A/N: I do not own Voltron, its settings or characters. Anyone new is mine.
Sorry this chapter took so long. I have no excuse but to say: hey, it's summer, and a girl is always busy this time of year. So many parties, so little time…
Thank you to Yamotoforever and RedLion (2) for the reviews! You two never seem to give up on me, even though I'm horrible about updating. Thanks so much!
The standard method of battle versus land-based opponents was to rely upon the powers of the White Rider rather then the Familiar, at least in Lissa's case. Since Fire Storm was a dragon, he was more suited to aerial combat, because his breath was capable of incinerating everything in its path and causing most things in close proximity to combust as well. For him to use it on an earth bound enemy was irresponsible and dangerous, as the flames could easily burn out of control. Likewise, his sheer mass made it hazardous for him to grapple with the Roe Beast, since their combined weight would crush everything around them. The only choice was for Lissa to attack the bull like beast herself. Unfortunately, Lance was most likely following in their wake in an attempt to interfere with her plans, and she wouldn't be able to restrain him while fighting the Roe Beast.
"Fire Storm, I need you to neutralize the Red Lion," Lissa said, her thoughts strained with worry. "I don't want Lance getting in the way."
"He won't understand this, you know," the dragon replied. "He strikes me as being a very proud man, and somehow I think he will object to having you interfere with his duties."
"I know," Lissa answered, a worried look marring her face for an instant. "But it's the only way. I can't sit by and let him get hurt, when I could take this monster down myself."
"True, but have you ever stopped to consider he might be thinking the exact same thing himself?" Fire Storm rejoined.
Lissa frowned, distressed by her Familiar's observation. She hadn't thought about it from Lance's point of view. All she'd been able to think of was protecting her beloved. In any case, now was not the time to dwell on such matters. The Roe Beast had to be dealt with immediately; she'd handle any disagreements with Lance later.
"That may be, but the challenge has been made, and we were the ones to issue it," Lissa returned. "I don't have the time to argue about this now. Please just do as I ask."
She could sense Fire Storm's annoyance, for he was not one to tolerate totalitarian behavior, but the dragon glanced behind him without comment. Sure enough, the crimson form of the Red Lion was hurtling in their direction, obviously intent on intercepting the Roe Beast before they could. With a mental sigh, silently calculating how much emotional grief this was going to cause his mistress, the dragon lashed out with his great tail, wrapping the Lion in its powerful coils and rendering it immobile. In the distance, the other four Lions began to move, obviously alarmed by the dragon's actions.
Lissa also saw their approach and said, "I forget they work as a team. Can you handle the other four?"
"I can delay them as long as is necessary," he answered.
Lissa nodded and then closed her eyes, opening her mind to the energies surrounding them. Fire Storm was a well of raw mystic power, perfectly complimenting her own psychic abilities, and this she was used to. The Roe Beast was made of dark magic, twisted and foul, an aberration that rankled the nerves. The Lions were something else. They gave off physical emanations of kinetic and nuclear energies, but there was also something more to them. Something that transcended the boundaries of mortal science, something mystical as the power in Fire Storm himself. She was surprised by such a discovery, but had no time to dwell on it. She forced herself to focus on the center of her own power, within the depths of her mind, where it swirled in calm waves of dormant energy. As she reached out to it, she felt the tranquility within fall away, replaced by a rising fury as her powers answered her call, churning up into a violent storm of seething energy.
She opened her eyes as the power welled up within her, filling her until it seemed to dance upon her skin itself. With deliberate ease, she floated up off of the curve of Fire Storm's neck, freeing him to deal with the approaching Lions. The Roe Beast, which had been staring at Fire Storm in respectful dismay, immediately turned to face the much smaller, less intimidating shape of Lissa as she gracefully hovered in the air. Being too dim witted to appreciate such a display of power, the Roe Beast let out a low roar that sounded like a choking cow, and charged at Lissa.
After the initial shock of seeing Fire Storm's true form, Lance had sent the Red Lion forward in an attempt to draw the Roe Beast's attention to him, since he knew perfectly well that Lissa intended to fight the monster herself. While some more rational part of him knew that she faced similar dangers all the time, the emotional side of him refused to allow his woman to be hurt. And she was his. She always had been, and he knew she always would be, despite his fear that she might not love him. Despite Fire Storm's brute size and obvious power, Lance had been terrified for Lissa's safety, and he had reacted on instinct, ignoring the warning Keith sent him to stay back. He knew that later he'd most likely get called out over his disobeying a direct order, but love had rules of its own, and nothing else mattered but the dictations of the heart. The Red Lion had been running directly into the Roe Beast's path when a gargantuan whip had encircled the robot and immobilized it. It had taken only a second for Lance to see that the whip was in fact Fire Storm's tail, and he knew without a doubt that Lissa had commanded the dragon to stop him.
Lance was torn between fury at her actions and admiration for her bravery, but when the dainty figure of his true love had suddenly become surrounded by a tempest and began to fly up into the sky, he had been too filled with surprise to feel anything else. He had always known Lissa possessed phenomenal powers, for she had been fiercely protected as a girl and trained by the most esteemed warriors in the universe, but he had never actually seen the extent of her power. Oh, she'd performed a trick or two, levitating small items and once briefly turning a rock into a rabbit, but nothing so impressive as flight. Then he noticed that the Roe Beast had spotted her as well, and fear for her safety came rushing to the fore. Lance watched the Roe Beast move, its eyes full of malice as it bore down on the fragile form of his beloved, and something within him shrieked in fear and agony. He frantically hit the control panel, causing the Red Lion to roar in outrage, but the vise around the Lion refused to move.
He wildly glanced around, searching for a means to break free, and he saw the other four Lions bearing down on him, obviously intent on freeing him from Fire Storm's grasp. The dragon had seen them also, and he was waiting for them. Lissa had asked him to stall these brave humans, and he would do as she asked, but he had no desire to battle them. He only wished to give his mistress the space she required to fight. Thus he allowed the Lions to come very close, within shouting distance, and then he launched himself higher up into the sky, one fluid movement of his wings sending him hundreds of yards away from them. The four Lions milled about in confusion, tossed around by the hurricane force of the winds he created in his wake, and once they regained their bearings they gave chase. Once again he allowed them to draw near, only to glide out of range when they reached him. In this way, he led them away from the fight. Only Lance was aware of what the dragon was doing.
He hit the vid link and screamed, "Keith, forget about me. I'm fine. This overgrown lizard's not going to hurt me! You have to go back and save Lissa!"
"Forget it, Lance," Keith answered, his voice grim. "You're part of this team, and we're not leaving you behind."
"But I'm not in any danger," Lance insisted, his voice furious and filled with desperation. "Lissa is! I know we're a team, but it's Voltron Force's duty to protect the weak, and right now there's a girl out there facing a Roe Beast one on one! I think she needs your help more then I do."
"Hey pal," Hunk barked, "In case you haven't noticed, the overgrown lizard has you in a death grip."
"Hunk, if this thing wanted me dead, you can bet your ass I'd be flattened by now," Lance shot back. "He's only trying to keep you out of the fight."
"It's for the best, you know," Fire Storm suddenly replied, his thunderous voice shaking the sky. "Lissa doesn't want you getting injured."
The other members of the Voltron Force remained silent, clearly surprised that the dragon could hear them, but Lance, in his fury, shouted, "What kind of Familiar are you? I thought you were supposed to protect your rider, yet you've left her out there, alone and defenseless!"
Fire Storm ignored his reprimand and blandly said, "She might be alone, but she is hardly defenseless. She has asked me to keep you from interfering, and I will follow my lady's commands to the letter. For you see, that is what a good Familiar does, no matter his own feelings."
"Are you saying that you deliberately drew us away from the Roe Beast?" Keith cut in, his own voice now ringing with fury. "Don't you realize it's our duty to protect the people of this planet from harm? By leading us away, you have exposed countless innocents to danger!"
The dragon's head whipped around to glare at the Black Lion, and his voice was cold as an arctic wind as he growled, "Do not presume to lecture me, boy. You have no understanding of Lissa's power, but I have seen it first hand. None will come to harm with her present, she'd die before letting a single drop of innocent blood spill. Such is the Oath she has taken, and she has always upheld it."
"Guys, look!" Pidge yelled, his Green Lion facing back in the direction of Lissa and the Roe Beast.
The Roe Beast had been charging at Lissa full speed, its head lowered and its eyes full of murder, when it suddenly seemed to bounce off of the air itself, reeling back with a comical expression on its face. Blood trickled from the bovine nose, testament to the force with which it had been hit, yet nothing could be seen. The Roe Beast stared at Lissa, clearly stupefied, before uttering a guttural snarl and charging once more. It came within striking range at an alarming speed, but Lissa appeared unconcerned and then Lissa raised one hand and, right as it raised a massive hand to swat at her, an unseen force slammed into the Roe Beast, sending it crashing to the earth almost faster then the eye could follow, creating a small tremor from the impact of its landing.
The Roe Beast lay panting on its back, staring at her with a mixture of bewilderment and dread, for there could be no mistaking that she was the source of the incredible power that had struck it. But being naturally dim and bred only to fight, the Roe Beast staggered to its feet and then lunged at her with a growl. Lissa was frowning as the monster moved, her eyes on the destroyed ground where the Roe Beast had landed, and it seemed as if she was more worried about the harm it had done then the threat it presented to her. Lance watched with his heart in his throat as the Roe Beast lashed out at her, but before it could make contact with her, Lissa disappeared.
Allura gasped and Lance leaned forward in his seat, but Fire Storm seemed unconcerned and an instant later Lissa rematerialized, directly above the Roe Beast's head. It looked up with a snarl and leaped skyward in an attempt to grab her, and then the expression on Lissa's face changed, going from impassive to coldly furious in the blink of an eye. She made a sharp gesture with her hands and the Roe Beast came to a halt in mid leap, every muscle in its body going still. She made strange, slashing movements with her hands before abruptly flinging them apart, and the Roe Beast let out a horrible scream of pain as its flesh split beneath that same unseen force, the gashes widening until they encompassed its body, tearing it in two. It disintegrated as it fell to the ground, imploding before it even landed.
"My god," Hunk whispered, and even Lance gave a whistle of awe, though he was stunned by what he had seen. He'd never realized Lissa had such power.
Fire Storm cast a smug look at Keith in the Black Lion but said nothing, releasing the Red Lion from the prison of his coiled tail and flying to Lissa's side. Lance checked the Red Lion for damage but, as he'd suspected, there wasn't any. He turned to fly to Lissa's side, but paused when Keith said, "Don't go too far, Lance. We need to have a little talk. Tonight."
Lance remained silent, knowing he was going to get a severe lecture for disobeying his captain. But, at the moment, he was more concerned with giving a lecture of his own, and his face was grim as the Red Lion bore down on the girl and her dragon.
Lissa watched him approach with trepidation. She knew he was going to be angry with her. She only hoped she could make him understand she'd done this to protect him. Fire Storm glanced at her with a distinctly smug expression, and she scowled at the dragon in annoyance.
"You needn't look so pleased," she hissed as she gently drifted down to stand on the end of his reptilian snout.
"I wouldn't say I'm pleased, so much as intrigued," the dragon replied. "I am most curious to see how your young pilot will react to your interference. He seemed rather put out when I took him captive."
"Well I'm glad I could provide you with some amusement," she snapped, refusing to speak to him through their mind link, her body starting to tremble with exhaustion.
Fire Storm frowned in concern, for he knew very well how draining it was for Lissa to use her telekinetic abilities, and his manner was decidedly more gentle as he asked, "Are you feeling well?"
"I think that little confrontation wore me out," she confessed, her voice distinctly softer then it had been a moment before.
"Perhaps you should speak with the boy later," the dragon suggested, now voicing his concerns out loud since he knew speaking through their mind link would tax her waning strength, and somewhat alarmed by her apparent exhaustion.
"No, that would hardly be fair to Lance. I'm sure he's quite…furious…with me," she whispered, before falling into a faint across Fire Storm's broad muzzle.