The Greater Good

a Phantasy Star story

Chapter 3: Nemesis

11-7-2006

by Grey-X

Disclaimer: The original Phantasy Star games, the Phantasy Star Online series, and all related characters are the creation and property of Sega.

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The woman who had simply called herself the Assassin stopped advancing on them, standing in one place and brandishing her glaive. They could see the faint whites of her eyes through her helmet's eyeholes, and she simply glared at them, as if daring them to make the first move. If that was the case, it was a challenge that Tarzimal willingly accepted.

"My dear lady," Tarzimal exclaimed in a tone that betrayed anything but courtesy, "it is quite rude to barge into one's home and then brazenly declare he is to be carted away. I'm afraid you'll have to be taught some manners!"

With that, he brandished his staff, and its tip glowed. A second later, a blinding bolt of lightning shot out at the Assassin, one powerful enough to knock out just about any being in the Algo system.

However, the Assassin was obviously prepared for such an attack. She twirled her glaive around in front of her with one hand. The electrical energy was harmlessly absorbed into the metal of the blades, not harming the Assassin in the least.

"What in the..." Tarzimal began, but before anyone could do anything else, the Assassin slammed her glaive, which was glowing brightly with incandescence, into the tunnel floor. It sent out a shockwave at the group, which practically ripped the floor of the study apart.

Tarzimal, having been closest to the Assassin, seemed to take the brunt of it. He collapsed into a heap, not even having time to scream in pain. The shockwave swept past Odin, Noah and Alis, causing them great, debilitating pain as well, enough to hammer them to their knees. But Myau had leapt up over the shockwave and hurled himself at the Assassin like a missile, claws brandished.

As for Alis, she had still been holding onto Tarzimal's mysterious lamp. When the shockwave swept past her, it caused her to accidently press the trigger-like switch on its handle. Not only that, with the way she had held it at the time, the spout had been pointed at her leg.

The instant she inadvertantly hit the trigger, Alis noticed some sort of bright yellow beam of light spurt out of the spout, striking her leg and making it feel as if a heat laser was boring into her. She was also dimly aware that it was making her entire body give off a sort of faint, white glow. But she was only dimly aware of it because whatever that lamp was doing, it was making her feel faint. Losing her strength rapidly, she sagged against the wall, somehow still holding onto the lamp and her sword.

Alis heard a soft crackling sound over Myau's screeches, something akin to machinery short-circuiting. Through half-opened eyes, Alis could see Myau jumping around the Assassin, furiously moving in to attack whenever he saw an opening. And at this point, Odin must've recovered enough to rush in and lend a hand, brandishing his laconian aze.

"Noah, stay with Alis until the effects of whatever that lamp did wears off!" he ordered as he charged. But the Assassin saw him coming and parried his blow, holding her glaive in both hands. Then she counterattacked and took a swipe at his midsection, but Odin dashed aside, leaving an opening for Myau. He jumped up and clawed at her like a wild animal.

Meanwhile, Noah did as Odin asked. He knelt by Alis, cradling her limp body. "Alis, what happened? Are you alright!?" he cried out, fearing for her.

"I feel... s-s-s-so w-weak all of a sudden," Alis managed to get out. Why was that? What effect had that lamp had on her? What was it supposed to do? But those questions took a backseat in her mind as she watched Odin and Myau fight. If she didn't feel so sick and debilitated all of a sudden, she'd certainly feel flashes of frustration, not being able to join in.

Eventually, the Assassin seemed to get the upper hand, swinging through the air with her glaive, somehow sending out a blast of air that knocked Odin and Myau back several feet, to where Tarzimal still lay.

"I grow weary of this. You're not as formidable as I was led to believe," she said coldly. "It's time I collected my prize. The Robotcops can handle the rest of you." With that, she reached out with one hand, and to Noah's horror and Alis's bewilderment, thin metal wires shot out of her fingers, similar to Alis's rope spell. They wrapped themselves around Tarzimal's limp body, binding him tightly. Then the wires lifted him up, as if they had a mind of their own, bringing him over to the Assassin.

Th-that was like my rope spell! Alis thought, trying to get up. But it was no use. Her body was still feeling the effects of whatever that lamp had done. Noah realized this, and sheathed her sword for her, then slung her right arm over his shoulders, hoisting her up. He brandished his wand with his free hand, ready to use magic.

And it looked like he'd need to soon. Robotcops stormed through the doorway. However, at that moment, Tarzimal suddenly spoke up, his voice strained and barely audible.

"Noah, take Alis and go. Hurry through the hidden exit." Tarzimal wiggled his fingers from underneath his metal bindings. Suddenly, a large stone slab on the side wall, one with an ornate tapestry draped over it, swung open like a door. "And take the lamp. You'll need it to..."

"Silence, old man!" sneered the Assassin, striking the ground with her glaive, causing it to be embedded there. "I'll finish them all in one fell swoop!" She lashed out with an outstretched hand, and a turbid, opaque mist seemed to form around it. A second later, chunks of ice shot down through the study. Odin and Myau had recovered and gotten up, but the rock-hard chunks of ice struck them with overpowering force, knocking them out.

A split-second before they would've struck Noah and Alis, Noah dashed through the escape route Tarzimal revealed. Noah and Alis could hear the chunks of ice shatter against the back wall of the study, and then they heard the stone slab slide back into its previous position, cutting them off from the others.

"NO!" Alis and Noah cried in unision. Noah turned to look at the stone slab, beat on it uselessly with his wand, kicked it, but it wouldn't move again. He had no idea how Tarzimal had made it move in the first place, and there was no hope of reopening it now.

"DAMNIT!" screamed Alis. She had found the strength to stop leaning on Noah, and slammed a fist against the slab.

For hours they had travelled across Motavia for what had turned out to be a trap. Now, in a matter of moments, their ranks had been split up after being handily bested by some new enemy. Fury welled up inside her, making her forget how exhausted she felt. "I don't believe this. We were all set to liberate the Algo system, and then we let ourselves fall into a trap!" she cried out, blinking back tears of rage.

Noah silently stood by Alis for a moment, at a loss of what to say to calm her, or even what to do next. "Alis, it doesn't look like we're going back through this way, and somehow I doubt that Assassin can smash her way through. We should just take Tarzimal's advice and follow this tunnel to wherever it leads. There's probably an army of Robotcops at the cave's entrance, so using my magic to teleport out probably wouldn't be a good idea. But once we're out, we can start tracking down the others."

"If they're not already dead," Alis said grimly. "Alright, you win. Let's go." With that, she turned around, but almost sagged to her knees again.

"Alis, you're still weak. Let me help..." Noah reached over to help her. But Alis shoved him away.

"I'm FINE," Alis spat, making it clear that she didn't want help. Noah could see she was too angry to be reasoned with, so she let her walk on her own, leading the way down Tarzimal's hidden escape route.

It was unlike the tunnels that led to Tarzimal's hidden study. Instead of expertly crafted stone walls, it looked as if they were in a rocky tunnel, seemingly dug into the earth by some gigantic tunneling worm.

For a few moments they walked in silence, navigating the twists and turns of the tunnel, which, for the time being, had no branching paths. Eventually, though, Noah felt the need to break the silence. " I hope we can find our way out soon," he said. "Tarzimal, Myau and Odin are as good as dead if we don't rescue them from whoever that was."

"Any idea who that was supposed to be, anyway?" Alis asked wearily. "We already took care of Dr. Mad and Medusa. I never heard of Lassic having any other stooges besides them."

Noah shook his head. "I never heard about anyone like that, either. She's no ordinary foe, that's for sure. We'll need a plan next time we face her."

"I'll say," agreed Alis. "The way she conjured up those metal bindings, using ice magic... Strange as it sounds, she's like some sort of opposite version of... me," she added uneasily. "Well, I'll find her and take her down. It looks like I'll have to go through her to get to Lassic, anyway."

Noah looked up and glared at Alis from behind. Again, it sounded as if all she cared about was her revenge. As if having their two closest allies and friends, and his old mentor captured, didn't matter the slightest bit. Now that the adrenaline rush and tension of the fight had worn off, frustration with Alis settledin. "Killing Lassic... That's really all you care about, isn't it!?"

Alis spun around, looking Noah straight in the eye. "What's that supposed to mean!?"

"It just sounds like the only reason you care about the others getting captured is because it means you'll have to put off your fight with Lassic a bit longer," barked Noah. "I mean, don't you even care about what'll happen to them? Are you THAT obsessed with revenge that'll you don't care about anything - or anyone - else!?"

Alis just stared back at Noah, mouth agape, completely nonplussed. Hearing these accusations from him - that she'd become as cold as the ones they opposed - was like a knife in the gut.

"I've noticed this change in you, Alis," Noah continued. "I know you were a kind, gentle girl once. I can tell there's great light within you. Espers can sense that sort of thing, and it's why I was able to teach you how to use your magic even more effectively. But I can tell that light's been fading, as if your lust for revenge is eating you up inside!"

"No, what's been eating me up inside is knowing that that monster is still out there tyrannizing innocent people!" Alis retorted, finally finding words with which to fire back. "Listen, I do care about the others! We're all in this together! I want to find them!"

"You don't sound like it," Noah said flatly. "And sometimes you act like you're the only one who's suffered."

Alis had to supress the urge to slap Noah's face. "How-how dare you," she seethed. "I know how much everyone else has suffered! I've seen all the devastation! But don't you DARE act like you understand what I've gone through! I know many of the Esper trainees you grew up with are dead, but Nero was different. He was practically the only family I had, all I..."

A sudden rush of vertigo cut Alis off, making her drop Tarzimal's lamp. Both her hands went to grasp her head. She stumbled sideways, her shoulder colliding with the tunnel wall, then she slowly sagged to her knees.

Their argument forgotten, Noah was at Alis's side in an instant, helping her get back on her feet. "Alis, are you OK?" he asked, the bitterness having completely faded from his voice.

Alis still felt a little dizzy, so she kept her eyes closed. But she also felt a strange sensation of top of that, something that was hard to put into words. It sort of felt, like the very marrow of her bones were heating up, and as if the muscle and fat right underneath her skin would bulge out and explode at any second.

"I-I-I'm not sure," she said, slowly opening her eyes. "I feel so strange, and I don't know how..."

Alis's voice trailed off when she opened her eyes completely and noticed something very odd.

She was supposed to be about a head shorter than Noah. But now, her eyes were level with his, and they were both standing straight up. "N-Noah," she stammered, not sure what to make of it.

"What? What's wrong?" Noah asked. But then his eyes widened, obviously noticing something was off.

Alis closed her eyes and shook her head, not believing what she had seen. She opened her eyes again, hoping that somehow, things would look as they should. But she let out a gasp of surprise when she saw that she was now looking DOWN at Noah! From the looks of it, she was now a head taller than him!

"W-W-What the... What's going on!?" she cried out, now beyond confused. She stared blankly down at Noah, who looked dumbfounded as well. As she continued to stare stupidly down at Noah, she vaguely noticed that he seemed to be receding from view, as if he was slowly getting smaller. "Noah, you're... shrinking!" she exlaimed, her voice full of fear and confusion.

Noah shook his head. "No, Alis, it's you! It's hard to believe but, you're growing!"

Alis blinked in surprise, still too bewildered to fully take in what was going on. A few seconds later, though, she looked above her to see if Noah was right. Sure enough, the tunnel's ceiling, which had been roughly fifteen feet above her head moments before, now looked as if it were only ten feet above her head, and it seemed to be steadily getting lower!

"I don't believe it... Y-Y-You're right!" Alis cried out, watching helplessly as the tunnel's ceiling loomed closer. "But why is this happening?" Looking down, she saw Noah looking up at her in awe, his head now level with her breasts. Then her gaze shifted to Tarzimal's lamp, which was giving off a metallic glint from the magic lamp Noah was holding. Wait a minute, could that be what...

Noah looked down to where Alis's gaze has shifted. "It's got to be this lamp!" he yelled. "When that energy beam from it struck you during the fight... That must be what it does!"

Alis shook her head again. "How-how's that possible!?"

"It's got a Nut of Laerma in it, remember?" said Noah, watching wearily as Alis steadily grew taller. He guessed that she was about eight feet tall now, and her body kept on gradually enlarging. "Those nuts are supposed to have magical properties that can trigger growth! That lamp must have some special way of harnessing those properties!"

"But-but the nuts were only supposed to affect musk cats, like Myau! And only trigger some sort of evolutionary change!" cried Alis, looking down at Noah. He was now the size of a little kid to her. "And look, I'm no scientist, but I know that things, and people, just can't get bigger like this! Cells can't be too large, right?. And-and how could molecules and atoms with protons and electrons of different sizes interact, and-and..."

"Alis, I know it seems impossible! But look, it's happening!" Noah hollered, trying to snap Alis out of her panicky state. "No wonder Tarzimal told us to hang on to the lamp. He must've seen you trigger it and knew this would happen! Maybe it can reverse the effects."

Alis looked down at Noah, watching hopelessly as he seemed to dwindle. "This is all too crazy," she muttered softly. "This is impossible, it can't be..."

"Alis, snap out of it!" Noah screamed as he reached down to scoop up Tarzimal's lamp. "I don't really get it either. But one thing's for sure, we better get out of here before you get too big! It's solid earth all around these tunnels, and we have no idea when the effects will stop. You could end up getting trapped in here and crushed!" That last sentence clearly registered with Alis, for her eyes widened in shock even more. "Come on, let's move!" Noah barked, reaching out for her hand.

By now, the effects of the lamp's nut had nearly doubled Alis's size, and Noah's head was only level with her belly. And when he reached for her, he could only get his hand around two of her fingers. For a fleeting instant, he allowed himself to marvel at how soft the skin of her hand felt, and how graceful and delicate her fingers looked, even though they were much bigger now. But after looking up and seeing that Alis's head was only a few feet from the top of the tunnel, he was snapped back to attention. He tugged at her huge hand, but Alis seemed rooted to the spot, glaring up at the approaching ceiling, in too much shock to accept what was happening.

"Hurry, let's go, or you're as good as dead!" Noah screamed vehemently, pulling at her arm yet again, but she barely felt it. He was dimly aware that her fingers were still slowly expanding in his grip, pushing his own fingers outward.

Finally, Alis got the message after a couple more tugs. She suddenly sprinted forward, and Noah did the same, still clinging to her fingers as he ran, aiming to keep ahead of her. However, it soon became apparent that, with her increasing size, Alis was able to cover more distance. Soon, she sprinted ahead of Noah, dragging him along for a few seconds until he finally lost his grip on her huge fingers. He fell face-first onto the rocky ground. "Oh, I'm sorry!" Alis cried apologetically. Her voice had gotten louder, and it echoed painfully off the tunnel walls.

"Keep your voice down," Noah grunted. He then felt himself being lifted off the ground. "What the..." he began, barely aware of a huge pair of hands grasping his sides. Before he knew it, Alis was holding him tightly up against her diamond breast plate. She ran full speed through the twists and turns of the tunnel. Gee, it's true I hoped Alis would embrace me warmly one day, but I never imagined it'd be like this, Noah thought as Alis kept on running like a woman possessed. Her very life depended on her getting out of that tunnel and fast. So Noah forgave her for absentmindedly holding him way too tightly, almost crushing him against her breast plate. It was as if her strength had increased tenfold...

Unfortunately, the tunnel seemed to go on forever, with no end in sight. The same was holding true for her preposterous growth spurt. Alis heart kept hammering in her chest, full of fear, as she ran, and she felt as if she'd pass out from exhaustion. Only through sheer force of will was she able to keep running.

Oh no, is my size making it harder for my body to function, forcing my heart to work harder!? If I get too big, will my own mass crush me to death!? Alis wondered fearfully.

Her fears worsened when she felt the top of her head brush against rock as she turned a corner. Oh no, I'm as tall as the tunnel now! Over twenty feet at least! I'm still growing! she realized, bending over to duck. Glancing downward, she saw Noah looked smaller than ever, like a baby cradled in her arms. I don't believe this. This is all too bizarre, too...

Alis's brain froze up as another rush of vertigo overwhelmed her, making her lose her footing and fall forward. Luckily for Noah, Alis twisted her body a second before she slammed onto the ground. She landed on her side, thus avoiding crushing Noah underneath her massive bulk.

"Unnh," Alis muttered as she tried to get back up, but another wave of vertigo, coupled by that feeling of being about to explode, made her slump back down. She was dimly aware of Noah wriggling his way out of her arms. Her eyes tightly shut, she tried to get up again, but as she got on her knees to rise, she felt her back touch the tunnel's ceiling! Her growth was accelerating, and still showed no signs of stopping!

Cold fear clawed at Alis's heart. She finally opened her eyes, seeing Noah standing in front her, staring dumbly at her still-expanding body. He now looked no bigger than a doll to her, and it still looked like he, and everything else, was still getting smaller! She tried to crawl forward, determined to not give up, but exhaustion was getting the better of her, and it was difficult.

Noah backed up nervously as Alis slowly advanced. He watched helplessly as Alis's face, frozen with fear, seemed to expand even more with each passing second. And eventually, she grew so big that she couldn't even crawl through the tunnel. "Noah, I'm stuck! I can't move!" she cried out fearfully. Her voice was so loud, Noah reflexively dropped the magic lamp to cover his ears.

"Ahh, not so blasted loud!" Noah screamed, reaching down for the lamp. When he stood up, the lamp's light illuminated Alis's face again, now bigger than ever, making the tears streaming down her cheeks glisten. The look in her sparkling, blue eyes... Gone was the obsession with revenge, her frustration from momemts before. All there was was a look of pure terror, her gigantic eyes pleading for help. He stared blankly back at that huge face, clueless about what to do.

Alis, however, had an answer. "N-Noah, you've got to teleport me out of here. Doesn't matter if there're Robotcops waiting for us, we've gotta get out," Alis pleaded. She tried to soften her voice as much as possible, but it was still very loud to Noah.

"I-I c-can't!" Noah stammered. "You're way too massive now! I-I don't think I can possibly..."

Noah's voice trailed off as Alis's face shifted from one of terror to one of unendurable pain. It was all too obvious the walls of the tunnel were crushing her as she kept on growing.

"T-There's no other way, Noah. Odin had the flute, so your magic's our only way out!" Noah just stared back at her huge face, overwhelmed by his fear and uncertainty as well as by his sympathy for her. She was right, his magic was the only way to save her. But could his power possibly teleport THAT much matter!? By now, Alis's weight must've clocked in at well over ten tons!

Noah shook his head. She's right, it's all up to me, he realized. He stepped forward and reached out, his hand gingerly touching against the tip of Alis's nose. A tear running down her nose drenched his hand. Here we go, he thought grimly as he summoned up his power, chanted the incantation, and concentrated...

It felt as if his body, his very soul, his very essence was being torn apart as his power and will were tested to the absolute limit. But he knew the life of his new friend, the one whose light could possibly cast out all darkness in the Algo system if she could only put aside her rage, hung in the balance, and he refused to let her down. It took the utmost concentration, but Noah refused to yield as both their bodies magically dematerialized, to ultimately be reformed elsewhere.

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The spell's effect was meant to transport Noah and whoever is with him to the entry point of whatever place they had entered. In this case, it transported them back to Motavia's surface, right outside the cave that led down to Tarzimal's tunnels. The transport left both of them exhausted and weak, but what mattered was that they were alive, and free.

However, just as Noah feared, company was waiting for them. Several vehicles reminiscent of their landrover, but equipped with cannons like tanks, were positioned not too far from the cave's entrance. Several scores of Robotcops stood in front of the landrover-tanks as well, armed with pulse cannons, capable of punching holes through steel plate.

Noah turned around to see the armada ready to greet him, but he felt far too drained to feel any fear, far too weak to even move. However, Alis miraculously was still able to act. The landrover-tanks opened fire. With a speed that belied her now-titanic size, Alis scooped up Noah with her right hand and whipped out her laconian shield with her left. She crouched behind it, and the shells impacted harmlessly against it.

We're safe, for now, Alis thought hopefully as she took a few deep breaths, now free of the crushing pressure of the tunnel walls. She looked down at Noah. He seeemed only six inches tall to her now, and still seemed to be getting smaller! I'm still growing! she realized fearfully. But wait, now I can use it to my advantage! she thought as she peeked out from behind her shield.

All those tanks were nothing but toys comapred to her. Could she possibly move in and smash them all before they dished out too much hurt? A soft whooshing sound, which was steadily growing more distinct, made Alis look up. Off in the distance, she saw several ships off in the distance, making their way toward her. They vaguely resembled the Luveno, but their hulls were darker, glistening like obsidian, giving them a sinister, dangerous look. Alis realized they probably were armed with weapons that could easily kill her, even at her new size.

This is no time to pick a fight. Noah's knocked himself out, everyone else has been captured, I'm too beat up. I've got to escape! But where can I possibly hide, being as big as I am!? And how can I get out of here!? she thought. At her new size, her technique for flying back to the safety of a town would be useless. She looked beyond the tanks, to Motavia's largest body of water. Somehow, she had a feeling her buoyancy was now next to nil, and didn't dare try and escape that way. She looked to either side, noticing that even now, the mountainous walls to the east and west of this strip of land were outragously tall and impassible. Then she looked behind her...

And noticed that the rocky, mountainous walls there weren't as tall or as steep. There's my ticket out, Alis thought as she slowly stood and backed up, keeping her shield raised. A few pulse blasts from the Robotcops hit her in the shins, but they amounted to no more than painful stings. Eventually, she backed up enough to start climbing over the rocky walls. I'll need another free hand, Alis thought as she looked down at Noah, who was still clutched in her hand. He now looked to be only two inches tall, but to Alis's relief, he didn't seem to be getting any smaller.

Alis kneeled again, setting Noah gently down on her leg. Then, while her shield was still raised, still collected power in her fist. In the blink of an eye, she lashed out with an outstretched hand, unleashing a double fireball blast at the landrover-tank armada. The effects were as immediate as they were deadly. Nearly every single one was wiped out, their incinerated remains flying in all directions. Having bought the opening she needed, she scooped Noah up again and began climbing over the rocks.

Unfortunately, those ships were now within range. As she was climbing over the mountain, Alis heard the sound of some sort of torpedo being fired. She turned around to bring up her shield, but it was too late. The missile detonated against her breast plate, but though her armor was undamaged, she felt the impact through it, as if she'd been punched hard in the chest. If that's the way you wanna play, she thought angrily as she put away her shield...

Alis unleashed two more fireballs. Two of the three ships pursuing her went up in flames, blown to pieces just as easily as the landrover-tanks. Whoever was piloting the remaining ship apparently got the message, and turned tail and flew away.

That'll teach them, Alis thought as the ship flew away. It was amazing... how easily she had wrecked all those war machines. Her mastery of magic couldn't equal Noah's, but her fire spell had incinerated all those tanks and ships! She looked down at Noah, still held securely in her hand. It looked as if he was finally coming to.

"Urgh," Noah grunted, holding his head in his hands. He slowly opened his eyes, only to see a pair of gigantic blue eyes looking over him. "GYAAHH!" he screamed, scared out of his mind, but then it all came back to him. "A-Alis, it worked? We're out?" he asked hesitantly.

"Yeah, but we've still got to find where the others were taken, and..." Alis started to say, but the hum of the engines from that last spaceship cut her off. Looking up, Alis saw it hovering nearby, as if waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. Alis tried to muster enough energy for another fireball blast, but her reserves of strength were almost gone. Oh great, I'm wide open now, she thought angrily, the engine's noise shrilling in her ears, but another plangent sound punctuated that rushing hum, another shrilling, unsettling sound...

Looking around, Alis found the source. From the east, a vicious sandstorn was moving in. Undoubtedly the one Noah predicted would descend on the southern part of Motavia hours ago. At first, it unnerved her, but then, she got an idea. "Noah, I hate to do this, but you need to be someplace safe," Alis said, plucking Noah off her hand.

"Alis, what are you...!?" Noah began, but he then noticed Alis was lowering him to her belt, opening a pouch on it. It was now so big it easily accomodated him. Alis dropped him inside and shut it tight. Then she slowly walked across the rocky mountain, right into the raging sandstorm.

The ship finally fired a torpedo, but Alis brought her shield out again. She turned around in time to block the torpedo, then turned back to face the approaching sandstorm. Within moments, she had delved in the heart of the ferocious tempest, where the ship was powerless to follow. For the moment, the giantess was safely hidden. That is, if even she could survive Motavia's deadliest natural phenomenon...

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From the bridge of the ship, the Assassin watched helplessly as the giantess disappeared into the sandstorm, her quarry escaping...

Things had not gone as planned, and had now taken a most bizarre turn of events. She had only taken prisoner three of the five she was charged with capturing. And now, by some unknown means, Alis Landale had grown massive, becoming an even more dangerous enemy. Assuming she could actually survive that sandstorm and if she ever reached full strength again.

The Assassin looked behind her, where Tarzimal, Odin and Myau lay unconscious on the deck, ensnared in her metal bindings. At least the Esper was hers, to be delivered to Lassic personally. That had been her highest priority.

But her greatest desire had been to seek out Alis and fight her one-on-one, for personal reasons. But now, the situation had changed drastically.

For now, there was no option but to retreat and await the next turn of events. "Return to base," she ordered to the Androcops piloting the ship, stepping closer to her unconscious captives. "I'll find a way, Alis, assuming you make it out of that storm. Just you wait," she muttered as she clenched a mailed fist.