"What's wrong, human? Aren't you having fun?!" Wrex yells in amusement as he uses some Medigel to recover from his own injuries.
"Fuck you! How is that fun? This is fucking insane," Alex retorts.
"Sorry, Lieutenant… you ended up doing most of the work again," Kaidan says, looking apologetic.
"It's fine… it's mine and Wrex's role to be the vanguard—you did fine. I'm just not having fun, risking my life to fight against these fucking Geth. Let's stay focused on the mission, our goal is to save T'Soni," Alex explains, his heart still beating fast.
This is actual war… real combat, not like a little brawl against thugs or wanna-be assassins within the Citadel. It's even more dangerous than Eden Prime.
Shepard continues to drive further toward the location from which the Geth are approaching.
Alex can't help but shake a little. The feeling he experiences right now deeply troubles him.
Sitting next to my comrades in the back of the Mako, while the whole thing is under fire, and Shepard's barely evading incoming attacks... this is a new kind of hell.
This is a total loss of control… I can't get out… I can't help… if we get hit, we're all done for… I need to trust in Shepard!
Shepard destroys Geth after Geth and drives deeper into a more mountainous and volcanic area, with active channels of lava all around them.
Alex suddenly jolts forward, his security belt yanking him back just in time to stop him from flying into the wall.
"Mako has taken a huge hit, using Omnigel to restore hull integrity," Garrus calmly announces.
Finally, after 10 more minutes of Shepard annihilating not just Geth but also turrets, rocks, and temporary barriers in their way, Alex sighs in relief as she finally announces:
"The source we're picking up is getting stronger! We must be getting close. Communications are fully down—our signal is jammed. We can't go any further in the Mako; it can't squeeze through the rocks here. I can see a hill and a mining complex in the distance. These must be the ruins!"
"Get ready to leave," she finally says, and the group exits the Mako.
Thanks to Alex's new suit, despite being close to lava, he feels perfectly comfortable inside it. His suit makes him feel almost refreshingly cool.
"Kerber, Wrex. You stay defensive this time. I see open terrain ahead—just behind those rocks. I can't have you charging like maniacs, you'll just die like idiots. Garrus, Williams, this fight will mostly fall on us. Tali, Kaidan, you're on support duty—get their defenses down so we can clean up quickly. This might've been easy until now, thanks to the Mako, but we've lost that edge now. These Geth are tougher than expected."
The group makes their way through the rocks blocking the pathway—and immediately come under fire in the open area behind them.
"Snipers!" Alex screams.
"Garrus, you focus on the snipers!" Shepard orders.
To avoid the sniper fire, everyone dives behind nearby rocks. Wrex, however, is too slow, and a Geth sniper lands a solid hit. His shield collapses in an instant, the sound of impact echoing loudly through the canyon.
Fucking deathtrap… No choice, just to press forward.
Not only are Geth Snipers raining hell down on them, but Geth Rocket Troopers are also launching explosives, capable of even destroying the rocks they're hiding behind.
Garrus is doing his best to quickly eliminate the snipers. Alex also fires his [Brawler-Pistol] whenever he finds a chance. His aim isn't perfect, but thanks to the weapon's accuracy and a little luck, he manages to land some hits.
You have dealt 41 damage to Geth Rocket Trooper
As more Geth move in, Alex casts Thunder from a distance.
The spell doesn't cost much MP, but it allows him to deal steady, reliable damage. Against Geth, who are vulnerable to lightning, it's even more effective.
You have dealt 42 x 2 = 84 damage to Geth Shock Trooper
The group carefully pushes forward through the rocky terrain, picking off Geth one by one while avoiding sustained damage.
Finally, Shepard snaps through the comms, "We're wasting time, and the Geth are probably fully aware of that; their whole goal might be to just delay us. We need to speed up!"
She isn't directly ordering it, but… it's clear what I need to do.
"... Are you up for it, Wrex?" Alex asks.
"Let's do it, human," the Krogan responds, clearly fired up.
Alex and Wrex rush forward, abandoning their cover.
They arrive at a narrow downward slope, flanked by metal structures with Geth Snipers stationed ahead.
Alex, not taking any risks, activates Sealion's Icewing Embrace preemptively as they push ahead—instantly drawing heavy fire.
I hope Garrus can use the opening we are creating here…
You have received 85 damage (blocked by shields)
You have received 75 damage (blocked by shields)
You have received 45 damage (blocked by shields)
You have received 55 damage (blocked by shields)
You have received 60 damage (blocked by shields)
You have received 30 damage (blocked by shields)
Shields down
Seeing his shields break down, Alex quickly ducks behind another rock, taking two more hits—but the damage is laughable.
You have received 17 damage
Icewing Durability -2
You have received 14 damage
Icewing Durability -1
Alex waits about ten seconds, a smug grin forming on his face as his shields surge back up to 350 in an instant.
This armor is making me invincible, as long as I can find some time to regain my shields!
Then he charges forward, spotting a nearby Geth Rocket Trooper. Activating Thunder Sword, Alex uses Nen to leap as high as possible, dodging an incoming missile by jumping above it, even avoiding the explosion due to his great height.
As he comes crashing down, sword still charged, he brings it down in a brutal cleave—splitting the Geth clean in half.
You have dealt 185 + 111 = 296 x 3 = 888 damage to Geth Rocket Trooper
You have destroyed Geth Rocket Trooper
Quickly grabbing another sparkling [Geth Part], Alex pushes ahead.
Behind him, he sees Tech abilities lighting up and bullets flying, with the rest of the group dispatching the remaining Geth, most of whom had been focusing their attention on him and Wrex.
Thanks to excellent teamwork, they push forward until they finally reach the Prothean ruins. Despite the heavy fire, Alex's Sealion's Icewing Embrace keeps him safe, and his HP hasn't dropped a single point ever since he recovered it, thanks to his mod, which rapidly replenishes his HP.
Despite being called ruins, the facility ahead is built from modern steel, looking like a classic industrial mining camp with shafts and metallic infrastructure.
A wide tunnel lies before them, leading directly into the ruin.
"Careful, I know there are Geth around!" Shepard warns.
Activating En, Alex spots several strange, weird-looking Geth crawling across the nearby steel structures. Their movements strangely remind Alex of the spiders he encountered in the Wizarding World.
Grinning, he raises his [Brawler-Pistol] and casts Thundara at one of them, which is still unaware that Alex has spotted it, electrocuting the Geth and causing it to drop to the ground, stunned, unable to move.
You have dealt 87 x 2 = 174 damage to Geth Stalker
You have stunned Geth Stalker
Alex fires numerous shots at the stunned target, landing two solid hits before it explodes in a heap of sparks and metal.
You have dealt 51 damage to Geth Stalker
You have dealt 47 damage to Geth Stalker
You have destroyed Geth Stalker
Another [Geth Part] drops. Alex quickly snatches it up.
These parts are worth a bunch of FC or Credits. I should grab as many as I can—though I'd prefer chests...
"What are those creepy things?!" Ashley asks, clearly unnerved.
"These are modified Geth! They're pure combat units. We Quarians never built anything like them!" Tali explains.
Before anyone can comment further, the familiar screech of the Geth Dropship echoes from above—dropping a Geth Armature in front of the group at the edge of the mine, along with several more foot soldiers.
More Geth Stalkers crawl out from the shadows, leaping onto the rooftops and metal platforms, hiding themselves expertly.
"Shit! This one's gonna be tough without the Mako!" Shepard yells. "Kerber, can you deal with those nasty little freaks so we can focus on the big one?"
"Yes, Commander!" Alex replies immediately.
"Alenko! Back him up!"
A large-scale firefight erupts. The dropped Geth begin advancing rapidly while Shepard, Garrus, and Williams work together to suppress them.
The massive Geth Armature is too large to get through the tight industrial layout ahead of them, so it remains behind, raining down suppressive fire with its Siege Pulse Cannon. Each shot slams into the barricades around them, causing a massive pulse explosion.
Alex focuses and uses En to scan for more Stalkers hiding in the shadows.
As one sneaks closer, Alex hits it with another Thundara, shocking it mid-jump and sending it crashing down.
Kaidan follows up with Overload and a couple of Biotic powers to eliminate it. Together, they pick off the Stalkers one by one until none remain.
By the time the last one dies, Alex is breathing a little heavier—his MP nearly drained by his liberal use of the high-cost Thundara spell. He finally decides to let his natural regeneration kick in and save his last remaining MP.
Alex Kerber: Lvl 6
HP: 373/373, MP: 43/373 AURA: 143/263 SHIELDS: 350/350
With no more Geth around, Alex and Kaidan join the others in targeting the massive Armature.
Alex stays at range and opens fire with his pistol. Given the Geth Armature's sheer size, his bullets land easily.
You have dealt 21 damage to Geth Armature
You have dealt 16 damage to Geth Armature
You have dealt 23 damage to Geth Armature
Eventually, under the full force of the squad's combined firepower, the Geth Armature explodes in a massive blast of light and debris.
Alex immediately scans for a chest—but finds nothing.
What's wrong with my LUK?!
At least he finds another [Geth Part], bringing his total to four.
"Good job, team… no time to lose! Get inside the tunnel. We need to hurry or T'Soni might fall into Saren's hands. We can't allow that!" Shepard commands, already charging into the wide, round mineshaft leading underground.
Alex gulps, then runs after her without hesitation, followed closely by the rest of the squad.
This actually looks scary… Never liked mines or tight spaces… At least we're nearly done!
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