Dynamic Equilibrium
a Bones/Felarya crossover
Chapter 36: A Bound Through the Blizzard
12-28-2014
by Greyman
Disclaimer: Bones and all related characters are the property of 20th Century Fox. Felarya is the creation and property of Karbo, and all associated characters are the property of their respective creators.
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Temperance ducked behind cover, her back pressing against a shard of twisted metal that Lucilya enlarged, set at the end of a hallway. Weapons fire and mid-level offensive spells smashed into the other side, and the vibrations jarred Temperance, even through the now-thick steel. Ignoring it the best she could, Temperance slammed in a new clip, then looked to her left. Xanthe was also reloading, but she only had a pistol, and even that was awkward for her. Her armored fingers, made reloading a chore.
Xanthe turned to look into her eyes, and nodded stiffly. Temperance could only nod in return, certain her own anxiety and weariness were showing in her face. So Xanthe sprang up first, sending out a wave of LITERAL cover fire. By now, though, the base's defenders were wise to Seliky's little present for Xanthe, and kept their distance. Far enough to avoid getting reduced to cinders, but close enough to feel the heat and back off. As the Deluran troops fell back, momentarily caught off-balance, Xanthe fired her pistol one-handed as she lashed out with another blaze. Her strength and Crimson Maiden armor made handling the recoil easy. And in the days leading up to this raid, Xanthe's marksmanship had improved greatly. When Temperance reemerged to lay down more fire, she saw Xanthe pick off more than one.
Their pursuers, for the moment, were pushed back again. They fell back into the rather wide-open area on the level, where many hallways intersected. Many of them ducked behind shrapnel pieces enlarged by Coalition fairies, taking a hint from the opposition. And though Temperance did not believe in miracles, she had to acknowledge how, so far, the fact they had kept any Coalition fairies from shrinking their improvised cover defied several tenets of statistics. They somehow managed to fire just in time to force back fairies about to try.
And it wasn't like they could count on their own fairies to try shrinking down their enemies' cover. Temperance ducked back behind cover to reload, glimpsing who they were covering. Lucilya and Yemic were fluttering beside Seliky at their smallest size. Thanks to Anna, Seliky knew just enough about Deluran programming and operating systems to break into the base's computers. And for the third time, it was proving their only way to bypass yet another blast door. So Seliky knelt beside a terminal that she had linked her arm-mounted computer to. She typed furiously as Yemic and Lucilya watched her back.
"Seliky, how much longer until that blast door is open!?" Temperance shouted over the din of spells and gunfire.
Seliky said nothing, only sparing a moment to glance up at Yemic and Lucilya. A slight shake of Seliky's head spoke volumes. Even at his small size, Temperance saw Yemic's face fall. "Those firewalls or whatever are getting tougher for Seliky to smash through. Just give her more time, Brennan. As much as you can." Temperance sighed, but nodded. After hearing Xanthe spray the area with flames, Temperance sprang up from behind cover and laid down more fire.
Thankfully, she and Xanthe weren't the only ones covering for Seliky. Out the corner of her eye, to her left, Temperance glimpsed Calina and Léa peeking out from behind their own cover to fire back. However, they didn't utilize enlarged metal fragments. Instead, Lily had opted to form a barrier from those thick, fireproof, thorny roots. Not only was it proving surprisingly resilient against spells and the Delurans' weapons, but Lily willed the roots to lash out at anyone daring to get closer. The Coalition fairies, in particular, kept getting swatted away whenever they spotted an opening.
"Let's keep up the pressure, people!" Lily shouted imperiously as another fairy got swatted away, blood trickling from gashes made by thorns. "We can't count on our friends outside covering our sorry butts anymore!"
It was true. Temperance had gotten the alert from Anna some time ago, shortly before getting pinned down here. Defying all their projections, Paquxa had stayed behind. With Anna and Vivian now fighting for their lives, their diversion ploy had pretty much fallen apart. It's a good thing Anna and Vivian's attack isn't the ONLY diversion at play here, Temperance reminded herself.
A loud hiss and the plangent whine of scraping metal made Temperance duck down and look behind her. At last, the blast door was rising. Seliky spared only one moment, her fist closing in triumph as she beamed, before reaching for some grenades to roll under it. Xanthe also turned around and dove forward, spraying whoever was waiting beyond that blast door with her flamethrower. The sound of thrashing roots told Temperance that Lily was giving Léa and Calina some cover to retreat toward the blast door. A moment later, while the blast door was still only a quarter of the way up, Lily dove under it at her minimum size. Any of the opposition who were protected by spells or special armor, anticipating Seliky and Xanthe's moves… The blood-curdling screams on the other side told Temperance that 'The Slayer' was taking care of it.
Not wanting to dwell on it, Temperance sprang up again to lay down more cover fire, letting Léa and Calina hop over the enlarged shrapnel . "OK, we're on the move again, but we're still two levels above where we need to be."
"And without Anna and Vivian to keep these dopes occupied, progress will be even slower," Calina lamented. "Here's hoping Lesona and Natalie pick up the slack."
"Don't worry about that," said Seliky with a grin. "I keep reintroducing a subroutine into their long-range communications relays every chance I get. If I keep at it, it'll prevent the Coalition from swapping Imkza and Lesona back until they're done raising hell for us."
Temperance frowned a little. Upsetting Exona's plans by keeping those two swapped and Lesona disrupting the base for them… Perhaps even a schemer like Lesona didn't deserve to be used in such a manner.
Calina, however, struck a more sour tone. "Here's hoping the Magiocrats' esteemed leader keeps that fairy's head on her shoulders, then," she spat before running under the blast door with Léa. Despite there still being hope, the neko still did not sound pleased. Considering how Calina always made a habit of AVOIDING Felarya's dangers, and what the final phase of this raid would involve, it was small wonder the neko was hardly as enthusiastic as Lily. But Calina knew what was at stake. They all did, and pressed on, heedless of the hellish dangers ahead.
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Not for the first time that morning was Antonin grateful he had the foresight to add magnetized boots to his getup. Granted, the marrow-slicing wind and cold that swept across Negav's Higher Tier – and soon enough, the entire city – made his magnetized soles a tad too sticky. Still, it allowed Antonin to swiftly run across the metallic base of the Isolon Eye. But even without the infuser enhancing all his abilities exponentially, getting to the other side of the Isolon Eye would've been a breeze, sticky soles be damned. Even as a child, Antonin had always pushed himself physically, refusing to rely on his family's wealth and prestige even then. Well before having to face reality, the farce that was the empire he once sought to serve, Antonin knew that resting on laurels was sheer folly. The path to conquest was not some birthright, it was something that had to be forged with blood and sweat.
And I've worked too hard to forge that path for the Coalition to let it fall apart now! Antonin thought vehemently, reaching the other side. All these years of planning, all the research for the tech we're using…Negav is OURS. And none will take it from us, not even the most conniving tactical genius Hell can throw at us!
Relina was engaging Exona again, fluttering over someplace halfway between the Square of Hope and the frozen-over Blue Zone. But Antonin couldn't focus on that, not with a few dozen tons of fire succubus flying right for the Isolon Eye. Antonin doubted Menyssan could even see him through all the driving snow. Her mistake, then, for being so reckless with her own chess piece. Antonin had to concentrate for only a second or so, and then he sent out a blinding burst of concentrated light energy, strong enough to slice an abyssal tonorion apart.
Through the icy winds and his own blinding light, Antonin saw sudden shock flash across Menyssan's face, but she collected herself in time and swerved to the side. She had changed her trajectory, but she was still drawing near. Worse, despite being in the thick of Exona's concentrated blizzard, Menyssan had the strength to summon up a wave of demonic flame.
Thankfully, a photonic force shield Antonin effortlessly erected beat back the hellish blaze. Not quite ready to give up, Menyssan veered toward the Square of Hope again. Smaller blasts of hyper-intensive light dissuaded Menyssan from getting too eager. And worse for her, being this deep in the blizzard was taking its toll. Despite her fiery power, rime and sideways-pointing icicles were forming on Menyssan's horns. After a near miss with a light blast from Antonin, Menyssan was finally forced to retreat.
"Yes, run away again, Menyssan," Antonin thought aloud triumphantly. "It's not like this sorry attempt at diversionary tactics would have worked anyway." A loud screech from the other side of the Isolon Eye made Antonin smile cruelly, confirming he was right. While no expert with Lesona's powers, Imkza had an adequate handling of the Magiocrat's curse-slinging. Enough to keep Helia away while he was occupied with Menyssan. Antonin ran back to Imkza, who was tightly gripping one of the fang-like metal projections.
Imkza watched Helia retreat with a gaze of steel. Noticing Antonin was there, she turned to face him, painfully having to pull her palm off the fang-like shape as she did so. The magic she was using to protect herself from the blizzard only went so far.
"That's another attempt on the Eye foiled!" Imkza shouted over the blizzard's roar. "But these flying hotheads still won't get the message, no matter how far down past zero Exona cranks the Celsius." Imkza spat in frustration; it froze well before the wind swallowed it up.
Antonin shared her frustration, but he had learned long ago, back when he first met Exona, that one had to keep a lid on such passions. Or die, especially in Felarya. "What of the rest of Negav? You've had more chances to catch updates on our progress than I."
Imkza shut her eyes and tensely exhaled; her frosty breath obscured her face for a moment. "It looks like Brennan's pushback may be working after all. Control of the Lower Tier's entire southeast quadrant has more or less been wrested from us. Kai, in particular, seems to love springing around there and slicing up fairies. Brennan controls the Middle Tier strip from where Mercenary Lane ends to the Elven District, too. Plenty of other spots in the Middle Tier that can go either way. It turns out the personnel assigned to suppress the Othemites was insufficient, too. Once word got out that we're led by a soon-to-be god that can bring his own light, they went berserk."
Imkza flashed a weak smile, which Antonin half-heartedly returned. It was true that he looked forward to putting the Othemites in their place, almost as much as deposing his emperor. After being forced to confront his own zeal for serving the Deluran Empire, Antonin had little tolerance for seeing that sort of fanaticism in anyone else. But the Othemites, tough as they were, were but a small factor in this equation. "What about the base? Has any further communication been established?"
Imkza slowly shook her head, worry and even more frustration now showing in Lesona's face. "Still nothing. It's as if our whole communication grid has been sabotaged from within. Armed with Anna's insider information, someone like Seliky could do it, but…"
"The poor child would have to be INSIDE the base to do it," Antonin finished for her. Antonin looked out through the icy winds, peering into the chaos raging in the other two tiers. Many in the Coalition has criticized how cautious he had been, making sure there were enough assets in place. Spending extra years planning the siege of the Nexus and University of Magic as Exona's research continued, making sure they had enough fairies and enthralled harpies to throw at Negav… NOTHING could be left to chance. Antonin had also thought he had left enough personnel back at the base in case something happened there. That was the whole reason Paquxa was ordered to stay behind. Sometimes Antonin himself felt he was being too cautious. Now he saw that caution was justified.
"Whatever's going on at the base, we have to trust Paquxa and the others to do their jobs," said Antonin resolutely. "What about undoing the transfer and reclaiming your body?"
Imkza shook her head again, a hint of panic now showing in Lesona's eyes. "No. Whatever's been done to our communications back home is futzing with the computers that keep us swapped. I can't change us back."
"Then we have to assume that our enemy's sabotage is well underway, and Lesona and Natalie are free," said Antonin. He sounded calm, but knowing those two were on the loose finally did what Exona's storm couldn't: chill him to the core. And truthfully, he didn't know which one of them he should worry about more. "In light of that, and how control over the rest of Negav is seesawing, we must use one of our contingency plans."
Imkza frowned. "You mean…hook myself up to an infuser now. And go turn the tide over in the other tiers while you guard the Isolon Eye."
Antonin nodded. "There is no other way. One of our trump cards is needed. And there's no guarantee communications can be reestablished in time so that you become on par with the Guardians in your own body."
The disgust with the thought of losing her fairy form forever showed in her face, plus Imkza's reluctance to become a replacement Guardian in the first place. Antonin felt a surge of pity for Imkza. It seemed that at every turn, Exona's finest recruit was being asked to sacrifice more and more. Words caught in Antonin's throat. What could he say to make this turn of events more palatable?
It was with a mixture of dread and relief when Imkza simply nodded, going back to the stack of gear that Exona had left behind. Imkza brushed away the frost and snow that had gathered on the spare infuser unit, then slid it over her back. Gritting her teeth and screwing her eyes shut, Imkza readied herself for the spinal injection. Even though she knew it was coming, the pain elicited a soft scream for Imkza. But Antonin knew that was nothing compared to the prospect of remaining a human, and serving as a Guardian, indefinitely. Antonin always knew her promise to serve the Coalition cause, no matter what, was genuine. It didn't make asking this of Imkza any less painful.
Finally, words came to Antonin. "Give it some time, Imkza. Just let it flow for a bit. The pain will subside, and…"
"Got it, boss," Imkza got out in a hiss. Antonin could already sense Lesona's aura of cursed power ballooning. Without another word, Imkza turned away and dove off the Isolon Eye's base. No doubt Imkza would teleport away once she was clear of the anti-warping field, dropping in rudely on Brennan's troublesome counter-resistance.
Sighing regretfully, Antonin looked back up, on the lookout for advancing predators. None were making a beeline for the Eye yet, and Relina was still dueling with Exona in midair, over the westernmost part of the University of Magic. The blizzard had to be getting to Relina, but she refused to show it, or give in in the slightest this time. She was as swift as ever, and after batting away a spiky bludgeon with a flame scimitar, succeeded in clipping Exona's thigh, burning the hem of her lab coat. Exona screamed as she reeled, but swiftly came back with a kick to Relina's gut. The force shot Exona back, but Relina was sent flying, right out of the Higher Tier. But while Exona was staggered by the feedback from her own kick, Zycra flew in and tackled her.
Antonin's first instinct was to lash out with light magic, but the risk of singeing Exona was too great. "Besides, just like with Imkza, I've trained my Ordenzli too well," Antonin told himself. Like himself, Exona understood the folly of resting on laurels and leaving things to fate, not when you could have the power to shape destiny. And the Coalition had spent years to make sure they'd have the power to forge a new destiny for Felarya today. Brennan's counter-resistance, no matter how strong, still faced hopeless odds.
They just didn't realize it yet.
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Lesona ducked behind the craggy ice wall that Natalie whipped up for her. But despite being conjured by a Valka Fae chieftain, it was still just…ice. It wouldn't take too long for their pursuers to reduce her 'cover' to powder. It was a wonder the barricade hadn't shattered already. Gritting her teeth in frustration, Lesona armed a grenade and chucked it over the side. The panicked gasps and thuds of boots stamping backwards told Lesona she had managed to throw it behind THEIR cover. Using that opening, Lesona sprang up and squeezed off more rounds, everything left in her rifle's clip.
She succeeded in winging one or two Deluran troops, but they soon returned fire, clipping Lesona's shoulder. She fell back behind cover, slapping a hand over the wound. Blood oozed through her fingers. Thankfully, it was little worse than a flesh wound; it barely penetrated muscle and missed bone entirely. Lesona sighed in relief. As much as she abhorred this fairy body, it had to last until she could transfer back to her own.
And a lot of that depended on Natalie getting her act together. Just like everything else involving Natalie, it was anyone's guess if that would happen. As Lesona leaned behind cover, she let herself be momentarily dazzled by the brilliant light coming from the blast door. Lesona squinted, hoping for a better look, but still couldn't tell how much progress Natalie had made with her Fairy Cannon. As Natalie had demonstrated already, nothing could really stand up to that. It was only a question of how long. And these blast doors Garrardo had retrofitted his base with were proving infuriatingly resilient.
"Damnit Natalie, how much longer for this one!?" Lesona demanded as she reloaded her rifle.
Natalie was squatting in front of the blast door, her finger held up as she fired a steady stream of spirit energy. A fairy flew over Lesona's cover, diving right for Natalie. The chieftain, however, effortlessly swatted her away with a burst of icy wind without even looking. Lesona could hear the Coalition fairy's skull crack against a wall. "Gonna be a bit longer. This sucker's way thicker than the last one. Plus, these lingering magic bugs are sapping more strength than I figured. Cover me a few more minutes."
Lesona grumbled to herself, then poked her head out from behind cover. A few Deluran troops and a couple turncoat mages that Lesona recognized were feeling courageous enough to advance. In fact, one of the mages was conjuring some flame, aiming to melt what precious little cover she had. Knowing she had to act fast, Lesona lashed out with fairy magic.
As much as being in a fairy's body sickened her, Lesona had to admit the magic came in VERY handy. Too busy with his conjured flame to deflect the magic, the mage dwindled away, prompting the other to erect a magical barrier to protect the others. But Lesona could sense it was a flimsy one, and reached for her grenade launcher. Between that and the icy blast Natalie deigned to cover her with, it promptly shattered. Lesona winced and recoiled from the heat and pressure wave, and her cover cracked even more, but the sound of their pursuers being flung back made things bearable.
Looking back to Natalie, Lesona watched her generate fresh cover to her right, once again not even looking where she flung her frosty power. Much like that upstart Exona, Lesona thought grimly.
"That's another layer of alloy I peeled away. Probably only three or four more," Natalie barked over the shrilling Fairy Cannon. "Question, Lessy. Once we reach the computer that keeps your brains swapped, you plan on using it right away? I mean, you're fun to have around. Meeting you as you will get awkward if you're missing half your face or some limbs. You're liable to pop back into your grey matter when Imkza's doing some crowd control. Your Isolon Fist buddies might blast you once they see an opening, not knowing you're you again."
Lesona gritted her teeth. Proof-positive the Blue Disaster is no fool. Much as I hate to admit it, she's absolutely right. Still, Lesona knew how to slyly smooth over the truth, or an admission that someone was right. "My my, is the Blue Disaster suggesting CAUTION? At any rate, perhaps your tendency to leap before looking is rubbing off on me," Lesona shot back tersely.
"That's what I like to hear," said Natalie. She finally turned her head a little, and Lesona could see a small smirk.
Satisfied that Natalie wasn't dwelling on what would happen once they reached those supercomputers, Lesona rolled over to the fresh cover, peeking over the craggy ice. Those pursuers she just blasted away…some of their bodies littered the hall now, but the rest had retreated. More pursuit would come, well before Natalie had punched through that blast door. At least Natalie was once again focused on her task, and not necessarily their goal.
It's not just about swapping back into my body, Lesona told herself as she peered through the lingering haze from that grenade. Unlike you, Natalie, I can focus on more than one objective. Exona and Garrardo, their Coalition…oh, the treasure trove of useful information they've collected in the decades they've been operating. Weapons research, spy networks, scouting reports from all over Felarya. And I want it. All of it. Garrardo's antics forced me to put all of my long-term plans on hold. Who knows…with what secrets I pry from his databanks, perhaps my plans can be restarted with renewed vigor!
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Jora kept her arms raised and close to her head as she stood only a few paces from Jade, just like Brennan taught her. She didn't look directly into Jade's eyes, but rather focused on what was behind her, giving her greater peripheral vision, and thus a better chance of reacting to incoming blows. And Jade had landed plenty already; it was a minor miracle she and Milly were still on their feet. Which is just as well. The nausea I feel every time I have to focus on those orange eyes… Jora's jaw tensed, making Vivian's cloth rub against it, her only real protection against Zom-TB…
Brennan's trick once again saved her life. Jade shot forward without warning, closing the distance in an eyeblink and launching a straight kick. Jora reached down, crossed her forearms, and grabbed Jade's ankle. The maneuver was barely done in time, but it worked. Jade was caught unawares for a brief second. Keeping a firm grip, Jora backed up a little as Jade balanced on one leg, then shoved the other giantess forward. With Jade staggered, Jora moved in. A quick body blow to Jade's gut to keep her off-balance, then a jab to her throat. She had to be careful with the latter, however. Too much force with that jab could kill, Brennan warned her. And there had been enough casualties today.
Encouraged, Jora moved in again, prepared to rake a foot down Jade's shin while she was stunned, then deliver a blow under her armpit, to her ribs. If she hit hard enough…THAT would slow Jade down long enough for an injection. "Jade, I'm sorry," Jora muttered as she landed her stomp, and then…
But a split-second before Jora's fist would've bounced off Jade's ribs, potentially fracturing them, Jade's arm swung down in an arc, deflecting her blow. Now it was Jora who was off-balance, and that split-second opening let Jade launch a spinning roundhouse to Jora's head. Jora was halfway toward hitting the dirt, spinning, her vision a blur, before even realizing what had happened.
Jora struggled to pick herself up, coughing up blood and ignoring the stars. But Jade was already on top of her, hoisting her up. Jade ripped off Jora's mouthguard, who was still too groggy to resist. Jora's eyes widened, blind terror eclipsing all else as she heard Jade inhale deeply beyond that swirl of stars.
"Oh no, not this time!" came Milly's anguished voice. Jora's vision cleared a little just as Milly rushed up behind Jade, driving an elbow up into her spine. Bruises were already showing on Milly's face, despite her dark skin. Being worn down as well, it was small wonder Milly chose to use an opening right then, no matter how small. While Jade was still reeling from that elbow strike, Milly slung her other arm around her neck, just as she brought up a syringe. Before Milly could plunge it in, Jade shoved Jora away and reached back to catch Milly's wrist. Jora looked up helplessly at the two giantesses. Milly was fighting with all her strength, but the needle's tip still hovered a few feet from Jade's neck, and wasn't inching any closer. And Jora, her head as fuzzy as it was, was of no use at the moment, barely able to stand on wobbly legs.
Worse, Jade used her free arm to drive punishing elbow blows of her own into Milly's gut. Milly screamed through her mouthguard, dampening it with blood even more, but still she tried to force the needle closer.
However, circumstances soon forced them apart anyway. The ground beneath them suddenly trembled violently. Oh great, Aurora's fight is getting dangerously close, Jora fumed inwardly as she hit the ground hard again. Meanwhile, the tremor flung Milly off of Jade, and she dropped the syringe. Thankfully, it didn't break. Jora tried to dash for it, but even staying on all fours was a hassle, and the syringe kept bouncing around as the dirt rippled.
Finally, Aurora came shooting out from the ground, from a spot in between Jade and Milly. This bought Milly a few seconds, as Jade had been set to charge. Garnet emerged from the ground a second later, not too far away. Her eyes still had that orange sheen, and massive, spiky stalagmites of rock were poking up from the dirt everywhere, ready to be flung at the three of them.
Aurora had other plans. The force of Garnet's magic had sent her rocketing toward a tall tree. But Aurora extended the spikes on her tail, and latched onto a branch with it. Jora heard Aurora scream as she used all her muscle power to redirect her momentum, a strain which should have been monumental. Thankfully, Aurora succeeded, looping around underneath the branch to fling herself back at Garnet, her face and eyes like steel. Garnet didn't have time to launch any stalagmites, or even look surprised, as Aurora tackled her again.
Finally dragging herself back onto her feet, Jora looked over to Milly and Jade. The breathing room Aurora bought her had been just enough. Hurt and hobbled as she was, Milly was still staying a step ahead, swerving around and blocking Jade's blows. Jora snatched up the syringe, aiming to find an opening. But despite her determination to end this and get her friend back, a roar of fury from Aurora made Jora's head snap back.
Garnet's litany of bruises told Jora that Aurora had gone to town over the last hour. Now that Garnet was softened up, Aurora pinned the other naga up against one of her own stalagmites. One hand had grabbed Garnet's face, holding her against the rock, while with her other arm…
"Aurora…WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" bellowed Jora as the spiky scales on Aurora's forearms sprang out. Her forearm slammed into the side of Garnet's neck in such a way, that one of them had to have lodged deep into it. There's…no gushing blood that I can see, but my vision may still be fuzzy, Jora thought to herself, horrified. Despite knowing that Milly needed some backup and fast, Jora found herself taking lumbering steps toward Aurora and Garnet.
To Jora's amazement, Garnet's eyes widened, as if in…surprise? And the orange sheen, it was beginning to fade! Sensing that Jora was approaching, Aurora turned her head a little and said, "Had Seliky implant injection devices directly into my some of my scales. Less chance of dropping or breaking syringes, I figured," she said flatly.
Jora nodded dully, more focused on Garnet as the effects of Zom-TB's neurological agents were reversed. Indeed, in due time, that unnatural stony face on the earth naga twisted into the carefree, dopey grin Jora knew all too well. Her eyes unfocused and a little glossy, Garnet spluttered, "W-W-Wha… Was that a r-r-real mutabok? Oh that's okay, I'm fine with the arboreal frog hyped up on Bachermia spinosi. I'll just…go to sleep then, wait for the nuclear fart to build up…" And with that, Garnet fell face-first onto the dirt, exhausted and out cold.
Aurora looked down at Garnet, then up to Jora, a bemused look on her face. Jora just shrugged her shoulders. "When it comes to what comes out of Garnet's mouth, I don't ask too many questions. I suggest you don't either. C'mon, if you can lend a hand, maybe Jade…"
A loud smack interrupted Jora. Whirling around, she saw Milly hit the ground hard, barely clinging to consciousness. She rose to her hands and knees, a pained, pleading look on her face as Jade drew nearer. Finally able to shrug off her own torpor, Jora rushed over and scooped Milly up onto her feet with her free arm. "Anytime now, Aurora. Let's end this, get Jade and Garnet clear, before something…"
But something did happen just then, guaranteed to make their job a lot more complicated. There was another untimely arrival. This time it was Alvar, hitting the ground hard and tumbling right between Jade and the three of them. Jade barely seemed to notice, so Aurora didn't even glance in Alvar's direction, locking a steely gaze on the burly giantess. Jora and Milly, however, couldn't help but look to where Alvar had rolled to a stop, near the base of the huge tree Aurora had swung around from. Alvar was already recovering, using Verdant Fury to rise up on one knee. Still, the fact that ALVAR was swatted out of the sky like that…
"What did that to him?" Jora demanded. "Some of the base's weapons?"
"No, he can evade or deflect whatever the Delurans throw at him. It has to be something else," Milly croaked out. "Wait, what's that clinging to him? Bubbles of…something? Black, oily…"
The situation was further complicated when Noxcia landed a hundred or so meters away from them. Her back was turned to Aurora and the giantesses, and was busy firing off poison spikes to intercept incoming missiles. "Jora, Milly…steer clear!" Noxcia shrieked over the din of detonating missiles. "Paquxa was hanging behind, and she's already being powered up! This is going to get really ugly, sandwiched between that shadow naga and the base's weapons…"
Jora's heart sank all over again. Seeing that creepy naga in the flesh in Ur-Sagol, Tanny's kidnapper, was bad enough. But she had also heard about how Paquxa stood up to Vivian at her base power, giving her old teacher a decent one-on-one fight. If that obnoxious, glaive-wielding naga was now approaching Guardian levels…
And then, Paquxa burst onto the scene. She made a beeline right for them, caressed in what looked like living shadows, fluid darkness. It was like something stepped out of the horror stories about Tenebra Maze. She pointed her glaive at the pair of giantesses, and Jora found herself rooted to the spot, frozen by pure terror. But Alvar had already recovered, coming between them and slashing apart the blast of pure darkness. "Jora, Milly…fall back!" he cried out, still standing between them, Verdant Fury at the ready. "Tackling Jade was already too much to ask of you. There's nothing to be gained staying around to fight Paquxa!" Noxcia crawled closer, coming to a stop at Alvar's right, ready to take anything Paquxa threw at them.
"Oh, so these two were the ones who elected to keep Jade busy?" Paquxa asked into a hissy, gurgling voice. It sounded almost…demonic. "But their good friend, why would… And is that, Garnet? But I can't… the general transferred dominion over them to me, yet now I can't sense…" With Paquxa's solid black eyes, it was often hard to guess where she was focusing her gaze. Yet the way Jora's skin was crawling…she KNEW the shadow naga was eyeing her. "That syringe… there must be something in it to counter Zom-TB, I'll wager! Antibodies, most likely. So, you sought to win back Safe Harbor's protector THAT way!? Well, I can't have that…"
Paquxa raised her glaive again. Alvar was ready to take whatever Paquxa dished out, and Jora saw the tips of more needles emerge from Noxcia's back end, primed to fire. But instead, Paquxa pointed it at Jade. A light-sucking blast of globby, noxious something shot out at Jade, engulfing her in seconds. Then, the glop just seemed to…implode into nothingness, taking Jade with it.
For a moment, there was silence. Stunned silence. And Jora…she was on the verge of tears. A fellow giantess, a friend who never judged her, was always there for her, infected with that mind-bending bacteria, and now THIS!? No one else gathered there to face Paquxa could believe the shadow naga could do something so petty. But then again, from what Vivian had told them of her…
It was Aurora who found her voice first. "Wh-wh-what in… W-W-W-Why… W-W-What did you DO!?" she demanded.
"Oh, just wanted to try something out, now that I got the raw power to take it further," Paquxa said insouciantly, shrugging her shoulders. "Basically use dark power to teleport whole people a good distance. I sent her off to Negav to help out, or close enough to it. Assuming I didn't teleport the poor girl into a rock or a tree, though. Precision is tricky, which is why the general never bothered with me using it to get our troops into this base for the coup. And it gets harder the further you go…"
Jora didn't bother waiting for Alvar and Noxcia to strike. Ignoring the throbbing pain in her head, how her legs felt like lead, her own dread of this naga…Jora charged at Paquxa with a guttural howl. She was going to get her hands on this slimy naga's neck, she was going to rip her throat out…
A tail swipe from Paquxa sent Jora flying back. Noxcia reached out with one arm to catch her, then set her back down on wobbly legs. "Jora, get Milly and Garnet out of here. Jade's gone, there's nothing more you can do. Protect yourselves."
Jora felt Milly take her hand in hers, imploring her to come along. Milly and Noxcia had a point. Now that Jade was beyond their reach, there was no point in fighting any longer. At least they had Garnet back, and could watch over her. But still, this soulless slime, this vindictive creature of Garrardo's, she had to pay…
At least everyone else seemed determined to make that happen. Alvar charged, and if not for blanket shielding from her enhanced shadow power, Verdant Fury would have ripped Paquxa to shreds right then. She couldn't possibly twirl her glaive fast enough to parry all his blows. Still, a tail swipe batted Alvar away again, and another shadow blast flung back Aurora when she dove at Paquxa.
But then, at last, someone tried to bring the light. Anna charged out from the trees, particle beam blaster charged and primed. The bright, blue blast started to peel away the shadowy layers coalescing around Paquxa, and she dropped her glaive, but Anna wasn't done. She shoulder-charged Paquxa, then repeatedly clobbered the side of her head with the blaster's butt. "You thought you could count us out after one round!? I dunno what the Mistress of Boobage was like back in your Academy days, but you got LOTS to learn about me!" Anna shrieked, right before firing again at point-blank range.
Paquxa's hand shot out, making Anna's shot go wild. Jora and Milly had to duck. The particle beam sliced some trees behind them in two. When Jora looked back, she saw Paquxa had Anna caught in a headlock. But as Paquxa started delivering punches right to Anna's face, making her goggles crack, Vivian appeared and cast a lightning spell. Anna, of course, was unfazed, and wrapped her tail around Paquxa's, cutting loose with some extra voltage. Paquxa shrieked, and for a moment it looked like she would go down. But then, Paquxa detangled herself from Anna and flung her at Vivian, and they both sailed out of sight. But upon seeing her opening, Noxcia charged. The moment Paquxa turned to meet her, Noxcia grabbed her face, twirled around, and flung the shadow naga in the opposite direction.
"Jora, this is our chance. We've got to get Garnet and go," Milly implored as they finally stood. Jora turned to her, seeing her own shame, dread and rage mirrored in Milly's.
They lumbered over to Garnet on legs that felt like they'd give any second. Jora could console herself about one of her friends being freed, but seeing Jade slip through their fingers like that, not even knowing if she was alive…
"We'll have to alert Sweets, have him relay the message to Booth and the others, about Jade coming…" Jora got out breathlessly, her voice trembling. "We'll…just have to hope the fairies in Negav have some of the cure left…"
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The good news was that after meeting the Coalition's coup efforts head-on, taking them by surprise, their forces were able to keep it from being a curb stomp on Exona and Garrardo's part. The bad news was that, despite neither side clinching a clear-cut victory, things were constantly seesawing back and forth. And as time went on, Booth knew that the odds of things slipping squarely back in the Coalition's favor increased dramatically.
And the way their fairies' protective gear wasn't as durable as the Coalition's was probably the biggest reason why. Sweets, Hodgins and Angela kept sending reports of more and more protective gear in danger of going critical, or failing outright. It had started with Kai pushing herself too far, too fast. Knowing Kai, that was to be expected, and Booth didn't let it distract him. But then, more and more reports of triggered Stage 1 alerts flooded in, followed by Stage 2 alerts, and then Stage 3 alerts. It wasn't long after that when Booth spotted fairies on his side suddenly convulsing and screaming in midair. And to his horror, more than once, the opposing fairies and brainwashed harpies swiftly used such openings to deal with the incapacitated predators…permanently.
Get a hold of yourself, Booth. They knew the risks. They knew the Coalition fairies would show no mercy, Booth told himself as he situated himself on a rooftop near the Dayama Theater, in the northern portion of the Middle Tier. Losing people who pledged to serve with him…it always gnawed at Booth's soul. From Teddy Parker to Vincent Nigel-Murray, the body count piled up no matter what Booth did. Telling himself these where ravenous monsters who would've gobbled him up under different circumstances did little to assuage Booth's anger.
"We've got another fairy squadron, coming over the Fringelis Star, luring enemy fairies and harpies into our line of fire," Atreus reported as he knelt beside Booth. Remus was also there, along with a handful of Spetz and Safe Harbor volunteers that Nikalavich could spare. Thanks to some fancy holographic projectors provided by Spetz R&D, they could remain unseen on this roof; in the heat of battle, the predators couldn't focus long enough to use smell, enhanced hearing or even that damned predator sense. Remus's face was hidden behind that mask, but the way his fingers tensed around his rocket launcher told Booth plenty. Remus probably had more experience with direct conflict with predators than anyone else on this roof. Pulling himself in the line of fire of HUNDREDS was not something he was anxious to do.
The only thing worse…would be knowing Xanthe is fighting for her life in that Deluran base, Booth told himself. Booth shook his head, not wanting to dwell on that. Bones was in there with her, watching Xanthe's back. At first, naturally, Booth had been aghast at the notion of Bones leading the charge in that base. She was good enough with guns, and able to keep a cool head in the most insane circumstances. But she still lacked the sort of hands-on experience to effectively pull off such a commando raid. Surely, Nikalavich could spare a specialist among the Spetz, Booth had argued.
Unfortunately, others saw things differently. Bones WAS sort of a living legend already, having faced three predators and won. Learning that Exona had staged those encounters did not nothing to diminish her mystique, it seemed. Calina, Lucilya, even Lily…they wanted THAT human watching their backs. Besides, one could argue this is more your area of expertise, Booth reminded himself. In the middle of the hotzone, on a rooftop, ready to snipe…
"They're already halfway toward the theater," Atreus said tonelessly, nocking a lightning arrow. His eyes were focused on something in the distance, something Booth couldn't quite see, thanks to the snowy winds blowing from the Higher Tier.
But Booth had swiftly learned to NEVER doubt Atreus's keen vision. So when he looked through the scope of his specialized launcher, it was no surprise to see fairies in Spetz uniforms soaring toward the Dayama Theater. Right behind them, fairies in black jumpsuits emerged from the snowy winds. Booth could even make out Delurah's emblem, and involuntarily gritted his teeth. "Get ready to light 'em up, boys," Booth whispered. It was almost scary, how easily he slipped back into the role of a field commander. But at least he was still good at it, and instilled discipline. The men with him finished reloading, and Booth heard them reposition themselves, so as not to injure others with their rockets' back blasts.
And then, their fairies veered left and right, giving Booth's team clear shots. Atreus was first, letting a lightning arrow fly. It missed a Coalition fairy's headband, but still smacked her between the eyes, and it was pretty much lights out after that. Atreus fired more and more in between rocket volleys. The Coalition squad learned they were duped far too late. Several of them fell out of the sky to tumble down a street or collapse onto a building. Some got back up, able to take more punishment, but this had certainly thinned the enemy's ranks a bit more.
"That's a few more down," Remus got out breathlessly as he reloaded. "But as hard as it is to believe, these are the SMALL fry…"
"Our chance to lure Garrardo out is coming, don't worry," Booth reassured him. Though he started to doubt that. Hours into the chaos, and the opportunity had yet to emerge. Worse, reports said he was still perched on the Isolon Eye's base, squelching hope that one of their four fire-wielding predators could get to it.
As Booth reloaded his own cannon, his earpiece shrilled with the coded signal for a priority message from Sweets. His fingers flew to it and he croaked out, "Green Angel here, what d'you got for me?"
"A fairy well past a Stage 3 alert, her headgear set to fail any second, in the squad that just suckered enemy units toward your position," came Sweets's panicked voice.
A second later, as if to confirm Sweets's report, there was a scream from a couple blocks away. Booth's head swiveled to see one of the fairies that had broken off, now hovering near the Lower/Middle gate along the Avenue of Heroes. Her headgear was smoking and sparking, the weird ascarlin within it giving out. She was barely able to flutter about and stay airborne. Worse, an enemy fairy was moving in, ready to seize this opening.
"Not again, not on my watch!" Booth roared as he slung his launcher onto his shoulder. Unlike the rocket launchers his squad was using, Booth had something a little different the Spetz cooked up for him. More like one huge sniper CANNON, with spells and specialized equipment to deal with the unfathomable recoil. Hard to make and even harder to use, pretty much still in the experimental stages. But for an experienced sniper like him…
Only seconds left, Booth thought grimly as he zoomed in, getting the enemy fairy in his crosshairs. That other fairy, man-eater on a normal day or not…she was HIS comrade-in-arms today, and if Booth could get her out of Negav alive, he would. He paid close attention to the fairies' hair fluttering in Exona's icy winds, gauging the wind speed…
Muttering a silent prayer, Booth pulled the trigger. Despite all the things in place to deaden the recoil, it still jarred Booth. He fought to steady his cannon, get a clear look through his scope. And just as he had hoped, the enemy fairy landed face-down in the Avenue of Heroes, her headband in pieces.
As Booth watched friendly fairies come for the one with her headband on the fritz, Booth got Sweets on the horn again. "Disaster averted, Sweets. What else you got for me?"
"Plenty other Stage 3 alerts popping up, Green Angel. And now, wait…" Sweets's voice trailed off, and even with the silence, Booth could sense Sweets's mushrooming panic. "Oh no no no, not already… KAI, LOOK OUT!"
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Some of that Coalition air squad had been suckered toward Booth's team, but there were still plenty lingering in between the Middle Tier's only barracks and the Elven District. And luckily, Kai was in prime position to clear the skies some more. Coiling her tail up like a tightly-coiled spring, Kai cut loose and shot up like a rocket. The harpy that had been aiming to dive at her found herself ensnared by Kai's tail, and then roughly chucked down to the street below. Upon reaching the apex of her jump, Kai whirled in midair and drew her sword. The shockwave she produced knocked a trio of hostile fairies coming for her clear out of the Middle Tier. Kai was confident she put enough force behind it to blow them out of Negav completely.
Four more down, Kai told herself. Though she was a long ways from getting rid of all of Exona's flunkies, which still made her seethe. Now to concentrate on the landing… Spotting a toppled building a few blocks from Mumansi Alley, Kai made another slash with her sword, this time allowing herself to be thrust back by its force. Just twist my body the right way, and this shouldn't sting too much, and I won't cause any extra collateral damage. Then…
But just as Kai was about to make landfall, Sweets's voice shrilled through her earpiece. "KAI, LOOK OUT!"
Eyes widening, Kai looked around for any airborne threats moving in as she fell. But that brief lapse in concentration was all that was needed to make Kai's landing…awkward. She practically belly flopped onto a huge pile of debris, in addition to making what parts of the buildings still standing topple on top of her.
As rough as her landing was, Kai's pride was hurt far worse than her body. Something Sweets should be eternally grateful for, Kai fumed inwardly. Taking a deep breath (and sucking in an unwelcome amount of dirt and dust), Kai's clicked a button on her earpiece as she drew her sword. She would not be caught unawares while receiving new intel. "Dr. Sweets, your coroner's habit of interrupting me at the worst possible moment seems to be rubbing off on your team. Now what's the big danger, and aren't we still using codenames? Granted, the one I got was insipid beyond belief, but…"
"Never mind any of that!" Sweets shrilled, cutting Kai off.
His sheer vehemence gave Kai pause. This was the human who asked to be left ALONE with one of Exona's agents. After that, after spending so much time in Felarya, what could possibly make Sweets lose his nerve now?
When Kai saw sparks rain across her field of vision, however, she had a pretty good idea. Despite all her discipline, a twinge of fear crept up in her heart. She had no way of knowing what would happen when the headband failed, how debilitating the Isolon Eye would be for her. "Sweets, how much time do I have left? Exona's still out there. I can't just…"
And then, the headband sparked again, leaving a burning sensation around her head. But that was nothing compared to what Kai felt inside her head, her very MIND. Kai had always felt a little pride about being immune to the one thing voracious predators in Felarya all feared. And now, she was getting the full brunt of its power. Her soul, her sense of self, everything was being torn apart as Negav's streets and buildings spun all around her. Kai tried to will herself to stay upright, but the jabbing pain and vertigo came so suddenly, so forcefully, for the moment it was impossible. Her sword clattered onto the ruined street, and Kai had to thrust her hands out in front of her to keep from falling along with it.
"Kai! Kai, do you copy!?" Kai was barely aware of Sweets's voice, what with the world spinning around her. It took all of Kai's self-discipline and willpower to focus on Sweets's voice, her one anchor in this maelstrom of pain. It was her only hope, her one change to hang on. "Hold on, Kai! Just hold on! I've got several fairies en route to cover for you! You'll get a chance to slip away, and…"
"NO!" Kai hissed through teeth that were grinding. "I-I-I-If you r-r-r-really want to help, Doctor, t-t-t-there's another fairy you can patch me in to…"
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Zycra sprang up from seemingly out of nowhere again, hoping to blindside Exona with a burst of demonic flame. Just like how I blindsided you with your own personal flurry, Exona mused as she lashed out with a gust of icy power to dispel it. Sorry Zordford, but the sweet taste of revenge will be forever denied you. Now that the hellish blaze was snuffed out, Exona conjured a flurry of icicles to launch at the succubus like missiles, enough to force her to retreat from the Higher Tier. She was swift enough to avoid most of them, and her fire magic handled the rest. Not enough left in the tank for a second big burst to melt them all? Exona wondered. The four of you hoped to wear me out with hit-and-run tactics. Ever stop to consider you lot might get worn out first? But considering there's a Valka Fae leading you right now…
Despite the roar of her own driving, icy winds, Exona could hear telltale sounds of another flame-wielding predator on her six. She whirled around just in time to block another blow from Relina's flame scimitar with her spiky bludgeons. Exona tried to land another kick to Relina's gut, but the Valka Fae disengaged just in time, then rushed forward, kneeing Exona right in the face. Exona fell a little. With a shriek, Relina grasped her scimitar with both hands and shot straight down, aiming to slice Exona in half. Exona brought up a bludgeon to block it, but Relina kept furiously slashing away.
It was getting harder and harder to parry all of Relina's scimitar swipes. As much as Exona hated to admit it, the four of them HAD somewhat succeeded in wearing her down. It was no longer a given that she could hold them off until she and Antonin had siphoned off enough power. And then there was whatever was going on back at their base.
She had to do something to tip the scales back in her favor, and fast. Get at least Relina, the most dangerous of the four, off-balance. And when dealing with Valka Fae, the easiest way to do that was to attack where they were weakest: their barbaric pride.
"A pity you can't go into a Frenzy, isn't it Relina, lest you literally outgrow your anti-Isolon Eye gear," Exona taunted as she parried another blow, the scimitar once again locked between spikes. Relina tried another kick, but Exona's other arm swung down and blocked that, lodging a few spikes into her foreleg. The two of them fluttered in the middle of that blizzard, locked in place. Relishing the frustration and pain in Relina's eyes, Exona went on. "Come on, Relina. Your mother would be laughing and smiling right now. Plus, out of all the predators who threw themselves at me, she was the only one who put up a real fight…"
But instead of her taunts hitting home, Exona was stunned to see a gleam of smug satisfaction in the Valka Fae's eyes. Relina spared a quick glance at something to her right, then silkily said, "You sure about that? Here's a refresher!"
Twisting her injured leg so that the lodged ice spikes broke off, Relina lashed out, smashing both of her feet into Exona's ribs. Exona wasn't quite prepared for the blow, and both fairies wound up being flung backward.
As Relina sailed away, her smug look did not fade. As she wondered what could have lifted her spirits, Exona heard something else shooting through the blizzard's winds, coming from her left. She turned in its direction, icy bludgeons at the ready…
Only to see Kai shooting straight for her like a rocket, sword drawn. Given Kai's mass, and the sheer force put behind a bound sending her straight through a blizzard…NOTHING at her disposal could alter Kai's momentum fast enough! And Kai would hit her with a shockwave no matter where she flew!
There was no choice but to stand her ground. In desperation, she locked her spiky bludgeons together for a massive cannon blast of pressurized, icy air. All Exona accomplished was knocking Kai's sword out of her hands and slightly blowing Kai off-course. Kai sailed a few dozen feet or so by Exona, but still managed to snag the frost sprite with her tail.
Once again, Exona found herself helplessly bound in Kai's coils. The instant Kai brought her in close, her left hand flew to her protective headband, aiming to crush and rip it off. With her other hand, Kai howled like a rabid beast as she delivered one bone-crushing punch after another to Exona's ribs, aiming to shatter them all over again.
As the two grappled, they sailed through the Higher Tier. At one point, they were only a few hundred feet from the Isolon Eye. Not that Antonin could risk a light blast, with the two of them so close and moving so fast. It was then, despite things going black from Kai's pummeling, that Exona's noticed Kai's own headband was a blackened, smoldering husk. Kai had LOST her protection from the Isolon Eye, and she had elected to get CLOSER to it!
And it was taking a toll. Blood froze against Kai's skin as it oozed from the sides of her mouth, her nose…even her eyes! But Kai didn't let up. Kai sunk punch after punch into Exona's face, gut and ribs, and would rip her headband off any second. Finally snapping out of it, Exona found the will to drive her right fist into Kai's gut. The ice spikes ripped through her kimono, but no telling if they sank in deep enough to wound her critically. She blocked another incoming punch by bringing up her other bludgeon, Kai's lower right arm got spikes stuck into it, drawing blood that also swiftly froze. Kai did not relent. With the hand she had been punching Exona with, Kai snapped off one of the ice spikes, aiming to ram it through Exona's throat.
Her eyes widening, Exona willed every bit of raw power now at her disposal. Thankfully, a sudden explosion of icy power was once again able to get Kai to loosen her armored coils. Not before Kai had succeeded in at least jamming that ice spike deep between her shoulder and her neck, though. But at last, Exona detangled herself from the Roga Mayin. Her head was spinning, her ribs ached all over again, and there was no telling how badly her headband was damaged, but she was free. She locked her icy bludgeons together once more and cut loose. Her icy cannon blasts engulfed Kai again, and blew her clean out of the Higher Tier.
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Felarya character credits:
Crisis, Anna Demorah, Vivian, Temi, Léa, Lily, Belletia, Melany, Subeta, Aya, Frerik Mezzus, Alastazia Lesona, Zil, Gramon Baltazhar, Alvar, Anko, Menyssan, Thas Voidfingers, Myreli Seluvine, Ramtov Telekline, Marken and Queen Nemyra belong to Karbo
Milly, Isham, Elia, Calina, Lucilya, Yemic, Jissy, Roshan, Ajab, Tina, Joanna, Tan, Pal Sebrit, Palaye, Rajan Dyab and Chol belong to FrenchSnack
Remus vir Patstriker, Xanthe, Ciel, Meringue, Nicholai Vardamis and Batten belong to NickInAmerica
Noxcia, Malika, Relina and Natalie belong to turboman500
Jora Fenderen, Jade and Tanny belong to Ravana3K
Nikita, Aniya and Yuri Nikalavich belong to Tora044
Katrika and Velvet belong to Zoekin3
Milia Moonleith and Zycra Zordford belong to vaderaz
Seliky Serela and Aurora belong to kikijonson
Helia and Atreus Karminari belong to Heavenless-Star/TheLightLost
Fiona belongs to rcs169
Kai Roga Mayin belongs to JiroKatsu
Garnet belongs to Petite-Emi
Zarynia belongs to AndurilWielder
Exona, Antonin Garrardo, Imkza, Paquxa and Shandra belong to yours truly, Grey-X