Chapter 5 Where Shall We Go Now?
Character Celantra
The Portal clearing was filled with demons, some were large brutish creatures with strong limbs and thick scaly hides, others were mutilated grossly mutated creatures that might have been recognizable once but now were masses of blood, pulp, and poisonous ooze, still others lack any physical form but were ghosts and phantoms that flickered in the light of the fire in the middle of the clearing. There was no sign of Steve yet, but their plan was to let the demons bring him out then Tex, Alverion and Pyros would create a distraction while James, K and herself would grab Steve and fly him to safety then come back to extract the other three. Celantra didn't like leaving the three alone with so many angry demons, but whenever she asked K about it he got that cunning grin and infuriating sparkle in his eye that meant he was up to something and wanted to keep it to himself.
"They are stirring, some one comes," Tex informed them. She was watching the camp closely through her sniper rifle since K had them all camp a mile away. Easy enough for a Leviathan to see across but not for the demons and even C's sight was no match for the advanced optics on Tex's rifle.
"Who is it," K asked, "Moroni?"
"No it looks like a kid," Tex replied, "uh red hair, slender, wearing some sort of armor, looks demon make however."
"Steve," Celantra said, "What are they doing to him?"
"Nothing," Tex replied, "He seems to be, hold up two demons are dragging a young girl behind him I don't like where this is headed."
"Why would they need two sacrifices," K hissed to James.
"They don't," James replied, "but they do need a master level necromancer to preform the ritual."
"Its Steve," C said, "I can't believe it Steve is the necromancer, he did go with them on purpose."
"So it would seem," Pyros replied, "So same plan but we grab the girl instead?"
"Yes lets move we don't have much time," K said as he took off into the cloudy night sky. C and James followed and right as they were in position to swoop down and grab the girl Pyros, Alverion and Tex rolled out of the night and into the fire light while setting off several grenades and rockets in the demon hoard. C dove for the girl with K on her right and J on her left she grabbed the shocked girl while K and J removed the two demon guards. Behind her she heard Steve shouting at them, cursing them for taking the sacrifice. Those words hurt her more than any blow ever could, to think that one who she had taught was betraying her and DC, it tore at her until long after the impending fight was over. However in that moment she realized what Steve was chanting, he was going on with the ritual, with himself as the sacrifice!
"K we have to stop him," C yelled to her mate through there mental connection.
"I know," K replied, "James will get the others I'll deal with Steve..." Right as K finished his thought however, a horrendous rippling exploding sound echoed through the air and the smell of sulfur and ash rose up from the newly created portal. James had made it to Tex, Alverion and Pyros and was already heading out, K was turning around to rejoin them as a truly hellish laugh came echoing up from the portal.
"Rahhamuah, even you fear me don't you Judgment," Moroni's sickly voice echoed in their ears as they winged their way back across the Siberian tundra, "I will not be stopped Earth is mine."
"What happened, back there," Alverion asked as they got clear of any immediate danger.
"We saved the original sacrifice but Steve made himself the sacrifice and summoned Moroni through the gate to open it into this world. Now demons will start pouring through it," James summed up.
C lost track of the conversation as the girl, who had fainted when C lifted her out of the demon's grasp woke up and started screaming. "Its ok girl, C said, "I am not going yo hurt you or let you fall."
"Why should I trust you," the girl yelled back.
"Well for one we saved you from being killed and possessed by demons," C replied, "I'm Celantra, The others are Kalathanon, my husband, James, Tex, Alverion and Pyros."
"I'm Charolite," the girl replied, "I'm hungry."
"How old are you little one?" C asked her.
"Twelve," was the shy reply.
Charolite was very developed for a twelve year old, her figure was well defined, adorned with golden hair and accompanied by sky-blue eyes, a dainty nose and full red lips. Other than the obvious lack of food from her imprisonment with the demons she was a fine young girl, C was comforted by the fact that they were able to save her even despite Steve's betrayal.
"K we need to get some food for Charolite it looks like she has been without food for almost two weeks," C said.
"Who is... Oh yes you must be our rescued friend," K said as he looked back at the girl who tried to shift behind C's leg to hide from him. "Ah a shy one I see no need for that here we will see you to safety."
"Here," Tex said as she jumped from James' back to C's, "C bring her up here it can be uncomfortable hanging down there. I've got some food she can eat, it's not like I actually eat it anyway."
C lifted Charolite onto her back where Tex had the girl sit in front of her while Tex feed her the food slowly.
"I'm so hungry can't I eat it faster?" Charolite asked.
"Afraid not," Tex replied, "after so long without food you have to reopen your stomach so you don't get sick."
Charolite seemed to accept this and after eating a little and drinking some water that Alverion offered her, fell asleep in Tex's arms while C, K and J continued their flight back to the Collage.
"K if Moroni came through the portal then how did he get back on the other side to begin with," C asked.
"Through the other portal," came K's terse reply, "Carter, Cloak, Blitz, Storm, Xavier and Ingitus must have either driven him back through somehow or Moroni had gone through earlier."
"I hope they didn't have to fight him," James said, "Moroni is extremely powerful Carter's fear and Blitz's earth attacks would do nothing to a demon as powerful as he is."
"Perhaps," K replied.
"Wait you have that look again dear," C called K out on his response, "What aren't you telling us?"
"Oh you'll find out." K said, "I'll let Carter explain."
"Are we there yet," Charolite asked as she woke up.
"Not yet," C replied, "But you should be ok to eat some more if you want."
"Oh goody I'm starving," Charolite replied, "Why do you have so much food if you don't eat it?"
"We eat it," Alverion replied as he threw a granola bar to Tex, "Only Tex there doesn't need it."
"You don't eat," the girl asked astonished.
"Nope, cant," Tex replied, "Look kid its complicated, but don't worry about us we will be fine."
"Well ok if you say so," Charolite replied through a mouth-full of food.
"That's a good girl," C encouraged, "just remember small bits for now until you can swallow larger portions."
"So are you guys real or am I dreaming again," Charolite asked, "I have been dreaming of this rescue every night for I can't remember how long."
Tex tickled her, resulting in giggling and a "Stop that."
"Wait you've been dreaming of being rescued, from that camp, by us, like this?" Pyros asked.
"Yes though my dreams didn't tickle me or ask so many questions," Charolite replied as she shrank down into Tex's arms.
"We are sorry if the questions make you uncomfortable," C added, "But if you have had dreams of this event then maybe your much more important than you realize."
"I hope not," Charolite whined, "I don't want to have to fight the demons!"
"No one will ask you to fight the demons," K replied, "That is your choice, but if you do want to we can help. I don't know what your dreams mean it could simply be that your mind is created in such a way that it could follow the paths of my kind and predict this event, or it could have been God's way of comforting you since he saw this event in you future."
"Promise no demons," Charolite asked after a pause.
"Promise," James replied.
This seemed to satisfy the girl since shortly after she was asleep in Tex's arms again.
"You would make a good mother, I think," C said to which Tex just shrugged and readjusted her position to face away from the wind to shelter Charolite more from the cold of flying. C smiled as they came in sight of the ocean, they were half-way home.
Character Spyro
Four hours later at Carter's base in Arizona
"Carter, K is back," Spyro informed his old friend. Carter nodded that he had heard and walked out to meet K. Spyro followed, Carter had returned with Xavier, Ingitus, Blitz, and Storm just two hours ago and said that he had information that K needed to know. When Spyro asked about Cloak Carter only replied that she had gone. Even Blitz, Spyro's eldest son, only said that Carter needed to explain it. Carter himself seemed... condensed, it was like the fear that pervaded everyone who was around him had been increased to a new height and if not for their long time friendship Spyro doubted that even he could stand being in the same building with Carter for long.
"Carter, what's got you so amped up, your fear aura is stronger than ever," Spyro asked.
"I'd rather only explain once," Carter replied.
"I... oh, look if Cloak left you then..."
"Cloak is dead," Carter hissed and Spyro involuntary jumped back.
"She, my apologies I had assumed," Spyro said.
"Its ok," Carter replied, "Sorry for spooking you."
They walked out from the hanger and onto the landing strip where Cynder, Zar, Arya, Saphira, Adam, and Anjali were waiting. K and his band were just visible on the horizon and would be upon them in just a few minutes. Spyro walked over to Cynder who nuzzled him as he drew along side her.
"You were right love, there they are," she said referring to his statement that K's group was almost to the base which he said just before going into the hanger to tell Carter.
"I have good hearing," was Spyro's reply.
"You look almost as troubled as Carter did he tell you anything?" Cynder asked.
"Nothing that he meant to say," Spyro said, "and he will tell us all the whole story in a moment anyway."
"Spyro, Cynder," Doug greeted as he burrowed out of the ground and disgorged Washington.
"Uh never doing that again," Wash said.
"You asked for me to get you here and here you are," Doug replied, "It was you who failed to specify the mode of transportation."
"What are you two doing," Spyro asked.
"I was under the F-18 back there with mega-mouth here and thought well I'll just climb on Doug and ride over here, but is that what he did no, he ate me and then did something and spit me back out here," Wash said.
Cynder cracked up at Wash's explanation and Spyro even chuckled a little it certainly was the exact kind of situation that Washington and his friends seemed to create for themselves.
"Carter," K roared as the group landed, "I take it you let Cloak go off adventuring without you then."
"She's dead, Moroni killed her," Carter replied, "he would have taken us all out had it not been for some miraculous timing." Then Carter was awash in red flames and the air became so chocked with dread that Spyro could taste the bitter tang of it.
"Ah the aspect of Godly Fear," James said.
"And Cloak?" K asked.
"Has a plan, yes," Carter replied, "and we did take out the gate."
"Well then since we can't help her, this is Charolite make sure she is tended to and kept away from demons," K said as he stepped aside and Tex walked to the front carrying a young girl who might just be entering her teens.
"No, I don't like him he's scary," Charolite exclaimed.
"Aye that I may be," Carter said as he returned to his normal appearance and the oppressive fear abated, "but that also means that even the biggest demons fear me and won't bother you while you stay near me."
Charolite looked between Tex, C and Carter then replied, "I guess that makes sense, but can Tex stay too she's nice."
"Wow she just called Tex nice," Spyro thought to Cynder.
"I know, I wonder what happened to her to make her so frail looking," Cynder thought back. Spyro just shrugged and turned back to the group just in time to see Charolite and Tex walk over to Carter.
"Ok everyone listen up," K said, "there is still one gate functioning so lets go kill it and its master, Carter when can you be ready to go?"
"As soon as we get the little one here settled in," Carter replied.
"Good see to it then, and Tex you to you were there and know what to expect," K added.
"Well, I hate to bring this up but how long was Charolite there," Spyro asked.
"We can't say for sure but..." C was cut off by Charolite.
"I was there for two months," the young girl said sharply, "Why would you care?"
"Well for one K, C and J are friends of mine and they rescued you, two that makes you the senior authority here on what the demons are up to," Spyro replied, "do you remember anything about their habits or general positioning?"
"I... well I guess that makes sense," Charolite said, "but I wouldn't know what to tell you... unless I was there to see what they were doing. They always have paths that they follow but only certain ones."
"Well that sounds like it could be helpful," Cynder encouraged, "but what do you mean?"
"I think what Charolite is trying to say is that certain demons will be and do certain things on certain days depending on a tell that she has picked up on," K said, "Could you describe to us what lets you know which path the demons will take on a given day?"
"Well they do some stuff and then I get all tingly and then I know what they will be doing," Charolite replied.
"So basically if we are going to have your insight we would need you with us," C said, "I don't think you need to go back there."
"And if the demons destroy this world she will have nowhere to go," Spyro and Tex replied.
"Enough," Charolite yelled, "I don't want to go back, you said no more demons."
"He said he would not make you fight them but if you choose to fight them then we have no problem letting you," Tex said, "we all come to a day where we decide that its better to fight than to run."
"I was even younger than you when I first started fighting to free my world," Spyro said, "I was just as scared as you are now. I have the power to fight the enemy head on but you can fight them from an even more deadly direction, intelligence." Spyro lowered his head and looked Charolite in the eyes, "you wouldn't even have to strike the demons, just come with us and tell us where they will be then we can kill them."
"The demons won't find me?" Charolite asked.
"Not if you stay with me," Cynder said, "I can keep you covered in shadows so they don't find you."
"And the demons would die if I told you where they are?"
"Yes," K affirmed.
"Well, ok but just this once," Charolite said, "I am still hungry through."
"Carter, Tex take her to go get some food," James said,
"Right," the two replied as they carried Charolite across the airstrip to the mess-hall.
"Your a crafty one," Alverion said, "and as much as I hate to take her back to that place it does seem like our best chance to take out the portal before Moroni can run through it."
"I only hope that we can keep her safe," Spyro replied.
"If you wanted to keep her safe then leaving her here would have been best," K said, "No you were looking for a way to keep all of us as safe as possible."
"But at what cost," C asked, "what if the girl should die."
"I won't let that happen," Cynder said, "I can cloak her from all but the most powerful demons."
"Demons like Moroni," Ingitus stated.
"She will not be alone," K assured them, "I will have Tex and Carter remain with her, Tex because she seemed to bond well with Charolite and Carter because he can stand toe to toe with Moroni if it comes to that."
"I'll stick with her as well," Wash said, "Tex may be the best of us but she can still slip up."
"Aye that is good," Arya responded, "always in pairs, but I would not have any more guarding the girl, else we draw more attention and endanger her more than we could protect."
"Well said," Doug commented, "K whats the plan then we going to be sneaky on this one?"
"Yes if Charolite can direct us to the demons then stealth and speed will be our victory in this fight," K replied.
"Well I'm not much for stealth," Anjali said, "I shall remain here with the rest of the Legion."
"Aye, I shall as well," Spyro added, "Take only those of us who are gifted in the art of stealth, I for one am not."
"Indeed," Fiona will come, Along with Carter, Tex, Doug, Arya, Cynder, Zar, Wash, Price, Soap, Adam, and Diablo," K said.
"Well never thought I was stealthy," Zar said, "or Diablo or Doug for that matter but I'll be happy to assist you however I can."
"I'll go round up who we're missing then," Spyro said, "Here's hoping for the best."
Character Diablo
Eight hours later somewhere in Siberia
"So this is what he brought us three for," Diablo grumbled, "To draw the attention of the entire camp once they have gotten as close as they can?"
"Sounds like it," Zar replied.
"Quiet," Doug whispered. Doug was currently controlling eight true flood sections of the hoard of flood entities that were under his dominion. The little four legged buggers were very agile and could climb even some of the most difficult surfaces with ease, then lock down and mutate to spine throwing forms or they could hop into the middle of a skirmish and mutate into big brutes who's massive arms and low center or gravity allowed for smashing and bashing of the foe.
"Still irks me that Carter and Tex get guard duty with Cynder," Diablo remarked. Diablo was the self-proclaimed lord of terror, and he along with his brothers, Baal, Mephisto, occasionally K and recently Spyro's former enemy Malafor were the primary rulers of a sudo-hell where they had bickered and fought with the angles like Tyreal for thousands of years. Even after giving up that life and joining K in his fight against the very thing that once consumed him, Diablo still retained his old formidable appearance. That being a large, red, bipedal, scaly demon-like body with a large spiky tail, and a mane of horns that started at his chin wound its way around his face and then over his head and down his back. He had no lips so his large, blood-stained fangs always showed, a perfect compliment to his large razor-sharp claws.
"I bet you Price and Arya have taken out most of the demons patrolling by now, we've been waiting almost an hour," Zar remarked.
"They have only three guards to go before we can move in," Doug confirmed, "get ready. They have two left which they will take out simultaneously, then we move, nice and quiet while we can manage it, our goal is to get as far into the camp and to take out as many demons as we can before we are spotted then we run dragging the bulk of demons out away from the portal so Carter, K, and Tex can hit it. Ok lets go."
The demon camp was built around a spur of rock that jutted up from the earth and had natural rock walls all the way around so that navigating was like a maze. The fact that they were doing this at night made it even easier to find their way through the impossible morass of rock and shrub and ice. But they came upon their first demon within two minutes of entering the rock field, it was one of the larger brutish kind.
Diablo took the lead, the snow muffling his foot falls so his approach did not alert the first demon he came across. He dispatched the demon by thrusting his claws through its back and grinding it under his foot. After he got off of it Zar used the bone pieces to form a skeleton the first of his own personal army. Another three demons fell two to Doug's spikes, and one to Diablo's claws and three more skeletons joined their ranks. The fifth demon they came upon noticed them first however and sent up an alarm.
"Alright we are go lets get out of here," Zar said, "I'll have the skeletons hang back to draw more attention then they will join up with us just outside the camp.
"K knows that we are pulling the demons away and he and his team are moving into position," Doug confirmed, "Now then this way." The three dashed back into the rocky maze with the sounds of pursuit clamoring off the rocks.
Character Tex
"That's our cue," Tex said, "Lets catch up with K and swap out for Price and Arya.
"Get on then," Carter said, "Charolite you going to be ok while we are gone."
"Yeah I think so Cynder seems nice," Charolite replied from the blanket of shadows that Cynder was hiding her in.
"Well glad to see I have your approval," Cynder jibbed.
"We'll be back after the portal is down," Tex added as she climbed onto Carter, "ok big guy lets fly." Carter took off and through a series of glides and hops was able to reach K in under five minutes.
"Good to see you two we are heading back," Arya said as she and Price began their retreat back through the rocky passages.
"There it is," K pointed out, "The portal." It was not much to look at structurally just an arch of iron with uranium inside it and several weapons embedded in it with copper surrounding them. From the weapons, six in all, came six red beams that met in the center of the arch, when the portal was open the beams would spread out to cover the entire inside of the arch creating a doorway straight from hell into the world. "Now if we disable the portal by destroying or breaking the weapons it holds then we can stall the demons but we want to bring it all down."
"I could snipe the center until it breaks open," Tex said, "That should stop it."
"Ah there you are," Wash said as he ran up to the three, "here brought some rocket launchers thought they might be helpful."
"I thought you were staying at camp with Cynder," K said, "no matter the rockets might just do the trick."
"That's assuming you can get past all my minions, save your friends, and survive me long enough to do that," Moroni said from somewhere up above them, "oh don't worry I won't be jumping in just yet but oh look your friends seem to have met up with each other in the rock field and have been herded back here. Oh but look they are being follow by hundreds of my demons, hmm how could I have know about that plan of yours, oh yes my little spy Charolite she is such a good infiltrator. To think she learned everything from me and I learned it from you Kalathanon."
Tex brought her sniper rifle up and rang out four shots into demons that were trying to attack Arya and Price from the left. "We need to get to them now!" she shouted as she jumped down into the clearing and raced to the defense of the two hassled fighters. Just a few feet away from them Diablo and his team reentered the clearing with a mound of demons piling up behind them. Tex reloaded then dropped three more of Arya and Price's demons and one demon that was attacking Zar.
"Get away from the passages," Wash shouted as he ran past Tex with both rocket launchers.
"Wash those things will..." Tex's warning came just a second to late as Wash shot back past her after firing off both tubes on both rockets. The resulting explosion however closed the two passages that the demons were immediately come through. Then the rocks shifted opening up a new passage directly to Tex's left through which rushed twenty of the mutated poison oozing demons. Tex sent four shots into the mass killing six of the demons then killed another by impaling it on the empty sniper rifle. She dived for the closest rocket launcher then rolled back towards Wash to help him up.
"Well not doing that again," Wash said, "Oh come on where did these guys come from."
Tex was about to use the last two rockets on the group of demons when K flew over and dissolved the demons in his particle ripping breath, he then landed by Arya and Price who were fairing the worst of the three groups, Carter was over by the portal confronting Moroni.
"Lets go get him," Tex said.
"Only if I get the rockets," Wash said.
"Fine, give me your pistol," Tex replied as the two ran over to Carter's aid. Wash threw his pistol and Tex tossed him the rockets. Drawing her own pistol Tex ran behind Moroni while he was distracted with Carter and unloaded both clips from the two guns into his back. Moroni howled but his attack against Carter was unrelenting. As Tex reloaded she saw that almost all of Doug's flood were crushed Diablo was back to back with K who had taken on his half-dragon form. Arya was on Zar and Price and the last two of Doug's flood were cornered by the demons.
Washington fired the last two rockets at the portal but Moroni was faster he charged Carter taking a full hit from Carter's flesh rending fear pulse, but the demon general was still able to hurl Carter into the rockets which exploded on his side and belly cracking many of his scales and causing blood to start running from the wounds. Moroni however didn't press the advantage, he instead shambled towards the portal.
"Got you," Tex heard Carter say, "Veteran of a Thousand Physic Wars."
She was going to ask him what he meant but then the portal flared to life and Moroni was thrown back. "You called love," Cloak said as she walked through the portal, "Carter! Oh you've done it now demon, Rodger, come through and bring all your friends."
As she spoke a man in black armor similar to Tex's own but designed for normal troops to be able to wear stepped through. The man seemed familiar and a second later Tex knew why as a familiar woman named Cony stepped through, she was wearing her signature EOD armor suit and carrying her twin pistols. Then to Tex's astonishment Cony was followed by Main, a super strong Freelancer, then York, North, South, Wyoming, and Carolina. Tex had no idea why the dead freelancers had returned in the company of the traitor Cony and the leader of the resistance, Rodger, but right now she was going to take any help that she could get.
"So Cloak this is the demon that killed you," Main said, "well you want him or do we get to have him?"
"Oh," Cloak said as she began to shimmer then burn with a spastic black fire, "He is mine. Hear me Moroni, I am Cloak, Wife of Carter the aspect of the Fear of God, I am the Leviathan of the Aspect of the Absence of God. I am Hell incarnate the literal absence of the presence of God, even though he is not absence in me, I have been given the authority to pick a being to have him remove his presence from entirely and that being is you, you are banished, you are destroyed, you never were."
As Cloak spoke Moroni screamed then simply faded away. Then Cloak collapsed in on herself and Carolina and York rushed forward to catch her as she fell, once again human but now with a deep blue Spartan suit instead of her previous frame. Tex spun around as Carter groaned and shrank down into a Spartan as well, he then pushed himself up and staggered over to Wash and her.
"Told you Cloak had a plan," Carter said from his red and black suit, "Come on introduce me to your friends."
Character Cloak
"Ok is everyone accounted for," Cloak asked.
"Lets see, Main, York, North, South, Wyoming, CT, Texas, Washington, Rodger, and myself yes all accounted for," Carolina replied.
"Carolina," Wash exclaimed, "I didn't think you were dead."
"I wasn't until those demon creatures showed up, almost had the Director too," Carolina replied.
"You two shut it hear that?" Cloak snapped, "listen." There was nothing at first, but then the sound of grating, like stones being rubbed together.
"Great more company coming," Zar said, "any idea what it is?"
His question was answered when one of the stones that littered the ground exploded to reveal that it was not a stone but a rock-like demon that had been posing as a stone. The demon was only three feet tall but was stocky and had four arms and four legs with its head in the center making it hard to get to. Then every rock that the maze was comprised of began to grate and rumble.
"Uh guys there are like a thousand rocks here," York said, "we going to take them all on?"
"Oh yeah," K replied, "Good to have you on the team welcome to Dragon Company."
Cloak walked over to Carter, "so how does being in a human body again feel?"
"Different," Carter replied, "The suit is the only redeeming quality I see at this point but, perhaps you could show me the perks of a human body?"
"Hmm... I'll take you up on that after we kill these creatures," Cloak replied.
"I've got your backs," Tex said from behind them.
Just then ten more rocks broke open and joined the first demon, then the eleven demons charged. Carolina, Main and Rodger charged into the pack of demons dropping five of the creatures before Diablo's lighting inferno swept over the remaining six causing them to explode. Then the rest of the stones exploded, unleashing a mass of the rocky demons that must have been close to five hundred totaled. K and Zar were across the clearing to the South and drew many of the demons attention, Diablo, Carolina, Rodger and Main were now in the center of the clearing along with two of Doug's flood, CT, Wyoming, Wash, York, North and South were by the portal and holding off the demons from the West side of the clearing, Arya and Price held the East side, that left the North side to just Carter, Tex and Cloak.
The first group of demons headed their way, it was thirty in all. Cloak intercepted the first wave staggering two of the demons and killing three, she was followed up by Carter who finished off the two she had stunned and then Tex who pulverized four more. The remaining demons backed off and waited until another group joined them to attack again. This time they broke into three groups, fifteen each , and each attacked one of the three defenders. Cloak lost track of the other two groups but trusted in Tex and Carter to keep them busy while she focused on her group. Three demons came within her range, three demons died, then she attacked the demons killing four of them and crippling another. The remaining eight attacked her as one but she was faster than the stony demons and killed the remaining demons with only a few bruises to show for it. She looked back to see Carter finishing off his last demon and Tex who was piling up the corpses to act as a hill.
"Carter help Tex out with those corpses I'll bring mine over so that way we have the high ground," Cloak called out. She then checked to see how the others were doing, K and Zar were doing the best so far with almost a hundred dead demons piled around them, Diablo and the Spartans with him had the least corpses around them but they were helping to keep the demons from getting through the middle and blind siding either Cloak's own position or the position held by the other Freelancers, Arya and Price had retreated to their more centralized position as well leaving the East side for Cloak, Tex, and Carter. Still there was about another three hundred to go. Right as the demons were assembling for another, larger attack four drop pods fell from the sky. Out from them emerged Master Chief, Arbiter, Johnson, and Soap.
"John glad you and yours could make it," K called.
"Hope we aren't late for the party," Soap replied as a line of smaller weapon drop pods landed beside them. "Oh we brought some favors too."
The demons however had other plans and rushed them all before anyone could get to the new weapons. Cloak, Carter and Tex had it easier now because of the pile of bodies that they were standing on. However there are only so many rocky heads that one can punch before ones fist hurts even with armor on as Cloak was finding out. Tex was unaffected and Carter appeared to be undeterred but Cloak could tell that they were slowing down and eventually the press of demons would overwhelm them.
"We have to get to the weapons," Cloak said, "Tex you go for them, you have the best chance of getting there and back." Tex nodded motioned for Cloak to cover her position as she ran to get the weapons that were forty feet away, then took off. The next few seconds seemed like hours for Cloak as she repelled demon after demon. Carter caught her when she lost her footing and they both seemed about to be taken down when four sniper bullets raced between them and destroyed the demons that were immediately attacking. Tex had reached the weapons, her trip back seemed much shorter to Cloak but that might have been because Tex's shots continued to reek havoc in the demon hoard. Then Cloak was grabbing a shotgun out of the air, Carter had an assault rifle and Tex was back on the pile with twin pistols.
The remaining demons didn't have a chance as more of the demons tried to dislodge Cloak, Carter and Tex, K and Zar were able to break free and move around to the west freeing up the other Freelancers to take the center. After that it was all over in a matter of moments once the others got their hands on the guns bullets flew and demons died not much else to tell.
"Ok so that's it for the demon gates here," K said, "Lets regroup with the others aboard Doug's ship and decide on the next course of action."
"Yeah, like where do we go now," Cloak said.
"To help Cynder," Zar replied, "you heard Moroni, Charolite is one of his agents we should see if Gramms is ok."
"Gramms? What she your grandmother or something," Carolina asked.
"As a matter of fact I am," Cynder replied as she landed in the clearing with Charolite wrapped in a bundle of shadow, "here is the little trouble maker. After her master was banished she could do nothing but scream so I have her held in suspended animation."
"Good I'll release her mind from Moroni's control and then she can decide if she wants to come with us or stick around Earth and help the defense here," K said, "now lets get the others and go meet with Doug."