Lance Corporal Singh burst into the chamber, her uniform singed and torn, clutching a jagged shard of metal that pulsed with an otherworldly blue light. "Captain!" she shouted, her voice hoarse from the acrid smoke of battle. "I've found it!"
Reid's eyes widened as he recognized the object in Singh's hands. The fragment of Excalibur—a weapon of legend now reduced to a broken piece of history. Yet even in its diminished state, it radiated power that made the air around it shimmer like a heat haze.
"Lovely," he muttered. "I was just thinking this fight needed more mythical weaponry. Pass it here before you start glowing or speaking in riddles."
As Singh handed over the fragment, Dr. Whitaker practically teleported to Reid's side, her eyes gleaming with the manic excitement of an academic who's just stumbled upon the holy grail of her field. "Fascinating!" she exclaimed, reaching out to touch the shard before Reid could stop her.
The moment her fingers brushed the metal, Whitaker jerked back as if shocked. "Oh my," she breathed, her face a mixture of awe and terror. "It's... alive. The energy within it—it's unlike anything I've ever encountered."
Reid raised an eyebrow. "I don't suppose it comes with an instruction manual? 'How to Wield Legendary Swords for Dummies,' perhaps?"
Whitaker shook her head, her expression grave. "This fragment could disrupt Seraphine's control over the ley-lines, maybe even sever it entirely. But the power required to channel it..." She trailed off, her eyes darting to each member of the team. "It could kill whoever tries to use it."
A heavy silence fell over the group, broken only by the distant sounds of battle echoing through the fortress. Reid felt the weight of command settle on his shoulders like a lead blanket. He'd asked his team to risk their lives before, but this... this was different.
"I'll do it," Gareth said suddenly, stepping forward with grim determination. "I've served Seraphine before. Let me atone for my past."
Reid shook his head. "No. You're our best fighter. We need you on the front lines."
"Then I will—" Singh began, but Reid cut her off with a sharp gesture.
"We need a conduit," Whitaker interjected, her voice tight with urgency. "Someone with a natural connection to the ley-lines. Someone who can channel the fragment's power without being overwhelmed by it." Her gaze settled on Maeve, who had been uncharacteristically quiet throughout the exchange.
The druidess met Whitaker's eyes, understanding dawning on her face. "Me," she said softly. It wasn't a question.
Reid turned to Maeve, studying her pale face and the faint tremor in her hands. She looked exhausted, pushed to her limits by the battles they'd already fought. "Maeve, you don't have to—"
"Yes, I do," she interrupted, a spark of her old fire returning to her eyes. "This is why I'm here. Why I survived when so many others didn't."
As Whitaker began explaining the process to Maeve, Reid pulled Gareth aside. "I need you to buy us time," he said in a low voice. "Hold off Seraphine's forces while we prepare."
Gareth nodded, a grim smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "One last charge, then? How delightfully cliché." He clasped Reid's shoulder. "It's been an honor, Captain."
Before Reid could respond, Gareth was gone, charging toward the chamber's entrance with a battle cry that echoed through the stone corridors. The sounds of combat intensified as he engaged Seraphine's elite guard single-handedly.
Turning back to the others, Reid found Maeve standing before the ley-line nexus, the fragment of Excalibur held tightly in both hands. Whitaker hovered nearby, rattling off instructions that sounded more like theoretical physics than magic.
"Remember," Whitaker said, her voice strained, "focus on the ley-lines themselves, not Seraphine's corruption. The fragment will amplify your connection, but you must guide its power."
Maeve nodded, her eyes closed in concentration. As she began to channel energy into the fragment, the air around her crackled with power. The ley-line markings on her skin flared to life, pulsing in rhythm with the shard's glow.
For a moment, nothing seemed to happen. Then, with a sound like reality itself tearing at the seams, a wave of blue-white energy erupted from Maeve and the fragment. It swept through the chamber and beyond, a tsunami of pure ley-line power that shattered Seraphine's hold on the corrupted energy.
Reid felt the change immediately. The oppressive weight of Seraphine's magic lifted, replaced by a sense of balance he hadn't realized was missing. Outside, the sounds of battle shifted—cries of confusion from Seraphine's forces mixed with cheers from Valkyrie soldiers.
But the victory came at a cost. As the wave of energy dissipated, Maeve collapsed, the fragment of Excalibur clattering to the ground beside her. Reid rushed to her side, cradling her head gently.
"Did it work?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Reid nodded, forcing a smile. "You did it. You turned the tide."
Maeve's eyes fluttered closed, a faint smile on her lips. "Good," she murmured. "That's... good."
As Singh began administering first aid and Whitaker examined the now-dormant fragment, Reid allowed himself a moment of hope. They had dealt Seraphine a devastating blow, but the battle was far from over. And judging by the approaching sounds of combat, they would have little time to savor this victory.
"Right," he said, rising to his feet and checking his weapon. "Let's not keep our hostess waiting. I'm sure she's eager to discuss our redecorating efforts."
With grim determination, Task Force Valkyrie prepared to face whatever came next, the fate of two worlds hanging in the balance.