Muttonhawk

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"This cannot be right," Fendros murmured to himself. "Who is this ghost?"

Through a frustrated roar, Rossarm attempted to order the Dominion soldiers to back down. It was too late. Whatever callous shouts he had to put the soldiers down, they could not be so easily heard through their screams, but Fendros could hear it.

"Numb yourselves, you fools! Do you not see a mage beyond your capabilities?!" He brought up both of his elbows. Purple magic crackled all the way around his arms. "You are all unworthy!" He struck a spell into the ground. A blast of radiant energy shocked out around him and just as quickly sucked its way back into the void they left behind. With it, the plants grasping the ankles of the soldiers blackened and rotted, as did the ankles themselves.

In horror, the soldiers dragged away their wounded, necrosis-inflicted legs and all.

Fendros was agape. "He's hurting our own men..." He said so Ahnasha could hear.

He could hear the cruel justifications of his father after he regained his temper. Probably something along the lines of considering the wounded men as combat ineffective anyway.

"Father!" Fendros called out. "Enough!"

Rossarm did not respond. He poured more power into a narrow white ray of magic that struck the ghost's ward like a battering ram.

All around him, Rossarm's mages rallied and drew up in pairs, one ahead holding a ward in both hands while another behind struck the oncoming Daedra with torrents of lightning.

A small thought died in the back of Fendros' mind as to why Rossarm was concentrating as much power into that particular spell. He pulled another arrow and drew it. His aim slowly edged to Rossarm's neck. If his father would spend more allied lives for his anger, Fendros would make sure to stop him.

Halo: Aegis Team

Yalu 'Suumko

Yalu was in no mood to avoid his teammates during the ride. He tried to at least speak to his fellow former-covenant contemporaries about their path leading up to this mission. He was quietly embarrassed to find he was consistently outranked and at times prying on business best kept a secret. Nevertheless, he kept himself well drilled for whatever lay ahead.

When the call came to wake up, whatever casual air Yalu tried to offer was gone. He was up and arming himself partway through the driver's announcement.

"Running the Mammoth silent may make them overlook us." Yalu snapped a fully green magazine into his carbine after checking it. "But if it is no patrol, we are no longer safe. We are not expecting a rendezvous."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Fendros had almost leapt in front of Ahnasha to raise a ward, but what he saw instead took his breath away. "It's working..." he breathed. "Whatever you're doing, Ahna, we'll help you see it through!"

The explosion turned his head. Soldiers flailed their limbs as they were thrown to the ground from the blast. Fendros heard his father bellow out an order to reform before briskly walking ahead with a ward ahead of his palm. It was unclear whether he knew anything about the soul of the mage pitched against them, but he did not hesitate to send out a curling red scarf of light from his other hand in an effort to drain her mind temporarily.

Fendros searched his mind for whoever the soul might have been. That staff was Sabine's, that much he knew. As the dark thought ran through his mind that they might have defeated her and taken the Staff of Magnus, he clenched his jaw and fired an arrow. His aim was shaky just at the emotions that threatened to overtake him, but he was still a skilled archer. It was headed straight for the soul's neck.

Halo: Aegis Team

Yalu 'Suumko

"Yes," Yalu replied. "The weight and material is impressive. I expect no remnant or swords ground vehicles short of a scarab focus cannon could puncture it. And that could take more than one direct hit." He turned an eye to look at the pilot rather than ahead. "How is this Mammoth's movement powered? It must be something more potent than the hydrogen cells of your smaller vessels."

Yalu did not have the tact to make the human pilot entirely comfortable, but he did learn a few technical details. The conversation was not especially long. It ended once Commander Vael called Yalu over to discuss plans with the team.

Halo: Aegis Team

Yalu 'Suumko

The calm had not quite settled in Yalu's mind by the time the others started to slow down. He escorted his commander Vael to the roof, as much to carry out his duties as to see what was going on. Thankfully he did not need to fire another shot. After stepping back into the mammoth, he took a deep breath and holstered his carbine. On any other mission, there would have been a few friendly bodies left behind by the crashed pelican.

"I'll be listening for orders, commander," Yalu mentioned to Vael before wandering off. Now that everything was well, he had a burning curiosity about the vehicle they were housed in.

Yalu stopped by every space on the mammoth, from the rear to the drivers seats up front, though the latter could be described as a bridge. He had piloted just about every covenant military vehicle there was, but human wheeled vehicles were a rare treat.

In his wanderings, Yalu happened to be in a position to eavesdrop on Commander Aviza's castigation of the runaway special operations warriors. Yalu had not judged them too harshly -- humans had a different idea of honour after all. At the very least, he thought Aviza wise to not give Roy's explanation any attention. It was provocative. Aviza was clear enough.

Do humans have just as much pride as sangheili? How did they not cut each other to pieces without sangheili honour?

Yalu shook his head and headed to the bridge again to see where they were going.

"Pilot," Yalu said to the human in the primary driving seat, possibly giving both the driver and co-driver a fright. "Once we are out of danger, I am interested in learning more about this vessel."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Fendros lent his efforts to the wards keeping the mages from being flash frozen in the coldfire. The air was already frosted with the leftover mist, but even through the wards, the grass under their feet went white with rime. As Fendros caught his breath with steam forming in front of his mouth, he saw the net of lightning tighten above them.

Jolted by arcs against its hide, the titan cringed away and further down from its perch. It tried to keep footing and held on like a cat to the stony structures, but the terrain broke and crumbled under the weight of its claws. It roared and the soldiers nearby scattered back. The impact it made on the ground travelled to everyone's chests. A cloud of dust and dirt billowed up far enough to momentarily obscure the titan's movements.

"Now! Go!" Rossarm shouted to Fendros and Ahnasha.

Fendros rode up with Leaps-On-Elves to rejoin Ahnasha and oversee her defence. He had an arrow nocked and ready, and just in time for the Daedric counterattack to meet their lines.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Fendros wished he did not take a pause before responding, but he did. "I trust you. Let's work out the execution when we get there."

If there was any upside to the titan's arrival on the rightmost path, it was the titan's flames likely destroying the traps the other two paths had to face. However, no amount of optimism could make the consequences easier. Fendros went immediately towards their allies to try and spot his father Rossarm. Rossarm was directing his mages to join their wards in a broad barrier against the titan's breath while the other soldiers formed their confused ranks back up against the oncoming counterattack. Every one of the elite mages faced away would threaten their ability to push forward.

"Keep holding!" Rossarm barked out, his head dripping with sweat from exertion but showing no signs of losing his nerve. "The rest of you form for a joint lightning volley! And do not stop until my order!"

"Father!" Fendros edged leaps through the crowd.

Rossarm's crazed eyes snapped over to Fendros and Ahnasha.

"Ahna has a way to deal with the titan!" Fendros continued. "But we need it on the ground where she can reach it!"

Rossarm firmly shook his head. "Nonsense. It would physically tear our formation apart to get away."

Fendros hesitated, grit his teeth, and then decided now was not the time for falling back to old habits. "She'll take care of the rest as long as she can concentrate," he responded calmly. "Can you get the titan down here?"

For a moment, Rossarm's brow subtly loosened as if taken off guard. The way he looked to Ahnasha with questions in his eyes made it hard to tell whether he suspected Ahnasha's intentions or was genuinely surprised at Fendros' professional tone. Either way, he hesitated just long enough for another blast of cold fire to engulf the wards above them. Everyone flinched, but the ward held -- boosted by Fendros' own ward directed up to deflect and absorb the area around him.

Rossarm conceded. "Be ready to act. We shall bring it down for only a moment. Magi!" He raised his voice to his beleaguered subordinates. "New order! Those on lightning volleys form up for a ribbon net! At once and no later!"

"You ready?" Fendros asked Ahnasha behind him.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"At once!" Fendros pulled on Leaps' reins to turn him around. With Ahnasha on the saddle behind him, he set off back towards the last secure gap between the paths to get across to the Daedric titan's destination. The formation was held with enough of a gap for a senche-raht to fit. However, Fendros had to shout to make way for the width of a wamasu. A few soldiers were brushed or knocked off their feet in the rush.

Fendros glanced behind him once he had enough room. "What's you're idea, Ahna?" he asked.

When Kaleeth's effort gave enough room for Janius' smaller form to slip through the gap, he leapt through to give the defenders a surprise. He barged through a haphazard rank set up against Kaleeth, breaking spear shafts with his affixed axe and tearing a hole in the formation. Like a nail given a drilled hole in a plank, Kaleeth could have an easy time making her way in to cause as much damage as possible.

Janius tried to keep his wits about him in the melee. They had little enough of an idea of what they would be facing beyond the barricade.

Sabine was near the front, though she could not see what they were up against either. She occupied herself striking out with lightning and ice against those still firing arrows and spells down upon their advance.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

No worries! I've been far more guilty of that than you lately

Halo: Aegis Team

Yalu 'Suumko

Grikgar's grenade whined to a full charge a moment before Yalu dove for cover. The sound of metal blasting apart joined a flash on the walls of the pelican. He stood back up with his carbine levelled to shoot the surrounding sentinels down like flying animals.

Relief didn't come too soon as far as Yalu was concerned. He moved as prompted, though was sure to escort one of the human pilots by his upper arm to ensure he was covered by Yalu's energy shield. The human barely kept pace.

No sooner was he in the Mammoth than Yalu let the pilot go and spun around to cover Tasuma's retreat. Only when the large doors shut did he habitually replace the magazine of his carbine in three rapid movements.

"Major 'Suumko still effective," Yalu responded to Aviza. He had little else to add.