We Stand Together

Chapter 12: A Dead Ghost Goes Back to the Traveler

They just keep coming.

No matter how many Eden shoots down, there's always another thrall to take the dead one's place. It just keeps getting harder to fight them all off. But she keeps holding out, hoping the distress call Uriah sent out earlier has someone, anyone, coming.

She reloads her gun again, suddenly aware of how little ammo she has left. The ammo synths that Eden brought with her have dwindled down to only one. With a long sigh, she uses it and reloads her gun, watching a thrall run up on her. Eden rears her fist back and punches, completely crushing its face in and disintegrating its body into arc. She expects more to come but there are none. They're all dead.

Relief tingles in her chest as she lowers the gun slightly.

"They're gone. Finally," She mutters, shoulders sagging in exhaustion.

"Good! Now let's go!" Uriah whispers urgently.

"No, not yet. Not until we get his Ghost," Eden breathes, moving up to the door frame. She presses her back against the outside wall and peers into the dark room.

There is a platform with two sets of stairs leading up to another platform and one set of stairs leading down to a lower level. On the upper platform, a couple of acolytes and thrall mill around, bowing to an altar. In the very center of all of them floats a Wizard.

Dark, disgusting robes flap gently away from its distorted, thin body. The elaborate headgear upon its head is bowed down, nearly touching the alter as it hovers up and down. Lowly muttered hive language scrapes against Eden's ears like metal against metal.

"Alright, we have to get that Ghost back and I'm guessing if anyone has it, it's the Wizard," Eden whispers, pointing to the Hive creature.

She can feel the uncertainty, fear, and concern zipping through Uriah rapidly before he settles on trust.

"Okay, let's do this," He replies, bravery seeping into his voice.

Eden nods before peeking back around the door and launching an arc grenade right into the middle of the crowd of Hive. A few acolytes and thrall die immediately and the remaining turn toward her, angry and howling.

Eden lifts up her auto rifle and shoots well-placed shots towards the ones still alive. When they disintegrate into nothing, Eden rushes inside and sprints up the stairs.

She launches herself toward the Wizard and just as she reaches up to punch the Hive creature, it turns and wraps a claw around Eden's throat, squeezing tightly.

The darkness of the creature's magic burns everywhere it touches, causing Uriah to cry out her name. It brings Eden pain like nothing else she's ever felt before and she tries desperately to pry the bony hand away.

Three, glowing, green eyes bore into hers as it rasps out something in its language.

As Eden struggles, the Wizard laughs a horrible crackling cough before it drops her to the ground.

The female Titan takes in deep breaths, clutching at her neck.

"Eden! Are you alright?" Uriah exclaims in worry from inside her helmet. Before she can answer, the Wizard summons a cloud of cold, dark magic that chokes Eden. She can practically feel it leech the Light away from her.

The cloud slips past the air filters in her helmet and slides down her throat. It travels through her body, practically tearing her insides apart. All Eden can do is gasp and choke and sputter as Uriah wails in her ear, afraid and worried.

She becomes weaker and weaker until her body is laying flat on the ground and she's staring at the alter the Wizard was previously floating in front of.