In his grief, Clay got a tattoo dedicate to his lost brothers Anthony and Ben on his right shoulder.
There, he learned of Ben's death and received his tags and letter from Sgt. He then managed to evacuate before the COG could sink Jacinto City and flood the Hollow, destroying all Locust civilization underground.Ĭlay and the remnant of Jacinto relocated to Port Farrall. Samantha Byrne and thousands of other Gears destroyed the Locust and their home. After the COG received intelligence that the Locust Horde stronghold, Nexus, was located beneath Mount Kadar, Clayton fought in the assault of the Kadar Valley and drilled into the Inner Hollow, where he alongside fellow Gear Pvt. On 2nd Frost, 14 A.E., Clayton took part in the second wave of Operation: Hollow Storm. Fenix was with him when he died and took Ben's COG Tags as well as a letter Ben had written for Clay. While Ben fought courageously, he died after being devoured by the Riftworm following the sinking of Ilima City. Clay, as a part of 7th Mangler Squad, managed to fight and survive the two days during Operation: Hollow Storm.
Both Clay and his younger brother Ben were part of Operation: Hollow Storm but in different squads. He quickly earned a reputation among Gears of being a "Grub Killer" - brutally killing any and all Locust with an undying hatred.Īnthony's death was the first among the Carmine brothers, and caused Clay and Ben to suffer in grief but they took solace in knowing he died a "hero's death."įearing Jacinto would be the next to fall, the Coalition launched Operation: Hollow Storm - to deploy Gears into the Inner Hollow and take the war to the home of the Locust Horde. Clay thought of himself as a Gear all his life, and on the day he was eligible, signed up and joined the army. He later fought in the Battle of Old Ephyra and helped to deploy targeting beacons for the newly activated Hammer of Dawn satellites and later helped to kill the Swarm controlled creature known as the Kraken.Ĭlayton Carmine was born several years before Emergence Day and was the first born of his four brothers followed by an unnamed brother, Anthony and Benjamin Locust War Fighting the LocustĬlay, being the oldest of his brothers, was the first to join the Coalition of Ordered Governments army. Clayton soon returned to action during Swarm Invasion and assisted in the Evacuation of Settlement 2 along with the rest of Delta Squad and his niece by leading a unit of DeeBees to defend evacuees, although his niece Corporal Elizabeth Carmine was accidently killed by a Hammer Strike. Rising to the rank of Chief Sergeant, Clay went on to become a training instructor for officer cadets and trained James Dominic Fenix (the son of his old comrade Marcus Fenix) and his friend Delmont Walker. While most of his comrades in Delta-One had chosen to retire from the military sometime after the war, Clay chose to remain in the army under the reconstituted COG. Clay continued fighting in the last days of both conflicts alongside Delta-One and lived to see their victory. He bears a deep grudge with every Locust, Lambent or not. Like Dominic Santiago, the war with the Locust was extremely personal for Clay because of the losses his family have suffered. Holding the rank of Private throughout the Locust War and the Lambent Pandemic, Clay is the oldest brother in the Carmine family, he is an experienced and veteran Gear unfortunately, he is also one of only two surviving brothers of the Carmine Family.
" Hold on guys, I got your back! The cavalry has arrived!" -Clay riding in on a Raven to support Delta Squad in fighting Queen Myrrah.Ĭhief Sergeant Clayton "Clay" Carmine, also called Grub Killer by his fellow Gears, and Sarge by his trainees is one of the four Carmine brothers and a Gear in the Coalition of Ordered Governments army.