{working on getting pictures... somehow....}
I have defied gods and demons, I am your shield; I am your sword… I know you, your past your future. And this... This is how the world ends.
→Excerpt By Cortona ←
Human calendar year 2560
[Maddion's treachery was one we should have seen coming, he was always one of Tartarus's favorites…] replied the admiral as he faced the great expansion of space with his back turned.
[no admiral… It was mine to have foreseen… I knew him the longest… the death of our brethren is for me to bear… a sin I will carry with me into the scared halls…] replied Faze with a fist against his heart.
[hmm… that you will… but even then… Those are the easy ones to carry…]
[they are… The hardest and heaviest are my failures to protect the innocent and the unborn… even when the parasite attacked…]
[ENOUGH! You're getting ahead of yourself Faze…] replied the admiral with a snarl and a hand shaking at his sword hilt, causing even the Major to blink in submission.
Human calendar year 2552, Morning of November 3
As the sun rose to hit the golden city, and within the shadow of its cast, followed the brutes down the hill! With aggressiveness and hatred-filled hearts, they charge down the mountain between brute shots! As their shots expanded and exploded, between the bounces, the elite shield shimmered as they absorbed their shards!
The grunts bravely stood their ground as their tiny frame, took plasma shot after plasma, after hot needler stab after stab! Charging to face the brute line with their suicidal plasma… grenades! They readily gave up their lives to open the way, along with the hunter's fire! Charging through the flames, Faze and his fellow elites unwavering pushed forward!
Their shields' and their gaze shimmer to the blood of their teammates as it drenched them… as their organs and limbs exploded to sporadic brute shots, and through the explosions and the dust, Major Faze ducked as he dodged a sudden brute Bayonet! With the wind passing just above his head, the brute felt a burning tinge as blood escaped his mouth!
As he looked down to see an energy sword through his gut! The brute dropped his lobber to look Faze in the eyes, unable to feel his hands or control his nerves; the young brute fell as Faze tore his blade out by the side. Seeing the young brute falling, Faze recognized who he was! For he was the same young brute who mocked him on the day of the arbiter's shame!
Watching Faze from the back, and seeing his brethren fall one by one, Ykan, grew restless in his guilt, as he noticed his plasma rifle was equal to rubbish against these brutes; their tough skin and brutish fur just absorbed the plasma again and again! And so, to that end, Ykan discarded his weapon and picked up the fallen brute shot!
Putting away his complicated feelings as he held it, Ykan stood behind Faze as he watched his major charge head-first into a group of brutes, locked in a melee, the major never noticing the group of conniving vultures! Jackals, who hid behind their tiny shields, blue and yellow, blocked the way forward, like a group from Sparta!
Their green plasma shot covering the field, not caring even for their brute allies, as they burned their backs to get to major Faze, and like a hypnotic trance they care little for the other elites, only focusing on the major. As their fire pelleted towards Faze, he used the dead brutes on his sword hilt as shields, while his students covered for him in the melee with their swords!
But through the glow of their energy swords, and raging down the mountain, came a brute with a gravity hammer! Seeing the brute get closer to his major, Ykan acted as swiftly as he could! He jumped and roared as he emptied his entire clip into the group of jackals! Breaking their shields and causing blood and parts to rain!
Feeling the pressure ease, Faze let go of the brute's corpse that smelled of brunt flesh, just in time to hear the roar of a beast! A brute twice his size, whose legs buckled under intense pressure as it leaped from a ramp made of destroyed metals!
Seeing a hammer grow in slow motion, toward his head… Faze knew it was impossible to dodge… and even if he did, he knew the gravity distortion would still cripple him! And so knowing that, he would rather die on his feet than live as a cripple! And so… with a roar in defiance… he faced the hammer head-on with his blade stretched outward!
But to his surprise and as the hammer came down, the bit that rang out, was the sound of the hammer hitting a hardened plate! A shield, in the form of a hunter arm! Absorbing the force, even as orange blood spilled, the hunter growled as he bashed the brute away! Slamming and rolling against the dirt, into other brutes, the hammer-wielding brute looked up between the bodies to see a fuel rod cannon!
Struggling to get up, to move out of the way, all the brute could do was see the green plasma as it hit him straight on his chest! Showering the field in his blood and gore, Faze looked at the hunter as it still covered for him! Though with broken armor and a back exposed, but even then, the hunter did not yield from its duty!
Watching the hunters cover the field in green fire, Faze took this chance to look around him as he and Ykan spotted all the other elites dying to the brutes! Watching them fall to brute bayonets through the chest, to hails of plasma fire from jackals, their sword lying cold on the floor as brutes could kill with their rage-filled fist!
Watching them die, Ykan took a deep breath, as he was about to charge back in there; when he felt the warm hand of his major on his shoulders! Turning to face him, the major said:
[no! Ykan… keep moving forward… don't look back!]
Hearing those words and wanting to refute them, but knowing he had no right to, Ykan could only look away in guilt as he and the major continued rushing forward! To where? Ykan didn't know but he trusted the major.
As Faze killed yet another brute, he stared at a small window of freedom out of the encirclement! The inner streets of the city! Seizing this chance, he pushed onward with Ykan just behind him, as the hunters used their bodies like a shield to block the way, from brute pursuers.
Their orange blood drenched the floors as they took brute shot after shot! The individuals Mgalekgolos that made up their bodies screamed, as they fell apart leaving the main body! Giving away but refusing to fall, they crushed the brute that they could with their heavy arms, but in the end as more brutes exited the buildings, and like bugs, they tossed themselves onto the the hunters!
At the mercy of their numbers, one hunter received the baptism of multiple bayonets into his back and waist, drawing more blood to etch itself onto the brute's furs! Delighted in the carriage and taste of blood, the Brute smiled as the hunter screamed from the pain! Relief finally came in the shape of a brute shot! Point blank and from the inside! By Spines back and neck flesh! Two explosions were all it took! To separate its waist and neck!
Feeling his connection to his bond brother slowly fade, even as his head rolled by his feet… seeing it... Feeling it… tore into his heart like no other! With rage screaming itself through its vibrations… the brutes only laughed at it! As they held him down and tore him limb by limb… leaving only his head to look up as Maddion walked through the dust… with hammer in hand… Maddion silenced it!
While the hunters' bodies fell, Ykan looked back, only for Faze to say without turning around:
{eye forward! Ykan… eyes forward…. They have their honor…}
Agreeing in silence and turning away, Maddion laughed as he watched them flee, as he stood over the defeated hunters, he said while gripping his hammer by his face:
[run! Haha! Run little worms!]
Fleeing back into the street, into the back allies and homes, they passed over the dead, finding refuge in an unlikely place…
For hidden in the under passages of the city, within the crawl spaces of the metal floors, hid many Sangheili children, survivors who held great guilt for being alive… for being weak! But nonetheless, for the sake of their siblings and what was left of their honor, they whispered to the major and Ykan to safety!
Hidden in the dark, where even the drones could not make their nest, Major Faze looked at the children in front of him and knew of the fire that burned within them, but could not bring himself to ask…
[Major…] said the oldest among the group as he bent the knee before Faze.
{...}
[Major… let us join you! They killed our parents!] said the kid with a furry match by those around him but the women, however, they understood their male counterpart's stance and stood with them in agreement in silence.
Seeing the Major unresponsive, Ykan looked at the child and saw a reflection of himself, one consumed with hatred… for vengeance… It was only now that Ykan truly understood why the Major was reluctant to reply, for no matter what words he chose to say… a poison was sure to follow close…
But what broke the awkward silence, was the sound of heavy steps combined with a formation of roaming ghost! Knowing they had little time, Faze looked back at the children with a nod and said:
{you want to join... Fine,}
As soon as the words "fine" left his mouth, the children's facial expressions suddenly softened and relaxed… until they heard what Faze said next:
{but only as a guide!}
[But!]
[SILENCE! That's an order! You said you wanted to join, and I agreed, but as the superior in rank, I call the shots…. Understood!}
Reluctantly agreeing to Faze's demands, the children asked:
[understood… So, where do want us to guide you to?] replied the leading child
{hmm…well….we need to head to a communication center, or at the very least a working nod… then to a platform to catch us a ride out!}
[hmm.. That's going to be probably major…] explained one of the children
[how so?] interrupted Ykan
[well… all the nearby communication nods were destroyed by the brutes, and as for the center… well, they have it under lock and key! And before you ask how we know, well... we were just there not too long ago!]
[you where?] replied Ykan with surprise.
Nodding to him, the kids explained that they also tried to send a message, but the brutes... were far too many for just the ten surviving children to take on. Even with their custom-made combat harness.
Agreeing that the children were smart for not taking the attempt, Faze looked again at their combat harness and asked:
{by chance, do any of you have one or two Gek'Lhar's?}
To his question, the kids looked at each other, with worry as two out of the ten stood up and pulled them out from within their harnesses... Seeing them and the worried looks, Faze knew instantly why they were apprehensive.
{Don't worry we will return them once we finish…}
[finish?] question the leading kid
{yes, finish…} replied Faze as he looked at Ykan and continued:
{Ykan and I will be liberating that comm center, for a few… here in exchange why don't you hold onto our armor locks in the meantime…}
As the two kids held the armor locks, Faze turned Ykan, just as fighting erupted just above their heads! In the street, as brutes hunted down any surviving elites or just to finish off the dying! Blood continued to pour as buildings exploded and fell! As ghosts roamed the streets and ran over any who were unlucky to be spotted!
Hearing the pocket of resistance still going strong, Faze commanded Ykan and the kids to lead the way.
[but wait! Major… you can't possibly take the comm center with just the two of you… even with the camo!] pleaded the leading child.
{Young one we don't have a choice….}
[but you do! Look here on the map!] screamed the kid as he pulled out a 3d image map of the sector.
[do you see that spot!]
{Yes, and am I to assume that is where our "reinforcements" lie? }
[Yes, it's an old military warehouse/factory, it's where our parents made us these custom harnesses for our training.]
{wait, if your parents are there, then why are you all out here?}
[well…] replied the leading child looking away.
[we snuck out!] spoke up another child interrupting.
{oh…}
[...]
As the kid turned in embarrassment, Ykan turned to Faze and consulted with him for his opinion on this detour.
[Major, do you think we should head for the warehouse? We could use the help, but…]
{I know, Ykan... time isn't on our side at the moment… but then again if we do head to the center and find out it's too much for even us two then….}
[The double back would cost us even more…]
{exactly….}
[well, at least we could drop off the kids, assuming…]
{that their parents are even still alive…} replied Faze in solace as he watched the kids play with the armor lock.