Another day, another chapter. Have to admit, this one was pretty hard to write up, but I think I got it in the end. Now, review response time. Dragonsoul1; I won't say what that thing was, as it will spoil the reveal when it actually gets to that point. Cipher96; but...I didn't describe it? How can it look Amon-ish when it hasn't been described? I'm so confused, I'm gonna go lie down for a bit. And OutlastTheDark; Alaris is not a red shirt, he is a Akhundelar! The two are very similar things! You have a tendency of getting games wrong, don't you? Now, on with the show!
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Chapter 4- Hostiles Detected
Winter grunted as she slumped up against a stone wall, clutching her side as a Beowolf impaled itself on her Rapier. She kicked the Grimm of the blade as a Creep charged her, thrusting her weapon into its open maw where it chocked to death on the metal, coughing up blood as it thrashed around wildly. They had been ambushed by a horde of Grimm, her and her squad had been sent in to answer a distress beacon sent out by one of their Forward Command Posts, only for it to be a trap.
Winter let out a pained hiss as she moved forward, the gloved hand clutching her side stained with blood. She turned as an Ursa charged her, its fanged maw filled with dozens of blood-stained teeth, some of it old, some of it fresh. Winter fell to the ground as she raised her weapon, her strength slowly ebbing away. She could already see it, how the Ursa would tear her limb from limb and no doubt eat her entrails. She gritted her teeth in determination, watching as the Ursa raised a paw to swipe down at her...only for the limb to blown off by a Shotgun Shell.
The Ursa roared in pain as it turned to face the new adversary, only to be shot yet again, this time in the head, shattering the mask on its face. Winter turned to where the rounds had come from, and was greeted by the sight of two un helmeted Atlesian Soldiers, one male and the other female. The male ran towards her, quickly offering her a hand.
"Come on Winter, get up!" he shouted as Winter grabbed hold of the hand, pulling her to her feet.
"Greene..." Winter murmured, wincing slightly as she spoke. "Status report..."
"We're overrun! Steel, Grey and Brown have barricaded themselves in a nearby cave and sent a distress call, me and Violet came to get you." the Soldier, now identified as Greene, stated.
"What about...the rest of the squad?" Winter asked, her eyes tightening in pain as Greene hooked her arm around his shoulder, supporting the unwounded side of her body.
"No one else made it, and we won't too if we stay out here any longer!" Greene replied, quickly moving forward with Winter in tow, Violet not far behind.
The trio increased their pace as they heard the howls of Beowolves behind them, quickly getting louder with each howl. Winter was still in shock at what Greene had reported. They were a troop of thirty strong Atlesian Soldiers, all of them experienced combat operatives, and now they were down to six. Winter turned as she heard frenzied panting behind her, and was greeted by a pack of Beowolves, saliva dribbling down from their mouths.
None of this made any sense to her, the Grimm she was seeing had to be at least a few months old at best, yet they were attacking in a manner impossible for their age. Her train of thought was interrupted as a Beowolf quickly leapt out of the shadows, toppling over Violet and clamping its jaw on her ankle. Violet let out a scream of both pain and fear as she frantically kicked at the Beowolf maiming her, only for the pack that had been chasing them to quickly surround her and tear her apart.
Winter couldn't look at the sight, quickly turning around in the direction Greene was taking her, a small cave just big enough for them to squeeze in through, but too small for the Grimm to follow.
"Come one!" Greene shouted, quickly helping Winter through the small gap. "They're almost here!"
Winter managed to pass through the crevice, landing on her back with a sharp yelp. Greene quickly followed after her, frantically pulling himself through and landing on his side. The arm of a Beowolf burst through the crevice, though that was all that followed. Winter sighed as she heard frenzied howls and roars outside, no doubt hundreds of Grimm waiting for them.
"Quickly, the others are waiting for us deeper in the cave." Greene stated, helping Winter up and guiding her through the cavern.
It was spacious, extremely spacious. Mushrooms and other Fungi lined the walls, giving off a bright blue light that provided them with a natural light source. They quickly found themselves in a large opening, the far side coated in perpetual darkness. In the centre of the opening was a charred fireplace, with three Rifles lying on the ground next to it.
"They should be here..." Greene whispered as he helped Winter onto the floor, quickly pumping his Shotgun. "Steel, Grey, Brown, you in here?!"
"Maybe they went to find some water? We don't know how long we could be here." Winter suggested, though she knew it was a faint hope.
"I don't like this..." Greene murmured, turning to face Winter. "Stay put, I'm going to go look for them. I'll relay every fifteen minutes through the Radio so you can-"
"ALL! SHALL! SUBMIT!"
Both Winter and Greene turned at the sound of the booming voice, Winter standing up and drawing her Rapier. At the ceiling of the cavern, hiding amongst the stalactites, were a set of glowing blue eyes staring blankly at them. Then a creature moved out into the light, revealing its hideous form. It was large, nearly twice the size of an Ursa Major, maybe bigger. Wrinkled purple leather stretched over its skin, while a chitin shell covered vital organs as well as the horned head. Its lower jaw split in two, revealing a maw filled with a thousand shark like teeth. It had six limbs altogether, four clawed arms and two legs that looked similar to a Creeps. Four long tentacles sprouted from its back, each one ending in claw like feelers.
The creature shrieked as it launched itself to a wall, landing with a loud thud as its tentacles latched onto the wall, securing it in place. Winter and Greene pointed their weapons at the creature as it observed the two, before turning to the darkness on the other end. Out of the shadows emerged three more Atlesian Soldiers, stood as stiff as a statue. Then in one swift motion, all three drew out Shock Batons, the ends spitting out bolts of electricity.
"Oblivion awaits all who resist!" the creature hissed, a small orb appearing at its brow. "Now...OBEY!"
The orb imploded with a pulse of energy, staggering both Winter and Greene and causing them to drop their weapons. Winter winced as her head ringed, though it soon was drowned out by Greene screaming, who frantically clutched his head as blood slowly poured out of his ears and nose.
"It...it hurts so much!" Greene shouted as he clawed at his head, as if inflicting pain on his body would nullify the pain in his mind. "Make it stop!"
"Greene! Keep it together!" Winter ordered, quickly picking up her Rapier and pulling out the Roundel hidden in its grip. The Atlesian Soldiers took a step forward as the creatures lower jaw clicked together excitedly.
"Just-just make it stop! Make the voices stop!" Greene begged, falling down onto his knees as he let out a blood-curdling scream. Then, he went silent, his hands dropping down to his side as he slouched over.
"Greene? Are you with me?" Winter asked, slowly taking a step back from Greene.
Then, he lifted his head up and stood up straight, quickly drawing out his Shock Baton. Then he turned on his heel and faced Winter, who gasped in shock at what she saw. He still looked like the same Greene she knew, the same one she had trained with at Atlas. But his eyes were no longer a verdant green, now they were glassed over, almost as if he was blind. Then, he spoke two words with a voice that was no longer his own.
"I obey."
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"Ma'am? Are you all right?"
Winter's eyes shot open immediately, letting out a soft gasp as she sat up. She looked around at her surroundings, letting out a sigh of relief when she realised she was on board her personal Carrier ship, quickly rubbing her brow.
"I'm fine Soldier, just...just a nightmare." Winter whispered, shaking her head slowly. As she stood up from the bench that she had fallen asleep on, she brushed her clothing down before turning to face the Soldier who had awoken her. "What is there to report Soldier?"
"We just received an open distress beacon from a nearby Dust Refinery...one of your Fathers Dust Refineries." the Soldier reported, earning an exasperated sigh from Winter at the mention of her Father. "Should we investigate? It's not far from our location and shouldn't delay us for too long."
"Very well, contact the foreman in charge if you can and notify him off are arrival." Winter ordered, quickly taking her Rapier that was leaned against the wall and quickly sheathed it. "Let's see what this is all about."
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Hours Earlier…
Alaris and the other Zealot's moved with haste to their objective, the Probe dead in the centre of the small ring. Thraos still led the charge, slashing through any tree branches that got in their way. Ilaris kept an open channel with them at all times, informing them of incoming hostiles as well as their distance from the source of power they had detected. According to his data, they should be soon upon the power source, and he had also learned more about the planets other inhabitants.
The first were known as 'Humans' and appeared to be the second most dominant species after the Grimm. Their technology was highly advanced on a similar level to those of Terran's, where they could use weapon's that could shift easily between a melee weapon and a ranged weapon. The other species were known as 'Faunus', and appeared similar to the 'Humans', though they possessed body parts that were more often found on local Fauna such as tails or extra ears, hence the name most likely.
What both species appeared to possess was something known as an 'Aura' and a 'Semblance'. Ilaris hadn't found any concrete data yet on these subjects, but from what he gathered an Aura acted as a biological shield, similar to Protoss Plasma Shields whilst a Semblance was an ability unique to the individual, similar to the Protoss High Templar or Terran Ghosts and Spectres. As Alaris ran, he looked down at his Psi Blades, observing the blue blade as it sputtered and sparked bolts of pure energy. He wondered if they could even pierce this 'Aura', or if the Humans weapons could break their shields and armour but most importantly, would there be a need for it.
"Templar, energy source is directly ahead. But be warned, the Humans are nearly upon you!" Ilaris shouted through their comm channels, snapping Alaris out of his thoughts.
"Understood Ilaris, we see the objective dead ahead. Will keep you posted." Thraos replied as he and the other Zealot's entered a large clearing, a large Crystal deposit directly ahead of them.
"By the Gods...I have never seen anything like it..." one of the Zealot's murmured, stepping forward as he brushed his hand against one of the tips of the Crystal, which refracted the light from his Psi Blade, turning it from green to turquoise.
"Be wary, Brother." Alaris warned, holding his hand out in a stopping motion. "We do not know what exactly this...thing is yet. I would refrain from touching it."
The Zealot backed away immediately as he understood the warning, nodding slightly in recognition of his warning.
"Secure the perimeter." Thraos ordered, his Psi Axe perched on his shoulder. "Protect the Probe while it takes a sample back for-"
"Templar! Hostiles headed your way! Take cover now!" Ilaris' voice suddenly ordered, his voice clearly frantic.
Before Thraos could properly respond, the sound of a Terran engine roaring caught their attention, getting louder by the second. Suddenly, a white coloured Jeep burst out of the tree line, a mounted turret on its back. The driver of the vehicle pushed hard on the breaks as the Jeep skidded to halt, the Protoss scattering immediately...all except Alaris. He had been caught so unaware that he didn't register the vehicle until it was right in front of him, where it collided with him, causing him to fly backwards and onto his back.
Alaris grunted in annoyance as he shook his head, his hand massaging his brow. Electricity arced all over his form as his shields attempted to come back online, which they did shortly afterwards. Alaris glared at the vehicle, the front of it crumpled up where he had been hit, and stood up, still clutching his brow.
The occupants of the Jeep quickly jumped out, only for them to stagger back in surprise at the sight of the Zealot. Alaris admitted, he himself was also surprised. The 'Humans' looked similar to the Terran's, but they were nowhere near as bulky as they were, nor as tall either. The tallest was only just half his own size, maybe slightly bigger.
"What the fuck is that?!" one of them shouted, backing away quickly as Alaris shook his head.
"How the fuck should I know?!" another shouted, his hand slowly going for his Pistol.
"Guys! We got more of them!" the one on the Turret shouted, pointing ahead to where the other Zealot's were slowly emerging.
"Humans!" Thraos bellowed, holding his hands up in a stopping motion, his Psi Axe planted in the ground. "We mean no harm! We are here to simply-"
"Fire! Fire!" one of the Humans shouted, quickly drawing his Pistol as he began to fire at the Protoss, the one on the Turret complying quickly.
Alaris and the other Zealot's scattered immediately, weaving and dodging the bullets as best they could. Alaris lunged for a nearby tree root, panting heavily as he observed his shield levels. His shields had been damaged, that much was sure, but not critically. He breathed a sigh of relief at the news before turning to face the Jeep, which all but one of the Humans had retreated to. A Zealot fell to the ground, grunting in obvious pain as her shields flickered. The Human with the Pistol slowly approached the wounded Zealot, a sick smile on his face.
Alaris let out a primal yell as he charged the Human, his eyes burning as bright as his Psi Blades. He was upon the Human in seconds thanks to the Cybernetic Enhancements in his leg armour, quickly tackling the Human to the ground, knocking the Pistol out of their hand. He then proceeded to repeatedly strike at the Human with his Psi Blades, his roars of fury drowning out the Humans pleas. At first, his Psi Blades did nothing but scorch their clothing, no doubt their Aura protecting the skin from harm. It wasn't long though before the Aura gave way, and his Psi Blades were now cleaving through flesh and bone, the Humans pained screams echoing until he finally stopped, his body still save for the occasional twitch.
Alaris looked up to see the wounded Zealot had managed to drag herself to two others taking cover behind a rock, alongside the Probe which used the Protoss as a shield. Alaris turned rapidly as the remaining two Humans panicked, quickly starting up the Jeep and driving away. Still in his frenzy, Alaris charged after them, ignoring the voice of the Praetor. He charged after the Jeep, the Humans occupying it panicking wildly.
He leapt forward quickly, swinging his Psi Blades at the back of the vehicle, quickly slicing through the wheels. Alaris rolled forward as he watched the Jeep swerve off course before flipping over and crashing. Alaris charged forward, his Psi Blades crackling wildly as he approached the Jeep. One of the Humans managed to pull himself out of the Jeep, limping forward quickly away from the wreckage.
"Wait! Please don't leave me!" the other Human pleaded, his legs trapped beneath one of the seats.
Alaris slowed his approach as the Human spotted him, his attempts of escaping becoming more frantic in response.
"Please! Please don't kill me!" the Human begged, holding his hand out imploringly.
"Zerashk Gulida!" Alaris hissed, raising his Psi Blade up and plunging it into the Humans neck, the look of terror still etched on his face.
Alaris looked up to where the other Human had ran, and he could see him in the distance, getting smaller and smaller. He heard the cries of Praetor Thraos and the other Zealot's behind him, attempting to catch up to him. Alaris pushed on, his mind still filled with rage at the Humans impudence. They had meant no harm, even after the Humans had struck him, yet they quickly sought to spill their blood, and no doubt would have if not for his actions.
He was getting closer to the Human, who was either oblivious to how close he was or didn't care. His quarry burst through the bushes, quickly leaving his sight, though Alaris didn't care. He burst through the brushes, the Human nearly with his grasp. He quickly grabbed them by their scalp, pulling them back as he pierced them in the chest with his Psi Blade, blood spurting from their mouth. He then swung upwards with the blade, splitting the chest in two and causing his blood to bubble and boil as flesh cauterized.
At last, Alaris' fury died down, his eyes no longer burning. He looked down at his fallen prey, and immediately felt sick to his stomach. He looked at his hands, stained with blood as he heard the other Zealot's and Praetor Thraos approach behind him.
"Alaris! What have you done?!" Thraos demanded, his voice filled with fury.
As Alaris looked up, he froze. The other Zealot's and Thraos followed his gaze, and became lost for words. Before them was a large factory of some form, smoke puffing out of large chimney stacks as search lights scanned the land around, and it wasn't long before they fell upon the Protoss.
"Hostiles Detected!" a loud voice boomed as sirens sounded all around as the gargantuan doors opened and a number of Humans armed with Pistols and Rifles ran out towards them.
"Templar, prepare for combat!" Thraos ordered as he activated his Psi Axe, followed swiftly by the sounds of multiple Psi Blades activating. "Ki nala atum!"
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Hope you enjoyed, and sorry if that dream segment took up too much space. Liked it? Feel free to leave a review and constructive criticism is welcomed. Any questions? Either PM me or leave in your reviews.
Raging Archon out.