A/N: Sorry this is very, very late, I've hit some bumps in the road and since a new semester has started, I've received a new class schedule and wow, I'm lagging. Sadly, this does mean that I'll probably only update once a month or every two months but that also means I'll do my best to make sure you all receive extended chapters. I should be able to extensively post during my spring break or summer or whenever I get another break. Sorry for the wait.
Anyways, I should probably answer some questions and comments I got recently.
About Callixtus's ship and Sparrow, they, unfortunately, didn't make it through the timestream with him so, no, he won't be using them. Who knows, maybe he'll have some schematics somewhere?
The Master Chief, in my opinion, is a very difficult character to write purely due to the fact that this is probably the first time I've ever written him and I'm more well-adjusted in writing "chirpy" characters. I'm running a trial-and-error but I really do appreciate everyone giving me pointers so thank you for the advice. Once I'm sure I've got it down, chapters will be revised to accommodate to this.
Nony, in general, shipping them is a rather interesting factor and it's perfectly fine. Plotwise, it's weird, to me at least. We'll just have to progress further into the story to elicit everyone else's reaction.
The AI machine gun Callixtus has is called Super Good Advice.
Also, yes, that was the Fist of Havoc with Death From Above. There will be questions about this later on, reactions in Halo, irregardless of what, tend to be very subtle.
Thank you for your patience and for that, I've kicked out around 10k words just for you, thanks for reading.
EDIT (4/21/15): I do not know what I edited here, I think it was the Aegis Relic involvement but like? Just take it, thanks.
Callixtus didn't know exactly what he'd been doing for the past several hours; despite what had happened, he could consider it a normal day - should he be back in his timeline - which ranged from getting berated at an alien the Humans called the "Prophet of Truth" to blowing up a base to escaping from said blown up base and killing aliens with a mounted turret on the back of a truck. He was standing on the mentioned truck, travelling through a dim tunnel towards a warehouse; it was quiet, the soldiers murmuring among themselves as the vehicles - Warthogs, he recalled - stopped at the warehouse, the Master Chief stepping out from where he was sitting as the soldiers gathered around the door. Others positioned the vehicles as close as they could without running over their comrades.
The Titan stepped down from the turret when the Master Chief faced him, giving him a faint 'get-down-here' gesture, and stood rigidly at the super-human's side, Invective at the ready.
He watched as the Human activated the doors and slipped through them before they finished opening, going up a set of stairs and peering down the railing and below to see several of the more weaker aliens wandering about, seemingly listening to the hologram that displayed a sermon of the so-called Prophet. He vaguely remembered Ghost informing him that it was called a 'San 'Shyuum', a race of aliens that was practically extinct with no intent of repopulating and kept well away from their solar system.
Looking over his shoulder, he remained crouched as the Master Chief keyed another set of controls that allowed the Humans to slip through and unleash their bulleted glory upon the smaller creatures. Another door opened and they ran through, blasting down the shielded creatures set back only momentarily when the ape creature tried to climb into an unusual purple vehicle.
Two more of the dark orchid, slightly bulbous vehicles sat off to the right; Callixtus stared at it, unsure if it had some kind of auto-pilot or if he should get on. He watched curiously when the Master Chief easily slipped into the seat of one of them, the vehicle automatically activating, hovering above the ground as a faint hum joined in with the soft rumble of the Warthogs' engines. Callixtus hesitantly approached the last one sitting quietly next to the Chief; slowly climbing on, he got one of the few surprises of his life when the vehicle suddenly began hovering in the air, it bobbed and dipped momentarily, a little more sensitive than a Sparrow and he glared at it as if it personally offended him before he gained control. It was nothing like a Sparrow in build per se but it would compensate, he supposed, as he guided it out of the warehouse and towards a small field, following the Master Chief, idly aware of the Warthogs that cruised alongside him. They split off when several of the mortar-based tanks started attacking them, Callixtus getting the feel of simultaneously driving and shooting at the same time, doing his best to not stray too far from the Humans in case they ended up driving off once more. He maneuvered deftly around several other vehicles, watching as the plasma washed over the metal, eventually melting the casing and creating a bright blue-and-white explosion that crackled over his Arc shields when he got too close.
Driving up the ramp and towards another warehouse, Callixtus barely tossed the mangled tank a sparing glance as he made his way inside, jumping down from the vehicle in time to blast away several of the beady-eyed birds and squat whiners.
Looking up the stairs, he spotted a group of apes, the majority of them heavily armored, one of them reminiscent to those that wielded the hammer and the green plasma cannon. Without a single thought, the Titan charged towards them, delivering a powerful shoulder-charge into the gold ape, caving in the armour but not killing it, a well-placed fiery shotgun shell finished it off. Delivering a powerful backhand with the relic to the metallic aegean ape, Callixtus turned to face the heavily-armoured one only to hear a loud shriek pierce the air momentarily before bright light filled his vision; the Titan stumbled back in surprise, his back hitting a wall as he threw his arm over his face, throwing a wild lightning grenade, feeling the crackle of its energy and the occasional pulse as the electricity whipped furiously at the surrounding enemies. The relic responded violently to the blinding device, powering up and shrieking with the device along with several howls met that met his sensitive ears - the smell of burning flesh filled the air as the light eventually faded away, revealing two dead apes and a singed one.
The Titan reached for his Invective, shaking his relic arm when the device's shrieking died down, ready to take the creature head-on when a barrage of bullets and a well-placed blow to the head grounded it once and for all.
Blinking rapidly to get rid of the afterimages of the flare and attempting to calm the already quieting relic, Callixtus nodded towards the Master Chief who simply crouched to pick up spare clips of ammo before exiting the room, marching over to an ammo crate and picking up a rocket launcher and the Human-rendition of a pulse rifle.
As the Humans gathered what supplies they could scavenge, loud buzzing filled the air followed by the appearance of the oversized bugs Callixtus recalled encountering in the caves; several made some grabs at the smaller Humans and the buzzards seemed to be clever enough to give the Master Chief and Callixtus a wide berth, primarily concentrating on taking out the weaker Humans that accompanied them. They didn't deem any real issue and they were quickly mopped up, the Humans having not suffered any casualties to the bugs.
Soon, they made their way through the tunnels, coming across a set of seemingly smaller versions of the Warthogs; when the Guardian nudged the super-soldier and pointed at the small vehicles curiously, all the Master Chief grunted was, "Mongoose." and got on, prompting the other to take out his Gjallarhorn - he sent a silent prayer to the Guardians who made up the rocket launcher - and jump onto the back, holding on to the small latch it had. They had only gotten several feet forward when the Master Chief seemingly froze, his head lowering slightly, his body tense as if he were waiting for Callixtus to stab him in the back - or worse.
Callixtus recalled seeing this happen to the Human several times, twice when they were escaping from the crumbling base, having dragged him along; by then, the Guardian was used to it and waited patiently for the moment to pass. He didn't know what it was nor was he going to ask as the soldier constantly shot him looks that silently asked him not to pry, despite his silent promise, the Guardian received reports from his Ghost that some sort of mental phenomena was happening, causing the Chief's vitals to spike insanely before he went back to whatever he was doing as if nothing happened. Callixtus was intensely intrigued, perhaps even slightly worried, but didn't feel it was a subject to break a promise on for as soon as it had begun, the Master Chief was back in action and they were rolling out.
Blinking in the momentary sunlight, Callixtus found the squad in yet another field similar to the last yet it had more open space and the structure to the left consisted of a simple lift and catwalks connected to it. They drove out into the open fields, coming across two anti-air oriented tanks, a dull crimson in color with two cannons on each side, a plasma turret mounted below it being controlled by one of the apes; the Warthogs and Mongooses drove nimbly around them, distracting them from the sky although several were chased off by the rough, bulbous, single-pilot vehicles that defended it and soon they delved into chaos.
Callixtus focused on one of the anti-aerial tanks, drawing it's attention away from the skies and onto the small, deft vehicle that taunted it; the tank didn't stand a chance against the power of a Gjallarhorn - as soon as the rocket detonated with its initial explosion, the smaller swarm that spawned from it overwhelmed the tank, melting its plating and erupting violently, melting the hull and rending the tank useless. In a late defense, several of the violet, triangular, swift vehicles were dropped by a dark blue dropship but the aliens in it were weak and didn't stand a chance, going down almost immediately as soon as they hit the earth.
When the last AA tank was destroyed, the soldiers idly drove around before pausing, the sound of aerial combat faint in the distance. Callixtus tilted his head slightly as the soldiers began staring at the sky, he didn't like the feeling he was getting one bit.
Something was coming, something uncomfortably large.
It came from the sky with the sound of a whining Praetorian and crawled over the facility as if it were a giant arachnid; purple in colour with four spindly limbs and a curved body, a turret was mounted on the top, and its front glowed a deadly looking green, reminding Callixtus of the Hive. It stomped on one of the Warthogs, the explosion barely rocking the metallic beast as it strode forward, looking around at the small prey scuttling around its feet; it dipped low for a moment as the green front glowed brightly, aiming towards Callixtus and the Master Chief. Just as the violent stream of green plasma shot out, the Master Chief veered away from it, the beam rocking the ground beneath them and nearly sent the vehicle tumbling forward.
"The legs!" The Master Chief barked, barely dodging the large plasma bolts raining from above. The words were all the prompting the Titan needed as the Mongoose made a tight turn, facing the behemoth once more which was concentrating on one of the few Warthogs remaining.
Training the rocket on to the aforementioned target, Callixtus observed in the split-second it took to aim and fire the guided explosive that the armor on the legs seemed relatively loose in the simplest terms and it was no surprise yet a surprise when the small rocket burst, creating the small seeking explosives, and the plating fell off once several more rockets from the soldiers bombarded it. What was an actual surprise was that the metallic arachnid crouched even lower as it shook violently, a loud siren echoing around them; what it was doing, only Callixtus could guess although the top cannon still seemed to be functional, shooting at whatever moved within it's sight.
The Master Chief guided the Mongoose beneath the four-legged tank and jumped off, climbing onto a low platform that extended into it's belly. Callixtus jumped off, grabbing for his Invective as he jumped onto the mechanical creature as well, following the super-soldier. Several weak aliens stood in their way, easily taken care of with either a brutal, skull-caving punch or a well-placed grenade, knocking them off and into the traffic of Warthogs and Mongooses below.
Climbing up the beast and into a particular room that the aliens seemed adamant on guarding, they found a shield in the wall; easily, the Master Chief tore it down, revealing the controls beneath it and four pipes leading into it. Upon closer inspection, however, Callixtus realised that the pipes were actually flesh, some type of wyrm that pulsed with every shudder and plasma bolt. The beast was metal and flesh. It was alive.
As soon as they shot it apart, the entire beast became shaking even more erratically and Callixtus heard a soldier yell in the distance, "Get away! It's gonna blow!"
Easily, the pair jumped out of the belly of the beast as explosions rocked the synthetic-organic, jumping into a Warthog that drove up to them. Callixtus twisted around in time to hear the beast scream before exploding into a blaze of blue-and-white plasma, the body vaporising, leaving nothing but the legs as they thundered to the ground with a loud crash, bits and pieces of metal (and maybe even flesh) raining down upon them as the soldier drove the two to the facility.
Climbing down, they walked over to the catwalk and went back inside the facility once more, receiving several compliments and cheers of approval, the Master Chief stopping for several moments to pick up ammo from the crates, reloading his weapons with fresh clips. He made the notion that he was going to move on but froze once more, staring straight ahead as he lowered his weapons.
See? There go his vitals again. Ghost's sudden presence nearly made Callixtus jump but he merely tensed, waiting calmly for the Chief to regain his bearing as he always does in these moments. Still can't pinpoint what's doing it, although it seems like it's happening more often. Interesting.
Where have you been? Callixtus snapped, slightly irritated that his little light wasn't there to give him pointers and, quietly, slightly missing the snarky comments the tiny AI made whenever he was out fighting.
Analyzing everything. Especially those tanks you encountered. That big one you came across, the one with the four legs, I like that one. I can give you the data once I've reached a comfortable conclusion. Sorry for not holding your hand, Guardian.
Callixtus mentally snapped at the Ghost who simply let out a warm laugh and disappeared again, their conversation, although feeling like it lasted for a good deal, having only lasted for several seconds, and soon the two men were making their way through the facility once more. As they made their way through the halls, Callixtus heard the vibrating baritone of the jawless Vandal he recalled fighting alongside with momentarily. The Arbiter, that was what he was called. An interesting but capable fighter. The Titan also recalled the Humans calling his species 'Elites'.
"There was honour in our Covenant once," the Arbiter was saying, holding two plasma weapons in his clawed hands, "and there shall be again."
Nods of greeting were swapped and the trio was soon making their way into another area of the facility, an even bigger warehouse where a multitude of shipment containers were being held. Apes of varying ranks seemed to be scattered around the area, leaping about the containers and catwalks as if they owned the building, occasionally firing their spiked weapons to keep the Humans at bay. Their confidence seemed to disappear momentarily at the appearance of the three hulking soldiers but they soon roared challenges towards them, hurdling grenades and spikes alike at them.
Callixtus and the Master Chief charged forward as the Arbiter hung back, delivering plasma fire before launching towards the apes as well; it was as if an ocean wave crashed into a bay of rocks, corpses of the apes rocketed into the air, the weakly armoured aliens standing no chance against two shotguns, plasma weapons, and outraged soldiers. The rocks tried to move but the wave only pushed harder, step by step, death by death, they swarmed through the warehouse, for the single moment as the firefight continued, they felt powerful and unstoppable.
At one point, Callixtus watched from the corner of his eye, the Master Chief punched through one of the weak-armoured apes and tore out it's spine. The ape fell down with a pained howl, actually sobbing, before it began choking, the blood welling up as it writhed on the ground, stomped on by the merciless soldiers and ignored by its brethren, dying alone and in excruciating pain.
Weaving through the civilian workers that surrounded the area, the trio made it to the other side of the warehouse, unaware of the bloody corpse trail they left in their wake, neither did they care of it. It was work and it was work well done.
Heading towards the other entrance, the doors lifted up and several more civilian workers stumbled through, flailing and tripping over each other as they screamed incoherently, something about a pair of large 'Hunters' making their way into the warehouse. They didn't get much in as a large beam of green plasma appeared from outside and blew up several fusion coils scattered around the room, taking the civilians with them. There were cries of anguish from those behind the trio and shouts of outrage from the soldiers that had followed after them. Two azure armored beings entered the room, reminiscent of a Phalanx to Callixtus somewhat, not in shape or species but rather in how they held themselves. Behind a shield. Spikes protruded from the armor and they were hunched forward when they stood in place, revealing orange-pink flesh exposed in the back, flesh similar to what Callixtus saw in the synthetic-organic beast.
Although the green cannons were a new concept as were the species of the alien as a whole, Callixtus knew just about every single bit of how to counteract and act against a Phalanx. They were cowards who hid behind the safety of a flawed shield and he knew just exactly how to destroy that safety.
He put some distance between himself and the soldiers, making sure that the Phalanxes didn't notice him before sliding behind the one farthest from the Humans, unloading several flaming shells on to its exposed back before planting a lightning grenade in case it didn't die from the fire. It howled in pain as Callixtus got to his feet, attempting to sprint away from it; however, he only put several yards between him and the Phalanx before it swung its arm over it's head and towards the offender, the shield reaching farther than the Titan expected - it hit his shoulder and he flew back, slamming into a set of containers, his vision going white for several moments as pain exploded on the impacted shoulder. He watched hazily as the lightning grenade finished the Phalanx off, setting the second one howling as well, seemingly mournful and enraged at the other's defeat, making it more erratic and wild.
Guardian? Ghost's presence came forward once more, panic filling his mind before it left and he saw the little diamond-like AI appear in front of him, one 'eye' flickering and pieces twirling worriedly, ignorant of the battle behind it. "Callixtus? Hey, come on, you've suffered worse than this! Get up!"
Callixtus slurred a series of curses in retaliation, grabbing his Invective as he pushed himself to his feet, distantly hearing and feeling the rumbling crash of the second dead Phalanx; he stumbled forward several feet before reaching up to grab at his shoulder. His hand came away with white, glowing fluid and he stared at it as if trying to process what it was, he blinked, confused for a moment before it dawned on him.
Of course, Guardians bled Light - they just didn't bleed often.
He was vaguely aware of Ghost flying around his head, taking in several scans as the Master Chief and the Arbiter jogged over to him. Callixtus shook his head rapidly to try and clear it of the haze that filled his mind but only succeeded in making himself dizzy and swayed slightly, his arms held out to balance himself; the Master Chief's hand shot out to steady him although his eyes were set on Ghost who was scanning the gash on Callixtus's shoulder.
"Thank the Traveler, it didn't hit your bone or arteries. Just a gash," the Ghost explained, the familiar blue light flashing over the wound, sealing it slightly. "It'd be better if it healed naturally, we shouldn't use rez right now - not with your neural network in it's ridiculous condition. I did what I can and it's gonna leave an ugly scar but I think your only worries now are that it'll leave your skin exposed and you now have a giant flashlight on your shoulder. I also gave you a stimulant so you don't pass out." The Ghost flew back, floating just in front of the Master Chief, and flickered it's eye at Callixtus disapprovingly.
"Please don't do that again, Guardian, you've been reckless lately; I understand that suicide and resurrection is the preferred tactic but your neural network is a mess right now, I don't want to risk losing you permanently," the Ghost stated quietly, worryingly, before dipping forward and disappearing back into Callixtus's mind. The trio was silent for a moment, the Master Chief and the Arbiter staring at Callixtus who avoided their gazes, rolling his shoulder and hissing at the soreness that was there before he crouched to pick up his Invective once more.
The Arbiter stepped forward, almost reaching out as if to touch Callixtus's wound but merely settled with a gesture towards it, remarking softly, "You are a strange one indeed, Guardian. You are Human yet you are not and your companion-" he trailed off for a moment as they continued walking before finishing haltingly, "-an unusual pair but compatible. I only hope that you side with us because you also see through the Prophet's lies and seek the truth. Perhaps, this once, the Prophet truly speaks the truth - that you are one of the Gods."
They continued on in silence, their previous rage from their rampage now faded away, and they swept through their enemies like a silent hurricane. Still, nothing hindered them, working together to take down the simplest enemy to the hammer-wielding, crazed ape that swung at them. The power of the hammer pounded and vibrated into the ground yet they stood, unshaken, and dodged, danced, weaved around the creature, exchanging bullets and violent strikes yet they didn't voice a victory or signs of satisfaction when the ape fell with a gurgle. Wordlessly, the Master Chief picked up the hammer, hefting it with ease as the other two continued on, clearing a straight path of grunts and the squawking, shielded birds. The path lead from the facility to a barren hill, the only thing occupying it was a squad of heavily armored apes and a powerful, plasma-based anti-aerial weapon that occasionally shot at the human vehicles inhabiting the sky. Callixtus noticed that only one shot made it into the air before it had to cooldown for around eight seconds and then it could fire a bolt once more.
At the base of the hill stood several more squads of the squat, grunty creatures, scattered around. Callixtus and Arbiter distracted them with ease, Callixtus swapping the exotic Invective for his sniper rifle and then immediately picking out Bad Juju to replace the exotic, the simple burst-shot weapon allowing the Titan for more accuracy.
All was going well, he and the Arbiter easing their way up the hill as the Master Chief sprinted by, hammer in hand, occasionally disrupting the air with a loud, vibrating boom before disappearing over onto the top of the hill.
Callixtus was caught by surprise when he shot the head clean off of one of the squat creatures and a loud pop! filled the air followed by a burst of colourful paper; the Titan stared at the little bits of paper for a split-second before turning back to the remainder of the enemies, letting out a confused noise as he tried to comprehend what just happened. The Arbiter simply chuckled, explaining,
"Quite the surprise, yes, but they are sporadic. Do not expect them often."
As they climbed to the top of the hill, they watched as the Master Chief smashed an ape's hand against the wall with the hammer, making the creature howl in pain as it's appendages were smashed between the rock and golden weapon it wielded; it snarled and snapped at the armoured Human but only succeeded in getting it's head smashed into the wall next to it's hands, creating a bloody pulp that splashed against the Chief's sage armour. The super-soldier dropped the hammer and picked up the golden weapon, turning to face the bottom of the aerial turret to which the Titan and Arbiter did the same, patiently waiting for the giant weapon to overheat. As soon as it fired the next plasma bolt, the bottom of the weapon folded away to let a large, white orb fall out, surrounded by smoke and steam, cooling down in the crisp air that surrounded it; when the orb appeared, immediately, it was barraged by green plasma, regular plasma, and kinetic rounds, Callixtus figuring that the eight-second window was enough time to destroy the turret.
They watched appreciatively as the orb exploded, bringing the rest of the weapon with it, purple-blue flames being all that remained of it as they turned away to gaze at the excavation site in the distance. Multiple longswords appeared from the distance, flying to the device the enemy had uncovered as several more flagships appeared in the distance behind them, flying towards it with hurried speed, firing at the device. However, just as they flew towards it, the ground below the device dipped down as several prongs lifted up and the device disappeared into the ground, bright light appearing as it activated. A pillar of blue energy streamed from the disappearing tool growing in size as it gathered power, the prongs lifting up and forming a contemporary wall around it. The energy seemed to have some kind of magnetic well, pulling in all ships near it ranging from the longswords - which disappeared without a trace - to the flagships, both Human and alien alike. As the pillar let out a burst of power, the trio of soldiers were thrown against a set of boulders, the immense power knocking all of them out.
Callixtus's shoulder flared in pain and the Aegis relic activated once more, creating a shield that surrounded the three soldiers, the Light responding to the pillar of energy, and he faintly remembered his own voice crying out in response before he slumped over, unconscious.
The Titan's shoulder and arm pulsed with a numb kind of pain as he slowly came to himself once more.
Shaking his head to clear of the oncoming headache, he got to his knees, breathing in deeply before pushing himself to his feet, leaning against the boulder to steady himself. Looking around, he saw the Master Chief also get to his feet and that the Arbiter stood several feet away, staring at the sky; looking up, he saw a giant, lapis gate in the atmosphere, the prongs in the ground seemingly stabilising it as the device launched towards it.
A Timegate? The words flashed across his mind, filling him with a tinge of hope before he sullenly realized that, no, it wasn't a Timegate. The Vex's work consisted of a sliver of Dark influence and reeked of Time itself, this gate didn't leak of both but it seemed that his entire being and the relic responded accordingly to it, the visible Light pulsing gently along with the gate.
Watching as the device entered the gate, Callixtus hissed and wrapped his arms around himself when the Light burned, casting a soft glow around him when his shoulder pulsed; the relic flared as well, creating a temporary shield before dying down to periodic pulses. So, these were connected to this gate then. The Titan didn't recall being told of this area back on his Earth by the Speaker nor the Vanguards; then again, he was stationed in the far Northern area of the planet, perhaps the Guardians stationed in the South had some idea of what it was.
He watched as the alien flagships entered the gate and bit his lip so hard, he tasted more Light spilling from his wound. It burned in a way that it felt so pure; he didn't imagine such a thing to be so painful. The more that entered, the brighter the wound got, and the more it burned, and soon, the Titan nearly keeled over with a gasp, vaguely aware of the Master Chief facing him sharply and the Arbiter roaring at the flagships. Whatever was in that gate was connected to his Light.
Ghost...? Callixtus reached out mentally for the little light and was almost immediately given a response.
Looks like that device is Forerunner make. Has traces of Light. Might be a source that has an influence of you. It looks like it seems to be pieces of the gate that are in you are trying to get out. Scanning. Wait. Ah, I see, the traces of Light inside the gate is Void energy, it uses the fabrics of time and space in order to reach its destination. The Void in the gate is reaching out to you - trying to integrate you into the system. I'll see what else I can learn about it.
As the last ship entered the gate, the burn and glow began to die away and the Titan found himself on his needs, blinking away tears of pain. Looking up, he saw the Master Chief crouched in front of him, seemingly unsure of what to do but looking over the Guardian to make sure he was still breathing.
Slowly, Callixtus unwrapped his arms from around his middle, the Light on the relic and his shoulder dying down to small, faint pulses once more, and the Master Chief gave a slight nod as if in approval and stood, offering a hand to which Callixtus took gratefully, being hauled to his feet.
Turning their gaze back to the gate, a small boom sounded in the distance and the trio of soldiers looked to their left to see a warpstream open and another flagship fly out. However, this one was smoking and veered sharply towards the facility as if specifically targeting them. They took out their weapons, ready for whatever dropped from it, watching as it began to pass.
Once more, the Light reacted - it began humming quietly, pulsing once more as the ship passed overhead and Callixtus could feel waves of Darkness rolling off it in waves, the ship dropping off the reeking smell of rotting, infected flesh. Whispers filled his mind as they turned to watch it crash in the shipyard they were in simply an hour earlier. Turning to face where it crashed, they stared down the hill, Callixtus and the Master Chief knowing exactly what they were going to be facing.
"What is it?" The Arbiter asked, seemingly hesitant. "More Covenant?"
"Worse," the Master Chief answered simply. They descended from the hill, backtracking their way through the facility. As they passed through the packaging area, Callixtus couldn't help but notice the sudden multitude of bodies, having been unaware of them as he rarely, if ever, went back to the same place twice in the same day. When he did go back, the bodies were gone; only now was it registering just how bloody and ruthless Humans and Guardians were.
Screams filled the air and the three soldiers were on high alert, snapping their weapons toward the roofs when two infected forms leaped from the containers. They watched as they bounded away, not wanting to attract unnecessary attention.
When they approached the main gate, they saw that it was locked down and sealed, the only way being through a small office to the right. A small group of soldiers stood around the gate and they all jumped when a scream followed by the deathly shriek of the infected filled the air. Spores rained down from above, some latching onto surprised soldiers and immediately burrowing into their chests. Callixtus scowled at their pained screams, blasting one poor Human away before the spores could finish growing on his already mangled body as infected forms jumped down from the roofs above.
More spores appeared from behind in a sort of ambush shortly followed by a set of infected as the soldiers were herded into a tight perimeter behind Callixtus, the Master Chief, and the Arbiter. Despite being a rather simple enemy to beat in terms of combat, the Grave Plague's supplies never ceased to exist seeing as they stood right in front of it, practically handing themselves on a silver platter. The only advantage the organics had was the ability to deplete the deceased organics and to protect themselves from the spores.
Whenever the Plague neared Callixtus, he nearly shuddered at the Darkness that rolled off them; it was ancient and raw, a feeling that he'd never felt even when he delved deep into the Hellmouth and the Vault of Glass. What he faced now was like a pure form of the Darkness. The Light responded accordingly, pulsing and flashing, driving away any of the Plague that got too close but, as useful as it seemed like, his body ached. He felt as if he'd fall apart at any point and whenever the Plague actually touched him, the Light seared him and the creature with an intense amount of pain, he was surprised he was still standing. The Plague, however, wasn't better off: the Light actually burned the infected creatures, making their flesh boil and bubble and sometimes, if they lingered long enough, it popped, rendering limbs or entire carcasses useless.
As they moved forward into the warehouse once more, Callixtus rolled his shoulder, the Light leaking down his arm for a moment as the wound reopened from what little healing it was given. The Light was caught in a groove in the gauntlet and Callixtus paid it no attention, only thinking to himself that he needed to get it fixed and soon.
After saving a Human from being mauled and infected by a small herd of the spores, the trio stepped into the warehouse once more in time to see a small group of cornered soldiers doing their damnedest to fight off the infected. They poured in from all directions: behind containers, ceilings, gaps, walls, anywhere where an entrance allowed the Plague to squeeze through. The Master Chief pressed forward to go behind the soldiers' barricade and acted as a last defensive measure so that nothing got past him as Callixtus and the Arbiter went out and stomped out any corpses lying around, taking care of any infected that got too close.
The Plague, although weak, was nimble and leapt anywhere to which they could find purchase. Most of them found refuge on top of containers, well away from the shotguns the Humans favored, but found fault in it when sniped out by the Arbiter's carbine or Bad Juju. Some hid inside the containers and prompted either Callixtus or the Arbiter to duck inside and get bombarded by an overwhelming amount of infected or spores.
Luckily, no soldiers were lost to the Plague this time.
Making their way through the warehouse, they came upon the other entrance, seeing a soldier using a flamethrower before the infected managed to sneak up behind him and take him out. As soon as the soldier died, the Plague focused their attention on the newcomers, heading mainly towards the Humans, seeing them as the evidently weaker prey. Callixtus managed to shoulder-charge one of the infected apes away from a soldier, the Light burning into the pilot spore, eliciting a loud shriek from the Plague and a hiss of pain from the Titan.
Distantly, he heard the Arbiter taunt, "I am willing to kill you! Again and again!" as he blasted apart nearing infected and stopped on the rotting corpses of intact vessels. They had only lost one soldier to the infected, the Human having strayed a little too far from the tightly packed group. A lesson hopefully learned by the others as they stayed huddled, moving forward only after the Master Chief signaled so.
Making their way across the catwalk, the Master Chief signaled for the soldiers to stay where they were to wait for evac before they jumped through a hole in the floor in the next room. Callixtus just barely missed landing on the Master Chief's head as he had suddenly paused in what he was doing, entering what Callixtus had taken to calling his 'phenomena state'. Once more, he patiently waited for the moment to pass, shrugging when the Arbiter queried as to what was occurring.
And then, suddenly, the Master Chief was back. He pressed forward as if nothing had happened and Callixtus fell smoothly back into place, Bad Juju and Murmur ready for whatever was around the corner.
What they came across was a Human surrounded by partially infected corpses; he was sobbing, a magnum placed to his temple, and he blubbered on, explaining about what happened to his squad, his comrades, his friends. The Master Chief knelt before the man, not saying a word, but gently pried the magnum from his hands, evidently having dealt with people like this before, the man not once protesting; the super-soldier turned the safety on and dropped the magazine from the weapon before placing it on the ground before the Human then getting up and walking away.
"You would leave your comrade defenseless?" The Arbiter questioned in disbelief, he and Callixtus following him outside.
"He's not defenseless, I only disarmed him," the Master Chief answered simply. "I've seen their type before; he chooses how it ends." It was cryptic and cold and the Arbiter didn't appear satisfied with the answer but didn't pay the Human any more attention as more flagships appeared into the atmosphere. At first, Callixtus tensed but then saw the way his allies reacted and watched as pods fell from the ships, landing in the small piece of land ahead. Elites burst from the pod, shooting their plasma weapons at the approaching Plague.
After watching for several tense seconds, they moved and descended the ramp, joining up with the aliens as they finished mopping up the corpses. They greeted the Arbiter and Master Chief, giving Callixtus a lingering, wary glance before offering the move ahead and assist with clearing the area out. The Elites exchanged words about their fleets, hearing that this Covenant had smashed through them, making them turn from hundreds to lingering numbers. It was unnerving but Callixtus recalled that the odds were about the same in his timeline, the Light's inhabitants lingering in the low thousands.
They forged ahead, looking up at the gate which seemed closer than it appeared. Staring long enough into it was chilling and Callixtus was nearly grateful when the Plague attacked, making him focus his attention elsewhere.
If you gaze long enough into the Abyss-
Idle words for an idle mind. Certainly a dangerous thing. He pushed the thought into the back of his mind and focused on dismembering the rotting corpses of the Plague as he simultaneously shot down a number of flailing infected, satisfied to watch them go down in a burning, shrieking, withering mess.
Walking up the ramp, Callixtus flinched when a human infected jumped down in front of him and pelted his shields with plasma bolts. Oh, fantastic, they were wielding weapons now.
Tearing out the small spore, he scowled when he popped the damned thing, the corpse crunching underneath his boot as he shot down an infected ape that had been wielding a curved, crude version of a grenade launcher of some type. He leapt back in surprise when a swollen body came up to him and practically threw itself at him, swelling up to at least three times it's size before exploding, releasing little spores everywhere. They were quickly mopped up, having spent several seconds scurrying around, crawling over useless body parts. Those were new, he speculated, and needed to have a close eye on them.
Entering one of the smaller warehouses and tunnels, the squadron waded their way through the muck and grime of the Plague, wiping out anything that got in their way. It seemed like the Plague was throwing everything it had at them, determined to keep them away from their goal. Callixtus got shot at several times although they were simply reflected from his shields and he retaliated by rendering their bodies useless. Their progress was swift and merciless, once more, driving their enemy back, step by step, in a hurricane of fire, bullets, and brute strength; with the additional assistance from the Elites added, they were damn near unstoppable, tearing through the Plague as if they were paper.
Entering the second shipyard, Callixtus spotted the flagship crashed where the field was before turning his attention to the sound of bones breaking and flesh ripping. A behemoth of an infected rose up from the ground, towering over all, swinging it's thick, meaty limbs wildly at them. As intimidating as it was, however, the flesh was still weak and although it bore well to several clips of ammo, it couldn't bear them all, and crashed to the ground with a thunderous cry and vibrated the ground as more infected showed up.
"The Construct," the Arbiter suddenly uttered. "She is within the ship."
Construct? Cortana, mayhaps? Callixtus looked over at the ship, subconsciously rubbing his shoulder as the Light pulsed, the glow steadily getting brighter in response to the heavy presence of the Darkness. He recalled her being on the space city; she couldn't have transferred herself to a flagship, could she?
I'm getting a signal from inside the ship. Ghost announced suddenly, apparently having heard the news as well. It's very faint but I can detect it. Could be her.
Thank you for your input. Callixtus muttered as he kicked away a spore before turning and shooting at the chest of an infected Human. What are the chances of it being her?
Likely. Not very high but there's a good chance. I'm unsure of how the AIs here work but she could have possibly transferred her data to a portable pad. I've heard of AIs with the capability of being able to travel from network to network and she's considered one of the most advanced. Perhaps.
Hm. Very well. Thank you.
Any time, Guardian. As the Ghost disappeared to do Traveler-knows-what, Callixtus watched as another heavyset infected appeared, combated by the Master Chief who bombarded it with a heavy chaingun he happened to be carrying. Distracted with that, Callixtus focused on the little things, shooting at infected that attempted to run, chasing the spores, and causing premature decomposition on mounds of corpses being grounded by the Elites and the Arbiter.
Throwing a lightning grenade into a particularly large crowd of the Plague, Callixtus listened in satisfaction when he heard the familiar pulses of the grenade followed by the chain of lightning and the smell - although retching - of burning flesh filling the air once more. More shrieks of indignation filled the air and more infected arrived, the Elites roaring challenges towards them in return as they greeted the oncoming Plague with powerful strikes and precision shooting. Callixtus joined the fray effortlessly, twisting and turning and leaping about as he switched between his flame-Murmur and Bad Juju, his Ghost occasionally supplying him with ammunition packs.
Stepping onto the flesh of the ship, the Arbiter announced that he and his Elites would be remaining the surface to make sure that the Plague didn't leave the facility, leaving the Titan and Master Chief to delve into the ship alone. Better to be safe than sorry, if that's how the saying went, the Guardian mused as they ran along the length of the ship, stepping in the occasional spore.
The presence of the Darkness was ancient and powerful as if it were one of its sources; Callixtus supposed he shouldn't be shocked if it did turn out to be but he was learning new things by the hour so why the fuck not? The past was a strange place so might as well make it a little stranger and more confusing. History was fascinating after all.
Reaching the top of the ship, they stared down into a Plague-made entrance before jumping down it, the flesh of the Plague softening their landing as they made their way through fleshy tunnels. Despite the filters, Callixtus could still smell the scent of rotten flesh, sickness, and poison in the area; he knew he'd never get used to the scent, no matter how many times he faced these things or the Hive, he'd always end up having to bite the inside of his cheek to keep himself from gagging.
As they approached a curve in the tunnel, Callixtus paused when he felt his vision blur, green filling the edges as a low, raspy voice filled his mind.
Do not fear me for I am the salvation from your torture.
Callixtus blinked rapidly to clear his mind before giving a passing glance at the Master Chief.
"Heard that too?" The Human asked quietly, seemingly relieved that he wasn't the only one hearing voices as they forged ahead, stopping to pick up Arc blades that were satisfyingly at full charge.
Dropping down another hole, they landed in some coolant, the room was spacious with giant, pulsing spores clinging to the walls, the occasional purple peaking out from beneath the flesh. The two made a point of not touching the swollen spores, not wanting to know what happened when they came into close contact although they both had a pretty good hint as to what would happen.
As they passed through a tunnel and entered another spacious room, Callixtus's vision narrowed once more, the voice vibrating within his mind but faint and seemingly far away. Ghost was putting up mental barriers. The words, however, still rang out crystal clear,
Let our powers combine! We will be an unstoppable force, we will be immortal. Everlasting!
Shaking his head to clear his mind up again, he assisted Ghost in putting up stronger mental barriers while he and the Master Chief approached an cerulean device which blinked lazily. When the Master Chief activated it, Cortana's avatar appeared, glitching and lagging momentarily before looking up at the Human.
"Chief!" The AI exclaimed, causing the super-soldier to twitch, almost perking up at her voice.
"Cortana?" He asked hopefully, reaching out to her.
"High Charity, the Prophet's holy city, is on its way-" her voice cut out as she glitched back into the module disappearing. Evidently distressed, the Chief leaned forward, calling out her name once more but didn't get to draw her out.
"Maybe I can help," Ghost chirped from Callixtus's helmet. The Titan held out his left hand, allowing the small being to appear and float forward, a small beam of azule light appearing on the module. Ghost chirped and whistled, his pieces twirling idly as a dropship appeared from above. Callixtus and the Master Chief fell into a slight crouch, readying their weapons as they stared at the dropship, waiting for it to drop more aliens or the Plague.
Instead, a large silver orb with a glowing, cornflower optic-lens floated in a downwards spiral, humming gently to itself. Judging by how tense the Master Chief was, Callixtus figured that there weren't any good interactions with this particular AI in the past.
"Reclaimer!" It said in a synthesized male's voice cheerfully as if surprised and please. A loud snarl sounded behind Callixtus and the two soldiers turned in time to see the AI fire a powerful laser at an approaching infected ape.
"Hardlight laser, nice," Ghost complimented idly. The AI dipped in appreciation before approaching Cortana's module. "Whoa, hey, get away from her!" A blue shield appeared around the module just as the AI tried to grab it and Callixtus hissed at the orb.
"I must act quickly!" the AI explained quickly as the Master Chief tried to drag it away from the module. "Before the Construct suffers anymore damage!"
"I've got it from here, thanks."
"A Construct of your-oh?" The AI paused, a white light going over Ghost which prompted Callixtus to drag the little light away from the glowing ball, cradling the Ghost in his arms with a low, protective growl. "A Construct of your model? That must mean the Seekers-oh, absolutely splendid!" The same light roamed over Callixtus before closing in on his wound. "One of my Makers has been reborn! This is a terrific development!"
It approached Callixtus, mere inches from the Titan's face, "I am 343 Guilty Spark, Monitor of Installation 04! I request that we head someplace safer in order to make repairs to the Construct." Another snarl and Guilty Spark backed up slightly, seemingly surprised at the Titan's attitude.
"On Halo," the Master Chief spoke up, anger tinging his voice, "you tried to kill Cortana! You tried to kill me!" Spark turned to face the Human, retaliating simply,
"Protocol dictated my response. She had the activation Index and you were going to destroy my installation." It got relatively close to the super-soldier's face and said cryptically, "You did destroy my installation. Now I have only one function: to assist my Maker and his Reclaimers. As I always should've done." It faced Callixtus who still glared at the AI, Ghost still in his arms.
The Master Chief stared at Guilty Spark before looking over at Callixtus, his judging gaze roaming over the Titan's battered form, lingering slightly on the Ghost before he turned to the AI and let it take hold of the module. As it flew up towards the dropship, an anti-gravity well appeared, taking the two soldiers up into its bay and to yet another strange place.
Callixtus looked down at his Ghost and let him go, letting the little light take its place over his shoulder.
"I don't like him," Ghost grumbled simply.
The Guardian stared outside the dropship, watching as two flagships dragged golden lasers across the floor of the facility and the area surrounding it. 'Glassing' is what the Master Chief called it, literally turning the area into molten glass and killing all who got into its path, rendering the area barren and lifeless.
-the Abyss will gaze back into you.
Ghost was notably smaller while it floated idly beside Guilty Spark as the two of them worked on fixing the module. Callixtus was tense; he didn't trust this AI despite saying that it served him. How did it know what he was? Did the Forerunners make it? Possibly, but how could it know about the Seekers? The Ghosts? Something rubbed the Guardian the wrong way and it took a lot of willpower to not drag his Ghost away from that thing.
"Can it be saved?" The Elite sitting in the chair above the holomap, the Shipmaster, asked as the two continuously pressed their working beams to it.
"Uncertain," Guilty Spark replied almost immediately. "This storage containment unit has suffered considerable trauma."
"Perhaps one of our technicians-" Lord Hood began to suggest, only to be interrupted by the Shipmaster.
"That will not be necessary."
"It'll be laggy. Glitchy. But it'll work," the Ghost answered smoothly, giving a more optimistic side to the news just as Cortana popped out of the module once more.
"Chief, High Charity, the Prophet's holy city, is on its way to Earth. With an army of Flood. I can't tell you everything. It's not safe. The Gravemind. It knows I'm in the system." Her avatar glitched, pausing momentarily, allowing the Master Chief to say reluctantly,
"It's just a message."
"Let it play," the Shipmaster suggested as Guilty Spark adjusted the module.
"But it doesn't know about the portal or the Guardian, where it leads, who and what he is. On the other side, there's a solution, a way to stop the Flood without firing the remaining Halo rings. The Ark." She let out a cry of pain, clutching her head as she fell to the ground. "And the Guardian, Chief, he's Forerunner. If that Ark doesn't work, then the Guardian may be our last chance. The Gravemind can't know about him. Hurry, Chief, there isn't much time..."
"I'm sorry," Guilty Spark said softly.
"No matter, Oracle," the Shipmaster murmured, turning his gaze from the module to Callixtus, everyone following his gaze to lock onto the still form in the shadow behind the Master Chief. "The Construct says that you are Forerunner. Is this true?" Callixtus tilted his head to the side a little bit, folding his arms behind his back indifferently.
"Yes," the Ghost answered, flying up to the Guardian. "However, he's only half."
"Then what's the other half?" Keyes asked, stepping forward, looking at Callixtus up and down with a scrutinizing gaze.
"They were called Patriarchs. Extinct now. As far as I can tell, my Guardian is the only one." A partial truth but they couldn't necessarily risk the truth just yet; it'd be too wild, too unbelievable.
"And where have you been this entire time?" It was a near snap now but they didn't flinch. Instead, Ghost answered enigmatically,
"The Universe is vast, Commander." There was a sinking silence that filled the room before Ghost continued, "Look, let's get this straight, we're not going to betray you or anything if that's what you're wondering. These Halos are a big mistake and, quite frankly, we don't feel like dying permanently. You need our help, we're right here, ready to go, just give us the word. Need Forerunner magic? My Guardian can provide Arc and Void power and a whole arsenal to supply a regiment. There's also me."
"Then we're going through the portal," the Shipmaster remarked smoothly, redirecting the conversation to the situation at hand. "We'll be chasing after the Brutes and that bastardized Prophet, Truth!" The Elites on the bridge roared in agreement as Lord Hood sighed, adding,
"Aye, I suppose so. We'll remain here, hold out as long as we can."
"Did you not hear? Your world is burning. The Flood is there, even the smallest contamination can infect millions."
"And you, Shipmaster, just glassed half a continent! Maybe the Flood is all I should be worried about."
"Perhaps," Ghost chirped, twirling it's pieces, "but this Covenant is a rather large threat. While both reek of an ancient Darkness, the Covenant's intellect will get them everywhere faster. Granted it's your homeplanet but would you trade Earth for a superweapon? Irregardless whether my Guardian could stop it or not? Also," it flew down to Cortana's module, "Cortana's plan and information-"
"Cortana?" Hood interrupted. "Did you see her condition? How damaged she is? She could be corrupted for all we know." The Master Chief leaned forward, staring at the module as Ghost twirled its pieces, an angry whistle emitting from it. "Her solution could be a Flood trap!"
"We should go through the portal, find out for sure," Keyes stated, her position painstakingly clear.
"What we should do, Commander, is understand," Hood demanded. "Clearly, that this is Humanity's final stand. Here, at Earth."
"Funny, that's what my Guardian and I thought but then we ended up out of place and out of time in some ridiculous Vault," Ghost inputted sarcastically. Hood glared at the little light, retorting simply, "We go and we risk everything. Every last man, woman, and child. We stand our ground. We might just have a chance."
"We speak from experience, Lord Hood," Ghost stated, flying up to the Human. "Our last stand turned out to be a disaster, ravaged the entire planet save for one city. Even then, that city was already weak, we just barely survived the Collapse, and, still, we hang by threads, counting our days. The only way we were able to survive was to lose bodies but gain information. Should we doubt Cortana then the Grave Plague has already won. Mistakes should be fixed before they've taken place." Ghost turned towards the Master Chief who gazed back, stating simply,
"I'll find Cortana's solution." He looked over at Lord Hood. "I'll bring it back." Lord Hood made his way over to the super-soldier, looking up at him as he said,
"Earth is all we have left." He gestured over to Cortana's module. "Do you trust Cortana that much?"
"Sir, yes, sir," the Master Chief answered without hesitation.
"This is either the best decision you've ever made or the worst, I doubt I'll live long enough to figure it out," Lord Hood deadpanned before gazing at Callixtus. "And you, Guardian, I assume you've got some kind of backup plan worked out here in case it all goes to hell." This was met with a slow nod and the Human nodded in approval before turning and marching off the bridge.
Everyone else eventually filed out, the Ghost disappearing back into Callixtus's mind and Guilty Spark following the Arbiter; they all went into the hangar, the Master Chief and Commander Keyes seeing Lord Hood out while the Arbiter went off, picking up the Humans' weapons as he went. Callixtus followed idly, watching the exchange from afar, watching with slight amusement as the Human notoriously known as Johnson somehow successfully carried multiple weapons twice the size of him over to his soldiers.
Callixtus subconsciously rubbed his shoulder once more when he felt the familiar burn of ships entering the gate crawling across his entire body. Looking down, he fiddled anxiously with the relic before reaching up once more and rubbing his shoulder, feeling a pulse of power emanate from the two - really, the wound on his shoulder was anything but by now, it seemed to be more of a mark that seemed to correspond with the Aegis relic stuck to his arm. It was the same type of power he felt whenever he harnessed the light to use his Arc abilities or his Void abilities.
Concentrating on the feeling and eliminating any outside noise, Callixtus felt let the lingering power grow and course through him, spiking up his senses. He closed his eyes, concentrating on the mark and the relic, letting everything else fade into the background; in his mind's eye, he pictured the empty space beside the Master Chief where Commander Keyes previously was. He felt as if his body was gently being taken apart, scattered throughout the wind, and just as quickly, he felt himself being pieced back together.
"What-" The Master Chief's voice rumbled beside him in surprise and the Titan opened to his eyes to see that he had managed to move himself across the hangar and over near the bay doors albeit at the cost of making the world twirl for a good several minutes as he tried to get sense to reassert itself. He saw the super-soldier looking over at him, head tilted slightly. Callixtus merely gave him a shrug in response, one that said, I don't know what I'm doing but it worked and no one's dead, causing the Human to shake his head lightly, descending the ramp and gesturing for the other to follow him.
Staring down at the relic on his arm before looking over at his mark, Callixtus cursed softly. By the way he ended up when he appeared next to the Master Chief, wasn't ready for this kind of power, not by a long shot, and he'd probably regret discovering all of these things in the near future.
A/N: Alright, so there's that. We'll be heading into the Ark and everything will start changing from there hopefully.
Yes, the mark is an important part of Callixtus. Yes, he'll be having some of Atheon's abilities. No, I won't make him ridiculously OP.
I've received several messages and yes, Callixtus will die at some point. There's going to be a special something about what happens when he dies and it will be very significant so we'll see him die and be resurrected. It'll most likely be from his point-of-view or maybe the Chief's and then go into his when he dies, I dunno.
Now it's time for me to go back into premature hibernation for the next two months.
Questions, comments, concerns, critiques? Leave a review or PM me!
Thanks for reading