Alien Species Mentioned in this Chapter:
Oporq (Argit's Species), Kineceleran (XLR8's Species), Tetramand (Four Arms's Species), Petrosapien (Diamondhead's Species), Polymorph (Goop's Species), Cerebrocrustacean (Brainstorm's Species), Vulpimancer (Wildmutt's Species), Planchakule (Juryrigg's Species), Osmosian (Kevin's Species), Pyronite (Heatblast's species)
Unrelated Note: As previously stated, Argit's species name was made up for this fic. It is not ever confirmed in canon but while writing this chapter, I learned that the Omnitrix scanned Pierce's half DNA, which we later learned came from Argit, and called it Snorecupine. It is not the species name but it's awesome and I just wanted to share.
The crash was rougher than it should be. Not for the first time, Roman found himself grateful he had a Peterosapien's durable body. He slapped the thought away quickly, not wanting that old, familiar guilt to pile up on top of all his other worries. Around him, his friends were trying to brace themselves as the ship jarred their bones and tore through the rock below. Remus splattered against the window, anti-gravity projector unable to keep his form together; Helen held onto her brother, lashing her tail for balance; Kevin's body turned to metal and he grabbed Planch, the smaller alien squealing as he tried to run to safety that wasn't there- The scene was pretty scary in Roman's mind but he knew they were escaping something much worse than a little crash.
"Is everyone okay?" Alan called out once the ship rocked for the final time. Roman desperately hoped they were on solid ground, not hanging off the edge of some ravine or something like that. Only one of them could fly and Remus's anti-gravity projector didn't have the strength to carry anyone other than himself.
"I think so," Pierce responded, rubbing his head.
Helen yelped. "One of your quills is in my tail."
"Oh sorry. I'll get it o- Oh. This isn't mine."
Helen's face twisted with disgust. "You mean it's Argit's?"
"Heh, sorry about that," Argit said, rubbing the back of his head with one paw. "I may have freaked out a little. On the plus side, I don't think that's one of the poisoned ones."
"Great," Helen deadpanned as Pierce got to work on pulling said quill out.
Roman smiled, somewhat soothed by the banter. They hadn't been fleeing for long. Long enough to escape the Rooters but not long enough for Roman's racing heart to settle. Actually, had they escaped the Rooters? He didn't know what made them crash. Just that something hit them. Oh shit, had Agent Swift caught up with them?
"We should get moving," Remus said, floating around to gather up all the mass that he'd lost in the crash. "We probably shouldn't stay in one place too long."
"We shouldn't leave the ship though," Manny pointed out. "We've got shelter, there's probably some food and water on here, and-"
Manny was interrupted by a savage howl from outside and the sounds of claws and teeth on metal.
"Okay, nevermind. Remus is right, we need to move."
"With those things out there?" Argit questioned, grabbing both his ears in his fists and pulling them down like a comfort toy.
"We don't even know what they are," Helen said, slapping him upside the head with her tail.
"All the more reason to stay inside here where it's safe!"
There was another loud cry and suddenly there was something crashing through the ship's windshield.
"Vulpimancer!" Kevin yelled. He held up an arm to shield his face from the glass raining down on him. "Run!"
"Grab, grab, grab!" Planch cried. "Run, run, run!"
"Be quiet," Pierce hissed at him but seemed to understand what the little alien was trying to tell them to do. Picking up the Planchakule, Pierce ran toward the ship's cargo hold.
"Pierce!" Helen called and ran after her brother.
"They have the right idea," Kevin said. "Remus, try to hold this thing off so we can grab some stuff. We'll bust out from the cargo bay and meet up with you."
"Got it!" Remus responded. Roman opened his mouth to protest but Remus's goopy form was already swelling up to attack. Before Roman could speak, he sent balls of acid flying at the cat-like canine. The vulpimancer wailed in anger and pain as the gunk got caught in the sensors on its neck.
"Good move!" Roman told him, placated, and ran off to join the others in the ship's cargo bay. This wasn't a travel ship and there wasn't anyone to trade with in the Null Void so there wasn't much cargo but hopefully there was at least something they could use to survive here.
Roman could hear Remus fighting the vulpimancer as he ran the other way. When he reached the storage, his friends were already in the midst of grabbing what they could. Outside, he could hear more vulpimancers trying to get in. Trusting his friends to gather what they needed, Roman took it upon himself to focus on their escape. Honing his hands into blades, he began slashing at one of the walls. He scored long, deep cuts into it in a cross formation until Kevin gave the word to go.
"We can't waste time here. Manny?"
"Oh it," Manny replied. Roman stepped aside and the Tetramand charged at the weakened wall. He broke through it easily, exposing everyone to the harsh atmosphere of the Null Void. Hurrying out as fast as they could, the group stepped onto the dry, crumbly terrain of the floating islands only to come face to face with even more Vulpimancers.
"Pillar, pillar, pillar!" Planch screamed and Roman knew what to do instantly. Slamming his hands flat onto the ground, he built a platform of peranite beneath the group's feet and pushed everyone into the air as fast as he could. He didn't have a lot of practice building these kinds of structures and his body trembled under the strain but the hungry wails of the vulpimancers was enough to keep him pushing them higher, and higher until he ran out of steam.
The group fell silent, staring down at the pack they narrowly avoided. Some of the beasts tried to climb the pillar only to find it was too smooth to get a grip on and their claws weren't strong enough to dig into the material. In another situation, Roman would've laughed at the sight of them but he was too tired from using his powers to see the humor in it and too scared to be thinking about that right now.
"So that was terrifying," Pierce said nonchalantly, crouching at the edge of the platform. He extended one arm downward and lazily shot a spike at one of the vulpimancers. The creature groaned and snapped it's teeth at it.
Helen sat down beside him. "They'll probably get bored soon. Hopefully they won't eat our ship before then."
"A bit too late for that," a voice said and Roman looked down to see Remus spiraling up the pillar. Pulling his form back together, he draped his arms over Roman's shoulders and lazily flopped the rest of his weight onto his back. It was a bit annoying but his brother's return was immensely comforting. Roman hadn't even realized how worried he'd been for him.
"That's just great," Kevin sighed, glancing down at the ship. "So we're stuck on this island with those things."
"At least we can eat them," Pierce said, getting a disgusted reaction from Argit and his sister.
"Roman can make bridges to the other islands and Planch might be able to mess with Remus's AGP enough to carry us in its field," Alan suggested.
Remus pawed his projector. If he was human, Roman was sure he'd be frowning. "I don't like people messing with my AGP but if we have to…"
"No one's messing with your wires," Roman promised. "I'm not that good at building but I think I can manage some bridges once in a while."
"I guess that's better than n-" A loud shriek cut through the air, interrupting Manny before he could finish his thought. "Seriously? Again?"
"Look out!" Pierce called, pointing to the blood red sky. "Null Guardians!"
Roman looked up to see the long, tentacled greyish creatures flying towards them. Massive mouths agape and wailing paired with their beating wings, they were impossibly loud. Even the vulpimancers below seemed bothered by the noise. Roman didn't know how they didn't hear them earlier.
"They're so cute!" Remus shrieked in excitement. Argit and Planch, the only two unused to Remus's antics, looked at him as if he'd grown two heads before turning their attention back to the screaming beasts. "I want one!"
"What's the plan?" Pierce asked, jumping to his feet. The quills on his arms stiffened, ready to throw when needed. Argit eyed his stance before mimicking it crudely. His ears twitched.
"Run!" Kevin responded. Without an ounce of hesitation, he leaped off the pillar, running his hand along it and absorbing its properties as he fell. The vulpimancers howled, maws salivating, as he rushed toward them only to be knocked out cold when his peranite feet landed squarely on their heads. The others exchanged a glance, wondering if Kevin made the right choice, before a Null Guardian made the decision for them.
The nearest beast lunged, gnashing its teeth. Manny boxed it in the face before leaping off the pillar. "I'm out."
"I think they have the right idea," Argit agreed, pulling on his ears in fear again.
"Down, down, down!" Planch chanted. Roman grabbed him and cradled him in his arms protectively before jumping down with the rest of his friends close behind. Pushing off the peranite column, he landed a few yards away from the base and slammed into a vulpimancer roughly. The animal screamed and tried to retaliate but Remus appeared a moment later and bowled into it. Planch jabbed a finger forward. "In, in, in!"
Roman wasn't completely sure what Planch meant by that but Remus seemed to and Roman didn't want to watch his brother's goo do… Oh he was already doing it. Okay, time to look away. That was disgusting. Were those things gills? He thought they were just wrinkly patches of- Okay, looking away for real now.
Planch clambered out of Roman's arms and perched on his head, tail waving wildly. "Go, go, go!"
"I'm going!" Roman grumbled and ran back to regroup with his friends. Helen was zipping around, trying to keep the vulpimancers back but they just kept prowling forward.
"Just go find us somewhere to hide," Pierce instructed, stepping forward to cover for her.
"I can't just leave you!" Helen protested.
"Go!"
Roman began firing peranite shards from his arm as he ran over, laying down cover fire for Helen to break away. He knew she didn't need long. The group took up a defensive formation with the bulkier members at the edges and the ranged fighters in the middle. Roman body slammed a vulpimancer, keeping it away from Pierce, and Argit hopped up on his shoulders alongside Planch to get a few clean shots at the beast. Planch cheered, voicing Roman's relief. He didn't think Argit was going to be a very useful ally but so far he was pulling his own weight.
But the fight was far from over. There were at least two dozen vulpimancers here- they were outnumbered at least two to one- and they just kept coming. Massive, lean forms with orange pelts, paws armed with deadly claws, and maws filled with sharp teeth just kept coming at him. Muscle couldn't break a mineral as hard as peranite but still, it was terrifying. Especially since Planch and Argit were relying on him for protection and these creatures could easily swallow either one in a single gulp.
Teeth came down on his leg. He glanced down, watching the vulpimacher's ugly mouth widen and scream as pain shot through its gums. Roman slammed his elbow down on its head, stunning it, and kicked it away.
"Way to go, Princey," Argit cheered, firing a few quills after the canine for good measure. "You got 'im good!"
"Don't call me that," Roman murmured. He knew it was probably too quiet for Argit to hear but he didn't really want to be distracted by conversation when another Vulpimancer was running at him. Luckily, someone else nailed it before it had a chance to slash at his clothing.
Helen sped up to it and reared up, using her tail for balance, and boxed the vulpimancer clean out of the air with a solid kick. She landed neatly and turned to her friends. "Come on! I found a cave behind those rock formations!"
Roman spared a glance in the direction she'd come from. The terrain they were on was flat but there was craggier land not too far off.
"What are you waiting for?" Argit asked, tiny claws gripping the amalgam's head. "Go!"
"Go, go, go!" Planch cried, ushering Roman onward. Roman bit back a complaint and hurried after Helen, the rest of his friends close behind. Pierce clung to the back of the group, keeping the vulpimancers at bay with a flurry of projectile attacks. How Pierce was so much more skilled with those things than Argit, Roman didn't know but he was grateful.
The terrain shifted abruptly and Roman had to weave around large stones to keep on Helen's tail. He was fairly certain they'd put some distance between them and the vulpimancers but he wasn't positive and he wasn't about to risk crashing into something just to look over his shoulder. Planch or Argit would warn him if there was something wrong.
As Helen promised, there was a cave nestled into a particularly large rock. The group didn't hesitate to charge in. Roman could hear the vulpimancer wailing behind him but they stopped just before the decline at the entrance of the cave. Why? Roman didn't know but he didn't take it for granted. Maybe they didn't like the idea of being enclosed or maybe they didn't like the echoing or maybe they just didn't like that the cave led underground. They were on a floating island so this tunnel surely led to the void if it went deep enough. That was a scary thought.
He slowed to a steady trot before stopping all together and doubling over to catch his breath. Petrosapiens were a durable species with high stamina but they really weren't built for this much running. Roman could feel his lungs burning as he took in mouthfuls of the cool, underground air. Argit and Planch slid off his shoulders, relaxing now that the danger was gone, and flopped down on the earthy floor.
"I regret everything," Pierce announced unceremoniously when the group began to catch their breath again. "I almost wish we'd just stayed back at the base. I hate it there but anything would be better than this."
Roman opened his mouth to respond but was interrupted by an inhuman screech. His heart rate spiked and he jumped to his feet, leftover adrenaline coursing through his body. He wasn't totally sure what was happening but everything in him was screaming at him to run. Manny and Helen were already scrambling back toward the mouth of the cave with the others close behind.
Roman sharpened his fist into a spike and fired daggers of peranite behind him as he ran. He was still tired from making the pillar before and he wasn't really aiming but he heard a few satisfying screams behind him that told him his aim was true enough to do some damage.
They burst out of the cave, surprising the vulpimancers, and ran for their lives. Roman spared a glance over his shoulder and saw tall, muscular humanoids with gleaming red eyes pouring out onto the surface world. The vulpimancers roared and the two packs quickly engaged in battle. Roman allowed himself a satisfied smirk at the sight of the beasts clashing with each other but he quickly turned his attention back to his friends. He let himself fall to the back of the group alongside Manny, covering their tail while Helen took the lead.
The group was shaken and tired so they just ran to the only place their minds associated with safety. Roman really didn't want to end up back at the ship but within half an hour, the group were back in their seats inside the ship. Remus draped his gooey form over Roman's back as the petrosapien pulled his legs in close to cradle himself for comfort.
Numbness buzzed in the air. No one was really sure what to say. Roman wanted to step up and say something inspirational that would give them the fire to keep fighting. He was always the bold one. An optimist who knew how to take the lead. But right now he felt small. So, so small. And afraid.
Everything was different and everything had changed so fast. He was homeless again and he wasn't even on Earth this time. He was in this hellish wasteland filled with savage beasts and ruthless criminals waiting to slit his throat and feast on his innards. Or harvest his body and forge it into weapons. Roman forgot he was made of crystal more than he should have. But that didn't matter now, did it?
Eventually, it was Argit who broke the silence. He didn't even say anything. He just snapped his fingers a couple of times and suddenly everyone broke out of their daze.
"We need shelter," Manny spoke, voice cracking. He cleared his throat, sat up straighter, and tried again. "We need shelter. The ship is nice but it's not going to cut it if the Havok Beasts and vulpimancers come back."
Havok Beasts, that's what those cave dwellers were called. Roman felt a flash of comfort that they at least had this little bit of knowledge. Knowledge was good. It meant they weren't going to die out here. It seemed no one else shared his sentiments though.
"We need this ship," Kevin argued. He tensed, like he was going to get to his feet, then slumped back again. He didn't need to stand up to seem tough. They were all cold and scared right now. Kevin had nothing to prove. "The ship has resources. I think we lost some of the stuff we grabbed when we ran but we've still got a good deal of it and maybe we can get it working again."
"We don't have a fuel supply," Remus pointed out.
"We still might be able to scrap it and trade parts off to some farming asteroids," Helen pointed out, whisking her tail in her seat. "I remember Agent Swift mentioning there are some peaceful settlers here. Maybe they'll be willing to help us."
Everyone was silent for a moment, pondering her idea. Slowly, a plan began forming in Roman's mind. Jumping between islands, rationing what they had, mapping out the Null Void… Yeah, it could work. "I think that's the best idea."
Kevin's face remained neutral as he folded his hands in thought. "It's not a perfect plan."
"There is no perfect plan!" Alan snapped, embers sparking from his fingertips. Manny put a hand on his shoulder and the Pyronite took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. Softer, he said, "If we know there are a few safe places in here, wouldn't it be dumb to not try to find them? Even if it doesn't work, it's worth a shot."
"We don't even know where they are. None of us have left the base before now."
"I have?" Argit spoke up hesitantly. All eyes were suddenly on him. He pulled on his ears nervously. "I mean, I don't know where anything is but the Planchakule might."
"Farm!" Planch shouted, dancing on Roman's head manically, his little toes clicking against his peranite skin. "Farm, farm, farm!"
"It sounds like he knows where a farm is," Remus said helpfully. Planch grinned widely at him and nodded.
Kevin sighed. "Okay fine. I guess I'm on board."
Roman smiled, feeling a flash of hope for the first time since they got here. "Then that settles it. Everyone, grab whatever you can. Planch, you're leading the way!"
"Lead! Lead, lead, lead!"
"I feel like this is a mistake," Pierce grumbled into his hands but got to his feet and began regathering supplies with the others without any more complaint. They were going to survive this. They just had to stick together.