A/N: Tw for violence (no guts, some blood) and some swearing.
It was an hour after sunrise. The air was dry and hot. Already, the sun beat down upon the encampment, relentless in its power. If this was the weather of the morning — oppressive and fiery — no doubt the middle of the day would yield scorching temperatures. It worried Melia.
She continued packing her things, unnerved by the possibility of dehydration and heatstroke that would occur if her body was unable to maintain the little strength it had left. She would have to be cautious, more so than she already was, in order to conserve her energy. And she'd have to warn Tyrea, though admitting the truth of her weakness was the last thing she wished to do. Burdening the others after everything they'd already done for her was shameful and embarrassing, to say the least.
"Where the fuck have you been?" Vandham bellowed. "...over."
The angry, scratchy voice broke through her reverie. Melia's eyes snapped to the origin of the sound.
Across the campsite, Dunban was seated next to a radio. Usually, Melia noticed that he opted to hold these conversations far from the ears of his team. However, this time, he took no such precaution. Perhaps he felt that secrecy was unnecessary given the situation they were in. Perhaps he felt they deserved to have all the information given everything they had risked to join the unsanctioned mission.
She tilted her head to the side, curious, and observed as he grimaced, then spoke into the receiver. "It's a long story. But we have some intel about the Ganglion. Over."
"Nope. Ya don't get to avoid the subject. You owe us some answers. You don't get to just go on some unauthorized mission and take weapons without informing BLADE. Over."
"I understand that there will be disciplinary action—"
"Oh yeah there will be action alright!" Vandham yelled. "Over."
Dunban sighed, closing his eyes. He rubbed his forehead with his free hand.
Melia frowned, her hands balling into fists at her sides. From the corner of her eye, she could see Tyrea shake her head in Melia's direction. However, Melia did not acknowledge it. Guilt rippled through her like a sludge, pouring into her veins and settling there, dragging her down. The entire reason Dunban and the others were in the predicament was because of her mistake. Her idiocy. And they would suffer the consequences for their kindness.
"Vandham. The Ganglion are going to pick up something they call the VITA. Over."
A long silence. And then: "The what?"
"VITA. V as in vertigo. I as in igloo. T as in terrier. A as in apple. Over."
"What is it? Over." This time, his voice was less angry, more interested. Perhaps a saving grace for Dunban and the others.
Dunban tapped the receiver against his chin, presumably considering his words. "We don't know. But it seems important since they were going to kill Melia for it. Over."
"What!? Over."
Melia exhaled a breath of relief. Another change in demeanor, and one hopefully in their favor. Perchance the circumstances of the team's departure would aid them in avoiding any punishment.
The same could not be said for herself, but she had no desire to think about her father and his reaction to the entire happenstance. Plainly, it was not worth the stress.
"As I said, long story. Over."
"Where are you now? Over."
"Border between Oblivia and Primordia. They're heading into Oblivia. Over."
"And you have no exact position for this...VITA? Over."
"That is correct. But with Skells and their radar, we should be able to find it. Over."
Another long silence. This time, Dunban glanced her way, held her gaze, then refocused his attention on the radio.
Anxiety tickled her throat as she attempted to decipher his thoughts, the meaning behind his gaze. Was he annoyed with her and wondering if rescuing her had been worth all the trouble? Her behavior the previous night after the game was left to be desired, but the young woman thought that the kiss made up for her abruptness.
The kiss. Melia herself had been surprised by her impulsiveness. That was not something she was accustomed too. Yet, in that moment, she could not bear the thought of leaving him disappointed or under the impression that she was upset with him.
And, besides all of that, she had simply wanted to kiss him.
It was odd to think of how her feelings were still such a strong focal point in her mind when she needed to focus on her physical health and well being as well as determining the significance of the VITA to the Ganglion. It was difficult though, especially considering the horrid state of things. All she wanted to do was not think of what had happened to her. Dunban was a wonderful distraction.
Of course, he was more than simply that.
"You know you're in hot water, right? Over." Vandham growled through the speakers.
"Worrying about that later. Over." Dunban responded, his voice neutral.
Besides her father, Melia had never encountered another who could so easily disguise his emotions, thoughts, concerns — any sort of indication as to what he was thinking and feeling. Perhaps this was one of the many reasons they were drawn to each other; their ability to dissemble. Their need for privacy.
"We'll meet you in a few hours. Over." Vandham stated.
"Right. Over." Dunban clicked off the radio and began to disassemble it, his movements mechanical and precise.
"That could've been worse?" Fiora said, crossing to him, holding her hands behind her back, shifting from side to side.
"I guess all we can do is wait now," Shulk said, joining her.
"Or...we can scout a little into Oblivia. You said they can triangulate our position when you turn that thing on?" Tyrea gestured to the radio.
"Yes," Dunban replied. His hands stilled on the device.
"But we should remain here." Melia intervened. "It might be best to not venture with limited resources."
"Right. Limited resources," Tyrea rolled her eyes. "You're going to get in trouble anyway, right? Might as well do what you want till it's over."
"I'm with Tyrea. If we're gonna get the boot, might as well enjoy our last mission." Reyn whistled.
"I'm hoping it doesn't come to that. But I would like to see more of Oblivia." Fiora agreed.
"Riki not been through sandland in a long time. Riki want to go!" The Nopon danced between the legs of the team members, who now had clustered together in a circle-like fashion.
"I don't mind going." Shulk tucked his hands in his pockets. "We might even find something related to the VITA."
That only left Dunban and Melia to express their opinions.
Of course, she didn't wish for them to find themselves in further trouble. That was the whole point of her initial dissent. And, if she were being truthful, she would rather rest before making the journey to find the VITA. But that was not a responsibility she would impune upon them.
So she gave Dunban a slight nod as if to say she would defer to his decision.
He studied his team, one by one, and after a moment, said, "Alright. We'll head into Oblivia. But this is a discovery trip only. Should we encounter any Ganglion, we will not engage. Is that clear?"
Everyone nodded in agreement.
"Then let's head out."
The drive through Oblivia was stunning. The brown and orange countryside went on for acres: sand and dirt floor, rock outcroppings, and jagged cliffsides set against the backdrop of an expansive blue sky. The rocky terrain jostled the speeder, but no one seemed to mind. Everyone was enraptured by the majesty of the desert world.
Everyone save for Melia and Tyrea.
The two sat in the back of the speeder, Riki taking up the third spot. A drop of sweat rolled down the side of Melia's face. It was sweltering. She coughed. Winced. A sharp pain stabbed her in her chest from the motion.
"You're not alright." Tyrea murmured, narrowing her eyes.
Melia bit her lip. Lying was pointless.
"Why didn't you say anything?"
"I didn't wish to call attention to it." Melia breathed, wiping the sweat collecting on her brow. She took a deep breath. It was ragged. Already the heat was getting to her.
"We have to tell them."
"No."
"You're barely holding yourself together!" Tyrea hissed.
"Melly not well?" Riki frowned and hopped into her lap.
Reaching out, Melia motioned to him to keep it quiet. He nodded, solemn.
"Tyrea, I will be alright as long as I don't expend too much energy." Melia gave her a supportive smile.
"We could be walking into a battle. I should've made you go home."
"You have another ether crystal."
"That is not a solution!" She exclaimed. "You could overdose!"
Fiora, Shulk, and Reyn glanced over their shoulders from the middle seats.
"Everything okay?" Fiora asked.
"We're fine," Melia responded, plastering on a polite smile. Tyrea sniffed and looked away.
Riki bounced on Melia's lap. "Riki look out for Melly."
"Thank y—"
The ground began to rumble and the speeder bounced from side to side. Several of the team yelped.
"What is that?!" Fiora exclaimed.
Melia turned her head to see over her shoulder. Her eyes widened and her chest tightened. "Tyrea…"
Tyrea turned and looked as well. "Dammit."
A huge brown Progen stampeded towards them. It's scaly brown body shone in the sunlight and its wings flapped as the breeze passed through, ruffling the feathers. It lowered its head and charged towards them with a high-pitched shrill.
"It looks like a big ass unicorn with wings!" Reyn said.
"That's a pegasus!" Fiora said.
"Not useful!" Tyrea hollered above the noise.
It plowed straight for them.
"Shulk," Dunban shouted over the roar from the creature. "Get away from it!"
"I got it!"
Shulk swerved the speeder, and gunned the engine, trying to outrun it. The Progen's hooves kicked sand and dust into the air. Melia shut her eyes, feeling the rough grains scratch at her skin.
The speeder jerked to the side.
"Shulk!" Fiora gasped.
Shulk wiped the sand from his face and swung the vehicle to the side just as the Progen's hoof stomped the place they'd been. Now it was mere feet away from the back of the speeder.
"Hold on everyone!" Shulk yelled.
The speeder sharply veered left, drifting, kicking up sand and dust. Tyrea yelped, her body teetering towards the edge of the speeder. Melia grabbed her around the waist, hoisting her back into the car, holding on as tight as she could.
The speeder shot straight like an arrow, zooming further into the barren landscape away from the Progen.
"Thank you." Tyrea breathed. Melia nodded and pulled away.
She looked over her shoulder to see the Progen in the distance, continuing its trek. They had simply — unluckily — been in its path. It didn't wish them harm unless they had tried to harm it.
"Let's stop there." Dunban pointed to a shaded rock cropping and Shulk drove towards it. He parked the vehicle and turned it off.
"That was awesome, Shulk!" Reyn leaned forward in his seat and clapped his friend on the shoulder.
"Are you kidding? We could've gotten squashed." Fiora smacked Reyn's shoulder in turn.
"Jeez. I was just complimenting your boyfriend on his moves."
Shulk and Fiora simultaneously turned beet red. "We aren't...He's not...I mean...we haven't…"
"Is everyone alright?" Dunban interrupted, hopping out of the vehicle to address the team.
One by one, they each nodded, stepping out of the speeder. Despite the banter, Melia could tell that the team was shaken from the encounter with the Progen. She was as well, but for some reason less so. Most likely due to her weakened state. She didn't have the capacity to process all of her emotions.
"We'll wait here for the others. Take some time to scout the area."
"Riki stay behind to keep watch."
"I think I'll stay too," Fiora said, taking a seat next to the Nopon.
Melia took a few steps away from the group, her eyes scanning the desolate scenery for any other wildlife that threatened their group, distracting herself from thoughts that would threaten to wear her down.
"I'm going to climb to the top of that hill to boost the radio signal. Would you like to come with me?"
Turning around, she saw Dunban hoisting a pack over his shoulder, his face serious though an eagerness floated in his brown eyes.
She drifted closer to him, a silent assent. She absolutely wanted to spend more time with him despite her exhaustion. Because there was something gnawing inside of her — instinctual even — that she would return to Alcamoth in the near future, and it would become unclear when the two of them would see each other again.
"Shall we?"
He offered his arm. She hesitated for a moment, but he already knew that her strength was lacking. Not as much as it was now, but he was aware of the past few days. Gladly, she hooked her arm around his, slightly putting her weight on him.
"How are you feeling this morning?" He asked as they strolled away from the group towards a nearby hill.
She didn't want to lie, but she also didn't wish to worry him. He had enough to be concerned about. "I'm alright. A little tired." A half-truth.
"Alright then."
"How are you feeling? With everything that's happened. And could happen once you return to NLA."
"Vandham's annoyed. I'm not surprised. The others will be concerned and ask about my ability to lead. Maurice will use it as an opportunity to hurt my credibility." His tone was nonchalant, and he didn't look at her when he spoke. Just kept his eyes straight ahead.
"I'm sorry." Melia breathed. "You wouldn't be dealing with any of this if I had been cautious."
"If you're asking me if I regret coming to find you, I don't." He said softly, squeezing her hand. He looked at her, the warmth in his brown eyes beginning to melt her fear away.
They reached the top of the hill. A breeze passed through, catching tendrils of Melia's lavender hair on its journey. She took a deep breath in, the hot air filling her lungs. If it weren't scorching, it would've felt cleansing.
Dunban knelt and fiddled with the radio and Melia took a seat next to him, reverting her attention to the desert. Though not looking. Her thoughts tried to float away, replay her capture, the torture…
She shivered. No, no-no. She couldn't think about it now. She didn't want to relive it at all. She wanted to forget. Forget it ever happened.
And yet here they were, heading straight for the enemy with no knowledge of what awaited them. Was the dead-eyed Prone still alive? Would he hunt her?
"It's empty," Dunban said, switching the radio on, disturbing her train of thought.
"I was going to say breathtaking," Melia responded, shifting her eyes to him.
"More than the rainforest in Noctilum?"
"Different. Each landscape has its own beauty. I like to believe everything does." She paused. "Not everything. But most things."
"How are you, really?" He asked, finishing with the radio. He took her hand and ran his thumb over her knuckles. The sensation sent a delicious shiver up her spine and down her abdomen.
She averted her eyes, carefully considering her answer.
"You can tell me the truth, Melia. I would prefer it. But if you would rather just sit here in silence, we can do that too."
How did he seem to always say the right thing?
"I appreciate that. But silence is not something I can abide by at the moment. I need a distraction." She confessed, meeting his eyes once more.
"That I can do." Dunban considered, then asked, "How exactly does ether work?"
Perfect. Something completely factual and not emotional. "What I do is harness the energy of the ether, mold it to my specifications, and channel it through my wand to produce the desired effect."
"Ether then is a compound."
"Correct. Like oxygen."
"And when you say specifications, you mean the spell you cast?"
"Correct. It is a procedure that we learn."
"Can all High Entia use ether?"
Melia smiled inwardly. It was nice that Dunban was interested in her people. "We are born with it as a significant part of our body composition. We all learn basic procedures in our schooling, but in our later adolescence, we pick specialties. Some continue to learn more about ether while others pursue other options."
"For example, Tyrea with military training."
"Exactly."
"I see." He paused, then continued, "So I couldn't use ether."
"No. Homs — humans — do not have ether in their biological structure, hence the decision for the High Entia to procreate with humans and dilute the Telethia gene."
"That all sounds very...technical."
"I believe that was what Fiora calls it 'the cliff notes version'."
Dunban laughed and Melia cracked a smile. She liked listening to his laugh. She liked making him happy.
Eventually, his laughter subsided. His gaze turned serious. "I know you said you wanted a distraction, but I'd like to ask you a question about your father. If that's alright."
Her lips creased into a line, the edges slightly turning downward. "It will depend on the question."
She hoped he wasn't asking about the night before, which statement she said was the lie. Given her fragile state, she wasn't certain she would be able to maintain her composure if she broached the subject of her mother.
"What happens when you return to Alcamoth? What will your father do?"
Her eyes widened as she heard the concern in his voice, and it made her heart both hurt and soar. She didn't want him to be in pain, but she was delighted that he worried about her. And so she couldn't help but answer him truthfully, "That I cannot say. I have ceased to try and predict my father's moves. I don't believe he will punish me, as long as he does not learn why I was captured."
"Helping your brother? Why would he not want that?" Dunban's brow furrowed.
"Ellison's transformation is too painful a subject for him to discuss. I'm certain there is some part of him that blames himself for what happened."
"Why would he punish you? If he knew?"
"The point of my time in the wilderness was to prove if I could be considered to be an heir. Not to endanger me to the point of capture." There was a trace of bitterness on her tongue as she said the words. She wouldn't be forgiving herself any time soon for her mistakes. "He will see me as weak."
"Do you want to be an heir?"
"It has never crossed my mind given both Ellison and Kallian are older than myself. But it appears my father is taking precautionary measures." She confided, "My father wasn't always as harsh as he appears. He...changed after my mother died." A lump began to grow in her throat, but she pushed forward, "Prior to that, he was kind. He loved Tyrea despite the fact that she was born outside his marriage with her mother."
A single tear dotted the corner of her eye as she thought of her mother: the bright smile and melodious giggle. Constant hugs and games of hide-and-seek. Her mother had been gone for twenty years and yet her death still hurt.
Dunban pulled her into an embrace. She froze, the contact surprising her. Then slowly, she softened and leaned into his arms. Shutting her eyes, she willed herself to push away the memories of her mother. Now was not the time to ruminate on old wounds.
Taking a breath, she pulled back and blinked away the emotion. Her cool calm returned quickly, practiced. "Apologies, I said more than I should."
"Don't apologize. It's just, I know that it can be difficult growing up without a mother." His fingers brushed her cheek before falling to his side.
"Your parents died when you were young."
"I was twenty, but Fiora was eight. It was really hard for Fiora, losing them both at the same time. I wanted to be there for her so I dropped out of school, joined the military, and took Fiora with me."
"Did you have any other family?"
"Yes. I could've left her with our cousins, but I wanted to be there for her. I still wonder if it was a selfish decision, dragging her from place to place. I think she was relieved when she went to college and found stability in staying in one place."
"Do you regret joining the military?" Melia pursed her lips. "I apologize, I don't mean to interrogate you."
"You aren't. I wasn't thinking about that. I just needed a way to make a decent living and take care of Fiora."
Before Melia could respond, a whistle carried over the wind, twinkling in her ears.
"I've heard that before," Dunban said, following the direction of the noise with his eyes. He stood, somewhat entranced. "Do you see that?"
Melia copied his action, catching sight of a small, what looked to be a rock formation, on a nearby hill. "It looks like a… I can't quite tell to be honest…"
"Come on." He held his hand open to her.
With a smile she took it and he led them to the next hill. As they neared the statue, Melia saw Dunban faltered. "What's wrong?"
"I've seen this before."
They stopped a few feet in front of it. Melia took in the stone statue: it was taller than Dunban and wide like the trees surrounding Frontier Village. A crescent moon sat atop a large stone circle with its center chiseled out. The wind breezed through the center of the circle, creating the whistle.
Dunban dropped her hand and walked around it, studying it. "It looks exactly like what we found in Noctilum."
"You found another?"
He murmured a 'yes' and knelt in front of it, seeming to look through its eye.
"Do you know what it's for?"
"No." He rose and stepped backward.
Her eyes fell to the engraved tabletop, scanning its topographical markings. It was a map of Oblivia. And at the bottom of the map, she could see an inscription chiseled in the stone. Peering, she examined the text. "This looks like Samaarian."
"Can you read it?"
"I think so." Melia studied the characters, her mind pulling at her lessons from many years ago. "From the reaches of four...you'll find the door, but the key lies, in the eye." She stood. "I do not know to what it refers to."
"Another mystery," he sighed.
Melia's communicator beeped. She pulled it from the pocket in her suit, looked down and read the succinct, three-word message. "Tyrea says your colleagues have arrived."
"Then this will have to wait another time."
Together, they descended the hill, picked up the radio, and made their way back towards the larger group. As they neared, they gradually drifted apart in an unsaid agreement to maintain a professional amount of distance. Needless to say, she didn't like that. She wanted to feel his hand in hers.
"There he is," Vandham growled as the pair neared the newcomers. He put his hands on his hips. He wore black battle armor, dark like his pointed expression.
The BLADE officers that had arrived were clustered in a group separate from the others, watching Dunban and Melia approach. Their eyes drifted between the two, and Melia morphed her face into stern neutrality. She wouldn't be intimidated or made to feel guilty. Despite the alliance between the High Entia and the humans, at this moment, she didn't feel that she owed them anything.
"We were planting a probe," Dunban explained, halting a few feet away and crossing his arms over his chest. "It made sense to start mapping the continent since we're here."
"We picked up low radiation about forty miles east of here," Irina stated. "The skells flew overhead, but they couldn't see anything. There was a fog around the entire area."
"Sounds like it could be our spot," Reyn commented. All eyes shifted towards the younger officer. Reyn grimaced, "Sorry."
"Dunban, a word," Elma gestured with her head.
The two walked off away from the group, their voices low as they conversed. Melia watched, curious, then turned back to see Vandham studying her.
"Is there a matter you wished to discuss with me, Vandham?" she asked.
"Nah. Just glad yer ok," he responded gruffly. But there was something in his gaze that told her there was more to it. But he turned away and asked Irina a question, cutting off their interaction.
"What a grouch." Tyrea snorted from behind Melia.
Melia span around, a little too quickly, steadied herself, then shook her head. "We don't want to cause trouble for them."
"I'm just stating a fact."
"Alright. Let's head out." Elma announced as she and Dunban moved back towards everyone. "Irina and I will take the skells. We'll monitor from above."
As Melia climbed into the back of their speeder, she glanced towards Vandham's vehicle. There were five other occupants, one of which was Vera, the rest she did not recognize. No doubt junior BLADE cadets. She calculated their party to be a total of sixteen. Not a small amount, but not a full battalion. Melia hoped it would be enough.
They zoomed forward, back out into the open air, streaming across the rock and gravel. It struck Melia that they were actually nearing whatever the VITA was. They were nearing the Ganglion possibly. Nearing her captors. Her torturers.
Flashes of the dead eyes of the general came through her mind. Adrenaline spiked. Phantom pains pulsed in her muscles. Gods, she wasn't ready to face them again.
Melia glanced sideways at her sister, who was looking away from her, out at Oblivia. She wanted to reach out, ask for reassurance. She wanted Tyrea's confidence, needed her strength.
Instead, she closed her eyes, rested her head against the seat, and awaited the inevitable arrival.
Once they reached the top of an overlook, the vehicles stopped and the skells landed. From their vantage point, they could see below that a purple miasma, thick, hung over the valley.
"We picked up radiation in there," Elma said as they all disembarked.
"What is that stuff?" Fiora wrinkled her nose.
"Great question." Irina pursed her lips.
"If it's radiation, we won't know exactly what effect it will have on us," Shulk said. "We need to be careful."
"Basically if we're exposed, were takin' our chances," Vandham concluded, his expression grim.
Silence settled over the team. They lacked concrete evidence that this was the Ganglion's destination, but they were running out of time and this seemed to be the most obvious option given the strange radiation signatures. That, unfortunately, didn't answer the question that hung in the air: how would they get through it?
"I can move us through it," Melia said.
All eyes turned to her.
"No." Tyrea hissed.
But Melia ignored her. "I can cast an overshadow. A...shield as you would put it."
"Are you sure you can do this?" Dunban asked. His eyes searched hers for the truth.
She didn't give it to him, only a blank stare. "It's the only way."
That didn't mean she was afraid. The spell would expend a massive amount of energy, and she knew she only had so much left with the hot sun draining her strength.
"We should leave quickly. We don't know when the Ganglion will appear."
"Good point. Suit up, everyone. Take yer weapons. We don't know what's down there." Vandham declared.
Melia moved back to the speeder to grab her wand.
"I hope you know what you're doing," Tyrea snapped as she pulled out her duffle of weapons and began to sort through them.
"Do you trust me?" Melia took a few of the knives and stowed them in her suit.
"I trust you to sacrifice yourself for everyone else." Tyrea slung two guns over her back, carefully situating them around her blade. "Take the knives." And she stomped away from Melia.
Ten minutes later, everyone was ready to venture into the fog, the unknown, for who knew what awaited them inside. Silent, they clustered around Melia, all holding weaponry of some kind: guns, blades, knives. They were prepared for a fight.
Melia brought her wand to her chest and closed her eyes. Her hands tightened around the staff, knuckles turning white, paler than her skin color. In her mind, she imagined a purple light surrounding them, dark, strong. It rippled beneath her eyes, then slowly started to solidify: an encasing as strong as steel. She whispered a phrase, the words tickling her tongue, and purple light erupted from the wand into the sky, just five feet above their heads.
Immediately she felt the strain. Her muscles tightened, her body attempted to cave forward, but she kept herself straight, her hands clenching the wand even tighter. Ether seeped through her into the staff, powering the shield as it began to grow around them.
With a shudder, she opened her eyes to see a perfect purple dome shielding the group. Their eyes were wide, marveling at the ether spell but Melia could take no pride in her work. There was only so much strength she had and it was quickly slipping away.
With a steady voice, she said, "Shall we?"
Tyrea joined her side as the group walked into the miasma.
"Do not ask me if I'm alright," Melia muttered under her breath.
"I wasn't going to. I already know the answer. You're not." Tyrea snapped.
The group dove further into the nebulous cloud. The purple haze became so thick, they soon lost sight of what was in front of them. But Irina directed them using the device that detected the origin of the radiation, their guide through this impenetrable mist.
A guttural moan echoed from their left. A few stopped, uneasy, but Melia kept moving despite the tremor in her heart. There was no point in becoming an easy target.
"What do you think that was?" One of the junior BLADEs asked with a shaky voice.
"Best not to think about it," Elma answered.
With each step, the miasma became thicker and started to push harder onto the shield. Gritting her teeth, Melia shoved back at the pressure. She wasn't going to yield just yet.
"Here," Tyrea whispered, placing her hand over Melia's.
A flair of ether burst into her, bringing the shield back to full strength.
"Thank you."
Tyrea nodded.
Minutes passed, and eventually, the cloud started to clear revealing a barren field that sloped downward.
As they reached the edge of the miasma, Irina observed, "I'm detecting a force field around the field that's keeping the radiation out. There's no sign of any within the area."
"Can we get in?" Vandham asked.
"Riki see." And before anyone could stop him, he waddled forward next to Irina's spot and stuck his biter out.
It remained intact.
"Guess that answers that." Reyn shrugged.
"Riki! Something could've happened!" Fiora chided.
"Riki sorry. But Riki knew ok." Riki patted her leg, undisturbed
Elma and Dunban took the lead and proceeded forward, passing through the invisible barrier, the rest following, still staying in the confines of the shield. Once everyone had passed through, Melia released the spell. The shield disappeared.
She swayed a little, taking a deep breath to collect herself.
"You should sit down." Tyrea lay a hand on her arm.
Melia assented and began to sit.
Out of the haze, a Caro shot forward, sliding through the invisible barrier. It was lizard-like with spikes protruding from its spine. Its red eyes stared at the group and another one slithered up next to it. The second one bared its silver teeth. Their skin was shiny, oily looking, and they were each the size of the speeder.
"Get ready to fight!" Vandham shouted.
The Caros shot towards them, dividing the group between Dunban's team and the newcomers.
Vandham and his team dodged, one officer barely missing the jaw chomp from the Caro. The second hurled itself at Melia and the others. They scattered, splitting in each direction.
Rolling away and jumping up, Tyrea whirled and threw a dagger into its eye. It screamed, purple blood squirting out of the organ. It lashed out, swiping its tail towards Tyrea, Melia, and Riki. Melia threw up a shield and the tail bounced off. But a sharp pain flared up her side and she dropped it immediately.
"Over here ya lard!" Reyn cried and shot off his machine gun. Bullets implanted in the Caro's skin. More purple blood spat out and oozed down its scales. It lunged towards him, trying to swipe a huge claw, but not before Fiora delivered her own wave of bullets into its hand.
With a screech, it swung around its tail once more, knocking Reyn and Fiora to the ground.
"Fiora!" Shulk rushed towards her. The Caro pounded the ground with its good hand, causing him to stumble. It slithered towards him, but Shulk rolled away from the monster. But it pursued him, screeching and snorting.
"No!" Melia shot a blast of ice at the creature's feet, freezing it in its spot.
It cawed and struggled, breaking its back foot out. But it was too late. Dunban leaped from behind the Caro's vision and drove his longsword into its neck.
The Caro shrieked, trying to shake him off, but Tyrea surged forward and sliced into the side of its neck with her own blade, blood splattering onto her. The Caro's motions began to slow, then it finally stilled and slumped to the ground.
Tyrea wiped off some blood from her shoulder. "Nasty."
"A 'lil help over here!" Vandham yelled.
Dunban and the others rushed towards them, unaware that Melia hadn't moved from her spot. She dropped to her knees, weary, watching them join the fight. They distracted the Caro while Elma and Irina attacked its back and Vandham and the others rammed it from the other side. The group converged on the creature, taking it down within a minute.
She watched as the group slowly lowered their weapons, chatter passing between the members. Elma moved closer to examine the corpse, while the others stepped back, disgusted. Riki glanced over his shoulder and met Melia's eyes.
He skipped over to her, concern etched on his features. "Melly okay?"
"Not really, Riki." She grimaced. The adrenaline had helped stave off the fatigue in the middle of the battle, but now that the things were dead, she felt beaten and her insides cramped. She was expending too much ether, she was close to pulling apart at the seams.
"Can Riki help?"
"Unfortunately, not, Rikki. But I appreciate your concern," she weakly smiled and shook her head, "Thank you."
Still, Riki frowned and patted Melia's arm.
"Melia! What's wrong?" Fiora jogged to them with Tyrea.
"I'm a little winded is all."
"Right. Winded." Tyrea growled and held her arm out. Melia took her hand and slowly stood. There was no denying it. The stopgap she'd created was close to disappearing. She needed medical attention as soon as possible.
"We need to get you out of here," Tyrea said.
"And leave them behind? We can't do that."
"You're just going to let yourself die!?"
"It's not that dire, right?" Fiora blanched.
"It could be." She snarled.
"Guys! Let's go!" Reyn called out.
"We'll be there in a minute!" Fiora shouted back. She looked back at the sisters, frantic. "What are we going to do?"
"Tyrea, the ether crystal." Melia pulled it from her pocket.
"I told you, you'll—"
"And that is a risk we'll have to take." She shoved the crystal into Tyrea's hand.
"I'm not doing this."
"And what will we do then? There is no escaping without this. Don't argue now!" Melia barked back.
"Melia…" Fiora's eyes widened, startled.
"That is an order."
Tyrea seethed and gritted her teeth. "Fine. It's your fucking funeral."
She grabbed Fiora's wrist and dragged her away, Riki stumbling to keep up. Tyrea pulled out her ether rifle and stuffed the crystal into the barrel of the gun.
Melia pulled herself up; it was a struggle to even stand.
"What are you going to do?" Fiora whispered.
"If this kills you, it's not on my conscience." Tyrea loaded it.
"I know. This is my choice." She was afraid and not afraid. She didn't want to die, but it had to be done.
Tyrea put her finger on the trigger and shot the crystal into the air above Melia. It burst into tiny blue dust that showered over her. It seeped into her pores, filled up her lungs, liquified in her bloodstream. Strength surged through her, energy renewing her, repairing those makeshift bonds that had broken slowly over the past few days.
Melia licked her lips and rolled her head around her neck, savoring the new life that pulsed in her body. "Let's go." And with renewed strength, she led the four of them towards the rest of the group.
"Everything okay?" Dunban asked as they approached.
"Oh yeah. Everything is perfect." Tyrea snapped, shoulder checking Melia and pushing past her.
He gave Melia a questioning look, but Melia shook her head.
Together, they descended the plain to see clearly into the valley below. A few minutes later, they saw it.
A large violet machine, almost identical to the mechanical skell bodies that Irina and Elma had arrived in, appeared to be sunk into a pit. A layer of dust covered it, and its parts looked weather-beaten; paint scratched off the surfaces, dents from rocks and other detritus puncturing its body. It had been lost here for quite a while.
"What is that?" Shulk asked, amazed.
"We'll worry about that later. We gotta get it out of here now." Irina replied.
"How?" Vera asked.
"We could see if it flies." Elma supposed.
"Who would want to get in that piece of junk?" Vandham drawled. "Even if it powers on it might fall out of the sky."
Elma pointedly looked at Dunban. He shrugged, noncommittal.
"Oh come on, Dunban. I'm sure you're itching to get back into a skell." Irina put her hands on her hips.
A grin crawled onto Dunban's lips. "Can't say I don't miss flying."
Melia watched the exchange, curious. She felt outside of her body, everything happening far from her, farther than it was in reality.
"Why do people use double negatives? Just say what you mean." Fiora scoffed.
"I agree with yer sis," Vandham snorted.
"Shulk, let's go take a look." Dunban began jogging down the slope towards the skell-like device. The younger cadet hurried after him and everyone watched as they neared it.
They climbed on top, Dunban helping Shulk up, and made their way towards the cockpit. Melia and the others watched, quiet, eyes glued to the two below. Would they be able to turn it on? What would they find if they did?
The hiss of a door opening reached their ears. The cockpit slid open. Lights powered on from the head of the body.
That's when she felt it. An invisible wave of ether rippling through the air. Tyrea looked at her. She had felt it too.
"Go down there," Melia said.
Tyrea nodded and jogged away.
"Hey!" Vandham called. But Tyrea didn't stop and raced towards the skell.
With a graceful climb, she joined the two men on top of it and jumped down into the open cockpit. The voices of an argument reached their ears but soon died.
A minute passed. Then two. Melia waited, ancy. It was on, but could it work?
Metal creaked and the right arm of the skell robotically rotated to face up to the sky. Dunban and Shulk jumped off of the machine and jogged some feet away. A blast of blue energy burst from the fist of the skell, bursting through the top of the force field, creating a hole up to the sky.
"Damn." Vandham murmured. "That's powerful."
"Isn't the radiation going to sink in?" Vera panicked.
"No. The ether has extended the force field into the atmosphere above the miasma." Melia pointed. And it exactly was. The hole made created a perfect circle, and none of the purple haze crept in. Instead, it outlined it perfectly, making clear to the naked eye the boundaries of the force field.
An escape route. Relief streamed through Melia. Perhaps she wouldn't have to lead them out after all.
But the light from above was quickly blocked out. The silhouette of a huge spaceship came into view. Ropes fell down through the newly made hole towards them, bodies jumping on each and descending.
The Ganglion.
Melia froze, her mind spinning to the Prone who had beat her within an inch of her consciousness. Was he there? Was he one of these soldiers coming to attack them?
"The hits just keep comin'," Reyn growled, assuming a defensive position.
"What are you waiting for?" Vandham growled. He swung his gun over his chest and opened fire. A shower of bullets soared upwards, cutting down two ropes. The Ganglion soldiers attached to them fell fast. Too fast. Their bodies smacked onto the ground, their bones crunching on impact. They didn't move.
Fiora turned away and vomited. The smell jolted Melia back and she grabbed the human girl's shoulders. "Take a breath. We can do this."
Fiora weakly nodded.
Soldiers continued propelling downward and the first few hit the ground, unscathed. The team scattered in every direction. Bullets flew, swords clashed, it was chaos.
Melia grabbed a knife from her boot and threw it at a Ganglion soldier that charged her. It lodged itself into the ankle, and he tripped and fell. Riki scampered over and delivered a finishing blow.
To her right, Melia saw a BLADE cadet fending off two Ganglion soldiers. She grabbed her second dagger and flung it. It buried itself into the neck of one, and he crashed forward, bleeding from the lethal wound. But the second Ganglion speared its blade through the chest of the BLADE cadet. The soldier withdrew the weapon and the BLADE's body fell, still.
Hot anger flashed through Melia and she shot a stream of fire at the Ganglion. It consumed him and his screams pierced the air. But she didn't care.
"Give me a hand!" Tyrea screamed, joining the fray, pointing at the top of the ropes where soldiers still plunged into the fight.
Without hesitation, Melia conjured her ether and sent lightning bolts towards the ropes. They cut loose the soldiers, who screamed and squirmed in the air until they landed with hard slams all around them.
Tyrea sneered, flinging a star into the neck of a stunned Ganglion.
A shriek cut off too quickly. Melia snapped her head to see one of the Ganglion bodies land on a fleeing BLADE cadet. She whipped around to avoid seeing the crunched bodies collide.
Nausea filled her stomach and she bent over and gagged.
"Melia!"
The noise was too loud; she couldn't identify the speaker. But she wiped her mouth and shot off another round of lightning bolts, cutting the remaining ropes.
"Nice one," Tyrea winked at her.
"Look out!" Melia screamed as a Ganglion soldier barreled towards her sister. Melia flung a streak of flames at him, encapsulating him as Tyrea backflipped away to her side.
"Thank you."
She nodded but her attention diverted, her eyes moving to scan the scene. Everyone was in combat of some kind. Tyrea dashed forward. Melia began to follow when—
"SCREEEEEEEE!"
Melia whirled around to see a Caro explode through the miasma, barreling straight towards her, two on its tail. They hadn't considered that even though the force field kept the radiation out, it might not be keeping the creatures that guarded the skell out as well.
She jumped out of its way and skidded to a stop, hunkering down into a defensive stance. One of the Caros skidded to a stop, watching her with hungry eyes. Rage burned in her gut. No, she would not die here to this monster.
But it rushed at her too quickly and tackled her, knocking her staff out of her hands. She writhed in its grasp, narrowly avoiding its biting at her face. The hot breath was warm on her. Saliva dripped onto her neck, hot and sticky.
She turned her head to see her staff was only a hair's breadth away from her hands. She reached for it, though the Caro stomped on her outstretched arm. She yelped, feeling her bones weaken under the weight. But the electricity of the adrenaline in her body spiked, blocking the pain. The Caro leaned back to bite down on her, but she made one last effort to reach, grabbed her staff, thrust it into the Caro's mouth, and sent a storm of flames into its cavity. It staggered backward, wheezing, its insides charred, and dropped to the ground, dead, trapping the bottom half of her body.
The weight was too much, heavy and painful. Groaning, she forced the body up using an air ether spell. She scurried out from under before losing grip on the spell and the corpse fell with a thump.
Struggling, she pulled herself up. Another Caro had joined the fight. And another emerged from the miasma.
She looked up to see the Ganglion ship unmoving. No doubt they were waiting for the monsters to finish them off.
Melia readied her staff once more but swayed on her feet. The effects of the ether crystal were wearing off. Her strength was almost gone. In minutes she would lose consciousness, and possibly die.
The air changed around her. She felt a rush of ether flow through the air currents just like it had when the old skell had turned on. In the middle of the battle, Tyrea glanced over her shoulder at Melia, her eyes wide.
More Caros emerged from the fog, closing in on them. Melia's heart dropped into her stomach and it twisted. There was no chance of survival.
Unless...
Melia took a breath and held her wand up to the sky, watching as more and more Caros appeared from the purple sea. A wash of fear covered her. Tears dotted the corners of her eyes. She didn't want to die. But this was the last chance they had.
"Melia NO!" Tyrea cried.
Melia threw the rest of her ether into the wand, sending up a green light beacon. Time stopped. All eyes on the green flare that rocketed out of her staff.
She felt her cells shredding and she screamed in pain. She opened her mouth and her voice poured out, a high-pitched scream that carried on the green light tsunami. The pain was excruciating but she couldn't stop. She couldn't give up.
One last time. One last breath.
The rocket of green filled the sky, cover the blue and the clouds. Melia watched, relieved. Then she broke the connection. Her staff dropped from her hand and she fell to the ground, eyes skyward.
Silence.
Then a bloodcurdling scream. Above a silhouette of wings and an elongated oval head spewed orange fire at the Ganglion ship, enveloping it completely as it attempted to speed away. But it was too late. It consumed it. The smell of melting steel filled the air, and the ship disappeared from view, crashing into the miasma.
"What the fuck is that!?" Vandham called.
"A Telethia," Tyrea answered, horrified.
It descended and landed with a whump ten feet from Melia. It screeched, the vibrations bouncing around in Melia's blood. She quivered, feeling herself begin to slip away.
Fearful, the Caros scuttled away back into the miasma, leaving only the humans, High Entia, and the Telethia.
The Telethia studied them, snorting green fire.
Melia turned to see everyone crouching into fighting positions, about twenty feet away.
No.
Drawing a ragged breath, she crawled towards the Telethia. One knee in front of the other. Wincing with each movement. The Telethia redirected its attention to her, watching her inch her way towards it.
"Melia, what are you doing?!" Tyrea shouted.
The Telethia snapped its head towards her sister.
"Ellison. Ellison. Look at me." Melia pleaded. The Telethia turned back to her, questioning. She took out her wand. It reared and snorted, its nostrils flaring, ready to attack.
"No, no. I'm not going to hurt you." She took a breath and tossed it away from her. It rolled towards the others, far out of her reach.
"Melia?" Dunban called out. She could hear the underlying current of panic in his voice. Her heart twisted in her chest, but she kept her focus on the Telethia.
The Telethia flickered its glance between her and the wand.
Melia crawled a few more feet, then stopped. There were only five feet between her and its snout. She pushed herself up on her knees.
"Ellison, I'm not going to hurt you," Melia whispered and reached out, her arm trembling.
The Telethia stared, unwavering. Then it inched closer.
If the others were talking, she couldn't hear them. Just the roar of blood in her ears and her heart hammering in her chest, threatening to combust.
Its snout hovered over her hand. She did not jerk away.
"Ellison…"
It examined her and she returned its gaze with hopeful eyes. Was her brother hearing her inside?
Then it shrieked and backpedaled a few steps. With one more shriek, it launched itself into the sky, leaving them behind.
It was over. She let go. Melia fell back onto the ground. Her eyes fluttered closed. Her body hummed in pain. It overwhelmed her senses. Her insides cramped. Her mind lost its way. It was happening all over again. Her body recalling the trauma from a few days ago, unearthing the damage done, making her relive it once more.
This time, she knew there was no escape.
And she slipped away.
