Chapter 11 - The Unexpected
I had just laid down after my watch with maybe an hour until our squad leaves to enter the fortress when I heard a massive explosion in the distance....in the direction of the base on the other side of that mountain. I immediately shot up, Aedra next to me and we began grabbing gear.
Exiting the tent, the resounding echos of the explosion seemed to still be bouncing around the canyon. Rike was standing and looking into the direction of the fortress. We couldn't see anything from that direction as we were in a canyon.
Ghost floated forward and said, "That was a very large explosion. The rest of the Lunar Pact didn't attack, did they?"
Aedra stepped next to me out of our shared tent, "They wouldn't of attacked yet, not without our signal, but they should be on the way, I'll contact Ellestrae."
I nodded and got to work packing up our gear, and I snacked on some food as I did so. We are going to be fighting for a while and I am not sure how long it will be until I can take a break again and eat some more.
Captain Aedra finished with the call to Ellestrae and the two ships that are currently on the way to assault the front of the fortress.
"So they are on their way and are about two hours out, but I think we should still go and see what is going on, then work from there." Aedra said.
"Maybe they already got out and don't need our help." Chautre said with a bitter laugh.
Taezed grunted, "We should get there sooner than later."
Rike nodded and so did Chautre.
"Right, lets get going, grab what you need and be ready to fight." Aedra said to everyone, and we made our way to the horses, ready for a fight.
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Instead of a cautious pace, the horses where pushed to their limit, and I was able to keep up on my sparrow while following them. We finally came close to the tower, everyone dismounted and pulled supplies from the horses that we needed. I just let my sparrow disappear.
The horses took off on their own, which was expected, I doubt we will be coming back this way.
Looking up at the watch tower where the guards were the night before, we were not surprised to find it empty.
The door to the back entrance to the fort was blown away, lodged in a copse of trees near the scouting tower.
We made our way to the door that had blasted out. How could anyone survive this?
The tunnel was black with the carbon scoring of a large explosion. We made our way in and it was completly dark, all of the torches must have been blown out with the blast.
The ground of the tunnel had been clean at one point it looked like, but now rubble and all sorts of debris, including wood, was around, but nothing seemed to be caved in completely just yet.
As we entered the main hallway, I had ghost do a scan to see if it was blocked.
"It appears to be open enough to make it, though there might be some climbing. I also detect no life signs in the next 1284 meters." Ghost said after the tell tale white burst of light that seems to follow the outline of every object was sent out.
"Is that how long the tunnel is?" Aedra asked quietly.
"There is an opening to a larger chamber at that distance. I cannot say if the tunnel continues on past that, the chamber seems to have movement, I cannot tell what it is though." Ghost replies.
"Alright, lets go as fast as we can, try to be quiet, but no loud spells if possible, Taezed you lead with that bow, Rike behind. Kira your bow is large and you might have difficutly getting around things so you are back with me. Chautre, you are on our back." Aedra commanded. Chautre had a shortbow as well, but it he hadn't strung
Chautre was holding his shortsword in his right hand and a small looking mace that I leared was called a sword-breaker, it could be used to attack, block, and well....break swords. He seemed calm, but ready to fight.
I currently had no weapons equipped, I wasn't about to unleash my Loaded Question in this small cave tunnel.
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It took us nearly an hour of trudging through the dark with only the light Ghost was reluctantly sending around. He voiced that it could be seen regardless of the direction it was pointing, but we insisted for a while at least. There was a few times that we had to step around serious cave-ins and there definitely was some random corpses that made the tunnel begin to smell of rot and moldy burned biomass, if that can be a combination.
Finally some light could be seen in the distance and it was a solid yellow light, not the flickering uneven light of a fire.
The room we entered had a wall directly infront of the doorway so you couldn't just walk right in, we split, I went left with Taezed and Aedra, Rike went right with Chautre following.
As we entered the room I saw the most horrifying thing I have seen since I came through the portal on the moon. There was a hallway to the left and to the right, the right has more blackened stone from the explosion, a few guards bodies, and debris from what could be a door that used to block the right path. To the left...was an all to familiar sight.
It had weird brown projecting organic....things coming from the wall, it seemed to not go past the threshold in a near perfect line. Beyond this line, the grotesque organic growth had what appeared to be giant worms or tubes, that were definitely moving, and they also were wet, and there was weird yellow lights that seemed to come from random glowing organic things. The tubes or worms or whatever, where also sporadically draping down from into the ceiling, and down into the floor. A chill, swept through my body bringing on the adrenaline
It was the mark of the Hive.
"Oh no..." Ghost said from my shoulder.
I felt horror for the first time since coming here, I have to fight the Hive. This has to be why I am here. This is why WE are here as I look at my Ghost.
Captain Aedra was looking at the walls in disgust, but he heard the recognition in Ghosts' tone of voice. "The Hive... They are from our....world..." Ghost said, I guess he didn't feel like explaining space travel at this time.
"Quiet, there might be enemies ahead." Taezed said, ever the professional, while I am having a mental breakdown.
I was actually shaking. I pulled out my Strikers Sure-Hand sword and walked forward. I punched through the organic barrier that seemed weak against my Light infused melee attack, I was impressed that the explosion seemed to have no effect on it but my Light did. When I saw what was in the next room, my mind when blank....it was time to kill some hive.
"Kira....wait." Aedra said.
I didn't.
There was 6 Hive Thralls, 1 Knight, and 1 Wizard which was currently floating distractedly while channeling one of the weird wards that the hive make out of magic and the fleshy looking organic material that is a distrubing color of brown.
The wizard almost didn't react as a small sun appeared around it. The explosion of my grenade seemed to pull all of the hive around them to look at the explosion....Hmmm not as smart as NPC's it seems, they always knew to look at the source. As soon as the grenade hit, the distrubing screams of the hive began to eminate from seemingly everywhere. The wizard flew towards a large corridor on the other side of this entry room.
I was already in the air with my light boosted jump when the grenade went off, I landed at the back of a couple of Thralls. Like wheat facing the scythe, I plowed into their ranks, my first horizontal slash splitting two through the chest and cut the arm off of the third.
I pulled back for a power strike and divided the one armed Thrall in front of me.
The Wizard's solar shield was melted and it was flying away, I took down one more thrall with a back-handed swipe, removing its head cleanly, then I jumped. The Wizard was was fleeing back behind a giant brown pile of something, and I jumped over the Knight in pursuit.
With a few swipes of my sword, I caught up to the Wizard, (90 mobility), and slashed its back. I hit the ground as it was screaming and jumped once again to finish it with an upward strike, and a downward melee attack, launching the lifeless corpse into the pile of....organic hive stuff.
Then, as if woken from a deep slumber, the organic mass stood up. With a disgusting glowing yellow bulbus head, a Hive Ogre stood before me, with a giant back-handed swipe he sent me flying into the far wall.
It roared, and immediately began launching the weird void color beam of energy from the yellow light where its face should be.
My ears were ringing as it hit me, and my vision went dark. As I flew back from the blast I made contact with the disgusting hive wall before landing on the ground. Just above me the wall exploded with the Ogres next attack, the purple beam began to track me and I received a glancing blow, nearly taking my right arm off. I just made it behind a column and could now hear the sounds of combat, the rest of my team joined the fight.
I was dizzy as I leaned against the column I used for cover, I began to heal with the
My shield finished refilling, and I rolled around the colomn as the Ogre had switched its focus to them.
There was no more Thralls left alive, and the Knight had its shield up with a couple arrows lodged in it, and I noticed it was pretty low on health from the crossbow bolt that was in its head.
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Looking at the Ogre, I could tell that it had about 2/3's HP left, with the amount of projectiles imbedded, it was no surprise. Yet it was still launching those powerful purple beams, now aimed at the entrance where Rike and Chautre were no doubt continuing the ranged attacks. I pulled my Wish-Ender out and one shot the Knight who was also holding back the Captain with it's shield.
Then I began to launch arrows at the Ogre, I got two off, before a massive bolt of lightning that was as black as night, launched from the Captain. The darkness of the lightnight didn't change the effect on my vision as the dark lightning burned itself on my retinas.
Instead of a ranged attack, it was actually the Captain turning into the black lightning that his powerful sword, Nightstorm, somehow channels magically. The bolt made a loud crack then what seemed to be thunder or an explosion followed as a massive amount of wind pressure launched the Orge back against the wall, it fell into ash as it impacted. The black lightning of Aedra's sword seemed to have burnt the Hive beast from the inside out along a 4 foot slash through the head and torso of the Ogre.
The monster stopped moving and I was putting my bow down when another loud crack and thunder followed, the black lightning destroyed the ground in front of me, and sent me flying.
I yelped as I landed on my ass and looked up at him horrified and confused. Did he just attack me? Aedra was standing over me with murder written on his face.
"Take your helmet off I want to look into your eyes." He said, not asking.
My helmet vanished into light and I looked away from him, yeah I know I messed up, but the Hive being here....
He pulled my chin to look back at him and I was definitely trembling, not sure if it was from fighting the Hive again, or just shock at being attacked by him.
"I am not doing this anymore Kira, I want your word, that you will engage as I say, I am in charge and I will not have you blindly engaging like that. I understand from your reaction and Ghosts' that you have fought these guys before, am I right?" Aedra asked.
I stared into his eyes and slowly nodded.
"Okay, promise me you won't engage like that again, and will follow the plan and my orders, I refuse to watch you die going on a foolish attack like that." Aedra said, still in a stern tone, but it was definitely softening until he seemed to remember the fight again, "You just landed in the middle of them like a fool, and you almost paid the price again."
I knew he wouldn't accept my nod, so I said, "I...promise, I won't attack like that anymore."
"And?"
"I will do as you say, and follow orders." I said loud enough for him to hear, but I didn't look away, I had to be navy blue with the amount of heat I was feeling from my face, shame and embarrassment ruling my body temperature.
He smiled and relaxed, I know he was still mad at me, but he will take me for my word. "Thank you." He said then held out a hand to pull me up.
"Okay, now that that is out of the way, this tunnel seems to continue, and there was the way that I bet came from the explosion in that last room." Aedra said, trying to bring us back on point. "We need to split up I think, Chautre, I know you will want to go find your squad, so you are going right, Taezed would you join him? and Rike, do you want to continue down this hole or go up the other direction and find the rest of the squad?" Taezed and Chautre nodded, while Rike seemed to conside the point a bit...He then looked at me as if sizing me up.
"I'll go with you two, I want to fight more of these Hive." Rike said in his deep voice.
Aedra nodded with a hard look on his face, he then turned to Taezed. "Alright, tell Ellestrae and the others what we found down here, we need to go deeper and see what they are doing. You guys need to get going up that ramp and see about meeting up with the rest of the guild. We will go on, but you will be on your own from here." Taezed nodded, and they shook hands, Chautre nodded at us and they left up back to the last room where the burned corridor continued upwards into the mountain.
"Alright, you have fought the Hive before, as you call them, what can you tell us?" Aedra asked.
"Well, the Hive are one of our most hated and longest lasting enemies. They have conquered countless species, they are a terror to the galaxy, and if they are here, then it is our duty to kill them. They certainly are a threat to the entire planet. I don't know what faction these belong to, but we need to find out as soon as possible. They have " Ghost said.
"Tell me about them, are they undead? They look dead." Aedra questioned.
No, I thought, they are pretty much immortal, the only undead thing here...is me.
"Well no, but they are very much a war mongering species, they follow a religion called Sword Logic, which means they will endlessly fight until defeated, like some horrible idea that only the strong survive. They are terribly old, and have many abilities that pose threats. This Sword Logic makes them stronger, and each time they kill they grow in power. The different units, for the most part seem to begin as the thralls, and through killing they become ascended, or knights, or wizards, and can use their void energy. They even have giant worms they refer to as worm Gods." Ghost said, I shuddered at that thought, Xol, the Will of the Thousands. I will never forget that fight.
"Each hive is some being that is bound symbiotically by a larva from one of their Worm Gods, which forces them to continue the Sword Logic, to feed off conquest and destruction. I don't know how they got here, but we have to figure out why to stop it. They are not beyond genocide, in fact, the revel in it.
Finally, Ghost talked about what to expect, from the giant yellow "eggs" they make, to the cursed thralls that explode, and all they way to the Shriekers, which are the eyes of much more powerful Hive. He didn't go into the details of the Ascendant Realm, which I was surprised about. If this world was accessed by the Hive, they had to have came through the Ascendant realm. The Ascendant Realm, or Sea of Screams, is an alternate reality that exists with entities that are extremely powerful. Beings, notably beings suchs as Oryx, Savathun, or Crota. They create these "cyst universes" within the Ascendant Realm, that they call Throne Worlds. In these worlds, these pocket dimensions of the Ascendant Realm, they have absolute power, using their Sword-Logic. It isn't just a fighting style, it literally grants them power for more things they kill. If you kill a being off of their throne world they can be reborn on it through more Hive sacrifice, but if you kill them on their world...they die forever. The Drifter also tows around a pocket dimension of the realm behind his ship that is called "The Haul." Also the Nine rule over some place called Unknown Space that is within the Ascendant Realm.
I brought my mind back around to the conversation Ghost was having, and noticed that everyone else was listening with rapt attention, as Ghost described the deeds of the Hive.... They weren't mindless killing machines, but monsters with thousands of years of fighting experience, they are not to be taken lightly.
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We went our different ways, not knowing how where this tunnel might lead. I have gone on many strikes that seem to delve deep into the Planets in which you find the Hive, and this does not make it any easier to walk forward through the organic matter barrier into the deep. Running into multiple encounters Aedra decided that we should continue with great haste.
I felt as though we were racing against something, like we had to get to whatever horrible thing the Hive was doing before it could happen. Running through the room with Aedra at my left and Rike on the other side of him, we cleared a path through the endless tunnels.
Some rooms would contain upwards of 30 thralls and some larger groups, but everything was manageable until we came to the first open cavern.
"How the hell do we get across that?" Rike asked.
The chasm had to go on to the other side of the planet, as we looked into the blackness infront of us. The gap we came to was one that would be a easy thing for a guardian, but without a doubt it would be too far for a normal person.
"Well, I know Kira can make that jump, and I could probably ride the lightning across, but I might have a better option." Aedra pulls his pack around and digs into it for a while.
I couldn't imagine anything that would help, there was nothing to tie a rope to, the gap was too far for any ladder..not that one could fit in the pack.
Aedra pulls out a sphere the size of a grapefruit and hands it to me.
"Press the button on top and set it on a flat spot over there." Aedra said as he looked at the far side of the gap. I raise an eyebrow, but decided to just find out by doing.
Landing smoothly across the gap, I did as he said and activated the sphere, setting it on the ground. It unfolded like a flower and I noticed that Aedra set one up on his side. He had his hand on the thing and seemed to be concentrating. "Alright Rike, do you know how to use a flower sphere?" Aedra asked as he was still looking down in concentration.
"Uhhh, I haven't used one." He said, I could barely hear him from this distance.
"It's fine, just step on it, and say "switch." It is ready now." Aedra said.
Rike did as instructed and in a flash of light the two platforms switched spots, Rike included. I stumbled back a few steps into the wall as he appeared a couple inches from my face. The Captain then followed suit after channeling mana into his side.
Now I was curious....so how are you gonna get the other one? But he just mumbled something and another flash and the far sphere was on top of the other.....okay thats pretty cool.
Another half hour of gap jumping, fighting random mobs of the Hive, and breaking through the barriers they set up brings us to another large chamber. A huge ogre that had to be the strangest hive I have ever seen was standing facing a Shrieker that was closed. My ghost identified it as a mana infused abomination. Something we haven't seen before....it had weird green growhts on it, like the blue light of mana mixed in with the yellow organic light of the Hive. They learned to infuse mana into their troops.....
"Is that what I think it is? Is that Ogre mana infused? the Hive have figured out how to harness magic?" The amount of panic in Ghosts voice was disturbing....it was filled with fear.
"What? They can use magic too? The wizards haven't used mana yet." Aedra said, "I would have felt it."
"That thing is a Mana Infused Orge Abomination, it must be some Hive experiment. We have to take it down." Ghost continued.
A low whistle came form Rike, "That thing is deadly...more so than any we have fought so far."
I nodded, thinking that I wish I had a rocket launcher, or something with more firepower. Well I have my super at least.
"Alright, so Rike, you hit it from range. I can trade blows with it, so Kira and I will start first..."
"Wait, we need to kill the floating Shrieker first, you see that floating...thing in front of it?" Ghost interupted, I started to realize that the Hive are so alien that the best description for anything Hive is just "thing."
"What is it?" Rike asked quietly.
"Eyes." I answered, speaking up for the first time in a while.
"Right...well, lets hit that first, both of you hit it with range, I'll close in and get the Abominations' attention, Kira, you follow up with that Dawnblade stuff, and we will take it down while Rike ranges. Sound good?" Aedra said.
"Well, we are gonna have to attack the Ogre first, you can't damage the Shrieker if it isn't open, it has a core that is essentially an eyeball. It's pretty much immune otherwise." Ghost said.
I nodded, and noticed Rike looked frustrated, but he nodded as well. I can tell he wants to fight, you will get your fight, trust me on that.
"Alright, Shrieker first, for you two, then join me on the Ogre." Aedra said.
Plans are great, but sometimes it just doesn't matter. Our arrows flew past Aedra, just as he activated his lightning form and flew at the Abomination. They struck simultaneously, causing the ogre to fall forward while letting out a wail. But then, it exploded with blue-green light, launching Aedra back nearly 20 yards.
The Ogre roared again, as the eye opened and fixed on me. I ran, and jumped at it, launching an arrow right into the center, getting a critical hit, I threw a grenade in the Ogres direction, and then casted Dawnblade.
I ignited, and slashed at the eye, the first hit, and it closed, the second blade of fire did no damage to the closed Shrieker.
I noticed the bolts coming from Rike at an insane speed, but what was impressive, was the accuracy, each one was either in the glowing green bulbus head or a joint that would hinder its movement. I launched the last of my Dawnblade super at the Ogre bringing it down to 50% HP with the bolts, and Aedras continuous strikes.
Landing outside of the Abominations AOE attack that it did when we engaged, I opened up with a full charged Loaded Question, that tore a fleshy rip up the left side of its torso.
50% health remaining, time to close the distance.
I pulled my sword and began advancing, but before I could get close to engage, there was a huge explosion above us.
I looked up and saw the firey remains of the Shrieker falling away, and I looked back at Rike to see him charging his cross bow with mana.
He released it and a bolt of white gold light seemed to materialize through the ogre, as if the beam moved so fast I could only tell that it activated, not that an actual bolt flew through the air.
Either way, the explosion from the bolt striking the ogre was surprisingly large. Its health dropped to 20% with that blow alone. The ogre recoiled and focused on Rike, it charged a blast and the beam was not void energy, but a mixture of void and mana. The beam didn't just stop at rocks, it cut a whole swath into the stone wall.
Rike threw himself out of the way but was clipped by the beam and was sent flying into a wall, he did not get up. I turned back to the Abomination to see something I almost coudln't process.
A light inside the monstrosity, where you would imagine a heart would be, began to intensify. The thing leaned its head back and cast a healing spell. Taking it back up to 75% health.
I was stunned, but Aedra yelled, "Kira!!! Get to Rike, Now!"
That was enough to break the stun, I sprinted to rike at full speed and dropped my healing well.
Turning him over I could tell that his armor seemed to stop most of the burn damage some how, but his exposed skin was blackened and torn up along his left arm.
The Half orc's hood was back and the left side of his face was also blackened, and his left eye was forming itself back together as my light covered him.
I looked back at the fight where Aedra would attack and dodge beams with ease.
Turning back to Rike, I see him gain conciousness, and his eyes widen as he looks at my helmeted gaze. He grabbed at a dagger and I pulled back with my hands up.
He stops, then gets up and grabs his crossbow to begin firing without saying anything, I just shrugged while pulling my own bow for another shot.
We have our work cut out for us.