My name is Jask, and I'm preparing for war.
That's nothing new for me, if I'm to be honest. I've spent most my whole life fighting wars. Not like I had much of a choice, growing up with the Hive. I've invaded planets, infected all sorts of species and turned them into Hive members, and killed countless who resisted us, all the while telling myself that I had no other options.
But this time, there's more at stake than a people I couldn't care less about. This time, somebody I love is on the line, along with everybody else that he cares about. For the first time, I find myself on the other side, and with it, looking back on my actions with a new perspective.
I almost wish it made me sick, what I've done over the years. But...it doesn't. I find that I don't care about the past, a bunch of long dead corpses of long-conquered races that will never amount to much of anything. I was doing my job, and I did it well.
Now I have something more than a job to do. I have to protect this village, these people, and above all else, I have to protect Ninebrels. I cannot let the Hive conquer or destroy his people, and more importantly, I cannot let them take him from me, at any cost.
Ninebrels was right. The village really doesn't have much in the way of defenses, but it could be worse. At the least, every Fungusian here has weapons built right into their body.
I've tried to teach them how to use them. I don't have to time to focus on it myself, but I've set Ninebrels up with anybody who will pay attention, to teach them whatever basics of swordfighting he can manage.
I don't hold out a lot of hope for that. They're gonna go up against experienced warriors who have been training all their lives. But the Fungusians do have healing spores, so maybe they can pull out some surprises.
After Dr. Fungra told me all he could, I sent him to the library to dig through old books and hunt for any sort of mention of weaponry, something that the village may have had long ago but forgotten about. I have no idea how successful he'll be, maybe he won't find anything at all, but honestly, I just needed some space from him. Things are...understandably awkward between us.
I have come up with a plan. When you don't have any real, traditional options for taking out your enemies, you gotta use what you DO have. Based on information from Dr. Fungra and Ninebrels, I've set out to recruit every musically inclined Fungusian I can find.
"Is having a band really that important?" Ninebrels asks skeptically as I hurry past, several other Fungusians awkwardly practice-swinging their blades nearby.
"More than you realize." I tell him. I think of him playing his own instrument and smile. "You wanna join?" Ninebrels glances at his shoulder before shaking his head.
"No." He tells me. "Outside of you, I'm the best fighter we've got. You'll need me elsewhere."
"Probably..." I agree after a moment of thought. "Sorry I can't stay and talk. I need to get to the lumberyard." Ninebrels watches me leave, and I know he's curious about what I have planned. I'll explain it to him, later. Right now, I have to stay moving, get everything in line.
As I run to the lumberyard, my mind slips to the thing I picked up from the ship. A smile comes across my face. Maybe later, once I've set things into motion, I can make use of that. It would be nice, to surprise Ninebrels with that, before the very real possibility that we die sooner than we would hope.
I locate the lumberyard and enter, checking out a lengthy chainsaw leaning against the wall. The Fungusian working there looks up in surprise as I approach, introducing myself and explaining what I need from them. Once they've agreed, I exit the lumberyard and head towards Ninebrels' house, my mind made up. I'll have to hurry if I want it ready by the time he shows up to turn in for the night.
Ninebrels shows up to his house that night not in the best spirits. I can see it as soon as he walks in, his expression downcast. I can't say I blame him. Things do not look good.
"How's your arm?" I ask. Ninebrels looks to his cast and frowns.
"Annoying." He closes his eyes and focuses. After a moment of intense concentration, a single healing spore emerges from his cap and moves into the arm, making him sigh in relief. "Actually, make that better."
"That's good to hear." I move to help him get the sling off himself. "Hate seeing you in pain."
"I know." Ninebrels nods. "Thanks." He moves to step past me, heading towards the kitchen. I quickly step to cut him off.
"Uh, actually, can you wait, until I call you?" I ask, stepping backwards toward the kitchen door. Ninebrels stops and looks at me in confusion.
"Jask, I'm hungry." he complains. "I skipped lunch cuz I was so busy training people, and I still don't know how effective they'll be."
"I know." I nod. "I didn't eat lunch either. But not to worry, I've got dinner covered."
"You've got..." Ninebrels gapes at me. "YOU'RE making dinner?"
"Yep." I smile, reaching back to open the door. "Just about finished, if you can stand to wait out here a moment." Ninebrels slowly nods.
"Okay..." He says nervously. I step back through the door. "I hear anything explode in there, I'm coming in." He calls out as an afterthought. I stick my hand back through the doorway and give him a raised thumb before closing it.
I quickly scramble around the kitchen, making sure everything is in place. A couple of failed concoctions are still sitting on the counter, and I quickly dispose of them in the trash, tossing the dishes they sat on into the sink. My successful, or at least I think so, creation I grab, moving them from their dish and into a bowl
The table is already set, and I grab the last bite of my main course test case, sticking in my mouth and chewing, making sure for the fifth time that it seems right. Nodding in satisfaction, I straighten up a couple things at the table and locate a match, lightning a pair of candles.
Stepping back, I admire my work for a moment before running to the door, pulling it open.
"Ready." I step aside and wave my hand. "Come on in."
Ninebrels enters and I guide him to the table, pulling a chair out and indicating for him to take a seat. As he does so, I move to the counter, scooping up the tray and bringing it over. Ninebrels looks surprised as I slide one of the same sliced fruit dishes that we'd tried to make before onto his plate. I put one on my own as well before setting the tray aside.
"Go on." I nod. "Give it a try."
Ninebrels looks apprehensive, looking around to see if I have any other dishes. I move back towards the counter, grabbing up the bowl there and carrying it over, holding it out of his line of sight.
"Surprise." I shake my head. "Try that first."
"Jask, if my mouth bursts into flames or something..." Ninebrels warns me with noticable traces of humor to him. Taking his fork in hand, he slices off a piece and pops it in, chewing as I wait with bated breath. After he swallows, his face slowly morphs into a full grin, a laugh building in him.
"What?" I ask nervously. "What's so funny?"
"It's good." He tells me. "You did it, Jask!" I slump backwards against my seat, sighing in relief. "I can't believe you acually pulled it off."
"Hey, learn from your mistakes and all that stuff." I manage. I glance at the bowl, steaming in my grip. "I...uh...I came up with this myself." I slide the bowl towards him.
Ninebrels looks into it curiously. In it are the same root vegetable he used to cool our mouths down previously. I've diced them into a chunks and cooked them over the fire. He seems uncertain, noticing their unusual shine.
"What did you do?" he asks.
"Try one." I suggested. "Guess."
Slowly, Ninebrels forks one out of the bowl, smelling it before sticking it in his mouth. I lean forward in anticipation, my hands gripping the table as I await his response.
I know I've got him before he actually says anything. His eyes are lighting up and he's chewing faster. Swallowing, he finally speaks.
"This is amazing!" He forks another up. "Seriously, what did you do to these? Where did the sweetness come from?" He begins to chew on the second.
Drawing a jar from beneath the table, I slide it over to him, letting him look at it, examining the sticky gold liquid inside before checking out the label on it.
"Honey?" he realizes.
"Like I told you about." I nod. "Picked it up from the ship. That was part of why I went there." I chuckle. "Took me a few tries to figure out a way to use it with your food that worked."
"Well this certainly does work." Ninebrels smiles as he has another. Standing, I go to retrieve drinks, his gaze following me the whole way.
"Glad you like them." I tell him, taking a seat. "I wanted to do something special for you." I look down at the table. "To show you I care. Especially now, since..." I can't bring myself to finish the sentence, and I really don't need to. The implication is clear.
A silence hangs over us for a few minutes. I eventually reach out to dip a plate for myself, eating slowly and without much spirit.
"Do you hate me?" I ask, reluctant to look up and meet Ninebrels' eyes. When I do, I'm met with confusion.
"Why?" he asks. "I told you, I forgive you."
"Yeah, but..." I sigh, my fork dropping to the table as I release it. "You know who and what I really am now. The things I've done...how can you just...?" Ninebrels sets down his own fork, his hand reaching across the table and resting on my own.
"Jask, do you regret what you did?" he asks.
"...no." I admit. "Not really. I didn't enjoy any of it, but..." My head shakes. "I can't find any sort of...remorse, in me." I look to him nervously. "Is that bad?"
"Possibly." Ninebrels shrugs. "But...it's not like you can change any of that, anyway. What use is regretting the past, really? I would concern yourself more with what you plan to do for the future." I smile slightly before it quickly fades.
"I don't want this to end, Brels." I tell him. "Us, I mean. I want us to have...so much more time together."
"We will." Ninebrels tells me.
"You don't believe that." I shake my head. "Let alone know it." A guilty look cross his face. "But I appreciate the attempt to cheer me up." Afer another moment of silence, Ninebrels rises and moves around the table, bringing his chair with him until he's sitting next to me, a new look of determination about him.
"But we should believe it." he says. "We HAVE to believe it. If we go into battle expecting to die, that's exactly what's going to happen." He takes my hand, turning me to face him so he can grasp it with both of his. "If we want to spend our lives together..."
"That's exactly what I want." I whisper.
"Then we have no choice." He says firmly. "We have to fight like hell for it. And we have to believe...no, we have to KNOW it will happen."
"...okay." i slowly nod. "Okay."
"We will do this." He leans closer. "You have a plan, don't you?"
"Well..yeah, but..." I start.
"No buts." He shakes its head. "It will work. We'll make it work if we have to. You get me?"
"Yeah...I get you." I agree.
"Now, c'mon." He turns me back to the table. "Eat. We'll need our strength." I nod in understanding and start eating, more determinedly than before. Ninebrels smiles in satisfaction before moving around the table to his own place.
"Besides..." He forks up another of my dish. "I'm clearly on the path to turning you into a master chef. I can't stop that over a little army invading." I find myself genuinely laughing out loud at the statement.
"Thanks, Brels." I smile as I take another bite. "How do you always know exactly what to say to help me?"
"Jask, I almost never know what to say." he laughs. "I just...say whatever comes naturally." He takes another bite, staring at me as I think about what he said. "So...you gonna explain this plan to me?" he asks at last.
"Yeah..." I agree. "Well, I started thinking about these trees around here..."
The following morning, I'm waiting in town, my eyes searching the forest. We've had lookouts posted all night, but so far, no sign of the Hive forces that should be approaching. They seem to taking their time. Maybe some of my talk about how dangerous the Fungusians supposedly are is still lingering and causing them doubt.
I feel a tapping at my shoulder and turn to find Ninebrels' father standing behind me.
"Dr. Fungra." I greet.
"Listen, Jask..." Dr. Fungra shifts nervously. "I wanted ta ask a favor of ya."
"What is it?" I question.
"If things go south here..." He swallows. "I want...I want ya ta take Ninebrels and run, as far and fast as you can." I turn to him and he looks down. "I don't want him ta die here, Jask."
"Nor do I." I tell him. "You don't have to worry about that. I'll be doing everything in my power to keep him alive." I frown and glance down. "Even if it kills me."
"Hmph." Dr. Fungra folds his arms and I look at him. His face is torn, as if he wants to say something, but at the same time doesn't. At last, he sighs and looks around to make sure we're alone.
"Ya should know, Ninebrels asked me ta keep an eye on ya. Save ya if I could." I look to him in surprise. "Made me promise I'd save ya over him if it came down to it. Don't tell him I told ya."
"I won't." I assure him. A smile creeps onto my face as I look forward, thinking about Ninebrels doing that. "But I wouldn't worry about me. You should focus more on the rest of the plan."
"I've never seen somethin mean so much ta him." Dr. Fungra goes on. "He's always been a restless one. Never really satisfied here." He gives a half-hearted chuckle. "He cares about me, but...I don't know that he'd give his life for me. But..." He shrugs. "He'd give his life for ya, no doubt about it."
"Same, honestly." I tell him. "I've lived my whole life without much of anything I truly cared about. But Brels...he's special to me. I'd give anything for him."
"Good ta know." Dr. Fungra glances back. "Speakin of whom..." Ninebrels approaches with two cups in hand, steam rising out of them, purchased from a local shop.
"Hey, dad." He extends a hand and I take one of the cups, sipping at the liquid inside. Bitter, but energizing. "If I'd know you would be here, I'd have got three."
"It's quite alright." Dr. Fungra tells him. "I was just leavin." He hesitates for a moment before moving in and hugging Ninebrels tight. "I love ya, Niney. In case I don't see ya again, I love ya."
"I know you do, dad." he tells him, reciprocating the hug. Dr. Fungra pulls back, a sad expression on him. Ninebrels sees me mouthing words at him from behind the doctor, seeming to pick up on what I'm saying fairly quickly. "Love you too." His father's seems surprised, a smile soon blooming on his face. He nods and walks away, much happier than he came.
"When was the last time you told him that?" I ask once he's gone. Ninebrels lets out an exhale.
"Not since I was a kid, I think." he says at last. "It's not that I don't, I do. I just...it's not something you really talk about with your dad, is it?"
"Guess not." I shrug. "I didn't even know my dad, so...wouldn't really know."
Movement catches my eye, a good ways off through the woods, but approaching. Quickly drinking the last of the beverage Ninebrels brought, I toss the cup into a nearby trash can.
"Go time." I look to Brels. "Get the band out here."
"On it." Ninebrels runs to a nearby building, throwing open the door and calling out through its interior. Soon, he returns leading several lines of Fungusians, each and every one carrying an instrument. They assemble into formation, putting last minute touches on their instruments before the time to play gets here.
While the Hive are still a bit at a distance, I give a look off behind me. We're all standing on the main street through the town. At the very end of it, on the edge of the town, one of the forest's trees towers. The lumber crew should be there by now, ready and waiting. When the band starts playing, the signal will be sent.
Everyone else is gathered and in hiding a couple streets over in either direction. The band will signal them as well to move into position.
The Hive are now visible as they stream out of the forest, starting to enter the town at the other end of the street Ninebrels and I wait on. My heart feels like it leaps up into my throat as I see who's at the front.
"They brought the Queen." I mutter. That's not something they usually do when heading into direct, known battle. The Queen typically hangs back for safety purposes. But here one is, marching at the very front of the group.
"Is that bad?" Ninebrels asks.
"Yes." I say without hesitation. "But there's not much we can do about it other than stick to the plan."
A pair of Elite Guards walk behind her, one of them missing a few limbs and with an insane amount of bandages wrapped around his limbs and body. He gaze is squarely on me and Ninebrels, his eyes burning at the prospect of revenge. The only other one staring as intently is the Queen, Helenisk, her name is. The others of the Hive examine everything around them, their eyes searching and observing.
Most of the group is of course made up of Drones, scrawny yellow and black creatures with a Combee's face, their gaze curious and distracted. At the very back come a pair of Tanks, sizable Heracross-like creatures that run all all four legs and have thick, jagged armor over their body. They are by far going to be the hardest thing to take down here if it comes to a direct one-on-one.
My eyes go to the back of the Hive group, watching it file into the street. As soon as they do, I look back.
"Band, start up!" I call. The band all start to play their instruments. a loud, energetic song, rousing and pushing towards action. With that, the signal is out there, and their continual playing will cover the sound of what we're doing. All we have to do is keep them where they are...and that means stalling.
"You ready?" I ask Ninebrels, getting an affirmative nod. The two of us march forward to meet the incoming forces.
We come to a stop a few feet away from them as they too halt their forward march.
"Jask." the Queen speaks.
"Queen Helenisk." I offer a bow of greeting. "I did not expect you here."
"When a high-ranking Hive member such as yourself is betraying us, I like to personally handle the isuse." she tells me. I shiver at her words, getting the feeling her idea of 'handling the issue' isn't going to be very pleasant for me.
"I see." I respond with.
"Tell me." She looks between me and Ninebrels curiously. "Why have you done it? What do the people here offer you that would convince you to throw your life away?"
"The only danger to him comes from you." Ninebrels speaks, causing her to look his way. "You could choose to leave him. We can end this peacefully."
"His treason cannot stand." she says, her gaze looking him up and down. "Are you the one he saved?"
"He is." the Elite Guard I fought before hisses. I'm struggling to remember his name, never really having paid him much mind before.
"Curious..." Queen Helenisk murmurs. "I still have not got my answer. Why?"
Ninebrels looks to me, unsure of what I want to reveal. I'm counting seconds in my head, working towards the timeframe that I was told the task would take.
Swallowing nervously, I extend my hand over and intertwine my fingers with Ninebrels'. Helenisk's eyes drop to the hold before shifting back up to me, her face becoming sour. The injured Elite Guard chuckles triumphantly.
"Tell me you are not." Helenisk says.
"I thought as much." the Elite Guard speaks up. "He hasn't been to the Hive Keepers ever, as far as I can tell."
"Didn't realize it was your job to keep such a tab on my life..." I glare. "Uh..."
"Morev!" he snaps.
"Right." I nod. "Morev. Maybe mind your own business, yeah?"
"You disgusting..." Morev angrily starts to retort.
"Morev, quiet." Helenisk raises a hand, making the Elite fall silent. Her eyes have hardened now that she knows my secret. "Well, I think that clears a lot of things up. Including what our action must be..."
From her palm, a long spear weapon resembling a Beedrill's spikes grows, while her other hand forms a series of hexagons that click together until they form a shield.
"Stay back, everyone." she orders. "I will personally..."
The band suddenly falls silent, which is the signal to me that the deed is done. Slightly longer than the timeframe i was given, but I can't be too bothered. A tremendous cracking sound rings through the air, and down at the end of the street, the enormous tree begins to topple towards us.
"Move!" I call to Ninebrels, using my hold on his hand to drag him towards a side street. The band is already scattering, spreading out to the side streets out of range. The Hive members behind the Queen turn and try to flee as well, but Fungusians have blocked all the ways off, blades extended and jabbing forward, keeping them in place.
Helenisk makes no such attempts to escape, looking up at the colossal falling tree in amusement. Circles of energy move from her palm down the spear, gathering at its tip.
"Sneaky." she admits, raising the spear to point upwards. "But futile." A bolt of energy shoots from the tip, soaring towards the tree. As it strikes, it blasts outward, tearing through the trunk. Bits of wood are sent flying out over the town, a sizable section of the tree blown away.
The bottom part of the trunk slams down, covering most of the street, but falling short of the Queen. The top part crashes down, some of the Hive forces disappearing under it, including the Tanks. I hop up onto a roof to examine what remains. The Queen, both Elite Guards, plenty of Drones. One of the Tanks is pulling itself free, having managed to avoid fatal crushing.
"Attack, now!" I yell as loud as I can. "Everyone, press the advantage!"
Helenisk aims her spear my way, and I narrowly leap back down as another blast rips the roof of the building I stood on apart.
"Nobody touch him." I hear her call to her troops, earning protests from Morev. "He's mine."
"C'mon." I tell Ninebrels, moving for a new position.
"How do we beat her?" He asks as we run.
"I'm an Assassin." I tell him. "If there's anybody in the Hive who can take out a Queen, it's us. But I need her to be alone." I look to him. "You've gotta keep anyone else from interfering."
"Gotcha." Ninebrels agrees. "I'll..." His eyes widen and he suddenly extends one of his blades, planting the front against my chest and using it to push me back, seconds before another blast streaks by in front of us. We scramble back out of sight as the Queen's voice calls out.
"Jaaaaask." she yells out mockingly. "Come out, come out, little freak."
"Bitch." I growl, drawing my blades. "Did you see anyone with her?"
"That Elite, Morev." Ninebrels says. "He's trailing behind her. Didn't see anyone else."
"That's better than we could've hoped for." I tell him. The sounds of battle are raging from all around us, the sound of the Fungusians fighting desperately to save their home. I have no idea how it's going, if they're being slaughtered, or holding their own, or, hope of all hopes, winning. All I know is that me and Ninebrels are within range of the Queen, and we need to finish her off. "Can you draw her fire?" I ask. "I'll circle around and attack her. Once I do, you go for Morev."
"Right." Ninebrels smiles. "That multi-armed goon's got it coming to him."
"On three." I tell him. "One...two...THREE!"
Ninebrels dashes out of cover, speeding across the intersecting alley to the other side. Helenisk adjusts her spear, but doesn't fire it. Halting, he peeks back out and she launches the bolt, Ninebrels diving backwards as it strikes the corner of the building and blasts it to pieces.
Meanwhile, I've flown onto the roof beside me, moving around with both blades drawn. Leaping down, I aim for Helenisk's hands, hoping to take her weapon or shield or both from her. She's too quick, turning and raising her shield in time to block my strikes.
Morev moves at me from behind, but Ninebrels has re-emerged, both blades extending as he dashes past us and charges the Elite. Morev grins and swipes an arm at him, Ninebrels sliding past and slicing across his leg. The Elite roars in fresh pain, turning and pursuing him.
The Elite ducks low and tries to grab at Ninebrels' legs, the Fungusian leaping over his grasp. Planting a foot against his back, he pushes off and propels himself away. Morev spits a stream of venom, Ninebrels twisting aside as it splashes across the ground behind him.
"Stay still..." Morev hisses in annoyance. Another punch is dodged and Ninebrels swings a blade at his side, Morev catching it one of his hands and trying to use it to pull the Fungusian closer. Before he can, Ninebrels retracts that blade, slicing across Morev's hand and ducking as a punch passes over him. He slams a kick into Morev's right leg, nearly toppling the Elite as it's forcibly bent. Swinging his other sword up, Morev barely moves back as it whooshes in front of his face.
Lashing out, he grabs Ninebrels' wrist, hurling him aside into a building, bouncing off its wall hard enough to crack it. Ninebrels rolls aside as he leaps and slams down, his leg giving out and nearly making him fall on impact. Spinning, his arm smashes Ninebrels back hard enough to crack bone.
"You're nothing!" Morev snaps as a healing spore emerges to repair the damage. Racing forward as fast as he can with his limping leg, he's not quick to enough to catch the Fungusian as he flips across the alley to the other side. Springing, he slams into Ninebrels and pushes him back against the service counter of some shop, built right into the wall under a large wooden awning.
Ninebrels struggles against his grip, but can't seem to break free. Morev leans in closer, venom dripping from his jaws and sizzling against Ninebrels' body.
"You're a weakling." he hisses. "And you and your little freak boyfriend are gonna learn what happens when you betray the HIve and break the rules of nature."
"Speaking of rules of nature..." Ninebrels growls as he pushes against the Elite's grip. "Ever heard of survival of the fittest?"
"Indeed." Morev grins. "That's why you're dying here, ain't it?"
"If you would let me finish..." Ninebrels goes on. "I was gonna say the same thing."
Raising a leg, he kicks at the Elite's weaker leg, snapping the bone entirely. Morev screams in pain, his grip loosening enough for Ninebrels to pull free. As he tries to grab him again, the Fungusian leaps upwards, pushing off Morev's shoulder, shoving him down as he pushes himself up. Swinging out with his blades, he cuts through the supports on the awning above them.
As he lands, Ninebrels rolls forward, getting out from under the awning as it crashes down, kicking up dust around it.
Standing, spores emerge and heal the damage done by Morev's venom. As the dust from the damage settles, he finds Morev pinned beneath the structure, struggling to pull free. He looks up at the Fungusian looming over him, a desperate look appearing on his face.
"Now...h...hold on..." he requests. "If you spare me...I...I could..." Ninebrels crouches in front of him before he can finish, reaching a hand out to cup his jaw.
"Survival of the fittest, remember?" he reminds him, his blade extending suddenly, piercing up through and out the top of Morev's head, the life fading from the Elite's eyes. Retracting the blade, he stands and turns, running to help me.
Meanwhile, I've been fighting for my life. As Helenisk stabs out at me, I use my wings to propel myself over her, landing behind her and spinning with a slash. My blade meets her shield and she pushes, the force sending me skidding backwards down the alley, nearly sliding right out into the roadway.
She chases after me with speed nobody but an Assassin would be able to keep up with, twisting back and away from a jab. Her spear tip energizes and fires, and I barely manage to move aside as it shoots past across the street.
Her other arm swings out and bashes her shield against me, flinging me out and into the roadway. I'm up and dodging aside as she fires another blast, exploding where I was standing, close enough that the shockwave pushes me faster. I land in a tumble, rolling to my feet and racing towards her.
I move as if to swing high before ducking and swinging towards Helenisk's legs. The Queen doesn't lower her shield, but she jumps upwards over my blade. Her shield comes down to slam against the back of my head, stars dancing in my vision as I stumble. I move back and aside, her spear clipping my arm and tearing through, leaving a bleeding wound on its outside.
The spear energizes as she reaims it and I swing a blade up, pushing it aside and letting the shot fly past me. She swings her shield out and smashes it against my hands, one of my swords slipping from my grip and clattering to the ground.
Helenisk wastes no time capitalizing, kicking and forcing me back before I can regrab it. Behind her, I see Ninebrels emerge from the alleyway, doing my best not to look at him as he approaches.
She's forcing me back; I can do nothing but block or deflect her flurry of spear strikes. As Ninebrels gets close to her, she suddenly changes from jabbing to a sideways swing, the side of her spear smacking against my head.
As I stagger dizzily, she turns and thrusts forward, her spear piercing into Ninebrels' stomach before he can react. The spear energizes and a shot fires from it, ripping through his body as it shoots off behind him, sending him staggering back with a sizable hole in his body.
"BRELS!" I quickly slash towards her head, but she has her shield up in time to block it. Her foot connects with my chest, staggering me to where a shield slam to the forehead can knock me down.
Ninebrels staggers back, healing spores emerging and trying to repair the damage. There's not enough of them to manage it. The hole has shrunk, but it's still there as he falls to a knee.
Helenisk leaps behind me as I try to rise, jabbing her spear forward. The weapon pierces through one of my wings and she rips it free, getting a yell of pain free me. Another jab pierces into my leg and she smashes her shield into my back, knocking me onto my face.
Ninebrels looks up in horror as I struggle to rise, Helenisk planting a foot against my back. Reaching down with her spear, she bats my sword aside.
"No..." Ninebrels is trying to get up, to move forward, to do anything to help me. "Please..."
"Beg all you want." Helenisk says without a trace of sympathy to her. Her foot rises and slams down on my other wing, breaking it. "He will die here, as will you." She raises her spear. "It is the punishment you both deserve."
Stabbing down, her spear pierces through the base of my wings and into my back, emerging from my front. A pain sharper than anything I've ever felt shoots throughout my body, and I can't help but let out an agonized scream. The yell turns into a gurgle as blood drips from my mouth, staining the ground beneath me blue.
"JASK!" Ninebrels tries harder to force himself up, only managing to fall forward slightly. My hand extends. I know I'm going to die here, and I just...want to feel his grip one more time, but he's just...so far. "No..." Ninebrels breaks into a mixture of sobbing and anger, clearing wanting nothing more than to ram one of his blades through Helenisk's face. "NOOOOOO!"
As he screams, a green glow begins to shine down on all three of us. Helenisk looks up in confusion, and I try to turn my head to see upwards as well.
Above, healing spores drift through the air, hundreds of them, their glow bathing everything beneath them. I can only watch in wonder as they all begin to collect.
Sailing down, they all swarm Ninebrels' body, disappearing into it. His wound closes up fully and he rises to his feet, the spores continuing to come. His body begins to glow in the same green light, and then begins to expand.
Helenisk pulls her spear from my back, sending a fresh wave of pain through me, as Ninebrels' shadow falls over us. I smile weakly as I see him towering above, looking at himself in awe. He draws back an arm to swing, but stops before doing so.
"Try it." Helenisk tells him, keeping herself positioned on me. "Go on." Growling, Ninebrels pulls back a foot and swings it, keeping it just high enough to miss me. Helenisk raises her shield, being sent flying back down the street.
Extending her own wings, she takes to the air, flying aside as Ninebrels swings towards her with his blade. Aiming, she fires a blast that detonates against his shoulder. A healing spore emerges and repairs it as he chases after her.
Forcing myself up onto my elbows, I crawl forward, each movement increasing the pain in my body. My sword lies maybe six feet away from me.
"You're gonna pay for what you've done!" Ninebrels snaps as he swipes at the Hive Queen, narrowly missing. "Every ounce of pain you gave him! I'll give it back to you tenfold!"
"Your size won't save you." Helenisk calls as she circles Ninebrels, pelting him with shots every time her weapon can charge up. He continues to heal from them, but after a while, no spore emerges. Helenisk fires another shot that Ninebrels blocks with his sword, the top half of it breaking free from the damage. "I'll put you down one way or the other."
My hand closes on my sword, gripping it as I pull it closer to myself. Ninebrels swipes furiously at the Hive Queen. Helenisk is forced to dive out of the way, landing on the street and aiming her spear up. Another blast takes off half of Ninebrels' other sword as he blocks it.
A smile crosses Helenisk's face as she fires again, the shot striking Ninebrels in the chest. His body withstands it without massive damage, but it's still enough to stun him. Lowering her spear, she fires again and hits him in the foot, knocking him to a knee, the ground shaking as he drops.
"Do you not see yet?" Helenisk marches forward, her spear charging up again as she keeps it aimed at his face. Ninebrels glares, but there's no way for him to avoid the shot she's readying at his size. "You freaks were never meant to win this. The truth will always triumph." The speartip brightens. "And the truth is..."
From behind, my blade pierces through her, emerging from her chest and cutting off her speech. I yank back and remove it, Helenisk struggling to turn in surprise, blue blood pouring from the gash.
"The truth is..." I gasp. "The only freak around here..." I pull back. "Is YOU!" Swinging out, my blade bites into her neck, the Queen too slow to try and block it. She staggers to the side with widening eyes as she reaches up to try and stem the bleeding, gasping and toppling to the ground.
I stare at her body for longer than necessary, half of me expecting her to pop back upright. A sense of relief begins to spread through me as I realize that she is in fact dead. I turn, almost falling over in the process, to see Ninebrels looking down at me with an expression of amazement.
His gaze shifts down the road from me. I turn to find that the other members of the Hive have gathered. The other Elite at the front, a Tank looming over behind them. All of them are staring at me and the dead Queen in shock and horror.
I start to raise my blade, try to come up with a threat. I got nothing. My legs give out and I topple forward.
"Jask!" Ninebrels' voice comes across muffled, as if I'm hearing it through water or something. "Stay down!" My gaze is on the Hive members, who have started to charge towards me. About halfway there, they stop and turn, fleeing in terror. I see the lower half of the tree we cut down come sailing down, smashing into them, crashing through buildings, undoubtedly crushing most of them in a wave of destruction as it rolls through the village. The last thing I see before losing consciosness is my giant-sized Brels stomping to check the wreckage.
I have no idea how long it is until I wake up. When I do, I don't know where I am. It feels soft and comfortable under me, but everything aches anyway. I try to move and only manage to shift a tiny bit, a groan escaping my lips.
"Easy, Jask..." I open an eye a crack, seeing Ninebrels, normal-sized, kneeling beside me in concern, his hand holding my own. "Easy." I'm laying facedown, my head turned to the side.
"Where..." I croak.
"My place." he tells me. "Don't worry, we're safe."
"Are...the Hive..." I manage.
"Done for." he nods. "After you passed out, I finished them off as quickly as I could. And then..." His gaze moves down my body. I try to roll over, hoping to sit up. He quickly moves to stop me. "Don't do that. You're still hurt." Maybe so, but my mind is becoming more alert by the moment.
"How bad is it?" I ask.
"There was a lot of internal damage and bleeding." he tells me. "I didn't think I was gonna be able to stop it." He manages a wry smile. "You should be thanking my dad, really. If I hadn't picked up some of this medical stuff from him..." He falls silent at the thought. Looking down, he raises a hand for me to better see. "My fingers turned blue." Indeed, his fingers are now the same color as my blood. "Absorbed too much. Don't think it's gonna come out."
My hand rises up, seeking his and gripping it reassuringly. He clears his throat before going on.
"Her spear grazed your heart, ripped its bottom open." he tells me. "I've been crushing healing spores and feeding the remains into you. It's less effective than using them naturally, but can't get them to work on anyone but myself otherwise." He trembles. "Didn't know that it was going to work at all on your species, but thank heavens, it did. Real touch and go for way too long." He shakes his head. "I don't know how you were still going out there."
"Couldn't let you fight her alone." I whisper.
"Had to clean out your lungs. Blood had gotten all into them." he goes on. "And then there was all the blood loss. The spores helped your replace it faster." He sighs. "You're lucky mine restore themselves faster now."
"Faster...?" I ask curiously before remembering. "Oh...the old legend. Right...it was true."
"No." he shook his head sadly. "The old story was...it glorified it. It wasn't what they claimed it to be."
"What...do you mean?" I ask nervously. The look in his eyes has become darker as he spoke of it. Haunted and hurt. I hold his hand more firmly as he hesitates. "You can tell me."
"They...the spores I took...they came from everyone else." he tells me. "I absorbed them, and it cost..." He takes a shaky breath. "I've been finding bodies all over the village. Shriveled. Lifeless. Taking their spores like that..." He looks down sadly. "They're all dead. The legend wasn't about an ability that saves a village. It was about an ability that sacrifices one."
Not knowing what to say, I'm quiet. I understand why he looks so down now. Thinking about everyone I saw here, how happy they all seemed, already makes it seem awful enough. But for him...he's lived here his entire life. He's known these people his entire life. And his father...
"I'm sorry." I murmur at last. "I would never have asked for that."
"I know you wouldn't." he nods. "I didn't realize...I just was so desperate to save you. I thought I'd give anything for it...and it just...kinda happened."
He's quiet way longer than I like, and anytime I think about speaking myself, my voice catches. After a while, he sighs.
"I've always wanted to leave this place." he mutters. "Maybe if I had sooner..."
"Hey." I frown. "You can't think about that. Remember what you told me? There's no point in regretting the past. You can't change it. Better to focus on what you plan to do for the future." Ninebrels nods slowly.
"I want to leave." he says.
"What?" I ask in confusion.
"When you're better." He looks at me. "I want us both to leave this place."
"Are you sure?" I ask. He nods sadly, looking out the window.
"There's nothing here for me anymore." he says. "Maybe there never was." I manage to nod in agreement.
"Fortunately, I happen to know where there's a whole ship." I tell him. "Newly abandoned." Ninebrels smiles slightly, and I return it before a question occurs to me.
"Why am I facedown?" I ask. Ninebrels shakes his head.
"Your wings." he says sadly. "They were messed up really bad too, and I had to focus on the other stuff to keep you alive. I had to have you on your back for that, and that just made it all the worse." He looks at me, tears emerging from his eyes. "I'm sorry. I don't think they'll be the same, ever."
I sigh, but I can't be mad at him over it, certainly. He undoubtedly saved my life. It would be far too much to expect him to have fixed everything.
"It's okay." I offer. "I never really liked flying that much anyway." Ninebrels nods in understanding and I lay my head back down on the pillow.
"Get some rest, Jask." he tells me, standing. "I'm going to give you some more spores in an hour, when they reform." He leans over, running a hand through my hair before leaning down and kissing me on the cheek. "I love you, Jask."
"I know." I turn my head to face him and smile. "I love you too, Brels." He runs his hand down my cheek one more time before standing and leaving the room. I watch him go before closing my eyes, letting myself drift back off into darkness.
Ninebrels' spores really are a miracle product. That I'm alive is proof enough of that, but that I'm up and able to walk in two weeks is nothing short of astounding. He's right, it's incredibly slow in comparison to the instant repair they can do on him, but all the same. I've never seen anything else like it.
I'm still pretty sore. If it came to a fight right now, I doubt I'd be much good. But at the rate I'm going, that won't last long.
My wings have indeed not healed properly, and not even his spores seem to be able to help them. There's no way I'm flying again. I've tried using them for just a little boost, increasing my agility. It hurt like hell, but I think it'll work once I'm fully healed. So that's something, at least.
Leaving the Hive's empty ship, I make my way back to the village, and to Ninebrels' house. I find him out back, staring at the series of grave markers.
He's been assembling them over the course of these weeks. Burying everyone he can find. His father's marker sits right out at the front. It's that one he stands before, reaching a hand out to rub along its top.
"Hey." I walk up beside him. "I've set the emergency decoupling for the ship's front section." I tell him. "Rigged explosives through the rest. We're ready to leave whenever you are." He doesn't give an answer right away, continuing to stare at the graves. I stand there beside, remaining quiet for a moment. "He was a good guy, your father."
"He was." Ninebrels nods. "Didn't like you much though."
"He was just protecting you." I tell him. "And he came around in the end, I think." I look back to the grave, remembering our last conversation. "You know, he wanted me to take you and run, if things got too dicey. But by the time they did..."
"Too late to go." Ninebrels nods. "Sounds like something he would do." He falls quiet before a smile slowly grows on his face. "Thank you, for telling me that. It's...good to know, that he accepted you."
"Yeah..." I allow him as much time as he needs, and after a couple minutes of silence, Ninebrels sighs and kneels.
"Bye, dad." he whispers. "I'm sorry, for everything. You deserved better than this."
Standing, he turns and marches away in the direction of the ship. All of our stuff that we're taking is already on board. I watch him go, frowning at the sadness in his voice before looking back to his father's grave.
"I'll take care of him, sir." I whisper. "I...we will, take care of each other." Nodding, I follow him back, boarding the ship. Walking into the cockpit, I draw a remote and set the explosives' timer for ten minutes before activating them.
"You ready?" I ask, taking a seat at the controls. From the copilot's seat, Ninebrels looks over at me. He's still bothered by everything that's happened, I can tell, and I don't know what's to become of it...but there's an also an excitement in his eyes, at the prospect of leaving. Of finally getting that chance to see more than the same location all his life.
"I'm ready." he agrees at last. I activate the decoupling and ignite the engines, the front part of the ship disconnecting from the rest and firing boosters, rising into the air. We shoot up into the atmosphere, and by the time the explosives go off and the bottom half of the ship scatters into pieces, we are long gone from the planet.
"Wow..." Ninebrels stares at the window as the view before us; his home planet fading behind us, glittering stars off in the distance. An entire cosmos, and we can go anywhere we like."
"I know, right?" I grin. "Takes your breath away the first time you see it, huh?"
"Yeah..." Ninebrels nods slowly, glancing at me. "You give any thought to what we might do out here?" he asks. "I mean, we gotta make a living somehow, right?"
"Dunno." I shrug. I give the question some thought as we move through the dark void. "Y'know, the Hive sometimes runs into bounty hunters hired to take us out. I've always thought I could do their job better."
"Mmm." Ninebrels turns to look back at the stars. "Interesting..."
(A/N: I hope you have enjoyed this little foray into the far corners of the Poké Rangers universe. Initiallly when I created Jask and Ninebrels, there was no intention of this sidestory, not in the furthest corners of my mind. In fact, one of them wasn't even supposed to be a recurring character; they were an episodic monster, and the other was going to come to avenge their destruction and be a semi-general character that would hang around for a solid arc. But as I finalized plans for it, their roles, character traits, and the story behind them just kept growing until they became some of my favorite characters, and thus, the plan to write this origin story for them was born. If you came here from Season 3, then I hope you will enjoy seeing what has become of them in the 13 years since this took place and where they go in the future. I'll see you over there. If you just checked out this story on its own, maybe you'll want to take a look at the full series, but if not, that's okay too. And to both groups, please leave a review and let me know your thoughts, whether they be good or bad. Constructive criticism is always welcome. With that said, GoldenMewtwo, out!)