AUTHOR'S NOTE: Same as before, hope for a chapter next week, expect one by the following week. Also, hope you enjoy!

Commander John Shepard

The Shaman wasted no time at all. He had nothing to gather, save for a small escort of three other Krogan and ground transport. All he'd say about the former was that they would be witnesses in his place if necessary. All that really told us, was that he had reason to believe that his own death during Grunt's rite of passage wasn't out of the question. As for the latter, it was akin to an oversized truck, no, an APC, though with more verticality to its design than just a horizontal troop transport. Like one of those double-decker buses, just with several inches of metal plating surrounding it on all sides.

Apparently, our destination could be reached through a set of underground roads that all spread out from the very large garage that all these 'Tomkahs' are kept in. I had asked if the roads lead to other clans, and the Shaman, likely because I earned his favor, had decided to explain to an outsider such as myself. The short answer? No. Everywhere these roads reach is claimed and controlled by Clan Urdnot. Travel to a different clan requires either air transport or taking a Tomkah to the surface. There are roads up topside, but less reliable and safe. Hardly surprising. As for specifics on the roads, the Shaman explained that we had come from Urdnot's center, both (relatively) literally and metaphorically. The Krogan equivalent to residential districts connected directly to the center, as does their closest thing to an agricultural center, training grounds, hospital, and butchers. They all connected to Urdnot's center, but also to one another through the network. But there were two exceptions. The first was the passage grounds, our destination, as it was on the outskirts. It had its road that broke off just outside Urdnot's center. The second exception was to the Female clan, which does the same as the passage grounds road, just in a different direction, as well as being guarded and blocked off. On both sides. The females do so for their safety and bargaining power, while on this site, the blockade keeps any 'reckless idiots' from testing the females. The blockades can be opened for passage with some time and effort, and they frequently are, either sending male children over when they reach a certain age and allowing other males in to fulfill 'breeding requests' as well as delivering supplies to the females. Though they have their network like the rest of Urdnot, Wrex still orders supplies to be sent regardless.

Honestly, the fact that there was a Female Urdnot clan both surprised and intrigued me the most. Wrex hadn't talked about the 'female clans' before. Are they a new concept that he developed? Did he just have no reason to discuss them? Are they frequent among the other clans, and if so, how do they operate similarly and differently? All questions to ask Wrex sometime after the rite. But that train of thought came to a close as the Tomkah came to a stop, the Shaman emerging from the driver's compartment, and a door on its side opening. The Shaman gestured for us to follow, and we exited into a dead-end of the tunneled road. On the opposite side of the Tomkah was a stairwell leading up the surface encased in reinforced metal.

"This is Tuchanka's most recent scar," the Shaman explained. "The last surface city to fall in the rebellions. The keystone was at the heart." I noticed the guards were not following us. But setting up a set of monitors. They have surveillance somewhere up there, then. I ensured Grunt was ahead of me, right behind the Shaman. "The Keystone survived wars and the passage of centuries. It endures. Like the Krogan. Like you must today." A few moments later, we came to the end of the tunnel. The keystone was a kind of superstructure towering overhead. Three large support columns connecting diagonally to a central pillar. There were dust and sand being blown around, but nothing close to a sandstorm, visibility was more or less normal. The sky was also dusty, but Aralakh shone dimly through the sky. The surface was lit, better than by moonlight, but not as lit as a clear middle of the day.

Beyond the keystone, there were the bones of civilization. Shattered and toppled skyscrapers, smaller buildings left little more than metal and stone rubble. Grunt took it all in within seconds. When we looked back down, there were bodies. It was impossible to tell how old they were without closer inspection. They had very clearly become food. Whether before or after death is hard to tell. Bones shattered and missing, shreds of 'clothes' and armor scattered. Not one sign of flesh on them. Some showed charring, others appeared at least partially melted. Acid damage.

"Grunt, if you wish to join Clan Urdnot, you must contemplate the keystone and the trials you shall face here. Your Krantt shall strengthen you for this. Many who undergo the rite have none. Sometimes they succeed, sometimes they do not. But one can never undergo the rite with those who must undergo it themselves. Adults who find them worthy are allowed to aid them. You are aliens, but you are all adults who have completed rites of your peoples. Warriors, as Wrex's stories, describe. That is why I allow you to stand for him.

"What are the trials?" Grunt asked.

"Who knows?" The Shaman faced him. "There are many stories of many different trials. But you must adapt. You must thrive. No matter the situation. There is always one constant, but that I won't tell you. "I remind you. Not all of Clan Urdnot are great warriors. Not all succeed the trial atop a pile of bodies. If you succeed through wits and cunning, that will be permitted. But know that the 'beasts of the rite' as Uvenk stated, you will not simply be able to hide from them. Blood will have to be spilled. You will not be permitted back down into the roads until the rite is complete. If you make an attempt to walk back to Urdnot, you will most certainly perish. Survive that, and you will still be permitted, as that journey will be far more dangerous than the rite. Are there any final questions?"

"Only what we're supposed to do. And how we'll get this started," Garrus remarked. The Shaman barked a short chuckle.

"Those would be my parting instructions. If there are any other questions?" he paused. No one answered. "Very well. There, the path to the keystone itself. There is a lever. When you hear my voice through transmitters here, begin the rite when ready." The Shaman began returning down the stairwell, but first, he pulled out a metal plate, likely strong enough to resist at least a standard military breaching charge and pulled it across, shutting it off. And cleverly, the hatch was designed so that it would be impossible to try and pull it open from our side.

"Well, this should be fun," Tali murmured, noticeably looking at the dead Krogan. Clearly, she didn't mean it.

"Ah stop whining, buckethead, you got your boyfriend here to protect you," Jack teased, with actual humor in her voice opposed to just plain hostility. Wonder if she even realizes.

"Besides," Zaeed called out. "Fucking psychotic biotic 'ere? One of the best goddamn mercs in the Galaxy? A perfect Krogan? A woman that's basically a ninja thief? Archangel? And not to fucking mention; Commander John Fucking Shepard? The lot of us are gonna be goddamn fine."

"Ninja thief? Really, Zaeed?" Kasumi responded, mock insult in her voice.

"Not my fault you didn't have a reputation for me to hear of. Just calling you 'Kasumi Goto' doesn't sound all that badass."

"Fair," she shrugged.

"Grunt and Krantt. Begin the rite of passage when you are ready," the Shaman spoke through the transmitters. Grunt had been waiting by it the whole time, and simply pulled it down on que. The keystone in the central pillar began to raise but leaving a block of metal on the ground. The bottom of the section raising was flat. "First, thousands of years ago, the Krogan conquered Tuchanka. Mastering a natural world that not only did we survive upon, but thrived." The keystone dropped, a loud, echoing clanging noise. It would have been louder, had it been higher. This was only about a third of the way up. It was silent for a short while. Nothing happening. Yet, I had the feeling we were being watched. And I don't mean the Shaman.

"There, on the ridge," Garrus called out. We all looked where he had pointed out. There was a lone Varren atop the ridge that had been watching us. I don't know for how long. Seeing us, it backed away behind the ridge and then howled. At least, their equivalent to a wolf's howl. This was more like a hissing roar. Comparable to the hisses of Alligators and Crocodiles, but the volume was like a lion's roar, and it lasted for a good ten seconds, with another five of silence before a more distant echo answered. The keystone was like bait of a kind.

"Perimeter, now!" I ordered. Pack tactics. They're going to poke and prod at us first. Find a weakness in the line. "Garrus, Zaeed, we take the side facing the ridge. Rest of you, shorter range sides. Kasumi, don't bother getting sneaky, I don't want to risk it. They might smell you." A Varren, likely the same scout, crested the ridge again. I had my Mattock out, watching for any sign of Varren, and took the shot right between the eyes. The round hit its mark, killing the reptilian hound, and the force sent him tumbling back over. That was followed by a shorter hissing roar, communicating something to the rest of the pack.

We were standing atop the hatch, so in case the Varren do attempt to come around the back, they won't be able to just pounce right atop any of us, they'll have to get down on the ground first. I heard Grunt fire, glancing over to see that a Varren had crept along and over the side. Now with a rather large hole in its head from the slug of a Claymore. Then another shotgun blast from behind me, Tali. Another Varren had gotten by the keystone and was about to start running down the stairs before Tali put an end to that. While Jack just let her biotics do the work on my left by smashing it into a concrete wall. Another hissing roar and the charge began. This was a large pack of Varren, and we held our ground. Firing, and firing, covering each other when a reload was needed. Each of us used up at least a full clip. Not every shot hit, but there were a lot of dead Varren. There was another hissing roar, more than likely the Alpha, and those who were just starting to crest their respective ridgelines, fell back, and it was silent again for a good minute.

"You have done well, trusting in your Krantt. The Varren flee, having lost too much of their pack to risk continuing," the Shaman proclaimed. "You dominated the battlefield to your strength and held the advantage against the horde. Grunt, you may not have given the order, but you followed it. If you did not before, you now see the wisdom in Shepard's command. Contemplate that, for battles past and future. Now, return to the keystone." Grunt wasted no time in doing so. Once again, the keystone rose. "Then, the Krogan were lifted to the stars to destroy the fears of a Galaxy. The Rachni. An enemy only we could push back, only we could chase into their lair. Only we could eradicate. And so, we did. And so, we reveled in our victory." The hammer lifted 2/3rds of the way up and dropped. The echoing ringing of metal on metal was both louder and longer. We waited again, searching for whatever was coming for us next when there was a distant buzzing noise. Getting louder, and louder, before a form slammed down onto the ground something over a dozen meters from us. It was some kind of giant, flying arthropod with a long, worm-like neck and gaping jaws. It coiled its neck down and then upwards as it screeched, a pair of large, red insectoids jumping off of its back before it took off again.

"Harvester," Grunt stated. "And those must be Klixen. Symbiotes. They breathe fire."

"It's Tuchanka," Garrus sighed. "Of course they do."

"Grunt," I called out, pulling the missile from my back, and then tossing it to the Krogan when I had his attention. "You watch the skies for the thing, put it down when it lands." As for the Klixen, they could take some hits. Their chitin held out to the first… pair of bullets would be my guess, but after? These rounds hit magnitudes harder than any weapons developed by Humans before we got to the Prothean Archives. You could take down tanks from those days with one or two clips at least with DMRs like the Mattock, and probably from automatic rifles like the Avenger. That makes it pretty scary to think about facing off these Klixen without modern firepower. Oh, that makes it even better. When the Klixen died, they just exploded. Just, boom. Zaeed and Jack just laughed.

"What the bloody hell is this planet?" Zaeed exclaimed. The Harvester returned, and as it roared, Klixen jumping off its back yet again, three of them this time, Grunt fired the launcher at the center of its neck. Just looking at it you could tell it was soft and fleshy. I'm pretty sure it's translucent as well. The missile impacted, and just tore its neck to shreds It looked like it tried to roar, but with its neck wide open, air easily escaped. Grunt loaded and fired another while we dealt with the Klixen, and it just blasted the upper part of the Harvester's neck and head off its body, which began writhing on the ground before shriveling up into a creepy and disgusting pile, it's orange blood pooling.

"Good. The Harvester would have eventually tired of delivering Klixen to kill for it, but instead, you struck at the beast directly cutting off the hordes of Klixen at their source. Just as we carved a bloody path for Suen, and slaughtered the Rachni where they were strongest, wiping out the remaining Rachni worlds with ease. One final trial and one final lesson remain. Go," the Shaman explained. Eager to continue, Grunt once again pulled the lever. "And again, we struck out. We became the new fear of the Galaxy, and now all Krogan bear the Genophage. It is our reward, our curse. It is a fight where the only goal is survival. As is your last trial, Grunt and Krantt. Survive. Endure. And you will be Urdnot. Now, the hammer lifted all the way to the top, and a chill went down my spine. What exactly is it that we are supposed to survive against? Tuchanka's Apex Predator? And it's not the Krogan? I'm not an expert on Tuchankan wildlife, but there is one creature native to this world I know of that we haven't seen yet. Dear god no… I couldn't control it; my breathing began to quicken. We've killed them before, but we had the Mako. The Mako isn't down here, we're just on foot. We only have one missile launcher. Shit, the ground can't be trusted. We need cover. Sturdy cover. Where? My breathing quickened; I began shaking. No, not just me. The ground too. Shit. Fuck. Fuck. Damn it. No, no, no, no.

Hell itself burst from the ground ahead, straight ahead of me, at the same crest that the Varren started peeking over first. I couldn't breathe any faster if I tried. Zaeed, Jack, and Grunt immediately went for cover back by the keystone, hoping that the thick metal would protect them better than any of the rusted metal.

But me?

I just stood there, frozen in place, my weapon down, as I stared at the jaws of death. As for Garrus and Tali? They saw how I responded to this, and they moved me for me. Pulling and pushing me along quickly. My legs moved, but I didn't feel in control of them, they just responded. Up the stairs of the keystone as I continued to stare at it. It spat acid in our direction, and I was pushed down to the side at the peak of the stairs. I was behind thick walls of metal, but this ground, it couldn't be safe. Nowhere could be safe until it's dead and gone. I'm going to get them all killed. Grunt, Zaeed, Jack, Kasumi, Garrus, and Tali. We don't have the Mako, and that's going to get them killed. What can I do? There's nothing I can do. Nothing at all. We're fucked. We're going to die, we're going to die, we're going to die.

Tali'Zorah vas Neema

Keelah, it's happened again. Just like when we fought the first thresher maw. It was never easy for him afterward, but never this bad. Is it because we don't have the Mako to fight it in? He was sat on the ground, in cover at least, his legs pulled up against him and rocking, muttering to himself, too quiet for me to hear.

"Oi, what the fuck happened to him?" Zaeed asked, shooting at the Thresher Maw.

"It's Akuze. He's terrified of Threshers," I explained, getting down in front of him, trying to get him to look at me, holding his head in my hands so he was looking straight at me.

"Oh… Right… Shit," Zaeed murmured. "Shoot the damn tongue. Our guns won't break through its armor, but the tongue will bleed."

"And missiles?" Grunt questioned.

"Fuck it, shit should work. If you can get one in the mouth that should kill it," Zaeed answered.

"Then let's kill it," Grunt growled.

"You know, the Shaman did say survival was the only goal. Don't suppose we could just… hang out around here?" Garrus remarked. "No? Alright then."

They all shot as the ground shook, not sure what it was doing, I was just staring at Shepard trying to get him back to us. His breathing was starting to slow. I wish I could take his helmet off, that might work better, but this place is irradiated. Not enough to harm Krogan, and not enough to harm anyone now, but exposing him to it now might cause some problems in the future.

"It's going under," Zaeed called out. The ground was shaking, then they adjusted their angles and fired again. Grunt was getting aggravated, not having had a good shot. I heard him growl and run down back to the far less protected main area. The Thresher shifted its focus to easier prey, spitting acid as Grunt fired a missile at its open maw. He barely missed; the mouth having closed too much by the time the missile struck. It hurt, but this wasn't the main cannon of the Mako. It would take more missiles than we likely had to blow through the armor.

"Come on!" Grunt roared. "I'm ready! I! Am! Krogan!" I looked up, seeing him run towards the maw, probably hoping that a shot would land more easily if he was closer.

"What the fuck is that idiot doing?" Zaeed exclaimed. Grunt got close enough that the maw decided it wouldn't just spit acid. More of its body came out of the ground, and Grunt started to retreat. The maw lunged, attempting to devour him. And it was going to hit its mark. Why wasn't he firing? At the last moment, Grunt leapt, spun, and the maw enveloped him. Less than a second later, before anyone could react, the maw's head just… exploded from the inside out. The body going limp. Then, a form stood, covered in blood and shredded flesh. But not his own. The acid was scarring his armor, though he's lucky Shepard makes everyone wear their full armor, helmet included in combat, but clearly, he was fine. He bellowed, no, howled in laughter.

"Shepard! Shepard it's dead! We're all ok!" I reassured. He began to settle, confused. "It's ok, we're ok. It's over," I whispered. He gulped, and peeked over, instinctually recoiling when he saw what was left of it, in case it still lived, but it sunk it. It was dead. Like the ones, we fought before. He stood, shaking himself as the Shaman spoke.

"You… you have killed the thresher maw? That has not been done in- Hm." A shuttle passed overhead, landing beside the entrance to the tunnel as Grunt returned to us. "It seems your trial is not over quite yet. Though this victory will find you far easier than the maw." Out of the shuttle stepped Uvenk, the Krogan who gave Grunt so much hassle. Though he had three others with him. They were all armed and waiting. Uvenk began pacing in front of them. We remained up by the keystone, them, down by the shuttle.

"You live. And not only that, but you brought down the thresher maw. No one has done that in generations. Urdnot Wrex was the last." That's not surprising at all.

"My Krantt gives me strength beyond my genes. Which are already perfection," Grunt answered.

"This will cause discussion., I wonder… you say you're are pure? No alien meddling in your construction? Just the Warlord Okeer?"

"Yeah. What about it?"

"Now you will command respect. Your strength may be artificial, but it's a tolerable loophole. A reason to accept you. You are a mistake, but your potential could tip the current balance of the clans."

"You spit on the name of my father. You spit on Shepard's name even as he shamed you. But now you stop your ranting because I'm strong?" Grunt questioned, more than a little annoyed. I'm surprised Grunt continues to defend Shepard. I thought he would have looked down on how the trauma took him.

"Join Gatatog. You would have restrictions. No breeding, no serving on an alien ship. But you'd have a clan." The other Krogan made a point of brandishing their weapons.

"You don't want me; you want my strength."

"Of course we don't want you," Uvenk sneered. "Nor do I want to cooperate with Urdnot. But I had to. Just as I must allow this loophole. Clan Gatatog is on the verge. Either of greatness or joining the dust. I get traditionalist support if I fight you, and reformer support if I back you. Your rite of Passage has tipped that balance as well."

Grunt laughed.

"Uvenk… you're an idiot. You admit your weakness. You admit your clan is failing, you offer me the life of a caged animal, and expect me to agree? None of you have killed the Thresher maw, and I will not be controlled by my lesser. Wrex was the last to kill the Thresher. Wrex is the only clan leader worthy of me."

"Then die here, before any clan can accept you," Uvenk growled.

"Hell yeah! Been waiting for this!" Jack cheered, standing, glowing blue as her biotics enveloped one of Uvenk's thugs, and flung him towards a broken metal girder in the rubble, spearing him upon it. Not even a Krogan would survive that. Garrus put a sniper round through the skull of one thug, and Zaeed put the other full of holes. The Krogan had stupidly not readied themselves for a fight, just leaving themselves in the open. Was it arrogance? Or just plain stupidity?

"Uvenk's mine!" Grunt roared, charging down to face him head-on. Uvenk pulled a knife, similar in size to the one Wrex used. Meaning, it was a very large blade. But that didn't slow Grunt down. He tackled Uvenk, and I saw him try to jab the blade into Grunt's side, but it glanced off the armor, thicker and more advanced thanks to Okeer's labor, no doubt. Grunt likely chuckled. He slammed his fist down and down and down. He took the arm Uvenk held the knife in and bent it at a very unnatural angle, the blade quickly falling from Uvenk's grip as he roared out in pain. Grunt took the knife and jammed it down. I couldn't see where in Uvenk it went, but probably the neck. Uvenk was still struggling, then Grunt jabbed again, and he went stiff, then limp. When Grunt stood, the blade was not in his grasp. I saw the hilt coming out of Uvenk's mouth at an angle that the blade had been jammed in his mouth upwards, piercing into the brain.

"You bring honor to yourself, and to Urdnot. I shall join you momentarily," the Shaman proclaimed through the transmitters. Grunt rejoined us up by the keystone.

"Shepard," he began, standing over he and I. He was still sat on the floor, but no longer curled up into himself. "Today is the first time I have seen you show fear, let alone terror. A coward would have simply ran at the sight of the Maw, not standing there, frozen. Why?" Grunt asked. Also surprisingly, it was not at all accusatory. Shepard sighed and looked up at the Krogan.

"It was…" his voice was still a little shaky. "It was… God, how long? Seven years ago now. I uh… went down to investigate a distress signal on the Colony of Akuze. There were fifty-one of us total, myself included. We thought Batarians were the cause, so we landed away from the colony to proceed on foot. Standard procedure. Then… I don't even know how many, but several thresher maws attacked us. We had no choice but to run. I… I was the only one to make it home," he explained. Shuddering. "Then, during our hunt for Saren, I found out that my second, Corporal Toombs, had survived. And oh, did he have a story to tell." He looked straight up to the sky. "Fucking Cerberus was behind it all. And they tortured him for years in experimentation before he escaped. One of the reasons why, after this mission, I'll see every one of those bastards dead and burning in hell."

"A worthy, goal," the Shaman stated, walking up the stairs, having spit on Uvenk's body. "Grunt, this wisdom I would not expect Okeer to have told you as you grew. But as Shaman, I have seen many warriors of many different kinds come to me for guidance. A warrior who boasts no fears is a liar and fears much. A warrior who has been made terrified has been tested. If that warrior puts down the blade after the event has been broken. Yet the one who picks the blade back up to fight again is a worthy warrior indeed. I do not believe what you witnessed, Grunt, was a fear, not even a terror of thresher maws. Wrex has told me much of you, Shepard. He has told me that your first concern is always your crew. Your Krantt. Your terror came from a belief that your actions had doomed them. Your mind has simply bound thresher maws, and that terror together," the Shaman explained. Wise indeed, and again, very surprising to hear from a Krogan.

"I believe I understand, Shaman," Grunt answered.

"Good. You have earned the honor of clan and name. Many survive, yes. But none have slain a Thresher Maw since Wrex underwent the rite. The names of both you and your Krantt shall live in glory. You are now Urdnot Grunt," the Shaman proclaimed. "You may now own property, join the armies of Urdnot, and apply to serve under a battle master." Grunt took a breath and looked down a moment of Shepard.

"You're free to do and go wherever. Congrats, Urdnot Grunt," Shepard spoke. Grunt was silent for another moment.

"Shepard is my battle master. He has no match."

"I understand. Come, let us return to Urdnot. Wrex wishes to congratulate you personally."

Commander John Shepard

I'm calmed down, normal again. Finally. And to say I'm shocked that Krogan of all races found understanding there would be an understatement. Wrex is one thing, but he hadn't really built up a high opinion of his own people for me. Not to say I disagreed with giving them another chance. But… damn. The Tomkah came to a stop, and we disembarked. As we exited, just as the Shaman had said, Wrex and his personal guard were waiting to greet us. Wrex at the forefront of them, and immediately started walking forward.

"You just can't stop causing trouble, can you?" Wrex laughed. Grunt and I being the first to approach him in turn. I was the last to kill a Maw in the rite, as I'm sure everyone's been blabbing to you. What's next? Are you a quint, Grunt? Do you shit dark matter?"

"Quint?" Tali asked.

"Does he have five instead of four," Wrex explained with a smirk.

"Wha-? Oh Keelah," Tali shook her head, covering her eyes with a hand. Wrex chuckled.

"Damn good work, Urdnot Grunt. Damn good work. You know the symbolism of killing the maw? You remember the Shaman's words. The Genophage is a fight where the goal is survival, and the rite represents it with surviving against a thresher maw until it gets bored. Killing it? That's beating the Genophage. So. How'd you kill it?" Wrex gave me a look with a slight nod. This symbolism means more to him then he'll let on in public company.

"Fired a missile launcher in its mouth after letting it try to eat me," Grunt answered. Wrex bellowed with laughter.

"You might want to stick around or a few days, Grunt. The females are going to be all over you."

"Heh, heh, heh."

"So, Shepard, you plan to stick around a little while? We've got some catching up to do," Wrex asked.

"I'd be happy to, Wrex. Just-" EDI piped up in my ear.

"Commander, Mordin would like to speak to you. It's urgent, though he says we are already where we need to be."

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Don't worry, Urz is coming. It was just didn't really fit to explore Urdnot's center yet. Next chap we'll have the space lizard dog