Here's Chapter 24: Delta Halo and Regret, but first, a little conversation between three Spartans (a 1, a 2, and an unofficial 3).

-CHAPTER START-

UNSC Broadsword-class Frigate In Amber Clad

Slipspace

November 2nd, 2552

The crew was coming out of cryo-sleep now, as Cortana had confirmed that the enemy carrier, along with their little frigate being pulled along for the ride, would be exiting slipspace in less than 24 hours. The marines were starting to come about, and the bridge crew had never gone into freeze in the first place. Three people, however, were already awake and about and had been for 12 hours already. Now, they met in a cargo hold, away from listening ears. Only Cortana was allowed to listen in. Teana sat, holding her helmet in her lap, and looked at John-117 and Avery Johnson, ready to tell everything that Carter had told her, and he had in turn learned from Kurt-051.

"You both already know about the Spartan-1 and Spartan-2 Programs" she said, and they nodded; the Chief had considered Johnson trustworthy enough to explain to him the full story behind the S-II Program during their trip back to Earth in the Gettysburg. "Now, let me tell you about the third: Colonel James Ackerson's petty attempt at one-upping his rival Dr. Halsey, disguised as a way to defend humanity: the Spartan-III Program. It started 21 years ago, onboard the Point of No Return, the largest ever prowler-class vessel and the mobile headquarters of ONI Section 3 Beta-5 Subdivision…"

-40 MINUTES LATER-

600 Spartans dead. John rested his head in his hands, feeling oddly tired despite having not done anything strenuous; Johnson's face could have been carved from stone. Hundreds of Spartans – children, at that – thrown away in missions that didn't even affect the overall strategic picture. Lives not spent, but wasted. Aside from that, a Spartan-II was kidnapped for it. Kurt had been snatched away and forced to train suicide soldiers; considering his heart, it was a wonder he hadn't broken from it.

At least, though, Kurt and Mendez had managed to pull a few fast ones on Ackerson and Parangosky, taking several Spartan-IIIs whose capabilities and genetic patterns matched the Spartan-II Program's requirements and outfitting them with actual MJOLNIR armor rather than the cheap, under-protective SPI Armor, and then stuck them into elite teams like S-IIs. And at least Noble Team, the best of them, had not been thrown away, but had instead died deaths that were truly befitting a Spartan (well, John admitted that Kat's was more tragic than anything else, but considering the circumstances it wasn't too embarrassing…).

"Goddamn it…" Johnson muttered.

"Every time I think Ackerson can't get any worse" Cortana said coldly, "he sinks to a new low."

"…I think I know where Dr. Halsey went."

The other three turned to look at John as he spoke.

"She must have dug up a few of the files on the S-III Project… including coordinates for Zeta Doradus and Onyx. She must've gone there with Kelly to try and see if the third batch that's currently in training could be saved from the fate that befell Alpha and Beta Companies."

"Here's hopin' she finds 'em" Johnson said. "If we can get solid evidence for this from Onyx, it'll be enough to get Ackerson put away for life… if Lord Hood doesn't up and shoot him first."

"What about Admiral Parangosky?" Teana asked. "She's pretty much the head of ONI. If she and Hood get into a conflict over this, it'll turn really ugly really quick."

"If that happens," John said, "we'll be there to back him up". The other three nodded.

-SCENE BREAK-

Substance System

November 3rd, 2552

A large rift opened in space-time, and the Covenant assault carrier Everlasting Twilight came out, followed by the top sections of several tall buildings, and then the UNSC In Amber Clad slipped through just before the rift collapsed. Cmdr. Miranda Keyes, sitting in the captain's chair, was nearly flung forward off of it from the sudden deceleration. "Report!"

"Both engine cores have spun to zero" an Ensign said. "We're drifting."

"Archer pods are cold" the other Ensign continued. "I'll need to re-key the system."

"Do it," she ordered, "and find out where we are." She then radioed Johnson. "You still in one piece, Sergeant-Major?"

"I'm good" the old soldier replied, pulling out a cigar. "Chief? Lanstar?"

"We are fine" Cortana replied from within the Chief's helmet.

"No damage or injuries to this unit or to Master" Cross Mirage reported.

"Where are we?" Teana asked her Device.

"Unknown system" he replied, "approximately 11,856 light-years from Earth. Forerunner technology detected in proximity to this ship."

"Ma'am," an Ensign in the bridge reported, "there's an object coming into view now."

"…Cortana… what exactly am I looking at?"

Ahead, a massive ring, 10,000 kilometers in diameter, orbited near a blue gas giant.

"That… is another Halo."

Johnson nearly choked on his cigar. "Say what?" (with another disappearing after-question-mark exclamation mark once posted on the site)

"So this is what my father found…" Keyes muttered. "I thought Halo was some sort of super-weapon."

"In a sense" Cortana replied. "If activated, this ring and the other remaining five like it will cause an extermination of sapient life across the entire galaxy."

"I want all the information you've got on the first Halo. Schematics, topography, whatever; I don't care if I have the clearance or not."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Where's our target?"

"The enemy ship has stopped above the ring, ma'am" the navigations officer replied. "We're going to pass right over it."

"Perfect. Given what we know about this ring, it's even more important that we capture the Prophet of Regret. Find out why he came to Earth; why he came here. Chief, Lanstar, take 1st Platoon, hard-drop; secure a landing zone. Sergeant-Major, load up two flights of Pelicans and follow them in."

"Aye-aye, ma'am"

Teana climbed into the SOEIV next to the one that John currently sat in, as Johnson climbed out of another and walked by them.

"Until I can move and fight," Keyes continued, "I'm going to keep a low profile. Once you leave the ship, you're on your own."

"Understood" the Chief replied.

"Over the target in five."

As soon as the frigate was in position, the 12 drop pods lurched and were ejected, beginning their free-fall to the ring's surface.

"Hand onto your helmets!"

At 800 meters above ground, the pods' chutes deployed. At 200 meters, the thrusters on the bottoms of the pods fired. At 50 meters the chutes detached, and the thrusters kicked into overdrive. One pod smashed into a cliff face, killing its occupant, but the other nine landed safely; two of the ODSTs who landed several seconds ahead were gunned down by plasma fire as soon as they exited their pods. The last seven pods hit the ground, and the doors blew out, smacking into a few Covenant.

"Could we possibly make any more noise?" Cortana said. In response, the Chief reached back and pulled out a rocket launcher. "Okay, I guess that's a yes."

Helljumpers

"Sir!" an ODST ran up to the Spartans. "We gotta neutralize those turrets!"

They ran up the nearby slope, the Chief firing a rocket and destroying a Shade, killing its operator. The ODST threw a frag grenade, which killed three approaching Grunts. Two more rockets destroyed the other turrets in the area, and the squad moved in toward the structure, killing three Elites and several Skirmishers & Grunts. At the top, a Jackal sniper was taken down without incident, and Teana switched Mirage to Sniper Mode, using it to pick off any remaining hostiles below.

"Heavy weapons disabled, Sergeant-Major" Cortana radioed. "Landing zone secure… for the moment."

"I hear ya. Startin' our approach. Hang tight!"

"Easier said than done" Cortana said. "Inbound Phantoms!"

The first enemy dropship flew in, dropping off two Elites and a pack of Grunts. Teana sniped the Elites while the ODSTs took out the Grunts. The second Phantom's drop-off of 10 Grunts, three Jackals, and two Elites (one of them a sword-wielding Ultra) met a similar fate. Several seconds later, two Pelicans flew in. One hung back, while the other stopped overhead and descended, dropping off a Rocket Warthog. The Chief took the wheel and Teana took shotgun, an ODST Corporal manning the launcher.

"I got a good view comin' in" Johnson radioed. "There's a big building in the middle of this island's lake."

"I saw it too" Cortana replied. "It looked like a temple. If I was a megalomaniac – and I'm not – that's where I'd be."

The Rocket Hog drove around the old building, up a slope and to a trio of Jackals, who Teana took down before they could even raise their shields. Nearby was a beautiful view of the lake.

"Woah…" the ODST said. "It's like a postcard. 'Dear Sarge, kicking ass in outer space. Wish you were here'."

"I heard that, jackass!" Johnson radioed.

They drove up to another facility next a gorge, and a bridge was busy folding itself up. "The controls for the bridge should be inside that structure" Cortana directed. A Shade atop the building fired at the Warthog and was blown to bits by three rockets. Two Ghosts drove up and opened fire; the first was slagged by the multi-rocket launcher, and the other was deprived of its pilot by a particle-beam snipe. A Wraith mortar from across the gap landed several meters away, the shockwave almost knocking the Warthog over. They drove up to the structure, and the Chief hopped out and walked up onto the roof. He looked down through a hole in the roof, spotting the black-armored Elite and three Grunts guarding the terminal. A plasma grenade took out the Elite and one of the Grunts, and the Chief then leapt in and gunned down the other two Grunts. In the center of the room, a hologram of Regret was speaking.

"What's he doing?" John asked.

"Regret's giving a speech" Cortana replied. "A sermon, to be exact. So far it's the standard Covenant liturgy, but I'll translate if he says anything interesting."

He hit the terminal, and the bridge began to unfold and extend.

"Good, the bridge is down" Cortana radioed. "Now about those Wraiths…"

"Roger that" Johnson replied. "Armor's on the way."

A Pelican flew in, using its chin-mounted gun to kill the enemy stragglers, and then dropped off a Scorpion. The Spartans ran over to it, the Master Chief taking the wheel while Teana manned the machinegun, and the Pelican dropped off a marine to drive the Rocket Warthog. The two vehicles drove around the structure and across the bridge; three shots from the Scorpion destroyed one of the two Wraiths, and a few rocket barrages from the Warthog took out the other. Two Ghosts came out from the tunnel ahead, only for the departing Pelican to destroy them with a missile barrage of its own. A Banshee tried to fly in and cause trouble, and got shredded by the Pelican's machinegun for its troubles. The dropship flew away, and the two UNSC vehicles drove through the accessway. They drove through the ruins, destroying another half-dozen Ghosts and a Revenant, along with several Jackals and about a dozen Grunts, and reached a courtyard.

You Break It, You Buy It

Several Shade turrets were spread throughout the courtyard, and a trio of Ghosts patrolled. The Scorpion's cannon and the Warthog's rockets made short work of them all, and they moved through the next section of ruins, blowing away five more Ghosts and lots more enemy foot-soldiers (there was one memorable moment where the Scorpion's cannon hit an active/tossed plasma grenade that was in midair, leaving the Grunt who threw it too dumbfounded by the odds of what he'd just witnessed to avoid getting ripped apart by Teana's turret). The next structure was more heavily defended, but the heavy firepower at the humans' disposal cleared it out quickly, leaving wrecked Shades & Ghosts in their wake. They drove around the building, eventually finding a ramp that led up to it. Overhead, a Pelican dropped off several weapon pods as well as four more marines.

There was no way the building would fit the vehicles, so everyone dismounted, the team of two Spartans, an ODST, and five marines fighting their way into the building, killing two Elites and several Grunts & Jackals. Another hologram of Regret stood.

"In a gesture of peace and reconciliation," the hologram said, "the Prophets promised to find the means of the Forerunners' transcendence, and to share this knowledge with the Sangheili. The Sangheili promised to defend the Prophets as they searched. A simple arrangement, that has become our binding Covenant!"

"Transcendence, huh?" Cortana deadpanned.

They fought their way up, killing a few more Elites and another pack of Grunts. They passed through a short cave, coming out at the top of a small waterfall.

Off the Rock, Through the Bush, Nothing But Jackal

Ahead, a Jackal Sniper looked out at the area below. The Chief snuck up and snapped its neck, and then looked out at the scenery.

"You always bring me to such nice places" Cortana joked.

Teana walked up and got to work, using Mirage Sniper to pick off Elites and Jackals. The team then made their way down, losing a marine to a Drone swarm that was otherwise quickly dealt with. They moved up the slope and through a short cave, killing an off-guard Elite Ultra, and then continued forward, fighting through a few more Elites & Skirmishers until they cleared the area and passed through a narrow passage. They came out onto a rock platform that led down a ramp into a structure. A few UNSC weapon pods were here.

"Good," Cortana suddenly said, "still no word about the In Amber Clad on the Covenant battle-net. It's odd; the Covenant know we've made landfall, but they don't seem to consider us a serious threat. Boy, are they in for a big surprise…"

Teana sniped the two Jackals on the building's roof. Seconds later, a small swarm of Drones flew out, and the Master Chief used his SMG to take them out. The team headed down the ramp and into the structure. Inside, another hologram of Regret stood preaching… and guarded by four Elite Honor Guards – one wielding a plasma repeater, one a concussion rifle, and the others a plasma sword each. A plasma grenade killed one of the sword-wielders, and alerted the other three Elites to the human presence. Concussive plasma shells came flying at the team, blowing a marine's chest open. Teana switched Mirage to Shotgun Mode and ran in, dodging the other sword-wielder's swing and firing twice into its face, taking its head off. The Chief picked up a plasma rifle and wielded it alongside the SMG. He opened fire with both on the Elite carrying the concussion rifle, and the rapid-fire bullets and plasma bolts quickly ate through its shields and tore through its torso. The last Elite dropped its repeater and pulled out a sword, but the marines focused fire and brought it down before it could get in close. The Master Chief walked up to the hologram terminal and placed Cortana into it.

"That's what I thought he said" she remarked. "The Prophet of Regret is planning to activate Halo!"

"Are you sure?" the Chief asked. In response, Cortana snapped her fingers, and the Prophet's sermon was translated into English.

"I shall light this holy ring, release its cleansing flame, and burn a path into the divine beyond!"

Cortana snapped fingers again, and the hologram paused. "Pretty much"

"Commander," John radioed, "we've got a problem."

"So I hear" Keyes responded, "but from what I understand, the Prophet will need an object – the Index – to activate the ring. I've located a Library similar to the one you found on the first Halo. If the rings work the same way, the Index should be inside."

"I'll bet the Covenant are thinkin' the exact same thing" Johnson added.

"Then we'd better beat them to it, Sergeant-Major. Extract your soldiers and meet me at the Library. Chief, Lanstar, I'll secure the Index. You take out the Prophet; he's given us all the intel we need."

The Chief placed his hand on the terminal, and Cortana returned to his armor.

Testament

A swarm of Drones descended through the open ceiling, and a marine went down with several needler rounds lodged in his neck, the resulting explosion severing his head. The rest of the team quickly swatted the bugs, along with the two Elites that came in from the upper level. They made their way up and out.

"You know," Cortana remarked, "I think the Forerunners built these new structures around the old, to protect them, to honor them. Pure speculation, mind you; I'd need to make a thorough survey to be sure."

The team fought their way down a walkway and across a bridge, entering another structure and carving through the Grunts there. On the other side, Teana sniped the Elites and Jackal Snipers in the next area, and the Chief added fire from his BR55 to the cause. A gondola headed away from the area, crossing the lake.

"I wish I had more time to decipher these inscriptions" Cortana said, referring to the Forerunner calligraphy carved into the walls. "The Forerunners revered this place; that much is clear. But was it a temple, or a university... I can't say."

The platform ahead was clear, and the team moved up. After almost a minute of peace, a Phantom flew in, and dropped off a pair of Hunters. One of them landed right next to a marine, and smashed him into the ground before he could get away. The Chief picked up and primed two plasma grenades. He rushed in, sticking them both to the Hunter's lower back. The explosion blew the monster in half, and the other one roared in fury at the loss of its bond-brother. Teana scored two hits with Mirage Sniper, and then switched over to Shotgun Mode, ran in, and finished the Hunter off.

"Cortana, the Covenant's getting nosy" Cmdr. Keyes radioed. "I don't want to give away my position, so I'm rerouting a few stragglers to you. I apologize; this is all the support you're gonna get."

"Understood, ma'am"

A Pelican flew in, dropping off a few weapon pods and three marines, one of whom was carrying a shotgun and the other two assault rifles. Everyone stocked up on ammo.

"A gondola's launching from the far tower" Cortana reported. "Big surprise: it's full of Covenant reinforcements."

The gondola reached their current platform, and a force of three Elites (two blue and one red), three Jackals, and five Grunts came out. They were taken out, though one marine went down by a needle rifle shot through the head. The surviving team (two Spartans, an ODST, and three marines) walked onto the gondola.

"Well, they were nice enough to bring us a ride" Cortana remarked.

The Chief hit the switch, and the gondola began to move. Four Drones flew in from the right, and were quickly shredded by the firepower brought to bear on them.

One-Way Ticket

"This lake couldn't have been made by volcanic action" Cortana wondered aloud, "which means that it was either built this way on purpose, or was created by some other cataclysmic event."

"Not the time, Cortana"

"Oh sorry, were you trying to kill something?"

Another gondola heading the opposite direction pulled alongside theirs, and seven Drones flew out and attacked, while two Elites and a Skirmisher opened fire from the gondola. Teana and the shotgun marine blew away the Drones, while the Chief used his BR to kill the Skirmisher and one of the Elites. Teana switched Mirage to Rifle Mode and fired a rifle grenade; it pushed the Elite out into the open and drained its shield, leaving it open for a shot to the skull. The gondola started up again, continuing on toward the structure ahead. As they neared the building, a marine carrying a sniper rifle used it to clear the snipers and turret gunners off the roof. Teana fired a rifle grenade into the open doorway, killing another sniper and two shield-carrying Jackals. When the gondola made contact, everyone piled out and made their way inside, clearing out the Jackals. The Chief made his way up the ramps to the top of the room, killing a Grunt and taking the fuel rod gun it had been running for, along with an extra five-pack of rounds for it. Down below, another swarm of Drones attacked the team, killing another marine before being brought down; now only two Spartans, an ODST, and two marines remained.

"Ah, now I see" Cortana remarked. "There's a submerged section that connects these towers to the outlying structures. Looks like we're goin' down… unless you'd prefer to swim."

An elevator came up, and three Jackals ran out and into the gun-sights of the soldiers, who then boarded the craft. The Chief hit the panel, the doors sealed shut, and the lift lowered into the water and began to travel through the lake.

"I've intercepted a secured transmission from Regret's carrier to High Charity. It seems to be a formal apology to Truth & Mercy. Apparently, Regret jumped the gun when he hit Earth, and the others already had plans to send a larger force to the Sol System. He's asking the other two to 'forgive his premature arrival', arguing that 'no human presence was foretold'. More proof that they were looking for a Forerunner artifact, and weren't expecting to find the human homeworld."

Soon, they reached an underwater complex, and the travel pod ascended out of the water and into it. The assault team poured out, making their way a few ramps and reaching a glass-windowed tunnel full of sleeping Grunts. They quietly snuck past the Grunts and followed the halls to a large chamber. In the center was a 100-foot-tall hologram of Regret.

"And people say I've got a big head…" Cortana muttered.

"Most of those we encountered in our search were compelled to join our Union," the hologram spoke, "to take part in moment of promise, Freedom for Allegiance, Salvation for Service! But some, like the Humans, chose to impede our progress. Block our access to sacred sites, damage Holy Relics! For their transgressions, the Humans shall be hunted until none remain alive!"

Teana snuck up on a patrolling Honor Guard Elite, leaping onto its back and driving her knife into its neck. The commotion alerted the rest of the Covenant, and she quickly retreated into cover, her shields flaring. A Drone swarm flew in and attacked; Teana took out enemy snipers while the rest of the team swatted the bugs. They moved on, reaching a ramp that led down to the lower level of the room, and two Elite Honor Guards came up it, managing to kill a marine before they went down. As the team reached the other side of the room, another Drone swarm came out. And then two Elite Ultras came out. And then two Hunters showed up on the bottom floor. By the time everything not human was dead, the two Spartans and the ODST were the only ones left, and the Chief had exhausted all but three rounds for his fuel rod gun. The trio moved on to another glass-windowed hallway, and John, following a gut feeling, switched to VISR. Sure enough, there were three cloaked Elites and four cloaked Grunts in the hallway. One went down via a particle beam through the face – apparently Teana had switched her VISR on, too – and three Grunts were killed by the ODST when they panicked and ran around enough to negate their camouflage. They moved in, killing the last Grunt and the other two Elites, and then stopped to catch their breath. After a minute, the ODST was about to say that they should get moving, when a plasma sword impaled him through the chest from behind. The cloaked Elite tossed the body away, and got hit by an overcharged plasma pistol bolt from the Chief, who then shot it through the head with his BR. The Spartan pair moved on, reaching the next submersible elevator and riding it down into the water again.

"Regret's carrier just received a response from High Charity," Cortana reported, "a very well-encrypted message from the Prophet of Truth. Listen to this: 'Your haste has jeopardized the fulfillment of our Covenant, threatened our grand design. That you shall be spared a public display of our contempt is thanks only to Mercy and his wise council'. Killing Regret should shake up the Covenant, and maybe help further destabilize it politically, but frankly it sounds like we'd be doing Truth a favor."

The lift arrived at its destination, now above-ground again, and the two Spartans moved out, assassinating an unwary Honor Guard. Another came to check, and got a plasma grenade to the face for its troubles. The panicked Grunts in the next hallway, holding another hologram of Regret, were easy prey.

"Every member of the Covenant shall walk the path!" the hologram shouted. "None will be left behind when our Great Journey begins! That is the Prophets' age-old promise. And it shall be fulfilled!"

If Cortana had a physical projection at the moment, she would've face-palmed.

They exited the facility, seeing sunlight again. Teana sniped two Elites up on the ridge ahead, and a Drone swarm flew in and opened fire. Teana switched Mirage to Rifle Mode full-auto, and she & the Chief shot the bugs out of the sky. They moved up the slope and killed a trio of Skirmishers, and a Pelican flew in.

"This is my last run, Spartans" the pilot said. "I'm nearly out of fuel. We've secured the first tower cluster, so I'll set down there. Call when you're ready for evac."

The dropship deposited several weapons pods. The Chief discarded his fuel-rod gun and grabbed a rocket launcher with six extra rockets. The pair made their way to the next area, killing a few Elites & Jackals and several Grunts. A Spirit flew in and dropped off a squad of Skirmishers, who were dispatched after a few minutes of hide-and-seek-shoot-and-destroy amongst the rocks. John & Teana soon reached the next gondola, from which came a trio of red-armored Elites. A plasma grenade, a shotgun blast, and 12 battle rifle rounds took them down. They got aboard the gondola and hit the switch, and it started moving toward the temple.

"How's it going, you guys?" Keyes radioed.

"So far, so good" Cortana replied. "We're approaching the main temple now."

"Roger that. I'm as close to the library as I can get; there's some sort of barrier. We're trying to find a way around it. I'll keep you posted."

Two Banshees flew in to attack, and were blown away by the Chief's launcher. Another gondola pulled up beside, and two Elite Rangers flew out and opened fire. One got a plasma grenade stuck to it, blowing it to pieces, and the other was smashed by a rocket to the face. The gondola continued on. As they neared the temple, Teana switched Cross Mirage to Sniper Mode and started picking off the welcoming committee waiting for them; the Chief joined in with his BR once they were closer. As the gondola came to a stop and the Spartans walked onto the temple's outer area, they looked up, and spotted as, in space, hundreds of Covenant ships came out of slipspace, followed by a truly gigantic structure that could only be High Charity.

"That's the largest Covenant fleet I've ever seen" Cortana muttered, shocked. "The largest anyone's ever seen. …700 ships, all but 40 of their entire remaining navy. Get inside the temple and kill Regret before they can stop us!"

Sorry, Were You in the Middle of Something?

At the top of the entrance ramp, a red-armored Elite led a squad of Jackals & Grunts out to fight the Spartans. They were dead in 30 seconds. The Spartan pair rushed in, encountering another pack of Elites, this time all white-armored. Mirage Shotgun took two down, and the Chief killed the other two with plasma grenades.

"The Covenant Navy has launched dozens of Phantoms" Cortana announced. "We don't have much time!"

They entered the large chamber, which was filled with Honor Guard Elites, along with a Zealot, and at the other end hovered the Prophet of Regret. "Guards! Remove this filth from my presence!"

The Elites charged, swords blazing. Teana switched Mirage to double Longsword Mode, tossing one to the Chief, and they waded through, dodging, blocking, and slicing their way through the hostile crowd. They burst through, sprinting toward the Prophet. The Zealot rushed to meet them, and Teana locked blades with it, entering frantic swordfight and freeing the Chief to reach his target. He dived to the side to avoid a plasma beam cannon from the Prophet's gravity throne, and then leapt onto the device. He could see the startled look on the Prophet's face, right before he drove Teana's sword through Regret's skull. He leapt off, landing atop the Zealot and stabbing it through the neck, as Regret's throne crashed to the ground behind him. The Honor Guards received a transmission and bugged out, exiting the temple with great haste.

"Good news and bad news, guys" Cortana reported. "The good news is that the Phantoms are turning around. The bad news is that Regret's assault carrier is about to blow this temple to bits. We need to get out of here!"

As they came back outside, the Everlasting Twilight took up position above them and opened fire with its ventral energy projector. The temple began to crumble, and the Spartans ran as fast as they could. At the last second, they leapt into the lake, being knocked unconscious on impact with the water. As they sank, a few tentacles grabbed hold of them.

"THIS IS NOT YOUR GRAVE… BUT YOU ARE WELCOME IN IT."

-CHAPTER END-