you receive for free. All other questions you will pay for," Marix told her, and Weaver nodded in acceptance.
The Fallen stared at Weaver, unblinking, her head tilted slightly. "You are not the first that the machine you name the 'Traveler' has visited and lifted up."
What?
"Why did you think we followed it?" Marix asked. "It did the same for the us. It came and gave us everything. But when its enemies came for it, it did not stay, like it did for you. It left, abandoning us to the things that had followed it. You call your fall the 'Collapse'. Ours was the Whirlwind, for we could only cower and watch as all we had was torn apart and destroyed. It took everything away."
The Fallen leaned back in her chair. "If it had left your system, taking with it all hopes and chances for your species to survive, would you not have followed it? Would you not fight for it, fight for the chance for your people to have a future and not die off?" Weaver swallowed. "I was born after the Whirlwind, as we traveled, following the ripples, so I do not know what it was like Before. But those that were alive then? That remember? The oldest of us are often the largest and lead us. They are obsessed, and see the Great Machine as the only chance for the Eliksni to ever be what it once was again."
For a moment, Weaver and Kali simply sat there, processing all they'd gained. It made an almost scary amount of sense and Kali had a growing feeling that everything around them was far more complex than anything she'd ever imagined. She felt so far out of her depth, but she could at least find comfort in the fact she had found her partner and would never have to go through this alone again.
"I have two questions, now," Weaver said, and Marix sat up, fore-hands back on the table. "First: Where can I access an information terminal anonymously. Second: Where would I start looking to get a ship?"
"Without any traces?" the Fallen asked, and Kali's partner nodded. "Those are small questions. One hundred glimmer for the first. Five hundred for the second. I take a risk by giving you any names such as that."
"One hundred and I'll tell you what caused that earthquake," Weaver countered.
Marix's eyes brightened. "Oh? I will be the judge of its worth, and deduct it, yes? I am fair."
Weaver paused for a moment, before opening her mouth to start. "It was a Cabal warship that crashed down a few kilometers away, manned by a rogue faction that wanted to attack the Reef. Only a hundred or so soldiers. The commander was a Valus Trau'ug."
Marix grinned. "A Cabal warship? There are many good parts on such a thing. Many good opportunities. That is very good information. And only two hours old. For that, I will give you both questions." From somewhere on her person she took out a data shard. "Location and access keys for secure data network terminal." A second shard came out. "Location and proof you came from me for ship contact."
Weaver picked up the shards and tucked them away in a pocket under her cloak where Kali promptly dematerialized them and started checking the data.
'Looks good,' she told her partner after a few seconds.
"Thank you," Weaver told Marix.
"Any more?" the Fallen asked.
"I don't think so," Weaver replied.
'Kali?'
'Nothing I can think of, unless you want a place to sleep, but that might be risky,' she said.
'Yeah. I can handle roughing it, especially if I never have to see red dirt around me again.'
"Then I wish you a good night," Marix said, standing. "Do not die, Earth-born. I would not like to lose such an… interesting new customer."
Weaver just nodded, watching as the alien turned around and easily slipped into the shadows, vanishing as if she'd never been there.
She looked down at the last remnants of her drink in her glass.
It was time to move on.
They had a lot to think about, anyways.
She wouldn't have noticed it were she not keeping to the darker streets, the ones that lay in the parts of the city that were less cared for and in disrepair.
She wouldn't have noticed it, and if she hadn't, it was likely their future would have been very different.
But she did.
It wasn't anything uncommon, especially for what almost seemed like a ghetto—likely for the Fallen, now that Kali thought about it. But it was enough to spur Weaver into action.
A mugging.
They heard the whimpers first, and the hissed 'give me everything you've got'. As they reached the darkened alley the sounds had come from, they could see the picture clearer: a blue-skinned man with bright purple eyes, staring down at a paler woman who had been knocked to the ground, a knife held out threatening towards her. "Don't make me say it again."
Weaver's jaw tightened and her hand clenched into a fist.
'Weaver…'
Risking revealing themselves for something like this…
'I know, Kali. But I can't. I just… This is what you brought me back for, right? To protect people?'
Kali sighed, but her partner had a point. 'I understand.'
Without waiting, Weaver strode into the alley silently. "What do you think you're doing?"
The knife shot up to point at her. "This isn't anything to do with you. Leave."
Weaver's mouth twisted down in a frown. "I don't think so."
She strode forward, the man's eyes hardening as he brandished the weapon threateningly. "I said leave."
"And I said no."
The woman on the ground kicked out at the man, but he noticed and stomped on her midsection, a sharp crack echoing through the alley and the woman crying out as she rolled to the side.
The man's expression turned to anger as he looked back at Weaver, who had closed the gap between them. "Fine then."
He lunged, and Weaver's left arm came up in an instant, inhumanly quickly, knocking his to the side as the crackle of Arc energy surrounded her right hand.
Without a word, the fist was buried in his midsection, electricity surging through his body. The man's eyes bulged before rolling up in their sockets as he collapsed bonelessly. His knife dropped out of his hand to clang on the cement to Weaver's side, the Risen immediately stepping on it and shattering the blade beneath her heel.
She turned to the woman on the ground, crouching next to her. "Are you alright?"
The woman nodded, though the tears in her eyes told a different story. "Thank you. Thank you." She laboriously pushed herself up into a sitting position, and Kali could tell Weaver was floundering as she tried to figure out what to do.
'You can heal her, you know,' Kali said quietly.
'What? How?'
'How do you heal yourself with Solar energy?' she replied.
'I can do that with other people?' Weaver asked incredulously.
'Yeah. Here, I'll help show you how. Instead of burning, focus on life.'
Weaver closed her eyes, concentrating. 'Okay, now what?'
'Gather Solar Light in your hands and put them against where she's injured.'
Kali could feel the energy collect in her partner, channeled to where she'd told her.
Weaver's eyes opened, and she put her hands on the woman's lower torso.
"Hey, what are… you… doing?" the woman said, trailing off as the Light circulated through her, from Weaver to the injury and back, knitting together flesh and bone, repairing burst blood vessels.
When she felt there was nothing left to do, Kali told Weaver. The Risen pulled her hands back, and the woman prodded at her side with wide eyes. "You… how?"
Weaver shook her head. "It doesn't matter. I was just in the right place at the right time. You should forget about me."
She stood from her crouch, looking over at the downed man. Satisfied that he wouldn't be going anywhere for a good while, she turned to leave the alley.
"Hey! What's your name?" the Awoken called out, hurriedly pushing herself up from the dirty ground.
Weaver shook her head, not wasting another moment in exiting the alley and moving quickly down the street, keeping to the shadows that would hide her.
'You did something good,' Kali told her partner.
'I know. But… that's only one person. How many people does that happen to every night? How many are hurt worse? How many more could I help? Isn't this what I'm supposed to be doing?'
Kali had no answer, but she knew that night, something important had changed.
A/N: So this is completely unbetaed besides me throwing snippets at @Twei. So uh. Review, please? I'll make edits and changes as necessary before I post to other sites.
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- Location
- Madison, AL
Aggle baggle, ump bump fizz!
Who gets the reference?
Who gets the reference?
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Mr. Mica
Capitalism cannot fix Global Warming.
- Location
- Earth
This is pretty great. I really like it.
Hard to say more, just woke up, did not know I should be looking for mistakes. At first glance, seems error-less, likely error on my part. heh
Seems like decent world-building. I do not know how much is original work of your own, or establish Destiny lore, and I would not know difference. I have not played game.
Matrix feels like interesting character, information broker, mysterious. Interesting locale also, bar. Atmosphere set nicely. Felt eyes when read about entrance, was good.
Engaging story about Fallen. Awoken interesting concept too. You teased much with Matrix's list with information. But delivered enough to keep attention. Well done.
Setting up Weaver as hero with mugging scene. Display her willing to sacrifice for innocent strangers again. Is becoming theme, maybe. Good thing to do that, I think.
Have nothing else but good things to say. Seems silly. Do not fear lack of quality. It is there. Well written.
Hard to say more, just woke up, did not know I should be looking for mistakes. At first glance, seems error-less, likely error on my part. heh
Seems like decent world-building. I do not know how much is original work of your own, or establish Destiny lore, and I would not know difference. I have not played game.
Matrix feels like interesting character, information broker, mysterious. Interesting locale also, bar. Atmosphere set nicely. Felt eyes when read about entrance, was good.
Engaging story about Fallen. Awoken interesting concept too. You teased much with Matrix's list with information. But delivered enough to keep attention. Well done.
Setting up Weaver as hero with mugging scene. Display her willing to sacrifice for innocent strangers again. Is becoming theme, maybe. Good thing to do that, I think.
Have nothing else but good things to say. Seems silly. Do not fear lack of quality. It is there. Well written.
ensou
Magical G̶i̶r̶l̶ Servant Mordred-chan
- Location
- NEW YORK CITY!??
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Everything Marix said is from canon lore, though organized and brought together by someone who participated rather than a sideline account.