[Archive] Of Ash And Fire - Original Thread

[Ajkrumen]

I need to do some more writing. :c

 

Inspiration y u no wurk.

[QuinnsWing]

inspiration is not working for you well, advice people, dont use ultimate game cards to buy plat......they work once.

 

Well for me i cant log on to the site which uses them to buy other stuff.....sooo im kinda pissed >:|

 

that was off topic but anyways there should be another story up soon

[CommanderCorgi]

I haven't written in a while, but it'll come eventually.

 

Let's just say the next arc will coincide with the release of Berserker...and I'll also let you know that I chose the wording of that last statement carefully.

[SillyCowsy]

Well, I have a little something from just running around with an immortal trinity all day every day...Something about natural talent blessing spam and slowly sawing level 100+ grineer on survival while napalms fill the room with fire(and me having the 100% health resistance to fire damage aura) brings out the worst in me..Anyway quick little story:

 

My warframe is just a power suit and nothing more. The story behind the suit itself is boring and uneventful. My story that I write from within the suit , however, is what you should be wondering about.

 

My starter frame was a MAG model and I spent some time in it. The MAG model provided a nice balance of support and utility but the version that I had was obsolete when compared to the MAG models in circulation today. I left my MAG model for various other frames after that until I finally wound up just using two today.

 

Back then, the Trinity model just struck me as another suit to use and abuse until I grew tired of it. At first glance the frame itself is a bit lacking for the eyes and houses a rather intrusive skirt for one reason or another. The aesthetics made me reluctant to even dawn that second skin but when I finally did I fell in love.

 

What my Trinity framed lacked in appearance and raw power made up for in utility and survivability. As time grew on the Trinity frame grew onto me. I began signing up for all the experimental mods and prided myself on getting accepted. From there on the frame called to me in my sleep and I answered it every time. It comforted me in my time of need and supplied me with an embrace that I could not describe in words.

 

With it I became an angel of life and death. Through the fires of hell I rose up from the bodies of my discarded enemies. Hovering just over my shoulder my sentinel wept for those creatures that I carved through and it feared being anywhere but my blind spot. Whole armies surrounded me yet I and I alone walked away from the engagement. I slaughtered countless beings with nothing more than the weapons on my back and a wicked grin on my face.

 

Be it by choice or from intimidation those who opposed me received no sympathy for my blade knows no prejudice. My blade passed judgement to those foolish enough to oppose me and my ranged arsenal became my reach to those who fled and pleaded for redemption. As time went on the edge of the blade grew dull yet I still pressed on, the feel and sound of flesh and bone snapping kept me from noticing that I was merely bashing skulls in with nothing but the handle of my broken blade. My allies either rejoiced in the primal blood-lust or cowered in fear until nothing but their own whimpers remained.

 

Alas, as all good things must come to an end-- From orders of my superiors I have built and maintained use of a Nova frame. They have forced me to limit myself in my trinity frame stating that the various experimental mods that I have on her make it very unstable and they fear my health. They trail on and on about how repeated use of my Trinity frame could lead to unpredicted consequences but I truly know that they fear I might get lost within my passion and turn on my squad.

 

So now I pilot a Nova frame from time to time. Bodies that once painted gruesome portraits of blood and flesh disintegrate at my very touch. All the romance in the tango of a struggle is now reduced to a solo dance in the enemy's falling ashes. Whole waves of creatures who crave for blood and vengeance now disappear from sight without even a fuss or whimper. Those that do remain fall victim to my heated rush that neglect brings and yet they, too, disappear in a flash from their eventual involuntary release. From one extreme to the the other, I can truly see now how I have lost myself to the passion..

 

..But....When the time does come...When I am given the authority to pilot my Trinity...The walls bellow a groan in preparation of the piles bodies that will surely follow. What matter of beast that may come to oppose me does not matter for if it does move then I will crush it and toss it, limp, in the background for those behind me to heed.

 

I honestly can't see how the berserker can give me the feelings that melee with my trinity does..but I shall try my best to figure out how I can work with it. Then again, my Trinity is but a few clicks away...and only after the pools of blood reflect my image will I see that I am not in my berserker frame..

[khimera]

I've...never even considered Trinity could be dang well immortal...with the proper setup she could single-handedly walk through a survival...never thought of that. -whistles-

[BRad_Skirata]

So I had the whole story in my head, but I couldn't figure out where to start.  So I naturally just started in the middle, and decided to reduce it to make it more of a teaser...Enjoy.

* * *

            Only 2 mags to spare, he thought as another Ancient fell, his rifle vomiting another seventeen incendiary bolts into its asymmetrical face.  Need to work on my aim with one hand.  “Volt, where’s our speed?!”

            “I’m too low on power, anymore and my frame could shut down!”

            Sh!t.  “I’ll take point then, my mark!” He detached the sack of packages that was occupying his left hand.  “Be ready to catch these and start droppin’ ‘em every fifteen meters.  Mark!”

            The Volt ducked left of the sprinting group, catching the bag in his right hand, just as the Tenno who’d spoken before dashed over his right shoulder towards the rushing Ancients ahead.  The Excalibur already had one of his Skana in his left hand, and triggered something on his rifle. His grip on the Boltor shifted above the trigger as the Boltor’s receiver collapsed, and its spike covered barrel flattened, creating a crude, but efficient, serrated blade on the top and bottom of the barrel.  Holding a Skana in one hand and the transformed Boltor in the other in a reversed grip, he spun full circle just as the dash ended, cutting both Ancients in half.  His feet made contact with the floor, maintaining momentum as he returned the Skana to his back and raised the Boltor, snapping it back into rifle form.

            The others kept pace with him.  The Volt at his left, the Ash at his right, clearing away the ravenous Infested with their rapidly firing Bratons.  A Loki brought up the rear, occasionally distracting the enemies ahead, but mainly focused on dropping his packages exactly between the Volt’s drops.

            So many. Where did they all come from?  A Crawler swiped at his feet.  He put three bolts into its head, and then unleashed the rest of the magazine into the oncoming Toxic Ancient. The Volt continued mowing down the weaker mutations with his Braton while dropping the small bundles every fifteen meters. The Ash, had switched to his shuriken, finishing off anything still moving after the Volt and Excalibur gunned them down.

            “I see the lift!”

            “More ancients too…”

            Are they guarding the elevator?  Excalibur reloaded his second to last magazine.  “Kerik, get that elevator ready!”

            Kerik, the Loki, dropped his last two packages and teleported to the elevator, leaving an Ancient, now facing the wrong way, behind the other Tenno.  Kerik punched the controls of the module for the elevator, its doors opened.

            The Excalibur emptied his magazine into the awaiting Ancients, stunning them. He took out his dual Skana as he launched himself into the middle of the group of ancients who seemed hell-bent on guarding the hall to the elevator.  Using the rest of his power, he multiplied his Skana and released the, now six, charged swords, each finding an Ancient and pinning them to the walls.

            As he skewered the remaining Infested blocking their path, the Volt and Ash somersaulted over him and into the elevator, the Volt leaving behind the last few packages outside the doors.  The Excalibur recovered from his attack and ran into the elevator, with Kerik diving in behind him after commanding the elevator to descend.

[Ajkrumen]

Chaos. 

 

That was the only word that could describe the massive battle on Mars.

 

After the re-fitted Orokin ships blasted through the blockades of the Corpus and Grineer, the Tenno went down on the surface to join the massive contention that was to go down in history. The enemies numbered by the thousands, the Tenno only in the hundreds. There was no contest. The warframes pushed through the Grineer assault on Mars, forcing the enemy to co-operate against the greater evil. Ajkrumen was among the leading Tenno in the battle. He entered with Tyranthius, Crowley, and Khimera. He lost them along with his apprentice in the heated fervour of combat. They were almost at the center, when a massive blast forced dozens of warframes to the ground. Ajkrumen channeled his energy to form a massive blizzard to protect the novice Tenno behind him. A similar blast dispelled the globe. Enemy and Tenno alike backed up from the source. Standing in shadow, his malignant scythe in his hand, helmet glowing with fury, stood Ajkrumen's rival. Wasting no time with words, Ajkrumen barreled into the Stalker knocking the weapon from his hand, his own melee weapon ready. Before the Frost Prime swung the Reaper into his head, the Stalker kicked him off with his feet. The blows of the two scythes could be heard throughout the battlefield above all the other clamor. Shamed from his prior defeat, the Stalker gave no quarter. It had become personal. Both Warframes were getting exhausted, and a fatal mistake was made. In a lazy attempt to parry the scythe, Ajkrumen twisted around a fraction too much, and recieved a fatal blow to his spine. He barely managed to roll over to face his age-old enemy advancing on him. Visor cracked and energy flickering, the Stalker considered his rival on the ground, barely able to move himself.  At last he spoke:

 

"It is done. Ajkrumen is no mo-"

 

The Stalker looked down at what was suddenly constricted around his throat. It was the Prime's weary hand, covered in a device that he had not seen before. Ajkrumen poured all of the energy he had left to kill his most hated foe. The Stalker went rigid as the bio-technology in his warframe was frozen and shattered. He fell next to his rival, where neither of them were to rise again.

 

 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Welp, just killed off Ajkrumen. I was really feeling some writer's block and I decided to take a break from it. My stories will continue with Ajkrumen's successor, Heus. I feel that his time to shine has come, and Ajkrumen had enough time in the limelight from my stories. Hope y'all enjoyed it. :)

Edited November 13, 2013 by Ajkrumen

[Tyranthius]

Holy damn.

 

Where is everybody? Tyranthius had entered the fray on the surface - after long hours of storming and capturing ships - with Khimera, Ajkrumen, Crowley, and their respective apprentices, if any. X and the others were taking the more circuitous left flank, and would not arrive for another two minutes by Ty's time. He had battled for what seemed like only minutes, yet he found himself a good deal of distance away from where he intended to go. The tides of battle were quite the chaotic ocean, and Switching was rather problematic; there were simply too many targets.

 

As if from nowhere, a Grineer Bombard fired a missile at him. He rolled aside - and watched the Bombard's missile kill seven of its own allies - took aim with his Brakk, and fired three shots. The Bombard fell to the ground, bleeding from more than fifty bullet wounds. He had decided to kill only Grineer with his Brakk while he was in this war - a not very subtle insult to Sargas. He saw black smoke somewhere on the battlefield, and felt a sense of dread. Something's wrong. He was not afraid of fighting the Stalker. He would relish the chance, actually. But something just felt off.

 

He ran, his shiny new Machete Wraith biting into joints, legs, and necks. He witnessed a blast of cold, but he was still far. Another Grineer Bombard fired off a missile at him. He jumped, shot the Bombard's helmet with his Brakk, and turned aside the missile with his foot. Pausing only to relish the sound of exploding Grineer and Corpus, he kept running to where the black smoke had been.

 

It's nothing. If he were here, the crossfire would do for him. And if not, I will. He thought of all the Tenno who were fighting here. A scant few would be able to take on the Stalker alone, but there were scores of Tenno willing and available to do the job. He felt a sudden drop-off in temperature. Then, he saw the sprawled black figure. He stopped, and nearly burst out laughing. I can't believe he bit it like that. He wondered who had claimed fatal blow. Then, he saw the form next to the Stalker.

 

*****

Harahel was surrounded by enemies, and his side of the battle was looking grim. Not long before, a gigantic Grineer ammunition explosion had taken out a large chunk from the battlefield. Unfortunately, the Grineer and Corpus had much more to spare than the Tenno, and the right was suddenly in peril. Harahel did what he could; creating nano-ghosts, scrounging for supplies - corpses were not inadequate - and sending hordes fleeing in terror, but it was not enough. No matter how many were Punched, much more would take their place. His Galatine was a swinging mass of death and over-compensation, and his Soma scythed through the enemy ranks, but unless someone did something spectacular very soon, the right would break.

 

He looked over the situation. He saw the enemy, the number of his teammates. Something spectacular. He called power forth within himself, accessing that part of his soul data that could not be overwritten. A special program had been set into this memory, giving it greater duration. Harahel winced in pain as nano-machines began multiplying, replicating, and joining to form a single shining figure. The mass of nano-machines behind it settled, and solidified. Then, they spread, and Nidhoggr's wings reflected battle once more.

 

 

I'll make some for my others later.

[frostycmc]

It was rare that the Tenno waged war on this scale. Excalibur led his squad around the enemy, looking for a point to flank them. Anya, Lucid, and Zel were with him, and Loki was cloaked nearby, ready to help if needed. He peered out of cover at the battlefield. The Tenno could slaughter grunts all day, but there was a line of heavy gunners at the back that would rain bullets on them whenever they tried to advance.

 

X pointed them out to the Initiates. "They are our targets. Anya, Loki will Switch me into the middle of them. When that happens, the grunts in front will turn around. You will lead Zel and Lucid and strike while their backs are turned. I will handle the heavies. Understood?"

 

The girls nodded. The Prime braced himself against the brief nausea as he swapped places with his friend. Before the gunners could react, he slammed his Orthos into the ground, sending a barrage of javelins to shatter their shields. The lancers turned and were promptly yanked off their feet before being incinerated by a wall of hellish flames.

 

Anya looked up as the last marine fell to her blade. Their distraction had proven to be the final wedge that broke the Grineer line. She grinned as Tenno surged around them, slaughtering the gunners and routing the last of the cowards who were tripping over each other trying to retreat. She walked forward to stand beside her mentor.

 

"We won. I thought even you would be celebrating at a victory like this."

 

X glanced at her, before pointing down towards the battlefield. "We won, but at what cost?"

 

Anya followed his gaze, her eyes falling upon a circle of Tenno around a fallen Prime.

 

"Oh no..."

 

 

 

Gotta admit Aj, that was one hell of a twist you pulled. I don't think anyone expected Ajkrumen to bite the dust like that. He will be missed...

[Ajkrumen]

Thanks, I'll still be writing from time to time, but it will now continue on with Heus. Ajkrumen was millenia old, and to be completely honest, he was a bit of the generic invincible superhero. I wanted to show that no matter how powerful you are, there will always be danger in war. Anyone is susceptible to death on a battle of that scale. Glad you guys enjoyed the story, he was my favorite character that I created. ^_^

[Jeahanne]

Would anyone be averse to me posting something...? I don't really want to intrude as I haven't written fanfic before, but since reading all of your stories (I've been reading them all from page one for a few days now, it's been better than having a normal book to read next to my desk) on top of the scant lore the game already has, I've had an itch to try my hand at this.

 

As I said though, I really have no intention of intruding, I'll be ok if I'm told no ^-^

 

Regardless, I really do love everything everyone has posted. The stories are really great, and I really want to thank you all for posting them for everyone to read.

[Ajkrumen]

Please do, friend! There  are never intrusions, only contributions to a thread enjoyed by many. :)

[Jeahanne]

Ok well fair warning then, this my first stab at this kind of thing, and my character doesn't even really have a name yet. Any feedback, good, bad, or ugly, is appreciated.

 

------------------------------------------

 

The lone Tenno strode through the halls of the ship, thinking about the enemy she was about to face. Of all her foes, these were the ones she found easiest to defeat. The Infested were nothing more than slavering, rabid amalgamations of flesh that threw themselves heedlessly onto the nearest living thing they came across. Enemy and food were one and the same to them, and self-preservation was a term they did not recognize. At the particular threat level approximated for this mission, nothing short of an ancient would pose much of a threat to her, so the challenge would be minimal. That was fine with her; she wasn't there for the strength of the enemies anyway.

          

She nocked an arrow, readying her Dread to enter the fray. Stealth wasn’t her strong suit, even as a solo fighter, which was the reason she had donned her Nova warframe for this mission. Her only noncombat equipment was the Carrier sentinel humming in the air next to her, chosen merely for convenience rather than damage output. She paced through the ship at a steady rate, not heeding the tumorous growths of flesh growing upon every surface, and the swarms of red particles suffusing the air around her, all hallmarks of an area being consumed by the Infested plague. Everything on this ship would die, those were her orders. The Lotus had asked it of her, and she had accepted the task. Ridding the vessel of the affliction of these creatures would be a service to everything living, except, of course, for the Infested, but she didn’t count them as a loss. Everything else around her was simply a distraction.

           

The ship was ominously quiet for having been overrun. She knew this likely meant when she did encounter enemies they would probably be grouped up in large mobs.

           

“Multiple biosignatures detected. We have infested incoming,” a voice, the Lotus, suddenly said over her intercom.

           

The Nova slowed down, crouching down to one side of the door that blocked her way, before slowly shuffling forward to trigger the hiss of the automatic door. She wanted to assess what she would be facing before running out in the middle of the mob and priming them with antimatter. Hey, stealth might not be her strong suit, but caution was another thing entirely. She peered through the doorway, into a massive swarm of Infested. Most were weak, just chargers and leapers, but there were two ancients. One was a toxic, the other a disruptor. She knew those would have to go first, the rest would go out at once, in a giant display of beautiful explosions as antimatter met matter in a fireworks display of death that would put the Fourth of July to shame. She grinned in anticipation.

           

She drew back the string on her silent and deadly bow Dread. It was a present from one of her visits from the stalker that she had repaid him with by thrashing him multiple times. It was a criminal act to stalk people anyway, and he had deserved it. She took aim down the shaft at her first target, the toxic, accounting for the drop the arrow would be subject to at that distance, and let loose. It flew true, lodging in the confused creature’s skull as it lurched about, unable to sense what had caused it harm. It took but a few more well-placed shots to finish the creature off. Its fellows took no notice of its death, and in the silence the creature itself expired with no idea in its tiny mind of what killed it.

           

She aimed at the disruptor next, since it was slightly less of a threat than the toxic, and in a trickier place to hit. It was half concealed by a pile of containers, but as long as it didn’t move the arc of the arrow would still allow for a headshot, even at the angle she would have to be at to make the shot.

 

She waited for a moment, judging what other individuals in the horde might see her before making her move. Silently, she ran for the other side of the open door, where she would have access to a clearer angle, then cursed. One of the chargers had seen her, and was barreling at her with all the grace and subtlety of a cement truck. Along with it came everything else in the room, screaming and moaning, pushing at one another in a fleshy torrent, trying to be first to the newly recognized intruder. Among them, although towards the back, she saw the disruptor charging forward as well.

 

She turned and sprinted back along the hallway to gain some distance, then slid further down the passage as she activated Null Star to help defend her while she prepared to use Molecular Prime. Molecular Prime was her best still, coating everything nearby with antimatter and priming them to explode, but using the skill also forced her to stand still, which would be deadly if she had nothing to hold the enemies back for the few seconds it took to cast. She heard the sound of her Null Star charges shooting off into enemy after enemy as she focused power into her hands before slamming it into the ground; the shockwave giving all the enemies in the skill’s radius a glimmering halo of white. She saw the shine of it but briefly before her Carrier’s shotgun blasts and the last few charges of her Null Star sent one of the plague-ridden creatures into oblivion, followed instantly by a chain reaction of explosions that consumed the rest. She grinned behind her helmet. Blowing things up in such a spectacular and beautiful manner never got old, but she had done better. In the seconds she had while enjoying the display she hoped she'd get a larger mob farther into the ship... the more numerous the enemy the more beautiful the explosion.

 

She had little time to appreciate the sight, however, as even the antimatter fueled explosions weren’t enough to take out the ancient disruptor still fumbling its way at her at a speed that defied logic. It bellowed, trailing its deformed limbs behind it as it charged through the dissipating white energy of the blasts, and drew its arm back to hit her with a devastating blow. She knew how these creatures attacked however, as she had killed countless numbers of them before, and was ready for it. Before the creature could react, she had slid the bow she carried into the magnetic carrier on her back and drawn her kunai throwing knives. They were a model she had but recently acquired in one of her many thank-you-for-the-blueprint thrashings of the stalker, and were called Despair. They hit harder than the kunai she had owned previously, and she was deadly accurate with them. The knives flew, shining in the half-light of the Infested ship, and buried themselves deeply into the weak points of the disruptors body. It shuddered, screaming one last time, as it fell before her feet, never able to land a single blow.

 

She paused a moment, listening. She knew her cover was blown, and that more of the creatures would be on the way, but for the moment there was only silence. She holstered her remaining kunai, and nocked an arrow instead. Her helmet’s display showed that the room she had just annihilated accounted for approximately half of the number of Infested detected aboard the ship. This was good for her. Perhaps, she thought, I will get one more good explosion out of this mission yet. Abandoning caution and any pretense at stealth, she sprinted through the corridors of the vessel, letting her Null Star pick off weak individuals at random, and using her Galatine to finish off anything that got within reach. She ran into little else of consequence, a few ancient healers, which posed no threat, and one more ancient disruptor which died in the same manner as its earlier brother, as a final holster for a number of kunai. She was disappointed though, as she saw no more large mobs suitable to a primed antimatter explosion.

 

She sighed and said to herself as she reached extraction, “I suppose I shall have to wait until my next mission then, such a waste. Only one decent fireworks display out of all of them…”

Edited November 13, 2013 by Jeahanne

[Ajkrumen]

That was good, better, and handsome. Please keep writing, it certainly is better than my stories. :)

[Jeahanne]

That was good, better, and handsome. Please keep writing, it certainly is better than my stories. :)

Lol that is far from true. I don't think I can come up with a character better than Ajkrumen. But thank you ^-^

[Ajkrumen]

Man, that really hits home. In a good way!

Just keep up the amazing work. :)

[Jeahanne]

Man, that really hits home. In a good way!

Just keep up the amazing work. :)

Thank you, I will. And you keep writing too, I really look forward to reading the stuff posted here xP

 

Not sure when my next post will be though, college means a lot of homework, but writing this is great for procrastination lol

[BRad_Skirata]

 writing this is great for procrastination lol

this

me too :)

[khimera]

My turn to give my piece of the battle, let flow the fury!

 

____

 

Even as the leading Tenno stepped alight upon the sea of battle they were separated. This was no issue, they were all prepared as soon as they'd left the ships to be scuttled by Grineer and Corpus crossfire. It was unfortunate, but they'd dealt a great deal of damage before they'd needed to evacuate their leading ship. They wouldn't lose them all, but it was a certainty that many of the small armada would be obliterated.

 

Khimera had taken to the right flank, Dual Ethers flickering like small flashes of lightning with each blow he struck to Grineer and Corpus alike. The absolute serenity of combat left the Volt with a clear mind even as he was grazed over by bullets and lasers alike. Sheathing his blades he drew his Lato Vandal once he had breathing room and planted an electrically improved bullet through several lined up skulls in perfect fashion. Unfortunately a Scorpion saw fit to hook his leg, making Khimera cry out as he began to get dragged along the corpse-riddled ground toward the female Grineer.

 

No sooner had the Volt expressed his distress than did a massive golden Galatine cut through the offending Grineer unit, a blood-coated Excalibur Prime letting out a roar of victorious might. Sweeping his arm up then out Sandalphon sent several layers of enemies flying with his Radial Javelins, running up to Khimera and offering his hand. No words were exchanged, only the mutual respect of Tenno that knew their place in the field of war.

 

The two Tenno, while normally at odds mainly due to Khimera's rejections, worked in fluid tandem. The Volt brought up an Electric Shield and allowed Sandalphon to fire the newly acquired Brakk through it until the duration of the skill ran out. The piles of Grineer and Corpus were beginning to pile up without Crowley around, but the two made due by creating rotting barricades of corpses to fire behind from. A passing Trinity was kind enough to cast her Blessing near enough to the two they became restored, allowing them to wade once more into bloody melee combat. This was a victory for the Tenno, but Khimera and Sandalphon both felt a deep dread in their hearts even as they fought to free the center of this war somehow.

 

------------

 

Issachar and Nova-Quinn worked in tandem much like their similar male counterparts elsewhere in the field. They'd been informed of what was to happen and they'd waited in ambush of sorts for a good while. Issachar had pretended to join the Corpus while Nova-Quinn pretended to join the Grineer at the start of the latest conflict and when the signal had been given they'd blown apart all the nearby forces. Even now Issa was trailing toxic Miasma slicing away with a Kama, penetrating armor in vicious fashion while her battle-partner cackled with destructive glee while she blew apart heavily armored targets and light units alike with her antimatter.

 

"BURN IN THE FLAMES OF MY ANTIMATTER! HAHAHAHAHAHAAA!" Nova-Quinn screamed with unnerving fervor as she summoned a sky-engulfing mass of antimatter shards, sending them hailing down upon foes with impeccable accuracy, crimson blossoming explosions occuring on impact. She let her Hek do the talking after expending her energy, blowing gaping holes in enemies that dared get too close to the now well-known red-and-black Nova. After this, no one would want to be near her in the field; not even Grineer Generals or Corpus Councilors.

 

------------

 

Crowley took his time walking toward the center of the conflict, using Despairs to neatly cut down encroaching foes or stun them long enough to leave them open to his fellow Tenno's machinations. On his back lay the blue-colored Hate unused right now even as he kept his eyes open for Sargus Ruk or Alad V. Neither of them were likely to be here but he could only hope to kill them now before they allowed themselves further advantage from this conflict.

 

A sudden jolt in his chest made the Grand-Master of the Dead double over and clutch at his heart in pain. "No..." He murmured to himself, already feeling a familiar ache crash over his being even as the black smog wisped barely into his vision before dissipating. Snapping his head up Crowley saw a circle of Tenno protecting two fallen figures. One was in pieces...the other...was a Frost that Crowley knew all too well. Stepping up to the ring with quickened pace Crowley gave a glare through his helmet that forced the blocking Tenno to part and allow the ice-blue Nekros close to the fallen comrade. Falling to his knees, Crowley hesitated as he placed a hand over Ajkrumen's chest, letting it trail over the Frost Prime's arm to the gauntlet affixed to it. "Glacies chose you, fool, and now you leave it without a master so soon." Crowley spoke under his breath, gently taking the artifact from his fallen friend.

 

Cold blue slowly changed to obsidian black, glowing azure to furious bloody red. Slowly Crowley stood, turning his head to see Harahel standing nearby. Somehow Crowley hacked into the other Nekros' personal channel without effort, his voice distorted into a Stalker-like growl. "Watch...and know fear...pain...and sorrow..." This would be one of the rare times the normally-blue Nekros would break all orders and act in a selfish manner. Tenno had been lost from this war, too many now for Crowley to count off his head, and now a close friend as well. Latching Glacies to his hip for safe-keeping the raging Nekros snapped his Hate into the air, light seeming to scatter before its presence, shape seeming to warp and change. The outward facing Tenno would never know what was transpiring, but any Tenno watching keenly would see Lunasos burning bright with the fury of its wielder.

 

With both hands Crowley slammed the end of the shaft into the ground, feeling his body pour energy into the artifact with a ferocity that would threaten to rip apart any other Tenno. Scarlet energy rippled up the shaft and cast itself into the engravings on the scythe's blade, seeming to burn with the fires of the soul. "Awaken." Rumbled Crowley's voice through the open comm-lines of every Tenno on the battlefield, his voice punctuated by the appearance of burning red pillars of energy that quickly faded into the phantasmal forms of fallen Tenno. Recently passed friends and allies all the way back to the ancient souls that Crowley kept close to his own.

 

There was no victory here for Grineer.

 

There would be no profit here for the Corpus.

 

For foes of the Tenno, there would be only death.

[Ajkrumen]

Holy crap, that sent chills down my spine. Great job, Khi!

[khimera]

Holy crap, that sent chills down my spine. Great job, Khi!

 

I had an inspiration injection on the way home from work. Yay music!

[Ajkrumen]

Heus waded through the mass of corpses towards the center of the battlefield. Why were the other Tenno being so distant? What was transpiring in the middle of the field? He caught a glimpse of Crowley in the clutches of a rage he had never seen the elder Tenno experience before. Something glinted off of his hip. 

 

No.

 

He started to sprint, black smoke in sight. 

 

It's impossible!

 

He pushed aside the Tenno guarding what was behind them. His gaze trailed down to the body of his master. He knelt in front of the Frost Prime's body following his arm to a black object in his fist. Then he noticed the shattered pieces of the Stalker lying about the floor.

 

At least you had your revenge..

 

He gathered up his fallen mentor's weapons and attached them to the mag plates along his back and turned towards the fray. He walked out to the enemy line, Gram in hand. He let loose a roar of rage and loss, and began to rip apart the Grineer and Corpus, cutting a path through the crowd. At one point he was disarmed and resorted to his bare hands and started literally tearing his enemies apart. How dare they send that coward. How dare they send him to defeat this man who was as a father to him in the middle of a massive battle, rather than honorable combat! 

 

"YOU'LL ALL PAY!" 

 

Some of the Grineer ran away, covering their ears from the Frost's rage. The Corpus quivered in their boots. He tackled a Grineer to the ground, relishing his cries for mercy. The rest of his squad recoiled from the sickening rip of the Lancer's head from his body. Heus hurled the frozen mass at a Corpus sniper, punching a hole through his entire sternum. The rest became a blur, the last thing Heus remembered was kneeling near Ajkrumen's body in solemn respect, all Tenno keeping their distance.

[BRad_Skirata]

Good job on all the battle bits guys, really well done!

poor Aj, at least he got the last move in against the Stalker

[khimera]

I can see us after this battle holding a ceremony for the dearly departed already...

[nintega]

Well, this looks quite fun. It's been a long time since I've actually done any writing of my own. Hopefully it isn't S#&$.

 

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For once, this tan color's useful.

 

A bulky mass swiftly slid down a sand dune. It could not be seen, however. Aside from deep red markings decorating certain areas of the thick, heavy armor plating adorning its frame, the pale tan and dull orange colors blended in well with the rocky desert.

 

Phobos, a natural satellite to the planet Mars, had been long since adapted to suit life originating from Earth. Such life was now inhabiting the many caverns and defunct Orokin bases in the form of the Grineer.

 

The Tenno's combined forces could raze every Grineer settlement on that rock. That's not what we do, though.

 

The armored individual made no other moves as it continued sliding down the hill of sand, its objective hidden under the heavy sandstorm. Scanning from orbit had pinned down the location of the Grineer barracks, however, and its location was now marked clearly on the Tenno's heads up display.

 

That guy better be there, too. It'll be too difficult to get this done individually, his support will be more than valuable.

 

The Tenno finally could see the dark Grineer base through the sand, though just barely. And that would be all he could see of it until he was close enough to touch it. But knowledge was one resource the Tenno couldn't ever be scarce in, and this mission would be no different.

 

Breaking out of his slide, the mass began sprinting down the now even sand fields towards the structure. It moved with a speed that would seem shocking in such a large organism, yet speed was one facet it didn't at all lack in. With a swiftness that could rival some of the faster Warframes in the Tenno's possession, it finally arrived in sight to an entrance to the Grineer's base.

 

"Your support has arrived, Tenno, he will rendezvous with you soon after entering." spoke a distorted, feminine voice, inside the Tenno's helmet.

 

The plan was that the heavy Warframe would assault the base openly, it's strong shields and durable armor more than capable of withstanding the enemy's firepower as it bowled through the Grineer forces. However, the progress would be too slow on its own, so another Tenno would provide hidden support with sniping, making use of the distraction to eliminate high-threat combatants. Calculations had been done to determine this the best course of action. So it would be done.

 

The first step, was to knock down their gates. This Tenno was very well suited to the job.

 

As its speed further increased, trails of burnt-orange light were emitted from the small lights on its armor, until with a final burst of speed, only ten meters away from the large door, it kicked off the ground, and in a flash, crashed through the base's outermost defense, feet first.

 

Rolling, and then grinding on the suddenly-appearing metal floor, it reduced in speed to the chamber that acted as the lobby to the base. At this point, it would only have to wait for the Grineer to answer his knocking. It wouldn't be but a minute.

 

Sand bled in through the large hole the Tenno had made, but it was quickly sucked away by the base's inner filtration systems. With the now clear air and dim lighting, the Tenno's Warframe was now completely visible. It had a masculine shape to it, seemingly all power and robustness. Thick, tan armor plates protected its chest, arms, legs, and groin. In areas where the armor needed to be thinner due to flexibility and mobility, the plates gave way to a thinner layer of orange under-armor. Burnt orange lights shone on the armor's chest, upper arms, and abdomen, revealing the status of the armor suit's energy reserves. A sleek helmet that was mostly curves save for two silver protrusions on either side was on his head. Thin bars of plating on the frame's hands and feet were apparent, clearly not a part of the frame's original construction, but colored the same nonetheless. A shining, but simple handgun rested in a magnetic holster on the thick plating of the thigh, and a rust-colored gun was now moving from the frame's back to its hands. Twin barrels and a rotating drum containing ammunition were its most obvious features, as well as a stock with a skeletal appearance.

 

"Reporting," was heard in the frame's helmet, over the short range channel, indicating its speaker was nearby. He responded only with a glance backwards and a nod, as the dark-colored frame and its metallic blue long rifle sunk into the shadows in the corner of the mostly bare room, near the filtration venting.

 

Ignoring the sound of his comrade slipping into the vent, the Tenno focused on the doors in front of him, waiting for them to open with a whole firing squad of Grineer aiming for him. Receiving the signal from his comrade that he was in position for support, and would follow through the ventilation system after the initial firefight. Returning the confirmation signal through the heads up display, the large Tenno squat slightly, bringing his stance lower to the ground, shouldering his gun, just a few meters from the door.

 

And suddenly the door opened, revealing a squad of Grineer five men wide, along with support units further back, all heavy armor plating, pointing their yellow sub machine guns at the Tenno. Their commander, his armor colored grey with an ornate helmet, raised his hand to signal for fire.

 

Before he could open his mouth, a high caliber sniper round tore down his shields, leaving him exposed.

 

And then, the Rhino charged into their ranks, firing already, as his support sniped down five more support units before he retreated into his vent.

 

Minutes later, the first fight of this sure to be bloody assault was won with a beastly roar and a heavy boot coming down, killing the prone, bloodied Grineer commander.

 

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There, that's long enough, I'll perhaps write more tomorrow. This is how I think of the Tenno, more planning and preparation oriented. I included internal monologue in the beginning, but then stopped part way through, because that's how I'd personally envision my Tenno, thoughtful before the battle before shutting down and focusing on the mission ahead. I enjoyed writing it, a lot. And sorry that it's irrelevant to the whole battle thing going on here.

Edited November 13, 2013 by nintega