*Thanks to LycanGod13 for enlisting as my co-writer*

The Master Chief flinched, releasing his grip on Esdeath's rapier. Esdeath smiled, delivering a roundhouse kick to the Chief's chestplate, the impact pushing the Spartan skidded back just a meter.

"...I must ask, did you even feel that?" Esdeath asked as her high heel broke from the strain. And it was tailor-made for murder as well.

"..." Remaining silent, The Chief slowly backed away into the entrance of the stairs. He cannot survive this without a weapon, as the conjured ice was of any indication. Considering his options, The Master Chief deemed the path ahead was the only viable option. However, acknowledging his opponent's intellect, he decided to step right, inching closer to the entrance downstairs to mislead her eyes.

"Going for Dr. Stylish's lab?"

He had her mislead. The Master Chief stood still, anticipating the woman's next move.

"So how about it man of the sky? You're carrying some fine equipment there. I'd be more than happy to torture its secrets out of you."

"...I did not come here for harm. Tell me, why am I being imprisoned without my rights?" The Master Chief asked as he stalled, needing the time to simulate how to make his way up.

"You are in no position to be asking the questions. Now surrender yourself, and I'll restrain myself from using my more… advanced methods."

"You're insane." The Master Chief commented.

Esdeath smiled. "I get that far too much to feel flattered." She replied. Master Chief steadied himself.

'A psychopath that can manipulate ice, strong as an Elite, and mentally unstable….. I need a weapon.'

The Master Chief was confident that he defeat best her in close quarters combat. But not knowing the extent of her ice manipulation or any other powers, he didn't want to risk it.

"I can imagine why." The Chief said as he slowly walked back, leaning his back against the wall, and slowly hid his hand behind his back. With extreme caution, he dug his fingers into the plastered wall, slowly digging up a slab of rock to throw at the crazy woman.

"Well then, ready to entertain me?" Esdeath said, approaching Master Chief with her Rapier poised, it's long thin blade aimed for his throat.

The moment she moved in three paces, close within an acceptable range, The Master Chief tossed the rock like a grenade, aiming straight for Esdeath's head. The sadistic woman was caught off guard by the speed of the projectile as it struck her face. With the momentary distraction, the Master Chief charged towards Esdeath, and tackled her with all of his weight, knocking her out of the stairway.

'Time to book it.' Then, he booked it as he thought, running towards the stairways leading to the upper floors. With every step crushing the wood beneath his feet, he allowed the familiar pull of Forerunner technology guide his stride, running past the Rococo designed walls at the corner of his vision until the stairway ended to another floor.

Without wasting even a second, he exited the stairs, entering another hallway as he darted his helm left and right, before taking a left towards the pull.

'Why am I going here rather than the lab?' The Master Chief, partially aware of his actions thought. The Spartan came to a stop at a heavy steel door plated with gold, and jewels ornately. The pull he felt was stronger than ever before, and right behind this door. What was happening? It was like the Chief was in control of his actions, but at the same time wasn't.

"...screw it."

He didn't care at this point. He needed an edge over the crazy woman before she caught up to him. The Chief tried the door; it didn't budge. So the Spartan gripped the handle, tightly twisting it. The screech of twisting steel pierced the air, followed the sound of snapping metal as the Master Chief broke the lock. Finally kicking the door, destroying the metal hinges as it fell to the floor flat with a bam, he quickly burst into the room.

"Hmm?" The Master Chief observed the room. Inside were oddly decorated weapons of various shapes and sizes. Daggers, blood vials, armor, swords, axes, and a gun-like contraption. All set in either weapon racks, glass display cases, or extravagantly placed on tables as if illustrating the owner's egotistic wealth and power. By now, the mental pull was overwhelming.

"Where are you?" The Master Chief murmured as he browsed the various artifacts on display. Every one of them bore the same feeling as the sword-armor thing the boy had as well as the katana held by the girl.

Walking through the aisles of the myriad commodities, he stopped upon seeing a… sword. Or, a handle of the sword, a hilt made of Forerunner silver and grew. The bladeless handle an abstract image depicting what seemed like the Ark. It hung on the wall, held in display in front of what appeared to be a fireplace, pulling the Master Chief to carry it.

Inexplicably enchanted by the bladeless hilt, The Master Chief slowly trudged forward, his steps uneven on the long red carpet and his hand slowly reaching for the grip, wrapping his fingers around the hilt one by one. The moment all of his fingers wrapped around the handle one by one, he felt something pulse from the bladeless hilt. Before a searing pain inscribed itself into his palm.

Biting his tongue, The Master Chief responsively suppressed the pain coursing through him being. It felt like his entire body was transformed into a human furnace, his body burning as hot as a star while bright red-orange circuit lines burned through his Mjolnir Armor, and right into his skin.

"Agghh…" he hissed, as he steeled past the searing pain. It felt as if his very blood was being 'glassed' by a Covenant Dreadnought… or more accurately put it, a Flood parasite burrowing itself into his very veins, one in the form of burning plasma at that.

Master Chief found himself unable to release the bladeless hilt, as the pain gradually disappeared. What did this odd relic that drew him to it do? Master Chief didn't have time to contemplate that, hearing footsteps in the distance. The Chief turned his head to the doorway. They were fast approaching, the clock of heels against wood. Esdeath was coming.

'How does this work?' Master Chief thought, desperately trying to get something out of the relic that still caused him pain. He waved it around, trying to see if it is motion sensitive, and then inspected the blade with great scrutiny. The Chief's brows furrowed in slight frustration behind his visor.

"Work or something, damn it!" He grunted as he heard a giggle by the door.

"...crap." Too late.

"I got to say…" the woman's voice was calm, yet dripping venomous killing intent from her tone. The moment she walked in, The Chief saw her left cheek bulging red, bruised from the spot where the slab struck her. Master Chief tensed a little. Even an Elite would be knocked out, bleeding from its fractured skull and near death. Yet, here Esdeath was with a bruise, healthier than an ox on steroids.

"It's been too long since I've taken this level of damage." Esdeath started, in a calm, yet excited tone.

Quickly, before she can do anything else, The Chief ran towards the nearest weapon that looked useable at least. The Master Chief grabbed the Gun-like contraption. He thought it looked absurd from a design standpoint, yet pointed it at Esdeath. Hoping to bluff his way out if need be.

"Oh? I see you decided to help yourself to the Minister's stash."

"Stay where you are." The Chief warned. Just in case, he pulled the trigger of the gun… hoping to fire a warning shot.

However, instead of the familiar ear-shattering sound of a gun, Master Chief got a form of mental backlash and pain through his body. Like the weapon was rejecting him somehow. Like it was alive. He dropped the gun as it fell to the carpeted floor.

'The hell?'

"Ahahahaha, your choice was sound, but… your choice of weapons is not as refined. Though, I can tell. You don't know what a Teigu is, do you?" The crazy woman guessed, looking at the Chief as if she found an animal trying to learn the alphabet.

"..." Master Chief remained silent, his hand ready to grab a nearby one-handed battleax.

"Allow me to demonstrate," Esdeath said, pointing her hand towards Master Chief. A sharpened spear of ice instantly formed at the palm of her hand and raced out towards him with bullet-like speed. She aimed for the spot between the Mjolnir armor plating, the underlying bodysuit.

With excellent timing, John rolled to the side as the lance shattered the sunlit window behind him, right towards the ax laid atop of the white cloth covered table, and threw it at Esdeath before it even had the chance to 'reject' him like the gun. Esdeath instinctively raised her rapier in an attempt to parry the attack. The ax was heavy, broke through her guard, and bluntly blown her rapier out of her hand.

Immediately following this, the Chief grabbed the now empty table by the legs and spun around with building momentum as he tossed the table at Esdeath like a frisbee before he reached out for a sword-like weapon and threw it the moment the table hit the sadistic general. Esdeath toppled over from the force, while the sword grazed the general's left arm.

'Time to book it.' Master Chief now had to make it to Dr. Stylish' lab. And get his weapons, and hope that maybe a vehicle fell through Slipspace with him, though it would be difficult since the hilt was still burning in his left hand. And it was stuck there like super glue, no, like a flood parasite trying to eat his brain.

Master Chief ignored the pain as he'd done for decades. He will worry about the odd relic at a later date when he was free of danger. Quickly with heavy steps, he ran towards the exit, stepping on Esdeath's face along the way as he ran towards the stairs leading to the flight down. Master Chief felt the killing intent from the woman behind him intensify tenfold. It almost intimidated the Spartan. He banished the thought, charging down the stairs.

"Halt!" A couple of sword-wielding men in heavy plate armor commanded. However, Master Chief disregarded them as a threat, but after catching sight of their weapons, he might find use from their swords.

"Those will do." The chief said as he reached out for one of their swords as he increased his ramming speed. Aiming to bowl them over like a bull. With over 450 kilograms of mass, and like a bowling ball to the pins, he knocked them aside, flipping the two full grown men in heavy armor while simultaneously grabbing the sword in his right hand without wasting time even to look. Without stopping to watch how they toppled, the Chief continued running now with a weapon in hand, ignoring how he reduced the guards into two piles of broken bones and battered meat. Other guards watched with shock at the sight of the bodies, how their limbs twisted into critical angles with bones jutting out their skin.

"There he is!" More guards roared with outrage laced with apprehension, chasing after the fleeing Spartan.

However, their speed compared to his could be compared with the tortoise to the hare. Although, the hare weighed half a ton in this case. Without slowing down in the slightest, he immediately reached the door leading downstairs.

"Now how do I-"

*Hummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm*

As if lady luck smiled upon him… the bladeless metal hilt in his left hand hummed, glowing with energy before an argent blade of light suddenly emerged from the handle revealing a sword of hardlight technology. The Chief took a couple of seconds to stare at the blade in awe. Instantly he had a ton of questions. How the hell was Forerunner technology in the hands of those people? What could it do? The Spartan banished the thoughts, as the weapon now satisfied his current needs.

"...This will do." Without another second to waste, the Spartan stabbed the blade into the steel door, surprised at how easy it was for him to cut through the fragile metal. He proceeded to cut himself an entrance, carving a square hole large enough for a proper entrance. The pieces then disintegrated into shimmering silver particles, which vanished shortly afterward. Looking at the sword he stole from one of the guards he rammed, The Chief tossed it aside in place of his better sword. He no longer needed it.

Behind the door was a massive underground room. Massive cauldrons, pipes, and tubes littered the underground lab. Master Chief saw grotesque creatures inside the cells, some dead, others somewhat breathing and tapping at the glass prison.

Something he could use to his advantage later on in case he got overwhelmed. The Master Chief ran more in-depth into the room, ignoring the chemicals and corpses strapped to tables, as well as the stench of unknown substances mixed with acrid necrotic flesh. The scent so powerful, it even crept through the air filters in his helmet. Few scents had been that powerful throughout his entire career.

Racing through the lab, the Chief scanned the room for any UNSC equipment. He rounded a corner into a new section of the lab. On the far side of the room, he saw what he'd been hoping to see. A few crates labeled "UNSC," and a somewhat battle-worn Warthog.

"Well, well, well." Again, as always, the Master Chief heard another voice behind him. He wasn't surprised at this point anymore considering the crazy woman that tried to stab him. However, upon turning around, it wasn't Esdeath. But a man in a lab coat, wearing glasses, and had black hair with a white streak running through it.

"...wow." The Chief uttered upon seeing… some men in bondage like attire, crawling at all fours beside the man in the lab coat.

"My my, the man from god lives!" The man exclaimed in a high pitched, excited voice. The Chief raised his sword in a defensive stance.

"Stay away." The Spartan commanded, cautiously backing towards the pile of UNSC equipment.

"You have me all ticklish, you know? I haven't felt like this… since forever when I first found out about alchemy! Tell me, how did you manage to make these wonderful babies? They're like Teigu, but not Teigu at the same time! Hahahahahahah!"

"..." Master Chief did not reply. The man was akin to a mad scientist as far as he knew, one with the mentality of a psychotic ten-year-old.

He just inched closer to the metal crates upon seeing the butt of an assault rifle sticking out. He will use it to gun them down if necessary.

"But! ….where did you get that Teigu?" The man asked as he pointed at the sword in the Chief's hand.

"In fact… how did you manage to use it?" He asked as if much more perplexed as his face changed from one of psychotic elation to a severe frown.

The Master Chief placed his hand on the butt of the Assault rifle, as the man's demeanor changed drastically.

"You are standing before Dr. Stylish, the finest scientist the Empire has to offer. The Hands of God in Human form!" He boasted.

"...I've seen better." The Chief scoffed. He met more legit 'Hands of God' than this lunatic. If he just knew how wrong he was upon seeing the Halo Rings…

Those words seemed to offend the doctor. He flinched, holding his hands to his chest.

"H-how dare you not see my greatness…." His demeanor changed for the worse, his facial features contorting with wrinkles decorating his brows.

"Really?" The Chief said in one brief word.

"S-Seize him, my glorious minions!" Dr. Stylish cried, pointing at the Master Chief.

Before even one of them could move a muscle, he grabbed the assault rifle, tore it away from the crate and fired at the strange ensemble of… creatures posing as men. The 7.62mm rounds penetrated their bodies, splattering blood all over the polished floor behind them. Dr. Stylish tried to run, but a bullet hit his left calf.

"AHHHHHHHHH!" He cried, his tone resembling that of an injured child.

'...hm.' The Chief was prepared for the guns to be jammed or rigged at least. Well… the people here are crazy, and far behind in technology.

"Alright, enough playing." the Chief murmured as he holstered the rifle to his back and the sword to his waist. Somehow… the blade magnetically clamped itself to the metal of his armor, making it much easier for him to carry it around.

He proceeded to the crates and rummaged through the weapons. He found grenades, pistols, more guns, ammo… Just everything he needed. Now, he just needed a way to get out of here. The Master Chief took a pistol, frag grenade, and a Covenant plasma grenade that happened to be among the cargo. Lucky find.

'I'll load as much as possible into the Hog and escape' He planned.

They somehow got a warthog in this room. Meaning, there's another entrance big enough for him and the Warthog.

"You. Stylish. Where's the exit?" The Chief demanded as he primed his pistol with a click. He aimed the gun at the pathetic doctor crawling away from him.

"Uhhh, uhh." Dr. Stylish pointed down the hall the Master Chief came, then turned his hand right, indicating a turn. The Master Chief nodded.

"The cooperation is appreciated." He said. The Master Chief hastily loaded the remaining crates into the rear and passenger side of the Warthog.

"One more thing. How do I bypass the walls?" He probed the critically wounded mad doctor for more information.

Dr. Stylish scowled at the armored casket but flinched when said casket pointed his weapon down at his downed, bleeding form.

"You will turn into swiss cheese if you don't answer, doctor."

Dr. Stylish was now trembling in absolute terror. This giant of a man in armor was ready to kill him if he didn't say something.

Master Chief said, "Answer me. Now. Or I will empty this entire assault rifle clip into your head and burn your corpse."


It was just a typical night shift for the guards of the Imperial Palace, armed with the standard heavy cuirass and royal spear in hand. Each guard expected the day to pass by without incident, just like the many days before today. However, this time, they were wrong. It was the day that everything went straight to Hell. It started with the humming and quiet rumbling of a strange beast in the distance filling the air.

The guards at one of the exits of the palace were greeted to the surprise of the Warthog blasting its way out the archway. Am explosion blasted the massive, reinforced doors off, exploding splinters in all directions with the gate still intact. The guards had just enough time to turn around, scream as they raised their spears, and get crushed beneath the weight of the armored war machine. Their armor proved to be useless against the massive tires that turned said armor into crumpled aluminum foil leaking blood and pulped flesh and entrails.

"Tch, the gate's too thick." The Master Chief murmured as he drove with a rocket in one hand and the steering wheel in the other. He expected it given the size of the gates, but nothing a dose of advanced missile can't shake loose. The warthog could barrel through the indented area at least.

The Master Chief was ready to roll on out and away from the palace to find a haven when he heard someone else make his presence known.

"Cease your escape at once, or else the Empire will execute you for escape!"

Turning around, The Master Chief saw… a man with angel wings on his back.

"Are you serious?" The Chief uttered upon seeing an angel chasing after him. He did not have time for this. Without a word, John rummaged through the crate of weapons lying on the warthog's shotgun and pulled out a Sniper Rifle. But first, he could not lose his momentum towards the gate as he braced himself for impact.

As the Chief approached the gate, he fired an SPNKR at the giant steel doors. Whoever made the hinges was an incompetent idiot or the metals comprising the hooks were too inferior. The doors were not only blown off the hinges, but they were reduced to flying splinters flying in every direction. On the other side, the Chief could see other guards stationed on the other side of the gate; some struck by the explosion and others hit by the fragments.

The sight that greeted the Master Chief was a massive, sprawling city, distinctly medieval by the designs of the structures, with bustling signs of life.

The Chief thought, 'Where the Hell did I end up?'

Shaking the thought off, for now, the Chief decided to escape while he could. He drove as fast as he could without plowing into the buildings on either side. There were still a few people out, all civilians. They were rightly stunned silent when they saw the Master Chief plowing down the street in a giant metallic, horseless chariot….that had some cannon mounted on the rear. The Chief ignored the stares and kept booking it out of the city; his objective was to find a haven to hide and recollect his thoughts. And also get rid of the angel that was tailing him. He could still see the man on his rearview mirror.

Decelerating his vehicle to a halt, the Master Chief then rose up from his seat as he took the SRS 99C-Series 2 Anti-Matériel rifle from the crate next to him, and then aimed at the angel with both hands on his weapon. He had to aim the shot just right or else he would not get a kill shot. But the angel seemed to be making that hard to do.

Just when the Chief thought he had his perfect shot, he fired. However, the angel turned out to be fast barely enough to dodge the bullet. But it was at least a decent hit. The Chief nailed him in the leg, almost destroying the angel's kneecap. But it seemed the angel would live regardless….for now.

He watched as the angel crashed into the streets, landing into the window of a nearby building. It was likely that he now had a few shards of glass buried in his flesh and he was bleeding heavily. The Chief then sat back in his seat, hitting the gas pedal as he resumed his escape.


On another seemingly quiet afternoon Lubbock, strolled through the streets, hands in pocket and eyes wandering from woman to woman, licking them with his perverted gaze. He was supposed to meet his contact spying from the Royal Palace to receive information on the matter of the meteors that fell within the palace, which proved to be items from somewhere beyond the heavens and the stars.

Suddenly, he heard a loud thunderous humming sound rapidly approaching. Lubbock turned to see the source and was stunned silent, frozen stiff in fear. Plowing down the street was a giant metal horseless chariot with some form of cannon on the back. But what shocked him more was the sight of what could be the most prominent man on the planet. And he was covered entirely in solid green and black armor. The speed of the horseless vehicle was mind-blowing.

Many questions raced through his mind. Could he be someone who fell from the heavens with the meteors?

And… wait, was that a Jaeger? Lubbock blinked as he saw who was identified by Najenda as Run, chasing the man in the heavy duty armor. He was about to casually hide from sight when the man in armor held what looked like a combination of a gun and Mine's Teigu, giving birth to a more compact rifle that looked like it could punch a hole in an S-Class Danger Beast.

As he ran mental comparisons with the weapon and Mine's overcompensating weapon, the man fired the gun at Run, the bullet whistling through the air faster than his eyes could follow before it struck Run's knee, nearly blasting it off his leg.

"...what the fuck?" Lubbock's mind went blank when he saw Run crashing down like a dying bird, plowing through the window of a nearby building. He blinked as he returned his focus to the man in armor, watching him drive the horseless carriage Teigu thing as it hummed a mechanical tune, now running away into the distance until it faded from his sight. That thing was fast, faster than any carriage Lubbock had ever seen.

"...Najenda is gonna have a field day with this." Lubbock murmured as the sound of galloping horses followed after the chaos, a squadron of armed imperial soldiers entering the scene as they tried to search for what he assumed to be the man in the metal chariot. He wondered if he could get one, pondering if he could score chicks with the vehicle.