Hello, everybody, here's part 45 of Into the Hellmouth! Just to give you guys a heads up, parts over the next week or so might be a little spotty - I head off to college this weekend, so we'll just have to see how my schedule works out. However, the series is not going on hiatus or anything like that. It's just that I may take an extra few days to get each part done. In any case, here's [url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Forums/Post/210531605?showBanned=0&path=0]part 44[/url] if you missed it, and, if you're looking for a different chapter, here's the [url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Forums/Post/209303839?showBanned=0&path=0]master post![/url] So if you like it, give it a bump, and I'll get more out soon! Stay classy, Guardians! Crota breathed as he felt the power flow into his body. Ahh, the servant of the light that Ir Yût had killed had been powerful indeed. He almost felt as though he had recovered his former strength. He flexed his muscles, and looked down at the sword in his hand. The sword had felled more foes than he bothered to count. His sword had grown so sharp, so filled with malice, that it drained by simple touch. He would have drained the light from the Traveler itself had it not been for the accursed “Gaurdians.” But no matter. His strength was almost fully recovered. He would lead his army of Darkness upon these foolish zealots, and crush them with the power of the Sword Logic. What were a few extra cycles when one had eternity to plan? Immortality was the best teacher of patience, he decided. Then, he looked to his right, and saw three of the Guardians standing there. He could sense the opinions of his underlings - they were disgusted by the presence of the Light in the most sacred of places - where the laws should be governed by only the followers of the Sword Logic. Crota sneered at their grievances. Could they not see the opportunity here? If one Guardian could provide so much, then what would these three give? He would grow so powerful, that he would crush their precious City himself! And with the power from the Conquest of the last Den of the Light, he could grow powerful enough to usurp the ruler of the Ozmium throne - Oryx. Crota loved his father - how could he not? - But it was the way of the world to Take from others. The Sword Logic demanded it - Oryx had killed his own sisters more times than any could remember. For that was what their worms demanded - that they continue to grow in strength, and destroy all in their path. For all of eternity. But no, Crota thought. I am getting ahead of myself. His gaze settled on the three “Guardians.” These three shall do for now. Their God cannot help them here. For here, he thought, tightening his grip on his sword, this is the only Divine. Eriana looked out at Crota. She paled. “Well,” she said, “we found him.” Eris nodded. “Well, if he wants to fight,” she said, “let’s fight.” “We’ll lose,” Sai said. The other two Guardians turned towards her. “It’s the simple truth,” Sai said. “If we fight him, we will die.” “We have to -“ Eriana began. “What we have to do is get back to Earth!” Sai said. “I see that now. I’m fine with dying down here - I’m fine with my light fading from this world and passing into the next - but we won’t be the last Guardians to come to Luna. They’ll follow in our footsteps - and perish in them.” Eriana was confused. “But Sai,” she said. “We’ve come so far - we’ve lost so much . . .” Sai nodded. “Yes,” she said, “and where has it gotten us? Here? If we leave now, we can at least give the Vanguard useful information about the Hive Hierarchy. If we die here, we’ll have left nothing but corpses.” Eriana began to get angry. “I lost friends to that thing!” she shouted. “I watched Wei-Ning die right in front of my eyes!” “And I watched Sylvia die in front of mine!” Sai shouted back. She took several deep breaths before continuing. “She was my friend! We’d been together on more missions than I dare to count! And she died because of Crota. And I will never forget her.” She remembered her vision - Sylvia and the lost Guardians; let us go we’re dragging you down let us go. She finally understood what they had meant - better to save her light for another day than to waste it on a lost cause. “We are needed in the Tower, Eriana! We can do something there! Something that will truly make a difference! If we stay here, we will die a meaningless death.” She gripped Eriana’s shoulder, and gazed at her imploringly. “Our basest desires dragged us down into this pit,” she said. “Let our nobler ones pull us out.” For a moment, all was quiet as the two Guardians gazed at each other, as though each was glimpse the other’s soul. And then, there was the sound of bone-on-metal. Eris had dragged a sword from a nearby metal box. She looked over it. “Toland said that Crota could only be defeated by a sword,” she said. “I’d say this should work.” “Eris!” Sai shouted. “Didn’t you -“ “Crota must fall,” Eris said. “I’ll see to it by any means necessary - even if it means my own death.” She looked at Eriana. “We’ve lost far too much to stop now.” And then, she ran towards Crota, sword in hand. Sai looked bewilderedly at Eriana. “Eriana -“ she began. Eriana looked of at Eris, and then sighed. “Sorry Sai,” she said, “but Eris is right - we’ve lost far too much to stop here.” And then she too grabbed a nearby sword, and ran after Eris. “So,” Sai’s ghost said, “what’re we gonna do?” Sai paused for a moment, and then exhaled. “Well, we won’t last ten minutes out there alone,” she said. “The least we can do is try to make sure that they survive just a little longer.” And with that, she found her own sword, and rushed after her companions. Edit:[url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Forums/Post/210981009] Part 46[/url]