“I see the lava,” Jai said as they continued crossing the bridge. “I also see the Sharquoi waiting for us.”
	Fifty gray forms waited for them at the end of the bridge, where an island of earth held a Forerunner structure comprised of a large wall, towers, and an opened gateway. And far more Sharquoi than that now thundered down the shaft’s spiraling	ramps, corkscrewing along the walls rising above them all. The creatures poured in from the surface in a landslide of Hekabe’s will that would bury them soon enough, Jai thought.
	...
	Two of the Spartans joined the attack, their armored boots stomping the stone floor as they landed nearby. Rocket-propelled grenades from two militia soldiers exploded around him, and the death cries of Sharquoi filled his ears. Maybe Hekabe was taken off guard by the direct attack, maybe the Jiralhanae was being defensive, doing his best to keep a wall between him and the Spartans who had already nearly dealt him a mortal blow. Either way, the creatures seemed to scramble to deal with the swarm of enemies around them.
	A Spartan engaged one of the Sharquoi off to Rojka’s side. The demon dodged the creature’s blow near the ledge, throwing it off-kilter. It swung around and threw the Sharquoi over the side and into the lava below, no ammunition wasted as they ran toward the dais.
	Far behind them, at the other end of the bridge, the remaining human soldiers struggled to slow the Sharquoi rushing down from the rear. They had brought the heaviest of their infantry weapons to deal with these monsters. But the humans fell one by one, inexorably. All they really could do was buy the Spartans time.
	...
	His gambit had worked. Hekabe had pulled the Sharquoi to himself in a protective reflex. That had given the Spartans and human militia time to get down here. The Sharquoi’s concentrated numbers actually played to the Spartans’ advantage, making the smaller and nimbler targets difficult to kill.
	...
	With her and the envoy at the rear, the Spartans pushed on, battling Sharquoi that broke forward from the huddle around Hekabe.
	...
	A large, clawed Sharquoi hand forced him down to his knees and pinned him to the ground. Rojka saw the Demon Three surrounded by Sharquoi as well. A single creature held on to each Spartans, forcing them into a defenseless position. He wondered how many Sharquoi had died to capture them.

Halo: Envoy Ch 24/25