Dak's absence had been noticed—again. It was not the first time that the young Kig-Yar had skimped on his duty. Vosk growled in annoyance as he prowled the rooftop of the ruins. He was supposed to be sleeping, comfortable and full after a freshly killed meal, not covering for a lazy green-beak.
The sniper was so distracted by his irritation that he never saw the air shimmer behind him. He didn't hear the thin whisper of steel pulled free from its sheath. As the combat knife separated his spinal column from his brain, he noticed too late.
Talitha wiped her blade clean, sheathing it as she stepped over the corpse. She de-cloaked and waved Saia forward. The Sangheili crept past her, a blur of the foliage behind them. Her outline was a thin green line in Macer's Heads-up Display. Talitha clicked off the safety of her DMR, powered up her active camouflage, and followed Saia to line up behind her next to the entryway of the ruins.
"Storm or stealth?"
'Vusan glanced over her shoulder. "Why not both? Our stealth systems will cover us, while an aggressive assault will confuse and panic the Kig-Yar." As she said that, their camouflage began to hiss and sizzle. Rain slowly began to fall on them, and within moments the systems failed entirely. Saia growled. "Or the pirates will see us outright. An aggressive move is our only option." She raised her blade, the plasma smoking as raindrops evaporated where they hit.
Talitha pursed her lips, tensing for their breach. She flinched as light flashed, momentarily blinding them. At first, she thought the Kig-Yar had stolen flash-bang grenades and used them against the two agents. A loud boom of thunder disproved that theory, and Macer's frustration turned to a grin. "We will be fine." She assured the Sangheili.
Saia gave an incredulous look. The human was mad. "They outnumber us three to one."
"Then it is an even fight; the gods watch over us." A second clap of thunder seemed to emphasize her point. "The thunder will cover our movements and our attacks, if we time them right. Wait for the flash before you take your targets. With luck we will cut them down before we are noticed."
Saia snorted. "Gods have never watched over me, Agent Macer."
They waited for the next flash of lightning, sprinting into the main chamber and taking cover as thunder roared overhead. Talitha sighted a Kig-Yar that perched atop the Locust. Lightning flashed, and the creature jumped in surprise. The crack of her DMR was lost in the thunder, and the pirate tumbled to the ground.
Saia waited patiently, grabbing a Kig-Yar in the next flash. His choked squawks, and the subsequent snapping of his neck, went unnoticed. She moved in the shadows, her footfalls drowned out by the rain as the warrior made her way around the ruined courtyard. Lightning flashed and she froze, but when the thunder boomed she was sent flying into the center of the room. Angry hisses and snarls rose around her from the four remaining Kig-Yar as Saia stumbled to her feet, disoriented.
Macer swore, breaking cover to fire on what pirates she could see. One went down with a headshot, a second dropping as a round tore through his shoulder. Her rifle snapped to Saia as she searched for targets, covering the Sangheili.
A thin cackle rose above the rainfall. Saia turned to see the pirate queen, dressed in combat armor, step into the courtyard. Behind her loomed a massive Sangheili. He was clad in midnight black Zealot armor accented with gold; a pattern that 'Vusan did not recognize.
"Chur'R-Maat." Talitha said, unsurprised. "So much for allowing us to investigate these ruins. We didn't even get to say hello, and your boys started firing at us."
The pirate snarled. "You get no farther! I tell piyrats they no sshoot at you—they kill you! Stupid idiots no can do job. But Lut," she motioned to the warlord behind her, "he take care of problem now!"
The Sangheili stepped past the Kig-Yar, scowling at Saia. "You." His voice was accusing. "Dishonor and last of the 'Vusan, long have I sought this glory. You have persisted in breaking tradition, and taken up a blade of your own as is forbidden by the Abiding Truth; your death will bring me more honor than burning your blasphemous keep to the ground."
Fire flashed in Saia's eyes, the memory of her home burning fresh in her mind as the day it happened. "It was you…" Her blade snapped into being just as lightning flashed. She thrust the blade towards him. "Your blood will avenge my clan—will give them peace!"
The Zealot chuckled. "We shall see." His amusement turned to annoyance as three shots bounced off his shields, causing them to flare.
"You talk too much, split-chin!" The human shouted impudently.
Lut thrust a finger towards Macer's position, snapping an order to Chur'R-Maat. "Hunt that vermin! The heretic is mine." He lunged for Saia, bearing only his fists.
The female warrior slashed at the Kig-Yar pirate as she swept past, causing the queen to stumble for a moment. Saia had no time to follow through as Lut bore down on her. She leaned to the side as a fist swept past where her head had been, but was caught off balance as his elbow pulled back to slam into her chest, knocking her to the floor.
The warrior rolled with the blow, springing to her feet and putting some ground between them. She wished that she had brought some manner of firearm, but this wasn't the time for regrets. Saia took a defensive stance, her sword held high and angled towards the Zealot brute. Lut assaulted her again, and her shields brushed aside two blows. As he reared for a kick, Saia thrust forward. Her sword slid across his chest, energy arcing as the plasma put his shields under duress. She quickly pulled back as he pitched away from her, thrown off balance. Her blade flashed, landing several rapid hits until his shields burst with a blinding flash.
The Zealot landed on his back with a 'thud', snarling in frustration. He kicked Saia away, denying her a killing blow. As he clambered to his feet an acrid stench caused him to recoil. His shield generator sparked and smoked, the rain having shorted out the vulnerable tech.
Saia noted this, and kept a close eye on her shield monitor. If she lost them as well, she would be at a significant disadvantage. Lut drew an energy sword from his hip, the blade snapping active as he leveled the weapon towards her.
Macer pressed against a pillar as Chur'R-Maat howled past. The self-proclaimed queen was furious at the affront to her authority, and was intent to take it out on the human. Talitha leveled her M6, firing off four shots at the Jackal. One shot hit her in the back - barely doing anything against the thicker hide there - and the others hit her ornate headdress. Chains disintegrated and baubles shattered as the gold jewelry crashed to the floor.
The queen stopped dead, snarling angrily. She whirled around to face Talitha, her beak flying open as she shrieked a challenge. Several shots dented and ricocheted off her armor as she lunged for the agent, doing minimal harm but hardly slowing her charge.
The Ruuhtian bowled into Macer, knocking the pistol from her hands. Chur'R-Maat became a flurry of claws on the downed human, scratching and battering her armor but occasionally scoring a hit on battledress, slashing fabric and tearing flesh.
Talitha screamed in both anger and pain, her left arm held up to try and block off the Jackal's attacks as her right balled into a fist, driving up into the queen's gut. She sprawled to Talitha's side with the blow, but quickly recovered to clamp her jaws around the human's upper arm. Her claws grabbed for purchase on Macer's helmet, intent on ripping the armor from the young woman's head.
Talitha wailed on the side of Maat's head that she could reach, breaking several teeth but doing little to release the Kig-Yar's iron hold on her. As her helmet was ripped free, the Ruuhtian put herself off-balance. Macer shoved her aside and rolled to the right, staggering to her feet and drawing a combat knife from her left bracer.
She wiped blood from her nose, raising the blade as Maat dropped her helmet, cackling in amusement. The Jackal began to circle Talitha, who never gave the alien her back. Her eyes narrowed, her adrenaline spiked, and she roared a battlecry—so that should she fall, it would not be as a coward.
The Jackal hissed as they lunged at one another, throwing her claws wide. Talitha dropped her shoulder, driving it up into the queen's chest as they met. As she rose back up she hooked the pirate's arm, flipping her over onto her back. She held Maat tight, using the Kig-Yar's weight to pull her momentum around and face the queen. Her right hand gripped the combat knife tight, bringing it down with force into the bird-like alien's chest as her knee dropped to pin Maat's neck. Brittle ribs fractured and thick purple blood spattered Talitha's arm, chest and face. Chur'R-Maat screeched in agony, writhing beneath Macer in vain. The human drew her knife out, plunging it into the Kig-Yar's side with another cry of fury again and again.
She stood as the queen writhed no more, staggering as exhaustion caught up to her. Her armor was stained violet; she could smell the blood on her face even as the rain slowly washed it away. Talitha spat down at the queen's corpse. "Been a real pleasure working with you." The sharp clashing of plasma drew her from her bloodlust—Saia was still in trouble. After scooping up her helmet Macer stumbled to recover her rifle, loading a fresh magazine into the weapon as she leaned on a fallen pillar to cover her partner.
Saia slid beneath the legs of the Locust as Lut's sword slashed at the metal above her, and she scrambled towards the other side. Lut followed around, climbing over debris and equipment to catch up.
She rolled from under the mining walker, turning as he roared behind her, leaping from the Locust and lunging ahead with his sword. The plasma blade glanced off her chestplate, flaring her shields to half as she leaned back away from the blow. She struck the Zealot with an armored fist, drawing blood as it crashed into his mandibles. He spun away, snarling in rage; his pride more wounded than his person.
"Imagine the shame," Saia taunted, "when it is told across worlds that you were slain by a female."
Lut sneered. "Even should you prevail, heretic, the Abiding Truth will stamp out such dishonor against the Sangheili way. Your tale will never be told past the camps of the blood-traitor." He gave a roar, his mandibles going wide before he lunged at her again. Their blades clashed, sending sparks flying as the warriors danced across the ruin courtyard.
"Agent Macer," Saia grunted as she keyed her comms, "while I have him distracted, set the charges and destroy their Locust!"
Talitha looked up from her rifle. "You're too close! There's no way—"
"A sacrifice I must make!" She kicked out at Lut as he recoiled from a parry. "Do it now and retreat!"
Macer climbed over the pillar, sprinting for the Locust. Her cuts stung, and her body was sore, but she gritted her teeth and pushed on. She grabbed the satchel charge from her pouch, securing it to the body of the Locust.
Saia kept the Zealot's attention on her and his back to the Locust. She glanced past him, keying her comms as Talitha primed the explosive. "Go now, Agent Macer!" The female Sangheili ducked low as Lut's sword rushed over her head.
Talitha paused at the edge of the courtyard, looking back to the Sangheili. Saia knew foolish thoughts passed through her mind. "I'll see you in Valhalla, Saia 'Vusan." She said, turning to slip from the ruins unnoticed.
Saia did not know what Macer meant, or where this 'Valhalla' was, but in her distraction Lut caught her with an uppercut blow. His fist drove the wind from her lungs, and sent her falling back several feet. The warrior's helmet fell from her head, clattering to the floor as she clutched at her chest, gasping for air. Lut loomed over her.
"All that bravado, yet you prove to be as weak-willed as all females." He kicked her sword from her hand. "Pathetic." He pinned Saia with a foot on her chest, leveling his sword to her throat. "A warrior's death will not find you, last of the 'Vusan. You will burn, like the rest of your clan. But unlike them, you will burn slowly."
The tip of his sword pressed to Saia's face, scorching her left eye blind and burning an angry red line on her flesh. She would not give him the satisfaction of her pain, and was thankful it would be over soon. Her good eye saw a red light blinking on the underbelly of the Locust. Her mandibles pulled back in a sneer. "We shall burn together, Clanslayer."
Lut turned as the charges began to beep rapidly. Saia scrambled out from under him, snatching her sword and helmet from the ground as she dove behind a pillar. She was not ready to die—not yet.
Lightning filled the courtyard, but it was close and streaked with fire. Thunder shook the ruins, but it did not come from Macer's god. The pillar between Saia and the explosion shook, flames licking the edges. Lut's charred and broken body sailed past her, tumbling to rest in a pile of rubble. Her shields fluctuated, blinding her momentarily as they overloaded and burst. The alarm was drowned out by the grinding roar of stones crumbling and falling.
The storm passed, and the ruins were silent but for the periodic tumble of pebbles as the destruction settled. Saia fell to her knees, taking a moment to recover. Her muscles and chest ached, and her blinded eye screamed with pain. The warrior's arms shook, and she collapsed to the ground.
She did not know how much time had passed before she heard footsteps walking slowly toward her. Her eye opened, blurred vision surveying the room around her. Agent Macer swept the room, her shoulders low. She looked to where Saia laid, and moved slowly towards her. The human knelt next to her, reaching out to lay a hand on her shoulder. Saia found the strength to groan, her head lifting slowly.
"Goddamn!" Talitha exclaimed with a start, falling back flat on her ass. "I thought you were dead!"
Saia rose to her knees with help from Macer. "I feel as though I should be. But I am thankful that I am not." She looked over to the dig site. The Locust was obliterated, twisted and charred legs bent outward. Blue flames burned throughout the wreckage as coolant and plasma seeped onto the floor. The dig site had collapsed in, and a section of the ruins opened into a pit of unknown depth. "Help me up, Agent Macer. I must see for myself."
She stood, using the smaller human for support as little as she could; she did not want to crush Talitha and injure them both even further. They moved slowly across the rubble until they stood at the edge of the hole. Saia peered down into the darkness.
A soft orange glow emitted from magma deep within the cavern below. She could not see much aside from the face. It was fearsome and enormous; Forerunner metal teeth bared and eyes that were dead and black. Yet a silent fury seemed coiled in that un-living visage, a power uncontested and barely contained by the planets crust. The eyes stared up at Saia, and she knew that it saw her. It was the face of death, and she had cheated it twice now.
"Let us leave this place." Saia forced the fear that gripped the base of her neck to abate. "There is nothing here for the Kig-Yar to use."