Summary/disclaimer: Time for another chapter of Iron Cross. Enjoy the 3500-word chapter. I do not own Warhammer or Halo, Gameshop and 343 do.
(SDV Class-Heavy Corvette Elegy's Lament, January 15th, 2532.)
The next few Banished soldiers fell easily to the layers of gunfire and bolts from the others.
Halius watched the entire corridor collapse into bits of bodies and wires as the bolts also tore through floor panels and alien metal not designed to resist this level of firepower.
"They are just as eager to die as the Covenant," Halius stated before he sighed to himself.
"Just makes them easier to kill," Jerome added, plasma burning the pillar he was beyond.
"Do not underestimate their power, Jerome… They may be just as dull as the Covenant but they are plotting something… Atriox would be approaching now if he was not." Halius added in a tone that suggested he was curious.
Halius cut a brute warrior in half with a pair of bolts to the chest. They slammed into the paneling, watching them at the time as he looked towards the others.
Halius hummed, watching as they looked to the side…. The Banished were eager to fight but they would be able to press the group now.
Halius seemed to be dealing with skilled soldiers, the Banished were beginning to push them slightly… He had been too disturbed at the time while he relaxed and then thought of it for now.
He had a lot more to try… They had to push out from this position or risk losing their footing on the ship.
"How long?" Linda asked to which Halius nodded.
"How long? We need to scuttle the ship soon enough." Halius added, firing at a brute who just ducked the bolt which still wounded them a few seconds later.
Halius knew more now the Banished were still trying to fight back.
Both times they fought for now. It had become less of a slug match and more like a siege against the Banished… He did not at all believe they were easy to defeat.
No, he just believed they could be killed all the same. They were not resistant to his weapons; their infantry still followed an exploitable stratagem… He had been curious as to how Atriox had trained these soldiers.
Still, they would fall. Every one of them would fall as all things could.
Halius simply believed they would be harder to destroy… Harder to collapse than the Covenant, it did not make them unstoppable or him unable to exploit a flaw.
He pondered how Master Chief was faring but decided against contacting him. it would have thrown off his mission and caused problems with their actions, not a good thing.
Both times had they managed to come back from what had been set upon them… But he suspected stacking the deck against the Spartan was ill-advised.
Instead? Halius decided to leave dealing with their issue until later… Until something further revealed itself and he could have done so to them all… Now and only then would she relax and allow them to crash and shatter down to the ground.
It was harder to think when the enemy was also rushing your location with every single soldier they could.
"How much longer? I know Atriox does not have limitless soldiers but we do not have limitless ammunition nor do we have much time before they force their way into the bridge." Halius asked while tracking and then shooting a brute warrior in the side.
"Few minutes, why?" Jerome asked before the door at the end of the hallway opened.
From there came another sorting of crimson elites and grunts… And Halius was met with the reddish-orange eyes of Atriox who advanced upon the group while Halius glowered, watching the 8ft monster heft his mace as the other Banished crashed down on them.
Atriox did not seem bothered by the incoming fighting and Halius knew why…. Because he intended to kill them.
"That is why," Halius stated before he placed his hand on Willbreaker. "Prepare for a real fight… I will handle him." Halius stated, his tone sounding more eager.
"So will I," Jerome stated, nodding at Halius who accepted the nod as they fired.
Both wanted to fight Atriox… It was written in stone they would love nothing more than to fight the Banished Warmaster.
And as the group cut down the Banished, Atriox approached. Halius stepped from cover, facing down the Banished Warmaster.
"Lieutenant Halius." Atriox glowered, hefting Chainbreaker.
"You are not worthy to use my name, monster." Halius hissed as he drew Willbreaker. "You came here to use us… I came here to remind you we have nothing in common. Nor are you anything. Nor our ally. You killed soldiers on our side just as well." Halius added.
"You are eager for needless blood." Atriox snapped.
"And you are a fool for believing us weak and malleable. You came here believing we were lesser and you could use us against your foes. You failed." Halius added as Atriox rushed him.
Halius ducked the swing and punched Atriox, sending the brute crashing into the wall, denting it as the other Banished looked at him.
Gunfire and bolts met the Banished, forcing them backward as Atriox rose. Halius drew Willbreaker as the Ultramarine faced the master of the Banished, staring at him with nothing short of pure contempt.
Atriox charged at him as Halius met him in combat, both slamming into the other with the force of mountains.
Halius deflected a strike of Chainbreaker, the mace-crushing alien metal as it hit the wall.
"Get going… The download is done, we will buy time." Jerome stated as he advanced toward Atriox and Halius.
"This is not a contest," Fred said as Jerome nodded.
"No, but it is a fight… And one I know we are going to have either now or later… Scuttle the ship with or without us… We planned how to get out anyway." Jerome stated in a tone that suggested he had indeed planned for this.
Fred looked towards Linda as both realized the two had probably planned for something like this… And it was clear they had a role to play.
So that meant they had to do what they had to do now and for good reason.
Jerome watched as Halius battled Atriox. The brute attempted to bring his mace down on the Astartes who ducked it, causing the hit to slam into the wall before gripping the brute and slamming him through the door.
"Your mistake was to believe we were pawns. The Covenant assaulted our worlds, why would we ally with a faction that had broken away from them? You still are fine burning worlds belonging to us." Halius hissed before a blocked strike from Atriox sent the Ultramarine back a few feet.
"The UNSC is not the dominant power in the starts… Not when billions rally against it." Atriox hissed, hefting his mace as Halius snorted and then rolled his eyes.
"Like you who wish to rule in the covenant's stead? You know this war would make you an enemy of all… Rather than rally warriors? You lead your followers to death, rather than grant them righteous vengeance? You slaughter them by having them fight us." Halius added, sparks flying from their weapons.
The two dueled and Halius? Halius knew that both would fight… He knew both would continue to fight… He and Atriox wanted nothing more than the blood of the other.
Both would settle for nothing less. Halius of all people knew that Atriox would endanger the galaxy if both were to fight.
Well, if he lived… But Halius planned to rectify that issue, ensuring it never reached the issue it would. He planned to kill him then and there.
Halius ducked a strike which almost tore his head before slashing Atriox back. Atriox recovered and went to swing only for a round of 8-gauge to catch him in the stomach.
"You wanted the UNSC and our friends… You got them, King Kong." Halius heard as Jerome rolled towards them.
"My only mistake was assuming you would be foolish enough to strike at the Banished." Atriox hissed as Halius shook his head.
"Your mistake was being an arrogant monster who we slaughter daily." Halius hissed before he rushed forward.
Halius knew that Atriox would not deny them battle… He stood in the way of trying to fight the Covenant… Something about that all made him eager to fight for now, eager to throw himself into the crucible but he would not relent.
Something within him almost wanted to snap. They had something beyond panic to deal with for now.
He knew only that he could not afford to back down, he would conquer Atriox and he would conquer the rest of the Banished in such short order.
The problem was he knew Atriox would not be easy to kill, soldiers like him were not something that fell easily, something he still had to deal with for now.
He would not mind making sure that he could have relaxed for now.
He had been too eager to think of something now, too disturbed for now… He had a lot more to try and understand beyond this.
Then again? Halius was far more amused than anything else. This soldier pressed him? He would have to deal with it.
Halius hummed and he would have been too exhausted for now as he fell silent and he would not have to deal with it.
Both times he had to deal with it for now… He slammed Atriox back with a kick, dodging another strike.
He was fast and strong but he was arrogant at the time. They had to try and think it all before it came crashing down.
He had been too sure of himself for now… And that arrogance cost him.
And it would continue to cost Atriox now and forever. Halius would ensure that.
Jerome slid between them and slammed right into Atriox, sending him skidding to the ground at the time being.
Halius hummed at the time and then looked to the side… Both times he had fought? He had denied how this could have gone. Now? Now Halius was sure he wanted a fight and he would find it one way or another.
Atriox tried to smash both under his hammer only for Halius to catch the tip of the hammer and flick the brute away.
(With Chief)
Chief dodged the Prelate's attempt to skewer him, flicking the knife into the leg of the beast. It was clear this was the same soldier from the cruiser but they appeared stronger, faster.
To Chief? It was a nightmare crawling out from the depths of chaos. They were more dangerous than they possibly looked but it was clear they were attempting to kill Chief all the same.
Well, trying to was a better word. He knew that he could hold the Prelate off… Killing them was a word that was not easily said without some effort.
They wanted a fight; Chief could see it in their stance as it flicked its blade toward the Spartan. It probed for a single weakness it could exploit and showed zero mercy in attempting to fight without knowing.
Still? They had a lot more to deal with… A lot more to deal with for now… An idea like this was something that only a trained killer would attempt, something he doubted.
"Master Chief, are you secure? We have run into complications with our mission… Is your mission secure?" Halius asked over the comm.
Chief said nothing, clearly focused on the Prelate who was trying his best to fight… It was clear without a shadow of a doubt they had to deal with more than this.
To be fair? Something like this was going to be taking all his possible skill to deal with.
Something within them both would break and it would take more than they could have dealt with to figure it out. He had to focus all his skill on attempting it.
Something within Chief told him to fight which he did. He fought with all he had, he pushed against the very concept of it now and for good… The idea he did not have more than he needed to fight was burned into his brain.
If he was asked to fight? He would and he would fight damn well for a soldier.
(With Halius and Jerome)
It became clear Halius could match Atriox in direct combat… And it was clear the battle aboard the corvette had intensified.
Halius and Atriox slammed through the door leading to the hangar, tearing the metal from the hinges.
Atriox growled as Halius climbed to his feet and Jerome readied his shotgun. Both supersoldiers stared him down.
"I could keep picking apart how little I respect you or your army, Atriox… But I believe you already know I find you too arrogant and only desire your death." Halius stated before Atriox huffed.
"A close-minded fool who only sees enemies," Atriox stated before Halius hummed.
"You have killed humans and used us as pawns for your schemes… There was never going to be anything besides hatred and war between us and the Banished given your long-term goals." Halius stated, blocking Atriox's mace.
"And what makes you assume we will fall so easily?" Atriox hissed as Halius was driven back by several strikes he blocked with Chainbreaker.
"Because you underestimate us and because you think we can be killed so easily… You came here looking to ensnare us, believing we would not just butcher the Banished for assaulting them. Tell me, did you believe none of us would assume a trap with the intel you gave us?" Halius asked as he dodged the next strike and allowed Jerome a kick which staggered Atriox.
Atriox glowered. The Ultramarine knew he had hit a nerve due to his angered look… He had assumed himself superior to the UNSC and Imperium, Atriox had assumed he could play them like fiddles.
And Halius? Halius had reminded him the Banished were nothing more than a group of former covenant soldiers… They were not a galactic superpower; they were not some massive empires that reigned the galaxy.
With sheer hatred? Atriox and Halius clashed, and Willbreaker met Chainbreaker as sparks flew from their weapons. Halius continued to slash and hack away at Atriox as their weapons crackled again and again… Jerome continued to dart in, landing punch after punch as the Astartes and Spartan drove the brute back.
"You will not leave this ship intact." Halius heard as Atriox attempted to pin him to the wall.
"Correct… I shall not." Halius said before leaping back and pressing a button on his armored gauntlet.
There was an explosion, a fireball that rocked the entire ship as he sighed to himself… Now? Now he had been too distracted for now… Now? He had been too dealt with for now.
Something within Halius demanded he break it all and he destroy them for now. he would crush them to dust under his boots.
(With Master Chief)
The Prelate sent Chief flipping backward, sliding along the ground. He dodged a strike that would have decapitated him, knowing he could not afford to show any weakness here.
Something about it all had to end… Something within them at the time being. They had an idea which needed to be confirmed.
"Spartan? Atriox has sent you into a trap… If you are during it? I apologize on account of being in the middle of voicing my complaints to Atriox." Halius added for now.
Chief might have laughed if not for the basic fact he knew damn well they had something else to figure out.
Now? Now he would make sure he finished his part of the plan.
(With Halius and Jerome)
As the Lament crashed down towards the planet? Atriox attempted to bright his hammer down on Halius who blocked it, sparks flying from their weapons.
"You will die just like the Covenant will." Halius hissed as Atriox pressed him further.
The two remained locked in combat as Halius watched Suriel grip Fred and fall towards the door showing escape craft. Halius was glad he and the others were able to relax.
Atriox pressed the mace closer and closer and for a moment? Halius believed he might find another use for the combat knife stabbed at his hip.
Then came the burst of a rifle which made Atriox grip his face, blood spilling down it before Halius used the distraction to slash Atriox across the chest before booting him down the sliding hanger. He slammed into a crate before finally exiting the hangar through the shield.
Halius would have liked to remove his skull and had no qualms about a monster like Atriox would emerge again… But he had better things to attend to.
Instead, he let Jerome grab onto him before he and Linda dug in with their magnetic boots.
"Jerome? Is this ship in orbit?" Halius stated before he watched fire and explosions blanket the hanger.
It was clear they were to exit the ship sooner or later…. And it was clear they were to think of it all.
Something within the Ultramarine made him silent and then he planted his blade in the wall as the ship went vertical. He was all too eager to exit but it was before now.
Still? There was a problem that he had to think of it all before he looked to the side.
"We need to get out of here," Halius stated before he cursed to himself. "We need to be within orbit for this plan to work, however…" Halius stated to himself before he looked downwards.
She had another idea at the time being… She and he were too interested in the mission. Now? Now this mission was at the end.
"We are…. Feel the heat." Jerome stated before Halius hummed and then thought of it.
They had a lot more to try and figure it out as he looked to try and deal with it. Something while he had a lot more to try and deal with for now and for good reason.
Halius let go, and he fell towards Linda like a stone, gripping her by the arm as the trio fell through the hangar doors.
The three fell a few hundred feet back towards the planet. Behind them? Elegy's Lament finally snapped in two, the corvette detonating as its engines engulfed the ship in fire… Halius made sure he angled himself so he would bear the brunt of the fall.
He could take it… They all could but the Spartans might break a bone from the sheer fall. Astartes? It took far beyond this to harm them.
"Lock your armor!" Jerome yelled as the two Spartans pushed their armor past its safety limits, hydrostatic gel pooling in their bodies.
Halius hit the sandy dunes like an asteroid, skimming down the sand as the wreckage of the SDV-Class Heavy Corvette hit the ground behind them.
Halius turned, sand coming off his armor as they looked at the ship. It burned the shattered remnants of their handy work and those who would fight the united group.
"Atriox ain't going to be happy," Jerome stated as he and Linda leaped down.
"Good… He knew we would chase the covenant right into a trap. If the Banished think they can replace the Covenant? They will fail." Halius added to himself more than them.
"We need to find the chief," Linda stated.
"He will survive. He is a soldier like us." Halius added before he sighed to himself.
He had a lot more to ponder now… Curious as to how this war would be now that the banished were part of it.
They have a lot more to deal with… More work to be done with it for now. Something about it all before he relaxed, he had a lot more to try and deal with it.
A pelican landed towards them, engines blaring as it set down. Halius and the others shared a look before a covenant drop pod slammed into the ground.
Halius almost lifted his blade before he was greeted with familiar blue. He knew who they were which made him content.
Halius hummed to himself before he looked downwards. They had work to do.
Halius hummed, curious at the end of the day… Now? Now they had to return and inform their respective sides about what had occurred.
Author Notes
Phew. Another chapter is done! A few things.
For any Warhammer fans going 'if this was…' Yeah, Atriox would get slaughtered and such and such. I plan to have Atriox be a physical threat to the group. Not a cakewalk like here.
For anyone wondering why Atriox was shot in the face? His famous scar.
I dislike sidelining Chief so he will take up most of the next chapter.
I am writing Halius and Linda as elite soldiers who slowly grow closer.
The next chapter will end the current arc, be 900-6500 words, show Halius and Linda bonding and the end of the fight with the Prelate. Until the 2-10 months? Lighting Wolf out!