//------------------------------// // Three. Thirty: ...We Will Have an Ending to Things // Story: Sins Never Die // by CodenameOne //------------------------------// Three. Thirty. ...We Will Have an Ending to Things Princess Celestia stood over the lifeless corpse of De’mah ‘Tokam, his blood running thin in the rain. Celestia’s coat sagged with the weight of the water, her hooves stained in the watery blood. She stared down at De’mah, the mighty Sangheili warrior’s dead eyes staring unto the sky. His final words haunted Celestia, swimming in the back of her mind like a dark tendril. "I shall have my revenge, if only in my name." A dark shadow passed overhead, accompanied by a whooshing of wings. Celestia looked up, her eyes catching sight of a dragon, his scales dark as midnight. Celestia tensed, watching the dragon bank back around and approach the shrine. Flapping his wings the dragon slowed his descent, dropping to the cobblestone of the shrine when he neared. Dust and dirt kicked up at his landing, the mighty beast inspecting De’mah’s body. “De’mah, vork ahn toro. Liu’kun aro... You felled the High Lord De’mah? You faced him in fair combat, and triumphed?” the dragon asked. “This is most impressive, Equestrian. Tell me, what is your name?” “Princess Celestia.” “Mmm. You lead the Equestrians, with your sister? You have much fire, if you defeated De’mah fairly” the dragon stated. He tucked his wings against his body, lowering his chin to the stones. “Dragon code dictates that I must abide by you, and answer your beckon. All dragons shall be told, and all shall heed; the Div, the dragons, are now in service to the Equestrians.” Celestia said nothing, and certainly would not tell him that she murdered the Sangheili by shooting him in the back. The dragon rose uncertainly, seemingly having expected Celestia to say something. He shifted on his feet, looking at Celestia. “I see. Who is the High Lord now, then?” the Princess of the Sun inquired. “There is none. The High Lord is dead, and one has not yet been selected to take his place” the dark dragon answered. He grabbed De’mah’s corpse and cast him aside, uncaring for his former lord and master, the one he and all dragons had regarded as a god. This infuriated Princess Celestia. The dragons had waged a genocide in De'mah's name only, slaughtering ponies by the thousands to appease their demented god. To see this dragon cast him aside like he was nothing, like it all meant nothing to him, enraged Celestia. But she did not dare speak out against it. “OK... Then as your new...master...I select you as the new High Lord. I...expect you to perform to...to the highest of standards” Celestia said, unsure of her words; the guilt of lying piled on top of the guilt of murder, and she feared the dragon, but he was her charge now, and would have to set the rules for him and his species. “Of course, my lord” the dragon responded. Princess Celestia turned away, heading for the stairs that would lead back down the mountain. “I...must return to Canterlot. The rebuilding process must begin, and there is much to do.” “Here, allow me. Walk or travel not; ride upon my back, and I shall deliver you unto the holy city” the dragon offered, lowering his chin to the stones again to allow Celestia to climb on his neck. “I see. Thank you. Now tell me,” Celestia said, hoisting herself up onto the wyrm’s nape, grasping the spines running down his back to hold on, “what is your name?” The dragon raised his head, unfurling his wings as he prepared to take flight. “Aldurmaax, my master. High Lord Aldurmaax.” The whine of a Pelican’s thrusters filled the air as the aircraft took off, racing away from the mountain top where Adam Kuyaki and a squad of Marines stood. The great pillars still burned, fire licking at the air. Adam stepped forward, his deck shoes striking the cobblestone that marked the floor of the shrine. The stones had runes carved in them, an intricate affair written in a foreign tongue, likely dragon, and likely deifying this spot. A Covenant Elite stood at the other end of the shrine, energy sword in hand, the fearsome blade simmering in the air. The setting sun cast long shadows over the shrine, and blooded the sky. The Elite’s fiery orange armor shining even in the matching light. “Man and Sangheili meet this day, the two warriors, once squaring off in ships, fighting with strategy and tactics, must now fight with mettle and honor. I see that the opposing party has already sacrificed his honor. Tell me, human; are you so cowardly that you must always have others at your back to do your fighting for you” the Elite declared. “N’por ‘Tumai, the dragon God. I may not have honor, but with numbers on my side it will be me who survives this day” Adam replied, his hands gripping his M6D pistol. The Elite huffed, carefully regarding the Captain. “‘Dragon God’? I care little for the wyrms. Aldurmaax shadowed me like a whelp. He had no dedication to himself, he was always looking to me for approval. For guidance. Is that the sign of a legendary beast, one who should carry himself according to his own convictions? No. When this war ended I was going to crush him and enslave the dragons to the will of the Covenant” N’por said. “Now who is the one with no honor?” Adam remarked, eliciting a snarl from the Elite. The alien rolled his shoulders and began to pace, watching Adam. “Grimes, hand me your shotgun” Kuyaki whispered, taking the M90 in his hands. “1,000 years ago, on this very mountain, the true dragon God, De’mah ‘Tokam, fell to Princess Celestia. A fair fight, in single combat. Honor, and conviction. Today, on the very spot, cowardice and deceit are the tactics of the day. I suppose it is no matter. Fight as you wish, human. It shall not save you” N’por uttered darkly, vanishing as his active camouflage engaged. “OPEN FIRE!” Adam yelled, the Marines unleashing a storm of bullets with their MA5B assault rifles, the .308 caliber rounds peppering the pillars at the other end of the shrine where N’por just stood, none finding their mark. “Hahahaha, foolish human. You fight in the dark, blinded by my POWER!” N’por thundered, appearing from the air as he swung his sword, the fiery plasma falling through the air at Adam. The Captain rolled, dodging the searing weapon as N’por’s swing followed through, decapitating one of the Marines. N’por vanished once more. “More cowardice, costing the life of one of your kin” N’por echoed, the source of his voice unclear. “Your actions directly caused the death of one of your comrades, human. How does this make you feel?” “You tell me! You were the one who glassed his entire base just to kill my fighters” Adam shot back, his eyes watching for the tell-tale shimmering air that indicated the presence of a cloaked Elite. “And there lies the proof. Humans are weak, unable to make the hard decisions that win wars. You dare not sacrifice your own kind for the glory of victory. You torment thyselves over the mistakes that cost lives, thinking erroneously that you could’ve done something different, when the truth is that you can do NOTHING!” N’por materialized once again, swinging his sword upwards at Adam. The Captain rolled to the left, the sword striking nothing. The Marines opened fire, .308 rounds peppering the Shipmaster’s shields as he again faded from view. “You hide like a whelp, afraid to face me?!” Adam taunted. “Prove your honor!” N’por appeared directly in front of Adam, thrusting his blade forward. Adam ducked right, leveling the shotgun. N’por’s energy sword struck one of the Marines, felling him. The Elite exposed, Adam fired the M90. BOOM! The mighty 8 gauge magnum shell delivered hundreds of tungsten pellets, whamming into the Elite like a Warthog. The Shipmaster’s shields shattered, and once again he vanished from view. Adam shucked the pump with authority, chambering a new shell. “Cowardly heretic.” Silence befell the great shrine as Adam and the Marines scanned the area for the Elite, carefully regarding each pillar and swirl of leaves as they visually searched for the alien warrior. “Aldurmaax would be ashamed to see you hiding like this” Captain Kuyaki taunted. “ALDURMAAX WAS A COWARD! A WYRM WHO HAD NO SENSE OF HONOR OR COURAGE! HE WAS FELLED BY LESSER BEINGS, A SHAME THAT SHALL NOT BEFALL MY NAME!” N’por thundered, emerging once again as he tossed a plasma grenade from the far end of the shrine, the glowing ball arcing through the air and sticking the Marine Sergeant. A flash of blue fire killed the rest of the Marines, leaving only Adam to face N’por. “Now it is as it should be. Here, at the edge of the world, you and I...we’ll have an ending to things” N’por declared, materializing once again. “Fight with honor, human, so that you may know at least that before you die.” N’por leapt forward, striking at Adam, who rolled left and came up, firing at the Elite again. Buckshot streaked through the air, most of the pellets missing the Shipmaster and striking the far pillar. Adam racked the pump, N’por rolling forward in response, past Adam. As the Captain turned he saw the Shipmaster cock his sword arm back, swinging laterally at the human. Adam dove to the ground, the sword blade passing overhead. As he hit the ground Adam rolled onto his back, watching the plasma blade slice one of the stone pillars in half, the upper portion toppling over and landing with a mighty thud, the magical fire at its apex still burning. Scrambling to his feet Adam watched N,por vault over the toppled pillar, carefully eyeing Adam. The Captain kept the shotgun leveled as the Elite regarded him, their fight once again slowing to a stalemate. “You fight well, human. None of your usual tricks. Perhaps you do have honor, after all” N’por declared, looking the Captain up and down. “Those tricks are what’s kept us alive all these years; they’re why humanity still fights, why we still have a chance against your onslaught” Adam replied, tensing. He could see the Kabato and RaptorTooth hovering far away, silently watching the battle. “If you recognize our might would you not surrender? What drives you in the face of ensured defeat? Guaranteed destruction? Is it your stubborn will, or the blind drive of an animal?” N’por asked, raising his sword. “If you were faced with extinction would YOU go quietly into the night, or would you fight to the last, and die knowing you stood with honor and courage?” Adam retorted. N’por thrust the energy sword forward in a stab. Adam ducked to the right, but still did the blade slice at his arm, the edge slashing along his bicep. Adam’s grip on the shotgun’s forend weakened as his muscles were cut, but he still had his arm, and control of the weapon. The M90 thundered again, the buckshot shattering the Elite’s shields. N’por swung again, this time cutting the shotgun clean in half. Drawing his M6D Adam dove right, behind a pillar. N’por growled, approaching. The Captain ducked out, firing. Three Semi-armor piercing rounds struck the alien armor, hitting like a mighty hammer but not piercing. N’por roared and swung upward, missing Adam and instead carving up the pillar, the stones turning to magma at the blade’s touch. Five rounds left in the M6D’s magazine Captain Kuyaki ran, rushing to the other end of the shrine, N’por in hot pursuit. “COWARD! You run in fear, as all humans do!” the Shipmaster bellowed. Turning, Adam fired two rounds, the bullets striking N’por’s armor again. Adam deduced the last shotgun blast had damaged the Elite’s shield generator, leaving him with only his armor. Confident in his new situation Adam watched N’por approach, the mighty warrior swiping diagonally at Adam; a difficult strike to dodge. Adam ducked, the energy sword cutting through his officer’s hat and singing his hair. The tips of the blade struck the upper portion of a pillar, and Adam stood to run, passing N’por as he went. Turning to fire Adam saw N’por already facing him, about to strike, when the upper part of the weakened pillar toppled over, striking the Elite in the head, his helmet conquered by the sheer weight of the stones. Falling to the ground N’por growled, shrugging the masonry off his body as he struggled to stand. Adam took the opportunity to reload, slapping home a fresh magazine into the M6D. N’por staggered to his feet, leveling his sword as he prepared to strike again. He eyed Adam, watching the human, who watched him back. His enemy, his opponent, the symbol of heresy and cowardice. And struck. “DIE NOW, HUMAN!” N’por thundered, stabbing forward with the energy sword. His balance still awry N’por stumbled from the mighty thrust, stepping forward awkwardly as Adam dodged. Finding his balance again N’por turned back to Adam, finding only the muzzle of his gun to greet his gaze. The last thing N’por ‘Tumai would see.