Back again! With another monster chapter that was supposed to be 2500 words but alas here we are with 5000+. Granted this was original TWO chapters but ya know.
Anyways! Hope you enjoy the banter and chaos and pining! And Shadow doing a stupid.

The story is now in hiatus limbo, with progress being made according to how motivated I feel. Turns out that breakdown I had about a month ago was a major stress attack (0/10 do not recommend) and Im still recovering from that a bit. Thank you all for the kind words tho. Sorry I havent gotten to comments, know that I see and treasure them all! 3

The next chapters up to like 41 are in a state of partial completion so that's good! These are some of my FAVS too :D
As in ive had them drafted for MONTHS. They may be shorter than average, but honestly I do want to get this story done so I can work on other projects dwkfhj

Enough dragging, onto the chapter!
Content Warnings: Language, suggestive material

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Twiggs was carrying me Twiggs was carrying me Twiggs was carrying me Twiggs was carrying me!

I was, in simple terms, an absolute wreck.

I mean...

I figured Twiggy was decently strong in his own right, sniper rifles weren't exactly lightweight, but the man lifted me up like I was nothing. Just scooped me up like a damn sack of taters.

My lizard brain was having a field day with that.

Thankfully the sniper himself wasn't saying anything, because I was not capable of coherent speech. Luck also smiled on me and thanks to his helmet the man couldn't see how damn red I was. At least...

I hoped he couldn't tell I was red.

My arms instinctively wrapped around his shoulders when he picked me up, but they'd been there so long that removing them would be more awkward than keeping them there.

But whyyyyyyyy did he feel the need to go and do this?!

Listen to his erratic heart and figure it out for yourself.

No.

It wasn't true.

That was impossible!

Search your feelings, you know it to be true.

Hellfire and damnation, Vader, I know my feelings towards the sniper.

Respect bordering on strong platonic care, bordering on something deeper. And every time I saw that softer, gentler Crosshair, I fell harder and harder. The surgery session had pretty much sealed my fate.

I was crushing on this sardonic sniper who had a kind heart beneath all those briars.

If only he didn't have the emotional skills of a rotten turnip wrapped in barbed wire.

I knew my feelings.

But his?

I liked to think that, maybe, possibly, hopefully the sniper was falling for me as well. Aside from it being incredibly unlikely this fic had just three of the four batchers fall for me, since shipping fics just didn't work like that, to know this prickly commando had a soft spot for me...

But it was Crosshair. I couldn't be sure. The risk of misinterpreting kindness and openness as interest was too great...

Since when do you give up so soon on anything?

Since I know how this kind of uncertainty leaves me hurt in the end.

Ah, emotional baggage. Gotta love it.

"Sighin' a lot," Crosshair commented.

That voice is even nicer this close. "I just fought a giant monster, nearly drowned, and am now bein' carried by a sentient briar patch."

"Can drop you in the mud if you'd rather."

I tightened my grip around his shoulders. "Don't you dare," I grumbled.

His heart rate jumped... interesting. Let's test this.

I rested my head against his shoulder. "I'm just tired. Magic drained from healin' a broken leg affects the rest of me."

That's not how the magic works and you know it.

Shush.

Besides, a subtle yet sharp inhalation of breath told me all I needed to know.

Crosshair either deeply regretted picking me up and getting me this close...

Or this tricky tricky twig was dealing with the beginnings of a crush.

Gee, can't see that ending badly.

Usually, I'd be thrilled but...

I had a really bad feeling that he would hide something like that at all costs.

And defensive Crosshair... that's when his nasty side came out.

I did not like that Crosshair.

He was mean and it was at times like that I wanted to dropkick his ass into a Sarclacc pit.

"Wouldn't get hurt if you'd stop chargin' into battle every two seconds," Crosshair retorted, voice a little sharp but given my head was against the side of his helmet I didn't blame him.

I leaned back and glared at him. "Don't see you lecturing Wrecker."

"He's engineered for that."

"Alphians are engineered for battle too."

The helmet turned my way. "You're small."

Indignant, I scoffed, "Excuse you, I'm Hunter's height!"

"He has armor, furball. You don't."

I retracted my arms from his shoulders and grumpily crossed them. "Touché."

A soft, smug chuckle shook the sniper's chest.

"What?" I demanded, tail tip twitching. "Like it when I'm grumpy?"

"Maybe."

I rolled my eyes.

Oh, this was going to be grand.

It's the start of something new! It feels so right-

No High School Musical in my swamp!

"Squeaky!"

Feeling Crosshair stiffen, I looked out onto the boardwalk as Wrecker jogged towards us. The way the sniper held me ever so closer was not lost to me, but I pushed it to the back of my mind.

Possessive Crosshair could easily trigger something in me that would give Hunter a sneezing fit and I didn't want to deal with the implications of that.

"Are ya ok?" Wrecker gasped, looking me over.

"Aside from a broken leg and scratched up back, I'm delightful," I replied with a shrug.

"Ice!" Hunter yelled, coming up behind Wrecker. Tech followed close behind, complaining about Hunter running with a concussion. The sergeant wasn't really running,more like constantly stumbling forward and barely avoiding falling at the last minute.

"Howdy hey, Sarge," I greeted, throwing up a peace sign.

"Did it go ok?" he fretted, walking around to my back. "Are you feeling better?"

"Aye. Twiggs got me stitched," I said, rolling my shoulders.

"That good," he said with a sigh of relief. A smile tugged the corners of his lips as he cupped my cheek and brushed his thumb across it. "Was worried about you, cyar'ika."

"I'm sturdy," I laughed, resting my hand over his.

Tech pushed Hunter away. "How'd you get your sabers back?" he asked as Hunter gave him a death glare.

"Turns out you were right about that stranger at the barn. He showed up," Crosshair replied before I could, adjusting his grip.

Took all I had to keep my face neutral.

Hunter stiffened. "The god showed up?!"

"He did indeed," I confirmed with a nod.

"Furball cursed him out."

Is that pride in Ram'ser's voice? "Hey," I protested, lightly elbowing the sniper. "I called him a 'fucker' after he left."

"Woah, wait! You saw the god!?" Wrecker exclaimed from where he stood at my feet. "Aw, when do I get to see him?"

"I cannot believe I am saying this, but I concur with Wrecker. Why does this god only appear for brief intervals and not interact more with us? Why not give us the coordinates to your planet so we do not have to go there ourselves?" Tech asked. "Surely that would be far easier?"

"Would definitely be easier," I groaned. "But we can either dwell on why Max is bein' tricky, which would only drive us in bitter circles, or we can get movin'. Don't know about y'all, but I can't take much more excitement today."

"Agreed," Hunter sighed, rubbing his temple.

"How are ya, Sarge?" I asked.

"I'm fine," he began, but when I raised an eyebrow he continued, "Vision isn't swimming as badly and the headache is mild."

"Glad it ain't too severe," I said, flicking my ears. "Gettin' knocked non-conscious ain't nothin' to sneeze at."

"I think you mean unconscious," Tech said.

"I said what I said, Techie," I snickered before I turned my attention to his foot. "How 'bout you? Your ankle good?"

He straightened as my attention focused on him. "Yes, it was a simple sprain."

"That scream of yours didn't sound like a sprain," I replied uncertainly.

"The pain was indicative of a dislocation, but when I examined it I was lucky and only sustained a minor sprain," Tech said with a reassuring smile. His eyes studied my leg, reaching out to lightly rest his hand on my knee. "Is it healing?"

"Yeah, but slowly. Probably should keep off it for a bit longer."

"I'll carry ya, Squeak!" Wrecker offered with a smile, reaching for me as he pushed a disgruntled Tech out of the way.

Crosshair, who still held me with no issue, pulled me ever so closer once more before letting the demolition expert take me. "Will keep your pack."

As Wrecker adjusted me in his arms, I curled my tail lightly around Crosshair's arm. "Thanks, Twiggs."

His fingers brushed the tip as it slipped off. "Welcome."

Hunter raised an eyebrow at the two of us, but said nothing.

Tech, on the other hand, had no such filter. "Did something happen while you two were alone?" he asked, eyes narrowing.

"Like what?" Crosshair growled.

Tech, abort mission! You'll agitate him!

"You two are speaking calmly with one another, and there is the small detail of you carrying Shadow. You do not like close contact with people outside the squad, Crosshair," Tech chattered. "And until recently you both were quite tense around each other, so it is a logical conclusion that something occurred to build a trust between you both."

A trust you'll shatter if you prod his emotions like that!

Crosshair was like me. To defend himself from possible scrutiny, he could get hostile and even volatile. Say something he didn't mean to get others off his back. Say something harsh.

Mean.

Cruel.

That would not end well.

An unexpected ally came to our aid.

"They probably just reached an understandin' to get along!" Wrecker said, smiling at me. "Right, Squeak?"

Wrecker, I could kiss you.

"Aye," I said with a nod. "We're chill. Both too tired to spar anymore today, right, Twiggy?"

"Right."

There was not a doubt in my mind he was grateful for his helmet at that moment.

"I suppose that makes sense," Tech said slowly, squinting at Crosshair.

He's not buyin' it...

"You're just jealous you didn't get to steal her blood!" Wrecker laughed, backing us up again.

That's it, I am kissing you later.

I mean... I did promise I'd hang out with him alone once we got to the shelter. I'd make a move then. Payment for coming up with a convincing lie.

Though... judging by the look on Techie's face...

Calling him jealous wasn't a lie. His jealousy just wasn't directed at my blood.

"Let's get moving," Hunter said, glancing up through the trees. "Has to be late afternoon, and I agree that we don't need any more surprises."

"Group-wide consensus, then!" I laughed. "Time to move out!"

And so off we went, me getting a spot on Wrecker's shoulders where I could cross my arms and rest them atop his helmet. A collective sigh of relief swept through the group as the clairvoyance finally led out of the swamp. That relief quickly turned to apprehension, however, as we reached the top of an incline and saw a narrow slot canyon stretching before us.

Shit.

Tail bristling, I hugged Wrecker's helmet. "Why we gotta go through there?" I whined, claws unsheathing.

"Surely it cannot be that bad," Tech said.

Drums rumbled in the distance, drawing a loud synchronized groan from us all.

"What in the galaxy is this cursed pit goin' to throw at us now?" Crosshair snarled.

"Cave Spiders, most likely," I grumbled, ears flat.

"Excuse me, what?" Hunter demanded.

"It's free real estate for spiders in caves."

"They are found in caves in adventure holo-games," Wrecker remarked. "I hate 'em!"

"You and me both!" I agreed. Wrecker is a gamer?!

How many consoles had been destroyed in a fit of rage?

"We'll take it slow," Hunter said. "Everyone, keep an eye out."

"That'll be easy!" Wrecker laughed. "Only got one!"

I cocked my head to the side. "So you can't see with that cybernetic eye?"

"No, he can," Tech said, looking my way. "Why wouldn't he be able to?"

"Well... I didn't know," I replied, tail twitching.

"You..." Tech seemed flabbergasted that I didn't know about a key piece of technology. "Didn't know how a cybernetic eye worked?"

"No?"

Now all helmets turned my way.

"How can you not know about the way cybernetic eyes work?" he exclaimed.

"She's got a good healin' rate, right, Squeak?" Wrecker asked.

"Yeah," I replied. You are a lifesaver, Wrecker. "We just heal the eye unless it's a Kelusyte wound."

"This Kelusyte better be worth this hell," Crosshair grumbled.

Oh, that's right. There is a bigger mission here. Forgot about that...

"Havin' second thoughts about our adventure, Twiggs?"

A subtle, annoyed tilt of the helmet. "Been havin' second thoughts since I stepped on this cursed rock, sweetheart."

A smile tugging my lips at his sarcastic tone, which was growing on me faster than kudzu, I snickered, "Aw, poor sniper."

I got a spare toothpick to the head from his belt pouch for my sympathy.

"C'mon," Hunter ordered, drawing his pistol and venturing into the narrow canyon.

The wind whistling through and a steady trickle of water from somewhere in the chasm sent chills down my spine. "I hate tight spaces," I groaned.

"Didn't you live on a ship for what, two weeks?" Hunter asked, voice echoing down the enclosed space.

"Almost two, and there's a big difference between here and the ship," I grumbled, ears straining to catch any unusual sound or scuttle.

"What's that, Squeaky?"

"The only thing lurking around the corners of the ship were dumbasses who collectively shared a brain cell that they bounced between each other like a beach ball." I snorted nervously. "Not unlike you four."

"You got the brain cell right now, Squeak!"

"Yeah and it's making me sad, take it back."

"I, for one, do not lack brain cells," Tech retorted from where he limped behind Hunter.

Crosshair scoffed and muttered something under his breath.

"Something to say?" Tech growled over his shoulder.

"Don't worry about it, Four Eyes."

I glanced at the sniper in front of Wrecker and me, unnerved by the subtle smell of fear that tinged the air. I still remembered the way he'd stiffened when I first mentioned caves and tunnels. The way that, even when he would rather die than show weakness in front of me, his fear still made it through his carefully crafted outward appearance.

I wanted to ask.

Ask why Crosshair of all people had a fear of tight spaces.

It could be just a sniper habit. Hard to use your fancy eyes when you couldn't see more than fifty feet ahead.

But no.

Something had happened to the ram'ser and birthed a deepset terror of confined spaces.

Whoever or whatever scarred the sniper like this...

They better not let me catch them on the street, because it was on sight.

Hunter stopped a moment before I heard scuttling from up ahead. As I held tighter to Wrecker's helmet, Hunter whispered, "Stay alert, men."

"Copy that," Crosshair muttered, assembling his rifle.

Turning a corner, the narrow walls suddenly opened up to a vast pit. A rockfall at the far end would take us up and out of this hell, but a large cavern opening on a ledge to our right chilled me to the bone. Especially considering the entrance was covered in webs, as were a majority of the corners in the pit.

"I got a bad feelin' about this," I groaned.

Scuttling from the cavern entrance only solidified my, ironically, spidey senses. Two immense spiders, their outer exoskeleton covered in short brown and tan fuzz, emerged from the darkness. Most spiders' fangs were too small to see, but these?!

This was gonna be one hell of a fight.

Broken leg or not, I wasn't hiding like a coward.

Hunter stiffened and whirled to face us. "Wrecker! Get Shadow and Tech to the top now!"

He was throwing me out of the fight?! Hell no!

"I can fight, Hunt-"

"Sarge's orders!" Wrecker yelled, shrugging me off his shoulders and into his arms with one smooth motion. Before I could grab on, he threw me up three stories to the top of the canyon.

Rolling in the grass, I scrambled into an upright position and tried dragging myself back to the canyon. "No! Damn it, I'm not sitting out!" I screamed.

Tech appeared over the edge and the moment he'd steadied himself he wrapped his arms tightly around my waist and drug me away from the edge. "Shadow, no!"

"They can't take the spiders alone!" I yelled, writhing in the engineer's oddly strong grip.

Crosshair joined us at the top and immediately helped Tech drag me away.

I fought desperately against the two commandos. "Let me go! Get off! Hunter! Wrecker!"

One I could take.

But two?

With my leg busted and my back still weak?

No dice.

But I couldn't just sit on the sidelines!

"Keep her here," Crosshair ordered Tech once we were a few meters away before racing back and kneeling for a better shot.

Blaster shots and yells from the gorge sent strength through my veins, yet I just could not get free! "I gotta get to them!" I yelled, trying to fight my way out of Tech's grip. "Tech, please!"

The engineer's arms tightened around my waist. "You're in no condition to fight!"

He was right...

I wasn't.

I couldn't fight these spiders with a half-healed broken leg.

But an Earth familiar...

They could fight for me.

They could save the boys even if I couldn't.

Would I pass out? Probably.

But the boys' lives were on the line.

I'd have to take that risk.

"Sorry, Tech!" I yelled, driving an elbow back into the side of his helmet. As he stumbled back, I ripped myself from his arms, took a step forward, raised my fists above my head, and brought them down with a scream.

Power surged through me in a painful, gut wrenching wave, the markings across my skin blazing to life. The earth buckled beneath my fists, a resonating crack echoing through the air before a Kelusine, forged of ivy and stone, leapt from the ground and charged towards the canyon with an ear-shattering roar. Jumping over Crosshair, probably scaring the sniper half to death, the Kelusine disappeared into the chasm with another roar that echoed around the rocky walls.

"Shadow!" came a yell, but it was far away. Too far away.

The world spun violently around me, sight and sound blurring together in a disorienting whirlwind before ebbing away like a tide, replaced by oppressive darkness.

I just hoped the move was worth it...

nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn

When he thought about what would finally take him out, Hunter never assumed it would be a steroid ridden spider monster.

Yet as he and Wrecker tried fending off the two immense arachnids it became clear they were outmatched. Crosshair's sniping only served to bounce off the tough outer shells of the spiders and make them madder. Wrecker's blaster kept them at bay for the time being, but they couldn't keep this up forever.

The spiders would eventually get too close...

But they couldn't just turn tail and run. Tech and Shadow couldn't run nor fight, and Hunter would be damned if he let these overgrown bug-eaters hurt them.

Not to mention Shadow would try to fight them regardless. Just like the situation with the droids back at the beginning of the crater, Shadow would ignore an order to stand down and would fight no matter what. She'd already gained more than her fair share of injuries on the mission, and Hunter was not about to let her get hurt again because she pushed herself too far.

Alphian or not.

Realm Walker or not.

Hunter wouldn't let Shadow over-exert herself again.

An ear-splitting roar from the top of the cliffs immediately shattered that resolution.

She better not have shifted! She'll pass out-

A kelusine sailed over Crosshair at the top and charged down into the narrow canyon, eyes blazing with golden light, stoney teeth bared, and obsidian claws out.

It wasn't Shadow, but Hunter's relief was short-lived as he realized the Kelusine was forged of earth and ivy. An elemental Familiar.

Shadow pushed herself too far again.

Couldn't she ever just listen?!

He would have to worry about that later. For now, he couldn't even describe how grateful he was for backup.

Especially as powerful as this Familiar.

As it took down one spider, ripping the arachnid to shreds with savage delight, Hunter yelled to Wrecker to throw him to the other spider. If he could get on its back, reach that gap between the head and body, he could drive his blade in and take the beast down.

Tossing Hunter at the spider, Wrecker immediately threw his knife to the sergeant. "Yeet!"

Grabbing the hilt with both hands, Hunter snarled and drove the blade down.

The spider writhed beneath him, blue liquid spraying Hunter's helmet and hands, before it collapsed beneath him.

Jumping off, Hunter tried wiping the liquid from his visor with minimal success. Both spiders were down, the battle was over. As he gazed at their corpses, his adrenaline suddenly faded away and his knees buckled beneath him.

A stoney head covered in a short green fuzz of moss and grass broke his fall.

Gratefully leaning on the Familiar, Hunter ran a hand over the moss. "Told you to let us handle it," he scolded the beast. It wasn't Shadow, but maybe it was connected to her consciousness somehow.

A chuff confirmed that, yes, some part of Shadow was in the beast. Or, at the very least, the beast could understand him. Kelusines spoke basic after all.

Though something about this particular Kelusine suggested that Familiars were more primal than anything. Sarah had said Alphians' powers were driven by emotion rather than higher-level thought. That explained why the beast fought with such ferocity.

"Sarge!" Wrecker gasped, rushing to his side. "If there's a kitty, then Shadow-"

"I know, Wrecker. She's... I should have known Shadow wouldn't stay out of the fight. Nothing less than tying her down and locking her in a closet would keep her out of battle." Even then, Hunter was 99% sure Shadow would get out of the bonds and come fight anyway.

"We gotta get up to her!"

Another chuff from the Kelusine drew their attention back to it as the Familiar moved to Hunter's side and crouched down. Get on they seemed to say.

Too worn out to argue, Hunter slung himself over the Familiar's rocky back with Wrecker's help. If his head would stop spinning, that'd be great.

The Familiar started up the cliffs, making sure Wrecker was right behind the entire time. When the demolition expert slipped a few times, the beast offered its tail as a stabilizer. Clearing the top of the cliffs, Hunter's blood ran cold.

Shadow lay in Tech's lap, the engineer cradling her head as Crosshair knelt beside them. Both men had their helmets off with worry etched into their faces as they stared at the unconscious woman whose markings still flickered bright hazel.

"Shadow!" Hunter yelled, slipping off the Kelusine's back and staggering across the grass with Wrecker close behind. Kneeling next to her and ripping off his helmet, Hunter shot a frantic look at Tech. "What happened?!"

"She's alive, just unconscious," Tech said, yet the subtle fear in his eyes was enough to worry Hunter. "I don't... I tried to stop her, I did! She hit me with an elbow strike to the helmet and managed to get out of my grip long enough to summon that creature, then she passed out."

Hunter glanced back at the Kelusine, only to see its lifeforce fizzle and the empty body collapse into rubble. As it fell apart, Shadow's markings finally faded.

Yet the woman still didn't wake up.

"What's wrong with her?" Crosshair demanded, voice more unsteady than usual. The concern in his eyes and voice only confirmed Hunter's suspicions that the sniper had begun to fall hard for Shadow, but the sergeant pushed that to the back of his mind.

He could be jealous later, right now they needed to wake Shadow up.

"If I knew what was wrong," Tech snapped. "I would fix it! I have not encountered her species before, and certainly never dealt with a power burnout, so I could not possibly know what to do!"

"Enough," Hunter said before Crosshair and Tech could come to blows.

Wrecker knelt beside Tech and pulled Shadow from his arms. "Squeak? Hey, Squeaky, it's Wrecker. Can you hear me?" he whispered, the desperation in his tone knocking the breath from Hunter's lungs as he held the woman close. "Wake up, Squeaky..."

"It's alright," he tried to soothe the demolition expert. "She... she's just unconscious. Remember she did say this would happen."

"It shouldn't," Crosshair spat. "Why does she keep doin' this? Why keep pushin' herself past her limit?"

"Guess she feels she has something to prove," Hunter replied wearily. Shadow's chest rose and fell steadily, yet her heart...

Was it supposed to be that weak? Did Alphians go into a sort of statis when they overused their powers?

What if this wasn't normal?

How would they know?

"She doesn't have to prove anything to us," Crosshair growled, yet his eyes were still on Shadow.

He's got it bad, Hunter noted.

Wrecker brushed hair from Shadow's face, touch far gentler than Hunter usually saw. "She's... gonna be ok, right?"

"It's just a fainting spell, she'll be fine!"

Blasters, knives, and rifles turned towards the newcomer, but Hunter's blade immediately lowered when he laid eyes on the man. "You..."

Maxalon, smiling the same mischievous smile Hunter saw in the barn, waved at them as he walked closer. "Me! Heard you wanted to see me and well, here I am!"

Tech gasped. "You're the god?!"

"I am indeed! The god of health, dreams, adventure, and the sea!"

Wrecker held Shadow closer. "Keep away from her or else!" he spat, his usual awestruck tendencies replaced by burning protectiveness.

"Want her healed or not?" Maxalon asked, yet he didn't seem offended by the large clone's threat as he stopped a few meters away. "I'm not my brother, so I don't reap souls!"

"Healed?" Hunter demanded.

"Wave of my hand and she'll be healed," Maxalon said, wiggling his fingers at them.

"Why didn't you heal her earlier?" Crosshair spat, rifle still aimed at the man. "Why keep her in pain?"

Maxalon glanced at him, face temporarily softening. "Because pain has its place," he replied, mirth and mischief disappearing before that smile returned. "And it builds... character."

A snarl ripped from Crosshair's throat. "Etcy chakaar-!"

"What do you mean, character?" Hunter growled, pushing the muzzle of Crosshair's rifle down before the sniper snapped and put a round in a god. If their mission wasn't going haywire enough now, it certainly wouldn't get any better after that. "Why emphasize it like that?"

Sharp eyes turned towards him and pierced deep into his very soul. "Think you already know, Sergeant Hunter."

His blood ran cold.

Realm Walker.

Shadow... Shadow really was a Realm Walker!

Maxalon waved his hand over the group and immediately Hunter felt his concussion evaporate and judging by the sigh of relief from Tech and the way Shadow's leg straightened, the blessing cured the entire group. "Show of good faith," he said before his eyes turned back to Shadow. "You will need every ounce of strength for tomorrow."

"How did you do that?" Tech demanded. "How do you transcend the boundaries of the physical plane? Where does your power come from? How can you see into the future and how can you follow us without us seeing any sign of you?"

"Magic," Maxalon chuckled, wiggling his fingers at Tech. "Good luck, Clone Force 99. You're going to need it."

With that, he vanished only to suddenly reappear with something in his hand. "Oops! Almost forgot! Sniper, catch!"

Crosshair caught the large object and held it up. "A rock?"

"That's not a rock!" Tech exclaimed, looking over his shoulder. "That's a diamond! Not just any diamond, blue diamond! One of the rarest types. Diamonds are formed by extreme heat and pressure and are composed of carbon atoms. Blue diamonds themselves contain boron instead of nitrogen, which results in a blue hue."

Crosshair scowled at the valuable gem as if it were a common pebble covered in mud. "Is this supposed to help? We don't need credits."

Maxalon laughed. "It's not the monetary use of that crystal that makes it valuable. That, my abrasive friend, is a charged crystal."

A bright flash of vibrant turquoise sparked in the diamond, flickering through the entire gem before fading into a dull glow again.

"Charged? So if we lay this by Shadow she will absorb the power and recover?" Tech asked, grabbing for the crystal as Crosshair scowled and shielded it from him.

Maxalon held up a hand. "Wouldn't do that yet. That particular diamond has enough charge to power a... rather large transformation. Give it to her now and you'll wish you saved it."

Crosshair narrowed his eyes at the god but nevertheless clutched the diamond closer to his chest. "What are you on about?"

"Just saying. In a large battle, a dragon would be helpful."

With that he fizzled again, leaving behind the smell of the ocean.

"A dragon?" Wrecker echoed. "But Squeak drains all her magic if she uses that form!"

"Exactly!" Tech gasped. "This crystal stores enough power for her to use her dragon form temporarily and still retain her full power level! Of course! Why didn't I realize that when he first mentioned the crystal's charge?"

Crosshair turned the diamond over in his hands. "Why did he give it to me?"

"Don't know," Hunter replied. "But if he gave it to you, then you better be the one to keep it."

Crosshair frowned at the crystal again then handed it to Hunter. "Put in the pack."

Hunter nodded and managed to fit the gem inside. Looking back at Shadow, he sighed. "Guess we need to wait for her to wake up. We don't have her clairvoyance ability..."

A glowing blue trail, just as Shadow described earlier, gleamed in the afternoon sun.

Hunter sighed, used to the nonsense at this point. "You fellas see that?"

"See what?" Tech asked, looking around.

Why do I get the ability?

The god at least healed his concussion, so it wasn't that. The god probably transferred the ability to him.

"I can see Shadow's clairvoyance trail."

"What? Why you?" Tech demanded.

"We can argue this later. Wrecker, carry Shadow."

Wrecker nodded, slipping his helmet on and carefully standing with Shadow in his arms. "Hang in there, Squeak. I'll keep you safe."

Hunter glanced worriedly over Shadow before he sighed. "Let's just get to this damn trail shelter. I've had enough for today..."

I love foreshadowing :)