Mass Effect - A Hero Rises Ch. 31

"What do I do?"

"If you wish to join Clan Urdnot, you must contemplate the keystone and its trials."

"What will happen?"

"No-one knows, tank-born. All trials are different. You must adapt and survive. But, more importantly, you must thrive, no matter the situation. It is what the krogan have done for millennia. It is what we will continue to do. Prepare yourselves for what is to come."

The shaman, Wrex, and his bodyguards departed down the tunnel they had entered, pressing a button to close a solid steel door, locking them inside. Shepard took the rifle from his back, gesturing to his team to spread out, his eyes already surveying the area. "What do you reckon?" he asked.

"I don't know, Shepard. There is nothing Okeer gave me that said anything about this."

"Well, should be fun then." Grunt chuckled, thinking Shepard sounded genuinely excited by whatever was going to happen next.

Contemplating the keystone, he took the shotgun from his back, checked it over, and looked over the team. All were armed and ready to face whatever challenges Tuchanka would now throw at it. He pressed the button, turned, and waited.

There was a klaxon and suddenly packs of varren appeared, and they were hungry for blood. Gunfire and biotics were fired at the varren immediately, and great swathes of them died before they even came close. Grunt released a roar and charged forward, blasting at anything that looked like them, going so far as to even stomp on them if they got close enough. Mordin was using a special attacked that ended up with varren being roasted alive. The smell made him hungry.

"Press the button again!" Shepard called, "No point stopping and waiting."

He retreated, pressing the button, another klaxon, and now klixen appeared. They could prove more dangerous in packs, but with the firepower surrounding him, they didn't come close either. His powerful shotgun blasted the enemy apart, or left such gaping wounds, they would die quickly from blood loss. Shepard was using his rifle instead of his shotgun, not relying on his biotic talents. Jack and Samara were using biotics, both sending wide shockwaves, sending varren and klixen into the air, leaving them as easy targets for the others.

Grunt had to admit disappointment. This is the best they can throw at us? This is a Rite of Passage? Pathetic! He vocalised those thoughts to which Garrus retorted, "Careful what you wish for, Grunt."

He returned to press the button a third time. Another klaxon, followed by a message which mentioned one thing only. Survival. The survival of Tuchanka. The survival of his species. But the survival of he and his krantt at that moment. There was then silence as they waited. He could feel the tension in those around them. When the ground started to shake, he admitted to excitement. He knew what it would be. Yes! This is a true test!

"Thresher maw!" Shepard shouted, "Get behind cover! Move! Move! Move!"

There wasn't much as the giant worm appeared right in front of him, towering over by at least twenty metres if not more. He simply roared and charged forward, firing his shotgun into the belly of the great beast. The thresher maw spat in return, flying harmlessly over his head as he heard Shepard shout, "Fire in the hole!" as a missile then flew past him and into the side of it. The beast disappeared from view.

Another shaking of ground and it appeared again. Now everyone roared and charged, most taking cover and opening fire. Grunt cared little about cover. His body would recover, his only need being to fire his shotgun again and again until the worm was dead. The beast spat acid more than once, coming close to his colleagues. It also spat at him, surprising even himself with his agility as he rolled out of the way, firing immediately from a knee.

The beast disappeared again, the ground shaking and he followed it, anticipating where it would rise. Shepard had been doing the same thing. As soon as it appeared, Shepard fired another missile, and it slammed into the middle of the thresher maw. It was now bleeding heavily, and it swayed but did not die. He fired again and again, aiming for its face, but due to its size, the shots were ineffective.

"Aim for its head, Shepard!" Grunt roared.

"Next time it disappears, I'll set myself to go."

"Okay."

The beast disappeared, feeling the ground shake. Shepard stayed still, finger resting off the trigger, waiting for the thresher maw. It stayed underground far long, no doubt hoping to spring a surprise of its own. The others had spread out, some behind cover, some showing bravery by remaining out in the open. He didn't believe anyone had been injured, but he wasn't worried about that. The only thing that mattered was victory.

Then all went still for a moment before it appeared behind them. The creature spat as Grunt leapt over Shepard, taking the full brunt of acid against his armour and limbs. It hurt like hell but as he hit the ground, Shepard fired the missile, Grunt managing to look up as the missile flew straight into the face of the giant worm. As it exploded, pieces of its head flew in every direction as the beast swayed and collapsed to the ground. Despite the agony he was in, Grunt rose to his feet and roared in triumph, holding his shotgun aloft.

"Holy shit, Grunt, are you okay?" Miranda asked as everyone gathered around he and Shepard.

"The lady doctor will fix me up okay. I'm krogan. We're made for this."

"Might even make yourself attractive to someone," Garrus joked.

Shepard simply clapped him on the back, suggesting they should leave. It sounded like a good idea. He had completed his rite. He was now a true krogan, and belonged to a clan. Perhaps the strongest on Tuchanka. With his help, he would ensure the success of Urdnot Wrex and his vision for its people. As they were about to depart via the same tunnel they had entered, a shuttle appeared overhead. It was not one of theirs. He glanced at Shepard and the human smiled. He seemed to figure out who it was rather quickly.

He felt his colleagues form a line alongside he and Shepard, the latter folding his arms and watching in amusement. They were not many in number. They were not formidable. And they did not scare him. Uvenk eventually came to a halt, actually meeting his eye. No respect but he had no choice. "You live, tank-born. And you also killed the thresher maw. No-one has managed that in generations. The last one was Urdnot Wrex."

"My krannt gives me strength beyond my genes. Which are damned good," Grunt stated.

Uvenk stepped forward. "This will cause discussion. I wonder... you say you are pure? No alien meddling in your construction? Just the warlord Okeer?"

"Hang on a second, now you're willing to talk because he's done something you couldn't do yourself?" Shepard asked. Grunt rumbled with laughter, the sarcasm in his tone amusing.

"What Grunt has achieved deserves consideration." Uvenk looked at him again. "You are powerful. You are a mistake, but your potential could tip the current balance of the clans."

Grunt snorted in disgust. "You spit on my father's name! On Shepard's name! But now you stop ranting because I'm strong?"

"With restrictions. You could not breed, of course. Or serve on an alien ship. But you'd be clan in name."

Grunt looked at Shepard. "Can you believe this guy? Makes me sound like some sort of trophy?" He looked back at Uvenk, making sure he looked as menacing as possible. "You have a problem, Uvenk. I am pure krogan. You are merely a pretender."

Shepard disappeared in a biotic cloud, no doubt slamming into a krogan nearby. Grunt lifted his shotgun and fired at Uvenk, his shields taking most of the blast as he attempted to return fire. Grunt roared again and charged forward, slamming his head into Uvenk, the other krogan staggering back from the attack, as Grunt swung his shotgun, slamming it into his head, before looping it in the air, catching and firing at once. This time the shields failed, seeing his armour take the brunt of the attack.

"You are weak, Uvenk. You're clan is weak. I am strong. My krantt and clan are strong. One day, we will rule Tuchanka, and you will be nothing but a sorry footnote," he growled as he fired again. This tore away chunks of Uvenk's armour, the krogan staggering back. He fired again, this time at the weapon itself, the blast causing it to practically disintegrate, and both his hands disappeared as well, Uvenk howling in pain as Grunt pushed him back with his shotgun against a pillar.

Lifting his shotgun, he placed it under the chin of the other krogan. "You are the past, Uvenk. I am the future. Say hello to the rest I send your way."

He pulled the trigger, watching the head of his fellow krogan disappear in blood and bone, laughing as the body collapsed to the ground. Glancing around, the battle had been short and sharp, no surprise that Wrex was already walking through with the shaman and his men. He walked towards the shaman, taking a knee, like he knew he should.

"You have passed the Rite of Passage, earning the honour of clan and name. Many survive, but it has been many years since a thresher maw was felled. Your names shall now live in glory forever."

"I only wish to serve Clan Urdnot," he stated.

"And serve you shall. Grunt, you are now one of Urdnot. You may now own property. You may now serve with our army. And you may now apply to serve under a battlemaster."

"Shepard is my battlemaster, shaman. I have yet to meet a man worthier of the title."

"So it is done."

"Does that mean we can take him to Omega and get him laid?" Zaeed asked.

Standing tall, Wrex grabbed him by the shoulder, met his eyes, and with a single nod of the head, he was accepted. "When you are finished with Shepard, you will return here and prove your worth."

"Thank you, Urdnot Wrex."

"But first, you have a job to complete. Come, we will return to Urdnot and you may return to your ship. Though I would like for you to stay, friends, I know your time here can only be limited. And, I will admit, your presence gives cause to our enemies."

"I understand," Shepard said, "But it's been bloody good fun while we've been here."

"Only you would find battle against a thresher maw fun, Shepard," Tali joked.

"I've got so much adrenaline pumping right now, I can't wait to get back to the ship."

Everyone knew why. Grunt was the last to board the shuttle, saluting his new clan leader, who wished him good luck and fortune in the weeks and months ahead. Shutting the door, he sat back and closed his eyes, now feeling at peace. He was now a krogan.

*****

I glanced around the shuttle as we made our way back to the Normandy. Grunt finally appeared to be relaxing at least, though I was almost tempted to do what Zaeed wanted and head to Omega. Maybe later. See what happens first. Otherwise, the mood was vibrant, everyone chatting away, talking about the battle, or what they saw on Tuchanka, or what was going to happen next.

Back on the ship, I waited until everyone was else of the shuttle, telling Grunt to make sure he celebrated that evening. When he asked if we had ryncol, I told him I wasn't sure but I'd definitely get some in for him next time we stopped. As everyone else disappeared towards the elevator, Miranda made it obvious she was waiting for me. Once we were alone, she turned and walked towards me. I stopped her before she got too close. "Not now."

"When?"

"I need to talk to Kelly first. And you know why, Miranda."

"Soon?"

"We'll see what happens."

That pleased her, and she gestured I should follow, stepping onto the elevator together. "I'm not expecting romance, Shepard. I like you, and I think you like me. And that's all we need, don't we?"

"Sure."

"Okay... I'll understand if it's not, but I'll be disappointed."

"Let's just see what happens."

She got out at the mess level as I travelled one further. Stepping out, I walked towards Kelly, gently turned her around by the shoulder. She smiled as I leaned forward to kiss her for a moment, before picking her up and carrying her over my shoulder. Travelling up a level, I carried her into my cabin, gently placing her on the floor before my bed before I kissed her hard, practically ripping her shirt off in the process. Her hands were immediately over my arms and back, breaking the kiss to whisper, "My god, Shepard."

I practically growled, as I gently picked her up and threw her onto the bed, grabbing her trousers and ripping those off as well, earning a shriek of laughter as I helped take off her shoes and socks. She took off her bra as I grabbed her panties with my teeth and dragged those off as well. I then looked down at her, breathing heavily as I undressed myself so I was naked too, before I joined her on the bed.

"My god, I love this side of you, Shepard," she breathed, our lips crashing together as I slid my cock into her without delay. And then I simply fucked her. She spread her legs and held them back with her hands under her knees as I utterly pounded her. I was dripping sweat within minutes as I looked down into her eyes. She was as turned on as I was.

"Fuck I love you," I growled. At that moment, I was thinking all manner of thoughts. Like flipping her over and taking her other hole. Or cumming in her so much she was bound to get pregnant, though I knew she took birth control.

I lasted far longer than normal, completely and utterly turned on by her. It's why I'd told Miranda no, because I didn't want her from the moment the thresher maw died. I wanted straight back to the ship to do what I was doing now with Kelly.

"Fuck me hard," she cried quietly, "Harder, Shepard."

Gods, I loved this woman, now giving her what I thought was everything possible. I grabbed her knees and pushed them back even further. She cried out, stating I was even deeper than ever. I wondered if I was hurting her, slowing down, but she smiled, saying it was okay. So I carried on as before. I wasn't going to last forever though. "Fuck," I growled.

"Keep going," she cried.

"I'm close."

I kept pumping until the body could hold back no more. She was far too beautiful. Her pussy far too tight, wet and welcoming. I adored her. I leaned down, letting go of her legs to kiss her, feeling her keep her legs wide as I slammed into her a few more times before grunting into her mouth as I finally came. I kept going until my body said no more, gently burying myself as I slowly relaxed, feeling her wrap her legs around her, hands gently caressing my back as I rested my head next to hers on the bed, breathing deeply, suddenly feeling rather tired. I felt her squeeze me in a hug, which did wake me up a little, before I finally lifted my head, receiving one hell of a kiss.

"I didn't hurt you?" I asked.

The smile was so sweet, it made my heart flutter. "A little bit, but trust me, I was as turned on as you, Shepard. I wanted it nice and hard." She put a hand to my throat. "Your heartbeat is rapid, Shepard."

"Battle on Tuchanka. Adrenaline was pumping. I just needed to get back here and do that."

"I was your first thought?"

"Yeah."

"Well, now I just feel all kinds of special."

I had to relax on my back, Kelly immediately rolling onto her side so I could cuddle her as she snuggled into me. "Sorry about your clothes. I was a little excited."

"That was the turn on, Shepard. Your absolute desire in your eyes at that moment. Sheer focus. Everything about you screamed 'I want Kelly. I want to fuck her. I want to make her mine. I want to own her.' I liked that a lot." She paused before adding, "Oh, and I fucking love you too."

I couldn't help the chuckle. "I meant it though."

"Oh, I know you did. Again, it was all in your eyes."

I was absolutely spent, and definitely needed a shower, so that's where we headed. Checking the time, we headed downstairs for a late dinner. No-one else was around, so we took our trays upstairs to the cabin, where we could sit and eat in privacy and enjoy one or two drinks together. Once we finished eating, we simply headed back to bed, where this time Kelly took control, happily riding me to a series of orgasms before we settled down together, Kelly now finding spooning against me enjoyable, particularly the fact when I cuddled her tight to my body.

"What next?" she whispered after a yawn.

"I don't know. I guess we'll find out soon enough though."