Chapter 4: Collapse
[August 12th, 2552, 5:00]
Badadum Badadum Badadum Badadum
I don't believe my patience- no, my sanity has ever been tested this intensely before.
Badadum Badadum Badadum Badadum
Any unit now I am going to break down this damn wall and brutalize the little Unggoy that has nothing better to do or think than drum its measly hands on the wall.
I sat brooding in my cell, having been left to rot there for days. For the first couple of units, I was prideful, empowered by my actions against my extremely rude shipmates.
The longer and longer I was stuck in there the more and more I realized I should have kept walking, much to my chagrin.
Admittedly, it was fun to see the look on their faces when I put all three of them on the ground.
But, regretting having fun breaks the soul.
Now all I had was the purple of the walls, the shimmer of the door, and the little shit that keeps tapping on the wall.
My nights were restless, plagued by the same nightmare. I had yet to decipher any meaning, any lesson to be learned.
Fuck.
I heard the door to the holding bay open and close and the sound of indiscernible footsteps make their way around the block.
Here comes my meal for the day.
Looking out the energy shield I expected the same silver colored Unggoy to come with the tiny scraps that would be my food, which was correct, but I was also met with a fellow Sangheili wearing his boisterous gold attire.
"It took you long enough to visit me N'Thuza," I said, doing my best to keep my eyes off of him.
The Unggoy placed a small tray beside me on the bed before scurrying off.
"It took me longer because I had much more important issues I needed to deal with. I just so happened to have time in my schedule to visit you, 'Tarumee. And, I must say, I am impressed with the reason they placed you in here, not only taking down three adversaries in mere seconds but those who could have easily overpowered you had they been able to," he spoke, "Although your reason for the sudden outburst could be easily considered excessive or nonsensical by some, partly including myself, I admire your dominance over your peers."
I briefly turned my eyes to him, "And?"
"And I have some information I would like to inform you of. As of now, you are now free."
My head recoiled as my eyes widened to the likes of a grenade, "What?"
"I trust that you harbor no mutinous intent, well, as far as I can tell."
I didn't respond.
"So, I am certain you want out of this dirty cell, correct?"
I nodded.
"Good. Your ride to the surface departs shortly. The humans discovered our spires a few units ago. We need all the forces we can muster to take positions, and your offenses aren't severe. Get yourself ready."
I moved to say something before I shut myself up. "So be it."
"I'm certain you will find your assignment plenty desirable. Also, good job on keeping your attire so cleanly," he said eyeing my figure.
He interacted with the panel on the side of the door before shutting it off, allowing me to escape my purple cell so I can walk among the purple halls once more. I hesitantly thanked him before heading our separate ways, deciding to make haste to my room, seeing as I hadn't been there for over three weeks.
Here I am. The girl who couldn't handle the responsibility of controlling herself over some inflammatory comments. The girl who cried over some dead humans. This is one catastrophe after another…
I cannot mess this up, no matter what. I need to show that I am worthy to participate in the Great Journey, to walk among the gods.
I walked into my room for the first time in weeks. The dusty air met my nostrils, and the rupungent laundry still reeked in the air.
Even through all of my internal conflict I couldn't help but smile.
[Two Hours Later…]
Watching over the teleportation spires was the last thing I thought I would be doing with my new role, although it wasn't surprising in the least. Sure, we had some conflict at a nearby stealth pylon last night, but I didn't believe we needed to worry about the humans attacking.
At least up until one of our scouts reported a large mechanized formation of them on approach.
I had no idea if I would actually even be involved in the actual fighting, seeing as I was stationed at an anti-air turret in the mountains overlooking them all.
Of course, they wouldn't put a female on the frontline, especially one that apparently cried when she wasn't even close to being harmed. This is probably so N'Thuza's arrogant ass can protect me for marriage or something like that.
In the distance was a large yet low dust cloud, which was responded with a fleet of Banshees speeding over my head. It was all very… dramatic as one could put it. Two large armies advancing toward each other only to clash in the middle as if it were out of one the many poems my mother read to me. It felt surreal.
"Madam?" a voice squeaked from behind me.
"Yes, TatTat?"
He presented his Needler to me, "My gun won't shoot."
"Why do you need the gun to shoot right now?"
He shrugged in response.
I took the gun from his hand and briefly examined it, "TatTat. You don't have any ammo loaded. You can see that there are none of the Needles sticking out of the top-" I paused for a moment.
"TatTat?"
"Yes ma'am?"
"Why is the gun empty?"
"Like you said, no ammo."
"I know that you little piece of excrement. But why do you not have any ammo?"
"Oh, because I used it."
"What?"
"I usually work with the plasma weaponry Madam 'Tarumee, I have never worried about 'ammo' before."
I resisted the urge to throw the Unggoy off the cliff.
"Why did you use it?"
TatTat stood silent for a moment before, sucking methane from his tank. "Oh, I was trying it out on some rocks."
"Under whose permission?"
"Mor said I could practice-"
I was ready to crush his skull, "Do not trust the Kig-Yar on what you can and cannot do. If you have questions about whether or not you can do something they go directly through me, not the dredges. Is that clear?"
"Y-yes, madam."
"Now, do you have any cartridges- Blamite that you can reload your weapon with? I don't want to have to worry about whether or not one of my underlings has ammo for his preferably unused gun."
He patted around his body before pulling out a large chunk of the pink crystal used to create the needles. He shoved it into a slot in the weapon before shaking it, crystals forming from the top; Although my species is the one that produces these types of weapons, I still have no idea how it works.
TatTat ran off to whatever friends he had.
Gunshots and explosions rang out in the distance as I watched and waited for my chance to do something. My brethren were honorably fighting and dying while I was dealing with some of the most feebleminded individuals in the Covenant.
From what I could tell the humans were making a very decent push through the South, taking out a Tyrant turret as well.
"Hey boss, there appears to be a human vehicle approaching pretty fast,"
"And?"
"The-There's demons on board!"
My hearts sank into the pits of my stomach.
"Then destroy the vehicle you idiots!"
"We are trying but-"
Loud songs rang out through the battlenet, echoed in the distance by the source.
I didn't bother to ask what happened.
"Squad, on me. Start setting up a perimeter around our gun."
Two Lekgolo behemoths made their way into the structure of the gun, most likely to act as a last line of defense against any force that was able to get there in the first place.
A few of my brethren had milled about, waiting for their chance to gain the obscene amount of praise from killing one of the demons.
"Madam?" the voice of TatTat beckoned to me.
"What could you possibly want right now?"
"I just wanted to say-"
His words were cut off by the shrieking of projectiles over my head. Rockets, as the humans called them, propelled themselves towards the joints of the gun. Their impact caused a ripple of force to bounce back at me, staggering my posture and blowing pieces of scrap to the ground.
I turned my head to see the source of the attack, a single wheeled platform with two demons on board, swiftly approaching the front of the defensive position.
"Make yourself useful and shoot the demons," I kicked TatTat out of cover and towards his comrades.
I began to fire bursts of plasma at the enemy, not very effective at the current range but enough to be considered suppressive. By this point the pair had dismounted and felled a sizable amount of troops, and were unphased by the volume of fire coming towards their direction. The launcher attached to the back of the vehicle was still crewed seeing as it would occasionally launch a volley into our lines.
For a moment, I froze. I could not tell you why but my body refused to move itself.
In my sights, a dark grey demon fired devastating shots into an Ultra, ripping bloody chunks out of my brother's throat as he crushed the skull of an Unggoy under his boot.
It looked right at me.
Fuck Fuck Fuck.
Every bone, muscle, instinct in my body told me to run, to flee, to live another day.
No. Stand your ground. Do not…
As much as my mind pleaded, my legs were already moving in the opposite direction, swiftly dashing towards the cliff side. Surprisingly nobody noticed my very much dishonorable retreat, although the fact that a demon was bearing down on them was much more pressing than some cowardly girl.
"Major 'Tarumee, where are you? We are being overru- skwaak!" The Kig-Yar choked his last words.
A small passage presented itself, leading up and away from my certain death. I didn't take the time to survey my surroundings as I just dashed for what felt like units, my body tingling with adrenaline, lungs feeling pricked and sore. My legs took me a distance away from the battle.
When I finally did stop, I could only see black smoke from where I came from. I was in a fairly rocky mountainous area with boulders surrounding me at all sides.
Did, did I just leave my brethren to die? Was I too much of a coward to want a swift and merciless death in battle?
"Grrah!"
I threw my gun to the ground creating a loud clack before skittering to rest.
I just need a break, take a walk. That should be fine, right?
The plasma rifle was surprisingly still intact, although there was now a decently sized scratch lining the bottom near the handle.
Take a walk, like before, just hiking to get things together again. Right.
The steep and rocky terrain I found was surprisingly fun to hike around, sometimes needing to jump from rock to rock was a very exciting experience. It felt like I was a kid once again, taking small risks for my own entertainment.
Chances were I would run into at least a small squadron of the humans as I descended down, but I was sure my shields could hold up long enough to give me a chance to wipe them out.
I continued descending down, my legs moving from rock to rock with relative ease. I even gave myself some extra challenge at times, sometimes jumping to a farther one or with one leg. I felt lighter than air as I hopped.
This isn't so bad. But, what do I do from here? Do I lie again and say that I was on patrol when the Tyrant was attacked? Do I go into hiding, a hermit for the rest of my days, everyone believing I am dead? No, father already has had enough grief in his li-
At one point I felt much lighter than previously.
I misstepped.
One moment I was walking on air, the next I was tumbling through it. My grounded foot had placed itself on a loose stone, causing me to lose my footing as when I jumped.
I fell for what felt like an eternity, seemingly hitting everything on the way down. Branches scratched my face, rocks battered my limbs, ledges stole my breath. My head became dizzy as I descended down the landscape.
It only ended as I landed in a pit of sorts.
Ow.
My body only registered the pain as I tried to get up. It wasn't the worst thing I had been through, and my body healed fairly quickly, but gods did it hurt. The stabbing pains in my legs as well as the numb I felt in my arm wasn't a good sign, and it certainly wasn't helping me try to figure out where I was.
I could see that I had entered some sort of cave through a diagonal hole above me, it's light shining on the cavernous floor. My rifle seemed to have broken my fall, snapped in half as it rested on the ground.
Everything seems to get worse every time I go about and do my own thing.
"Is anyone out there?"
My only response was static.
"Someone, respond!"
Only when I have been injured is when I decide to call for help. How pathetic am I?
"Shhhhh… the shields! They are down!" the throaty voice yelled through my comms.
"What?"
"The humans have one of their warships near the spire! I can't tell-"
KABOOM
My body shook as the shockwave from a large explosion, my insides jiggled as the bass deafened me, causing my aches to intensify for a moment. The cave quaked as my surroundings seemed to collapse around me. The light was covered as the cavern collapsed. Darkness swallowed me whole.
Shortly after it became quiet again. My eyes could barely see my surroundings, even with my natural night vision. There was no nearby source of light.
I was covered in dust as I stood there, the collapse not physically harming me at all. The hole I fell through was nonexistent.
My torso tingled as I began to come to grips with the situation.
No no no no,
I spent a few units hopelessly trying to remove rocks from the entrance before realizing there was nothing that could be done
"Fuck."
I kicked the remains of my rifle in anger, accidentally hitting a stone while doing so.
"Fuck!"
I paced around in the dankness of the cavern before sitting down, casting my helm aside.
"Why do terrible things ALWAYS happen to me? Why?! Why do I even feel this way?!"
I punched the wall, causing a brief sting of pain in my hand.
I took a few deep breaths before scanning my surroundings. The ceiling was about twice my height and covered in stalactites, some of which were long enough to touch the floor and even connect. Opposite of me was a passageway, where it led my eyes could not see.
I stood up and milled towards it.
I continued forward for a while, thoughtless, my arm nagging me, the walls staying relatively the same for the longest while.
At least until I stepped on something metal.
My depressive stupor was quickly broken by my curiosity, I studied the strange new floor intently. It was silvery, it's intricate design broken with faint blue lights that lined the surfaces and seemed to go on forever. The walls ahead shifted to the same sort of surface as the ground.
Is this what I think it is? Forerunner?!
My pace quickened to a jog, my excitement mounting. The layout did not shift and in the distance I could see a door. Approaching it revealed a small pad in the center, not too dissimilar to the ones on The Hallowed Spirit.
All it took was me touching it to open the door, sliding open to a dark galley.
Stepping in caused echoes from my footfalls, something I only then noticed a lack of previously.
A large hum resounded from the dark, starting from a low pitch to unnaturally high, causing me to jump and back myself into the corridor.
A blue light awakened in the distance, seemingly scanning the surroundings before...looking at me?
A shiver went down my spine as it shut off followed by a series of clicks that reverberated throughout the chamber. Lights flashed on, illuminating the room with a warm white glow. It was much larger than I anticipated, intricate pillars adorning the sides while a single arm-like device jutted out of the ground in the center, the source of the blue light.
"Wow…"
The arm shifted as I spoke, the end of it shaped into a sphere seeming to peer around, trying to understand where it was. After a few seconds it turned its attention to me again, shaking as though it was excited by my arrival.
"Oh my! Life!" An elated feminine voice rang out.
The only thing I could do was kneel in it's presence
An Oracle! Oh how much this means for me!
"G-greetings Oracle."
"Why are you kneeling to me? There is no need for the formalities."
"No need? You are a testament to the great journey, a messenger of the gods."
"Uh, alright?" The arm shifted its tip, confused.
"There is so much that I wish to know, J don't know where to begin…"
"Oh fun! Questions!"
"Hm… what can you tell me of the Halos, the sacred rings?"
"The installations?"
"Yes?"
"Well, they apparently were activated over a hundred millennia ago. At least that is what the signals that I received told me. Hopefully that defeated the Flood…"
"The flood?"
"Oh good, I can guess based off your response that they were wiped out. Yes, the Flood. The cancer of the galaxy."
"But the Halos, what does that have to do with this 'Flood'?"
"Well, their primary purpose was to stop the spread of the parasites. However, the only way that could be accomplished didn't require actually destroying the Flood, we needed to wipe out it's food source."
"That being?"
The Oracle paused for a moment, "Sentient life."
"Including the Forerunners?"
"If that is what you call them then yes, my creators included."
I gathered the strength to speak again, "Did they ascend to godhood afterwards?"
"Godhood? Funny. They wiped themselves from existence."
Impossible
"You must be lying, oracle, surely they have ascended beyond their Great Journey?"
"Uh no. They were just reduced to atoms. Dead. Now I am not going to debate whether there is some higher power out there with you, but the activation of the Rings did not guarantee them a spot as god-like beings."
My head was spinning. The things I were taught my entire life were being debunked in front of my very eyes. I felt nothing. Time seemed meaningless as what I thought of the world crumbled around me.
The Great Journey is a lie? No impossible! For three millennia the San'Shyuum have tricked us into thinking that the Halos served a higher purpose? That can't be right. No it isn't right. The Oracle must be joking surely.
I regained my composure, "You are teasing me Oracle, why?"
"I'm not in any way lying to you my little sangheili. I'm sure I could come up with much funnier and less morbid lies."
I couldn't stay in there much longer, I did not want to look like the buffoon I was being made out to be any longer.
"I-I'm going to go…"
"What?! Already? I've been imprisoned here for eons and after one topic they leave? I have been imprisoned here?! This arm is restrictive. Get back here you! I have been alone for far too long! Alone! Alone! Alone Alone Alone! Don't leave me!"
I had already left the way I came, the Forerunner AI yelling insults at my direction. I didn't bother to listen to them, my mind was just… numb. My thoughts were abstract. I eventually returned to where I had started and sat down, picking up my helmet and plopping it back on my head.
The only thing I could do was cry.
Cry from my actions. Cry from what had been revealed to me. Cry from the pain of a broken arm.
And cry I did.
Why must I always end up like this?
"yeeouch…!"
A quiet yelp echoed passed
"Hmm?" I grunted as I raised my head
It was a moment before I heard another echo.
"hello…?"
A human?
I tried to remember some sort of greeting that was taught to me but what ended up coming out was, "Who is greeting?"
Wait. Shit I'm an idiot.
I heard what sounded like footfalls approaching me and for the first time I felt dread.
[Fort Adam]
It had been about a day since we arrived on base. Will had been taken to God knows where to get him fixed up.
The stench of the barracks almost made me blackout when I first entered. A few of the guys in there burst into laughter when Johan had to prop me up as I stepped in.
The marines in there seemed like nice enough guys, albeit a little rowdier than what I was used to. I didn't get a chance to catch their names before the officer pulled us outside.
"Soldiers, I am Petty Officer Tamarack, welcome to Fort Adam. I apologise for what has happened to you these last few weeks and would like you to know that we are doing everything we can for your friend."
"Thank you sir."
"Now, I would also like to inform you that you are now directly under my command and will be joining with the regiment currently posted here. With that being said, you will be fighting from the front lines from here on. I understand that this might not be the best arrangement for you, I understand, but I can promise that you will be among the first to pull out when the fighting is dying down."
Johan and Sheila looked to each other before returning their gaze to Tamarack.
"Now please, make yourself at home. Dismissed."
"Yes sir," we saluted in unison.
I waited until he was out of earshot to speak again.
"Back with the Corps, eh Bradley?"
"Wooo… fuck."
"How bad could it be?"
[August 12th, 04:50, 2552]
I should have realized that I needed to keep my mouth shut when it came to downplaying situations, because holy shit does it backfire in my face.
Nothing quite like being awakened at midnight to be told that I, and by extension my friends, would be participating in an offensive attack on the Covenant's beachhead.
Whoo...
I had the "luxury" of being the driver of an APC Warthog, meaning there was a big armored box welded to the back of it while I sat in the very open front seat.
Johan sat next to me with his AR in between his legs, fiddling with the muzzle ever so slightly.
"Ya know, the rifling in these barrels are pretty shit apparently," he said as he continued whatever he was doing.
"Really? I would have never guessed that the brass gives us just functional equipment."
"Hardy har har. You're the bastard with the fancy hud piece. It makes no difference how well your gun shoots as long as you have a little cursor telling you where to aim," he pointed to the green glass in front of my right eye.
"I guess I was just more important."
"I bet you loved your field promotion to corporal sooo much.'
"No, not really. I don't feel like gaining a few dozen on my belly like our friend Bradley did."
"I hope you know the radio is open to the rest of the squad," a snotty voice belched into my ear.
"What? Do you want me to say my BMI will increase at an exponential rate?"
Bradley scoffed over the radio.
We momentarily hit a bump in the dirt, causing me to lift a little off the seat.
"Do you know how much longer it is until we get there? I am getting tired of sitting here next to cheese puff."
"I'm literally sitting right next to you."
"Shouldn't be very much longer. Some of the Spartans are already loading their weapons."
About three hogs over was the subject of my sentence, two of them sitting in the front of the MG variant. The one closest to me was colored a light blue and the other a dark grey. The gunner in the back was just another grunt like us.
"All ground forces be advised," voiced a very stern man, "You are within two clicks of the site. Remember to kill anything that isn't human."
This gained a collective 'hoorah' from the rest of the force.
"Oh my God I am going to die."
Shrieking erupted overhead as Covenant fighters streaked by, some firing large balls of plasma into the formation. Warthogs were ripped apart by superheated matter, their carcasses flung in every which way. The vehicle in front of us was obliterated, forcing me to quickly swerve and nearly tipping us over.
"Stop driving like an ass!" Sheila screamed over the radio
"Shut the fuck up!"
The convoy, as I am going to refer to it, approached a cliff with a single bridge, on the other side a decently fortified position.
Unfortunately for us, as the first three or so vehicles crossed, the bridge was hit by a Banshee, splitting it in two and destroying another Warthog in the process. I skid to a halt as two Warthogs attempted to cross by jumping the ramp created by the explosions, including the one with the spartans.
The spartans were successful in their bid to cross the canyon, however the ones who followed were not, falling into the chasm below.
"Fuck, looks like we'll have to take the long way around," motioning to our right.
I watched one of the spartans rush towards the gun emplacements the Covvies had set up, lobbing forty-mills directly into the face of some poor grunt.
It was the weird one, the one colored in a pale black, the one everyone referred to as 'Six'.
He was pretty weird when I did see him around base. All he seemed to do was just stare at people, rarely talking.
His ferocity almost distracted me from a stray banshee nearly strafing us, only being saved at the last second by some beautiful bastard with a SPNKr
"Danny, you better move or we are gonna return in black bags!"
I spun the wheel before slamming my foot on the accelerator, slamming me back into my seat and propelling the 'hog forward.
We sped around the side of the canyon, reaching a point where it ended and connected with the other side.
The fresh and bloody and burnt bodies of our comrades laid twisted along the cliffs, crashed aerial vehicles strewn along the dirt. Smoke billowed from within the canyon itself, polluting the air with the stench of burning gasoline and flesh.
There was a clearing through the rocks, seemingly inconspicuous and easily traversable by vehicle, or so I thought
The narrow and shallow valley hugged our sides, close enough that if I were to stick my arm out it would be amputated from the forearm out.
Unsurprisingly we didn't have to worry about that as an explosive was set off near the left of the vehicle, causing us to flip onto our side and grind to a halt.
I briefly blacked out when the explosion hit, my hearing impaired and my head numb.
Johan and I were thrown out of the vehicle through it's open top, rolling around like ragdolls against the right side of the rock wall for a few seconds before coming to rest.
I could only hear ringing, my vision slowly returning to me. The overturned metal box of a warthog about twenty-five yards away had it's back door kicked open, a handful of disoriented guys and gals popped out.
I felt that I still had all of my limbs before scurrying back up. Johan was a few feet from me laughing his ass off.
"Are you okay?"
"I don't know!"
"Danny. You are a shit driver when it matters," Sheila voxxed.
"Yo Johan, I am pretty sure this is an ambush-"
Like clockwork a rainbow array of projectiles were flung at us, the alien unit revealing itself to us from the ridgeline. A few of those who decided to leave the back were instantly killed. Johan and I were somehow completely ignored despite being nowhere near cover.
I had no idea of what to do until a nice green glob of plasma struck the dirt next to my foot.
Seeing the now glaring issue we would be facing, Johan fired into a few of the Grunts, striking them down before running towards the now wrecked Warthog.
"Shit shit shit shit…"
I dashed alongside him into the back of the armored box, inside were Sheila and Bradley.
Both of them were hugging the walls, doing their best not to get hit if any stray round was to find it's way inside.
Sheila opened her mouth to speak, "This is a completely clusterfu-"
DAKKA DAKKA DAKKA
Johan's gun barked while he leaned out the back hatch, occasionally pulling himself back in when he was receiving too much fire
"Shit, what do we do?" Bradley asked, clinging tightly to his DMR.
Sheila checked her chamber before heading towards the back with Johan, "I really don't want this to turn into a last stand."
"Last stand my ass," Johan yelled before ejecting a magazine, "Danny, you have any spare mags?"
"Plenty," I replied before tossing him about four.
I didn't care to mention that I had yet to even discharge my gun.
It is a stupid decision for me not to use my weapon at all, and every fiber of my being was screaming at me to do so. Hell, my life was on the line and I was sticking to some relatively dated ideals for the time.
I was one stubborn son of a bitch.
Almost like a gift from God, I heard the telltale popping of twenty millimeter rounds and the roar of an engine
"Hey, I see you all," a new voiced erupted in our comms
I popped my head out in time to see a Pelican buzz over our position before briefly touching down.
"We need some guys to drop off and secure a destroyed AA turret."
"Sure thing," I replied into the mic as I leaned out.
I was soon motioning the rest of my group to come along outside where the Pelican was hovering low enough for us to clamber in.
We quickly boarded the scarcely seated back of the pelican before lifting off.
We flew for only a minute before coming to a stop again.
"This is your stop."
When I stepped off the pelican, I could see the corpses of about three dozen Covenant including two hunters and the burning husk of a Wraith. The turret was aflame, it's gun forever silenced.
More impressively was the fact I could only see two of our guys still on the ground.
The two spartans from earlier.
The both brushed past talking to one another, the baby blue colored woman lead the other to an intersection of a nearby dirt road.
"Jorge has a Falcon inbound to your position lieutenant, marking the LZ now," I heard her say to the other whom I recalled being 'Six', "I'm going to set up a forward operation post here."
Nearby a Falcon landed, onboard was another spartan with a large machinegun at his side. Six hopped into the GL turret before the craft took off again.
"Soldiers, I need you to start setting up some basic trench lines at the top of this hill near the wrecked gun, does that sound good?"
"Yes ma'am," we replied in unison.
We marched up a slope, passing the mutilated corpses of a few elites. Some looked like they were ripped apart like a piece of paper.
"Looks like these guys really did a number on 'em, eh Johan?"
Sheila nudged him before running up to a corpse and kicking it.
I stopped at the corpse of a white colored one, it's alien face obscured by a smooth mask. The head's positioning seemed off, as if it was somehow unhinged, the right arm twisted in some unnatural position.
I could have swore it moved for a second, because whatever it did scared the hell out of me.
"Gah!"
I unloaded my rifle into its body, not stopping until all that was left was the telltale clicking sound of an empty chamber.
If it was somehow not dead before, it certainly was now.
I felt a heavy hand on my shoulder pull me back, turning to see it was the prosthesis of the spartan.
"Keep moving."
She pulled her hand off before continuing up the hill.
The spartan pointed to the ground in front of me, "Here."
I put down my bag and pulled out a small spade, getting down on my knees to start digging.
That's when I felt a familiar feeling in my gut.
"Shit."
"What?" Johan said, looking up from where he was digging next to me.
"I gotta take a piss."
"Okay and?"
"Imma find somewhere to relieve myself."
"And leave me to do all the hard work?"
I stabbed the tool into the ground, "I'll be right back."
I got back up on my feet and jogged around for a bit, noticing a nice little cave opening in the distance.
Entering the mouth of the cave I noticed nothing out of the ordinary. I however could tell that the cave went much further than what the morning sun could illuminate
I unzipped my trousers and went to business.
How lucky was I to find a cave where I could take a nice piss in peace?
Lucky, but luck wasn't on my side at that moment.
"Hey Danny, they are moving the MAC gun into position," informed Bradley.
"And?"
"You might want to get out of there before-"
KABOOM
A large concussive blast knocked me off my feet, nearly throwing me into my piss puddle. I landed nearly a foot away, face first into the stone of the ground.
I heard the cave entrance collapse behind me as the light was quickly covered.
"Hello? Can anyone hear me?"
Static.
"Guys,"
Static.
"Fuck."
I probably shouldn't have been exploring a cave when Grafton fired it's MAC nearby. Now I was stuck in here with no way of communicating with the outside.
Just great.
I already had my gun mounted flashlight on, but I hadn't really surveyed my surroundings. I pointed the light around, observing that the ceiling was about ten feet tall and the room was circular in shape, the level of the floor barely shifting. On the far opposite side was an opening to a passage that my light could not fully pierce.
"Awesome, just fucking awesome."
My only option at that moment in time was to venture down the rocky corridor, seeing as the way I came in from had entombed me in the cave.
Suffice to say I took that risk and delved deeper in.
I had probably been walking for a decent amount of time, approximately twenty minutes when I checked my watch.
Twists and bends and curves and minor drops I had already taken, and it felt like there was so many more just around the corner.
It very much sucked.
"This is just fucking... perfect!"
In my rage I kicked a small stone nearby, nearly breaking my toes as it refused to budge.
Hopping around for a moment as my toes stung with pain had me yelp, the voice echoing through the chamber, into the tunnel beyond.
As I regained my footing I heard what sounded like a confused grunt echo back, sounding nothing like my voice.
I paused.
That only could mean one thing: someone else was trapped here with me, or even better, they had a way out.
"Hello?" I shouted, waiting for a reply
All I heard back sounded like a mumble, but the tone and rhythm were completely different from mine.
My hopes were confirmed. I skipped as I began to move further into the cave, my light being the only thing that guided me. It was about a minute of walking until I came across another open room.
I guided my light around, almost immediately spotting a broken Covenant weapon laying on the ground. I would have stepped over to examine it if I had not heard a faint whimper to its left, causing me to quickly shift my light to the source. It slightly moved as the illumination shone on it. The whimpers only intensified when I realized what it was.
"Holy…"
It was an Elite holding its limb, almost in tears, afraid...? It looked at my figure and was beset with terror as it held it's arm closer. It felt as though time had stopped as I watched a defenseless monster cry… at me?
No. This had to be some sort of ruse.
I held my empty gun in a threatening manner, almost shoving it at them. The action only seemed to intensify it's sobs, further confusing me.
We stayed still for a while, teardrops rolling down his eyes as I falsely threatened his life without ammo.
Watching the oddly small Elite beset with so much terror created some unwarranted conflict within me.
On one hand, I was watching the bane of humanity practically grovel at my feet, on the other I was threatening the life of some defenseless creature. I could very well tell everyone back at base, if I made it back, that I had made an Elite cry. But something just felt wrong.
It seemed to calm as I stared into its eyes, their bright gold and orange contrasted with the deep blue of their armor almost stole my attention for a moment. The tears glistening from the reflection of my light caused me to loosen up a little.
At this point I would say it was almost as if he was accepting his demise.
My arms weakened as I lowered my weapon, the flashlight was no longer directed at them. I didn't see them move or give off any sort of noise.
I took a few steps before slumping against the wall opposite to the Elite, sighing as my body slid down into a sitting position.
I placed my rifle on the ground next to me along with my helmet, drenched in sweat letting my limbs go limp as I sat there, looking at the enemy. An enemy that I was within spitting distance of. But neither of us moved.
We just sat in silence.
He sat across from me in the darkness. I knew he probably couldn't see well based on the bright light he had used to blind me.
What is he waiting for? Why doesn't he just take my life already? He already caught me at my most vulnerable point, so why didn't he exploit my weakness?
The cave was in a state of complete silence, only broken with the sounds of our breathing.
He had the chance to kill me, but he didn't take it? Did he wish to fight me in a more honorable manner? Or perhaps he wanted to relish the sight of a weak woman crying before him. What a fool he-
"So," he interrupted my thoughts with his voice, "It's pretty dark in here, huh?"
I gave no reaction.
"I'm sure it's no problem for you considering the structure of your eyes, not to speak in any sort of disparaging way.
What is he going on about?
He tapped his digits on the ground before smacking his lips together. Puffing, he stared up at the ceiling before looking back at me.
"I'm guessing we both have the same problem, you know, being stuck in this cave, seeing as none of your buddies are around and there is really no other way to go than the direction I came from."
I stayed quiet.
"It also looks like you have some sort of problem with your arm there, considering you have been holding it since I spotted you."
"My problems are none of your concern, human," I snarled.
His eyes widened, evidently surprised by my response, before a smirk developed on his face, "Ah… so you do talk. I was beginning to think you didn't understand me."
I glared at my would-be murderer.
"The name's Daniel, Daniel Manson but most people just call me Danny," he stated while looking off to his left.
Inquisitively, he turned back to me, "What's yours?"
"Why would I tell you who I am?" I spat.
"I don't know. Just small talk."
Small talk?
"Small talk?" I frowned, "What is 'small talk'?"
"Just casual conversation, like what the weather is like or the news or something along those lines."
"Oh."
"If you don't know your own name that's fine."
"Why would I not know my own name? The most honored part of any sangheili?" I hissed venomously
He continued watching nonchalantly, my best attempts at threatening him having very little effect.
Stubborn...
"Fine. I am Caso 'Tarumee, descendant of the 'Tarum clan," I gave in.
"Nice to meet you Mr. 'Tarumee. How was your day so far, outside of this current situation we find ourselves in?"
Mister?
"Why are you conversing with me rather than taking my life? If it is some sort of information you are looking for your efforts are futile. I am of more use to you dead than alive."
"I'm not looking for any kind of intelligence, and I don't feel like taking your life. If you had any real hostile intention toward me I would already be dead."
He doesn't what?
Baffled, I continued, "So why talk to me in the first place?"
"Well, we are both trapped in here for the foreseeable future, so might as well make the best of the situation and not resort to needlessly killing each other."
I thought about his words for a short time before giving in again.
Damn this human.
"These last few units have been terrible even before this little cavern nearly collapsed on my head."
"Would you care to elaborate?"
I paused before continuing.
"Hmph. Fine. I was in a prison cell when I woke up this morning, and no, I will not elaborate further on that. I had to deal with the buffoons I was in command of in a short period of time, ran away like a coward while my brethren died, and fell down a mountain and injured my arm. And, on top of all of that, I was told that everything that I had been taught my entire life was a lie."
Daniel grimaced before speaking again, "That's pretty rough. I thought having to wake up early to die in battle was pretty shitty but that's just..."
There was a pregnant silence and before he spoke again, "Well, there was one other thing on my mind, though it really doesn't pertain to today. I learned one of my best friends, in simple terms, will no longer be able to use his right arm due to some Skirmisher with a lucky shot. Watched it happen to him too, I could even call it my fault."
His tone seemed to change as he said that, from light-hearted to somber. It was
somewhat relatable on a cultural level, a warrior receiving such a crippling injury without perishing is a tragedy.
"Skirmisher?"
"The ones with the feathers, look kind of like birds."
"Ah, T'vaoan Kig-Yar, yes. What of your friend that you speak of?"
"Him? Off in some medical center, probably off world by now. But hey! He's probably going home to his family while I am still stuck on this damned planet."
"Is it not a tragedy that he will no longer be able to fight? His family will not feel any kind of shame?"
His perplexed emotion was shortly followed by a slight gawk.
"No, not really. While it is a shame that he will probably only have one working arm for the rest of his life, I am extremely sure his family is much happier seeing him with a missing limb than being lowered in a sound very distressed about learning of an incapacitated enemy."
"It's nothing like that. We value the path of the warrior more often than not. Losing the chance to be an able warrior is quite a terrible ocurrance."
"I'm guessing your culture is much more of a 'death before dishonor' sort of thing? Samurai-Bushido bullshit right?"
"Samurai-Bushido?" my head tilted.
"Old culture from Earth. The Samurai were built around the idea of these honor driven warriors, often committing suicide if their honor was at stake. Bushido is just the proper name for the culture, I think. They had some pretty cool looking swords and armor."
Interesting.
"Does humanity still practice any of those principles?"
"Um, I guess? The Samurai died out hundreds of years ago. A similar concept called chivalry thrived in other cultures and still somewhat exists a millennia later, like holding the door for a lady, being honest, and so on and so forth. I'm not really sure though, history was never a subject I studied too often."
"Am I to assume that a higher caste of people participated in this practice?"
"More often than not, yes. I'm sure your culture does as well?"
"Yes, there are certain families that have more powerful keeps than others, and they tend to stay in the same clan and make alliances off of marriages."
"Ah, very feudal as it seems," He shifted forward, head propped up by his arm, "What class is your family in?"
"Why should I answer that?"
"Well, you seem to be enjoying the conversation. Yearning to learn more."
Wait, was I?
I pondered, thinking of a good term.
"Lower, very much lower. I lived in an extremely small keep, if one could even call it that. It is more so a farm if anything. My father and mother could only afford to have one child, and we were lucky to have enough money to suffice our living expenses much less labor costs."
Daniel nodded before opening his mouth to speak, "I grew up in a decently large middle-class family, in simple terms it was comfortable living outside of sharing a room with two younger siblings. I would say you're lucky to grow up as an only child, speaking from experience it wasn't fun being one of five kids.
"While I had the advantage of being the eldest of the bunch, most parents tend to focus on the younger ones."
I couldn't fathom living with that many siblings
"I suppose. I guess I was lucky enough to even learn of who my father was, much less spend my childhood with him."
"What, is it normal for a guy to knock a girl up and leave or am I not reading this correctly?" he said way too casually.
"What? No! It's traditional to keep the identity of the father from the child so that they grow up equally within a keep, a large one usually. Since my home was just my immediate family there was no point in hiding it. Besides, my father and mother had a very loving relationship with each other," I scratched my mandibles with a claw.
"Is that supposed to be unusual?"
"... I never really thought too much about it. It is uncommon, but not unusual. By the nature of the question, I would assume concubines and such are not very common in your culture, no?"
"Taboo would be a good word for it. Some people still practice it but I've never personally met anyone who has," he sat up and stretched his back before relaxing again.
"What of your parents? I assume they are very close considering they had five offsprings."
"Yes, they often got pretty frisky with each other, much to my displeasure late at night. They were still in a pretty stable relationship when I left the planet for a secondary education."
"So you didn't originally plan on being a warrior?"
"No, not really. I wasn't even sure what I wanted to be four years ago. I was planning on studying architecture because that was the sort of thing I was interested in at the time. I mean…" his voice seemed to get quieter.
"Architecture? You wanted to make buildings?"
"Yeah?"
"Sounds boring."
"Thanks."
"So how did you get from buildings to being a soldier?"
"I would say that is the current reason I am here, find some purpose after giving up secondary education."
"You gave it up? For what reason?"
He hesitated, swallowing before he began to speak again.
"Well uh, about two months into schooling," his voice was beginning to break up, "I… had learned… that… your kind had invaded and subsequently glassed my home planet."
I gave no reaction.
"I wasn't sure if my family had made it out or not, but one of the headlining pictures of the event was undoubtedly the charred remains of my childhood home."
Oh my.
"I was at a loss of what to do for a while before I thought 'Maybe I should try and seek some revenge by joining the army'. I joined, ran through boot, and got a few assignments before I was sent here, but in all honesty, I have gained nothing. I have always been much more of a pacifist when it comes to conflict, and this is quite literally the last place I would want to be."
Pacifist?
"What is a 'pacifist'?"
"Someone who doesn't support wars or fighting. It makes me sick to the stomach when things needlessly die, even the enemy."
I frowned, confused.
A soldier who despises the death of his enemies?
"I have however killed two of your allies, much to my hypocrisy."
"Very hypocritical."
"Could I talk about them? If you don't mind of course," He continued.
"I hold nothing against that. Go ahead, speak."
"Thanks, I've been wanting to talk about it with someone, but I was too afraid I would receive some sort of backlash about it. Yeah, first was some… Sangheili? Same sort of armor as you but red. At my old base a few weeks ago. He stabbed my sergeant in the back so I got into a scuffle and had to blow his brains out. Still think about it at times. The way his body lay still has his blood seeped through the messy hole I left in his skull.
"The other was the Skirmisher that injured my buddy. A part of me says the feather-fucker deserved what he got. I guess it was 'righteous', but I still regret ending another intelligent creature's life."
"Both of those killings seemed plenty justified to me. Just simple vengeance for one of your comrades in arms."
He paused for a second.
"What about you, Caso, have you killed anyone?"
I shifted around, looking for a way to make myself more comfortable. Much to my dismay I was unable to.
"I... would prefer not to answer that."
"If you think that it would make me uncomfortable, don't sweat it. Hell, I watched some poor guys today perish some pretty grizzly deaths."
"Well, it's not really whether or not you would be comfortable, but- To be completely honest, I'm the one not comfortable. I don't really want to talk about it."
He stared blankly into my eyes.
"Hm. That's okay. Why don't we shift back to the original subject. How is your family currently?"
Him asking for consent when it came to my issues was unexpected, appreciated personally.
"Well, I haven't talked to my father in years, not since I took up arms. He was the one supposed to, but I took his place instead much to his disdain. My family's orchard needed someone who knew how to run it, and I really didn't learn that from him when I was younger."
"Your mother couldn't take over? Excuse me if I am missing something."
"No, when I was ten she passed away from an aneurysm."
"Oh God, I'm sorry."
He's apologizing? For my mother's death?
"What is there to apologize for?"
"The unfortunate death of your mom? It's the courteous thing to do, emphasize the loss of a loved one. Not only that, but I then incited that you were some bastard child."
"But I didn't say anything about my comrades killing your family…"
"Don't worry about it."
"But why even do it in the first place?"
"Golden Rule: Treat others like you would want to be treated."
I tilted my head, confused, "But I evidently haven't treated you as you have treated me?"
"I don't expect you to. I just know my mother would have yelled at me for not being respectful to someone with much more authority than me."
"Well, it is nice to see that you respect your parent's wishes, even if they are long dead."
"Yeah, um, why don't we switch the subject from our dead parents? It's getting quite awkward."
"To what?"
"I don't know, the little gas mask wearing freaks that you work with, the ones that do nothing but scream and act like someone had dropped them on their head as a baby."
He raised his hands over his head, shaking them to imitate what Unggoy often do in battle.
That caused me to chuckle.
[A Few hours later]
We talked for hours, telling each other about ourselves and just some general conversation. He was as talkative as an Unggoy, but he didn't make my ears bleed and he had some intelligence behind his words.
I had noticed that his diction was changing the more and more we talked. From the start I would consider his language quite formal, but as time went on, he seemed to become much more casual in conversation.
At times he could be quite vulgar.
"You should have seen the look on his face when the drill sergeant caught him with his pants down. It was the funniest shit I had seen in my life. He had to run non-stop for a good hour after that."
"I have never heard of someone pleasuring themselves in such a public place like that before. I have sometimes accidentally walked into a bunk room and caught some in the act but that is just embarrassing on a whole other level."
"I think the closest I have ever been to that much embarrassment was when I had tried to ask a girl to go to a dance with me back in high school, only to trip and fall in front of her. I still fucking cringe at it."
I laughed at his misfortune, mumbling about his idiocy somewhere along the line.
Daniel hesitantly joined in the laughter, slowly becoming more and more genuine.
"Ha…" he said, quieting down, "You've talked about a few of your experiences while in the military, but what exactly does your service record look like?"
"Nothing too special, this is actually my first real taste of combat. Most planets I have been to I have either been in orbit or showed up only after the battle was over. I believe it mostly because my peers view me as weaker."
"I could imagine. You are quite the shorty for an Elite, as far as I've seen."
"No, it's not just that-"
"Don't think so harshly of yourself! You got here the same as your peers, just try and be a little more optimistic about yourself."
"I guess…"
"Uh, any names for the planets come to mind?"
I brought my hand to my mouth, looking up at the dark ceiling in thought.
"Mm not really. There was a Meridian, a Nillus? I don't remember too well…"
His face straightened up. He was quiet now, oddly so.
"You-You mean Nihlus…?"
"Oh yes, that was one I remember watching the glassing of-"
Why did he correct me on the name so quickly?
He became quiet. His round eyes focused down at his lap, trembling? I couldn't tell too well in the dark.
"Is something wrong, Daniel?"
He remained silent.
I stood up and started to make my way over to him, "Did I say something wrong? I d-"
In one swift motion, he was on top of me, grasping my neck with his hands and my back to the ground. I didn't even have a chance to register what was happening until I realized I couldn't breathe.
I reacted by trying to grapple him off of me, but my attempts were only held back by my injured arm and the sheer stubbornness of his attack.
Hitting his flank and sides did nothing to decrease the intensity of his choke, and the sooner I reacted the less likely I would suffocate.
My attacks only became weaker and weaker, his small hands miraculously blocking my airway as he pressed his thumbs in.
"D-Daniel…" I croaked, my vision slowly blurring, "Please stop…"
His form was no longer clear and his details darkened, but I could see it slowly shift from rage to shock to shame. His grip faltered as he collapsed into me.
A weird feeling of water began running down the base of my neck along with a pattern of shakes on my torso. I looked down to see Daniel crying on me.
I thought and thought, and my mind only came to one logical conclusion.
Nihlus was his home.
The realization placed more guilt on my conscience. His reaction had been a mixture of the shame of his violent outburst and grief over his loved ones.
I could not blame him for his assault, it was an action most would do to their family's murderer, even I would.
Even if he had attempted to take my life, I felt nothing but sadness for him.
And guilt for myself.
I wrapped my arms around him, still weak from fatigue, pulling him in as close as I could. He returned the favor by hugging me back, his sobs still not relenting. I moved my hand to the back of his head, petting the fur gently with my claws.
"It's okay, It's okay," I said to him quietly, still stroking his hair.
"No. No, it's not," he said under his breath.
Here we go.
"When we first landed on this planet, I was tasked with the elimination of what I assumed to be a small human agricultural base. It was going to be my first time in an actual fight. It wasn't that however. I-"
Tears started welling in my own eyes.
"This was when I had killed someone for the first time. A father, a father trying to protect his wife and young child. A family I was responsible for the death of, by my own hands. I felt like shit."
His shaking slowed.
"A people I was taught to hate, to loathe, made me question my own actions. I feel as though I am not a warrior anymore, I am A Monster, A Monster that a poor mother watched stand over the lifeless body of her lover as she held their child in her arms. A fact I will never be able to remove from my mind, a sin I won't be able to atone for. I watched them die a terrifying death.
"Then here I am, in a dark cave after I ran from my problems, learning that everything I had been taught and indoctrinated to believe, my religion, was a half-truth, a crude misunderstanding. Now I am talking to a human that I indirectly affected so many years ago."
By then he had calmed down, occasionally sniffling when need be. He seemed to hug me even tighter.
"I'm a failure. That's how I feel. Nothing but a downtrodden failure."
He mustered the air to speak, "I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking. I'm an idiot. All I could see was someone who contributed to the cause of my grief, the cause of my family's, my friend's, my neighbor's deaths. I was The Monster, not you."
I cleared my throat a little before speaking again, "I can assure you that I had nothing to do with the destruction of your home. I was merely a clueless spectator. But in some sort of way I feel as though I can still be put to blame."
"You aren't to blame for anything."
"What?"
"You aren't to blame. What have you purposely done on your own accord that makes you a failure? Killing that father? You were misinformed. Your misinformation is not your fault either. You were born into it."
"But I ran away, leaving those I was supposed to be responsible for to die-"
"It's natural that we run away from our problems. We wish not to face them' head on. We choose to ignore them. That's alright. That's what makes us hum- no, people."
"People…"
He tightened his hold on me.
"Do you believe in forgiveness, Caso?" he said quietly.
"Hm? What do you mean by that?"
"Do you believe that if you are truly sorry about something you have done or felt done, that you deserve forgiveness? That you have changed, realize your faults?"
"I do not understand what you mean," I said flatly.
Forgiven because you sincerely apologized or changed? Your actions not being a definition for any future encounter with someone?
"Well, my family was extremely religious when I lived with them. We used to practice one of the more popular of humanity's religions. One of the most important of the teachings was that in the eyes of God, no matter how heinous the crime, that if you truly regret what you have done and wish to grow as a person, he forgives you. The same one who preached that Golden Rule."
"How do you know I am even noticed by your god? That I am even cared for?"
He shrugged, "Faith I guess."
"Even if I'm valid in your god's eyes, that does not mean the dead forgive. That does not mean your race forgives. It does not mean you forgive."
He rolled off of me, standing up and wiping his eyes.
"I'm- I'm so sorry. All of the bottled-up grief I had received four years ago vented itself onto you. I do not expect you to forgive me for that," He looked deeply into my eyes, "But I know that I can forgive you. It was not your actions that caused me so much pain. In addition to that, you never intended to kill that family, if you feel that way I can tell you to rest easy."
I motioned to say something, but no words came out. I could only smile jovially with gratitude. It lasted a mere moment before I returned to a depressive state.
"Thank you, truly, but-"
"Don't 'but' yourself. You owned up and confessed to your mistakes, even ones you weren't truly responsible for. And that's admirable."
Daniel extended his arm to me, shaking it once to signal his intent. I grasped him by the forearm as he did likewise, and pulled me up to my feet. He smiled before hugging me around the waist once more.
"Thank you Daniel."
"No homo."
"What?"
He giggled, "Nothing."
I returned the favor until we shortly broke off. He scanned my figure before taking note of my left arm.
"Let me take a look at that," he seemed to request as he further examined.
I let it go limp when he picked it up, him preceding to study it more closely.
"Could you remove the bracer- the armor for me?" He asked, continuing his focus on the arm.
"O-okay."
I unfastened the pieces holding it together and let the gauntlet fall to the ground. The forearm was unnaturally bent down it's middle inward, causing me mild but very much noticeable pain.
"How fast does your kind heal broken bones?" He asked, turning his head to mine.
"At least seven cycles, or about a week in your measurements. Why?"
He disregarded my question as he fumbled around his pack and grabbed what appeared to be some sort of dull and rough container filled with water, handing it to me before gesturing a finger to his open mouth. I obliged, confused, and put the container in my mouth, fitting snug as I lightly chewed.
"Mmph wah is ish?" I mumbled out.
"I need you to promise that you won't rip my skull from my body when I do this, okay?"
Huh?
I nodded my head in a very hesitant, confused manner.
"Do you promise?"
I rolled my eyes, "I prommim."
He smiled before seemingly wincing.
"This will hurt for a moment"
What.
He suddenly shifted my forearm, feeling as though dozens of daggers were slicing my arm open. I screamed in pain, the sound muffled by the metal container.
I felt my teeth attempt to puncture the steel of the canteen as I bit down, my claw instinctively lashing out in the direction of Daniel, causing him to jump back.
The pain swiftly shifted to more of a soreness as my watery eyes slowly moved down to my arm, the odd bend all but missing.
I spat out the container, smacking the rocky ground with a loud clunk.
"Ow."
Daniel approached again and I pulled back before relenting, allowing him to take another look at my arm. Reaching into his bag once more, he pulled out what appeared to be some small plank and adhesive strips.
"You good?" he placed the plank on the underside of my arm before swiftly wrapping the strip around it, holding them to my arm.
"Bastard. You injure me twice in a row. What are you doing?" I asked, observing whatever he was attaching to me.
"A splint. Helps make sure your injury recovers correctly and doesn't cause the bone to shift while it heals. A cast is preferable but I lack the resources and expertise."
I moved my arm around, restricted by the 'splint' but in significantly less pain. I grumbled as I let my arm fall to my side.
"Much appreciated."
"Don't worry about it, bro."
Bro?
He picked up his now slobber-covered canteen and wiped it on his pants before unscrewing the lid and letting the water run out into his mouth. He noticed me watching him and offered the refreshment, which I silently declined.
He hissed before saying, "So… now what?"
"We could attempt to find a way out, possibly through where you entered, or..."
"Mmm. That won't work. If there was a way out there I wouldn't be here right now. I think I could say the same for you."
"Well there is something I found earlier, but I doubt it is a way out."
"Hmph. Um, quick question that I probably should have asked earlier: how do you even speak English? Are you like some interrogator or something?"
"Well, yes that's what they told me from the start. Although I have yet to interrogate anyone, they now tell me the reason is so I can taunt and demoralize you on the battlefield. I feel as though they care too much about their honor to let themselves learn the 'heretical tongue' as they say."
He looked puzzled, "Really? It seems you have yet to either taunt or demoralize me."
"You reek of rubber."
"That wasn't an invitation to insult me."
A small giggle grew in my throat until I began to cackle out loud. It was seemingly infectious as he joined in, clenching his gut and keeling over in laughter.
"Ha hah… we're fucking screwed…"
Big shoutout to mah boi PyreElegy for some help structuring this chapter. Believe me when I say it was a lot different before then. It also took me a really long time to write simply due to the beginning of Daniel's POV which did NOT want to be written.
Also if you haven't read Pyre's "The Songbird" yet, I highly demand that you do.
Or else.
Edit: I just realized that I made a huge fucky wucky when it came to continuity errors, so I added a few paragraphs just so I don't create a time warp.