Hello!
It's me again, and I am glad to say that this is my longest chapter in some time!
I'm hope that everyone is enjoying the story, and I would like to thank all my reviewers!
And now, we return to our feature presentation...
R'vek crouched in the brush, looking intently on his target. In front of him, in the middle of a large clearing, loomed an immense, slivery tower. The entire thing was smooth and perfect, and had obviously been designed by a creature with an artistic, yet cold, aesthetic taste. Around the base of the tower, the jungle had been cleared away in a clean circle, the moist brown soil morphing into dusty, dry ground that was a part of the destruction caused by Jiralhanae. Brute soldiers stood sentry outside the tower, and a number of the strange ships that had attacked and destroyed Sanghelios sat in the clearing. As he scanned the ground, R'vek spotted a few azure spots on the ground: spatters of Sangheili blood. R'vek's hearts pounded in his chest, and his eyes widened: Tira was here. Alive or dead, she was here. Glancing down at himself, he pulled his amulet out from under his armor, smiling as he twirled the suns and moons in his hand before placing it to his forehead and pressing it against his skin. R'vek slid the amulet back under his armor, and snapped his energy sword to life, preparing himself for battle. Holding his rifle in his left hand and his sword in his right, R'vek charged out of the brush, roaring as he ran. The Jiralhanae turned towards him, startled and stunned to see a living Sangheili outside the Tower. Their hesitance would cost them. R'vek opened fire, blasting at the Brutes until his rifle overheated. The Jiralhanae dived out of the way, and R'vek threw aside the exhausted rifle, allowing his rage and hatred to take over. With a roar, the Sangheili warrior leaped into the air, his sword lifted high above his head. As he came down above one of the Jiralhanae, R'vek brought his sword down with all his strength, cramming both his hands onto its hilt, ramming it into the Brute. The Jiralhanae soldier howled in agony as his body was cleaved horizontally in two, its crackling blade searing his flesh and slicing through his spine. R'vek swiftly turned away from the dying Jiralhanae, sword leading. The four remaining Brute sentries opened fire on him, two of them dual wielding Spikers while the other two carried massive Brute-shots. R'vek ran around the group of enemies in a wide circle as spikes peppered the ground behind him and explosives burst around him, barely thinking. Suddenly, he turned sharply and leaped straight towards the group, blade ready. He smashed into a Jiralhanae, driving his sword through the soldier's heart as he landed, killing it instantly before he got up and ran at the others in one fluid motion. R'vek slashed wildly, forcing the Brutes to back away, until suddenly, he felt a massive impact on the back of his leg and was thrown to the ground. A bomb launched from the Brute-shot had hit him in the leg, dropping his shields and blasting open his armor. R'vek lay on the ground in pain, watching as the three grinning Brutes closed in on him. He shut his eyes, waiting for the inevitable, and the Brutes surrounded him.
John watched from the brush as a lone Sangheili charged from the bushes, roaring and firing at the Jiralhanae. He wondered why an Elite would be here of all places, and what had possessed this one of attacking the tower alone. The Spartan watched as the Elite fought against the Brutes, nodding slowly.
"Do you think we should help him?" asked Cortana thoughtfully.
"Not unless we have to," replied John. "Something about this one seems familiar, and that usually means that I tried to kill it." Kwakap came out of the brush behind John, panting.
"Over there!" he said, pointing towards a small structure outside the tower, seeming not to notice the battle. The structure was a small metal dome with a rubber hose attached to it. At the end of the hose was a metal nozzle, and on the dome was an activation wheel. Kwakap started for it, but John caught him by the shoulder, roughly turning him around to face the battle. "Oh," Kwakap whispered, realizing that revealing himself now would probably be a bad idea. Suddenly, John heard a loud explosion, followed by the faint sound of shields dropping and a Sangheilian roar of pain. The Spartan whipped around, gun ready. The Brutes had knocked the Elite to the ground, and had blasted the armor off of his left leg.
"Would you say that he absolutely needs our help now, Chief?" Cortana asked, her voice calculative.
"Affirmative." John charged out of the brush, opening fire on the Brutes as they surrounded the downed Elite. The Brutes turned, firing on the Spartan, but he was too quick for them. He watched as his bullets bounced off of their shields harmlessly, ricocheting into the jungle. "Cortana, analysis!" shouted Master Chief over the roar of gun fire, all the while keeping his aim trained on his adversaries.
"Their shields are too strong; standard UNSC weaponry is ineffective," stated Cortana matter-of-factly. "Try using a weapon from one of the downed Brutes." John nodded, and bolted towards the body of a Brute that had been hacked apart by a swipe from an energy sword. As he ran, he scooped up the two spikers that the Brute had wielded, dropping his Battle Rifle to the ground as he did. John turned, and jumped, his body sidelong as he fired upon the Brutes as he sailed through the air. The ammo from the Brute guns tore through their shields, shredding apart their flesh with brutal efficiency. The Jiralhanae howled as they felt the agonizing pain of their own weaponry, and two of them fell to the ground as their blood burst from their chests before the hail of fire. As John hit the ground, he went into a roll and came up running, silently charging the last remaining Brute. The monstrous soldier roared, opening fire on the Spartan, blasting away with his brute-shot, but his wounds making him miss wildly. As the Spartan neared the Brute, it roared at him, leveling its gun at him and firing, a shot that should have hit the Spartan in the chest and slain him. John leaped over the shot, sailing towards the Brute, and as he came within melee range, he thrust one of the spikers forward. The bladed weapon smashed into the Brute's face, crushing its skull and driving its nose back into its brain. The Brute's head exploded under the amazing force, and John bore its lifeless body to the ground. The Spartan stood, and wiped the gore from his gun off on the Brute's body. This fight was over.
R'vek opened his eyes, wondering why he wasn't dead. As he looked around, he heard the rattle of gunfire, and the howls of Jiralhanae, until suddenly, all went silent. That's when R'vek saw him. A lone, green-armored Spartan stood, his arms hanging casually at his sides, his orange visor glinting in the sunlight: the Demon. R'vek's pace quickened, his eyes going wide. The young Sangheili flipped himself over onto his back, scrambling backwards, futilely trying to move away, but his injured leg stopped him. He watched in terror as the Demon approached him, his face hidden behind his cold, emotionless mask, his entire visage screaming of death to R'vek. R'vek's breathing grew heavy, and his eyes widened as his mind flashed back to the moment when he nearly died at the Demon's hands, his memory flashing back to that horrible, agonizing day. As the Demon neared R'vek, he knelt down, proffering his hand and staring R'vek in the eyes.
"Are you alright?" asked the Demon. R'vek barely registered his words. With an adrenaline fueled roar, he leaped to his feet, slashing at the Demon with his sword. The demon jumped back, his face hidden behind his mask. R'vek charged at him, roaring in a frenzy, slashing wildly.
"What are you doing?!" shouted the Demon, deftly dodging R'vek's strikes. "I am your ally!" R'vek didn't hear him. The young Sangheili charged at the Demon, roaring.
"YOU"LL NOT KILL ME TODAY, DEMON!" he shouted, roaring. R'vek jumped into the air, bringing his sword down where the Demon's head should be, waiting for the final end to his torment that would come with the ending of the Demon. It never came. He felt a booted foot strike his back, throwing him to the ground, and felt a kick to his side, flipping him over. The Demon planted a foot on his chest and pointed a Spiker, still stained from Jiralhanae gore, in his face. R'vek stared down the barrel of the gun, thinking that after all he had been through, after all he'd done, he would die at the hands of the Demon, just another name on his long list of kills. R'vek's head sank to the ground in defeat, and he closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable. "I'm sorry, Tira. I am so sorry. I could not save you," he whispered, tears running down his face as he prepared to die. Death never came.
"Are you a loyalist, or are you a separatist?" he heard the Demon say, stunned at the question. R'vek looked up at the Demon's visor, and saw that while the gun was still being pointed at him, the Demon's finger was not wrapped around the trigger.
"Stop toying with me, Demon!" R'vek said coldly. "The Covenant is long dissolved, and the Sangheili are nearly gone now. But you wouldn't care; you are merely an agent of death! Stop your toying, and finish what you started six years ago! Kill me, so that I may know if Tira lives or does not!" The Demon lowered his gun, holstering it at his side.
"A separatist, then," muttered the green-armored human. "What is your name, Sangheili, and who is Tira?" R'vek stared at the Demon, his eyes filled with hatred.
"You cannot tell me you do not remember me, Demon. Do you not take the courtesy of knowing the names of those you try to kill while they lie helpless on the ground? I am R'vek Kehrim, son of Kr'Tek, and Tira is my lifemate, and the only reason for my wretched existence." R'vek moaned, a hopeless pitiful sound. "Why must you torment me with false hopes, Demon?" he asked plaintively. "Why have you not yet killed me like I know is your intent?" The Demon took his foot off of R'vek's chest, and offered his hand to the miserable Sangheili.
"Because I did not come here to kill you today, R'vek, or any other of your race," he said. R'vek looked at his hand, and slowly, he took it. The Demon helped him to his feet, and R'vek stared hard into the armored man's visor, wondering what his expression might be behind that mask.
"Then what is your intention, Demon?" asked R'vek, confused. He still hated the armored monster, but he was beginning to feel that those feelings were misplaced. After all, the Demon had just helped him to stand.
"I am here to salvage civilian life." The Demon turned, and pointed his face toward the jungle. "Kwakap!" he shouted, his voice gravelly. "The Brutes are neutralized! Refuel your methane tank before you run out!" As the armored man said this, a small, young Unggoy loped out of the forest, sprinting towards a small device with a rubber hose ending in a metal nozzle attached to it. The Unggoy plugged the hose into his methane tank, filling it with the, for him, life giving gas, and breathing deeply and audibly as the tank reached full. R'vek raised an eyebrow quizzically, staring at the Grunt.
"Who's this?" he said, turning his head back towards the Demon.
"This is Kwakap, a civilian I found that had escaped from this tower," explained the Demon.
"Is everything alright, mister Cyborg?" shouted Kwakap, cupping his hands around his mouth.
"Kwakap, wait in the jungle until I return!" shouted the Demon. "That's an order!" The Unggoy turned away, and walked back into the jungle, moping. The Demon turned back towards R'vek, his stance calm. "I believe I may have seen this 'Tira' of yours, Sangheili," he said, his voice black. R'vek's eyes widened; the Demon had seen Tira?!
"I swear, Demon, If you hurt her…" whispered R'vek, his voice full of rage.
"I did not." The Demon paused, his back straight and his posture military. "When I saw her, she was being taken into the tower by a group of Brutes. The leader had a heavily scarred face, presumably from burn trauma." R'vek's eyes narrowed into slits.
"Mortis," he muttered, his face a mask of hate. "I tell you this Demon; If you will help me rescue Tira, I will fight with you, but if you make even a single move to betray, if you even hint that your intentions are not to help Tira, then I will gut you like a worm, and I will rend what Honor you have from your lifeless body!" The Demon nodded, and drew his guns. R'vek nodded back; the Demon was his ally.
R'vek and Master Chief approached the door to the Tower, staring at it intently. R'vek grinned; he knew how they would get in. The young Sangheili approached the steel door, and cracked his blade back to life, flexing his fingers around its hilt. The Sangheili warrior drew back the blade… and plunged it into the door. The blade bounced off the doors, but it created more than what R'vek needed: a small hole in the smooth surface; a hole large enough for a grenade. R'vek pulled out his remaining fragmentation grenade, pulled the pin, and placed the ball in the cavity, before jogging back to where the Spartan stood. John started towards the door, but R'vek caught him by the shoulder, a grin spread across his face.
"Wait," he said, and suddenly, the pair heard a loud explosion. The doors flew from the tower as the grenade went off, and R'vek and the Master Chief charged into the building, weapons ready. A pair of startled Jiralhanae opened fire on them, and the two warriors rushed them, weapons ready. R'vek barreled into the on the left, driving his sword into the Jiralhanae's gut. The Jiralhanae spasmed as the blade seared his innards, and R'vek ended his cries by tearing the blade out and decapitating him in a single, clean blow. Master Chief opened fire, filling the Brute to the right with steel spikes and dropping the soldier to the ground before firing a single shot into the downed Brute's face to end him once and for all. The two warriors charged on into the facility as alarms blared around them, blasting their way through doors and all who stood in their way. They ran down the spiraling hallways, climbing up into the tower until finally, after what seemed like days of fighting, they came to an immense chamber. They stopped, and looked up. The ceiling was lined with round, tubular holes, and the walls were slick and reflective. They slowly walked into the middle of the room, cautiously glancing around. "What is this place?" Yellow slime dripped from the ceiling spattering onto the floor.
The place of your death sounded a voice in their minds, and an immense swarm of Yanme'e burst out of the ceiling onto the two warriors.
Tira lifted her head, snapping awake as she heard the explosion. While she was asleep, Mortis had fastened her arms behind her back, holding her securely against the metal chair. Her body was bruised, and three scabs ran along her face where Innocence had slapped her, but now, she could barely even remember this. "R'VEK!" she screamed, calling out to her mate as she heard the distant sounds of battle, sure that he had finally found her. "R'VEK! I'M HERE! I'M HERE, R"VEK!" Tira strained against her bindings, desperately trying to pull free and to escape from this nightmare, but to no avail. The doors slid open, and Mortis stormed in, his face a mask of rage.
"Quiet, Woman!" he shouted, slamming his hand against her throat and pressing it back against the chair, crushing her windpipe. Tira squirmed, gasping for air, and Mortis released his grip, and Tira fell forward, gasping. She looked up at him, her face wild and grinning.
"He's coming, Mortis!" she spat, smiling. "R'vek is coming, and when he gets here, he'll gut you like the worm you are!" Mortis' face contorted in rage, and he slapped Tira across the face, his eye glaring at her. Mortis' face twisted into an evil grin, and he grabbed Tira's chin, forcing her to look up at him.
"Yes, R'vek is coming," he said mockingly. "And when he does, I will end him!"
R'vek roared as the wave of Yanme'e came down at him from above, their chittering and clacking filling his ears. He lashed out with his sword and sliced one in half, dropping it to the ground. The agile Sangheili scooped up its needler, and began firing madly into the swarm, blasting as many apart as he could. All around him, balls of plasma spattered across the ground, but R'vek saw only one thing: the far door. With a feral roar, he began cutting his way to it, slicing through Yanme'e with abandon, each slash bringing him a step closer to the door. Yanme'e fell before him by the dozen, their slick ichors coating the ground. He heard a distant cry of "R'vek! Wait!" but he paid it no heed. Finally, bloodied and battered, R'vek made it to the door. He sliced his way through, smashing open the door with primarily brute force. The Sangheili burst through, roaring. Brutes came at him from around the corners, but R'vek mercilessly cut them down; they were just fodder, and were barely worth his attention. R'vek ran through the Tower, quickly climbing the up the immensely tall structure, being sure to avoid any automated lifts. Jiralhanae came at him the entire way, and for the entire way he mercilessly cut them down, until eventually he was covered in blood. He was shot, again and again, the bullets tearing much of the armor from his body and rendering his left arm useless. R'vek didn't care; he pushed on almost mindlessly, until finally he smashed through a white metal door and into a hall that led to a single door; a hall that still had a couple drops of blue blood by the far door. Tira. R'vek limped along, his own blood dripping down his arm and mixing with the Jiralhanae blood that covered his body, and sliced his way through the door. He never could have expected what he saw.
Mortis stood at the end of the room, his face grim. In his arms, he held an unconscious Tira, her neck limp, and her arms bound. R'vek's hearts nearly stopped; that was his mate. Her body was bruised, and she bore scabs and cuts across her face and neck. R'vek's eyes grew steely, and his face became grim.
"Put her down, Mortis," he said, standing tall. "This fight is between you and I; she need not be involved." Mortis just chuckled, and drew a wickedly sharp knife from his boot, pressing it against Tira's neck as he pulled her head up. Tira moaned in her sleep, obviously feeling the sharp edge of the blade against her throat. R'vek stopped unsure of what to do.
"I don't think so," said the cruel Jiralhanae across the room as he twisted the knife, drawing small droplets of blood from Tira's neck. Mortis laughed, shouldering his prisoner into a more comfortable position, his arm wrapped under her arm and around her chest so that his hand came over her shoulder. "See, R'vek? I could kill her any time I want! I could kill her now," Mortis drew the blade across Tira's neck, "Or now," he said as he pulled the blade down the front of her chest, cutting free her sweater and tearing her undershirt, "or NOW!" Mortis plunged the blade into Tira's leg, twisting it brutally. Tira screamed in agony as the blade pierced her flesh, spilling her blue blood down her leg, darkening her skirt. Her eyes snapped open as Mortis tore the blade out of her leg, and she panted as the pain coursed through her body. She looked up, and saw R'vek, and her mandibles curved into a smile.
"R'vek!" she yelled, tears of both pain and joy streaming down her face as she saw her war-scarred, but alive mate.
"Tira!" replied R'vek, afraid for his love's life. If he made one wrong move, then Mortis would kill her. He had to play off of Mortis' weaknesses, had to use his personality against him. R'vek thought back to when they had fought together in the Covenant army, remembering how Mortis had behaved in battle. The Jiralhanae had always gone for the tougher kills, always trying to better himself and outdo his allies. Often, he would even ignore lesser opponents, as if they weren't good enough for him. R'vek's eyes snapped wide, and his chest filled with hope: he had an idea. He would use Mortis' pride against him. "Mortis!" he shouted, his tone mocking. "Release Tira!" R'vek grinned as Mortis stared at him, puzzled. "Or are you too much of a coward to fight me without using my mate as a shield?!" Mortis' eyes grew wide, and he wrenched Tira's head back and pressed his blade hard against her throat.
"I am no coward, Heretic!" shouted the Jiralhanae, enraged. R'vek's pulse quickened; one wrong move, and Tira would die.
"Then release Tira, and fight me in fair combat!" shouted R'vek back at him, throwing his arms wide. "I am already wounded; you have the advantage!" R'vek decided that he had to bait Mortis more. "Of course," he said thoughtfully, "you ARE a Jiralhanae! Of course you fear me! Your kind are scum unworthy for me to trod under my boots!" Mortis' muscles tensed at the insults, and he pulled Tira's head back farther, causing her neck to bulge out under her skin.
"How dare you!" shouted the Brute, fully into a rage now. "I'll kill her for what you said! Then we'll see who is the true coward!" Mortis grinned as he slowly drew the blade across Tira's neck, drawing a thin line of blue across her skin.
"R'vek…" whispered Tira, terrified. R'vek shut his eyes; he had to keep his calm. If he did not, she would die. He opened his eyes again, and stared straight into Mortis' eyes, his gaze dead serious.
"Kill her, Mortis," he said, his tone deadly and dripping with hate, "and you prove now and forevermore that you are a murderer and a coward unworthy of being housed with Unggoy." Mortis roared, and threw Tira aside, charging R'vek in his rage, pulling his gravity hammer from his back. R'vek drew his energy sword, calming himself and bringing himself into the Zen state of a warrior that he had been taught by his masters back on Sanghelios. R'vek dodged out of the way as Mortis barreled past him, nimbly sidestepping the charging Brute. All of his pain faded into the back of R'vek's mind, and he fell into a state of calm, his entire brain focused on the task at hand: slaying Mortis.
"When you lose, R'vek, know that I will not merely kill you!" shouted Mortis as he swung at R'vek with his gravity hammer. "I will keep you barely alive while I force you to watch me slowly torture Tira to death!" Mortis laughed, his false mirth masking his rage. R'vek nimbly leaped aside, his face expressionless.
"I know that if I lose this fight, I shall face a punishment far worse than death," stated R'vek calmly. He suddenly lunged forward, and Mortis barely dodged the strike, R'vek's blade slicing off his immense pauldron. R'vek turned, looking at Mortis over his shoulder. "That is why I will not lose." Mortis roared and charged R'vek, and R'vek merely turned around, keeping calm; this muscle-bound fool would make a mistake in his rage, and with that mistake, R'vek would end him. As Mortis brought the hammer down, R'vek brought his sword up, effectively blocking the hammer strike with his blade. Immediately, R'vek went to work. He slid his blade down the hammer's hilt, and pushed it up, throwing Mortis off balance. Suddenly, R'vek's vision went blurry, and he began to feel dizzy. The world seemed to spin, and he looked down, and noticed for the first time that he was covered in his own blood.
"R"VEK!" he heard in Tira's voice, ever so distant, and he turned his head, just in time to see Mortis' hammer speeding towards his side. As the hammer hit him, time returned to being normal, and R'vek cried out in pain as the blades on the hammer bit into his flesh and the immense force of it shattered his bones. R'vek flew across the room and smashed into the metal floor, lying there, struggling to get up. His hands slipped out from under him, and his breath was laborious. He heard Mortis' heavy footsteps, and the Brute walked over to him, kicking him in the side and flipping him over onto his back before planting his foot on R'vek's chest. Mortis glared down at him, smiling.
"So, R'vek," he said, grinning, his burned face twisting horribly, "it looks like I win!" Mortis brought his hammer up over his head, relishing the moment. Now, finally, he would end R'vek! Finally, he would have his revenge! Finally- Mortis felt a sudden pain, and looked down. R'vek's sword was imbedded through his chest, its blue blade slicing through his heart. Mortis' eyes went wide, and he coughed, blood trickling from his mouth.
"That… was always… your problem, Mortis," panted R'vek, struggling to speak. "You always were… too… proud!" Mortis gasped his final breath, and slid off of R'vek's blade, his limp body thudding heavily to the ground. R'vek's arm dropped to the ground, and he panted heavily, his breath coming in short, shallow gasps. It was over.
So, R'vek killed Mortis, but is seriously wounded and is bleeding to death. The Master Chief is stuck fighting a hive of Yanme'e. What will happen? Will they survive? Or will their names merely become two more on a long list of murders committed by Innocence?
Only time may tell...
The winds of time blow on, shifting the sands of reality into ever-changing patterns.
- Baeowulf