EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

“I’m ready; just make sure you are.” Ahnasha replied, giving a concerned look towards the frontline. “The Daedra aren’t just going to let this happen. You’re going to have to defend me once it’s down. And maybe help with it until we can get it to the ground.”

The coordinated spellcasting from Rossarm’s mages was a sight to behold. Bolts of lightning crisscrossed through the air, some striking the Titan to force it to move, while other bolts arced just above it to limit its movement. Strictly speaking, it could have survived a decision to push straight through the net of lightning, it had no reason to subject itself to that kind of injury. It did release its grip on the cliff face and take to the sky, but it would resist coming to ground in every way it could.

For Ahnasha, she did not intend to just stand by and wait for Rossarm’s mages to succeed or fail. Climbing down off of Leaps’ saddle, Ahnasha quickly focused and pooled her magicka, concentrating it as her hands glowed bright violet. It was no token support that she was giving them, for from the two portals she conjured forth came a pair of storm atronachs. They were powerful Daedra, and to command a pair of them required a great deal of Ahnasha’s power. If she was right, though, it would not matter in the end once it came time for her to cast her spell upon the titan.

On Ahnasha’s command, the two beings of stone and energy unleashed sustained streams of lightning up at the titan. She could not command her Daedra with such precision as to have them aid in creating the net, but they could help all the same. They were powerful enough to at least hurt the titan, and more importantly, impede it from fighting back. The titan recoiled from the shock, sending a plume of cold flame just over the heads of some of Rossarm’s mages. The titan was not on the ground yet, but it was being forced down closer to it.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Despite sitting right behind him in the saddle, Ahnasha had to shout somewhat over the sounds of the battle they were passing by for Fendros to hear her clearly. “I know you’re not going to like any of this, but…I have a spell. Something I’ve been learning from Neesa. I think it will work, I just need a few moments close to it. The first, and probably hardest, step is that we’re going to have to get it to ground. Not sure exactly how; maybe your father can help? After that, I can cast the spell. Once I start it, the titan shouldn’t threaten us anymore, but it’s important that no one attack it while I’m casting. That could break it. I’m not sure how long it will take my spell to finish, and it will take my whole concentration, so you’ll need to protect me too.”

Once the pair did finally arrive on the right flank, they would find the situation much more grim than the other two paths. It seemed that, initially, they had broken through the Daedra’s barricades like the others, but the arrival of the titan had heavily shifted the tides of the battle in the Daedra’s favor. Cold flames had immolated much of the ground that the allied forces had to cross, and anyone who the mages could not protect was subject to the titan’s wrath. Now, the Daedra were counter-charging from the front while the titan was clinging to the cliffs above.

Halo: Aegis Team

Vael 'Virisusai

---

Vael could still hear the muffled sounds of explosions from within the Mammoth as the rocket turrets fired back on the pursuing sentinels. He could feel that they were moving, likely at close to the Mammoth’s maximum speed. Sentinels, unlike organic foes, held no grudges. Once they were beyond the area the machines were defending, they would no longer pursue.

Although the Mammoth was a massive vehicle, its thick armor allowed for less interior space than it might have appeared from the outside. It was not exactly cramped, but to accommodate a ten person team, plus the Mammoth crew and the two pilots, they would have to use their space efficiently. The two Warthogs were held along a rail above the vehicle bay, so there was a fair amount of open space on the lower deck. The middle deck above them had some modifications to better accommodate its role as their mobile base. Just to the right of the entrance to the cockpit was a space that had been designated for use as the equivalent of a medical tent, while to the left was storage for their rations and other extra supplies. To the rear of the deck was an expanded armory, equipped with both Human and Covenant weapons. The top deck was mostly unchanged, apart from the removal of the mini-MAC. In its place was the improved communications equipment and sensors they had been provided for their mission, though it was covered by retractable armored plates when not in use. For anything else that the team might need on an extended mission, they would need to make due with what they had and improvise.

Until it was needed again, Vael intended to secure his captured sentinel beam in the armory. Though first, he approached the pair of ONI agents. He had allowed the female to make use of his carbine, but he found little to approve of in either of their actions. They had moved without orders, and did not return when ordered to do so. They were fortunate that the sentinels had not focused their attention on them when they moved beyond cover. Were they his warriors, Vael would have ensured they were punished for their insubordination, but at this stage, he felt it best to allow the Human commander to be the one to deal with the Humans. Still, his displeasure did come through with his tone when he spoke to Corporal Cohen. ”Return my weapon.” He ordered simply.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Hjergir let out a roar. At this point his bloodlust looked as if it was only somewhat contained. He had more than enough years of experience to be expected to be able to control his beast, but he was someone who seemed to lean on its savagery in battle. Still, he was not so far gone as to be unable to answer. “Alright, then let’s give ‘em something to fear! Volley! Force them to ground!”

The archers near the rear of their force were not as numerous as the ranged threats from the Daedra, but they could still put ample pressure on at least the front line. Combined with the Dominion mages that followed suit, the Daedra behind the barricades had to worry about their own defense just as much as they did about fighting back. At the same time, Meesei pushed forward with the frontline while arcing lightning across the tops of the barricades.

In the center path, progress was slower, but they still marched steadily forward with every trap that they destroyed. The narrow path did mean that they could not spread out enough to overwhelm the Daedra, but that did also mean the Daedra had less ability to focus ranged fire on any specific part of their frontline defenses. They could hold, and when they did reach the barricades, it was Kaleeth that was the first to make contact. The tall metal wall in front of her reached even above her head, but she did not expect for it to be much of an obstacle for her. She found the opening between two parts of the wall, then shoved her claws into it. From there, she pulled the two apart, growling as the metal bent under the immense force she could provide. The Daedra on the other side had not yet reorganized their defense, as they had not expected the barrier to be breached so quickly.

On the left flank, Meesei was about to mantle over the barricades when a roar echoed through the valley. She turned her head to the sky and fell back down onto their side of the barricades. It was the Daedric Titan. The massive beast had been healed, or simply rested enough to rejoin the fight, and it was setting its sights on the mountain pass. As it flew towards them, Meesei created a ward and expanded it to try and protect as many as she could, but the beast did not stop on their flank. Instead, it flew overhead, past the center path, and towards the far right flank.

Ahnasha bared her teeth as the Titan flew over. If even one of the flanks fell, the Daedra could wrap around and surround them. They had to act quickly, but at the same time, they could not weaken their own flank too greatly, else they would face the same problem. Ahnasha had an idea in mind, though in truth, she was not completely sure it would work. Not that she would let on to that fact, considering how few other options they had. “Meesei! I think I know how to stop that thing, I just have to get close!”

Meesei turned back briefly, answering with considerable haste with the battle still raging around them. “Do it, we’ll be fine here. Fendros, can you get her there?”

Halo: Aegis Team

@Catharyn, I do not believe I see any issue. You can put it in the CS tab.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

I apologize for not posting today, I intended to. I will hopefully work on it tomorrow morning.

Halo: Aegis Team

Vael ‘Virisusai

---

With the assistance of the rest of the team in thinning out the sentinels and drawing fire away from him, Vael’s shields recovered quickly. Ultimately, they only had to hold a few minutes, a feat of which this team proved more than capable. The machines, despite the power of their weapons, behaved predictably, so the team could easily manage the angles from which they could be threatened while supporting one another.

Grikgar’s attack was well-timed. The charge cleared a cluster of sentinels, and weakened the shields of a few beyond them, shortly before the Mammoth could be heard on approach. Vael moved out from under the wing for long enough to replace his sentinel beam with a fresh one, then rushed out to give covering fire as soon as Aviza gave the order to move. Most of the team was equipped to take some damage, but the Pelican’s pilots, who followed Aviza’s signal to move, were more vulnerable.

Just as before, Vael found it easy to target the sentinels with the beam, and especially for those with already-damaged shields, they fell quickly. Vael sprinted out ahead of the group until he was about halfway to the Mammoth, then turned back to cover those behind him. Fortunately, they had cleared enough of the machines before making their run that it was not too difficult of a task. He simply focused his fire on any sentinel that seemed to be pointed towards any of his more vulnerable allies. Rockets from the Mammoth provided support as well, though they naturally could not target too close to their position.

As Vael finally reached the Mammoth, his shields flared from a sentinel beam striking across his back, but this time, they held until he could make it up the ramp. Once the last of them were inside, the ramp raised up and closed them inside the safety of their mobile base. Even stripped down and lightened as it was, the Mammoth’s armor was still much thicker than that of the Pelican and could handle the sentinels’ weapons. The sentinels would pursue for a time, but as long as the Mammoth moved away from whatever it was they were protecting, they would not follow forever.

Vael could feel the sting of a burn on his chest. His armor’s plating dispersed the heat effectively enough to avoid serious injury, though, so he did not find it worth mentioning.

“We’re fine.” The Pelican pilot responded.

The co-pilot looked to be catching his breath, though he nodded in agreement to the pilot. “Holy hell, you guys don’t screw around…” He said, looking over at the rest of the team. Indeed, for the average soldier, the capabilities of a team such as theirs was nothing short of astounding. A normal squad of marines or Swords lance likely would have faced significant casualties in such a situation, if they even survived at all.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

For a moment, as she looked ahead across the now-revealed field of traps, Ahnasha was not sure how they would get across quickly, but Fendros' suggestion was enough to make the answer clear to her.

Extending both hands out in front of her, charged with dark violet energy, Ahnasha summoned from two portals a pair of flame atronachs. She instructed them to move forward, darting back and forth across the open area in front of them to set off as many of the traps as possible. Just like before, the mechanical traps jumped up into the air and exploded in fire, to which the atronachs were immune.

"Conjurers! Let's clear these traps!" Ahnasha shouted. Though, the enemy remained far from passive as they looked on. The two armies were still at long range from one another, but arrows and spellfire were already coming in from behind the Skaafin fortifications. In addition to targeting the opposing army, they would likely try to kill the atronachs as well.

In the center path, Do'rhajul moved to the front, holding Spellbreaker firmly out in front of him. Destruction spells from the mages on the barricades struck the unbreaking ward with no perceivable effect. Arrows were a threat as well, though the Dwemer metal protected just as well against them. Once he stepped far enough forward, another trap was triggered, and this time he was able to get a closer look at it. The explosion had no more of an effect on Spellbreaker's ward than the Skaafin's spells, so Do'rhajul stepped back in line with the other troops and shouted back to Sabine. "These traps, they are physical things. They can be destroyed, or set off early. This one cannot clear them all himself, but have mages form up on my flanks. Have them launch spells in front of us as we advance, while the both of us defend them."

Halo: Aegis Team

Vael 'Virisusai and Shih

---

If nothing else, Vael could see that the members of the team were quick to act, took initiative, and were deadly in a fight. Even just simple accuracy with their weapons set them apart. The sentinels were falling much quicker than they would against an average squad of marines, or lance of Swords warriors. Vael was keeping track as best as he could of their enemy; there had been seventeen Forerunner machines to start, and ten had fallen.

Unfortunately, more sentinels had arrived within motion sensor range, a fact about which Shih was quick to alert the team, but the number of opponents within range to threaten them had still been temporarily thinned. Taking the opportunity, Vael dashed out from underneath the wing to the wreckage of one of the sentinels. He knew just what he was looking for, so it did not take long for him to holster his weapon and rip from the broken frame the sentinel’s weapon. In his experience, the true best weapons against Forerunner machines were their own.

It took only a moment for Vael’s suit to identify the weapon and paint a reticle on his HUD. The internal battery of a sentinel beam did not last too long when disconnected from a sentinel’s power source, but it would certainly be enough for this fight. Vael picked the harder-to-hit targets: the ones flying higher or faster. The intense orange beam hardly took more than a second of sustained fire to deplete the shields and cut through the sentinel’s frame, and with no deviation and effectively no travel time, he could fire it with pinpoint precision. Three times Vael fired a burst of the beam, and each of the three times a sentinel came crashing to the ground. Though, as his weapon overheated, two of the remaining sentinels focused their weapons onto Vael. Despite having shield strength appropriate to his rank, the Forerunner weapons were enough to deplete his shields and scorch his chestplate before he could get back into cover under the wing. The nanolaminate plating held, though Vael could feel the heat it had absorbed. “Shields are down!” Vael called out.

Vael was not the only one being pressured. Another beam from a different sentinel was cutting across the ground towards Grikgar, while another sentinel that had been damaged accelerated forward towards Ben, likely aiming to kill him with the secondary explosions of its own destruction. With the Spartan’s shields weakened as they were, he was vulnerable.

At the same time, the Marines radioed back to Aviza’s request quickly. “Yes ma’am. Telemetry shows there is a plateau in the way, so we’ll have to go around. ETA…two minutes.”

”More sentinels on approach, and they’re spreading out. Looks like they’re going to surround the crash site.” Shih warned the team.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Hjergir too split his forces and formed up into the two columns that would be moving along the left and right flanks, though he also dedicated a smaller force to assisting the members of Meesei’s pack that would be assaulting down the center. In such a narrow pass, it was more possible for a smaller force to defeat a larger one, but they would have to make sure their frontline never faltered, as there would not be many reinforcements to fill in the gaps.

Meesei and Lorag were front and center on the frontline of the left flank. Hjergir was just behind them, while to the left and right there was a shield wall of both Nordic and Dominion troops extending almost to the sides of the passage. The front was supported by mages on the second rank back, with similarly alternating ranks heading all the way back to the rear of the column. Ahnasha had joined Fendros on Leaps’ saddle, and they were moving near the front along with the Senche cavalry.

On all three flanks, the type of resistance the allied forces would face were similar. The Skaafin had neglected to reinforce the last few watchtowers so they could take the time to fortify these passages. Metal barricades had been moved into position about halfway through each of the three passageways. On the left and right flanks, the barricades were simple, spiked barricades not unlike the wooden versions used by armies in Tamriel. They would primarily deter cavalry, but the Daedric spearmen holding behind them could attack while soldiers were slowed by them as well. In the center passage, there was much less distance for the barricades to cover, so the Skaafin had been able to build up stronger defenses. In addition to the spiked barricades, they had also assembled walls out of metal posts, with elevated platforms behind them from which they could attack with spells, arrows, and long spears.

Meesei was at the front on the left flank, so she was the first to encounter the other defense the Daedra had prepared. Out of seemingly nowhere, a small orange, disk with four spike-like claws appeared in front of her and jumped up spinning into the air. Reflexively, Meesei formed a ward in front of herself, which did absorb the fireball from the ensuing explosion. Meesei shouted and brought the column to a halt, then cast form dispelling chains from both of her hands. As the chains cuts across the area in front of them, they stripped away the illusions the Daedra had put in place to hide their traps. From one side of the path to the other, dozens upon dozens of these mechanical fireball traps had been placed. Although the traps were no longer hidden, they would still have to deal with them as they pushed forward, and the Daedra ahead had already begun shooting volleys of spells and arrows. The other two paths were defended by illusion-obscured traps as well, and would need to be dealt with swiftly.