Dolos, Gate, Echo, the Winter Legion, and House Light all silently move along the Wall, making their way towards the Breach in it. Dolos carries the newly reforged Staff on his back.
Once at the Breach, they all separate, each towards their own objectives. House Light and the Legion were to secure the City and kill any Things they found, while the three heroes were to take down Frederick and end the infestation.
Dolos, Gate, and Echo stare out at the Egregore Tower, under the Traveler. The Traveler was quiet.
"This is it, just us." Echo speaks up.
"Just us." Gate looks over at him.
They quietly descend into the Last City, heading towards the tower.
It was a quiet walk. They weren't ambushed, or attacked. Even then, there was no sign of any Things too.
The buildings were all dark, and the markers and parks were the most quiet they had ever been.
Dolos stops walking, he looks down at the ground, still scarred with Egregore.
"Why've you stopped?" Echo asks him.
"Look. The Egregore is dead." Dolos points to the ground.
Echo and Gate walk over to check it out.
The Egregore had hardened, and was dark.
"It's dead."
"Yeah but how?"
"Don't ask me."
"Do you think this means the infestation is over?"
"Let's not jump to assumptions, alright? Let's focus on Frederick."
They continue walking through the dead city.
Eido follows her father, Mithrax, closely as they trudge through the dark streets. Other Eliksni, and Cabal too, followed behind.
"Father, shouldn't we help the Guardians?" She asks him, breaking the hour long silence throughout the group.
"Let them fight alone. We are only to secure the City. This is our purpose, Eido."
Eido looks around at the City, burned, broken, and scarred.
"You think we would've been attacked by now?" Kanya runs up next to Mithrax.
"Indeed. They could watching us. Stay ready."
Acreo uses hand gestures towards the Legion, and they prepare their weapons. Acreo pumps a large shotgun.
"There's a lot of bodies on the ground." He states.
"Probably just victims of the attack."
"Then the Egregore would've taken them over." Eido realizes, running away from the group to look at the bodies.
"Eido!" Mithrax runs after her.
Eido turns over a body of a human. She looks at their spine. She sees heavy scarring all over it. Egregore had clearly made its mark.
"Father! Look....this was one of them."
"It's gone now."
Hearing this information, Kanya looks in the air, and no Egregore spores were to be found.
"What the hell is going on? Is the infestation gone?"
"If it's gone then where did it go?"
Frederick painfully climbs up onto the top of the Egregore Tower, holding his chest. He falls to his knees, looking out at the City.
He feels a presence behind him, he quickly looks back. The Herald stands before him, twitching in its host, the body of Shaxx.
"Did the Witness send you to kill me?"
"No. My allegiance...is to you, Overlord."
The Herald holds out its hand, and Egregore forms out its fingers. The Egregore grows onto Frederick's chest, healing it, hosting it.
"I'm one of you now, aren't I?"
"Yes."
"So be it." Frederick stands up, his chest high.
"What is your...command?"
"The Guardians...their here, I know it. I want you to find them. Bring them to me."
"What of...their armies?"
"What do you think."
"It will be done." The Herald jumps off of the Egregore Tower.
It lands on a nearby building, and begins to look out at the City. Soon, it locates a large number of enemies to the East, an army. It's found a target, and begins to move after them.
Dolos, Gate, and Echo approach the Egregore Tower, and look up it.
"There could be hundreds of Things in there. We'll be outnumbered." Dolos states.
Gate looks over at him.
"Let them come. Let's go." He unholsters Ace of Spades, and runs up the stairs to the entrance.
Dolos and Echo look at eachother, and then Echo follows after him. Dolos stands there, waiting. He looks up at the Tower, and sees Frederick staring down at him from above.
They glare at eachother, and Dolos makes his choice.
As House Light and the Legion look down at the bodies, they hear loud footsteps from above.
Everyone immediately jumps up and readies their weapons.
The Herald looks over at them from the top of a nearby building.
Kanya notices Shaxx' helmet.
"Shaxx? Is that you?"
The Herald jumps down off the building, showing off its Egregore infested body.
"That is not Shaxx." Acreo replies, firing his shotgun at the Herald.
The Herald forms a hammer out of its arm, and charges towards Acreo, swinging it at him. The swing shattered his head, sending him to the ground.
"Acreo....open fire!"
The Winter Legion and House Light begin to attack the Herald.
The Herald knew this was a losing fight, but was not going to let itself lose. It continues to charge forward, grabbing any living thing it ran into and throwing it to the ground with tremendous force.
It's charge ended when Kanya fired her Shadowshot into its head, killing it quickly.
A significant amount of the army had been lost, including Acreo. Kanya leans down next to him.
However, the Traveler's gaze appears before them.
A bright gleam of Light aims itself towards Acreo's body.
Everyone looks at it in awe.
Rise.
Acreo's head pieced itself back together, and he stands up quickly, dazed and confused. Nobody has really anything to say after that.
Dolos, Gate, and Echo walk through the quiet halls of the Egregore Tower. They walk past various bodies.
"Only the three of you?!" Frederick's voice echoes throughout the Tower.
"Us is all it took to defeat you before!" Gate yells back.
"Not this time...not this time."
Frederick reveals himself, flying at the top of the tower, the darkened moon silhouetting him.
"Not this time."
YOU ARE READING
Destiny: Steadfast Seraph
Science FictionThe final chapter in the Angel Hour Stories. It tells the tale of our heroes facing a very incriminating foe, while also facing the challenge of themselves and eachother.
