A/N
Sorry again, but I made this chapter a bit longer to appease the angry readers. Hopefully, I'll have a good bit of time soon, and it won't take me ten months to write two chapters, and again, I apologize. Senior research papers are here with a vengeance and I gotta devote most of my writing attention to it.
A little key to help you read, as mental speech runs rampant
( ) Indicates Danny's speech with animals
Indicates speech through human telepathy
Italics indicate speech by animals to Danny
Rahne and I took the lead without any encouragement. She was in wolf form without missing a beat and keeping in tight with me as I ran straight towards the main building. Absolute mayhem was happening behind me. Kitty and Jubilee were keeping up, but Ray and Mr. McCoy fell behind to help the others stop the sudden outpour of metal soldiers.
I couldn't stop running. There was a voice screaming in my head to keep going straight, that what was behind was much more dangerous than in front. It was all I could do to steer myself in the right direction.
The main building was black and foreboding, almost ten stories high, with large openings in the sides that large winged shapes began to clumsily pour out of.
Keep running. Keep running, danger behind, I could hear the voice prodding. I was only too happy to oblige.
The doors of the main building slammed open and a massive figure with a spiked Morningstar trudged out. I was only a few hundred feet away but panic wasn't stopping me. I couldn't stop, even though I heard Jubilee scream and saw Rahne stop running.
It was covered in putrid green armor, looking like a steroid induced version of the other warriors, and as I ran towards it, it began to swing the Morningstar in a frightening arc.
Panic and fear, knowing about things to a certainty the others couldn't understand, the sudden mentality of an animal that's been cornered on all sides and only wants to run and escape, suddenly cracked some sort of barrier that I had no idea was there, pouring in information to a terrifying degree.
This was nothing like when I sat down and listened, or heard from animals what was going on in their worlds, or even when I tuned myself with animals to hear messages over long distances, when I was a bit out of my head.
This was everything. Everything crashing in like a torrent covering every inch of my mind's eye.
And I was still running. But everything, everything seemed to be changing. Not in the physical sense, but my own perception. What I saw before as huge an horrible suddenly turned and bared its weak spots to me.
I was only ten yards away, but fear was being pushed down suddenly as a crystal clear view of everything that the green soldier was began to make itself known to me. Its speed was greater than mine, its weight, its height, its aggression, and most certainly the strength.
But that's where the advantage stopped. It wasn't as agile as I was. Nor was it seeing what I was seeing.
Six yards.
I could sense the muscles flexing, spinning the ball and chain.
Four yards.
Shoulder pulls back, carrying weapon into a full arc.
Two yards.
Its grip tightens, leaning forward, bringing the crushing chained weight behind it.
One yard.
So sure of itself as the Morningstar rushes at my body…
A dozen things flashed through my mind as once as I stopped my foot just within three feet and bent over backwards, falling to my knees and sliding under the vicious trajectory.
I felt it fall behind me and saw it without bothering to glance. Somehow the numbers of eyes increased without the increase of animals. Before I stopped sliding I straightened my back and slammed my hands to the ground, forward rolling to my feet behind the green giant.
I ducked down as rush of air moved past my head, the backhand of the giant. I jumped onto its back, causing it to go berserk.
It swung about, trying to dislodge me, but I had already dug my fingers into what I determined to be the weakest spot.
The armor in the back of its head.
What had seemed totally seamless earlier now had cracks and flaws, so obvious that it in itself was unnerving. These seams were where my fingers were digging in, the metal soft, like flesh.
I pulled back hard with one arm, pulling a piece of metal off like a shell. A stench hit me, like rotting vegetables.
Which, strangely enough, was exactly what it was. Decaying plant matter filled the entire helmet cavity, save the large purple glowing blob in the front of it all.
The metal piece was still in my hand, and the creature underneath me jerked about, now flailing more desperately, as if it understood that I had the upper hand. I flipped the metal so a point faced the blob and slammed it down with all my might.
The metal beast shuddered, then slumped and fell slowly to the ground.
I rolled off, careful not to get caught under the falling weight.
"Holy shit." I looked up to see Kitty staring from me to the creature. "Like, what in HELL was that?"
"That? That was…something. Let's get outta here, come on." I motioned her to follow. There was no more mad rush. No more need to infiltrate. They knew we were here. Encroth was destroying another tower, the one he had destroyed during my fight with the metal giant not satiating his hunger. Jean and the others of her group had toppled one already and were trying to dodge Encroth and the soldiers which were determined to attack them and Encroth, but were failing in both, as my friends moved too fast and Encroth was not amused to find them an unsuitable food source and dealt with them with prejudice.
Everything on the battlefield was all too clear. I knew Encroth's desires. I knew how the other soldiers moved, and their movements betrayed their nature as one with the creature I defeated. I saw with stunning accuracy how my own friends moved, Scott's need to wait for a signal from Jean before opening his eyes, Ray's flagging energy, Jubilee's fear, not only of the monsters, but of me…
And most importantly, what was about to come out of the main building.
Crepuscule had taken care of the Elephantine monsters that flew out with ease, but I could tell the monster coming out was more than he could handle.
"You guys go in. The halls are mostly deserted. Just be careful, and hit those metal soldiers on the back of the head really, really, hard."
"Where are you going?" Kitty demanded as Jubilee blinded a pet of Alistair's, one of the dog monkeys, by blasting it in the eyes with fireworks.
"I'm going to go talk to Encroth. He's hungry." With that I ran off, weaving in and out of soldiers and monsters alike, towards the massive glowing insect tearing through his second tower like paper.
(HEY! HEY! KING SPIDER! YOU WANT FOOD?)
WHO CALLS?
(OVER HERE!) I waved my arms and stopped. I'd need room to maneuver if he thought I looked tastier than what was slithering towards the opening in the main building.
FOOD. He raised up, massive pinschers clacking together.
(NOT GOOD FOOD!) I called back, still waving my hands.
DON'T CARE. FOOD.
(BETTER FOOD OVER THERE!) I waved at the building desperately. He kept his attention on me.
FOOD HERE. EASIER TO CATCH. He lunged forward and I rolled. His pinscher smashed into the ground where I had been. I scrambled backwards as he tried to skewer me again.
/Danny/
Jean! She'd try to help, and she'd get hurt, possibly killed. I thought as hard as I could, hoping she'd understand.
/JEAN! GO AWAY/
/OWW/ She yelped. I danced out of Encroth's range. He hadn't noticed her yet, but my talking to her was taking away my reaction time. If I spent too much concentration on her, he'd get me.
/Jean, trust me, go! Ray needs you more than me, he's tired! GO/ I yelled the last thought, hopefully driving the point home.
Just in time. Encroth put on an extra burst of speed and it took all I had to dodge out of the way.
PREY STILL.
(You really expect me to do that?) I retorted. (Encroth would have a better meal at that place.)
He suddenly became very still. I could almost see the mental cogs turning.
YOU SPOKE MY NAME.
(Yes?) I said a little guardedly. This was out of character for an animal.
SPEAK WHAT YOU WISH. YOU HAVE SPOKEN MY NAME, THEREFORE YOU MAY COMMAND.
I stopped and stared. He stayed still. "You're kidding me. I went through all that…for this?"
He made no answer. Which I didn't really expect, as it was mostly directed at me.
An ear-splitting scream tore through the air as a monster with three heads(what looked to be boar, canine, and snake, all attached to a furred, snake like body that was held up by short but strong looking insectoid legs, and to be held in air by rows upon rows of wings) appeared at an opening in the main building, baring fangs and tusks to the crowd below and to Crepuscule above.
(Ahh….Go destroy the monster that is currently crawling out of the main building and snarling at everyone? The one with three heads?)
VERY WELL. PREY WILL LIVE. THIS TIME. DO NOT EXPECT TO COMMAND ENCROTH AGAIN.
No problem, I thought to myself as he rushed through enemy squads to fight the beast as it snaked to the ground.
I felt a certain wobbliness in my legs. I had just faced certain death. If I hadn't known Encroth's name…
A bell went off in my head but I pushed it aside. This was no time to think about anything but the task at hand.
I took a few deep breaths and mentally checked that I was still there. Encroth's mind had been so alien it had threatened to overpower my senses. And in the state they were in, I was in a mental state of vertigo. I had to put everything straight and quickly, because predators were quick to leap on the unwary.
A few more deep breaths and everything was put back into focus. A sudden pang of panic hit when I realized I was surrounded on all sides.
No ducking, no running, would save me from this Metal soldiers, Alistair's pets, other strange creatures…all around me…all…
Dead.
I looked around in shock. Those that had faces looked surprised. None of them looked frightened, or angry. Or harmed. Just…surprised.
My stomach, somehow behind me all this time, suddenly caught up with me. I promptly lost anything that had stayed in my stomach for the last few days.
That…this…it wasn't me, was it? No I couldn't have done it. Something came in while I was trying to recover and killed them all.
"I like to refer to it as souls leaving bodies."
I looked up to see the cloaked man.
Asteria: Thanks. Hope you like the chapter!
Anongirl88: I don't think he'd like sushi anyway. Oh well. Thanks for the offer. I hope you like the chapter even though it's late.
Chrissy: Thanks! I like their plan too. I hope you didn't mind the wait too much!
Raliena: Thank you, I hope you liked the chapter!
PrincessofWildfire: I like Encroth, personally. He's vicious, mean, and utterly insect-like. Yeah, I'd hate to have the powers too. I meant more like the caves were about to cave in, but the way you put it is really interesting too. I hope you like this chapter as well.
Herman will take the reviews! Beware cloaked men with hidden agendas!
