[b]Chapter Five[/b] [b][url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/98283573/0/0/1]Episode One[/url][/b] In the center of Mare Imbrium, the once-sprawling military complex had been ripped from its foundations and toppled over—great banks of soil pushed up and fallen away, like a giant’s fist had punched through the lunar rock. Toland looked out over the edge of the nearest cliff, so full of sky. Far off, thousands of miles away in every direction, he saw other skies aflame, green firmaments and yellow and black, lit by a vagary of stars. It was a sea of skies—wrapping sky within sky within sky. Crota’s awakening caused his world-mind to mesh with the physical plane. Toland had felt the disturbance as he left Eriana and Eris’s fireteam to interrogate a high-ranking Wizard he had helped capture. The only one who had come with him, under orders, and maybe partly of her own volition, was Wei Ning. “What is that thing?” asked the Titan. Toland followed the arrow of her gaze. “A god.” The electric, humanoid creature marched forward, surrounded by a golden ring of Knights. Toland had never seen anything like it before. He somewhat resembled those of his kind, but he stood heads taller, with a crystallized body, plated with bristling armor forged completely of his own will. And he held a sword. It was a weapon created not out of steel or bone, nor from Crota’s own power, but from something to which Toland could not answer. Crota led his army out from the bowels of their dark nest and easily pushed back the Guardian army. It was like trying to hold back a tide with sand. The Hive forces were unending. If Toland didn’t lend his aid, then he’d be just as culpable if he had killed them himself. “He is fearsome, but I will strike him down.” “We could have had a nice picnic, couldn’t we?” lamented Toland, ignoring her impossible statement. “But the wretches refuse to be pleasant. I used to be an instructor, you know. I shan’t be kind.” He shrugged. “Do try not to die.” Wei grunted. “I’ll try my very best.” The Titan took off first, running down into the kilometers-long crater, form crackling with electricity. Toland went forth as well. He began his dance by firing the assault rifle of his own fashioning, Shadow Price, into the wall of enemies. Short-bursts to heads brought down the Acolytes. He rained dense slugs of violet matter, allowing some Guardians to escape, until he ran out of ammo. He tossed the weapon to the side. A sudden blast of Void power tore through a phalanx of Warlocks, consuming them to the bone and crumbling their Ghosts to uselessness. Six Ogres, hulking swine with a mane of boils and rotting flesh, lumbered towards Toland, crushing Thralls underfoot.Such beings had no place in this world. Toland slipped his body into empty serenity, teleporting onto the exposed back of the foremost Ogre. With a single swipe of his Void-frothed hand, he scooped out whatever dark magic had brought the abomination to life. He teleported five more times. He took life five more times, then landed on the ground, a trail of fallen unborn in his wake. A horde of enemies came for his throat. Toland lashed his arms out and Blinked himself, and everything within twenty feet, into the corners of space. Floating in zero-gravity, he flashed the Wizards and Acolytes a blade-thin smile as he teleported back onto the battlefield. A roar shook Mare Imbrium so loud it nearly concussed his skull. Through tears, he saw a smear of crackling light engulf the center of the crater. Crota, allowing reckless Guardians to come for him, shook off whatever attack he had sustained. Toland squinted. It was Wei Ning. The fool. [i]Patch me into her Ghost[/i], Toland ordered to his very own. It took only a moment[i]. You’re in. [/i] [i]Wei Ning, you must fall back! Crota is too powerful! [/i] The female Titan dodged a swing of the god’s blade. [i]I’m a little busy.[/i] However, the Guardian next to her wasn’t so deft in movement. Crota back-handed a Warlock, who was about to summon a nova bomb, into the dirt with enough force to fracture the rock beneath him. [i]Please retreat[/i], urged Toland. [i]He will end you where you stand! I will not have more light gutter out because of your stupidity, girl! Fall back or I’ll—[/i] Crota’s blade shattered Wei’s breastplate and impaled her. [i]Even so, when the long dark closes around,[/i] we [i]will be the last light.[/i] The withering sword grew brighter and extracted the very essence of the woman. Even her armor seemed to drain of color. Toland shook his head and cursed, watching more Guardians push their way further into the Hive masses. Crota whipped Wei’s body onto the ground and found more victims. He took a Ghost in his claws, just as it revived its Guardian, and flattened it between blade and palm. The monster thrust the screaming knife into the man’s neck. Toland stood transfixed. The god’s eyes swelled in dark radiance for every Guardian cut down, for every beam of Light swallowed. There was no stopping him. Toland watched until hundreds fell, which soon gave way to almost a thousand. A voice yelled in his head. A female voice. He couldn’t quite make the out the words, but it was there. More yelling in the background of his horrors, still in his head. Two voices this time. His Ghost? [i]Toland![/i] continued the woman.[i] Light! You must use Light to drive back Crota![/i] That didn’t make sense. [i]The monster eats Light.[/i] [i]Damn it! Are you listening, Voidwalker?! [/i]Now he knew who it was. It was Eriana. [i]Crota feeds off the Light from Guardians through depraved means. He forces the Light from his victims, but Light sparked of free will will harm him! I’ve told the rest of the survivors already! [/i] Toland blinked through his haze and found out the Exo could be right. He realized most of the Hive forces were eradicated, except for the ascendant champion. Guardians stopped in their tracks, having already listened to Eriana. They held their Ghosts in their hands, and one by one, the little machines began to glow until there was nothing but a sea of white Light. Toland did the same, but no Light would come from his Ghost. Maybe the Speaker had been right in saying he was tainted. It wouldn’t matter though, because when the Light finally died, Crota was gone. He’d been banished to sleep once more. However, this wasn’t the end. The Hive would attempt to birth the monster into this world again one day. And Toland the Shattered would be there. [b][url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/101705656/0/0/1]EPILOGUE[/url][/b] [b][url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/98889624/0/0/1]EPISODE TWO[/url][/b] [b][url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/99463401/0/0/1]EPISODE THREE[/url][/b] [b][url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/99974909/0/0/1]EPISODE FOUR[/url][/b] [i][b]DISCLAIMER: ALTHOUGH THIS SERIES HAS SOME BASIS IN LORE, THIS IS A WORK OF PURE FAN FICTION, ONLY TO BE TAKEN WITH A GRAIN OF SALT. I WRITE THESE SERIES FOR PEOPLE WHO LIKE TO READ, SO IF YOU ARE SOMEHOW OFFENDED BY WORDS, DON'T READ MY STORIES[/b][/i] [b][url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/100362914]DESTINY FAN FICTION ARCHIVE[/url][/b] [b][url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Clan/Forum/823422]JOIN OR FOLLOW GROUP FOR FAN FICTION UPDATES[/url][/b]