The first clash of this war...

Calamity ran at speeds unattainable by more primitive creatures, her hair as bright as the rays of the rising sun floating in the air thanks to the momentum created by her movement. Her muscles did not tire, and her joints did not creak despite the enormous effort. With superhuman dexterity, she skipped obstacles like a child playing hopscotch, leaping between boulders, landing each time with the grace of a dancer, though such a feat would have shattered the bones of most mortals. She could run like this for hours, regardless of the heat, the particles of sand and salt whipping her face, and the fatigue. Rarely had she had the opportunity to unleash her power away from the envious gazes of lesser beings. She could take a break from their tiresome company, not hear the twittering about the crap that was about their twisted minds. Miserable desires, pathetic dreams, meaningless existence... Meat puppets who think they are better at something than petty vermin that they crushed as they rushed ahead. But there were mortals of some value. One of them was Shadow Weaver. She needed her to reclaim her destiny. Of course, it was through the cowardice and weakness of the dark sorceress that she lost them. "You are a weak and vile creature, and yet I must obey you, for such is the will of Crawling Chaos. Now I have to save your pathetic life! Will my torment ever end?" she thought, and kicked the neck of some desert predator unlucky enough to get in her way as she ran. „I'm better now" she thought.

She was furious. But she couldn't take her emotions out on those who caused them. "Damn followers of Charon. Had it not been for their attack, their ship would not have been seriously damaged. Then they set a trap for them and she lost two valuable servants. If it wasn't for that, they wouldn't have to play around with finding a replacement ship, and her position in the whole expedition would be much higher. And now she found out that her rivals had decided to use an opponent whose involvement they had not expected, though they should have, and whose participation in the coming events could destroy all her plans. "Was that your plan? Would you, O Soul of the Outer Gods, use the wretched people of the Star Empire? Who in their hypocrisy used the Vesk mobsters. Pathetic" she thought. Fortunately in misfortune, the cult of Crawling Chaos was surprisingly strong on this ball of dirt and salt, and at the meeting the local "archblasphemer" had warned her though of course he had not spared her all the welcome ceremonies that mortals in their infinite ignorance considered essential. She wanted to rip off all of his limbs and feed them to him, but Shadow Weaver had taught her that self-control, the ability to focus on a goal and ignore distractions, was the true measure of greatnes...

She hurried back to the hotel room, only to find that stupid Ysoka there. She told her that in the last communication Verthani had informed them that they had managed to obtain a spaceship and were now going to an observatory to obtain additional information. They didn't seem to be aware of the danger that lay in wait for them. She happened to know where the observatory was supposed to be. The cultists had told her. They had an agent there, but he died mysteriously and was transformed into a terrible undead creature called a bodak. Well, that's what happens when fools play with powers beyond their comprehension... But a dark sorceress should be able to deal with that, the greater threat was the Azlanti. This is where her help may prove necessary. She just hoped she wouldn't ruin her dress. Losing one of them so early in the journey would be an irreparable loss. Unfortunately, when he enters a fight, that can happen.

She could see the great arcanic shield of the observatory. Even now she could feel the powerful energy pressed into brass and runes of alchemical silver. How much money was used to build a machine that turned out to be almost useless in general terms. She spotted three Azlanti soldiers. They were guarding the direct route to the research facility, probably acting as rear guards, making sure that no one could pass unnoticed their main force from the city side. She was late, but at least she had an idea of how to get rid of this minor problem. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath to become Lady Cala Grayskull for a moment. Recall her character, way of moving and mannerisms. To become a well-mannered, but also a strong and self-confident woman from a wealthy family, whom everyone would gladly trust. It was so easy, at least if she only had to step into her skin for a short time.

She jumped and landed before the aeon guardsmen looked her way and leveled their weapons at her.

She jumped and landed in front of the Aeon Guardsmen, who looked her way and leveled their weapons at her.

- Please. - she sobbed heavily, panting heavily, - Help me.- She got down on one knee and lowered her head. Tears ran down her face. - Those Vesks, they're chasing me. Please save the human woman… - She burst into tears. The two soldiers stared into the distance for the enemies she was talking about, and the officer came over to help her up and wrap her cloak around her. He didn't even notice that the girl he wanted to help had a epee at his side. Even though she didn't need it. She hit him hard in the chest, shattering his sternum, and hurled it at one of the soldiers.

- For honor...- she cried, smiling wildly as she drew her sword. She jumped to the second soldier and pierced his heart.

- Of - She took out the blade in a fluid movement, while turning towards the last soldier, at whom she threw the officer. The guard tried to get up, but she stabbed him in the forehead with the blade. The blow was so strong that carurystal steel came out the other side.

- Graykull! - Her scream carried over the yellowed grass. She took a deep breath and stretched her arms out to her sides. She closed her eyes, enjoying her strength.

- I've Power! - she cried, the wind blowing her hair.

Then the Azlant- officer she had forgotten about fired at her, hitting her in the face. She felt virtually no pain, just an unpleasant tug, then a tingling sensation as her tissue began to regenerate. Calamity looked at the man with pure hatred. She imagined his helmeted eyes widening in disbelief, slowly turning to horror.

- You didn't think you could ruin my dress, you fool! - she cried, kicking his gun. She plunged the blade into his elbow and stamped on his crushed chest.

- A wretched, filthy worm. I could have ended your miserable and meaningless life quickly, but you upset me, so die slowly, and let every second of your agony remind you what a mistake you made. - She stabbed him again, this time in the other elbow. Then, venting her anger, she smiled with tattered lips and headed towards the observatory, heading towards the sounds of the fight.

Banishing the bodak was exhausting, but she felt almost no fatigue. There was a completely different feeling in her heart that she hadn't known since leaving Mystacor… It was hope. "Even when I found Adora... Even then i felt a rather bitter satisfaction... A cold determination to make this child a weapon to redeem myself and take my revenge on those who stood in my way and forced me to become a monster." Now she could find something more. Redemption. She saw that the girl, that Not-Catra, looked at her with gratitude, gratitude without the fear of a servant towards a cruel master. The normally sad face of this girl almost smiled. She felt euphoria welling up in her… But there was no time for that. She needs to focus, nothing, absolutely nothing can distract her because she is needed right now. "This time I'll be the weapon. I will protect her and everyone else," she said, feeling a new strength enter her.

Hearing the gunshots, Eti grabbed her rifle, and Arkan-tar did the same, showing that he was more than a barked swashbuckler. They ran out into the corridor. Wrongdak and Lilka crouched down to the ground. The clone looked worried, and the girl looked as if she was ready to face the entire power of the Horde... or the Swarm... by herself.

- Who's attacking us?! - exclaimed Dilayla.

- I don't know, I saw a flash and told him to get down. Wrongdak said. - it's such a reaction.

The mercenary nodded.

- Stay away from windows and onto the ground. - she said. Bina and most of her crew complied. But Rechiza and Ireanis stood staring at the windows, so she grabbed them by their robes and dragged them downstairs. Eti has disappeared somewhere. She wanted to follow her, but then two robots, humanoids with one arm converted into weapons, and a soldier in green armor burst through the door. Arkan-tar and Bina opened fire with a rifle and a pistol, shredding the nearest robot, but the second aimed at the scientist, but Dilayla grabbed his armed arm and fired up, hitting the ceiling. Dilayla hit him with her armored arm, crushing his shoulder on the weapon side. Meanwhile, Lilka and Itel attacked the soldier. She had seen a similar one once on a poster or in holovision, but she wasn't sure who it was. The Solarian wanted to confuse him and take his attack on herself, when Lilka struck from the side with a flaming ax, chopping off his arm.

- Wrongdak, throw that robot out the door before he fucks up, then get his guns. - cried the mercenary. The clone threw the robot headfirst, then took the weapon from the wounded soldier. He held them expertly as befits a born warrior, though his expression was troubled. "Genetic memory is strong, but it can also be painful, isn't it?" she thought. Arkan-tar stood at the door and fired several shots, followed by the explosion of the destroyed robot and the cries of the wounded. Alatar tied the wounded soldier to the other robot, and Dilayla crushed another arm and leg. Then the woman signaled Wrongdak to follow her. She stood in front of the window.

- Damn, damned fucking Azlanti! growled the mercenary. - "Star empire? I would never expect them here… They are almost the worst that could happen to Etheria. The heart may have been destroyed… But the first left many other terrible secrets there." she thought. She didn't know much about the star empire, but it was something completely alien and frighteningly familiar to her.

- I saw four robots and ten Vesks. Several soldiers are hiding in the shadows. I hit one. - Arkantar said. She nodded, wondering what to do. The strength and sense of power that filled her was the solution. She turned on the communicator and said.

- Give me cover, and they will know the horror of true darkness.- she said to everyone.

- Melodramatism and pathos went out of fashion Grimmy. - She heard Eti's voice through the communicator. She smiled.

She walked in it and forward like the Commander did when she was thinking about something difficult. She might not be as wise as Mind Brightener, but she knew very well how to deal with Wise Beings. Here she needed her skills to deal with a situation she had not yet found herself in. She was here. Lady Extinguisher of the Light. She remembered her well, though she didn't understand everything then. Now she knew that she wanted to broke down Mind Brightener and the Caretaker, but the Commander defeated her…then they stayed together for a while after the Caretaker took her to the enemy's stronghold. And finally she disappeared. It wasn't until some time later that the Designer said that "She managed to escape it all into death. Now she is dead and can no longer be judged." She died, that is, she was Broke down, as happened to organic beings. Only organic beings could not be repaired so easily. She only found out about it recently when one of the Skittermanders broke down and nobody fixed it. When she asked through Friend if there was a way to fix it, she was told that it wouldn't be good. That "His time is fulfilled." Maybe a Mind Brightener or a Lightbringer could do that to make things right… But they were almost certainly not here. Who fixed her? How and why? She didn't understand, but she knew that Light Extinguisher was very dangerous. She said she wouldn't hurt her unless he forced her to." She didn't want to force her to do anything. She didn't want anything to do with her, she didn't even want to be on the same planet as her. She wanted to tell her Friend about it, he should come up with something... Only if he comes up with something and she breaks him down? She didn't want Friend to be broke down. Just what does she want? She said they would travel together and they were going back to the Creation Place, does that mean she's going back there too? Will Brighteye and the Commander be happy that she's been fixed? She was to them what Mind Brightener was to her, so they should be happy. However, the Designer didn't like her, so she wasn't sure, but on the other hand, the Designer and the Commander didn't like each other either. But will anyone recognize her? She looked different... Even though she wore a face mask back then, as did Mind Brightener when she was working on something potentially dangerous... Though once Light Extinguisher never took it off... Why? Was she dealing with dangerous things all the time? She's dangerous herself, so maybe that's why she wore a mask?

It would probably be best if he waited to tell everything until he was back at the Place of Creation. There she will tell Mind Brightener and Desinger everything. They will surely know what to do...

- I hate bots. - a voice growled, and the entire vehicle shook. She looked up. It took her a while to figure out that this machine could talk like Darla. She wasn't sure if he was a Wise Being, though, because he'd repeated the same phrase forty-four times and she had no idea what effect he was expecting… She wasn't sure what was expected of her, actually. Light Extinguisher told her to watch him, but she wasn't sure if she could do anything, her weapon was taken away from her. All she could do was walk here and think. And she had something to think about besides the Light Extinguisher. They met the Second Commander. It was similar but not identical. Same model but different series. And her hand was replaced with a very interesting part. The friend was delighted to meet her here, but she felt she should undergo a system reboot and maybe even a reinstallation of cognitive support systems. Mind Brightener would definitely help her!

She heard voices from outside. Someone was approaching the vehicle... She started tapping on the walls, wanting to alert the machine, though she didn't know what he could do. She must have succeeded, because the vehicle said.

- Bina! I see that three fools in front of the hood and I'm sure they're laughing at me. Yes, armed... Can I really? BUHAHAHA. - The vehicle laughed. Sometimes Mind Brightener laughed like that, too, but this time it sounded scary... She felt the vehicle move so violently that she was thrown to the rear. She heard them hit something...

First, she summoned darkness around the three of them, making them harder to hit.

- We're covering the Spellcasters. – exclaimed the mercenary. She started firing, as did the scientist and the clone. She quickly rushed through the door without waiting for the other sorcerers. She wasn't sure about Rechiza's skills, but she had suspicions that the only thing the silver-haired sorceress could do was draw fire on herself. She went out into the night. The black, gloomy sky was lit only by those accursed stars. But here on earth the research facility was brightly lit, and darkness swirled around her. She saw Vesks trying to hide among the nearest buildings. and robots ready to attack. The Azlantis continued to hide, confident that they would be safe there… She reached in that direction and shadowy tentacles shot out in that direction. She felt them roam reaching for the Aeon Guards, finding their victims and wrapping themselves around them. Her body surged with strength as the dark power drained the life from those she took. „This is the power I paid so much for." she thought. One of the commanders clearly saw what a threat she was, because despite the darkness surrounding her, she felt one of the Vesks almost hit her. However, in the direction of the enemies, the missiles of her allies flew. She saw that the lizard's hand, which appeared to be the commander, shattered as an unseen shooter shot him. Dilayla, Bina, and Arkan-tar also hit a few attackers, while Wrongdak probably preferred to shoot at the machines. Someone gave the order, and the Vesks and the robots charged. Then Rechiza caused the ground beneath them to crack and collapse, a few lizards stumbled, others were engulfed in a fiery explosion called by the itel, but the robots seemed to ignore it.

And then Ireanis cast a spell. Lightning bolts shot out of the silver-haired woman's hand, something she knew so well, which hit the Azlantean machines. The discharges jumped from one to the other, knocking them to the ground. With all the robots destroyed, lightning strikes hit the Vesks, killing some and knocking the others down. Surprised, she looked at the elf, who was looking at them with a goofy smile. She held up her thumb, smoke pouring out of it. Then the sorcerer turned on her side. She dashed to it without breaking the spell to pick it up. But then she remembered something.

"These robots are exploding..."

The explosion knocked her to the ground as well.

The mystic zapped, the robots boom, and the Vesks didn't look good anymore. It was the only way Dilayla could comment on what had just happened. She thanked Iomadae for this change of fate and ran outside to pull the stunned and unconscious woman inside. Rechiza grabbed the gun and went inside.

- What a beautiful show our ladies put on! - Arkan-tar half-shouted, half-stated, aiming at the enemies through the half-open window.

- Dark magic. whispered Lashunti, looking at Miss Daisy.

„Oh, realy?!" thought the half-elf and said.

- Dark or not, was very useful.

- I agree, they are so funny writhing in agony, it needs to be recorded ... But we must hurry, because they will gather soon and then it will be bad. - Eti interjected.

- I called the Crusher. Bina said. - We'll go out the back door and he'll be waiting for us.

Dilaya frowned.

- Isn't he a bit crazy? - asked the mercenary.

- It is, but in the way we need it. - replied the Captain

- Move your butts, instead of insulting Crushey!

Eti watched the spellcasting from above with her mouth open. She knew Ireanis could do interesting things sometimes, but Grimmy was amazing. Those screams and yells and all that darkness, it was something amazing… But the explosion was definitely an unpleasant experience. Her hearing was so muffled for a moment that she barely heard Sparkle Fingers coming. The girl stood next to her, cringing surprisingly professionally.

- I... I didn't know what to do, so I came to you to help you... Somehow.- she said in sign language. She nodded and spoke to the half-elf mercenary. She motioned to Sparkle Fingers to follow her. She hoped they would end up in the same back door as the rest. Fortunately, they succeeded, and the whole group left through the wide door. Wormdak had finally made a good use of it, and was wearing a deliciously snoring Ireanis on his shoulder. This job clearly suited him. The Fist supported Grimmy, who looked around bewildered. She descended the vertical wall, and Sparkle Fingers jumped down.

- Was she hit hard? - she asked anxiously. Itel shot a suspicious glance at Sparkle Fingers. He fawns again.

- No, only the explosion incapacitated her, but she's getting better. Where are we leaving? - asked the sand.

- There's a back door nearby, but it's locked with a thick chain. I guess we'll have to blow them up. - Eti said. Bina nodded, apparently now taking charge.

They continued in the direction indicated until they reached the back exit. As they walked, she heard Gloomy purr softly

- She's coming... I can feel her

But no one seemed to notice

The good news was that the gates were open. Angry that they were guarded by five aeon guards who turned to open fire on them. She was already aiming at them to incapacitate, or perhaps kill, one of them, but then a tall, fair-haired girl ran between the men, pierced one of the soldiers with a long blade and knocked down another with a powerful kick. Then the Smarty neutralized one, and Lilka with Itel took care of the other two... The woman stood in front of them smiling. She was tall and quite pretty, with long hair and deep blue eyes. She bowed courteously to them, raising her sword high, dripping blood.

- Lady Cala Grayskul at your service. - she said in a melodious voice. Grimmy got up on her own.

- Hello Cala, Good to see you. - the mystic said quietly. At that moment, Eti caught a smell, strange and irritating, nauseating.

"What smells so bad?" she thought.

She sensed her ward's arrival before she saw her. Sometimes it happened when she drew too much power, which after all came from their common patron ... She was not prepared for such a quick meeting. No… She wasn't prepared for Cala with Eti meet so soon. Her ward has certainly realized what she sees, she has squeezed too much information out of her, about her former life. But for now, she didn't say anything or show any sign that she saw what the other girl looked like.

- And you are that aristocrat! I have to admit you wasn't what I expected. - Bina said.

- I have the impression that our wonderful Lady Cala will surprise us more than once during this trip. Dilayla murmured.

„Just so you know" she thought with bitter satisfaction.

Lilka, Alatar and Itel looked at the "aristocrat" with disbelief, and Eti winced at the sight of her.

- I'm glad I made such a good impression on you. - Lady Cala bowed again. - But we're in a hurry. We must leave this place before the enemy gets reinforcements… - Her voice was drowned out by the roar of the engines. The vehicle, a small spaceship, flew over the research facility. It hovered above them, and several rounds were fired from the turret into further buildings.

- Damn Azlantean space shuttle. If it's their support, we're in the shit. - Dilayla said

The side door swung open, and a tall woman slid down on her outstretched wings, her purple cloak billowing in the breeze.

- Hello, I'm Captain Moonshadow… - The winged woman introduced herself.

She felt her legs buckle under her. All strength and self-confidence flew away.

"Impossible. you're dead"