The group of nine didn't know how long they had been walking for, but they knew that the longer they kept moving; any scouting parties sent directly to their landing would have a hard time trying to catch up to them.
At least by those on foot.
Though they had yet to encounter any signs of the Covenant, they remained on edge.
Kappus and Bisenti led from the front, while Hosky, Fitzgerald and Emmerson watched from the rear, leaving team RWBY in the middle, able to assist either side should trouble arise.
When they were aboard the Autumn, Bisenti told the four they should claim the enemies' weapons after Blake finished one of the larger aliens.
Although it felt odd to use such exotic weapons while still carrying their own, it was understandable that having something to be able to defend yourself with that worked was rather better than nothing at all.
Based on the encounters they've had thus far, the four came to the conclusion that the larger aliens acted as de facto leaders amongst the smaller ones, and as such made the logical choice of following the same hierarchy.
The weapon wielded by the alien slain by Blake was now in the possession of her own leader, while the three carried those adopted by the smaller aliens.
Ruby clasped the thing tightly with both hands.
Oh how she wanted nothing more than to gush over the design as well as open it up to inspect its guts.
If what Weiss said about Dust not working in space is true; then how are the weapons we're carrying able to work?
What powered Covenant ships, and anything else for that matter?
And what about Jenkins and the others, they're clearly using projectile weapons.
So what was the propellant in each cartridge?
Ruby shook her head as her focus returned to her local surroundings.
Still no signs they were in immediate danger.
She then turned to look behind, Blake and Weiss, both remained alert, while Yang walked beside her, the green glow coming off the tips of each of the weapons they carried.
And as for their size, they actually looked quite normal in their hands as they held them in the same style one would with a pistol, one hand on the grip while the other clasped the underside so as to steady their aim when it came to firing the thing.
Which was a bit of a contrast to her own.
It was this small line of reasoning that let Ruby's eyes slowly drift back down to said weapon.
Appearing fairly large and weighty in the small girl's arms, to her, it felt lighter than Crescent Rose in its compact form, the weight itself was centralized.
Understandable, given how the larger aliens used them as a club at close range.
It was definitely too cumbersome for Ruby to use it the same way however, though she could possibly attempt the action two handed, but not with the grace and strength as its original owner.
The body of the weapon was sleek and streamline, shining an iridescent metallic blue as the light bounced off its surface.
At a glance, the profile almost resembled the head of one of those large aliens.
From the front of the weapon, there were two crystals that glowed with a dim blue hue,
Kappus was fairly adamant to her that she should, in no way, examine them nor the space separating the pair with her finger.
Not as if she ever planned to.
Moving away from the front was a set of pale blue swirling patterns engraved on the upper half, although she suspected it played a functional role rather than simply being an aesthetic choice.
At the rear, the weapon had two sets of fins, top and bottom, why they were needed was something neither the marines or her had any clue.
Depending on the recoil, she could at least use the top half as a makeshift stock to brace the weapon.
The last noteworthy detail she noticed while looking over it was the segmented portion on the upper half, if she had to hazard a guess, the grooves running along its length opened up, allowing the user access to the internals for maintenance.
Finally, Ruby returned her attention back to the others.
How she had not tripped, walked head first into one of the marines or caused Weiss to get caught on her was a miracle in itself.
The trek was relatively quiet, say for the sound of a waterfall in the distance and a gentle breeze in the air, while the soft grass beneath their boots still remained level.
However, in that moment, they felt a small tremor underneath them, as the ground shook ever so slightly, in the distance, a sound akin to thunder echoed shortly after.
The group looked amongst themselves, unsure as to what it could have been.
They noticed several pillars of lights being ejected into the sky, which they had first thought them to be flares, though more likely, it was part of some function of the ring.
In fact, from where they had been walking, it could be possible they were near to one of these things and that could have been what had caused the rumble.
Just as they were about to resume their journey-
"Contacts! Ten o'clock!"
Kappus yelled, hefting his rifle towards several figures in the distance, the others immediately raising their own weapons in the direction he pointed to.
As they drew nearer, it became clear as to what they were going to be up against.
A dozen of the smaller aliens ran, or more accurately, waddled their way forward, all appearing to carry the standard weapons Blake, Weiss and Yang used.
Leading from the middle of the smaller aliens of course were the larger aliens, five of them to be exact, however Weiss noted one of the larger aliens at the rear of the group wore a deep maroon instead of cobalt blue, his movements suggested an air of authority over the other four.
Could it be purely a personal choice or was it a case of rank? Did armour colour hold merit for them much like we do to some degree in Atlas?
She thought to herself.
Up until this point, the girls had only ever witnessed both the smaller and larger aliens 'fighting alongside each other', so to see a third additional species accompanying them was a surprise, though they weren't unfamiliar.
Within the alien contingent were several of the reptile-bird-like aliens similar to those they had pursued while on Remnant, wielding the same weapons in their right hand as the smaller aliens, as well being equipped with the shields made entirely out of light on their left.
The group separated so as to give each other breathing room, yet held their position, waiting for the right moment.
Either the Covenant would engage first or they would.
Currently, they were situated in between several trees, boulders and clear land, so if the fight did turn, they had ample cover to fall back to.
Fitzgerald was the closest, he balanced the rifle in his grip firmly, leveling it at what he judged to be his equivalent, the closest grunt of the group on its side.
Holding his breath, he was certain it was going to have the advantage of the first shot, so he needed to wait for the moment to count.
"Kill you." Although very faint, he heard it say, and sure enough, a second later a plasma shot rang out as it missed him by a mile.
He subtly smirked, for as the grunt inched forward, the reticle displayed on his holographic eyepiece just centimetres from his right eye had changed from its neutral blue to hostile red.
"Firing."
He hollered the instant the tactical data provided the info he needed, his rifle barking viciously to life as it spewed several bullets at the target.
One or two bullets managed to graze the Grunt in its chest, causing it to stop and cry out in pain,but after the brief stop, the little bastard continued onward regardless.
With the initial exchange of arms fire between the two breaking the silence, the others joined in, turning the once pristine landscape into a battlefield torched by plasma and projectile.
The girls stayed relatively close to one another, Blake being the first to fire her weapon, aiming it at one of the larger aliens in blue armour, its shields flaring in response, clearly the disdain for them from the last encounter still remained fresh in her mind.
Yang was next, opting for a quick succession of fire, before holding off and switching to another target once she was sure the current one wasn't playing dead.
Weiss was the last of the three.
Her ability to use the weapon, though appeared normal, was stagnant.
One shot followed by a five second delay before the next, something Ruby noticed, but at the moment she could not prioritise.
Hopefully, it being a case of her getting a feel for the weapon rather than nerves.
Ruby raised her own, leveling it at one of the bird-like aliens, judging the distance to be ideal for the first one or two hits to land on target.
Afterall, nearly being on the receiving end of one of these things, she had a fair idea as to what it was capable of, though she couldn't exactly use it like Crescent Rose's compact mode.
As she fired the weapon, the first thing she noticed was the crystal glowing a brighter blue as she squeezed the trigger with ease.
There was a slight recoil to it, but compared to Crescent Rose, she could barely tell, and unlike her teammates, this functioned as an automatic weapon.
Blue globules of energy exited one at a time, first from the top half of the weapon, then the lower half, the longer she held the trigger; the faster the rate of fire, but so too did her shots become more sporadic.
Her eyes glanced at the swirls on the side of the weapon.
As the trigger remained held, the base of the swirling pattern filled with a green light, which climbed the length of said pattern, shifting to yellow along the halfway mark.
Even before it could completely fill, presumably changing to red, Ruby felt the gradual build up of heat radiating off the top of her weapon.
Her earlier suspicions proved to be correct.
The swirling pattern acted as a thermal indicator, thereby allowing the wielder to gauge when or if they were firing the weapon too close to the maximum safe operating temperature.
What happened if the user pushed the weapon beyond that point?
She wasn't sure, and she felt no desire to test that theory, especially now of all times.
Although the moment was brief, Ruby's attention snapped back to focus her shots on her target, now aware of the weapons limits, she chose to stagger her rate of fire, unless absolutely necessary.
The bird-like alien's shield proved to be annoying for the marines, Hosky directing his fire on the one Ruby had chosen after seeing how none of his shots managed to even make a dent, instead ricocheting off without so much of a flinch from the wielder.
However, as Ruby aided Hoskey, the small conflict changed for the better, each shot from her weapon that landed was absorbed by the shield, its colour shifting from bluish-purple to red, and after five direct hits, it disappeared entirely.
The alien looked terrified, though only for a brief second as a combined hit from bullet and plasma fire was able to kill it instantly.
"Catch muchacho!" Bisenti called out while pulling his arm back.
Yang, who was closest to him, watched the marine prime a grenade in his hand before tossing it towards a clustered group of the smaller aliens, with one of the larger ones next to them.
The second the grenade left his hands and soared through the air, the larger alien leapt away; the smaller aliens however, were too focused on the fight, unaware of their impending demise.
As the grenade softly came to rest on the ground, a dim glow formed around the nearest small alien's feet before a large explosion violently ripped up grass and soil, sending lifeless corpses flying in every direction, some crying out beforehand.
"What was that?" Yang asked in a bewildered tone, the small grenade packing more punch than the most explosive dust shell she'd ever used in Ember Celica by about tenfold.
"Frag grenade."
Bisenti replied in between shots.
"If we make it out of this fight, maybe I'll let you use one on the next lot we face."
"Oh we're getting out of this fight…" She quickly answered while firing another quick succession of plasma bolts into one of the larger aliens, his shield still giving him leeway to fight.
The firefight continued, signs still showing to be in the favour of the marines and their human-like companions.
Could it have been a case that, given the number of losses the enemy had taken thus far; this particular Covenant patrol that had stumbled upon them was made up entirely of novices or the newest of recruits?
Or was it simply the fact that these suckers just happen to run into some of the biggest badasses aboard the Autumn.
The marines did note that, of course, the split chins kept their distance, periodically moving to any nearby cover that allowed them sufficient safety for their shields to recharge before poking their heads out once again to fight.
From their vantage point, the marines could also tell that they weren't too happy with the sight of some of their weapons in human hands.
Bisenti's grenade was enough to take out six of the smaller aliens, another two killed by Kappus earlier, and four of the bird-like aliens were taken out of the fight by the group.
It was becoming evident to the marines that the minor elite's anger not only stemmed from their losing tide of the conflict. There was also the fact that the marines and the girls were able to avoid even coming into contact with a single plasma bolt by simple side stepping or rolling out of the way.
The elite minors' exacerbated anger drove them to become more aggressive, choosing to move out of cover than previous attempts.
A shot by one of the cobalt armoured aliens clipped Kappus in the shoulder, instantly, he scrambled to remove the shoulder plate before the molten metal had time to seep into the layers underneath.
Blake was the first to notice the lack of fire from him, and also the quickest to react, immediately laying suppressive fire before the alien could capitalize on the opportunity.
"Guys, cover Kappus. Target that blue alien there." Ruby called out as she glanced over as she heard Kappus' slight pains of 'that burns'.
With four sets of plasma bolts hitting him almost at once, despite being able to avoid some of the shots, he couldn't react quickly enough to them all.
His shields flared so rapidly, that he didn't even register his combat harnesses depleted shield warning, one shot after the other burning his armour and any exposed skin that wasn't protected.
This is what it must feel like for the humans.
He thought to himself for the briefest second, but not for long as adrenaline kicked in, pumping through his veins, his own need to survive falling away.
He roared at the humans, looking between them before selecting the one who kept quickly firing a plasma pistol at him, doing the same with his own rifle as he bounded towards her.
"DON'T YOU FOOL!" His major yelled from behind his cover.
But it didn't matter.
Nothing mattered, he would die here one way or the other-
One final bolt clipped him in the chest, which was enough to stop him and all his thoughts dead in his tracks, he let out a final wail in agony, before crumpling onto the ground.
The remaining three elite minors could only watch as their brother they had fought beside fell.
They had tried to lay fire, though it wasn't enough.
What made matters worse, while the four young females prioritized the one target, the other humans had managed to kill off the remaining Kig-Yar.
All that remained was their commander, themselves and four Unggoy.
Either they kept cowering like the sniveling Unggoy beside them, or put up some sort of fight that claimed one of their lives.
"You two, with me." One of the more presumptuous of the Sangheili minors called to the nearest pair of Unggoy.
An orange-clad Unggoy went to protest.
"But- the humans-"
"Shall be the least of your concerns, less I lay waste to you personally."
Though was swiftly cut off as his superior retorted.
With that sorted, he moved his attention to call to the maroon Sangheili.
"Leader, I and a pair of Unggoy plan to flank them by moving left."
"Acknowledged, we will cover your advance."
He answered, looking over to the remaining Unggoy, noting the red carried a plasma grenade.
"You there, distract the humans with your cleansing flame."
He nodded before moving slightly out of cover, calling to those around him.
"Heads up."
"Scatter." Hosky screamed as he caught sight of what was in the little bastard's hand.
He fired several shots, but by the time they were able to kill it, the plasma grenade was being sent their way.
The four girls didn't need a second to move instantly away, Ruby and Yang moving one way, Blake and Weiss the other.
They watched as the blue glowing orb lazily flew through the air, a small fiery tail formed, until landing a few metres from where they previously stood.
Another three seconds later and the glowing grenade dimmed, before bursting into a blue fire, sizzling the air as the heat dissipated outwards, even Yang squirmed at the thought of being pushed back from the resulting explosion.
With the distraction in play, the minor, along with the accompanying Unggoy moved forward, their weapons poised for the first target that would come into sight.
Unfortunately for the trio, Ruby caught wind of the three, giving commands to counteract their attack.
"Checkmate, right side."
Without question, Weiss and Blake shifted their weapons, Weiss providing suppressive fire as Blake sprinted around the three in order to break their concentrated fire.
One Unggoy was clipped in the chest by the first shot from Weiss, a second to the shoulder and then third and final shot, clipped his mask.
It was hard to tell from the angle, but the resulting hit to the mask left the Unggoy breathing a fiery mix of methane and oxygen that scorched his insides, maybe if Kappus was able to see it for himself, he'd equate it to an unprotected soldier of the early twentieth century experiencing chemical warfare for the first time.
The second Unggoy flinched at the sight and sounds coming from his kin beside him, though was only able to briefly mourn, before he heard the command from his superior.
"You wish to avenge his death?
Attack the human who killed him!"
The Unggoy quickly reciprocated as he raised his pistol towards the white haired human.
The second the weapon aligned with the girl, he squeezed the trigger, only for his weapon to be blown right out of his grip.
A stinging pain radiated from his hand as he glanced at the now broken plasma pistol lying on the ground, then as he moved to see where the shot had come from, another two plasma bolts struck him in the face and chest, killing him before even registering who his attacker was.
The Sangheili knew, without even bothering to shift his focus that he was left alone to face the humans, the one he was currently attempting to land a hit on, proved to be most troublesome to say the least.
With the alien distracted on her, Blake continued to move around, it was more than irritated at her evasiveness, yet she still had her work cut out for her.
Although the shots being larger in size and easier to track compared to bullet fire, the alien's accuracy was vastly better than some foes she had fought in the past.
Hosky and Fitzgerald, who had been closest to the pair, ran up to stand beside Weiss as they helped provide fire on the attacker now that its back was to them.
As Blake saw this, she acted as if she had lost her footing and tripped, making sure the alien's attention was strictly on her as her teammate and the pair of marines leveled their weapons.
The Sangheili himself took the bait and was unaware of the attack, his shields flaring to life as his back took most of the impact.
He turned back to see the three humans and snarled, he also noticed the plasma pistol nearby and moved to wield it, only for his shields to give way, causing him to recoil in pain as a bullet struck one of his mandibles.
His roar in anger rang hollow, the pain was unbearable, he tried to fire into the trio, and yet his shots never landed, his foes didn't even to need move out of the way as each plasma bolt veered off, his vision clouded as his head felt light and as he looked down he noticed his armour was now tinted an unsightly purple, a very distinct purple he had seen on himself when he trained and sustained a horrible injury.
Those of the Covenant patrol still standing could only watch from their position, unable to intervene to sway the conflict or else risk being hit by the remaining humans who had them pinned down.
Even their best attempts to blindly fire in the hopes one of their stray shots may at least graze the filth.
"Keep firing!" Bisenti short and sharply hollered.
There were a few more left, and they were all bunched up in the same spot…
"Hey kid."
He said as he whipped his head to meet lilac eyes.
"How good is your throwin' arm."
Out of the four of them, he could tell the blonde was the kind of girl who could probably beat you in an arm wrestle without even breaking a sweat.
"It's pretty good, why do you ask?"
"Remember I said if we make out of this, I'd maybe let you use a frag?"
"Yeah." She slowly said, already knowing where this was going.
"Well I've changed my mind, there's no time like the present, so here." He slyly answered as he removed the grenade from his belt before placing it in her hands.
"So how do I set it off?" She asked while rotating her wrist to inspect the explosive.
"Simply flick the switch right there at the top and let her rip, usually prime it on the wind up. You've got about six seconds before the fuse goes off, and sometimes three seconds before it goes off once it lands on the ground."
With a quick look of where Bisenti gestured to the switch, she holstered her alien weapon as best as she could before raising her left thumb to judge the trajectory.
"Alright then, stand back."
Then, pulling back her right arm, she felt a satisfying click of the grenade before following through with the throw.
The pair of Sangheili and Unggoy attempted to fire from the safety of their bolder, but the sound of a soft thud behind their backs did not escape their ears.
Instantly, as the bigger aliens' eyes fell upon the human explosive, the two leapt from either side, leaving the Unggoy standing there, processing what was happening.
He couldn't even move his little legs fast enough to clear the explosion as the frag went off.
As for the Sangheili, with them now separated from both each other and their cover, the marines were able to down them easily with Yang's assistance, after the grenade left her hand she had quickly drawn her weapon and fired three or four intermittent shots as soon as the aliens were in the open.
As both warriors were neutralized, the air fell into a sense of calm, for the humans, they had won.
All that remained was the maroon armoured alien.
He held his position behind his cover further back from those who were formerly under his command, his mind working fast to culminate an effective plan.
It would be only a matter of time before either they found him soon, or as they finally moved, they would catch sight of him, and there was no force in this existence that would allow him to be taken prisoner.
The best course of action for him to take would be to seek a vulnerable target and claim their life in addition to his own.
Throughout the battle, he had noticed that part of the human contingent fought using Covenant weapons.
It wasn't unheard of that during their fleeting moments before death, humans would wield whatever they could grasp in their feeble hands if it meant any chance of survival.
He had even heard of instances where non military humans resorted to using simple tools of agriculture for self defence.
But going back to his current situation, his eyes cast themselves onto those of the humans who held Covenant weapons.
Eos Mak-plasma pistols in three of the hands of humans, he could not care in the slightest.
An Okarda'phaa plasma rifle in the hands of the fourth human however, he would not stand for the young female to continue to draw breath while she was in the possession of one the weapons meant for his kin.
"Truth and Reconciliation, I am transmitting this message to request any support you have in the immediate vicinity and dispatch them along the route my squad has taken.
My squad and I have done battle with a group of humans, five male of their marines, one female marine and four young female civilians.
I am all that remains after the conflict, I know my time to walk the path has come…"
The maroon Sangheili solemnly pulled his hand away from his earpiece as he remained crouched.
A part of him wished he could retreat only to witness this group's downfall, but the idea of cowardice forgo any self preservation.
He knew what he was capable of and he would see it through that at least one of these humans went down too.
Cautiously, he placed an arm against the boulder in order to steady himself as he got to his feet.
From the other side, it sounds like the humans might be unaware of his presence, or at the very least were celebrating their minor victory early.
A wry grin crept on his face as he pushed himself fully upright and moved his rifle out of cover as it landed on his target.
He clenched as the weapon jolted in his hand as two plasma bolts erupted from the front, sailing through the air before hitting the target squarely in the chest.
He heard something akin to a squeal mixed with a cry of pain as the girl recoiled, staggering back from the resulting hit.
"Ruby!" Weiss screamed in horror as the grip on her plasma pistol tightened, her finger moreso.
The weapon's thermal indicator rapidly filled as it crept into the red, the ball of plasma forming at the tips of the crystals and the heat radiating off the weapon.
A second later, Weiss released the trigger, not realising what she had done, instantly the weapons upper hatch popped open and began venting as much heat as possible, green gaseous plasma emanated from the opening, resulting in Weiss throwing the weapon down in surprise and to prevent the heat searing her skin.
Hearing the disruption, the Sangheili went to exploit the immediate unrest, moving to advance, however he did not anticipate nor have the reflexes to avoid the overcharged ball of plasma.
The overwhelming energy collided with his armour, causing his shields to blare to life as they tried to absorb what they could, ultimately they dropped to zero.
The remaining heat burned portions of his armour and exposed flesh.
He roared in fury as he set his eyes on the white clad human, the pain from the burns accompanied by the heat from the armour only fueled his desire to see her in as much pain as he currently was.
His rifle was ready to let loose another pair of plasma bolts, Emmerson however, moved forward, her pistol clasped in her grip as she sank a shot clean into the ugly bastard's helmet.
Emmerson exhaled after the split chin's head jerked from the momentum of the shot, the rest of its body collapsed, leaving it splayed on the ground.
"Emmerson!" She heard Kappus' voice call from behind.
Immediately she snapped to attention, remembering the innocent casualty they might have on their hands.
She rushed back to the rest of the group, the marines covering their position while the girls and Kappus huddled around Ruby.
"Get the biofoam and morphine from the first aid pack, see if we can't ease the pain as well as seal up the… wound?"
Kappus' words trailed off as he looked to Ruby's chest, his eyes went wide, expecting to see the worst, instead what he found was… nothing.
Emmerson had been rummaging around the pack, but as she heard the man become quiet, she feared the worst, she was too late.
When she did finally look up, she was shocked, the girl had taken not one, but two direct hits from a plasma rifle, all at a range less than fifty meters away, something that more likely than not, would result in severe third degree burns.
Instead, Ruby appeared to be in some form of pain, yet there were no visible signs of the usual scalding one received from a plasma weapon, even her clothes appeared intact.
She then looked to Kappus, who intern looked at her, the pair both sharing knowing looks of shock and surprise, even without looking back she could sense Bisenti and Hosky from her peripheral vision lowering their weapons in disbelief.
Eventually, the surreal sight was too much for her, so she involuntarily outstretched an arm, something the three girls didn't miss sight of.
Emmerson gently glided a hand over what should have been a mess of cauterized blood, burnt fabric and melted flesh.
"But how?" Kappus wondered aloud, the rest of Ruby's team looking between one another confused.
"A-are, are you okay?" She wearily asked the 'injured' girl.
"I-it just hurts, like- like I've been hit with scalding hot water…" Ruby said in the midst of grunts.
She knew they couldn't stay for long, but the pain was just that much that she couldn't walk it off.
Emmerson pulled her hand back, a little shocked by the description, but still, she went back into the medical kit and found what she needed.
She then set to work removing her combat glove before putting on a sterile medical grade glove and applying a small layer of the clear substance onto her hand.
"This stuff I'm going to put on your wound is from an Earth plant, we call it Aloe Vera which has medicinal properties, it's an old remedy, but it'll work for what's ailing you."
Ruby slowly nodded, before reaching to her blouse, she glanced over to Kappus, who still was looking on with a shocked expression.
Seeing what she was implying, the man blinked before quickly shifting his gaze, standing up and then addressing the rest of the girls.
"Do any of you three want to tell me how this happened?"
"How what happened?"
Yang asked in confusion.
"The fact your sister isn't dead.
She just shrugged off a direct plasma rifle shot!
Two of them even."
Hosky answered without thinking.
"Hosky!" Kappus snapped back. "Cover our six."
Instantly, Hosky dropped the topic, shut his mouth and concentrated on the rear of the group.
Kappus exhaled as he looked back to the three, glancing down at Emmerson who had just finished applying the treatment to Ruby and was filing away the medical supplies.
"Sorry if he was out of line, but he is right.
Without any proper shielding from the intense heat of plasma, taking a direct hit like she did usually isn't survivable, showing no evidence of any hit when we all saw her is something even rarer."
"That can't be all of them."
Fitzgerald offhandedly said to Bisenti while kicking one of the Covenant corpses to ensure it wouldn't get back up.
"No, I'm pretty sure they're all dead." Hosky called over from his side.
"But more are gonna follow."
Bisenti answered, catching everyone's attention.
"So we need to keep moving and with luck, we might run into other survivors."
He said whilst not breaking eye contact with Kappus.
He was reluctant, but he knew his brother in arms was right.
As he looked to the four girls, Weiss was in the midst of helping Ruby stand, Emmerson doing the same from the side.
"I know now isn't the time, but when we manage to find a safe place to rest… I think you four have a bit of explaining to do."
Although there was a slight pause from them, the girls nodded in agreement, and with that, the group started heading forward once again.
The marines leading the way, with Ruby and Weiss in the middle and Blake and Yang at the back.
"Are you sure you can walk?"
Weiss kept Ruby close, allowing the younger girl to sling her arm around her shoulder, while Ruby's somewhat attempts to protest were unheard, she still held her chest where she had been hit, even if her hand still held onto her weapon.
"I'm fine Weiss." Ruby replied with a genuine smile of reassurance.
On the bright side, the 'Aloe Vera' had already begun working to help soothe the pain.
Weiss did feel a pang of sympathy for the girl, it wasn't fair to coddle her like she currently was, but at the same time, she could also tell her leader welcomed the assistance nonetheless.
As Blake began to follow behind the white rose pair, she felt a tug on her arm.
When she looked back, she met a worried set of lilac eyes.
"Hey, this may not be the best time to bring it up, but back on the Autumn, when we first bumped into these guys, you convinced them to let us tag along by saying we're all human…"
The more Yang went on, her eyes lost their steadiness as they found the ground worth looking at than Blake's own amber ones.
At first Blake was going to question her partner as to why she was bothered by what she had told the marines, but then thinking about it, she knew what Yang was actually implying.
"Look, as far as things we are concerned with, I think what we've been through, we can trust them and to be honest, it might take some time to explain ourselves.
Once we can, we're not going to have issues.
And as far as my faunus traits, best not to overwhelm them too much, it's going to be tough to explain semblances and aura…
I mean, did we really think that when we were going to meet 'humans', they'd be exactly like us?"
"I guess you're right." Yang agreed hesitantly, already proceeding to walk forwards to join with the others.
Hopefully this time I can take the time to show I'm not a human…
Blake looked back at the alien bodies behind her, exhaling sharply before jogging to catch up with her blonde haired teammate.
Earlier, elsewhere on the Ring
A pair of Sangheili lazily patrolled the outskirts of what they had been told by their commander was a potential shrine of the gods; to them, it merely looked like a derelict structure set atop a hillside.
Perhaps it was the ilk of boredom talking, or had it been that this wasn't the first time they found themselves simply guarding a position similar to this.
What did their commander expect to happen exactly?
But the pair knew better than to contest the words of the leader, who in turn had orders given to him from an even higher authority.
They were simple minors, guard duty had been one of the first set of assignments since being approved to join the army that made up the fleet, and usually such tasks as this were given to those of their position.
They hungered for excitement, and they never were allowed to join in battle on the human world as the fighting was culminating in victory by the time they were ready.
No, all they could do was continue to pace the same area for the fifteenth time and pray for something, even if it were the local wildlife, to appear to stifle the lethargy from slithering its way into them.
Boredom was the sole enemy that plagued them and although a simple action could foil it, so too could it breed indiscipline in even the most reserved of warriors.
The pair had an exceptional view of the landscape below them, a mix of greens and browns covered the surface nearby before becoming completely dry beyond, most likely due to being a slightly arid section of the Holy ring.
One of the Sangheili yawned before biting at the air with his mandibles, as a way to shake off the feeling of tiredness.
As if the gods themselves had heard their plea, they sobered into an alerted state upon hearing a rumble in the air.
They two looked to the sky and blinked, many on the sacred ring had been informed that the human ship the fleet had given chase was due to arrive on this day.
What no one, including the two, would have fathomed that it would make it even close to the sacred ring.
As to how this was possible?
They could only speculate, the ship soaring overhead, the front engulfed in flame while the rear left a trail of its remnants of that fire.
For several minutes, their gaze was affixed to the spectacle, the size and speed of it suggesting it was going in for a rough landing, yet while contrasting against the blue sky, it appeared to lazily drift westwards.
For several minutes, they watched as it disappeared past the horizon, the only evidence it was ever in their line of sight was the roar that filled the air, slowly diminishing with each passing minute, as well as the trail of smoke and vapours that hung in the air.
Soon, silence returned to the landscape, the two warriors glanced at one another for confirmation that it wasn't a mere illusion.
Then, as if they needed further proof, there came a thunderous rumble, they even felt it beneath their boots.
Surely the vessel had touched the surface of the ring, and in doing so, it had awoken the gods in anger.
"By the rings, what is happening up there?"
Their commander's voice rang in their ears
Well at least we weren't the only ones to feel it.
Both warriors knowingly thought as they looked at each other, before one of them moved his hand up to his ear piece.
"Leader, it appears that the humans were successful in beating the fleet's attempts to halt their approach to ring-"
He stopped mid-sentence as he felt a distinct nudge from his companion.
Annoyed, he was about to snap for interrupting him, but then he noticed him pointing upwards.
Following his gaze, the previous conversation was forgotten altogether, his eyes tracking a much more miniscule looking object.
"What is going on?
Speak to me!"
His leader bellowed for an explanation.
"Forgive me for my brief pause, commander, but we've spotted what appears to be a human escape vehicle.
I estimate their landing will be within our patrol's range to intercept.
If we leave now, we should be able to catch up to them before they can even prepare for our approach.
Do you grant us permission?
There was a momentary silence before his superior answered.
"No, I do not.
Hold your ground and await our return to the surface.
Once we are, we can then press forward together."
He gnawed at the edge of his mandibles, but obligingly answered.
"Understood commander."
After removing his hand from his earpiece, he glanced over to his companion, who in turn, nods in understanding.
Now, all they could do was keep track of the human escape vehicle until the rest of their squad rejoined them.
Greetings!
Welp, a lot of things have happened between now and my last chapter update aye.
Christmas, New Year, Birthday near the end of January (went to a shooting range with mates the week before, we all did pretty alright- gotta mention we are all Australian so the experience was definitely an eye opener).
Halo TV show has come and gone, Rooster Teeth is gone, RWBY was too, but has been picked up by Viz, so we can get an ending to the show at least.
And the XBOX Games Showcase for this year was a brilliant line up of games (one in particular- read further down).
And just recently we've had news of the Xbox 360 store shutting down...
"I can't say I ever used you, but you have my thanks, for giving those who did fond memories and built bonds for a life time...
Hard to believe he's dead..."
Now to explain my lack of chapter update, firstly the next few chapters were initially going to be one, but I have taken the time to break them up, so 3 or four (including this one) chapters are going to be set within the confines of the mission Halo, that being said, Chief will make his appearance in these, it's a matter of whether the next or the one after.
My apologies if you hoped he were here.
A Major contender:
So when I mentioned about visiting mates while going to the range, we discussed setting up a DnD game, one week later (my Birthday) we had our first session (or rather session zero), I played a Rogue, the other three party members being: Human Wizard (Famous words, I cast Prestidigitation), a Hill Dwarf Cleric (mate knows his stuff about DnD) and a Golden Dragon born Paladin.
When that game ended, I was ecstatic to play again, so much so, before going to sleep, while in bed, I wrote up the entire game as if it were a story, and presented it to the others the next session (one week later)...
I have begun to do that each session, and that takes time to write, so guess what I had to put on the back burner?
But, getting the hang of it (including recording the session so I don't forget what happened) for speeding up the process.
With my mate who is the cleric starting a new job, he won't be able play during our scheduled time, so I do have time to return to Halo: RWBY Evolved.
But Wait There's More:
Now, although I have stated above that my time to write the fic is now open (minus work and other responsibilities etc). There is a specific reason why I am intending to get at the very least the entirety chapters of 'Halo', and I will say this, there will be more waiting once those chapters are posted.
The reason being is to do with the following:
AGE OF MYTHOLOGY RETOLD: This game was featured in the showcase (around the 49 minute mark) in between Flintlock and Perfect Dark.
This game is a real time strategy game that is a remake of the original from 2002 and this game was my childhood, literal character defining moment.
They had a teaser showcasing some models for the game in early February, ever since that I had been checking everyday for news about it.
To put it in perspective, I was eager for Halo Infinite, but I am avidly waiting for this game, counting the days.
Recently they had two beta tests that I partook in (one closed, the other stress testing the MP).
This game is coming out in EXACTLY 4 WEEKS! The 28th of August.
And when I say I am going to play it, I am going to play it.
I highly recommend you check it out if you like mythology, or RTS.
But to say I am excited, that is an understatement...
I could keep going, but I think you get the idea, my time to write will be dedicated to this.
"Prostagma."
And now on to the reviews:
ikysatsunagi: You are most welcome, thank you for your gracious appreciation.
Monster King: I very much will, also keep that crown upon your head, I don't want to get a strained neck looking up at you when I return it.
nantoto: I'd say intensive pursuit myself.
Shadow Walker of Fire: "When you first heard halo, were you left awestruck?" - The Prophet of Regret probably. But yeah, I'm happy I was able to convey it in they way that I did... keep up that rent free music on loop hehe.
Bocazaz117: Funny, I have a perspective thing going, but not in the way you've laid out. Hopefully it won't seem too obtuse when you see it.
Also as stated earlier, you're gonna have to hold out on that Chief appearance.
The name you have given for an elite sounds cool, however, I am still debating whether or not to incorporate a foil for RWBY (you will understand once we get to roughly the level the silent cartographer)
And as for the engine control room... A little to early to be thinking about that (but, things can change when it comes to writing).
Bocazas 117: Go! Go! Go!
Believer218: I will make a note of that, thank you for the suggestion.
With everything said, hope you liked this chapter, and will see you in the next chapter (hopefully same time next week).