UNKNOWN LOCATION
The armored individual coughed violently, new spots of dark liquid emerging from within their shattered helmet. Every step brought fresh agony.
Every breath was painfully extracted from the surrounding atmosphere, drawn into a set of organs that no longer expanded with their prior capacity, and expelled with a more than a faint trace of red mist.
Voices echoed in the fog around them. Voices that were not their own, nor did they belong to any that they knew personally. Echoes of memories that were not their own. Memories shared, and memories taken.
Their armor, once a protective shelter against external threats, was now nothing more than a hindrance, restricting movement and further reducing their pace. The medical systems enclosed within were dormant; no longer combating the poison that seeped through their torso, nor healing the ongoing internal injuries from the foreign material still lodged within.
A darkened wall rose in the distance; a landmark that towered over all else within the district. The being knew that beyond that wall was a refuge, a place that they could be safe... and they also knew that they would never be able to reach it in time to make a difference. Step. Step. One foot in front of the other. To cease moving would be to accept an end. Step.
Pain. Agony. The being yowled, a cry of torment escaping their mouth as they dropped to their knees. There was no forward movement during such intervals, only curling up in an attempt to cope with the ordeal, shaking as every nerve throughout their body fired at random. The being had no knowledge of what occurred when their torment peaked, only recovering their limited senses when it faded once more.
And so it did, yet again. Rise, fall, rise, fall. Every interval, it took longer to ascend, to emerge from within the pool of pain, before it rose and engulfed them once again. A screech rang out in the darkness, the creature that emitted it delivering its answer to the song of misery the being had been unable to contain.
The armored individual turned, primordial instincts driving them into retreat, but a single step away from anything that could support their weight sent them tumbling to the ground. One arm in front of the other, the being pulled themself forward, crawling underneath the rubble that used to form a structure's entrance, and dragging themself up against another wall, out of sight.
Scuttling. Movement outside. Red eyes, peeking between cracks. Chittering. More scuttling, moving away.
It knew. They didn't know how, but they knew it knew. It delighted in the hunt. It didn't seek a swift end. The more misery, the more enjoyment. It would wait, wait until the poison worked its way through their system, until they were no longer able to surface.
The being cast their eyes around their cage, searching for something to defend themselves. Objects were piled up around them, scattered throughout the entire room. Shapes in the darkness, undiscernable. They closed their eyes, sucked in a staggered breath, then opened them. The objects were clearer, yet... pain still obscured proper details. Masks. Piles of masks. Rectangular, angled, curved, yet most following some basic commonalities. As they stared at the disorganized mess of masks, they could start to make out more detail. Most seemed to be half-finished, only covering the lower portion of a face. They fished one such example off the top of one of the smaller piles, turning it over in their hands.
There was nothing within it to hold it in place, not like... other masks. The inside of the mask was scarred, a jagged crack running down one of its wing-like wedges. Broken. Useless. They growled, shifting it over once more - and freezing in place.
A small dot blossomed on their forearm. Light. White light. The armor was dead, and yet... something still lived. They tapped it. The dot expanded, letters spiraling outward.
RESTART COMPLETE
INTERFACE ONLINE
ARMOR DAMAGED
BIOSIGNATURE FLUCTUATING
IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED
An icon blinked. They tapped it, the menu subsequently shifting, scrolling down a list before settling on another icon, which also pulsed yellow. Another tap.
[Z-4310 MEDICAL REPAIR/RECOVERY DEVICE]
DOWNLOADING... COMPLETE
[DESIGN SEED] READY FOR DEPLOYMENT
MINIMUM SAFE DISTANCE... THREE [METERS]
A bluish-white portal swirled into existence above the interface, spitting a crystal into the air before it dissipated. The being seized the crystal before it could collide with the solid-light below, twisting the top and bottom, before chucking it into a nearby pile of discarded masks. Seconds later, more light shone from inside as the stack collapsed inward, the seed flash-constructing the assigned device from any material around it.
Once the light faded, the interface device blinked with a new status update.
FIRST PRODUCTION RUN COMPLETE
ASSEMBLY SITE ESTABLISHED FOR Z-4310 MEDICAL REPAIR/RECOVERY DEVICE
MULTIPLE RUNS POSSIBLE
USE INTERFACE TO SET AMOUNT
REQUIRED MATERIAL PER UNIT PRODUCTION: [TWENTY-FIVE KILOGRAMS]
DEVICE LIFESPAN BEFORE REPLACEMENT: [FOUR MINUTES]/SOL STANDARD TIME
The being reached into the considerably smaller pile, drawing a rectangular device from within. Four spikes stabbed downward to form a base, and a set of cylindrical connectors rose from the midpoint to connect with a latticework surrounding a four-sided emerald polyhedron.
After queuing up another production run, they twisted the center section, extending the cylindrical array. Green light flowed from the emerald at the top, lighting up the entire structure and driving the armored being to the ground as their remaining nerves fired off in protest. The creature outside emitted a hunting screech, and the debris blocking the entrance shook as something collided with it. Such details were lost on the being, every one of their senses aflame, ignited, burning with agony as the ravaging poison within was purged, as veins were reconnected, as nerves were stitched together. Nothing could hold back the screams, the reverberating bellows, the audible expression of unescapable torment. They writhed, kicking and flailing, lost to the pool of pain - and then surfacing, then submerging again; a repeating, yet final loop. Fingers clasped at the edges of the healing wound in their side, reaching within and peeling away the the muscle and tendons, seizing the foreign object within and tugging at it, tearing newly-healed organs, veins, nerves; the cycle repeating over and over on a cellular scale as the object within slid free from the bone in which it was wedged, mere centimeters at a time.
Heal. Tear. Heal. Tear. Heal. Cycles. Over and over, between suffering and deliverance. Purgatory. Until no difference remained. Agony was pleasure and comfort was hell. Beat. Beat. Beat.
The object was free, lifeblood coursing from the fresh wound, and the being collapsed into the now-physical pool, the dark liquid flowing into their shattered visor. The creature outside had doubled its efforts to get in, its mandibles sticking through the feeble barricade holding it from its prey.
The green light vanished, the darkness rushing in to claim the lost soul formerly within its boundaries; another device activated, driving it back once more. The physical predator, however, would not be deterred so easily, and its head now protruded through the blockage, its maw whirling with jagged teeth, its mandibles snapping together...
Clang. Clang. Clang. The bell that tolls.
The being crawled further away from the entrance, the repair process of their internal organs no longer being hindered by the severed mandible.
The interface device flashed, its screen updating once again. Whatever it said was lost in the sudden crash as the blockage collapsed, the predator outside now inside, scrambing through the scattered mess of derelict masks littering the floor, lunging at its prey, who desperately swung an illuminated barrier between them...
The impact threw the being against the far wall, where darkness once again rose to claim them, their last memory before falling into the void being the screeching of the predatory creature.
ISLAND-CITY DESIGNATED METRU NUI
MODULE NETWORK
PRIORALRT: SENTINEL WALL SUFFERING DAMAGE WITHIN GRID M-24/M-25 AND O-27
PRIORALRT: DAMAGE TO TOP LEVEL OF SENTINEL WALL FROM CONCENTRATED VISORAK ENERGY FIRE AT GRID M-25
PRIORALRT: WATCHPOINT SYSTEM WITHIN CORE AFFECTED REGION RENDERED INERT
PRIORALRT: WATCHPOINT SYSTEM OUTSIDE OF CORE AFFECTED REGION OFFLINE
PRIORALRT: WATCHPOINT SYSTEM OUTSIDE OF AFFECTED REGION ONLINE
PRIORALRT: COVENANT-CONTROLLED FORERUNNER JAMMER SYSTEM IN INDUSTRIAL REFUGIA OFFLINE
-INDUSTRIAL REFUGIA DARK ZONE NOW DETECTABLE
-SINGLE ACTIVE FORERUNNER POWER SIGNATURE OUTSIDE OF SENTINEL WALL WITHIN SOUTHEAST QUADRANT OF GRID N-28
WARNING: LOCAL MEGAFAUNA SIGNATURES DETECTED IN INDUSTRIAL DISTRICT
PRIORALRT: LARGE FAUNA SIGNATURE WITHIN GRID P-28 MATCHES DATA POINT FROM UPT-3 MEMORY / / / UNKNOWN SPECIES; CONFIRMED HIGHLY DESTRUCTIVE
ALRT: REDIRECTING POWER INTO GROUNDSIDE AUSPEX ARRAY
ALRT: SYNCHRONIZING REMAINING WATCHPOINT NODES IN INDUSTRIAL DISTRICT WITH AUSPEX ARRAY
-COMMENCING IN-DEPTH SWEEP OF INDUSTRIAL DISTRICT AND SURROUNDING REGION
...
PRIORALRT: MASSIVE VISORAK POPULATION DETECTED IN INDUSTRIAL DISTRICT
CALCULATION: SEVENTY-NINE PERCENT OF ESTIMATED REMAINING ARACHNID SUPERPREDATIOR POPULATION CITY-WIDE CONCENTRATED WITHIN INDUSTRIAL DISTRICT
ALRT: VISORAK PRESENCE CONSOLIDATING AROUND SENTINEL WALL
PRIORALRT: MODULE ECHO/FIVE INTERIOR OUTSIDE OF ALIGNMENT CHALLENGE PATH IS SPACE-LOCKED, SCANNING WITHIN RENDERED IMPOSSIBLE
PRIORALRT: COVENANT PRESENCE WITHIN DETECTABLE SEGMENTS OF MODULE ECHO/FIVE SUBSTANTIAL
PRIORALRT: TWO TOA BIOSIGS DETECTED WITHIN SENTINEL WALL; GRID COORDINATES O-27
PRIORALRT: TWO TOA BIOSIGS DETECTED AT ALTITUDE AROUND COLISEUM; GRID COORDINATES K-25
PRIORALRT: ONE HUMAN BIOSIG / SPARTAN IDENT TAGS DETECTED; GRID COORDINATES N-28
PRIORALRT: TWO HUMAN BIOSIGS / UNSC IDENT TAGS DETECTED WITHIN SENTINEL WALL; GRID COORDINATES O-27
PRIORALRT: SINGLE SANGHEILI BIOSIG DETECTED WITHIN SENTINEL WALL; GRID COORDINATES O-27
ALRT: FIVE MATORAN BIOSIGS DETECTED WITHIN SENTINEL WALL; GRID COORDINATES O-27
ALRT: SINGLE MATORAN BIOSIG DETECTED WITHIN EXTERNAL INDUSTRIAL REFUGIA
PRIORALRT: SINGLE KIG-YAR BIOSIG DETECTED IN CLOSE PROXIMITY WITH ERRANT MATORAN SIGNATURE
ALRT: EIGHT MATORAN BIOSIGS DETECTED AROUND AND WITHIN COLISEUM; GRID COORDINATES J-24
PRIORALRT: SUBSTANTIAL DISPUTED-COVENANT PRESENCE DETECTED AT ALTITUDE AROUND AND WITHIN COLISEUM; GRID COORDINATES K-25, J-24, J-25
QUANTUM COMMUNICATIONS OPEN: DATA PACKAGE INBOUND FROM AEN-411-8191-4902B
ACQUIRING DATA...
REQUESTING RE-VERIFICATION CERTIFICATE
VERIFICATION ACCURATE
IDENTITY OF SENDER CONFIRMED AEN-411-8191-4902B
NEW OBJECTIVES DISSEMENATED THROUGHOUT GROUPS WITHIN INDUSTRIAL REFUGIA
METRU NUI - TA-METRU DISTRICT
SENTINEL WALL
"...enua? Easy. Take your time."
Whenua blinked drowsily, before shooting upright, flipping the platform he was suspended on and bringing the two beings carrying it crashing to the floor. "Where..." he breathed, both of his earthshock drills held at a ready position, "Where are we?"
"One of the foreigners' bulwarks," Nuju answered, turning to formally greet his Toa-brother. "We're probably safe... for now."
"Owww," one of the prone figures moaned. "Why me, Abit?"
"Abit," Whenua murmured, before his Kanohi began to glow, extending a column of light straight to the opposite wall. "Wait," he started, pivoting towards the two fallen Matoran. "Abit and Castol... how are you here? Was I..."
"You were unconscious for a while, brother," Nuju stated. "You exhausted yourself defending the Matoran and... others."
"How... Nuju, I saw Krekka!" Whenua gasped, rotating to face the Ko-Toa. "He was there! How was he there?"
"Whoever that being was, they were not Krekka," Nuju stated, "And they won't be a problem anymore, either."
"Oy," a shout came from further up their path, drawing the attention of both Toa. Whenua turned once again, his Ruru casting illumination upon the source of the vocalization.
A bipedal figure stood in the center of the path, its upper limbs rising to shield its head against the Kanohi's glare. "Oy," it uttered again, louder than before, its tone becoming more aggravated.
"Mata Nui, what is that?" Whenua inquisitively murmered. "Is that Rahi..."
"Yes, brother," Nuju stated, placing a hand on the Onu-Toa's shoulder. "This is what the foreigners look like underneath their armor."
"They're all... organic? All of them? How interesting."
"OY," the foreign bio-Rahi bellowed again, now turning away from the light. "COME ON, WINONA'S WAITING FOR US!" It cupped one of its hands, bending the arm to indicate the path ahead.
METRU NUI
MODULE NETWORK
PRIORALRT: DIMENSIONAL RUPTURE DETECTED WITHIN CONFINES OF SENTINEL WALL
ANALYSIS: ESOTERIC SOURCE
PRIORALRT: NEW LOCAL MEGAFAUNA CONTACT
-SIXTY-THREE PERCENT COMMONALITY WITH VISORAK BIOMETRICS
PRIORALRT: SENTINEL WALL UNDER ATTACK AT GRID M-24
PRIORALRT: SENTINEL WALL UNDER ATTACK AT GRID O-27
PRIORALRT: SENTINEL WALL BREACHED AT GRID M-24
PRIORALRT: NEW LOCAL MEGAFAUNA MOVING TOWARDS MODULE ECHO/FIVE
ALPHA-TIER COMMAND LEVEL DIRECTIVE: ALL COMBAT SENTINEL UNITS ON WESTERN AREA OF CITY NOT REQUIRED FOR ABSOLUTE DEFENSE ARE TO ENGAGE THE COLISEUM IMMEDIATELY
ALPHA-TIER COMMAND LEVEL DIRECTIVE: ALL COMBAT SENTINEL UNITS ON EASTERN AREA OF CITY NOT REQUIRED FOR ABSOLUTE DEFENSE ARE TO VECTOR TO PROTECT MODULE ECHO/FIVE AND MODULE FOXTROT/SIX
ALPHA-TIER COMMAND LEVEL DIRECTIVE: ALL MINDS ARE TO TAKE THE FIELD
UNKNOWN LOC-
ERR: REBOOTING
SYSTEM DIAGNOSTIC... COMPLETE
OBTAINING LOCAL FILES... COMPLETE
METRU NUI - TA-METRU DISTRICT / GRID N-28
Light illuminated the fog-choked streets as three structures collapsed, the material unraveling and weaving itself into new patterns as it and the ruins of a light-cargo airship dropped into a glowing pit where their foundation once rested. The process was as swift as it was perceptible, and screeching in the near distance was more than enough indication that their presence had been revealed. By the time the glow of multi-faceted eyes could be seen through the mist, however, the propulsion system of the newly-constructed vessel had been brought online and the transport rapidly gained altitude.
PRIORALRT: SITUATION UPDATE
-COVENANT FRIEND-OR-FOE STATUS DISPUTED
-TEMPORARY TRUCE ESTABLISHED WITH APPARENT SUBFACTION
MISSION OBJECTIVE: RESCUE CAPTURED INDIVIDUALS FROM CENTRAL STRUCTURE DESIGNATE COLISEUM, EXFILTRATE THE AREA, AND REALIGN MODULE GOLF-SEVEN
TRACKING RELEVANT SIGNATURES... SCAN COMPLETE
NAV SYSTEM ONLINE
METRU NUI - COLISEUM EXTERIOR
"It's over." Jara shuddered, involuntarily flinching away from the thorns that poked at the surface of his body. Roars, shouts, and whimpers echoed around the cocconed Matoran, emanating from the similarly-trapped beings surrounding him. "This is how it ends."
While the Visorak had initially encased him in their dreadful webs, his eyes had picked out traces of no less than three Toa in the same predicament. The two Toa that had attempted to escort them on their way to sanctuary from the Visorak had undoubtedly met similar fates. "It's over."
Not all were apparently willing to give up; Jara had seen multiple instances of the foreign Rahi tearing out of their bindings, only to plunge from the webs and out of sight. After a certain point, another of the Rahi had called out in their own language to put an apparent halt to such attempts.
One of the thorns pricked his body again, and this time he could feel a liquid emerging from it.
"It's over."
METRU NUI - COLISEUM EXTERIOR
"Well done, fire-spitter! You got us to the Coliseum. 'Course, we're captured, cocooned, poisoned, and since we probably haven't been left out here to admire Metru Nui's new look, likely about to plummet to our doom. Great leadership skills. Lhikan would be proud."
Vakama's response was but an annoyed growl.
"Mata Nui knows where the rest of our brothers and water-sister ended up. Those foreign beings probably got them, if the Visorak didn't." The spiderlike Rahi were evidentally no allies of the aforementioned foreigners, given how at least two of them had been trapped in the same circumstances as the pair of Toa - as were a number of other Rahi that the Po-Toa had never glimpsed before. Onewa had seen a small amount of the latter free themselves from their imprisonment, only to fall to their demise in short order. He wondered when the other 'hewman', as Nokama had referred to them, would be the next to plummet. With any luck, it would be the same one who had tampered with the Ga-Toa's mind.
"And what about you, Toa? What's your story?" The Po-Toa inquired of the mysterious grey figure that had otherwise barely reacted to their presence. As expected, the individual continued their unbroken repetition of choice phrases such as "They're all dead," and "I failed them all," as if the situation wasn't already bleak enough. "You're not helping," Onewa grumbled.
The only other avenue of conversation had been one of the armored 'hewmans', though their discussion had very much been a one-sided argument, consisting mainly of Onewa shouting over whatever the foreigner had tried to say. The Visorak later took away the armored being, the Rahi within screaming in evident terror as the spiders scuttled for the Coliseum. The display had unnerved the Po-Toa, and for a while he was silent before he once again started provoking the fire-spitter who had led them all to their doom.
The view over the city wasn't encouraging, either. A while back, something had exploded in the distance to their west, and both of the Toa felt a pulse ripple through their bodies. Whatever it was or what it might have inflicted upon them, neither of them knew, but Onewa was quick to offer suggestions. What they did observe, however, was the two foreign towers seemingly fighting amongst each other go dark, and the resistance that the false-Rama put up against the Visorak simply evaporated. And recently, something emerged from between two structures, a truly massive Rahi that had shattered the defensive wall the foreigners had established in Vakama's home metru and clawed its way inside, followed by the horde of spiders.
A squad of blue Visorak scuttled along a pattern of webs, rapidly heading in their direction. The grey Toa barely responded as the spiders detached their cocoon from the surrounding webbing, other than their mantra taking on a new line of "I die, too." The creatures seized the cocoons of both Onewa and Vakama as well, with both Toa Metru protesting and struggling; actions that were swiftly halted by near-simultaneous spinner strikes.
The trio of Toa were rapidly carried along the webs in the direction of the Coliseum, and soon they could see why. Clouds of what could only be false-Rama rose from the direction of Ga-Metru, evidentally rallying to the defense of the foreign towers in Ta-Metru. Their current imprisonment was likely deemed too risky for a potential rescue attempt, and now they were being brought deeper inside the former citadel of Metru Nui. And with the two Toa paralyzed, they were unable to fight back against their captors as they withdrew.
Soon, something else was rapidly approaching the Coliseum, an oval shape reminiscent of a bulk-cargo airship, albeit one illuminated by bolts of coral energy emanating from pylons protruding from its sides. Fliers descended from above, only to be blasted into orange dust by the incoming airship. Visorak scuttling around outside launched their spinners, only for half of them to fly in random directions; the rest either being intercepted by energy bolts or smacking against a shimmering barrier. Webs were cut and cocoons dropped as the Visorak outside scrambled back to the Coliseum's interior.
The pair of Toa Metru had just crossed the threshold when the grey Toa's recital abruptly ended. A silver fist speared through the cocoon, reaching out and seizing the foreleg of the spider carrying them. A roar emanated from within the cocoon as it tore open, the being within rising from the remains before delivering a cataclysmic strike with the spearlike appendage now grafted onto their left arm, impaling straight though the head of the Visorak and into the large strand of webbing beneath it. With a ferocious bellow of "I die free," the creature that had once been a Toa jerked its limb and severed the cord. Both the spider and the grey being promptly plunged down, and a cacophony of twanging noises signified the commencement of a large-scale collapse.
Soon the Toa lost line of sight on the battle being waged. The din of energy exchanges and Visorak being slain, however, did not abate until a set of heavy doors were sealed behind them.
METRU NUI - COLISEUM AIRSPACE
DUTIFUL SERVANT-CLASS LIGHT HARRIER DESIGNATE "RASTIMI"
The mission objective was clear. 'Rescue captured individuals,' it had dictated. What they couldn't understand was why the damned Covenant was on that list. The truce wouldn't last once the biomechanical bugs were squashed, and with less Covies in local, the less trouble would be had when the alien collective inevitably turned on them once again. When the Visorak had cut the webs free and allowed the majority of their prisoners on the side facing the Industrial Refugia to plummet to the ground below, they had attempted to selectively save only the sole human contact and the closest Matoran, yet the Intelligence within the vessel had wrenched control of the system from them and expanded the buffer field drivers to grab entire sections of webbing to halt the aliens' uncontrolled descent; a move that almost caused the harrier itself to drop from the sky due to strain on their power distribution and their own localized antigravity drive becoming temporarily imbalanced. Even then, four of the cocoons could not be grasped sufficiently, and the silencing of three Covies did not entirely make up for the loss of a Matoran.
The retrieval sequence continued, with a hatch opening on the underside of the vessel where relevant cocoons could be safely emptied of their contents. The remaining Visorak were in full retreat, only firing one or two spinners at their attack platform - yet with only a single barrier projector on command and no guidance convergers available, even these sparse attacks were hazardous for their continued operation.
"Sentinels from Module Alpha-One and Bravo-Two have engaged Visorak forces on Grid J-23, I-23, and I-24," a status update rattled off in his HUD. "Additional Sentinels from Module Charlie-Three's absolute defense picket have engaged Visorak forces at Grid K-23."
The Coliseum was being besieged on multiple fronts. With the bulk of the Horde deployed into the Industrial Refugia, this was the perfect opportunity to launch a decapitation strike. And since the spider presence at Golf-Seven was similarly reduced, if that Module could be flipped as well... then the imminent loss of Module Echo-Five in the Industrial Refugia could be worth the price. On the other hand, the Industrial Refugia was one of the largest sectors in the city, and if the Horde dug in...
PRIORALRT: SPARTAN EMERGENCY DISTRESS SIGNAL DETECTED
PRIORALRT: SPARTAN IDENT TAGS DETECTED; GRID COORDINATES J-25
Change of plan. They were out of the command console almost immediately, transferring command to the Intelligence as they sprinted to the retrieval deck, gathering three Forerunner-derived energy weapons from their respective storage alcoves as they passed the makeshift armory. Hammering the activation panel, they growled as the various panels that made up the door slowly slid apart to permit them entry. The scene that greeted their vision made them bring the hardlight rifle to bear, yet the IFF systems hardcoded into the operating systems denied them the permission to fire.
The Covies were free, most of them having been extricated from their cocoons. They sprinted at an Elite with an ignited energy cutlass leaning down towards a still-enconsed figure, yet their own armor locked up before they could land a certainly-fatal blow. The alien effortlessly cut through the cocoon, deactivating their blade before reaching in... and lifting a still-breathing Private Dolic Nordstrom from their former prison. The UNSC trooper gasped, initially unsteady on their feet, before looking up at the Sangheili officer and giving a thumbs-up signal.
The being's armor unlocked, yet they could feel the Intelligence's awareness surrounding them. They opened a private channel to the errant serviceperson. "Go to the command cabin, Trooper. Seal it off. This is a direct order."
Whatever the response might have been, they didn't bother to listen. Striding to the access portal, they opened the interface device attached to their armor and selected a particular configuration. One final breath to steady their nerves. And then they jumped.
UNKNOWN LOCATION
Sali'Fuldr expected a trap when he emerged from the slipspace rift, and his expectations were readily met. Instead of the promised subterranean access to their Forerunner complex, he emerged inside a human base. The Sangheili gasped for air as tainted atmosphere rushed past his harnesses' rudimentary environmental filters.
Four humans stood in front of him, three of them clustered around a smaller fourth. One of the larger Unclean Ones responded to his presence, backing away; whatever warning it might have shouted to its comrades came too late. 'Fuldr drew the Sentinel beam emitter he had scavenged from the battlefield and put a stream straight through the back of the closest human, before turning the weapon on the third and purging them as well. The first human who had reacted to his presence was almost at the blast door to the room, and Sali waited for the apostate to reach the large window before silencing them with an extended burst that seared through its skull, shattering the transparent surface behind them.
Only one of the Unclean remained in the room. A young male, barely at the stage that humans considered to be an adult. The Obedientiary's mandibles twitched with humor as he placed the Forerunner weapon into his harness' weapon storage. He didn't need such a tool to dispatch this one. The young human frantically tried to back up, but a single hoof brought down upon his leg put a halt to such feeble attempts of escape, and the Sangheili's hand found purchase upon his neck. As the Covenant warrior began to apply pressure, he took the opportunity to gaze around the room, his eyes quickly settling upon the holy artifact still emitting a swirling slipspace rift. Ah. Perhaps that would be a more fitting end for the Unclean. Sali knew from observed experience on the Didact's artificial world that the edges of slipspace portals were quite deadly.
As he approached the unstable edge, the human dangling on an outstretched arm, the blast door began to cycle open. Obedientiary 'Fulder promptly dragged the Unclean One close to his own body, obscuring the rest of his bulk behind one of the large devices the heretics were using to defile the holy artifact. At first, the Sangheili attempted to draw his Sentinel weapon once more, but upon seeing the single unarmed human that charged into the room without an environmental suit, he couldn't help but emit a laugh. Perhaps the mate of the one he held wished to challenge him to single combat? So be it.
With a roar, he threw the young male against another set of human equipment before striding to meet the female's charge. The Obedientary parried the first blow sent his way, reaching for the human's throat - only to jerk back when the young one brought her other arm in under his own and broke through the Sangheili's protective barrier with the screwdriver previously hidden within her grip. With his shielding temporarily dispersed, the heavy air within the room poured down Sali's throat, causing him to choke and gasp. The young combatant was quick, stabbing repeatedly with the screwdriver, as well as delivering swift strikes with her free hand to various nerve clusters across 'Fuldr's body, each attack further preventing his shields from recharging. Sali initially attempted to open the range, backing off from the constant assault, but the female was quick to pursue - and just barely able to react fast enough to not be caught up in a counterattack. And yet the atmosphere of the room was draining her effectiveness as well.
The Obedientiary regretted not slaying the female's mate when he had the chance. Perhaps the outrage from the act would force the young warrior into a mindset where mistakes would be more prevalent. Sali attempted to maneuver in the direction of the male, to which the female responded with an increase in ferocity - and the Covenant officer suddenly felt the crude weapon pierce deep into his side. The Sangheili's mandibles twitched with pain, yet quirked into an expression of bitter humor as he surged forward, pinning the arm grasping the annoying tool and delivering a full-power strike to the joint, before proceeding to slam his fist into the side of the human's face. With the young female off balance, Sali delivered a thunderous kick to the human's left leg, before striking at the face once more. The pain in his side was intensifying as the female poked deeper with her weapon, and 'Fuldr focused almost entirely on savaging the offending arm, before reaching behind his back for the purification device to decisively end the fight - and his grip closed on nothing but air.
Sali turned, glancing around for the Sentinel weapon, soon finding it in the hands of the young male from before who at first held it proudly in front of him, yet panic rapidly took over as they tumbled it around in their hands. The Sangheili roared, before grasping the female's other arm upon its next strike and putting his entire body into a swing that tossed the young female across the room - and through the swirling portal. Blood coursed from the wound that the human's weapon left in his side, and the heavy atmosphere within his lungs was increasingly wearing down 'Fuldr's stamina as well. And yet he still partially stumbled forward, towards the increasingly-panicked youth that dared attempt to desecrate a holy weapon. A hissing noise filled the room as the heavy air was pumped out and a proper atmosphere was supplied, and Sali couldn't help but twitch his mandibles in amusement once more.
For an unarmored human, the young female had inflicted a number of wounds. Wounds that would prove difficult to heal without access to friendly territory. With astounding luck, there was a Forerunner long-range quantum communicator in the same room as him, and soon the New Covenant would be summoned to purge both the humans and the devourers from this world.
A shot rang out, breaking through Sali's just-recharging shields and deflecting off his chest armor. Instinctively, his head darted to the origin point, only for another bullet to flash in and carve through one of his mandibles. The third slammed into his helmet armor, partially deforming yet still punching through the upper casing, barely missing the Sangheili's head. Whatever followed after that was rapidly dumped into his waist, spearing through the thin techweave of the harness' undersuit. 'Fuldr found himself collapsing onto his back, his legs limp and unresponsive.
The Obedientiary growled, spitting curses at the two humans who soon gathered around him. An explosion sounded from further in the complex, accompanied by a brief rumbling, temporarily drawing the attention of all before the Sangheili began to laugh. "Kralitai Keep is coming, humans," he snarled in the Unclean language, his three remaining mandibles splayed in a threat display. "None of you... will survive... the fire." Sali let himself collapse, his mandibles becoming slack. No point to draw unneccesary aggression. If the Unclean Ones believed him dead, so much the better - Shipmaster Kralitai would undoubtedly grant him the mercy of a healer after he exposed the Field Master's treacherous collusion with the humans...