"Who was that?" Pyrus asked, frowning as the presence seemed to make Blaze stiffen and reach for the blaster at his hip.
**I, am Kemet.** Came the simple response, Xerxes quickly moving back and hopping away as the shadows reached up and enveloped all the stone on and around Samateus, appearing to devour them as the Shadow lowered and revealed Jade and Samateus, who promptly lay down, groaning lightly.
Graveheart lightly gaped, mirroring some of the Quarriors and Femur, many shuddering as the shadow then spread along the ground and coalesced upward, in a form reminiscent of a Taalrulthian, but with many more horns and shimmering iridescent Crimson striping that appeared as the shadow melted away. He sat much as a feline would, forepaws together, hindpaws on either side yet a little bit back from them, yet instead of fur and feathers as Samateus sported, he was covered in thick interlocking obsidian scales, some spines protruding upward from those scales like the armoured scutes on a crocodile, and tiny spined fins rose along some patches of the scales and along the jaw of the large and imposing form.
That his eyes were a brilliant crimson bothered a few, though all gathered were surprised when he offered a bow to Xerxes who cautiously padded closer.
"I hoped you'd stay asleep, is it that bad?" Samateus groaned, idly looking at her wing, where her armour had not retracted from the wing wrist and forewing. Xerxes moved closer, closing his eyes a long moment as he held his hands lightly over the armour on her wing, shaking his head and looking to Kemet breifly before turning to Samateus.
"Yes, looks like one of the other falling stones hit your wing-wrist and jammed it back far enough to cause part of the forewing to snap and gouge through flesh. He was probably woken up by the blood." Xerxes sighed, psionically instructing her isopod unit to pull the wing back but hold it up and out until they could get a healer to see her. Kemet lowered his head and eyed Xerxes, breathing a plume of thick black smoke at him that curled around the Ahr'aht and lingered a moment before dissipating.
**You reek of blood yourself. Has your illness resurfaced?**
"More than you realize. Please, let's not make this more uncomfortable than it already is. Sai is already going to tear a strip off me, nevermind Sam." Zera quickly ran to Samateus once they were all certain Kemet was also an ally, Samateus offering a halfhearted and forced purr to help keep Zera from worrying overly much. Kemet closed his eyes understandingly, shadow passing over him again to shrink him down to a size more similar to how Samateus was on planet Ice, moving to stand next to Samateus' injured wing.
Tekla and Capacitor watched on, Capacitor with a slight smirk as the rest, even Pelvus, were almost completely unnerved by the obsidian-coloured opposite to Samateus, cautiously looking him over as he spoke with Xerxes. Kemet bowed his head to the others, doing his best to stifle the strange oppressive aura that emitted from him to allow them all to relax. Sternum and Jade shared a glance, Jade simply shrugging and Graveheart narrowing his eyes at her. Xerxes watching their interaction, and his curious head-tilt let them know he had been somewhat listening but was confused by their thoughts.
"We were curious why he was omitted from our prior conversations." Sternum offered, Jade rolling her eyes.
"I haven't been active much, as Samateus rarely needs my assistance. I'm not Taalrulthian, far from it, though I am not mortal, and made a pact with Samateus that I will protect her if she is ever in a situation where she is injured or trapped. Normally I remain in shadow, hidden under her Isopod unit, I must have dozed off, Apologies." Kemet spoke aloud, deep almost baritone voice completely different from what they expected. Pyrus recovered the most quickly, gently nudging Blaze to get him to relax.
"And here we were thinking she was pretty much indestructible. Anything we can help with?" Pyrus' casual approach made Kemet smile, looking to Samateus and Xerxes briefly before he shook his head.
"I do not require food, much like the Tekians, however I am here for Sam, first and foremost. I was asked as Champion of Ashtareen to protect her, and that is why I remain with her at all times." Kemet explained calmly, obviously lowering his voice so he did not sound too loud around the significantly smaller bipedal people. Xerxes turned and looked to Jade, who jumped and looked over to him.
"Of course, they know your ship, bring it in over the base here." She said to Xerxes' privately sent question, Xerxes smiling and nodding in thanks. The simple response more than enough to herald the Obsidian Flare teleporting in overhead, the ship too large to land yet more easily able to teleport Sairyllia down to them from her usual place at the Taalrulthian World Ship.
Sairyllia appearing moments later, in her bipedal form, carrying a large and simplistic metal case as she padded over promptly to where Samateus lay, tapped a claw on the armour twice and appearing emotionless as the armour peeled away from the upper edge, holding the underside in place to keep it from moving. Blood, thick and dark crimson, bubbled and flowed over the bone spur sticking out of the flesh as it was revealed, Samateus giving a single pained squeak, Xerxes and Zera both helping keep her grounded and keep her mind off the pain. Femur and Pelvus each cringed at the injury, Sternum, Cryos and Blaze frowning but refrained from commenting.
Sairyllia whistled and chirped at Samateus, who crooned sadly and shifted to clamp her paws on the ground beneath her before Sairyllia sounded down three times and there was a distinct and sickening crack and squelch as she pulled on the wing-wrist to straighten out the bones in one motion. Samateus tensed, her armoured forepaws digging deeply into the stone beneath her from the pain as her Isopod unit generated a cast-like armour over the area and closed the wing tightly to her back. As Samateus relaxed, Sairyllia moved to Xerxes, whose reaction showed that the smaller Taalrulthian, with blue and turquoise fur and feathers that were similar to yet different enough from Samateus to make her obviously someone else, was berating him for stressing himself.
"Sai, please. I know, I'm paying for it already." Xerxes' pleading only made her grill him more, until Samateus snorted once, glowing golden smoke passing between the two warningly as Sairyllia stiffened and flattened her ears back, where just previously they were swiveled forward with her directed ire.
"Apologies. I know Capacitor is smart enough to have at least had the sense to grab one of the inhalers as a precaution, but I know you wouldn't have grabbed one on your own. Kemet, you have the newer one I gave Samateus last week?" Sairyllia switched to Common, which relaxed the others who were wearing different smiles of amusement and understanding. Kemet nodded simply, a smile of amusement appearing on his scaled lips.
"Now who is mothering whom?" Kemet chuckled, Sairyllia's ears going flat again and she glared at him before looking to Samateus who chuckled.
"Yes, they know. Thank you Sai, how are the others? I know Herasucheil was upset that he couldn't go out flying."
"He's always upset when ship-side. No injuries, a few elemental exhaustions but nothing we weren't already expecting. Two Water types almost got caught in crossfire but remembered their training and blinked out." Sairyllia moved her free hand to her hip, her jet black hair tied back, the length of it easily reached her waist even tied up.
Soft cornflower blue eyes met those of the others in greeting, her lightly smiling at them. "It's a pleasure to meet all of you. I've been keeping tabs on this featherduster here since I learned more about science and biology. It's been a few hundred years now, sure, but I swear there are times I feel like I have to ground these two. If you need me, their Isopod units and Kemet can call me in a breath. Are there any others who need medical assistance? I'm familiar with Rockian physiology, thanks to the old science journals Xerxes and his team put together."
"Yes, this way." Graveheart then led Sairyllia, with Jade following along behind, to the infirmary to help where she could. Femur's raised brows, which wiggled with interest as he watched her go led Samateus to gently pick up a small stone with her lips and toss it at him. It hit his fin nearest her, hard, and he let out an exclaim of alarm and jumped a good half meter over and glared at her.
"She's taken, not to mention she and her partner are not interested in Males." Samateus chuckled at the redness rising on Femur's face, Blaze and Cryos both blinking almost comically. "What, you think just because our males are fewer in number means that we remain single all our lives?" Samateus' mischevious grin got laughs out of the rest, Zera snickering slightly when she saw Pyrus was blushing a bit.
"How did they react that quickly? You barely had a chance to destroy their grounded ships, that damned Lightbearer..." Lamprey hissed, watching Blokk sending out his newest shock troops to attempt to destroy the military base on planet Rock. Blokk remembered the location and, thankfully, Voyd agreed to expend the energy to teleport just the containment crescents to the planet in a hidden area. Blokk had a considerable defeat there, and remained bitter about it even now, however had hoped his tactics would at least allow them to deal a blow before Samateus could intervene.
**She was caught in the collapse.** Voyd's presence wafted over the two, making both cringe and bow low to the floor. **She should be unavailable to them for a time, Lamprey, are your assassins ready?** Lamprey nodded, two of her sisters, as she called them, had been expertly provided her training to move swiftly and silently, unseen and unheard, so as to weave in and out of the most dangerous of places. They were built like her; long, sinewy bodies with four long limbs akin to the Iceans she so hated and blade-like spurs off each wrist that could snap forward to increase their range to a sword's length.
**Ready them for Teleport. Show them the ones you hate, and we will send them to their Maker as trophies.**
Once all the Rockians had been tended to, Jade and Graveheart bidding the rest farewell so they could go and make arrangements for the families of those lost in the attack, including the Father of the little girl Samateus had saved from the collapsing pillar, Xerxes teleported them all to the Obsidian Flare's cargo area, where a smaller ship sat on one side of the internal dock. Samateus moved to lie on her right side nearby, her back to the wall much as she had been early that morning when Pyrus and Blaze had woken her, Kemet appearing to melt earlier and return to Samateus as a much smaller version of himself and perched on her horn, almost small enough to be mistaken for a lizard with wings.
"We should let her rest... Her nanites can only do so much so quickly to repair a break like that." Xerxes explained, Cryos and Blaze nodding, Zera and Pyrus watching her almost sadly. Sternum and Femur, with Pelvus watching both, seemed a bit unsettled, Capacitor and Tekla picking up on their unease.
"Is there something bothering you, Emperors?" Capacitor asked, head tilting slightly, mimicking the mannerism of the Taalrulthians. Xerxes shifted his attention them as well, having been watching Samateus almost sadly. He hated seeing her hurt, even a simple injury like a break in her wing bothered Xerxes, her reckless behaviour having almost killed her a few times in the past from even worse scrapes.
"Oh uh... Sternum, Tibia was saying Phalange was nosing around again, think we should get some help with the worm?" Femur sheepishly waggled his eyebrows at his considerably taller brother, who nodded. Pelvus shuddered, remembering the absolutely disgusting and almost worm Phalange himself, his only interaction had been for Phalange to try and worm his way closer to Femur, and Pelvus had threatened the conniving bastard himself, as all knew the fanciful Bonean to have had his share of attempts on Femur's life in order to become Emperor in the past.
"Ah, yes. I remember her mentioning him last night to Samateus. I'd enjoy seeing Planet Bone for myself, perhaps you could show me some of those larger worms I've read about." Xerxes purred, grinning slightly and looking to Cryos and Zera, then to Pyrus and Blaze. "Will we continue our little party or are there some things you are needing to attend to? Of course you are welcome to go wherever you wish Tekla, Capacitor can be reached through Samateus if we need you." Blaze looked to Pyrus who shook his head, Cryos and Zera sighing lightly.
"I have classes later, I really shouldn't keep my tutor waiting." Zera mused, Cryos nodding.
"I need to make a formal address regarding what Frost and Rysint had attempted, though would appreciate a word later?" Cryos smiled at Xerxes, who nodded and returned the smile with one of his own. He looked to Blaze and Pyrus then, Blaze chuckling.
"My Prince would like to accompany you, I need to inform Flare and the rest of the Igneous Guard of what has transpired. Knowing the Beast has been getting its forces into even civilian areas should be addressed, but I will reassure them and the families that our allies will swiftly respond to any Beast activity. That will keep most from becoming upset." Blaze bowed, Pyrus grinning lightly at him and nodding in thanks.
"Very well then. Oh, before I forget again." Xerxes withdrew the case Samateus had left with him and opened it carefully to reveal a dozen smallish stones, varying in colour from golden yellow to a deep crimson, like the one that Capacitor had shown them earlier, nestled inside on a soft velveteen cushion. He picked out three carefully, giving one each to Cryos, Zera and Blaze. "In the event something happens. I'll make certain Jade and Graveheart each receive one later."
Each stone felt warm and almost pliant in their hands, Samateus' thoughts sleepily checking on each before withdrawing, the Taalrulthian cracking open an eye and smiling lightly. Xerxes then gave Sternum, Pelvus, Femur and Pyrus theirs, closing the case and returning it to his armour-pocket. Capacitor and Tekla bid their friends farewell, disappearing in a flash of light to go and see the rest of their people, as Tekla had been wanting to since she saw Capacitor yesterday, and Xerxes had his ship then depart from Rock and head to Bone, teleporting Cryos and Zera and then Blaze to their respective homes.