Part 15 - Strength of the Mountain

Gunshots, projectile and Plasma alike reigned the night air, lighting up like a fireworks show, casting eerie shadows upon the once dead military base. The Fallen had brought the fight to them, and they seemed highly trained and relentless, they seemed fun. Nobody had been injured as they defended their building, Nikolai and Fortuna firing in a synchronous barrage upon their forces, bringing them down one by one or two for the unlucky ones to be right behind another. Alexi threw grenades and provided what support the quiet man could, peeking over edges and bursting to run to another side and do the same. The bodies were piling under the will of Zo'ruuks shotgun, moving his way down the stairs, the floor was drenched and ridden with bodies. All of them, their blood boiled with blood lust, the world seemed to be crashing down on them, but they fought like Angels of Death. Moving his way across the second floor, Zo'ruuk was lost in the thralls of it, his body felt weightless, his head numb, his eyes and his senses unmatched, they cried out as they fell, souls screaming, fleeting like a gas leak. Zo'ruuk was low on ammunition, and not being on the top floor, he couldn't retrieve any. Up above he heard Fortuna release the power of the Traveler, her shots rang out like thunder crashing down upon the hoard of Fallen, with similar effect, creating craters in the asphalt below, just to be filled in by swarming Dreg and Vandal. Reaching the stairs leading down to the first floor, Zo'ruuk fired his last three shots of his shotgun into three Dreg scrambling up the stairs. Laying down his shotgun, calmly he walked down the stairs, everything sped up to him. Walking down the stairs with his blood drenched armor, so silent and peaceful, he had the air of a Mountain in the middle of a broiling ocean, unmovable, unbreakable. He drew his revolver, in a matter of seconds dropping the six closest Vandal lunging for his throat. He could feel his mechanical lungs slowly expand within his chest with each breath. This was revenge for what the creatures had done to this planet....The woman's face flashed in the back of his mind, such fear of death, such pain. Throwing his revolver down, he walked into the street, drawing his Blade, it glowed its usual orange, it spread to his hands and his body as he grasped the power of the Traveler, filling him with a warm sensation. The Dreg and Vandal dropped to his blows if not from the thunderous crashes of power from Nikolai and Fortuna, Jackal was not far behind, his Elemental Revolvers, the Four Horseman, shredding all before him. Alexi's grenades lit up the street, casting deformed shadows upon the walls and lighting up the charging forces of the Fallen. Their forces were thinning under the power of the Guardians. Nearing the end of the street, muscles on fire from laying waste to the Fallen, he heard a great sound. It was like thunder, but sounded like the air being folded in on itself, turning, he saw multiple Fallen Craft enter from warp and the far end of the Base, they hovered, surveying the situation as Team Coyote finished up the stragglers of the attackers. The ships were large, and there, just beyond the last buildings of the base, from what they could see in the dark, the ships just hovered. "Alexi, flares." Zo'ruuk commanded, and almost immediately two bright green flares flew toward the ships from the concrete makeshift base. Everything was quiet for a second, the quivering of the air under the engines of the ships humming and the crackling of the approaching flares. Zo'ruuk watched as the flares illuminated the ships, and almost simultaneously two great monstrosities fell from the ships. Crashing into the sand...the ships flew off, "Devil Walkers!" Jackal hollered, diving to the side as a large fusion blast flew past where he just stood, taking out a wall not far from Zo'ruuk. The team turned all fire towards the two mechanizations, the Walkers returned fire, entering the city at a slow pace, as fast as they could traverse the streets, their great legs stamping everything in the streets and taking out a couple walls as well. Fortuna and Nikolai fired their rifles with the Travelers power, slowing one, and Alexi had come to ground level with Jackal and they barraged the second Walker with their explosive Traveler Power lighting up the street in bright gold and purple light. Zo'ruuk took off to a building the Walker closest to their base would walk under. Running up the stairs two or three steps at a time, he reached the roof by the time it was below him, its great cannon turned toward his friends. He ran to the edge and jumped, grasping all the power he could and seeing the woman's face, he filled his body with power, and forced it to his fists. His fists came down upon the great abomination, slamming the hulking thing into the ground, cracking the asphalt below. Its quivered a few moments, Zo'ruuk jumped off its great back and walked towards the next Walker a street over. The beast he crushed exploded, sending bits of flesh and metal i to the air and shaking the buildings around it, sending dust flying. As he walked into the next street, Jackal and Alexi were just finishing their work as Fortuna and Nikolai's Fire turned to it. It couldn't take the barrage, it panicked and started firing wildly as the Team bore down on it, Jackal jumped high in the air, a huge orb of purple extended from his hand and he hurled it towards the creatures head, it collided and sent its head into the ground. Still standing, after a few seconds, it too exploded. They walked back to the tower, reaching the third floor Zo'ruuk removed his helmet and dropped it next to the fire. No one spoke for a while as they all calmed down. Jackal was the first to speak, "We do be up against some arseholes, ain't we?" He chuckled, everybody laughed at the humor. He sat down next to the fire, his team walked up and sat or stood, looking into the Flames. "Tomorrow my friends, we head for the mountains, for the Hunt has begun." Zo'ruuk said. They all nodded, Jackal slapped Alexi's shoulder, "Good work did you out there friend." He said, Alexi chuckled. They each found a spot to rest and clean their weapons and count their equipment. The ones that were tired got rest. Zo'ruuk stood and walked to the side the Walkers had approached from. The desert beyond was lit up by the moon, the shadows of clouds creeping across. He looked down at the beast he had crushed. He took a deep breath of the night air, for once it seemed cool. Zo'ruuk did not need sleep, so he stood and took watch, for one thing was sure, nothing would hurt his friends. He would not see the look he saw in the woman's face in his friends, he could not continue to be sane haunted by such things, and for the first time, a shudder went up his back at the thought. The sun began to light the far Horizon as he stood there. Here we go he thought. To Be Continued.... -Hope you guys enjoyed, please like and comment if you would. More is always on the way and thank you for the wait for this installment!-