Ten Thousand Arms Pt3

Part Three For a few days I continued on, usually moving at a quick walk or even a jog if I felt that I was near others. I would occasionally stop and put the tube of an ether tank to my mouth, taking a few quick breaths of it before sealing it and putting it away. It was a meager ration, but it was enough to continue moving. When I found a location to sleep for the night I would light no fire for fear of being seen, and I would stow away in the darkest nook I could find with my Wolf Banner wrapped around me for warmth. In this manner I went unseen for a few days, not encountering any life aside from the small and harmless creatures that roamed the surface of Earth. That is, until I came upon Hive territory late one afternoon. Earlier that day I had spotted the first tunnel down into the dark, and knew I would have to travel carefully through here, for we all knew that the Hive were responsible for the tunnels. But now I heard gunfire and shrieks; the sounds of battle coming from up ahead. The Hive were always trying to claim more of the Earth, and always were the Devils beating them down, keeping the foul creatures down in their tunnels. Though the underground system the Hive had built seemed to constantly grow and they had managed to push up and claim some small pieces of territory, the Devils would not release their grip on this world and had proven themselves dominant to the Hive here. This is one planet that we would not let the Hive claim. I followed the noise slowly and cautiously, fearing that an enemy could jump out at any moment, until I came to the edge of the tree line and crouched behind the bushes. A fight waged between Fallen and Hive in the rocky slope before me; Hive surging out of a cave and two Skiffs providing aerial support for the Fallen holding points at the top and bottom of the hill. The battle was brutal, and it looked like the Hive would overwhelm us at any moment, but as I began observing the sound of an engine humming came to my ears. A lightweight, single-passenger vehicle shot over the top of the hill, soaring over the line of Fallen positioned up there, and then came shooting down the slope towards the cave opening. The vehicle's driver leapt off just above the cave and began firing into the midst of enemies. It was one of the Last City's dead soldiers; a Guardian. Some of my kind fell to his gun, but the Hive was the eminent threat and appeared to be his main target, so he did not pay much mind to us as he shot his way down into the tunnel and disappeared from my view. No more Hive ran out of the tunnel, but there were still many Hive outside and the Fallen could not manage to finish them off and establish a hold on the cave mouth. My kind continued to fall to the vile worshippers of the Darkness. I could watch no more. "[i]For the Great Machine![/i]" I roared as I charged out of the foliage with Shock Pistol and Dagger drawn. A few looked back in surprise at the four-armed Dreg sprinting into the fray, but most assumed I was part of their crew. My shout spurred courage into the Fallen and they surged forward with me. My blade cut through Thrall and my gun burned through Acolytes as I ran forward with my kin, all bellowing angrily. The Fallen at the crest of the hill saw us coming and the Captain commanding them shouted at the line, but they had already began charging towards the cave once they had seen us. The remaining Hive on the slope were crushed between us and we soon clustered around the mouth of the cave; no Hive came out and the sounds of fighting inside could still be heard. "[i]Reinforcements will hold the entrance once they arrive,[/i]" the Captain growled, looking over the crew but not noticing me and my prosthetic limbs amongst the bodies, "[i]WE will push the Hive back as far as we can.[/i]" He brandished his Shock Blades in the air and shouted, "[i]Arms and ether will be earned today![/i]" The Captain then ran into the cave system with his crew rushing in behind, shouts rising at the mention of rewards and at the thought of battle. I tagged along in the back, my unusual appearance virtually unnoticed in the heat of the moment. Our group split in half down a fork way in the path and the sounds of battle rang throughout the tunnels. I saw those at the front of my group hack through some Thrall and Acolytes that tried to confront us, but we did not see a substantial amount of Hive until we came upon a cavern. The Hive surged at us, but we bunkered down behind the rocks in front of the tunnel and held them back. Then I saw a Vandal lead a couple of Dreg down a path to the right and through another small tunnel entrance. I heard the sound of gunfire echoing from that path, but not that of any Hive or Fallen weapon; the Guardian was down that way. Stupidly hoping that I would not meet death when I found the Guardian, I followed the other few Fallen down the little tunnel. At its end was a cavern smaller than the last, the Guardian standing in its center and fighting off Hive. The Vandal and Dreg began firing upon the dead soldier, hoping to take him down and receive glory. I dove behind a rock just in time to avoid being shot as my kin fell with ether spewing out of head punctures. Peaking my head out, I saw the Guardian turn just in time to see the Kleaver of a Hive Knight swinging at him. It had come out of the far tunnel while the Guardian was distracted with the Fallen, and was now the only thing left in the room besides the Guardian and I. The dead soldier was knocked to the ground, but was somehow still able to fire at the Knight as it raised its sword for the finishing blow. But those few shots weren't enough to pierce the thick armor of the Knight, and its massive, blunt blade fell upon the Guardian. This Knight knew that death was only temporary for those brought back by the Great Machine, and as a glowing object flickered away from the Guardian's to hide in a corner, it followed. Now was my chance; I would fight for the Great Machine as my kind always should have. Running out from cover, I leapt up onto the Knight's back and wrapped my mechanical lower arms around its chest to hold me up. It stumbled under my weight, then reached back to pull me off with its left hand, which did not hold its sword. I grabbed its arm with my left hand, then with my right raised my Shock Dagger and plunged it down into the gap in its armor at the neck. I fell to the ground in a pile of ash and bone armor as the Knight dissolved with an agonized roar. I clicked under my breath as I picked myself up, complaining about the mess and how that would've earned any other Dreg their arms. Then I saw a flicker of light and was reminded of my goal. Putting my blade back on my hip, I spread my arms and hands to show that I was unarmed and walked forwards slowly to the cluster of small rocks that the little machine quivered behind. "Do not fear, child of the Great Machine," I assured it in the human tongue, lowering myself to my knees and peering over the rocks. The single blue eye of the floating machine blinked in confusion, "You speak our language?" "Yes," I answered as I lowered my eyes, "And now I must get you out of here, little machine." "Don't call me little," shell around its eye scrunched up in a way that reminded me of a glare, "I am a Ghost." "Fine fine," I said hurriedly, and pulled open my bag, "You get in here, yes? Vasik will take you out." "Why the heck would I trust you?" It asked incredulously. The sound of rushing steps and Fallen chatter sounded down the tunnel I had came from and I held out the satchel. "Please Machine child, I am only chance," I begged. "Okay," the Ghost finally agreed, sounding frightened by the sounds of more Fallen, "But you must get my Guardian's body out of here, I can't revive him in this place. Too much Darkness suppressing me." "I will take care of everything, yes," I assured it, "Hurry." It zipped into my bag and I closed the flap quickly, moving back towards the Guardian just as a few Vandals came in. They looked at me, then to the remains of the Guardian and Knight on the ground, and their eyes widened in surprise. Although they were confused about my appearance, they figured that I must have slain these two beings. Luckily, a few Thrall ran out of the opposite tunnel before the other Fallen could say anything, and the two small groups rushed at each other. The Vandals made it past me before meeting the Thrall charge, so I was not being observed as I picked up the Guardian's body and slung it over my shoulder. Moving quickly back way way I had come, I began talking quietly to the Ghost in case others were close by. "Do you have a ship, Ghost?" I questioned. "Yes, its nearby for quick evacuation," it told me. "How long of a walk to get to it?" I whispered. "Walk?" the Ghost asked incredulously, "As soon as we're outside and have a clear signal I can transmat us on board instantly." "Good, good," I mumbled as I thought, "There will be more Fallen at entrance, you must transmat us as soon as you can. They will know something is wrong." "Got it," the Ghost responded. As the light filtering in through the tunnel's opening came into view, a fresh group of Vandals and Dreg ran by. They cheered as they saw the body I carried and rushed onwards with a surge of confidence and lust for glory. My welcome upon leaving the Hive caves was much less warm. __________________________________ Link to part 2: https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/220869615/0/0 Link to part 4: https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/220869906/0/0 Link to Archive: https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/217384398/0/0