*Eligos Lex V, Saturn Orbit*
A bottle tipped forward towards the empty chalice in front of it. Red liquid flowed freely from the bottle's mouth and into the bejeweled cup, stopping at half the challice's capacity before the bottle was pulled back and closed. The chalice was then lifted off the bar table by a large, meaty hand with four thick fingers. The owner of the hand, a very large and powerful looking figure. A Cabal.
This however seemed different from the rest however. Though they possessed the massive, muscle rippling arms, legs, and midsection, thick hide-like skin, and cleft upper lip, this individual had a rather unique feature that came in the form of two, prominent ivory tusks that pointed outward from the sides of their face. A feature that was mostly common in Cabal females, and in place of her armor, a cerulian, gold lined robe encrusted with sapphires that draped across her large, beastly body.
From the goblet full of wine and the extravagant robe, to the large, regal looking chambers that she was residing in, there was no question that this Cabal was royalty. There was a monitor active over the desk at the side of the room across from the massive bed. It showed a display of Commander Zavala, who looked frustrated.
"I apologize if this is an inconvenient time, Caiatl, but this call takes priority." He said with a serious voice.
The Cabal turned to the monitor. Her amber eyes carrying a powerful intensity to them. Caiatl took a sip of wine from her chalice before speaking.
"It is no bother, Commander Zavala. I was not engaged in anything important anyhow." Caiatl's voice was deep and boomed like thunder. The voice of a warrior who shows no fear in the face of her enemies. "Though I was surprised to hear that you have put Valus Zomon on leave. He reports directly to me, after all."
"Yes, but seeing that he is also a member of a Vanguard fireteam, I couldn't afford to show him special treatment."
Caiatl stayed silent momentarily. Her gaze was transfixed towards the red liquid her chalice. More accurately, her own reflection. She gazed into her own brooding eyes. She turned back towards Zavala.
"I understand, but do inform me when you plan to punish any more of my warriors. That way, I can discipline them properly myself." She replied. "But moving on, you said that you require my presence in the Tower tomorrow, concerning a prisoner?"
Zavala nodded. "A prisoner Jane Doe and your Valus had brought with them from the other side of The Anomaly, when they went against Vanguard authority to rescue a wayward Guardian."
The information hit her like a speeding Interceptor. Caiatl stared at the commander with great surprise.
"Truly? They ventured into that hole and reemerged unscaved? Not only that, they had acquired someone from beyond it?"
"He claims to be Garrus Vakarian, the individual that Jane has been searching for over the past five years. We've never seen his species before, so we've placed him on lockdown until he is deemed non-hostile."
Caiatl found this news interesting, to say the least. She had heard that Jane was in search of this man from her past. To know he resides beyond The Anomaly was not at all what she was expecting.
"Ikora has tried to get him talking, but he won't speak to anyone but me, and only if Jane is present. I've told him I would meet his demands, but only if all leaders of the Coalition would be present. I've already contacted Mithrax and Queen Mara. You're all that's left."
"I see… Very well, I will meet with all of you at dawn. We shall judge this Garrus ourselves." Caiatl agreed.
Zavala smiled from his end. "Thank you, Empress. Again excuse me for interrupting you on your personal time."
The Cabal smiled back at him. "Do not apologize, Commander. I always have time for my allies…" Her voice takes a softer tone when finishing her sentence. "Until tomorrow."
She pressed a button on her desk's console. The monitor powered down, but her smile remained. Caiatl meant what she said, especially when it was concerning Zavala.
Caiatl was also still very much intrigued, regarding the news of The Anomaly. Except, she did wish that Zomon would have run it by her first, as she was his superior. But that was water under the bridge now. The empress sipped from her chalice. The wine was rich with flavor. There was also a hint of something else mixed in. Some kind of fruit. It was nice.
Now that all of her duties for the day have been completed, her time to relax had finally arrived. It couldn't have come fast enough with the day she had, might I add. Caiatl walked over to the corner of her chambers. A large, bubbling jacuzzi tub awaited her. The empress wasted no time in disrobing and placing her garment on the rack beside her. She stepped down into the tub. The waters were invitingly warm. Before long, the rest of her large body became submerged. Caiatl let out a pleasant sigh. The warmth of the water loosening all of her tightened muscles and the steam opened up her sinuses and pores. She rested back against the ledge and closed her eyes; goblet in hand.
Her eyes reopened after a moment though. The skylight ceiling of her chambers gave her a perfect viewing of what was beyond. A ship, painted a brilliant gold, and massive in scale. It was giving off a faint crimson glow in the center of its body. The sip appeared to be deralect, considering that none of the exterior functions were online. Caiatl couldn't help but look at this goliath vessel with the purest form of distane. She knew this ship well.
The Leviathan, and she knew who it belonged to as well… So. Damned. Well.
A few months ago, she had confronted the ghosts of her past aboard that ship. Figuratively, and literally. Not just her, but Zavala, Crow, as well as Jane Doe herself. It was a monumental task, and just as much of a battle, but they all had managed to prevail in the end. It was an eye opening experience, to be honest. Caiatl learned many things about herself she never knew after it was all said and done, and what she needed to be when the time finally comes.
'I will find you...' She declared mentally. '…and I will take great pleasure in plunging my sword into your fat belly, Calus.'
*BOOM!*
A sudden tremor throughout the entirety of the ship snapped Caiatl out of her thoughts. The waters of her tub sloshed around violently, splashing her in the face. Caiatl gasped. Darting out of her tub, she reached for her robe just as the doors to her chambers opened and a Psion came rushing inside.
"Empress, are you unharmed?" They asked frantically.
"I am fine, Optus!" Caiatl replied, tying her robe's belt. "What was that shaking just now?!"
"It is Valus Forge, my empress! He is engaged in combat, down in the hangar!"
Her head tilted to the side in confusion. Saladin was fighting someone?"
"Engaged in battle with who?!"
Grunt hit the hangar wall hard from being thrown across the bay. He opened his eyes. There was a burning axe coming his way. Despite his heavy form, the young krogan dove out of the way before the axe hit him; its blade cleaving into the hangar's metal wall. Grunt jumped back onto his feet with his Omni-Blade and Spike Thrower ready. His opponent, Saladin, turned to him upon removing his mighty blade from the wall. Though his face was covered by a helm, there was overwhelming bloodlust within them.
The Titan twirled the large axe with a single hand as if it weighed nothing at all before taking hold of it with both hands. Grunt stared him down, not showing him an ounce of fear or hesitation. He would charge him head on.
Looking back to the escape pod, Joker, Miranda, and Javik were no longer there. They had been dragged off someplace else by Cabal soldiers while Grunt was still resisting arrest. He had failed to keep his comrades safe, but he would be damned if he would go quietly. The rest of Clan Urdnot would never let him hear the end of it otherwise.
Grunt cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders to make sure he wouldn't pull anything. "My turn." He said threateningly before charging.
Saladin met him all the way. He raised his battleaxe high before bringing it down on his foe. Grunt blocked with his Omni-Blade, but the force created a crater by his feet. It almost broke his arm, but that was no plating off his back. Grunt took aim with his Graal Spike Thrower; the weapon fully charged for maximum penetration and fired. The skillets were unfortunately stopped by another weapon in Lord Saladin's hand. It looked like some sort of flaming hammer that melted the skillets on contact. He must have let go of the axe to conjure it. Grunt angrily knocked the axe away, then smashed his shoulder into the Titan in a body check. His immense strength was enough to push Saladin, but he was also left wide open for an attack. Forge pulled back his arm, then struck Grunt in the face with his flaming weapon.
*HAMMER OF SOL*
The unbelievable amount of force actually sent him flying across the hangar, but the krogan managed to recover faster than Saladin expected. Grunt took aim with his shotgun. He fired off a Concussive Shot from the barrel. Saladin countered by throwing his hammer. The two collided in mid air and created a large explosion.
Both warriors charged at one another through the smokescreen. Their blades clashed against one another. Each strike, parried by the other, countered with little effort, redirected away from their vital areas. Saladin released one hand from his axe to summon a new weapon. "Archon's Thunder", a large machine gun that looked forged from scraps, engraved with alien symbols and marked with his wolf crest. He backed away from Grunt before opening fire with his heavy weapon. Just as the bullets cut through the air towards him, Urdnot activated his Fortification and Shield Boost. The combination of defense matrixes were more than enough to reinforce his armor and deflect the high caliber rounds with ease. Saladin kept firing until the drum was emptied and he discarded the weapon.
Two hand gripped the battleaxe. Saladin threw his blade straight at Grunt, but he shifted to his right and dodged. The axe digging into the wall far behind. Grunt smirked.
Saladin had just discarded all his current weapons. Did that worry him? Of course not! The hunt was only just getting started. The Iron Lord focused his Light into his right hand and a flaming hammer was summoned.
*HAMMER OF SOL*
It was the same tiny hammer he had struck Grunt with not long ago. Grunt couldn't help but laugh at how small it was. "Is that the best you can do?!" He mocked.
Saladin grabbed onto the hammer's but with his other hand and pulled. The handle extended tremendously and the head doubled in size. The entire weapon was set aflame by his Light.
*BURNING MAUL*
Grunt gulped. He had to ask?
"No." Relied the Titan. "THIS is the best I can do!"
With a powerful leap into the air, Saladin swung back his mighty weapon of fire before literally bringing the hammer down on the krogan. Grunt activated Fortification and blocked the attack with his Omni-Blade. The resulting contact generated a powerful blast of flame that engulfed the both of them. Grunt was thrown clear, tumbling across the floor like he was thrown off of a truck. The Iron Lord did not stop there however as he slammed his maul down on the floor. A large wave of fire hurdled its way towards Grunt. Seeing this, he rolled out of the way before the wave could reach him and it exploded upon hitting the wall.
Urdnot finally stood back and charged at Saladin full tilt. He snickered in humor at such a reckless strategy. The maul was swung to the side, aiming to take off Grunt's head once he had gotten close enough. However, that was exactly what he was hoping for. Grunt, at the very last second possible, dropped to his knees, barely dodging the maul by the hump on his back, and sliding just past Saladin. He galloped away from the Guardian with a cocky grin on his lips. Froze turned around at his foe. He noticed Grunt was spinning something in his finger.
Pins. Grenade pins.
Could he have..? While he was sliding? Saladin looked to his waist. A belt of grenades was hooked onto his armor, each one without their pins, seconds away from…
Well… This was going to suck.
The ordinance devices detonated. The fiery explosion consumed Saladin completely. The Cabal all around them all looked on in shock at their Valus' demise, all while Grunt was grinning like a fool.
"How's THAT, old man! He he he!" Laughed the krogan soldier.
"Laugh all you want…"
Grubt's celebration was brought to an abrupt halt. Emerging from the fires was Lord Saladin, completely unharmed, Ghost by his side. His helmet was gone, now held tightly in his grasp. The Guardian stared Grunt down with a menacing glare.
"I will never fall so easily." He declared. "Besides, if I died so quickly, while the other Iron Lords watched over me in this battle…" Legs planted firmly against the floor, he leaned forward.
"I'D BE ASHAMED!"
Despite his bulky frame, Saladin's dashing speed was incomprehensible. He selected a new weapon in his HUD while sprinting. Grunt got ready to defend, but Forge was just too fast and the krogan was cut along his side deeply. Blood sprayed from his wound, but only for a moment. The cut was instantly cauterized by some kind of incredible heat. When Saladin stopped several feet away, that was when Grunt saw it. A single broadsword in his right hand, with a large, finely honed blade, alit with flame, and the crest of the Iron Lords engraved into its base. The sword was beautiful. Saladin waved the weapon around and took his stance to continue combat.
"And now you shall feel the bite of The Young Wolf's Howl!"
Grunt, well, he grunted. This old fossil was clearly holding back on him this whole time. How insulting.
"You got a lot of nerve, old man. No one goes easy on a krogan and gets away with it." He warned.
"What can I say? I wanted to test the waters before I just dove in without thinking, like you did, Urdnot Grunt."
"Oh, so now I'm stupid?!"
The time for talking was over. Saladin dashed once more, his sword thirsty for blood. Like a starving wolf on the hunt for his prey, he raced across the hangar at blinding speed. Grunt felt his body tense. Adrenaline coursed through his body, making everything appear in slow motion. This state gave Grunt just a moment to think to himself, but that was enough.
'He's fast, but I can still dodge him!'
Unfortunately, he thought wrong. Saladin was faster than anticipated. Before Grunt could even move, a large slash was carved across his chest in an upward diagonal slice. The wound did not bleed. It was burned closed as well. He withheld a scream from the amount of pain jolting across his chest. Saladin was not finished. His trajectory shifted to the reverse direction after a brief halt and he delivered a charging slash to Grunt again, this time on his back. The sword was more than capable of cutting through his armor, even his plating. Fortification and Shield Boost were practically useless against that level of cutting power.
Grunt needed to get out of there or he would be turned into well done steak stripes. Oh, don't think about steak now! All he needed was to block just once it's his own blade and Saladin would lose his momentum and that would be his opportunity to counter.
The relentless barrage of slashes and cuts continued. All across his body, Grunt was covered with burnt scarring. The pain was unbearable, but he needed to endure. Just one parry. That's all. Just one…
*CLANG!*
Jackpot! Grunt deflected the sword with his Omni-Blade. Saladin's momentum faltered. This was his chance! The Omni-Blade vanished, giving Urdnot a free arm to use. Winding his body back, Grunt swung his muscular arm straight at his foe's throat. Saladin choked from the blow and sent flying across the hangar before being slammed against the wall. Blood erupted from his mouth. That indicated that one of his ribs broke and punctured an organ, perhaps more than one.
Now wasn't the time to let up. He needed to keep hitting him. Grunt raised is Spike Thrower and fired. Several skillets flew towards the Titan, ripping through his armor and puncturing his body. Saladin yelled out in pain. His body barely able to stand from the amount of pain. Grunt grinned.
"How's that? Taking me seriously now?!"
Saladin sheathed his sword. His hands grabbed hold of the skillets inside his chest. He pulled them out of his body, ignoring the pain like they were nothing more than bug bites. Saladin's Ghost came to him and, within seconds, his wounds were completely healed. Watching this phenomenon angered the krogan. No matter what he would do, none of his attacks would leave any lasting damage. It was as though Grunt was fighting some kind of immovable object. What a pain in the tail section.
One of his hands reached onto the belt wrapped around his waist. He grabbed hold of two small devices with glass capsules attached to their bodies. Saladin tossed them to the ground and they burst open. Two lies of fire raced towards Grunt at an unexpected speed. Thermite Grenades! Grunt jumped out of the way before the racing flame could reach him. He then decided to switch weapons mid roll to his Striker Rifle and switched on the Incendiary Ammo mod to increase their lethality. Grunt dashed to the side, firing shot after shot at the guardian across from him. Saladin, once his strength was fully restored, took evasive maneuvers. He ran, jumped, and ducked to avoide the explosive ammunition. Just one shot from that weapon could prove deadly, even with his armor plating.
Grunt kept up the pace. Perhaps if he could overwhelm Saladin with a continuous assault of blows and deal as much damage as possible, then maybe, just maybe, he would stay down. Just because he heals, that doesn't mean he's immune to pain. Saladin just has a ridiculous tolerance to it.
Urdnot laughed as he fired his weapon. "Wrex is missing out! This fight is goddamn glorious!"
There was a look in Saladin's eyes that our young pure blood did not notice. A look of someone who was in the midst of brainstorming. He was coming up with a plan. Coming to an abrupt halt, Saladin changed his direction and was now heading straight for Grunt. The krogan quickly popped the heat clip and loaded a new one, then resumed fire. Valus Forge redrew his sword. Swinging his mighty blade, the shots fired off were deflected or sliced in two. This left Grunt shocked beyond belief. He was able to deflect bullets?!
Before long, the Iron Lord was close enough to Grunt for a stab, but such a reckless charge was dangerous as Saladin was quite literally staring down the barrel of the gun. One clean shot would blow off his head. The krogan's mouth curved upward into a sadistic grin. He would very much relish in the blood he would spill. The trigger was pulled, but just as he did so, Lord Saladin thrust his shoulder forward, a large energy barrier was conjured in between the Titan and the krogan. This was Saladin's plan. The Striker's bullet was fired and it collided with the barrier that stood right in front of Grunt. The resulting explosion engulfed him while Saladin was left unharmed.
Once the explosion subsided, the barrier was disabled. Grunt was seen still on his feet, but his whole body was charred black. Arms went limp on his sides, weapon on the ground, and his head hanging low towards the floor. The damage done from the explosion was severe. In seconds, Grunt fell onto his knees, unable to keep his composure as his strength faded. Saladin stared down at his fallen opponent. It was a clever strategy. Get up close and use that Striker Assault Rifle's explosive rounds to his advantage by reflecting the blast back at the shooter with a barrier. The krogan certainly wasn't expecting a sneaky move like that.
"You put up a valiant effort."
Saladin sheathed his sword behind his back. He turned his body away from the fallen alien, and started to walk away.
"However, in the end, you are nothing more than a pup throwing a tantrum before the alpha of the pack. This hunt is over."
Two Legionaries closed in on Grunt in his fallen state. They took hold of his arms and lifted him up off his knees. Now that he was incapacitated, they could drag Urdnot into a cell without resistance. The two carried Grunt away, his feet dragging along the floor.
They failed to notice his face twitching.
"Pup..?"
Suddenly, Grunt felt something surge throughout his body. A powerful jolt kickstarted his senses from their inactivity. Both his hearts started beating faster and faster. Breathing became labored as a result.
"I..!"
In the hold of the Cabal soldier, Grunt's fists tightened. Shoulders and back muscles tensed up in their grasps and he ground his teeth to the point where he actually cracked them from the pressure.
"Am!"
Grunt's throat reverberated an animalistic growl. His eyes rolled up into the back of his head.
Saladin continued to walk away from the fallen krogan. He did not bother to look back. There was no need, as he had already bested his adversary. A warrior to the end, he would admit. His respect was given to Grunt. However, as Saladin walked, he noticed something in the corner of both his eyes. Two large blurs. It was one second after seeing these blurs that they revealed themselves as two Legionaries flying past him and crashing into the wall in front. The Guardian was surprised. What in the world had just happened? He Forge turned around. What he saw sent a chill down his spine.
It was Grunt. He was back on his feet, but there was something different about him. The krogan's muscles were tensed up, veins clearly visible across his body. His eyes looked as though they were glowing a bright red. From deep within his throat, Grunt was letting out the growl of a wild beast. Something had happened to this young warrior. It looked like some kind of frenzied state. Saladin had seen that in some Gladiators, and even in some Titans. Though, there was something about this type of frenzy that put him on edge. Something… dangerous.
Grunt clenched his fists to the point that his nails dug into the skin of his palms and his hands started to bleed. He finally unleashed a deafening roar, then charged Saladin full tilt, armed with nothing but his bare hands.
"KROGAAAAAN!!!"
Saladin, despite feeling uneasy at seeing his defeated foe risen once again, did not falter. He summoned a bulky looking hand cannon dubbed "Crimil's Dagger", and opened fire. The gun unloaded all eight rounds in the cylinder and each one dug into Grunts hide. The shots didn't even slow him down.
"What in the Traveler's name?!"
This was the Krogan Blood Rage, a legendary trait that Grunt's all share. Regarded and feared across the galaxy for their nightmarish violence, the krogan are both aided and hindered by this state. Once it is triggered, a krogan becomes seemingly invincible, fighting past all normal limitations and become unresponsive to any sort of pain. While under this Blood Rage, krogan will continue to fight regardless of their bodily condition, even if every bone in their bodies have been crushed. This is exactly why the salarians turned to the krogan to wipe out the Rachni long ago.
Starting to understand the gravity of his situation, Valus Forge stepped up his game. The pistol in his hand vanished, replaced by the burning steel of The Young Wolf's Howl. Manifesting in the Titan's left hand was a hammer of pure flame.
*HAMMER OF SOL*
Saladin tossed the hammer, then followed up with a downward slam of his sword on the ground, generating a wave of fire that hurdled towards Grunt. Both flame attacks hit their marks. Grunt was consumed by the flames, but he still charged through. Saladin couldn't believe it. Two direct blows and he was still going?! Grunt had become some kind of unstoppable force.
With a powerful leap, Urdnot jumped upward at Saladin. His arm cocked back, then he crashed straight into the human's face with the force of a speeding train. Even Saladin with his inhuman strength wasn't able to withstand the overwhelming power of such a punch and was sent flying. He tumbled along the floor for some time until he finally stopped and rolled upright off the hangar floor. His hand clenched his jaw, rubbing it to relieve the pain.
Not only was Grunt now immune to pain, his strength had increased his well. It made sense. If such a level of adrenaline was coursing through his body then he won't be holding back. He was now unburdened by his boundaries and lost in the fog of anger.
A roar rocked the hangar. Grunt charged again. Saladin stood back up and readied his sword. As the rampaging krogan approached, Forge thrust his mighty blade into Grunt's shoulder. It didn't even phase him in the slightest. In fact, Grunt kept going and let the blade cut further into him. He grabbed Saladin by his armor, then swung his head forward with all his strength into Saladin's own. A brutal headbutt. Even for Titan standards. Red fluid trickled down from his head while he tumbled away from Grunt, disoriented from the strike. A howl exploded out from the krogan's mouth. He wasn't done. Not even close.
He won't stop.
Never.
Not until his enemy was reduced to a pulp.
Grunt summoned his Omni-Blade. Pulling his arm back for a thrusting strike, he rushed ahead while screaming at the top of his lungs. Saladin looked up. That blade was heading straight towards his face. He was still dazed, unable to react. If he didn't do something.
*CLANG!*
The Omni-Blade was pushed into the floor; the blade dug deep into the metal plating. Something had just deflected Grunt's advance, something big and heavy. A gargantuan golden hammer. Saladin looked up. Standing in front of him was a large Cabal, covered head to toe in golden, regal armor. This Cabal's face was obscured by a concealing headdress, but the two distinctive tusks protruding from each side of its face was a giveaway towards its identity.
"Caiatl?" Saladin said, stunned by his unlikely savior.
"Stand down, you animal. This match was already decided." Caiatl ordered in her booming voice.
Grunt however did not heed her words. He was too drunk in rage to understand even one word. He merely roared as loud as he possibly could. The Omni-Blade disappeared. The krogan set his sights on the Cabal now. However, that turned out to be a mistake. Caiatl's huge fist slammed into Grunt's face before he could even do anything. The punch had so much power to it that Grunt flew like a missile all the way to the other end of the hangar. He didn't just crash into the wall, he got embedded into it and fell unconscious instantly.
Caiatl snorted in unsatisfaction. "Beast." She spat. Turning back to Saladin, she lowered her hand to him with an open palm. "Valus Forge, are you injured?"
Saladin accepted the helping hand up and was pulled off the ground. His hand wiped the blood from his face. "I've survived worse. Thank you, Empress."
They both nodded at one another before turning back to the incapacitated krogan. The Empress looked at him no longer with disgust, but with intrigue. He held his own against a Lightbearer, and against some of her own soldiers. It was impressive, she would acknowledge that. But for now, protocol must be met.
Numerous Cabal surrounded Grunt, their hands reaching for him. That was the last thing he remembered before darkness finally overtook him completely.