The Great Disaster(2)

A/N: Reached home, so here's a chapter.

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Four Jumpships stealthily flew past the lunar horizon, seconds later the hunters covertly transmatted below.

"Two teams, cover it front to back, usual protocol." Levi voiced out as he stepped forwards.

"Dibs on cory." Bandit interjected immediately, the two bumped fists.

Levi frowned, "Tsk. Fine, I'll take Void. We're covering the front." 

"Oi, don't scowl when you say that." Void raised his brows and chimed in.

"Suit yourself, any other wisdom you'd like to impart?" Cory replied, cracking his knuckles as he and Bandit stood to the side.

"Keep comms on the ready, and don't get caught out." Levi shook his head and shuffled towards the target area.

"Relax, they won't see it coming." Cory and Bandit sauntered away.

Moments later, their figures dissolved akin to phantoms- The two had disappeared into thin air.

Levi shot one last glance towards them and heaved a breath. 

"Let's go." He calmly strode forwards, digging his soles into the crumbling lunar soil.

"You fought hive before?" Levi asked, his gaze burrowing into the lunar landscape as he searched for signs.

"Only once, all thralls." Void answered, his eyes wandered but nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

"Thralls, just consider them mindless corpses. It's possible we might have to face off against Knights and Wizards. " Levi's voice trailed off.

"You seem concerned." Void felt the air stiffen.

"I am. You're strong, but the Hive are different. The wizards are cunning, they'll tire you out with numbers and only show themselves at your weakest. Knights, dreadful and lethal, no matter what, they'll try and crush you with strength alone." 

"Don't let your guard down. A single mistake and you'll regret it." Levi cautioned solemnly.

"Appreciate the heads up, I'll be careful." Void steeled his mind, he had not yet encountered a hive wizard. 

An eerie sensation loomed over his head.

Void's hands rested on the scabbard to his side, his sword stirred.

--

"All clear", Void prowled the barren lunar plains, his figure hidden within the frayed wrinkles of shadow cast upon the surface. 

"Status" Levi frowned, they'd been searching for close to ten minutes, yet there was no sign of hive activity.

It was odd. Far too odd. The hive were shrewd, yes. But first and foremost, they were bloodthirsty and impatient.

He didn't believe that they had managed to slip through the hive's defences. Which could only mean, something else was controlling the hive, something more powerful than their own primal instincts.

Just what were they up against?

"Nothing here either. At this rate they might've just dug a hole and buried themselves." Cory replied.

"Weasel bastards, they're saving their strength." Bandit scoffed. 

Void contemplated, he could only recall vague details of the great disaster. The incident had left the thousands shattered, yet such a tragic war wasn't well documented. However, that didn't mean he couldn't guess what the Hive were up to.

'Tributes', a thought flashed in his mind.

Unbeknownst to the city, Crota was vying for strength, enough to oppose his father's council of elders and regain his position as prince. He needed tributes and sacrifices- The hive's sword logic functioned under simple rules, if enemies were slaughtered in their name, the Hive grew stronger.

 The mysterious reason behind the hive's silence was simple. They were far too busy.

"Let's continue the search, we're bound to find something." Void spoke up.

It wasn't a speculation, perhaps if it had been anyone else, the hives cunning would've born fruit. Unfortunately Void possessed the ability to see through their petty act.

To put it simply, his eyes were already accustomed to the dark. 

'Just a bit further.'

Void and Levi continued to wander until they came upon mounds of dust. Eerie whispers danced around their ears.

 A chilling shiver ran down their spines, they were close. 

As if knowing this, Void felt his sixth sense acting up. The flow of energy here was concentrated. 

"You felt that?" Void frowned.

"Beyond those dunes, its definitely there." Levi nodded.

The two blended among the shadows, cautiously prowling further as Levi sent the feed back to the Vanguard.

They shuffled closer to the dunes and glanced across. 

"Hive nests." Levi mumbled.

Beyond the dunes, were hollow mountains. Home to a hive brood. Cocoons of dirt were spread around, the ground was bleak and lifeless, trenches and tunnels littered the landscape.

Void's eyes shimmered, faint carvings were visible to his sight. They were everywhere. A sliver of shrewd and cunning magic lingered within them. 

'Traps'

He didn't need to understand what they meant, but their purpose was certain.

"No, not just a nest." Void whispered back. His eyes widened as his gaze stretched for miles.

Sigils, breeding grounds and tunnels. It wasn't just their home. It served a greater purpose.

Voids voice "It's a fortress." 

His words were heard by all the Vanguard present, the feed was immediately reviewed. 

A stoic voice cut through the silence, "Your hunter is right. Those runes dictate barriers. The hive are known to be territorial for their brood."

Void immediately recognized the voice, Toland the shattered. Or rather, he was not shattered yet.

"The Hive are more prepared than we thought." Ikorra judged.

"No, its not that. This, is beyond preparation. They weren't preparing for us." Toland disagreed.

"You mean?" Cayde's eyes narrowed.

Toland pressed his lips together, "The Hive have many enemies. This fortress is a remnant, from an old battle. They're using it to breed and strengthen their brood."

Contemplating a few more possibilities, Toland took over the comms. 

"We need a closer look. Be careful, it seems to me they're dormant. They're not expecting anyone." 

"Got it, we'll keep the feed on." Levi replied.

"Heads up, we're moving in, come to our side." Void sent a message to Bandit and Cory.

A few seconds passed as a voice resounded, "Alright, we're rushing closer." 

Void and Levi shared a glance, their figures turned transparent. Deftly, the two darted across the dunes, dashing towards the Hive fortress.

Their steps halted as they inched closer, Void carefully stepped towards their nests.

As Levi carefully captured the entire area on footage, the two ensured no thralls were awake. 

Void spared a glance to the cocoons, solid and sealed. The Hive were slumbering, perhaps that was the only reason they'd made it this far inside.

He couldn't feel any other presence present. Neither Wizards nor Knights. It was strange.

Levi trudged ahead, examining each intricate rune in hopes of deciphering it. He scoured the tunnels in leu of gathering intel.

That was when he stumbled upon them.

A strange set of glittering runes, carved into the inner walls of the long winding and dark tunnels. It was unlike the others. These runes, felt alive. A strange rhythm was present within their glow.

Like a beating heart, it dimmed and glimmered subtly drawing him closer.

"Void, I found something." Levi's brows furled, he shuffled closer.

"Do not go closer to the runes." Toland's voice sharply broke him out of his subtle trance.

Levi found his hand lingering near the rune and he swiftly jerked it back. Just as he had done so, Void followed behind.

His eyes lingered on the rune, Void's face darkened. 

'The three eyed sigil', He immediately spotted that accursed mark. 

"Stand back." Void gestured as Levi cautiously withdrew.

"Can you read it?" Void urged Toland. Though he knew what the mark meant, he needed Toland to be the one who said it. Otherwise, the Vanguard would not entirely believe him.

"I can, but they are not simple words." Toland hummed, a strange quiver fractured his voice. 

" The living ascendant. The mightiest of the King's spawns. The World ender. Crota. The Hive Prince."

A dreadful silence gripped the comms

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A/N: Hope you enjoyed chapter, next chapter soon (tomorrow or in a few hours).