Chapter 24

Master Chief

"Argh!" Yelled an soldier in ODST armor as he was shot in the head by Chief, who shot him with a UNSC battle rifle he had taken from the base, his helmet providing no protection as the bullets pierced through the visor and punctured his forehead, splattering brain matter all the helmet and outside as the bullets went out and hit the wall. As the man fell, Chief took cover as several other soldiers fired upon him, pinning him behind a wall as they fired with their UNSC assault rifles. Seeing the barrage coming at him, Chief looked back and pointed at Valtrois, who was taking cover behind several metal crates with the others

"Do you know a spell that can deal with a situation like this?" Asked Chief. Valtrois just smirked.

"Just observe." Said Valtrois before gathering Arcane energy in her hands. She then made several gestures with her hands before the group of soldiers attacking them were bombarded with bright blue bolts of magical energy, either incinerating them or sending them flying everywhere due to the power of the bolts. One of which was sent flying towards them, hitting the floor hard. Putting a bullet in that one, Chief looked back and saw the corpses of the other soldiers.

"Impressive." Said Chief as everyone got out of cover. "That magic is certainly useful."

"Indeed." Said Valtrois with a satisfied smile on her face. "Much easier to rely on than those weapons you use. Also more aesthetically pleasing as well."

"Looks don't matter as much as you think in war, miss." Said Jack as he walked with Ikit towards Chief, who just stayed silent at Valtrois.

"Please, it does indeed." Said Valtrois. "It shows how sophisticated you are and what your people value more of than other things."

"With respect, function should be a priority over looks, Valtrois." Said Chief. Though a few Nightborne looked annoyed for his comment, Valtrois simply bowed slightly at that.

"My point exactly." Said Valtrois. "You prefer functionality over aesthetics. You'd rather have something that just performs to the best it can give rather than waste effort to making it be a work of art. To make it an ugly, but functional weapon instead of a work of art that can be preserved for future generations to marvel at. A pity and I find such notions to be imprudent and injudicious, I can understand. I don't agree, but I won't allow it to impair my ability to work with you. Well…much anyway." Chief just stayed silent, not giving away his emotions when she said it all. Truthfully, he didn't care what she thought so long as he can work with them well and efficiently. His team, however, were annoyed with it, Ikit growling at what he viewed as elf stupidity and arrogance. Jack also saw it as stupid, but chose not to comment on it with Ikit.

Chief, noticing the annoyance in his team in Valtrois's comment, choose to speak in order to move on.

"That's the fifth team of soldiers that attacked us." Said Chief as he went over to the amount of bodies killed by Valtrois's spell. Counting the bodies, he saw there were eight men. Combined with the ones they fought, that was over thirty men, leaving around sixty or so men left to fight. Looking at the Nightborne, out of the twelve that had been with them, including Valtrois, only five remained, all of them able to use magic. Two had been sent back with Courier to Suramar to escort their prisoner, but three had been lost to battle. They've all been taken down by planned ambushes and coordinated attacks from their opponents. One poor unfortunate soul lost half her face when a soldier shoot at her with a sniper rifle from high ground. The soldier would have taken out more had Ikit not launched a magic missile from his halberd. She had been a Nightborne warlock so that was probably the reason they aimed for her and not the others.

After the 2nd attack had occurred, causing that warlock's death and another, this one a soldier with just proficiency in blades, Chief told Valtrois to send back all her magic null soldiers as they wouldn't be effective against the foes they were facing, something Valtrois reluctantly agreed and so had a warlock sent them all back to Suramar. Before they did so, Chief also advised Valtrois to send a message to Thalyssra and Elisande that they should make a new training regime for the Duskwatch that was designed to fight against opponents that fought in varying distances with weapons that were either slow firing but powerful or weapons that weren't as powerful but high rates of fire. He also mentioned to advise making a regime against foes with heavily armored vehicles. While he didn't expect them to face any tanks in this base, he knew that it wouldn't hurt to make a regime against them or other similar armored vehicles. There was also the fact that this base seemed to have been here for quite awhile and was stocked filled with weapons from the UNSC and with no damage and in pristine condition too. While he had little to no proof that there were other bases out there with similar armaments and size to his base, his base instincts told him that there were and that he should prepare his allies to fight against a true modern army. Should one face them that is.

"Indeed. I had hoped we can deal with them all in one swift strike, but if this keeps happening, I'm afraid we have to stop soon. My people are starting to get exhausted from casting barriers and spells against our foes. I can still fight, but I don't think it's a good idea to keep moving on. We need to rest." Said Valtrois, looking at Chief, who just looked back at her. He then looked back at Jack and Ikit. They both were exhausted with Ikit leaning on his halberd and panting furiously with Jack leaning on a wall for support. He looked at the elves and saw they were of the same status as everyone else. That left him and Valtrois as the only ones that were not exhausted. Knowing just how dangerous it was for them all to fight with exhausted troops, Chief agreed.

"Take everyone back to Suramar. I'll press on and continue by myself." Said Chief. Upon hearing that, Valtrois widened her eyes in shock.

"You're facing around sixty soldiers by yourself?" Asked Valtrois in disbelief. She had heard stories of sole elves facing entire legions of enemies, ranging from demons to other races, but they always had magic on their side and they were stories from either fictional novels or children stories, meant to instill awe towards their people and nothing more. A single soldier with no magic on his side against seventy or so soldier by himself sounded suicide. Granted, this Master Chief was one of the most skilled non-magic users she's seen and he could face them all one at a time or in small groups, but this still seemed suicidal. Even more so when the enemy decides to go against him all at once. Valtrois stared to protest but Chief made his mind and began walking away.

"I've done this before." Said Chief, recalling his time facing impossible odds before against the Covenant and later a parasitic race called the Flood all by himself. And he always came out on top. "Don't worry about me. I'm used to this type of thing.' He then looked back at Valtrois. "If you want, you can send reinforcements after me, but I advise against it. They could have set ambushes against them and this place is a maze without a way to map the entire base." Valtrois became exasperated at him before he spoke again. "I'll come back, I promise." With that Chief began to walk away, leaving them alone.

"Foolish human." Said Valtrois, shaking her head at that stubborn armored human being. She then looked at Jack and Ikit, who looked back. "Is your leader this arrogant and overconfident?"

"He can deal with it." Said Jack, exhausted from fighting so much. He had to admit this ODST armor was tough to deal with. The damn chest plate was able to endure an entire clip from his R201 and still held against ten more bullets from it before it broke. Then there were several grenades that he had to dodge one after another in the last fight. Combined that with all the other previous fights, which were no less exhausting, left him exhausted beyond belief. Right now, he wanted nothing more than find a soft bed and sleep in it. "He told stories of him facing entire platoons of soldiers by himself or with just a small team of other similar skilled and able soldiers like him. And he's not the type to exaggerate, Valtrois. I trust he won't fail us."

"He good killer. Yes-yes." Said Ikit as he went over to a body wearing ODST armor before dragging it back to the group. "He not stupid-stupid. He fight-kill all foes. Yes-yes." Sighing at their confidence, Valtrois then began to teleport them all back to Suramar, both to get her allies some rest as well as to inform Elisande and Thalyssra about Chief's advice.

Meanwhile

Shadowmoon Valley

"This is where the majority of my people live now." Said Yrel as she lead the Twilight Hammer cult team to the Shadowmoon Valley, where the majority of the free Draenei reside in. "After they destroyed our great city, prophet Velen has us all relocated here. It's defensible enough that the Orcs still haven't breached our defenses. Though an Orc clan is still attempting to breach our defenses." The team just nodded as they walked in amidst the Draenei temple that Yrel claimed that Velen was stationed most of the time.

It was a massive temple with equally massive spires that jutted out from the main building. Massive walkways led up to the temple. The various blue crystals on top of the spires glowed brightly as if welcoming the team. It was a beautiful temple. A shame that they had to take the Draenei leader when the time comes.

As they walked, various Draenei looked at them in wonderment, likely wondering why Yrel was leading them to the temple that their leader Velen was currently residing in. Some glared at the Orc that was with them, but refrained from doing anything to him, trusting Yrel.

Being the chosen apprentice of Velen, Yrel had the trust of many Draenei and so they believed these beings were to be trusted. That being said, they wondered where they came from if they are here to help them in their plight against the Orcs.

Eventually, Yrel led them inside the massive Draenei temple, allowing them to see it's interior, which was filled with Draenei architecture that the team had never experienced before. Derek and Kudius were impressed with it all, Gorl didn't care and so did the Spartan, but they all remained focused on their task as Yrel led them to Velen, one of their targets.

It had been decided by the group that Velen would be the last of their targets to claim. If they could trick the Draenei into believing they were on their side, they could catch Velen without much difficulty once they acquired enough trust from them for the Twilight Hammer team to take him without having to fight Velen himself. For all their power, they stood no chance against Velen, who was skilled in all manners of magic. So, it was best to take him without having to fight him. Plus, they could use Draenei cannon fodder when they're going after Garrosh, Gul'dan, and Grom to imprison them in their large, impractical guns.

After a few more minutes of walking, the group arrived in a large observatory where a very old Draenei was speaking with Draenei warriors that were tasked with defending their remaining homes from the Orcs. It didn't take a genius to figure out that this was Velen.

"Prophet Velen!" Yelled Yrel as she bowed in front of Velen as the group made their way to the Draenei war council with the prophet in charge of it all. "I bring good news. I found allies to help us in our plight against the Orcs." Humming in thought, the old Draenei that was the Twilight Hammer team's target looked at the individuals Yrel brought along with all other Draenei in the room. Gazing them all in an effort to figure them all out, Velen stroked his massive beard before speaking.

"May I ask your names travelers and why you come here to help us in our time of need?" Asked Velen.

"As well as telling us why this damn Orc is with you?" Demanded another Draenei as he glared at Gorl in distrust and disgust. Gorl glared at the Draenei but refused to do anything, as he knew that would not end well for any of them. Velen rebuked the Draenei before asking his question again.

"We're here from the world that the Orcs are currently invading. I take it you've heard of the Orc invasion?" Asked the spartan, looking at Velen, who was a bit unnerved with the design of his armor as well as the power of the void emitting from him. He knew the Void and it's corrupting influence. It was a dangerous weapon to use and can lead one to lose themselves if proper care is not applied to handling such corrupting power. However, Yrel trusted them so he was willing to give them the benefit of doubt, especially the Orc as he knew that there were still Orcs that rebuked the Iron Horde, the amalgamation of most of the Orc clans into one being. Given this Orc was with a group of non-Orcs, Velen guessed he was part of this small resistance group of Orcs.

"I have seen visions of the Iron Horde attacking another Horde. Using knowledge they've acquired from the Burning Legion to accomplish this." Said Velen. "They've used a great deal of my people to fuel the gate." Upon hearing that, the Orc growled in disgust, something that Velen didn't fail to catch.

"I see.' Said Derek, stepping in. "Prophet Velen, if we may be so bold, we need more information on this Iron Horde. How they came to being and how is in charge of them. We also like to know how they acquired knowledge from the Burning Legion without being used as pawns or show signs of being corrupted. We have some knowledge on the Burning Legion thanks to powerful sorcerers on our world. Enough to tell us that there are signs of one being used by the Burning Legion, yet this Iron Horde doesn't display them. Can you tell us why?" Velen gauzed at them again, wondering what their agenda is, before telling them what he knew.

"Yes, you are correct." Said Velen. "I don't know how much you know of the Burning Legion, the Burning Legion did indeed attempted to use the Orcs for their own agendas. To destroy this world as they've done to countless others. They acquired a pawn that managed to unite most of the Orc clans under his banner and it seemed he was in the process of turning the Orcs to the service of the Burning Legion. However, something happened. I do not know what, but the Orcs rebelled and killed the Burning Legion envoy and exiling their pawn and his loyal followers. They then created the Iron Horde and began making technology they've never had the knowledge to create before. They then used what gifts the Burning Legion gave them that won't corrupt them to construct a portal that'll lead them to another world, yours." The Twilight Hammer team nodded at that.

With this information, they've figured out what happened. Garrosh must have escaped from the Horde and Alliance's clutches, traveled back in time, and warned the Orcs about the Burning Legion's deception of the Orcs as well as giving them advance technology that'll advance their weaponry and armor way beyond to what they should have. That must have been what happened. They've heard that Garrosh escaped with the help of a bronze dragon. How they didn't know, but that knowledge was enough to convince them that this was what happened.

"Prophet Velen, we were sent ahead of our world's armies to deal with the Iron Horde. They've killed many of our people and we wish to stop them before they kill anymore. If you can help us do this, we'll be grateful." Said Derek, causing Velen to hum.

"It seems we have a common enemy then." Said Velen. The Twilight Hammer team nodded. "Hmm…I will consider a potential alliance. In the meantime, I have an assignment that might prove your worth. A clan of Orcs with the Iron Horde have been harassing our people. I've seen visions of them doing great harm to our people if they are left to their own devices. I ask you to stop them by any means necessary. Do this, and my people will welcome you all warmly as well as sway my council to work with you." That caused the Twilight Hammer team to nod.

"We will do it." Said Derek. "Show us the direction of these Orcs and we'll take them out for you." Velen nodded at that before ordering Yrel to take them towards the Orcs. Once they were gone, Velen frowned.

"These beings have traces of the Void on their persons'." Thought Velen in slight worry. "I've seen people use the void while keeping themselves sane, but most cannot handle such corrupting power. I must figure out these beings and what their future role is." With that Velen left the war room to his best military minds. He needed to ponder the future again.

Meanwhile

Thalyssra

"*Laughs* She really slept with him naked in order to heal him?" Asked Thalyssra as High Elf Archer told her stories of her world and her adventurers in it. Some of them were horrifying, especially the one about Goblins raping any female they come across, but most were happy and had the First Arcanist laughing at some of them.

"She did." Said High Elf Archer with a smile. "Since she was a virgin and also wounded, we thought she would be the better candidate to heal Orcbolg up. The miracle required a virgin in order to work and for them to be completely naked and touching the body of the wounded individual. Turns out the miracle worked and it healed them both up. Not even a scar on them all. Well except Orcbolg. He's got plenty of scars all over his body for his struggles against Goblins. His well-structured. Hunk of a body." Upon hearing that last part, Thalyssra smiled a bit.

"I imagine you were jealous that this priestess girl was the one that slept with your crush over you." Said Thalyssra with a smirk, causing High Elf Archer to blush. Much as she wanted to deny it, she was indeed a bit jealous of Priestess for sleeping with Orcbolg. Heck, even then, she was a bit jealous, despite her teasing nature at them for it.

"I guess.' Said High Elf Archer. "Though I doubt she didn't mind. I think she wants him as well."

"Oh?" Asked Thalyssra, intrigued at this. "A little quarrel over a man, is there?"

"I guess." Said High Elf Archer. "In fact, I think there are several woman that want Orcbolg for themselves. Mostly humans." She then described them all to Thalyssra and it caused Thalyssra to purse her lips in amusement and some shock.

"My." Said Thalyssra, her ears twitching in amusement. "This Orcbolg must be a rare kind of man to acquire the hearts and attraction of so many women and not take advantage of them. Especially this priestess."

"Yeah." Agreed High Elf Archer. "He doesn't really look us like women, really. More like good comrades at arms than anything else. And also not Goblins as well." Thalyssra giggled at that.

"I wish there was someone like that in the ranks of Elisande's courts and the noble houses." Said Thalyssra. "That way, there might be someone worth settling down with and having a family." High Elf Archer tilted her head at that.

"I guess you've had undesirable people try to court you." Said High Elf, having similar experiences when she was growing up. Despite her being young in elven standards, she was still sought after by her generation as she was quite beautiful like her sister. Many noble families have tried to marry their son off to her, but she refused them every time, mainly because she wasn't interested in them, but also because some of them were unsavory people that she refused to have a family with. She recalled one close call by one stubborn elfling that her sister stopped and had punished for assaulting her sister, but aside from that, they handled the rejection well.

"Indeed. Many have tried to court my hand for lecherous purposes. Fortunately, I've seen their intents, despite their best attempts to hide it, and denied them every time." Said Thalyssra, recalling all those detestable Arcanist and nobles that have tried to court her hand during royal banquets that she had to attend due to her status as First Arcanist or parties that Elisande had to organize for special holidays and the like. She suspected that, if it weren't for her powers in the Arcane, rivaled only by Elisande, she would no doubt have been forced into marriage by a nobleman that wanted a carrier for his child or a trophy to flaunt over his rivals, nothing more. The other Arcanists and nobles, she just wasn't interested in. She had dates before, she would not deny that, but none of them ever came up with positive results. Either Thalyssra found they were not compatible enough for marriage or Thalyssra did not find any romantic feelings for her chosen date to begin the process of starting a relationship. The latter critic was something that caused her to be teased by Valtrois as her being a hopeless romantic, but it was something that she held onto because of a promise she made to her father and mother to marry only a person she truly loved.

It wasn't just because of the promise though. With them gone, along with the rest of her family, she wanted to have a good family legacy with her having children proud of both of their lineages. Not just one. And that would be easier if the parents loved each other deeply. It also helped that Thalyssra wanted a man that she could impart with her deepest secrets and trust to keep them as well hold her when she needed a shoulder or chest to lay on, whether it was from her being upset or stress from her work as Arcanist to Suramar.

"So, you're still a…" High Elf started before clasping her mouth, realizing the rudeness of her question. Knowing what she was going to say, Thalyssra smiled.

"Yes, I'm indeed." Said Thalyssra. "I've never actually slept with a man nor had one inside me. Though, to be fair, Valtrois also hasn't one inside her as well. She's quite picky when it comes to suitable partners for her, you know." High Elf Archer nodded, still ashamed at her bluntness and tendency to talk first without thinking, something Thalyssra sensed. "It's alright, little elf, I'm not offended. Truth be told, your bluntness and tendency to ask embarrassing and rude questions, at least this one, is quite refreshing compared to what I have to deal with in Elisande's courts."

"You talk negatively about Elisande's courts a lot." Said High Elf, noticing that. "Do you like Elisande?" Thalyssra frowned at that, unsure if she should tell High Elf Archer about such things. She trusted the young elf, that was not in doubt, but to tell her about the Arcanist's personal feelings towards Elisande and her policies seemed a bit too far. If it was Master Chief asking this, she would be more than happy to tell him, but she wasn't sure if High Elf Archer.

"I don't know if I should tell you this." Said Thalyssra. "This is a rather sensitive topic." High Elf Archer sighed at that before nodding.

"Understood." Said High Elf Archer. "Sorry for asking." Thalyssra just smiled a bit at that.

"No need to be apologetic, young one." Said Thalyssra. "In time, I'll tell you of how I feel about Elisande personally. Until then, it's best to not speak of this." High Elf Archer nodded before changing the subject.

"So, hypothetically, if you were to date or mate with someone, what traits do they have to have?" Asked High Elf Archer, causing Thalyssra to purse her lips in thought.

"They must be brave." Started Thalyssra as she complied her list of wants for a mate. "Kind, understanding, willing to discipline their friends or family if they did something wrong, but perhaps most importantly, be willing to have a family with me. Not out of prestige or a wish to continue one's bloodline, no. Just out of a simple wish to start a family and nothing more." High Elf Archer smiled at that.

"Long list, but a family requires it." Said High Elf Archer, causing Thalyssra to nod.

"Indeed." Said Thalyssra. Before they could continue this conversation, a sudden teleportation in Thalyssra's own home caused the two to look at the people coming out of the portal, which was Valtrois, Jack, and Ikit. Seeing them but not Chief, Thalyssra asked where he was.

"He's at the base we found." Explained Valtrois. "Fighting what soldiers we haven't encountered inside." Upon hearing that, Thalyssra widened her eyes in shock, stunned they would just leave one man to handle taking a base full of soldiers. She then asked for the details, which they provided in full. Both Thalyssra and High Elf Archer were shocked to find just how large the base actually was, filled with many weapons of UNSC making. Thalyssra, in particular, was horrified to learn that Chief had to deal with around sixty or so men on his own. Despite Valtrois assuring her that the human was confident he can deal with them all and so was she, Thalyssra wasn't so sure. Worry was plainly evident on her face as she implored if he suffered any injuries prior to them departing him.

"*Snarls* Stupid elf-thing." Said Ikit as he saw her worry, disgusted with it, but somewhat intrigued as he had never seen an elf-thing be so worried for another being that wasn't their own. "Worry make you weak-pitiful. Make people want to kill-slay you." Upon hearing that, Thalyssra glared at Ikit. Before anyone could even act, she sent a small Arcane bolt at the rat, hitting him in the stomach. It wasn't anything life threatening, but it did cause him to be sent flying out of the estate and into the lake, where he made a big splash upon landing. Shocked, everyone looked at Thalyssra as she lowered the hand responsible for the bolt.

"Thalyssra.' Said Valtrois, stunned to see her friend do that. She always was so calm and collected that she thought that she would never do such an act like what she just witnessed. Even the few times she's lost her temper, she was calm and collected. Never did she use her magic against others, even at the worse of times. "That was…so contradictive for you to do." Thalyssra, realizing what she just did, placed a hand to her mouth in shock and horror.

"I…I'm sorry." Said Thalyssra in genuine regret. "Quickly, we must save him."

"I got it." Said Jack before running off to save Ikit, who was currently splashing around in the water, trying to lift his head up to breath, his armor making it difficult for him to keep afloat. A splash was then heard as Jack jumped in to save Ikit and drag him ashore. As this was happening, Valtrois looked at Thalyssra, still in shock at what she just did.

"Thalyssra, that was rather…forceful for you to do." Said Valtrois. "Are you…okay?"

"Yes, I…I believe I am." Said Thalyssra as she crossed her arms underneath her bust. "I do not know what overcame me. The rat was insulting me over being so worried for Master Chief has caused me to just…react." High Elf Archer and Valtrois, upon hearing that, rose an eyebrow collectively. A few seconds passed before the two figured out what was the cause of the outburst and caused High Elf to smile deviously while it caused Valtrois to look at her friend in worry.

"Thalyssra, have you…developed an attraction to the one known as Master Chief?" Asked Valtrois, causing Thalyssra to widen her eyes in shock. Stepping back from her friend, she opened her mouth to speak, only to find that she couldn't say anything to deny Valtrois. Closing her mouth, Thalyssra looked at Valtrois, unable to speak, causing the other Nightborne Arcanist to sigh. "Well…that is certainly ill-boding for you. Elisande will not be pleased about this at all, Thalyssra." Before Thalyssra could protest, Valtrois spoke again. "Let's just get back to the Master Chief and getting him assistance so that you can stop worrying for his person." She then turned to High Elf Archer and asked her where Courier was.

"Not sure." Said High Elf Archer. "I've been here with Thalyssra for quite a while and we've been here in this estate for all that time. He's not with you guys?"

"He left sometime ago to escort a prisoner to our jails." Explained Valtrois. "The prisoner, for some reason had a massive amount of his memories missing. The only things he had were the number of personal in that base and the assassination on you, Thalyssra. Nothing relating to his personal life or who he was. It's quite strange and fascinating. Although also quite disconcerting as well." Thalyssra, upon hearing all that, wondered this entailed as well. This man also had the same problems as the assassin? If so, why would someone do such a thing? It made no tactical or moral sense to do something like this. Sure, it prevented the taking of intel from a prisoner, but to go this far didn't make much sense. Both morally and tactically. The only reason she could some up with doing something like this was the one that did it was unnecessarily cruel. The fact that there was something that willingly did actions like these left Thalyssra a bit uneasy.

"Then we must find him and have him assist his leader." Said Thalyssra. "It may not be too late to assist him in dealing with those soldiers."

"He may be discussing important information with Elisande and our interrogators.' Said Valtrois. "Perhaps we should…"

"No, we can't wait." Interrupted Thalyssra, looking at Valtrois with slight annoyance. "Our ally is in potential danger at this very moment and very moment we waste puts him in more unnecessary danger. And Courier is our best chance at giving him the assistance he deserves." Valtrois, ears twitching, sighed and shook her head. She mumbled something so quiet that even elf ears couldn't pick it up before speaking louder.

"Very well." Said Valtrois. "Let's go find Courier and get him to help out his leader."

"I'm coming too!" Yelled High Elf Archer, getting close to Thalyssra. "I'm supposed to guard Thalyssra, after all.' Valtrois shrugged at that before Thalyssra teleported them to where Courier was most likely at.

Meanwhile

Master Chief

Chief, meanwhile, was currently under fire from around ten soldiers wearing ODST armor. He was behind an armored crate that the weapons of the soldiers were unable to shoot through. Unfortunately, they had him pinned under the amount of fire they were putting out. And he couldn't move without subjecting to himself to massive amounts of fire from the soldiers. Two of them had large caliber sniper rifles with them and it only took two shots from those to take him down. Even a Spartan can't survive a shot from standard UNSC sniper rifles if they hit a vital organ or torso. And there was no other viable piece of cover he could use to give him cover that he could reach without those snipers aiming for him and firing.

Reloading his assault rifle, Chief was amongst corpses of soldiers that tried to flank him while he was pinned. They used standard military tactics in order to get to him. They had their allies keep him pinned while they went and tried to flank him. They tried to use their grenades to flush him out, but Chiefj merely threw back at the enemy when they landed near enough to cause him harm. They then tried to flank with around four soldiers, but Chief killed them all when they came at him, though there were a few close here and there, including a bullet that went through his leg. Biofoam, a UNSC coagulant agent meant to allow a soldier to trudge on with life threatening injuries or stabilize them until proper medical help was given to them, was applied by his suit so he was still capable of fighting at one hundred percent.

"These guys know what they're doing." Thought Chief as he thought of ways to get out of this situation. "They're not expertly firing their guns, making sure they don't overheat. Overlapping fields of fire. And clear usage of cover. Either they're deserters of the UNSC or someone has been training locals proper military tactics." Not knowing which is worse, Chief decided he needed to end them know so he can get more answers.

Grabbing the last of his grenades and those he looted from his dead foes, he tossed three at the soldiers, pins out and at the last moments before detonation. Upon seeing the tossed grenades, the soldiers tried to leave, but the grenades went off as soon as they went near them. Though only two of them died to the grenades, they were disoriented enough that Chief moved out of cover and charged at them.

Prioritizing the ones with the sniper rifles first, Chief fired a burst at the one that was close to revering, expertly placing several bullets in his throat, where the armor was at it's weakest. Even as the man fell to the ground with his hands at his throat, Chief fired at the other guy with the sniper rifle as he, fully recovered, was about to fire a shot at Chief. All the bullets hit the man's visor, breaking it and placing several bullets inside his head.

By then, the rest of the soldiers recovered and saw that Chief was right on top of them. Dropping their rifles, they grabbed either their pistols or knives and charged at Chief.

His instincts and reactions times kicking in, Chief dodged the first swing of a man's combat knife before grabbing said man and used him as a shield against a load of bullets coming his way from three soldiers. His armor held against the bullets for awhile, but several bullets went for his neck, which was only minimally protected, and the bullet went straight through it and hit Chief's armor. Fortunately, his shields protected him from them.

While this was happening, Chief was shooting at two soldiers that tried to pounce on him and drag him to the ground with their combined weight. Dodging away from their attempt to dogpile on him, Chief pumped on full of lead with his assault rifle while moving away from the other soldiers.

Tossing his meat shield away, Chief reloaded his rifle as the rest of the men began to reload their guns or charging at him with their knives. Catching one as he attempted to stab him, Chief broke his arm, causing him to drop his knife, before he went and broke his neck by slamming him down to the ground in an angle.

With three more men dead, he fired his reloaded rifle at the rest, firing bursts at each of the men into weak spots in their armor. One man fell to a sustained burst to the neck as he was about to open fire on Chief. As he was going to the ground, the rest of the men opened fire on Chief.

Shields holding, Chief killed one more before seriously wounding another. It was then that his shields broke and allowed one to nearly place a bullet into Chief's face hadn't the Spartan tossed a knife, which went into his throat, preventing him from taking the shot. Now the ones remaining, were holding combat knives or on the ground, hands to their wounds.

One man still standing and up against a Spartan II, he did the only thing that he thought would work. He brought out a grenade and ran up to Chief, shocking the Spartan at this action. Fortunately, he recovered quick and grabbed the man. Twisting his arm to the point that bone was showing at the elbow, Chief watched as the grenade fell to the ground without a pin. He then kicked it away and went to the ground with his hostage. Once it exploded, sending debris all over them, Chief turned the man to face him and placed a pistol at his visor.

"Who are you?" Demanded Chief, looking at the man wearing ODST armor. That stunt he pulled convinced Master Chief that this wasn't a real soldier. No sane UNSC soldier would ever pull a stunt like that, especially an ODST. The human just scoffed.

"I won't give you anything." Said the human. "The master prohibits it." That caused Chief to process this information with a hint of surprise. Okay, so there was clearly some person in charge. And based on how this man referred to them as master, it was either someone with an ego problem or someone that just uses it as a title to conceal their identity. Whoever it is, it's someone with vast amount of resources to have something like this, immense magical prowess that put the most skilled mages he knew to shame, and the ability to bring people from other universes to this world.

That also left him a question, why did they do it? And how were they able to do it? He wasn't a scientific expert, but it didn't take a genius to know that such feats required a mastery of technology or magic far beyond anything he knew. Even the ancient Forerunners from where he came from. And he'll have to ask Thalyssra, but he was fairly certain that even the Nightborne would deem such feats impossible. He'll need to ask around, but he got a feeling that he wasn't going to like it.

"Who's this master?" Asked Chief, causing the man to laugh.

"I will not betray him." Said the man with such conviction that Chief took notice. Clearly this master was someone that can inspire great loyalty in his men or had access to good hypnotic technology or magic. "He is one worth following over the corrupt and decadence that is the UNSC." That caused Chief to look at the man in slight surprise. So this used to be a soldier of the UNSC. If so, what caused him to turn traitor. The man must have known because he laughed again. "I found a master worthy of my loyalty. One that promises to never abandon me like the UNSC did at Harvest at the beginning of the war." Upon hearing that last word, Chief, this time, nearly froze in shock. This man was from Harvest? Before it fell to the Covenant? If so, what was going on? Before Chief could process this, he suddenly heard the sound of multiple grenade pins being pulled off and looked to see the man had a string of grenade pins in his remaining good hand. Instincts kicking in, Chief got away from the man and ran away, sprinting to cover just in time for a large explosion to occur where the man was. Once he was certain everything was clear, he looked back and saw nothing remain of the man that he can use to identify his identity. Sighing, Chief counted the number of men he killed and found he killed around twelve men. That left only twenty more left to go.

It was strange, they weren't trying to use their superior numbers on him and were just going in at around a dozen or so men at a time. Why was that? Was all this just a way to waste his time? If so, then why? All this just screamed trickery and deception and Chief believed that something or someone was doing this to prevent him and his team from participating in the fight against the Orcs invading Azeroth. If that was the case, why would they do that?

All these questions, including the ones about what that man said, left Chief so confused and wondering what all this meant. Before he could figure out what to do, a sudden teleportation behind him caused him to turn around and aim his gun at whoever was teleporting in. He almost opened fire when he noticed that it was Thalyssra, flanked by Courier, High Elf Archer, and some Duskwatch soldiers. Upon seeing them, Chief stood down and walked up to them.

"Is there something going on?" Asked Chief as he looked at everyone. Upon seeing Thalyssra, however, he noticed that she was glaring at him.

"What were you thinking? Going off on your own." Asked Thalyssra in annoyance and slight anger, glaring at the Spartan, who just stood stoic at her question.

"Everyone else was exhausted and in danger of dying if they continued forward." Said Chief. "I was the only one that was capable of fighting without much difficulty. So, I ordered them all back while I continued on forward."

"So you decided to just continue fighting over fifty soldiers by yourself instead of waiting for reinforcements?" Asked Thalyssra incredulously, not believing that Chief would risk his life so much against a force that knew he was still around.

"If I did that, they would have reinforced and we would have had more difficulty in snuffing them out." Said Chief. "It was a calculated risk to my health. One that I did many times before. There's no need for concern." Thalyssra just continued her glare at him.

"How could you be so callous with your own life?" Demanded Thalyssra, she knew that Chief was perfectly willing to sacrifice his own life for the sake of completing a mission, but she didn't think he would take it this far. "Don't you care about your own life? The sake of those that rely on your leadership to keep them together?"

"I do." Said Chief. "But I also don't want them risking their own lives more than they need to. If Jack and Ikit continued fighting, they would have suffered a fatal injury from these soldiers. So would your own people as well. So, I sent them back as a result. Wouldn't you do the same?"

"I would." Admitted Thalyssra. "But I also wouldn't be risking my own life when it's clear that there are better alternatives than going off on your own to face a force that severely outnumber your own force composition. What if they captured you and hold you hostage? Elisande would not even bother trying to stage a rescue on you as it would be a sign of weakness on the Nightborne part, forcing your people to operate on their own to rescue you. You might have caused the situation to become worse."

"Perhaps." Said Chief. "Or the situation would have become worse if we hadn't acted the way we did. They would have dug in or called in reinforcements and that would have caused even more casualties for our side than if we acted immediately."

"You don't know that." Argued Thalyssra.

"And neither do you." Said Chief, still stoic, annoying Thalyssra. Normally she would be fine with it, but this occasion, she was annoyed with it. As the two continued to argue, Courier and High Elf Archer were going back and forth between Master Chief and the First Arcanist of Suramar. The Duskwatch soldiers guarding the perimeter, though some of them had small smirks of amusement as they overheard this argument.

"They are acting like a couple alright." Commented Courier as he watched the two argue. High Elf Archer nodded in agreement as they continued to argue.

"Yeah." Said High Elf Archer. "Perhaps, we could set up a date for them like we did Jack and Vereesa?" Courier nodded at that. No doubt, Cortana would be pleased to hear this and would scheme with them to set Chief up for a date. It'd be quite interesting to see how the Spartan would react to all this scheming behind his back as well as actually going on a date. The guy was essentially a machine in terms of expressing himself, so it would be interesting to see how good he'll be in a date that requires to express himself. But first, the situation at hand.

"Look, we can continue arguing back and forth on what we should have done." Said Courier, bumping in before the situation could escalate. "But we got a massive base to clear and sweep for intel. Boss, got any info for us that we could use?"

"There is." Said Chief. "If what Valtrois acquired from that soldier is accurate, there are only twenty soldiers or so left in this entire facility. That's not counting any combat drones or turrets that may be here." Courier nodded at that.

"Well, we're here now." Said Courier before brandishing his assault rifle. "Let's go and take down the rest." He then turned to Thalyssra. "Look, you two can continue this conversation later, but we need to keep wiping these guys out. So, can you hold it off until it's done?" Thalyssra sighed at that before nodding. She then noticed that Chief was wounded and pointed to it.

"One of the soldiers shot me there while my shields were down." Said Chief as he looked at the biofoam covered wound. "I got a clouting agent that should keep me going for a few more hours. There's no need for concern." Thalyssra frowned at that, but said no more, other than she'll look at it once this situation was over. She then left the two men to talk with her soldiers. Once she was gone, Courier bumped Chief's shoulder with his own.

"She's quite a woman, eh man?" Asked Courier, looking at Chief behind his helmet, a grin on his face. "Don't blame her for chastising you, man. She's only looking out for you."

"I know." Said Chief. "But the situation called for it."

"I know." Said Courier. "I ain't arguing with you on what should have been done, but I feel like it's not because of her principles that made her argue with you. I think it's something more. Catch my drift?" Chief knew what was Courier thinking and the idea was beyond ludicrous for him. The First Arcanist falling for him? Ridiculous. Though a part of him was pleasantly surprised to hear that, a larger part, the logic part, said that it would never to be. For one, his duty to the UNSC was first and foremost on his mind. There would be no romance between them while the UNSC still held. Then there was the fact that Spartans weren't suppose to be romantically attached to anyone. They could bonds of comraderies with each other or other soldiers, but romantic relations were off limits due to it potentially jeopardizing one's focus on a mission and that was something he can't allow to happen. So, he'll have to discuss this with her after they dealt with this mission. Speaking of it, he had to tell Courier what he just discovered.

"I have some information that you need to know." Said Chief. "Something everyone in our group needs to know."

"What is it?" Asked Courier. Chief then told him what he gleamed from an interrogated soldier before he blew himself up, including his own theories. Once he was done, Courier was looking at him in shock. "So, you mean to tell me that soldiers from a planet of yours is here as well? And they're being lead by a guy named the Master?"

"Yes and it concerns me." Said Chief. "Courier, the conflicts on Harvest were, at the latest, was twenty-one years ago from where I came from. And that man claimed to have been abandoned by the UNSC on that planet. Granted, he could by lying, but what if he's telling the truth, the implications would be groundbreaking." Courier nodded at that. This was all much to take in. They needed answers. Both on how these men got here and how they were able to pull off teleporting from one universe to another. They needed answers.

"You think we should ask the Nightborne or even the Horde and Alliance for answers? Maybe they have some of the answers we need to figure out who this master is?" Asked Courier. Chief nodded at that in agreement. Even if they didn't, they needed to know. If soldiers from twenty years ago were here, then there was no telling how many other soldiers from different stages of the Human Covenant war were here. And if this master had access to space worthy warships…then they were in big trouble.

"We'll talk with them once we secure this base." Said Chief. Courier nodded before the two went to High Elf Archer, who was checking her arrows, slightly worried that she would be facing heavily armored soldiers and that none of her arrows were capable of puncturing said armor.

Meanwhile

Alternate Draenor

"So," Started Derek as the Twilight Hammer team were looking at each other, making themselves comfortable in the large room the Draenei had gifted them during their stay with them as they prepared to go on a mission to deal with an Orc tribe that had been giving the Draenei some trouble for sometime. Normally, they wouldn't have bothered, wanting to focus on simply getting their targets and go back home, but they needed the trust of the Draenei so they could get close to Velen and capture him. When they said these Orcs use the Void, however, the group saw an opportunity to gain some more allies here. "How are we going to get these Orcs on our side?"

"Simple." Said Gorl. "We show them that we also use the Void as them and that we serve an Old God. No doubt, that'll cause them to listen to us and allow us to explain the glorious our master seeks."

"How do we do that, though?" Asked Kudius. "We ain't got the void powers our mages have. And I doubt just because they use the Void, means they're going to work with us."

"Then we show our master to them." Said the Spartan as he brought out a small, fist-sized crystal in the shape of an eye and was embedded into a small pendant. "Before we left, Farthing had given me this pendant. He claims that it will allow us to speak with our god should the need arise." Upon hearing that, the other three in the group looked at the pendant in awe. They all heard his voice and power when Farthing revealed that N'Zoth has spoke to him and want them to follow him and the Old God himself spoke to all gathered to prove it. And all of them wanted to hear it again. "We just need to show this pendant to the tribe, call N'Zoth, and we'll have new allies for our cause."

"As an insurance policy and a way to gain a chance to get to Grom, and Garrosh." Said Derek. "If we get these Orcs on our side, we can use them to get close to either Grom or Garrosh, claiming they captured us here, on this side of the portal. And then we use our guns and capture either of them." Kudius nodded in agreement at that plan.

"Aye, it be a good plan." Said Kudius. "What you think, Spartan?" The Spartan just nodded at that, willing to do whatever it took to accomplish their mission.

"We'll be leaving in a few hours." Said the Spartan. "Make sure you're ready for a fight just in case."

"We're always ready for a fight." Said Gorl as he readied his weapon with everyone else. The Spartan nodded at that before thinking up of ways to both secure their objectives and to further please N'Zoth's partners. He met them, or rather their servants, once, and the Spartan knew they were needed to solidify N'Zoth's victory against the people of Azeroth as well as gaining his own agendas. Agendas that benefit only him and him alone. In order to gain…satisfaction. Satisfaction that can only be achieved through the suffering of a single person, perhaps death as well.

"John 117." Thought the Twilight Hammer Spartan before getting some rest for his upcoming mission.