A/N: Heyo! So uh, I decided to rename the fic. Idk enjoy le fic.
Responding to reviews...
A Sleeping Moon: I decided to not have any Halo characters get auras and semblances cuz as others have pointed out, Spartans(and the majority of everyone else) can kick ass without them. And personally, I like non-aura Chief(and others) kicking ass. Besides, with an aura, Chief or other Spartans would kinda clap everyone(minus Salem wink wink). And don't get me started on semblances. That's just overkill. Well that depends on the semblance but you get it.
A Huntress In A Demon's World
Chapter 3: What's An Endless?
Hours earlier
Warship Gabraakon has fallen at the Spartan's hands. Many Banished lives were lost. Resources gone.
"You assured us of the Master Chief's death, Atriox!" Tremonius roared. "Yet he still lives!"
Atriox hummed in thought, "It seems the Spartan has survived the impossible. As I expected. Escharum!"
Escharum, being a Brute of similar stature to Atriox, having a shaven head and a thick beard, walked up beside Atriox.
"Yes, Atriox?"
"You remember the plan, don't you?"
Escharum nodded, "I remember clearly. I made sure the Blademaster knew as well."
"Very good. You will have your fight, Escharum."
Escharum nodded. The Blademaster, Jega 'Rdomnai walked in, being an Elite with black armor with a prosthetic arm and mandibles.
"Ah, Blademaster," Atriox said, "I have a mission for you. Trail the Master Chief. Learn as much as you can about him. And when you face him, commence your part of the plan."
Jega nodded, "As you command, Atriox." He said before walking out.
"Atriox." One of the Brutes called out.
"What is it?"
"Reports tell that a human girl has appeared in one of the Forerunner structures. Eyewitnesses say that a yellow portal appeared."
Escharum raised an eyebrow, "A human girl?"
"A portal like that of Slipspace?" Atriox asked.
"Unknown."
Atriox stroked his beard. "That is...interesting. Is the human imprisoned?"
"Yes. She was captured as soon as she arrived. She fell unconscious after her arrival. Eyewitnesses say she's unlike any other human seen before. Her attire doesn't match any of the known human colonies."
"Part of a lost colony perhaps?" Escharum guessed.
"Perhaps, perhaps not," Atriox said, "Keep an eye on her. I would like to meet her in person."
Escharum placed a fist on his chest as he began to cough. Atriox took notice of this and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"You should get some rest, Escharum."
Escharum nodded before walking off.
"YAHOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Ruby whooped as the Razorback made a jump off a hill. Her hair and cloak flowed in the wind. Some of the Marines that had accompanied them shared her enthusiasm whenever Chief made a jump.
Any Banished troopers in their way were quickly obliterated as one of the Marines managed to snag an M41 SPNKR. The comms crackled as Echo 216 spoke up.
"Hey, where are you going?"
"The Banished are searching for something called the Conservatory." Joy replied.
"Let me guess, you're going there too."
"You bet your butt we are!" Said Ruby.
"Well, don't worry about me. I'll be here. Waiting. Alone."
"We'll be in touch," Chief said.
"Alright. Just don't leave me out here too long, alright?"
"Don't worry, we'll be back before you can say cookies 30 times!" Ruby said.
On the way to the dig site, they captured the nearby FOB Echo. Who knew rocket Marines were so powerful? Chief did.
"I wonder what caused so much damage to this place. Must have been pretty bad." Ruby said while scratching her head.
"Must have been quite a show." Joy added on.
Ruby heard the sound of constant pinging and wondered what it is. She walked over as the sound got louder and louder. She looked down to find a green tablet thing. She picked it up before walking over to the Chief.
"Hey, Chief? What's this?"
Chief turned to look at her, then the tablet. "It's an audio log. Play it."
Ruby tapped the audio log, receiving a little tune before it crackled to life.
"Are you sure about sending him in alone, Dr. Halsey?" A male voice asked.
"If everyone does their job correctly, John will not be alone, Captain."
'John? Who the heck's John?' Ruby thought to herself.
"I just question the value of splitting him off from the rest of Blue Team. That wasn't the plan."
"Plans change. Besides, I have something else for Blue Team in mind."
"So do I. Which is why we've taken advantage of their unexpected ability to assist elsewhere."
"I do not remember agreeing to the relocation of our best Spartans, MY Spartans for an operation I am not even aware of."
'Blue Team? HER Spartans?' This was so confusing.
"Plans change, Doctor."
The audio log cut off as Ruby turned to Chief.
"Uh, who was that guy?"
"Captain Thomas Lasky. He was the Infinity's captain."
"Was? Did he...y'know?"
"No. At least as far as I know. Remember, the Infinity was attacked. Chances are it crashed somewhere on the ring."
"Oh, okay. So Dr. Halsey was talking about some John guy. So...are you John?"
Denying it would be pointless as Chief figured she'd put the pieces together eventually. "Yes."
"Huh. Never took you for a John kinda guy." She gasped, "Can I call you John?"
"No."
"Aw, man! Why not?"
"Very few people are allowed to call me by my real name."
Ruby deflated, "Okay, eh, kinda sounds like one of my friends anyway. That would be confusing. So that Blue Team, you're a part of it?"
"I am. We've known each other since our training days." He said as they made their way back to the Razorback. "Friends. I'd even say, family."
Ruby smiled, "They seem nice." She said as she hopped in the passenger seat. Chief stepped on the gas and the Razorback took off on the dirt road. Ruby tapped on the side of the vehicle as she watched the local wildlife pass by. Some looked like birds, others like rhinos.
"So um, the people who made the Halos are the Forerunners, right?" She asked.
"Yes."
"Why do you think they would also create wildlife for their weird planet ring thing?"
"I don't know."
Ruby hummed as she looked back at the scenery. Wait. Everything looked destroyed. The ground was black, and the trees burned and destroyed vehicles everywhere.
"Chief? What happened here?"
"Someone's last stand."
"Hey, I see something up ahead." One of the Marines pointed out.
"That Banished facility up ahead. It looks like a mining operation. Must be the one Spartan Griffin was talking about." Joy said.
Chief looked over to the Marine with the rocket, "Keep your ammo. We may need it."
"Sir, yes sir!"
When they arrived at the dig site, it was...quiet. Nobody was around. The only sign of Banished activity was...actually nothing. It was almost as if they abandoned the place.
"Um, shouldn't there be Banished everywhere?" Asked one of the female Marines.
"Yeah, I got a bad feeling about this." Said a male Marine.
"What are the Banished doing here?" Ruby asked.
"They are doing exactly what they've been doing since they got here. Scavenging." Echo 216 said over comms. "Tearing everything apart to fuel this war."
"How could they?" Joy asked, "They are ruining this place, and for what?"
"To win," Chief replied.
"That already happened." 216 said.
"Do you think it's a trap?" Ruby asked.
"Likely," Chief answered.
Ruby looked to find a strange hole in the wall. "Hey Chief, think they went down there?"
"They did." He said as the two walked over to the tunnel while the Marines stayed on guard.
"This should be impossible," Joy said as her avatar formed in Chief's hand. "Forerunner alloy is almost indestructible. What do you think they-Chief!"
Ruby and Chief looked back to see a large weapon charge up behind them. Ruby immediately petaled away while Chief rolled as the weapon fired.
"I guess we gotta deal with that first," Ruby said before Banished drop pods fell from the sky. "Or them first."
"Contact!" One of the female Marines shouted.
A weaponless Brute grabbed one of the Marines and hoisted him up. The Brute cocked his fist back only to receive a bullet to the head from Ruby.
"Thanks, kid!"
"Anytime!"
Ruby dodged plasma fire and jumped over a Grunt before bringing Crescent Rose down onto it. She dashed behind a Jackal and placed a bullet in its head before avoiding more plasma fire. Chief filled a Brute with bullets before whipping around and slamming the butt of his rifle into an approaching Brute.
"Sniper on the ridge!" Shouted a Marine.
Ruby looked up to find a Jackal sniper lining up a shot on an unsuspecting Marine focused on a pair of Grunts. The Jackal had a split second to react before Ruby placed a sniper round in its head.
"Sniper taken out!" Ruby called out.
A horn grabbed Ruby's attention, getting her to look up to see a Phantom dropping more soldiers.
"Ruby! I'll shut down the mining laser, help the Marines with the Banished."
"You got it, Chief!" She said before spinning and taking down a squad of Grunts. She looked at the blood on the scythe and her face scrunched up.
"Gross." She said before flicking the blood off.
She watched as a Marine dodged a swing from a Brute and shoot it in its face. She spun Crescent Rose and cut through a group of Jackals. After taking down a few more groups of Banished, she began to wonder why the laser wasn't turning off. Did something go wrong? Did he need her help?
Soon after, The Chief hopped down and jogged over to Ruby. "New plan, we're going to destroy the laser. There are two power regulators, we need to manually expose each one's regulating cooling pylons to trigger a cascade effect."
Ruby nodded, "Alright then, let's do this!"
The sound of multiple horns caught their attention as they looked up to see two Phantoms coming in.
"Y'know, these guys are starting to get on my nerves." Ruby groaned.
"Starting?" Chief asked.
"Fair point."
Jumping out of the way of plasma fire, the two went in separate directions, Ruby towards the Marine with the rocket.
"Heya, Marine! Could use your help if you don't mind!"
"Just point me in the right direction!" The Marine replied.
Ruby nodded, "How much ammo you got left?"
"Uh, two rockets."
"Good, follow me!"
Ruby and the marine made their way over to one of the control panels. The young huntress grabbed the handle and pulled it up before twisting and placing it back down. The sound of hissing made them look up to see the cooling pylon rise from the ground.
"Alright, take it out! I got your back!"
The Marine nodded and lined up his shot while Ruby protected him from oncoming Grunts and Jackals.
"Firing!" The Marine said before firing the first rocket at the pylon, destroying the first half of it. He then trained his eye on the second half and fired, resulting in another explosion.
"Pylon taken down!"
Ruby smiled, "Great! Now Chief should-"
Another explosion caught their attention, "And that's two! Thanks for your help!"
The Marine nodded before taking out an M45 Shotgun. "No problem."
Ruby and Chief met up right under the laser by the second grav lift.
"Okay, time to destroy this thing," Ruby said.
Chief nodded before they went up the grav lift, approaching the terminal. Ruby took the little time she had to check over her S7. Not much ammo, only a few shots left.
"Hey Joy, how much-GAK!"
Chief whipped around to find a large Brute had grabbed Ruby by the throat and hoisted her up. She struggled and kicked around but to no avail.
Chief rushed over only for the Brute to use his remaining hand to swing his gravity hammer at him. The Spartan grunted as he slammed into the wall. Bassus chuckled as he looked at the struggling Ruby before roaring in her face.
Ruby yelped as she was thrown towards the wall. She groaned as she slumped to the floor.
"Spartans not so tough I think. Break open easy." Bassus grinned as he approached Chief. "Soft inside!"
"Chief!" Ruby called out.
"I see him." The Spartan said before grappling a fusion coil and slamming it into Bassus' face, however it wasn't enough to shatter the coil. Thankfully it was enough to throw off his aim, causing the gravity hammer to slam right beside Chief.
Ruby sprung to her feet and darted left and right in search of Crescent Rose. Spotting her weapon, she darted over to it, only for Bassus to backhand her. Using the momentum, she petaled over him and grabbed her weapon.
Chief grabbed a nearby Plasma Rifle as Bassus roared.
"SPARTAN!"
Chief opened fire on the Brute, only for the shots to splash onto a red energy shield. Bassus pushed through and lifted his gravity hammer. Ruby jumped up and used Crescent Rose to swing Bassus' hammer off course. The Spartan took the chance to shoot at the Brute while Ruby lined up a swing.
Bassus looked up only for the young huntress to come down and slash at his side. His shields held against the slash but it was enough to make him stumble. Ruby jumped off the wall and slashed again while Chief continued to shoot at him.
Bassus roared and slammed his gravity hammer into an attacking Ruby, sending her flying and crashing into a ramp that led to a lower level. She groaned as she held her stomach in pain. Man, was she glad that she still had her aura, didn't hurt any less.
"Stay still!" She heard Bassus yell as the Chief hopped over an opening in the wall before the Brute came smashing through. Chief picked up a nearby VK78 Commando and fired it with the Plasma Rifle. Ruby stood up and looked over to where Crescent Rose had wound up. She rushed over to pick it up when she trained her eyes on a large glowing box, kinda like an oversized fusion coil.
'Wait, that's it!' She thought to herself.
The Master Chief had managed to stun Bassus and made his way over to Ruby, "Are you hurt?"
"No, I'm fine. I have a plan!"
"All ears."
Ruby pointed to the large fusion coil thing, "You see that? Think you can lure that guy near it? I'll find something heavy and blow him up!"
Chief nodded before hearing Bassus roaring, "SPARTAN!" The Brute charged before jumping into the air, winding back the gravity hammer.
Ruby and Chief rolled out of the way before Chief continued to fire upon the Brute. Ruby ran up the ramp in search of something that could blow up the fusion box in a single shot.
AR? No. Shotgun? No. Plasma pistol? No! A weird gun that looks like a rocket launcher? No-wait yes!
She rushed over and picked it up. To say it was heavier than she thought it would be an understatement. "Get ready, Chief!" She called out.
Chief rushed over near the large fusion box as Bassus followed. Ruby made her way to the top of the ramp and lined up her shot. "Hey ugly!"
Bassus growled as he turned around to face her.
"Eat this, Brute!"
Ruby pulled the trigger and yelped as the recoil nearly knocked her off her feet. The massive spike pierced Bassus' armor and dug straight through his flesh. He cried out as he was launched towards the fusion box, suffering a brutal demise as it exploded.
Ruby shook her head as she stood up, "Did I get him?" She looked over to see Bassus' charred body and the hole where she had shot him at. "Ew...I guess that answers my question."
Chief picked up the Commando and tossed it to her, "Good shot, Ruby."
"Heh, thanks."
The duo made their way back up to the terminal as Chief let Joy onto it.
"You've done your part, now for mine." She said while stretching her arms, "Watch this."
The AI went to work, messing with and overriding the Banished's control before swiping it away.
"Is there a problem?" Chief asked.
Joy turned around with a smile. "Of course not." She snapped her fingers and the mining laser exploded behind her. "Let's see what's down there."
Chief picked up Joy and the two made their way back to the tunnel.
"Marines, on me."
The Marines gave various responses to the Spartan before tagging along.
"Hey Joy, find anything about the laser?" Ruby asked.
"Found out that it was recently modified to specifically cut into the ring." The AI replied.
"By who?" Chief asked.
"Definitely not Bassus back there. The formula's very sophisticated. Whoever made the change, didn't just modify the Forerunner architecture. They improved it."
Ruby mentally scratched off Atriox from her list of potential candidates.
"Oh, and there are a lot of Banished down there. They've been there for days. We're walking into another trap."
"Then...why leave that till last?" Ruby asked while raising an eyebrow.
"Are you scared?" Joy asked.
"To be honest, a little. What about you, Chief?"
"No. You?" He asked, referring to Joy.
"Of course, not. I've got both of you to keep me alive. And sixty-three millimeters of titanium alloy wrapped around our neural interface. I'll be fine."
"Huh, good to know I guess," Ruby said as Chief had Joy unlock the door. The door turned blue and opened up, allowing the group to pass through. They passed through an already opened door to find another dead Spartan propped up on some crates.
"Aw damn." Said a Marine.
"Another Spartan." Joy said, "Get me close."
Chief walked up to the Spartan before grabbing another module and looking it over.
"A drop wall module. Deployable cover. Resilient but temporary."
Chief placed a hand on the Spartan's shoulder while Ruby found herself looking at their midsection. Two large holes were visible. Her eyebrows furrowed at the sight.
"Scan complete. This is Spartan Vedrana Makovich. Armor's been offline for thirteen days. Cause of death was..."
"An enhanced energy blade?" Ruby guessed.
"Yeah, just like Spartan Stone." Joy replied.
"There's a pattern emerging and I don't like it. Chief, who's doing this?" Ruby asked.
"Let's go find out."
A door to their left opened to reveal a lone Grunt. He had hardly any time to scream before a Marine placed a bullet in his head. The group made their way down and through a few doors, restocking at a refill station. They fought through a few more rooms before coming across a much larger room, covered in a golden hue from the light.
The Banished were quickly taken care of and once again, the door was locked. The terminal in front of the door was missing its power seed.
"Heh, seems the Banished really don't want us snooping around." Said one of the Marines.
Ruby sighed, "I can already tell that'll be a reoccurring thing. I just know it." She turned to the Chief, "I'll get the power seed."
Ruby jumped up to one of the platforms and looked around. She walked around a bit before finding a line of blue in front of her. She grabbed it and took out the power seed. "Catch!" She said before tossing the power seed.
One of the Marines caught it and handed it to the Chief, who placed it in the slot. The door opened and the group continued. Room after room after room, it was all the same. Shoot Banished. Get power seed. Rinse and repeat. Ruby hoped they could find what they were looking for and get out, these Forerunner rooms got very old very quickly.
They came across a slightly different-looking room with a terminal in the middle. While the Marines stood guard, Ruby and Chief made their way to said terminal. The Spartan let Joy onto it.
"Open it." He said.
With a simple move of her hand, Joy opened a window-like structure to reveal...a floating ball with an eye?
"Help! Help me! This installation, The Harbinger-exile was absolute. How did she return? It's impossible. It cannot be, I need to go back. Find out what happened."
"Chief?" Ruby asked.
"It's a monitor. They look after the Halos."
"We should help her."
"Maybe." He replied.
"The young one is correct. I request your assistance." The Monitor said.
"Who are you?" Joy asked, "What's your name?"
"I am Despondent Pyre, Monitor of this installation and this is my Conservatory. My Conservatory." Despondent replied in a hurried tone, "This isn't right."
"Um, who's the Harbinge-"
Ruby was cut off when strange flying aliens circled Despondent Pyre, the monitor's eye turning red. Two of the aliens grabbed onto her and attempted to pull her apart. Another tried to shoot her but ended up friendly firing another. Despondent blasted one of them, disintegrating it before she was pulled under.
Chief turned around and picked up Joy, "Let's go."
"Down there?" Ruby asked.
"Down there." He replied before motioning to the Marines to follow them.
"What were those flying things, sir?" A female Marine asked.
"New. Dangerous."
"And Despondent Pyre?" Joy asked.
"New. Potentially dangerous."
"Whoa, Chief being optimistic? That's new." Ruby commented.
"I know, right? Strange." A Marine added on.
Fighting through multiple rooms, including a few stealth Elites, they began to hear Despondent Pyre talking to someone, pleading.
"Please. Do not do this. It cannot happen. It is wrong!"
Ruby flinched at the sound of the monitor's scream echoing through the room. While fighting the Banished took her mind off of it for a moment, it wasn't long until voices were heard.
"This Ring must not be compromised!"
"You do not understand what you're hiding. What you are. What compromise means." A new voice said, sending chills down Ruby's spine.
"I will not relinquish you the location. The Endless can never return!"
'The Endless?' Ruby thought to herself.
"The hell's an Endless?" Asked a Marine.
"We're going to find out," Chief replied.
"We are blameless. The Forerunners set this in motion. I am ending it." The voice said.
Entering another room, a bridge led to a terminal in the middle with Despondent Pyre's "corpse" on display.
"Oh no, we're too late!" Joy said. "Something awful happened here. Plug me in and we'll figure this out."
Chief let Joy onto the terminal when another echo appeared.
"You know what I want," Cortana said to Despondent Pyre.
"Alas, I do, Cortana, and my mind has not been changed. This installation's weapons may be yours, but its secrets are not." The Monitor replied. "It-protected. The containment facility in particular."
"Containment? The Flood? You and I both know there are worse things than the Flood within this Ring."
A vision of the Infinity leaving slipspace appears behind Cortana.
"So you've come for me at last. Why are you doing this, John? Why don't you understand?"
Despondent Pyre floated in front of Cortana.
"This seal must not be broken. The punished cannot be freed. This can never be negotiated. There is no other choice."
"Reconsider," Cortana said while turning around.
"The consequences of your request-"
Cortana snapped her fingers and Despondent Pyre disappeared.
"Back to your Conservatory, monitor."
"The Flood? Chief, what does she mean by that?" Ruby asked. "What is the Flood?"
"Now isn't a good time to tell you. I'll explain once we get out of here. It isn't good."
"What could be worse than the Flood?" Joy asked.
"Nothing good." Chief looked up to see a "flock" of those flying aliens coming down upon them. "Find us a way out."
"Contact! Small bogeys!"
Ruby spun Crescent Rose and began to cut down these new foes. The aliens chittered and one spun before tossing a strange grenade.
"Move!"
The grenade rolled on the ground, electricity sparking from it. Ruby jumped away from it before using the commando to shoot down a few of the aliens. She wasn't a huge fan of it thanks to the recoil, but it did its job. Ruby dashed over to one of them and slashed it with Crescent Rose.
"Contact from the back! Reinforcements!" A Marine shouted.
Ruby turned to find Brutes charging at the group. Narrowing her eyes, she dashed over at one and slashed his neck. She jumped over another attempting to punch her before giving it the same fate.
"Where are all these Skimmers coming from?" Joy asked.
"Skimmers?" Ruby raised an eyebrow while taking down a group of Grunts.
"Is that what we're calling them?" Chief asked while caving in Jackal's skull.
"Well, I was also considering Flying Octopus Monkeys."
Ruby couldn't help but laugh, "Oh my gosh, that's so stupid but SO funny!"
"Skimmers it is, then. How's the door?"
"The code is being rewritten," Joy said, "Altered using a Forerunner routine."
A jetpack Brute flew over and began to rain down MLRS-2 Hydra rockets down on the group, getting them to dodge and roll out of the shots. A Marine yelped as he was thrown by one of the explosions, tumbling onto the ground.
"You okay!?" Ruby called out.
The Marine grunted as he stood up, "Yeah, I'm fine!"
Ruby nodded before jumping up and slashing at the Brute, eliciting a grunt of pain from it. Chief shot out the grapple, shocking the Brute before cracking his skull with a punch.
"Hostiles clear!"
"I'm done, come get me!" Joy called out, getting Chief to head over to the terminal. A door opens and the group continued.
"What happened back there?" Chief asked.
"When I interfaced with the cradle, it unlocked something. Something important. Cortana was here, six months ago. I could feel what she felt when you arrived. Joy. Fear. And Pain."
Before Ruby could process this, a faint pinging sound caught her and the group's attention. They rounded a corner to find a dead squadron of Banished and a lone Spartan.
"Whoa, seems something big happened here," Ruby commented.
"Spartans don't go quietly," Chief said.
"I bet."
Chief bent down and grabbed another module.
"A thruster module. Evasive maneuvers on demand." Joy stated. "Scan complete, Spartan Theodore Sorel. Special weapons expert. Died thirteen days ago, like Makovich."
"That guy with the enhanced blade?" Ruby guessed.
"No. Brutes. More than one, whoever they are, they're proficient. Well trained."
Chief stood up and installed the module, "We've got a score to settle."
The group continue to move, passing another room before entering one that held two large Brute Chieftans as a lift exited.
"Chief! That platform! We're too late!"
"Not yet."
The two Brutes fired upon the group, getting them to split into two smaller ones, Chief leading one and Ruby the other. The huntress took notice of their armor and the weapon they possessed. Whatever it was, it was quite powerful. She slid under a fusion coil thrown at her before jumping into the air and began to spin.
She came down and slashed at one of the Brutes. Unfortunately for her, it only dented the armor. She narrowed her eyes before jumping over the weapon that the Brute swung at her. She shot at him with the commando, but that wasn't much help either.
She landed before making a beeline at the Brute, dodging all his shots and sliding under him. Using Crescent Rose, she hooked onto the Brute's leg and attempted to throw him off balance. She managed to get him to stumble while the Marines focused their fire on him.
Chief grappled a fusion coil and threw it at the other Brute. The Brute growled as it exploded on him. It shot at him only for the Spartan to evade its attempts. One of the Marines tossed a grenade, getting the other Brute to stumble. Ruby jumped up and came barreling down at him, piercing a spot not covered by armor. The Brute roared in pain as the area between his shoulder and neck was torn into. Ruby grunted as she forced Crescent Rose up and out of the Brute before shooting his eye out.
Chief grappled the Brute and slammed his fist into his face, shattering the skull. He turned his attention to the final Brute. He charged at it while delivering assault rifle bullets. He ducked under a swing before hitting the Brute with the butt of his rifle. Ruby came up behind the Brute and slashed at his legs, eliciting a roar of pain. Chief took out a plasma grenade and lit it before running at the Brute and sticking it onto his head.
The Brute's eyes widened but had little time to react when his head exploded in a blue burst. His body slumped to the ground as Ruby regrouped with Chief.
"They weren't too bad, huh?" She asked.
"No."
"They were...persistent to say the least." Joy said.
"Did they kill Spartan Sorel?" Chief asked.
"Negative. His killers are still active." She responded.
The group entered the platform before Chief had Joy activate it. It rumbled slightly before making its way up.
"This platform's taking us back to the surface. This doesn't make sense. Why come here to kill the Monitor?" Joy asked.
"Chief, you said the Monitor's job is to protect the Ring, right?" Ruby asked.
"Yes."
"So why kill the Monitor?"
"No idea." He replied.
A minute or two passed when the platform came to a stop and the group entered through a door to reveal a room with rotation pillars. The room had an orange-yellow tint to it.
"Show yourself, I know you have been following me." A voice said.
"Who the hell's that?" A Marine asked.
The pillars moved to reveal a strange alien flying in the center. It wore red armor with a headpiece that stood out. Its skin was grey with nearly black eyes and two appendages on each side of its mouth.
"We are not enemies." It said.
"And what about Despondent Pyre?" Ruby asked, eyes narrowing.
"She had something I required." It said while holding a blue object. It slammed into the ground, blowing back the group and locking Chief's armor.
"Chief! You okay!?"
"Armor's locked up." He said.
"I know of you, Reclaimer." It said before dashing over to Chief, getting Ruby and the Marines to flinch. "But know this: you are not the future."
'The Future? The future of what!?'
"The Forerunners lies are at an end. I am the Harbinger of the Truth." The Harbinger said before dashing over to Ruby's face.
"The Endless will be found. They will ascend."
"Like hell, they will!" A Marine shouted before firing at the Harbinger, prompting Ruby and the others to follow suit. The Harbinger dodged their shots faster than they could fire. Joy managed to unlock his armor and Chief made a beeline for the opening that led outside, the group following after.
The Harbinger proceeded to dodge their shots before seemingly disappearing. Chief looked around in search of this new threat. The Harbinger came out of nowhere and swung at Ruby, who barely managed to dodge. The Harbinger disappeared again before landing a hit on Chief, sending him careening into a tree before slamming into a rock.
"Chief!" Ruby cried out before running over to him, Marines following. "Are you okay!?"
He stood up, "I'm fine."
A rumble made the group look back to see a large Forerunner structure opening up.
"I...I took too long. You could have been killed." Joy said, sorrow in her voice.
"It's okay, you saved us both." He looked up at the structure. "That structure."
"Yeah, you know what it is?" Joy asked.
"No." He said.
"I guess we're gonna find out, aren't we?" Ruby asked.
Chief nodded.
"So that Harbinger woman said the Endless will be found. Maybe they're up there?" Ruby asked, pointing to the structure.
"Only one way to find out." Chief said, "Move out."
Sliding down the cliffside, the group came across an intact Warthog. The Chief immediately took the driver's seat while two others took the passenger and gunner.
"I call shotgun! Or chaingun, technically." A male Marine said while taking the gunners.
Chief drove ahead as Ruby led the remaining Marines behind her. The gunner lit up a group of Brutes and Grunts, whooping as he did so.
"Ghost on approach!"
Ruby looked to find a Ghost and petaled over to it. She hopped onto it to find a Grunt as a pilot. It yelped as she waved.
"Hi, there!" She said before kicking the Grunt out. She hopped in the seat and grabbed the control sticks. It took a moment but she narrowed her eyes with a smirk as she shot down Banished forces. Ruby lines up the vehicle and boosted, slamming right into a trio of Brutes.
With the combined efforts of a Warthog and Ghost, the Banished forces were quickly and nearly effortlessly taken care of.
"Whoo! I'm loving this Ghost!"
Chief and the Marines hopped out of the Warthog, "You're gonna need to ditch it."
"Aw! Okay." She said before hopping out and joining the Chief. The group entered the platform underneath the structure where two large aliens stood. They were heavily armored with a canon and shield on each arm.
"Chief?"
"Hunters. Shoot their backs." He said before taking off, diverting one of Hunter's attention by shooting it. The Hunter attempted to slam Chief with its shield, only for the Spartan to dodge it. Ruby took the opportunity and headed behind the Hunter shooting its orange back. It roared out in pain and whipped around.
Ruby rolled out of the way as the other Hunter approached her. She jumped over it before dashing at its back. Using Crescent Rose, she slashed its back, eliciting a bellow of pain. The other Hunter fired its canon at her, getting Ruby to jump out of the way. A Marine tossed a grenade, blowing off some of the Hunter's armor.
Ruby smirked before dashing over to the Hunter. She lodged Crescent Rose into the Hunter's back before filling it with bullets. The Hunter roared out in pain before slumping to the ground. The last Hunter roared and began to fire its cannon rapidly. Chief dodged the blasts while throwing a plasma grenade. The grenade exploded, leaving the back vulnerable.
"Ruby!"
Ruby nodded before dashing over to the Hunter. She jumped into the air and lined up her aim. She came barreling down and slashed the Hunter's back. She jumped off a wall and slashed again. And again. And again. She yelled as she slashed again, getting the Hunter to finally slump over.
"Man, those were tough!" A Marine said.
"Eh, they weren't too bad," Ruby replied with a shrug.
Ruby and Chief continued upwards while the Marines were told to head to the nearest FOB.
"Wow, it's...exactly how you'd expect it." Joy said.
"So grey, boring, and repetitive?" Ruby asked.
"Yeah, that."
"What does it do?" Chief asked.
"Unknown, find me somewhere to plug in and I'll find out." The AI replied.
The duo made their way up a ramp where a terminal lay in front of a large door. Chief plugged Joy in.
"Interesting. This structure has been activated using a protocol older than I have ever seen." Joy said. "It...knows we're here."
"It?" Ruby asked.
A Monitor with a blue eye approached them, "Welcome. Welcome. Oh, hello."
"Hi." Ruby waved.
"I am Adjutant Resolution, sub Monitor of this installation, loyal servant to Despondent Pyre. She must have been indisposed if I was activated." Adjutant said.
Ruby rubbed the back of her head, "Yeah, sorry. She didn't make it."
Adjutant got in her face, "Was it you?"
"No! Of course not!"
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, very very sure!"
Adjutant backed off, "Good, good. I was worried you were unfriendly. As you can see, this Spire has been deployed successfully. This way. I presume you wish to see the Observation Platform."
"Uh, yeah sure! That's fine, right Chief?" Ruby asked.
"Yes."
Adjutant nodded, "Right then. Follow me." He opened the door with a blue beam from his eye. The door opened and allowed them to pass.
"Busy, busy, busy," Adjutant mumbled to himself.
They came across a wall in which Adjutant looked back at them.
"Oh, I'm sorry. There should have been a porta there. One moment." He said before using his beam again, activating the portal. "Please, step in."
Ruby looked back at Chief, who gave a short nod. She took a breath before closing her eyes and stepping through. When she opened them, she found herself in another room, Adjutant in front of her. Chief came through shortly after. A door opened behind Adjutant and he flew ahead.
"Follow me."
Ruby raised an eyebrow, "Um, Adjutant Resolution? I think you forgot something."
"Hm? Oh yes, a bridge. One moment." He flew back over before beaming a terminal, allowing Chief and Ruby to pass on a bridge.
"Let us proceed. It is very exciting. Soon the sequence will be sent and the Reformation will begin."
Adjutant beamed another terminal and they ascended upwards to the Observation Platform. Ruby had to admit, it had a nice view.
"Here we are. As you can see, we are ready to progress as-oh, please excuse me." Adjutant said before disappearing.
"Get me to that terminal." Joy whispered.
Chief walked up to the terminal and let Joy onto it. She pulled up a bunch of Forerunner stuff Ruby couldn't understand.
"Oh, it's not that bad. This structure's purpose is to rebuild the Ring. Well, create the materials necessary to do so."
"Not gonna happen," Chief said.
"Why, it's so beau-oh. Right. Nevermind." Joy said. There's so much to learn here."
"Shut it down, permanently."
Adjutant appeared behind Chief, eye red. "No no no!" He blasted at Ruby, but Chief blocked it as his shields flared up. He picked up Joy before confronting Adjutant.
"What are you doing? This is unacceptable!"
"I'm sorry, but we can't let the Reformation happen! It's not what you think it is!" Ruby shouted.
"You were supposed to be friendly." He said before entering a large body with arms primed with weapons.
"Oh, crud."
Adjutant unleashed his weapons onto them, getting them to split in different directions. Chief focused fire on one of the lower "arms" while Ruby on the other. Ruby dodged Adjutant's fire and dashed over to one of the arms and slashed at it. She furrowed her eyebrows at the sight of it doing almost nothing. She jumped back as Adjutant fired at her.
"Hold still you pest!" He said.
Chief threw a frag grenade at the other arm, blowing it up and causing Adjutant's combat body to shake and close up.
"Explosives!? On my installation!? Unacceptable!" He shouted before charging up a beam. Ruby yelped before jumping behind a wall, letting the beam hit it rather than her.
"Ruby! Go for the eye."
She nodded as Chief drew Adjutant's fire. She took out a Plasma Rifle and focused fire on Adjutant's eye. He scoffed in disgust and shot at her, making her back off and take cover behind a wall. Chief took out his Shock Rifle and shot at the remaining lower arm. It explored and forced Adjutant's body to close up again.
"No! I was supposed to kill you with that!" He said before firing his beam again. They took cover while Adjutant continued with his assault. Ruby peeked out to find that she had a clear shot at his eye. Eyes narrowing, she dashed over to him and yelled before stabbing Adjutant in his eye.
"Get off you pest!" He shook his combat body around, attempting to get the huntress off. He flew full speed at a wall, only for Ruby to jump off at let Adjutant slam into it.
"Hah! Not very bright, are ya?"
Adjutant growled, "You should be cinders by now!" He charged up his beam and fired again, getting Ruby to run for cover. But Adjutant wasn't having it. He followed her while keeping up his beam. Ruby yelped as she rolled under the beam.
Chief came up behind Adjutant and planted a plasma grenade in his eye. It exploded, removing the top "arms" of the combat body.
"You-you dirty pest!"
Chief and Ruby focused their fire on the eye, keeping Adjutant from firing his only weapon. Chief grappled Adjutant and punched his eye, resulting in an explosion that sent the combat body crashing.
"He was kinda tough," Ruby commented before the Chief plugged Joy into the terminal.
"I have good news and bad news."
"What's the bad news?" Ruby asked.
"I count nine, no ten spires, more being deployed all the time."
"Active?" Chief asked.
"No. Not yet at least. They appear to be waiting for an initialization sequence. Something is flooding the network or trying to start but there's resistance." Joy said.
"Why?" Chief asked.
"The protocol that triggered all this wasn't correct. It worked, well it started the process. More bad news, I can't shut it down, but I can remove it from the network. Of course, I can find the source of the attack, I just need to-"
"Wait. Is it safe?" Chief asked.
"Come on, it's me. An infiltration program designed to-" A yellow pulse came from the terminal and startled Ruby. "GAH!"
"Who are you?" The Harbinger's voice echoed.
"Annnnd she knows I'm here." Joy said.
"How are you doing this?"
"Disconnect," Chief ordered.
"Working on it." Joy said while backing out of the Forerunner tech.
"Now!"
She turned and put her hands up, "It's done. Why don't you trust me?"
A rumbling sound made Ruby look up to see...the ceiling collapsing?
"Uh, guys? The ceiling's coming down on us!"
"We need to go, now!"
Chief picked up Joy and headed to the edge, "Immediate extraction, my location!"
"Oh, it was you wasn't it?" 216 groaned.
"Now!"
"I'm coming, I'm coming!" He said.
Ruby looked to see the Pelican on approach. She turned to see the ceiling still coming at them.
"Uh, I don't think he can get here in time!" She said.
"Let's move!" Chief said before jumping off the Spire.
"Wait up!" Ruby said before jumping after.
"Oh come on!" 216 said.
Ruby let out a small chuckle, this was almost kinda fun! If there wasn't that risk of being crushed. The sound of the Pelican made her look back to see 216 approaching. He opened up the back and let them in. Ruby petaled her way in while Chief grappled. They held onto the rails as 216 pulled up.
"Go!" Chief said as they watched the Spire let out a blue pulse. The back door closed as Chief headed towards the door.
"Upload the Spire locations."
"All of them?" Joy asked.
"All of them." He said.
In front of them appeared green holograms of the locations of the Spires.
"COORDINATES RECEIVED." Said the Pelican's AI.
"Um, it looks like someone has marked forty-two locations, which would be crazy right?" 216 asked.
Chief focused on one Spire, "This one?"
"It was the source of the attack." Joy said.
"Attack? What is she talking about? Is everyone trying to kill you?" 216 asked as he opened the door.
"Yup," Ruby replied.
"It kinda seems like it." Joy said, "Oh! You're being sarcastic, he's fun, I like him." She said with a smile. Ruby couldn't help but smile as well, man Joy's smile was infectious.
Ruby walked into the cockpit and waved at 216, "Hey."
He gave a short nod, "Hey."
"Um, mind if I sit up here?" She asked.
He shrugged, "Just don't touch anything."
She nodded before sitting in the other seat. Honestly, she didn't know much about him, she didn't even know his name. How come she never asked?
"Hey, I never got to ask, what's your name?"
"Esparza. Fernando Esparza." Esparza replied.
"Oh, well it's nice to meet you, Fernando."
He nodded, "And you said you were Ruby, right?"
"That's me."
"I see. So, got any family back home?" He asked.
"Yeah, I have my sister Yang and my dad. Dad's at home and Yang was at school with me, well, before all of this."
He nodded.
"What about you?"
Esparza gripped the handle, "Um, not anymore."
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that."
"Thank you. Question, what's it like on your planet?"
"Well, it's nothing like these Halos. Well, there are the Grimm."
Esparza raised an eyebrow, "A what?"
"It's the monsters we fight there. It's why I have Crescent Rose."
"What kind of school do you go to? A combat school?"
Ruby shrugged, "Uh, yeah. Pretty much."
"Oh. So did you make that, Crescent Rose I mean." He asked.
Ruby nodded, "Yeah, I had some help from my uncle. Crescent Rose is very special to me. I'd hate it if anything happened to her." She sighed, "I just want to go home."
Esparza placed a hand on her shoulder, "I know. Me too. But I guess we gotta do all of this first."
Ruby gave a soft smile, "Yeah."
An explosion rocked the Pelican, causing alarms to go off and the ship's AI to repeatedly say, "Warning."
"What was that!?"
"We're being shot down!"
Through the window, a anti-aircraft gun could be spotted in the distance. Ruby gasped and pointed at it.
"Watch out!"
Esparza attempted to swerve out of the way, only for the AA gun to fire, setting off another explosion. A high-pitched whine echoed throught the Pelican.
"No, no, no, no, no, no! Brace for impact!"
The Pelican crashed nose first into a lake, causing the inside to shake and make everything go black.