**Author's note: This was supposed to be the last chapter of this arc, but I wasn't satisfied with some of the loose ends, so I rewrote it. The fun part of this chapter is on the last quarter! Also, 6/29/23, this chapter has been slightly edited to clean up a few inconsistencies**
"How can this be true? A transition of souls between mutant and human should not be possible to this degree of precision!" I heard Null explain as I crossed the threshold of the Divine Retribution. The Tech-priest was heavily laden with both luggage and doubt as he questioned Alberich's identity, who repeatedly insisted that he was who he was. "And, this entirely new mutant? Inheritor, please explain!"
"The Grand Advisor is truly coming with us?" Lian questioned, similarly not pleased.
"These people, who are they all? I do not understand," Ennoia asked in a distraught tone in her native tongue. She stood ahead of us with her sister further into the vessel.
I reached the round meeting area that stood next to the stairs before the bridge, and I quickly turned around to address my ornery crew. "Settle down, everyone. The new bird mutant is Zok, and he's our new cook. The ship has a kitchen, right?" I hastily spoke as we all filtered into the round meeting area in the "chest" of the ship. I really didn't feel like explaining all this right now, as I was exhausted and somewhat cranky with my little experience with death just a few minutes ago. "Alberich really is in a new body, like I said. Null has two bodyguards now, and the sleazy guy with the beard is Grand Advisor Grigori Rasputin. He's coming with us for now as a contingency plan for the minefield. I'll kill him if he acts up, so don't worry."
Rasputin appeared briefly insulted, but Null immediately spoke up before anyone else could add their thoughts.
"While I submit to your will, you do realize that you invite trouble to yourself," Null explained with confidence, his Skitarii guards trailing him dutifully, and his new servo-skull hovering over his shoulder. "This is a motley crew of malcontents, not an entourage for the future leader of mankind! Grand Advisor Grigori served under the traitorous governor for years. No doubt he kept any knowledge of this Chaotic uprising a secret! This world could have been effectively defended if the Grand Advisor had simply offered his testimony to us!" Nearby, I could see that Zok's ears were lowered in a bestial expression of injury, but he said nothing while he continued to observe his new surroundings with wide blue eyes. Rasputin was beside him, and the Mad Monk didn't appear terribly concerned with any of the new disparaging remarks being thrown his way. The Russian placed his long-fingered hand on the warm plated metal of the ship's interior, and brushed the surface in a motion that managed to be somewhat creepy.
Null was right. My crew really did consist of a bunch of freaks, myself included.
"Look, Null, we can all argue about it later. But right now, we gotta go," I trailed off, utterly exhausted as I massaged my left arm. Did I have a heart attack or did I boil my brain from all my usage of Sight, I wondered. "And seriously, if you want reassurance, I can just eat anyone who mouths off to me in here, and that includes you."
That particular threat was able to still Null's complaints, and he said nothing more. His two Skitarii warriors stood nearby, and did not move to defend him or fight against me in any way. Good.
Wolfie, understanding my intentions, was already halfway up the stairway to the bridge. He barked at us expectantly, ready for more action.
"Divine Retribution, close up. We're leaving," I instructed while rapping my fist against the plated metal of my living god vessel.
The soft gold glow of the interior of the Divine Retribution felt comforting after this long terrible evening. I finally felt somewhat safe as I made my way with my entourage to the bridge, who trailed behind me in a whispering nervous line. Virgil snapped into existence beside me as I walked, my steps slightly unbalanced from my earlier overexertion.
"It is good to see you again, Inheritor. I witnessed the glorious battle from the bridge," Virgil spoke quietly as he float-walked beside me. The hologram then nervously observed the group of people that currently followed my lead up the stairs. "But, er, beg your pardon, but who are all these people? What has been happening outside? Were those Chaos Astartes that kneeled before you? Why? Forgive me, but, I have been gravely worried!"
"It's a long story, Virg," I answered with a dry cough. "But, anyway, we're getting out of here. This world is ending, and-"
My sentence was cut off as I clumsily stumbled against the wall of the stairway up the Divine Retribution's neck. My vision swam, and my heart still continued to ache. I was not feeling well at all.
"Inheritor, ah, if I may," Virgil cautiously spoke as he floated before me, barring my path. I paused.
"Out of the way. We have to escape," I quietly instructed the hologram as I steadied myself against the metal wall. My entourage whispered nervously behind me, and I heard Zok observe "she's weakened".
"Virgil, stop this and listen to her. We must flee!" Null added from behind.
"It appears you're injured," Virgil observed with great concern as he watched me. "And, it also appears that you've been psychically overdrawn. That firestorm! I saw it from the bridge! You must rest before piloting this vessel. You do not have the strength to operate it!"
"Look, Virg. We have to leave this world. There's aliens coming, and a greater daemon might be summoned any minute. I don't want to be here anymore," I blearily responded as I proceeded to simply walk right through the hologram, who continued to follow beside me. "So what? I'm a little burned. I'll be fine. I'm a perpetual, so whatever. I'll just get better if I die again."
"No, your leg! Your presence is dim, I perceive," Virgil insisted as he followed us up the stairs. "In our universe, powering psychic artifacts in your condition is not safe!"
Oh, I was bleeding, I suddenly remembered as I touched a wet spot on the side of my leg. Oh well. "We don't really have a choice. I have to do this. We have to go."
"But-"
"I can help," Alberich spoke up from behind me as he was supported by Zok. The psyker groaned in pain and added, "I can do it."
"And you are?" Virgil snidely asked, not recognizing Alberich's new body.
"You know me, Virgil," Alberich responded. "I am Alberich. I am now in a fully human body. Maybe now you will respect me?" There was a note of aggression in the displaced German's voice.
"Is this true?" the hologram asked me as I forced myself up the stairs. A drop of blood fell from my leg wound as I walked.
"It is," I simply informed him. "It'll take a long time to explain, but that's Alberich. These other people are friends. Well, the guy with the beard might not be a friend, but I'll just kill him if he tries anything," I found myself responding casually as I walked ahead.
"I keep helping you, tsarina. I would never hurt a Romanov! Why would you want to kill me?" Rasputin's voice echoed in the stairway, and I could hear Lian growl in response.
Not in the mood for drama, I did not answer.
We had reached the bridge, and once again, I cringed as I looked at the hungry central golden throne that stood before the three pinched ellipse windows of the Divine Retribution's head. I would definitely need Alberich's help here, as I was exhausted. Would the ship even accept me in this state? I was needed to power its Parson Shield. Without my energy, we had no Warp shield. Virgil had a point, I was forced to agree. At least I had a copilot that I could draw upon, I thought.
"Alberich..." I said as I slowly walked to the central throne. "We're going to need you plugged in, buddy."
"Bring me to the right throne, Zok," Alberich instructed Zok in a weary tone, who was helping to support the psyker. A few drops of blood fell from the psyker as he walked, and I could tell from here that Alberich definitely needed medical attention.
"I have a bad feeling about this. It appears you're both injured!" Virgil said before us both as he wrung his hands nervously. "Can you both not rest for a short while? You are both actively bleeding!"
The earth quaked below us again as I momentarily paused over my throne, my heart still aching. I hesitated, and I watched my crewmembers filter in to the bridge. Zok's beak was open in amazement at his surroundings while he supported Alberich in walking to the throne. Both Blank sisters and Lian stood very close to me, and I watched as the Fallen removed his helmet, and briefly shook his sweaty head before putting an armored hand through his messy hair. Null was occupying himself with explaining something to the two Skitarii warriors in a low, serious voice. I noticed that the trio furtively watched Rasputin with suspicion, who stood awestruck at the soft glowing gold of the bridge. I continued standing over my throne, not looking forward to sitting down while in this weakened condition. This was probably going to hurt when I plug in, I thought with a shiver as I slowly sat down. Zok placed Alberich in his throne to my right, and the psyker turned to me, waiting for my instruction.
After sitting down, I noticed that there was a small hard object in the corner of my seat, and I briefly stood up to investigate. I discovered the spiny black time crystal from Nubua. I picked the crystal up and placed it in my shirt pocket before sitting down again. Taking a few deep breaths for bravery, I called out, "Divine Retribution, attach me."
Immediately, every nerve in my body was painfully electrified as the Divine Retribution greedily integrated itself into my weakened form once again, snaking through my soul and gripping me with its overwhelming ethereal gold presence. After being overcome by its monumental oversoul during the recent battle, I had a new appreciation for the sheer irrepressible power of the machine spirit contained within this vessel. It had a will of its own, and while I was its captain, the willpower of the Divine Retribution was indelible, and I easily recognized now that it was slowly bending me to better suit its needs. As I got comfortable in my seat, the three holographic displays flickered into existence before me, and once again, the third display nearly immediately turned off, leaving only the displays before Alberich and I.
"Alright, how are you feeling, Divine Retribution? Tell me a status report, or whatever. Put it on the screen like you usually do. You get it," I said, shifting uncomfortably on the scary golden throne that eats souls for fuel.
The screen glimmered brightly, and lines of text appeared before me on my display.
Operations: Fair
Fuel: 70%
Emergency Fuel Capacity 50%
Prime Energy Cell: 99%
Void Shield Capacity: 95%
Parson Shield Capacity: 3%, Warning! Parson Shield critically low! Request additional input!
Commencing initial scan of Captain, secondary Navigator
The vessel sent a brief wave of cold energy once again through my body. This was much more uncomfortable than it had been before. My ear had not stopped bleeding since my death earlier, and I really did not want to fly through the Warp like this.
"Warning! Physical form of secondary Navigator has been compromised! Recalibration and reintegration of secondary Navigator required for full operations!" the ship spoke aloud.
"But you know me!" Alberich protested wearily to the ship as he similarly reeled in pain. "You did this before!"
"You're in a new body, Alberich. It already recognizes your soul, otherwise it would not have sensed you sitting there. It just needs to mess with you again to connect you. Don't worry," I replied dismissively, too tired to deal with anyone's feelings. I sensed that Alberich was afraid of the integration process, but we needed to leave, and I needed his energy to help us with that. "Commence reintegration, Divine Retribution," I instructed my vessel.
Alberich cried out as the Divine Retribution reached into him, bending his very soul in order to refashion his soul for the godlike machine spirit's use. After a few tense moments, the integration was complete.
"Reintegration complete: trace Warp taint removed from secondary Navigator. Commencing comprehensive scan of Captain:" the ship passively intoned.
It was my turn to cry out in pain again as a more powerful wave of energy washed through me. It felt like I had been immersed in both scalding and freezing water at the same time. This was extremely uncomfortable. Above, more lines of text appeared, illustrating just how damaged I currently was.
Captain Biometrics Scan Complete
Health, Captain: Severe Fatigue, Arrhythmia, Moderate Dehydration, Warning: Psychic exhaustion/overload detected!
Current Psi-Level: Moderate, Yellow-white Star, Analog-Gamma
Motivating Impulse: Escape
I felt the Divine Retribution psychically "point" to the Key, which was hot on my chest, filled to the brim with souls. In a strange way, I could tell that the vessel was very pleased with this, and I could even feel a sense of anticipation as it observed the jewel I wore.
Recent Intake: 189 (296), emergency bleed, 50. 19 souls salvaged.
Range Estimate: 769.6 parsecs, sublight. 8104.129 parsecs, Warp
Recommend intake: 21
"189?!" I explained. "I've eaten 189 people? I didn't think it was that high. Wow," I laughed with another dry cough. "Divine Retribution, define 'Emergency Bleed'."
"Emergency vent of soul energy to prevent psychic overload, initiated 6.7 hours ago. 19 souls salvaged from the event, partial absorption."
Oh, that was when I was hallucinating and losing my mind in the hedge maze, I remembered. It was nice to know that the Key could actually vent souls if needed. And, the Divine Retribution had even remotely "caught" some of the souls the Key had vented, which was very impressive.
The ship continued to study the Key, and then, it intoned. "Full absorption of 189 souls of 296 units will enable structural upgrade and further bodily Captain ascension."
"Captain ascension?" I asked warily as the ground shook below me. Wolfie whined nervously, and the astral hound walked ahead and through the holographic display to gaze out the center eye ellipse window. The pale blue of dawn was now visible in the sky.
"I'm going to the engine room, Inheritor, and I'm leaving my guard. Command them as you wish," Null announced to the bridge as he departed with his servo-skull. I felt the spindly legs of Jiminy grip my shoulder, and as Null's metal footsteps dashed down the stairway, the metal drone spoke in its high cartoon-y voice. "I don't need to prod, and I know you're weakened, but we should depart! I worry that the governor may have found access to the minefield somehow," Null said through Jiminy.
The Divine Retribution clarified what it had informed me of earlier: "Current Captain Ascension status: 3 out of possible 9. Minor physical changes. Sight: low. Estimated new presence with absorption of Key resources: 4 out of possible 9. Moderate physical changes. Sight: moderate."
I could feel the ship's extreme eagerness to devour all the souls. It felt very hungry. It gripped me in anticipation, happily waiting to draw off all the souls I had picked up this evening.
Oh man, this was probably going to sting. Each time I had fed the souls to the ship, the Divine Retribution had first drawn all of the souls fully through me before devouring them. When a soul was first absorbed by the Key, a tiny fraction of its potency was first delivered to me. Later, when the souls were given to the Divine Retribution, a larger portion of the soul energy was used to further empower my energy. I basically got stronger with each soul I absorbed and with each "soul delivery" I made to the Divine Retribution, but it was an uncomfortable affair. I had been used to processing several souls at a time, but nearly two hundred? That sounded dangerous, especially in my current condition!
"Is this safe, Divine Retribution?" I asked as I felt the ship grip me in hungry anticipation.
"Captain will experience physical pain, height increase, weight increase, Warp shadow increase, disorientation, nausea, and other mild to moderate side effects," the ship responded, making the absorption of nearly two hundred souls sound like prescription drug commercial.
"Ascension?" I heard Rasputin muse as he walked into my field of vision. "How fascinating..."
"We need to leave!" Alberich cried out insistently next to me. "I sense activity at the Statue of Liberty!"
Are we really just replaying everything that happened on Levant with Am'Erika? Shit. Okay, okay, I thought, straightening my back, and gripping the armrests of my throne. Get it together, Erika. At least this time, the ship will be filled to the brim with power, and I wont be so afraid because I'm a goddamn perpetual Inheritor Empress creature, right?
Okay, fuck it. I'm done being afraid. "Take the souls from the Key," I said. "Do it."
An avalanche of energy then passed through me, causing me to scream. Every identity of every single soul I had devoured briefly echoed through me. I saw them all! Images of their lives, their names, their experiences, their heartaches, loves, and losses flashed through my mind as I witnessed every single person that I had devoured within two seconds of dilated time. I was dimly aware that Jiminy had fluttered off my shoulder with an alarmed cheep.
Apparently, it wasn't over, because as the souls were pulled out of me, I felt a rush of pain deep in my spine as the throne reached deeply through my being once again. A tearing sensation of white hot electricity passed through my entire body, radiating outward until it reached my skin, which now felt as if it had been burned. As I sat catching my breath, I then sensed that the throne below me felt electrified. In a sigh of exertion, I felt the Divine Retribution expand, its living gold briefly shining as it reshaped itself. People were crying out in fear through the entire vessel, and below me, I felt the throne slightly expand in size. As the Divine Retribution, I felt my wings spread in delight as they grew longer, and my talons extended themselves, relishing in the sensation of power.
"Absorption successful. Vessel size increase: 13.9%. Captain ascension now registering at 4 out of possible 9. Conventional psyker level, beta. Sight level: moderate."
I didn't have time to worry about this, because as soon as the Divine Retribution was finished speaking, my psychic senses ignited in worry. Despite my stinging eyes remaining closed, my attention was now immediately pulled to the southeast, and my Sight immediately witnessed the Statue of Libertine.
A mental portrait began to construct itself in my mind. Whenever I had done this before, the images were somewhat hazy, and it took concentration to focus each subject of interest into clarity. Now, everything was much clearer. It almost felt as if I were actually there.
There was an evil man wearing a long red, white, and blue robe interspersed with silver embellishments and long metal spines reaching from his shoulders. He was standing at a podium at the base of the giant Statue of Libertine. Around him, rapturous cultists (some human, some not) of the Family of Liberty stood in bliss, their eyes closed and their hands raised in praise. Below him, and off to the side, I saw something that made my stomach turn, even causing my body to gasp on my throne.
A heaving mass of at least hundreds of mostly naked weeping people were bound together at the base of the statue. They were all roped together in a clustered group with strange glowing chains. All were terrified and frightened, and many prayed to the Emperor for deliverance. Beastly men holding glowing scourges patrolled the group, presumably guarding it. Looking around further, I then saw more groups of chained people that struggled as they wept and screamed curses toward the man who spoke on the raised podium.
My Sight then informed me that there were actually multiple masses of hundreds of chained and weeping people that had been corralled to this cursed place! Thousands of people, which was far more than the sacrifices of Alys Island on Levant! They were planning on sacrificing all those people to Am'Erika, I immediately knew!
Above all of this, the man continued to speak. His image was being projected against an area of the Statue of Libertine's robe, and on a series of tall screens that had been erected in the area. Helpfully, my Sight informed me that this high status cultist was High Confessor Kopeland, one of the leaders of the Family of Liberty under the (now deceased) Matriarch Raula White. Kopeland was an older man with merciless grey eyes that spoke of great evil and a soul blacker than pitch. I extended my mystical hearing skills to listen to this man speak whatever filth he was lecturing these future sacrifices on.
"And now, our victory is at hand, dear blessed brothers and sisters of Tar Vigaz and all of the Conglomeration of Ev! You have been brought to us from far and wide. You have come from the ranks of criminals, reprobates, and other disgusting positions in your failed and useless lives. But now, I am ever so proud of your sacrifice for the greater good. Your willful sacrifice shall be remembered in this world's history for years to come! I salute you, oh sacred volunteers! May you finally find your redemption!"
These people certainly didn't look like they were "volunteers", I darkly observed as the High Confessor spoke.
"When you all graduate to the next level of existence, you will visit the glorious heaven of the Lord of Hosts. Am'Erika will take your poor, your tired masses that yearn to break free! You will be rich in heaven! Oh, how utterly envious I am of you!" Kopeland shouted out across the base of the statue.
"Traitor!" A dim voice spoke bravely from somewhere, actually causing Kopeland to pause his insipid speech. "Wicked man! A traitor to the Conglomerate of Ev! May divine retribution fall upon you, ye cursed! May her judgement fall upon you, and this entire world! Curse you!"
"Who said that?" the High Confessor barked his question. He then turned to one of his attendees, and I could hear him whisper, "I thought you said the silence enchantment was solid?"
Alright, that was enough, I thought as I came back to myself. They were definitely trying to summon a giant daemon over there. Morbidly, I actually found myself glad that the Necrons were close. As soon as I had that thought, I immediately felt guilty, and decided not to think about it.
"Divine Retribution, time to lift off," I commanded in my resonant voice. Jiminy was chattering about something on my shoulder, but I didn't quite hear him, as I felt my anti-gravity engines ignite, and with a push from my massive gold talons, I was now in the air. The Wheelers that had just appeared in the port began firing their laser cannons at me, but these were immediately deflected by my shields. It still managed to sting with irritation against my hull, and I found that the sensation reminded me of mosquito bites.
The vessel began to drink from me as a power source, but apparently, found my energy reserves to still be too low. Intuitively, I realized that the ship had greedily used all excess energy into itself to grow larger, and had only minimally healed me in the process.
"Warning! Captain psychically exhausted. Captain body damaged. Parson Shield low, 26%. Request continued draw off of alternate active living source for void shield and Parson Shield?" the ship asked as I felt its attention turn toward Alberich.
Immediately, I knew what the vessel hungered for, and I finally opened my eyes before turning to Alberich, who was watching me on the right throne. The psyker's expression was that of both horror and amazement, and now, his formerly blue eyes were once again ringed in gold from his reintegration into the ship. "You, you've changed again! The ship got bigger, and you've become taller!" the Traveler explained.
"Yup," I said as I felt the vessel rise into the air. My head was swimming, and I still felt incredibly disoriented. It felt as if I had been electrocuted, and every nerve in my body tingled. I was aware that the very loose male-styled button down shirt I had been wearing was now actually somewhat tight across the shoulders. While I felt taller, at least I didn't feel giant. I didn't seem to be towering over anyone yet, which was a relief. My heart skipped a few beats again, and a dull ache ran down my left arm as I attempted to center myself further. I'd worry about all of this later, I promised myself. "So, we're going to need to pull from you further to power the shield, Alberich. I don't have enough energy to do it right now."
Alberich flinched and nodded. "I accept. You saw the cult, correct? What are they doing over there?"
Before I answered the psyker, I felt the ship grip him, and Alberich hissed in discomfort.
"Drawing from Secondary Navigator," the ship intoned passively. My skin continued to tingle unpleasantly. It felt as if I had a sunburn over my entire body.
The large holographic display before me responded to my curiosity concerning Am'Erika and flickered. Now, the ship displayed the massive gold Statue of Libertine standing on her giant podium, her sword held upward into the sky. I could now physically see the crowds of people that would be future sacrifices ringing the statue!
"At least ten thousand souls," Lian rumbled sadly from my left. The marine shook his blond head sadly. "You understand what they are doing, I am assuming?"
I nodded. We continued to float in the sky, but I had paused our ascent as we waited for Null to arrive in the engine room.
"They're going to kill everyone that you see there," Rasputin added as he walked to my left side, drawing a long bony finger across the armrest of the empty leftmost throne. "This is actually the second shipment of souls. These have been brought by the governor's private military and secret police from across this region. They're liquidating the undesirables to fuel the creature inside the statue."
"And you knew all of this, and did nothing," Null spoke through Jiminy in a high pitched voice, admonishing Rasputin harshly. "You must have had knowledge of this plot, and you did and said nothing to warn any of us, Grand Advisor. We could have organized a defense of this planet, but you decided to keep your mouth shut!"
"There's a reason for that, little bug," Rasputin responded calmly. "The governor was hellbent on this operation, and by the time I became aware of her plans, which was a mere few days ago, it was already too late for anyone to stop her. Her decision to finally set everything in motion was actually impulsively triggered by the coming of Erika here, and the final word given for the cult's advancement and the subsequent terrorist attacks the very morning of the costume ball. All the pieces were already in place. I simply decided to stay out of the way, and hope that a better solution for my salvation would come."
"You wanted passage aboard this ship," Lian observed as he suspiciously studied the Mad Monk. I continued watching the Statue of Libertine on the display while I centered myself from my disorientation. My body definitely felt larger and more muscular. I pulled my hand away from my armrest, and observed it. It didn't really look any different.
"Yes," Rasputin nodded and smiled greasily. "I had precognitive dreams of its extreme glory, and its connection to God Almighty. I very much wished to see it, and it was made even more enticing when I discovered that a Romanov piloted it. I made a vow to that family many years ago, and that I would always protect anyone of that name. It is divine providence that I am here, and that I help my appointed Empress. I swear this on my life."
"Alright, great, we're leaving now though," I interrupted Rasputin's musings as a small window opened up on the corner of my display. Lian continued to stare at Rasputin, who simply grinned sleazily back at the Fallen Paladin. Ahead, the new window showed a concerned Null, who stood with his four arms crossed.
Null tapped his metal fingers against his shoulders, and I saw that he held a clear flattish rectangular box in his gold hand, which he immediately placed down before speaking to us. "My fellows, I understand that this statue is not a friend of ours, but there is a fleet of xenos approaching this world. Let the xenos destroy these cultists. I am sorry to say that my reluctant suggestion is to depart while we still can. There is literally nothing we can do now to rescue this planet from doom."
I continued observing the statue through both the display and through my Sight. My upper lip twitched as I watched High Confessor Kopeland transform an innocent man into a screaming tentacled mass of flesh on stage, presumably for punishment for speaking out. Hate filled me like fire at seeing humans treated so poorly. Would I leave all these people to their doom?
Alberich, who was cringing heavily from his throne's energy drain on his person, sighed, and nodded. He turned his head to me, his expression regretful. The psyker seemed to know what I was thinking, and said, "As much as I know that you want to help these people, I do not think there is much you can do, and-"
My psychic senses suddenly prickled, and I got the sense that we were being sent a transmission. Who could this be, I thought. "Someone's calling us," I announced to the ship.
Rasputin turned around to me, his eyes wide with surprise, and he then scurried back behind my throne, out of view of anyone viewing us.
"Okay, put me on screen, Divine Retribution. This should be good," I said as we continued to float about five hundred meters above Port Aubergine. From here, I could tell that we were at about eye level with the distant statue.
Langwidere appeared before me, flustered and upset. Her honey-blonde curls were messy and undone, and her makeup was smeared. It appeared that she was crying. "Evie!" the governor wept bitterly. "You just keep messing everything up! This is my planet and I just want to protect it and you're ruining everything! What did I ever do to you?!"
"What did I do to you?" I sputtered in outrage. "You tried to decapitate me and steal my head! And I'm not Evanora, I keep telling you! My name is Erika! Look at my hair and my eyes! I'm also taller!" I scolded the transmission as I continued to watch the Statue of Libertine. "Anyway, I'm about to leave. I really don't have anything to say to you. So-"
"Wait, wait, wait," Langwidere said as she held her hands out before her in a conciliatory gesture. "Listen. I agree with you leaving now, alright? Look, we had a little bit of a misunderstanding earlier, but now, I've matured. I just want peace, alright? That's just what I want! We should be friends again! Let bygones be bygones!"
I growled as I gripped the armrests of my throne. While I had been weakened by my earlier brush with death, my recent empowerment courtesy of the machine spirit of the Divine Retribution had kindled a slow, powerful fire in me. The imperative to destroy and subdue anyone who would hurt humanity raced anew through my soul. This woman before me on the display had organized the collapse of her world on an insane whim, and she was responsible for the sacrifice of thousands upon thousands of people.
My Corona glowed warmly around my head and shoulders. Most interestingly, I noticed that my light was now traveling down my upper arms as I snarled at the vile traitor before me with my fearsome resonant voice.
"You know, Slaanesh himself told me that he wanted to be friends after his attempts at destroying me failed, and then, cultists came after me later anyway, so I ended up killing them too. I killed and devoured Raula White's soul, by the way. I strangled her so hard that I broke her neck, and then I consumed her very essence. Do you feel like joining the Matriarch in her fate? I would be very careful on how you respond."
At hearing my heavy threat spoken in my supernaturally empowered voice, the emotion of fear radiated heavily through my crew on the bridge. Lian, who stood beside me, even began to tremble under his armor, and clenched his jaw.
Langwidere stood fuming for a moment before responding. My display of intimidation apparently did not faze the governor, and she simply rolled her eyes at my threat. "Oh, no need to show off with that smoke and mirrors Empress farce that you use to bully everyone else, Evie. Listen, I'm trying to be nice here, alright? Let's be civilized!" the governor said, gritting her teeth. "But I admit that I have not been so nice recently because you've been so rude. Maybe you've noticed that the minefield above is armed, and that no one else can get through? So hey! Guess what? That's because I got into the Tower of Reason, and I killed that dreadfully designed Magos, Nimmie Amee. She's a pile of metal on the floor right now!"
"No!" Null abruptly cried out from the corner display.
"Yes! I did that! She underestimated my own vast knowledge and my own special modifications that I had made to my lovely body. I'll let you in on a little Martian secret, Evie! I have something in me that can influence Necron technology, and that something is very powerful. I found it in the vaults of Mars when I was with my father, and it has made me very powerful. So powerful, in fact, that even if this whole stupid boring world falls to those dumb aliens that are now near the orbit of the two moons, I'll still survive. I suggest you take my offer so everyone is happy!"
Null shook for a moment in response, and then, seemed to sigh in resignation. A line of text appeared at the base of the tech-priest's window. It said: The minefield is activated, confirmed, but I'm trying to calculate any holes in the field that have been left by the incoming xenos, as well as mapping the probable movements of the alien fleet itself so we can run. And, Nimmie Amee may yet still live somewhere. She is a survivor, I have a peculiar feeling. Keep the governor talking for a short while as I work. We'll get out of this!
I nodded slightly, and made it appear as if I was seriously considering what Langwidere had said. I psychically reached for Virgil, who was behind me, and I gave him telepathic instructions. Go and tell Null that I understood what he said, and stay in the engine room with him to relay any other secret instructions.
Thy will be done, Inheritor, Virgil responded before teleporting himself to Null's location.
And now, it was time for me to use my favorite skill, bullshitting. "Tell me what do you want then, Langwidere?"
"Simple, Evie dear," the governor said with a grin. "Go. Leave. I'll open the minefield for your passage. Do not assault the Statue of Libertine, and do not interfere with anything I need to do in order to save this world. While I can survive basically anything, I still like this planet, and I want to defend it against these aliens that are closing in."
I paused, and did not immediately respond as I watched another window opened up on my display. This one seemed to be an orbital model of a fleet of spaceships as they entered the general proximity of Tar Vigaz somewhere around the orbit of this world's moons. The Necron fleet appeared to be gigantic, and right now, they flew out of visibility below the horizon as they picked off various mines with their weaponry from a distance. Three large ships many kilometers in length stood at the fore of a swarm of strange vessels that included the distinctive crescent shaped ships I was familiar with in the lore. The entire fleet had to be at least over two hundred kilometers in length, and it resembled a strange comet. Mentally, I heard Virgil's voice in my mind: Null says this is where the Necrons are. We're calculating the locations of the mines. The xenos are destroying them, but not quickly. It may be difficult, but Null says that we might be able to slip through unnoticed.
"You just want us to leave?" I finally asked the governor with a choked laugh. I continued to keep one eye on the Statue of Libertine and the other on Null's display windows as I watched the Tech-priest work busily somewhere in the glowing green atmosphere of the engine room. Putting my attention back on the Statue of Libertine, I now saw that the High Confessor was leading the mass of people outside the colossus in some kind of song. Langwidere was willing to sacrifice tens of thousands of innocent people and summon greater daemons in order to "save" her world, which was absolutely unhinged. "Is that just it? You really just want us to go?"
The governor nodded, "Yes. Also, I want you to admit that I won our little competition, if it isn't already apparent. You have now seen my Hall of Heads, yes? My ability to manipulate my soul is completely unmatched! I can even remove my own head, and my soul is also perfectly rooted to the Warp now! In fact, you actually interacted with me in when I was wearing Mombi. You ended up damaging that head and now I have to get it refurbished. Rude again, Evie!"
That wasn't exactly how I remembered it, I glowered. "Mombi" had tried to decapitate me, and in a panic, I had punched her head off. Apparently, this action by me was considered "rude" by the governor!
Langwidere then proceeded to reach up, and with a swift motion of her hands upon her neck (which made a revolting wet clicking sound), she detached her own head from the base of her neck, and lifted it above her shoulders. The decapitated body of the governor then lowered the head, and passed it off to someone with metal arms who was standing just off screen. Langwidere was then handed a new head, this one with long black curls, fair skin, and penetrating green eyes. She placed her new detachable head upon her shoulders, and with another heavy click, she was now a completely different person. "Now, tell me. Are you skilled enough in matters of soul manipulation that you can accomplish a feat such as this? I think not! And so, now that I've won, I simply want peace between us. Say, 'yes my darling sweet Langwidere your mastery of science and psychic technology is best!' and I will let you go!"
"Let me just think about this," I stated to the governor while glancing back down to the window depicting the engine room. Null appeared to be rapidly typing something while partially off screen, and Virgil stood by his side. A three dimensional cubed model of the local airspace flashed into existence on my display. There were swarms of mines, each of which were being depicted as small red dots, and the Necrons seemed to be in no hurry to dismantle them, knocking only one out per second. Unfortunately, there seemed to be multiple thousands of floating space mines in the sky above us, extending well beyond low orbit and even sporadically scattered through the space of the inner planets of this system. Also on my display, a holographic model of a bizarrely-shaped Necron vessel appeared. The ship was an immense flat crescent that seemed to be attached to a long thin tail, and three long struts stuck out at an angle where the crescent attached to the body of the ship. A notation of "Harvest Ship Variant" appeared below it. By the looks of the radar, this vessel appeared to be the lead capitol ship. There appeared to be three of these Harvest Ships, but the center one was larger and covered in what appeared to be gemstones. It seemed to be leading the rest of the expansive fleet, and I wondered if the Nome King was aboard that ship.
I again observed the statue of Am'Erika. High Confessor Kopeland was still delivering his speech. In my mind, I heard Alberich ask, Is this a trick? What sort of foul magic has this woman involved herself in in order to remove her own head while speaking madness?
I don't know, I responded. She's insane, definitely. And you saw what Null said, I assume. He's scanning for any holes in the minefield we can escape through.
When the pause went on a little too long, something unexpected occurred.
"Oh, this is all so interesting to hear, because you know, she could simply arm the minefield once again when you are partway through. And, knowing the famous cunning of governor Langwidere, that's exactly what she'd do," Rasputin drawled into the conversation from off screen. "My first bit of advisement that I will give you is that I wouldn't accept this deal, Empress."
Langwidere, hearing Rasputin's voice, froze. Her jaw even dropped in shock. "This must be a trick you're playing on me, Evanora. I know I'm not hearing the Grand Advisor's voice on your bridge. He would never betray me, and his loyalty is absolute. So, ha ha, funny joke, Evie. You can't rile me up that eas..."
Rasputin then confidently walked ahead of me, and faced the screen on the bridge. Langwidere's expression transitioned to that of horror. A few heartbeats passed before the governor managed to question in a small voice, "Why... why have you done this!? You swore an oath to me!"
"My Empress here is of the House of Romanov. You know, like from planet Russia, like the stories I told at your parties. I made a vow to the Romanov family before God, and this vow also extends across universes. Now that this Romanov has appeared, my vow to you is null and void, I'm afraid. Nothing personal."
"Grigori, you get yourself back here right this minute!" Langwidere spat angrily like an angry soccer mom. "Are you drunk again?"
"Hardly!" the Mad Monk laughed. "I'm drunk on the vivaciousness of life, my dear ex governor!"
"What is happening here?" Alberich abruptly snapped in irritation from the other throne, his voice now slightly slurred. I could tell that he was uncomfortable, and that he also seemed pale now. "What is this dramatic performance with Rasputin here?"
Langwidere paused her anger at Rasputin, and now wore an expression of even worse horror on her face. "Who... who is that who spoke?!" she choked aloud. "Evie, show me the man who just spoke!"
Rasputin then looked toward Alberich, and began to laugh as if he had heard the best joke in the entire universe. "Oh, Langwidere! Fate does not smile upon you, it seems!" The Mad Monk then shook his head, and walked out of view of the display again. "Anyway, don't take the deal, Empress. She's trying to trick you. She did this with an emissary from the Imperium a few years ago. Langwidere ordered the minefield armed when this unfortunate fellow was only partway through the vortex field. Because his vessel was violently torn asunder by a small Warp rift, there wasn't even any recognizable wreckage, and the whole thing was written off as an accident! My new charge does not have to listen or apologize to you. I have my resources, so we can pass the minefield unimpeded!"
And with that, it appeared that Rasputin's interference basically killed any sort of negotiation that might occur between Langwidere and myself, however unlikely. On the display, the governor did not respond immediately, her face frozen in surprised hurt.
Rasputin then tapped on the metal of my throne from behind, and said, "Does this clear up any vagaries concerned my allegiance?" On his throne, Alberich hissed his displeasure at the scene.
"So," I turned back to Langwidere, unsure if I wanted to be angry or happy with the mad monk's interruption. "You still want peace?" I asked dubiously.
"Show me the other man that spoke on your ship," Langwidere repeated herself as she crossed her arms before her.
"Why does she want to see me?" Alberich asked with impatience. He definitely needed a doctor, and we needed to leave.
Oh, I suddenly realized something important with a gasp. Oh.
Alberich was in Heinrich's body, and Heinirch was Langwidere's ex lover that had been missing for years.
"Evie, let me see who spoke," Langwidere requested again, her voice now becoming cloyingly sweet.
"No," I responded simply as I began to nervously laugh at this absurd situation. Now, how was I going to handle this? I began to shake my head in exasperation.
"Why?"
"Because you didn't say the magic word," I weakly explained while continuing to giggle awkwardly, not knowing how to handle this at all. This was actually kind of funny, I thought. Absurd, but funny. Langwidere, on top of being evil, was very unstable, and would probably lose her mind if she saw Alberich directly after seeing that Rasputin had backstabbed her. Langwidere continued to insist to see Alberich. It honestly couldn't get much worse for us here, but maybe this was a blessing in disguise? People who lose their shit will sometimes make lethal mistakes in high pressure situations, and right now, we needed some kind of miracle to get out of this little conundrum. While this could easily backfire, maybe pushing the governor over the edge would cause her to fuck up? Faced with an armed minefield, a Chaos cult summoning the greater daemon Am'Erika, and incoming Necrons, any mistakes that Langwidere could make in her position would be welcome. Plus, she tried to decapitate me. Okay, yeah, fuck her. She can go and whine about me being a homewrecking bitch on space facebook later.
"What's so funny, Evie?" she asked tensely as I continued to nervously laugh. Langwidere's eyes then brightened, apparently realizing what the 'magic word' was. She sighed heavily, and asked, "May I please see who spoke?" At the very least, this was stalling a lot of time so Null could figure out how to get us the hell out of here.
"Okay, fine. Divine Retribution, pan the transmission camera back so the whole bridge is visible."
The ship did so, and now, the governor could see everyone present. Immediately, Langwidere's eyes fixed with watery hurt toward Alberich. "Hein-y?" she asked, clasping her hands together. "Heinrich, it's me, sweetheart! Oh thank goodness, I've found you!"
"No, not Heinrich," Alberich replied with a groan as he shifted on his throne, clearly uncomfortable with this situation. "I'm Alberich. Heinrich is someone else. I'm just in his body now. Just like how Erika is in Evanora's body. Please listen to what we're saying!"
"Heinrich, please, just..." Langwidere began to sob again, her tears streaming down her cheeks. "I waited! I never took any other lovers! Where have you been, sweetheart? I-I've missed you so much! Evie kidnapped you, didn't she? I'll get you out of this, I swear! Please tell me that's what happened!"
"I'm not your former lover, and honestly, looking at your behavior, perhaps he was right to leave. I'm here of my own free will! Why aren't you listening to me?"
"Looks like he may have had a change of heart, governor," Rasputin laughed nastily behind Alberich's throne.
Alberich groaned and clarified again, "But, I'm not Heinrich! Heinrich is gone! I was the gold bird that traveled with Erika at your party. I met with and switched bodies with Heinrich in the city. I am not your ex lover!"
"This is nonsense! Did you think I would believe this wild story? This sort of soul transference is not possible!" Langwidere's voice started to pitch and whine from her grief, and the scene was now becoming embarrassing. "Just... just tell me you're sleeping with that whore Evie and don't be a damned coward!" the governor began to cry again.
"Okay, look, I know this looks suspicious, but he's telling the truth," I began again, now losing patience with this vacuous woman. She was clearly deranged, but at the same time, a new part of me had very little tolerance for any sort of ridicule. Langwidere was disrespecting me, and she had tried to kill me earlier, so she did not deserve my respect. If I had the energy right now, I would have attempted to reach through the transmission and throttled the governor myself with Sight. "I'm not Evanora, and that isn't Heinrich." A nasty impulse then rose in me as I glared at the evil weeping woman on the display. My Corona ignited again, and my eyes began to glow. "Apparently, soul transference isn't as rare or unique as you thought it was. Maybe you just aren't that special?" I hissed vindictively.
Langwidere didn't say anything for a moment, and continued to weep in a dramatic fashion. "How can you be so cruel, Evie?! You come to my planet after not talking to me for three months, you make people have dreams about you everywhere, you crash my party, you make my guests distrust me and leave, and finally, you bewitch both Grand Advisor Grigori and my beloved sweet Heinrich to hate me! You did this all because you're jealous of me!"
My Corona continued to surround me again as I laughed at Langwidere's tears. "Why would something like me be jealous of a corrupted animal such as yourself? I'm an Inheritor! Look at my halo! Maybe you're in denial, but deep down, maybe you know who and what I am? On an instinctual level, you have to know, even if you are an insane beast that needs to be put down!"
Hearing this, Langwidere dramatically stopped her theatrics. She then appeared to steel herself, and dabbed her tears with a silk handkerchief. "Alright Evie, fine. If you want to be immature about this, then fucking die, bitch! I'm keeping the minefield closed, and I'm arming the anti-aircraft systems of Evna! Have a nice life, what's left of it!"
The transmission cut off.
"So, that went well," I said, shifting in my seat as my Corona dimmed. "And now she's going to keep the minefield closed."
"She was going to do that anyway," Rasputin said as he walked into my field of view again. "But, Langwidere's anger should not concern you, because-"
I felt the Divine Retribution strengthen its void shields right before a laser strike struck its underbelly, causing the bridge to shake. Ouch!
"Now she's shooting at us," I said with a sigh. I had forgotten that this world had anti-aircraft systems, and I wearily placed my hand on my forehead. I turned to Null's window as another bolt struck us, easily deflected. Whatever these lasers were, their strikes weren't very effective. "Null, Langwidere is gone. Tell me good news."
The Tech-priest paused before responding, apparently still very busy. Directly above and in low orbit, a mine burst under a bright neon green laser. "Normally I would have admonished you for handling this in such a reckless manner, but truly, we weren't getting anything out of the governor. From what Magos Amee told me, Langwidere is vengeful and deceitful. I am forced to concede with the Grand Advisor. She was likely planning on arming the minefield when we were part way through."
"Okay, great. Tell me you have an escape path for us," I asked.
"Not quite, I'm afraid," Null intoned as he busily tapped his finger against what I assumed was a keyboard. I looked up at the orbital map, and there was now what appeared to be a countdown aside the capitol ship. It said, 07:02, and it was steadily counting down. "But, once the xenos enter visible range, I'm sure they'll start dismantling the mines more readily. Perhaps this is just a question of remaining unseen before-"
The bridge was then violently jostled as a bright light flashed through the eye-windows of the ship. Zok shouted a curse as the Divine Retribution calmly intoned, "Void Shields: 85%. High potency energy weapons detected. Modulating frequencies detected. Currently compensating." I felt the ship begin to draw upon both Alberich and I more heavily, causing us both to groan.
"I really do have a way to bypass the mine field, if you'll trust me," Rasputin purred as he walked into my field of vision on my left side. "Hasn't my loyalty been demonstrated enough, Empress?"
Before I could respond, another heavy laser blast struck our right wing, and the ship lurched. My Sight swept outward, seeking the source of wherever these stronger blasts were originating from. In my mind, two locations were immediately located. One heavy anti-aircraft cannon stood at the top of the Tower of Reason, and another was located adjacent to the Statue of Libertine far to the southeast. Okay, I've just about had it. I'm done with this world. Without even giving an audible command, I effortlessly rose further into the sky, and began to make for the Tower of Reason as I armed my plasma torpedoes. The ship responded to this action with glee. I could feel that the Divine Retribution absolutely loved confrontation. As the ship, I felt my talons eagerly extend, and I clenched them as I flew.
"What are you doing?" Null asked hesitantly.
"Going after the Tower of Reason," I responded with my powerful voice as I directed my flight, happily breaking the sound barrier as I tore through the sky on my way to hurt the person who had tried to hurt me. "If the minefield was just operated, then Langwidere is there, right? There's a heavy anti-aircraft lascannon on that tower, so I need to blow it up."
Null paused, and looked at the display as I raced ahead. His eyes appeared very sad, and then, he nodded.
After one deflected strike and a second dodged laser blast, we were now close. This ship was screamingly fast, even in atmosphere! "Better hold on to something. This might get bumpy," I advised my crew through the ship as soon as I found myself in effective range of the tall corkscrew Tower of Reason. At its very top, four smaller cannons stood at each corner, and a massive telescoping silver cannon had emerged from a space in the roof. Currently, it was charging up again for another blast.
You want to play chicken with me, Langwidere? I thought evilly as I directly faced the cannon, flying dead on into its strike. You think you're such hot shit with your weird ability to swap your stupid heads, but I have command over time!
I felt myself fall more deeply into the Divine Retribution's machine spirit, allowing myself greater control and finesse over my systems. This was better anyway; if I had continued to focus on my pained and exhausted body on the bridge, the distraction of my own physical condition would impede me, and I needed to do this right.
Screaming my battle joy into the sky, I loosed two torpedoes a split second before the heavy cannon fired at a distance of a mere five hundred meters. Drawing upon my Sight, which was now magnified by the Divine Retribution, time slowed, and I now had enough time to bank out of the way, which I did easily. My torpedoes moved slowly toward their target, which was the top third of the Tower. My claws extended, and I willed time to restart. While the cannon strike missed me, the two torpedoes pummeled into the shields surrounding the Tower, immediately causing the protective barrier to fail. In that tiny moment, I continued my furious charge, and with my outstretched talons, I then reached for the top of the tower, and gripped the long silver cannon as if it was a metal snake. Screams erupted on the bridge as I pulled, and I tore the cannon from atop the Tower, and discarded it, letting it topple to the ground where it crushed a small group of hereteks who had been trying to cajole a daemon into the shield generator outside.
"Okay, one out of two done," I replied happily to the frightened little creatures aboard my bridge, easily able to ignore the painful drain on my soul as I flew into the air again. My captain's teeth began to chatter in excitement. Everyone else was whispering prayers and self-assurances as they leaned against walls, and sat against floors.
Another shot struck outward from far away, and I confirmed that I was being hit by another high powered defensive cannon from the direction of the Statue of Libertine. It hurt, and a brief check of my systems now registered that my void shields were now at approximately 65%. Would it be safe to fly to that statue and stop that daemon problem too, I wondered? It had the potential to become a greater daemon, but I was an enemy of Chaos, and I loved slaughtering daemons, no matter how strong they were. I decided to slow down and bank low around the skyscrapers of Evna, using them as cover as I swept my Sight on the distant area fifty kilometers to the south. My happy battle screams broke glass and shattered minds as I soared over the city center.
This was just like my initial flight in here, I thought with a laugh. But now, instead of praises and admiration, I felt great fear rising from the population. Why were the humans afraid of me? I was here to help them, I knew. That was my imperative. My captain was human, so my direction was to help the humans. Instead of ruminating on that, I continued to study the Statue of Libertine from afar with my Sight.
A man in lurid red, white, and blue robes was finishing his vile speech before a group of black-souled people, and with a gesture, I watched as a large group of chained humans cried out in terror as their lives were ended under a conjured pink cloud of pleasure-inducing gas. As they all died, this particular mass of people all experienced the most intense sensation of bodily pleasure in their lives, even as they were afraid and weeping! This caused some of these unfortunates to break into madness before dying in their painful ecstasy. The obscene spectacle was so disturbing that my beak dropped open!
Another cannon strike reached for me, but missed, as I was behind a familiar skyscraper. It was named "Sinclair Tower", and a part of me felt great satisfaction at seeing a laser cannon strike it, causing it to explode into flames. Below, I witnessed a battle between daemonic forces and a handful of Aeldari warriors, who then briefly paused to gaze up in awe at the sight of me flying above, my gold hull brilliant in the light of the rising dawn.
A whispered message from somewhere below from a familiar psychic voice: Praise you, Fate's Sundering! Deliver your divine retribution against Chaos! I will tell my people of you! Flee this world before it is too late!
Of course, that's why I'm here, I thought as I soared into the air again, rapidly gaining speed as I charged toward the Statue of Libertine, quickly breaking the sound barrier again in a rush of screaming fury. As I raced ahead, I sensed another group of innocent humans die in painful pleasure to the pink gas. This time, I was close enough that I was able to pull a handful of souls to me with some effort, saving them from consumption from the daemon that was manifesting itself into existence.
This particular heavy cannon was on its own silver tower somewhat adjacent to the Statue of Libertine. Installed as an anti-terrorist deterrent, it had the benefit of not being on the main power grid as the rest of Evna, so when the city lost general power, this was one of the few heavy laser cannons that currently remained operational.
They could see me now, I realized. I was already nearly upon them! The remaining groups of sacrifices were now alerting others to my bright presence in the sky. The captives cheered with relief and hope. Before the gas to this next group could be delivered, I sent more plasma torpedoes into the masses, and swiftly killed the entire group of captured humans instead of allowing them to die in such an ignoble, disgusting manner. It was simply the right thing to do, I thought. Their souls swirled and roiled ahead of me in an agonized whirlwind, and I reached for them, delighted at the feast.
But, something in me stopped my consumption. My captain was insisting that we not consume these souls, as she was injured and could not be easily ascended and altered so soon in her weakened physical state. Frustrated, I let the souls go, and watched with sadness when the daemon inside the statue consumed them instead.
I banked again, swinging around the statue once before advancing toward the nearby heavy cannon, which was charging its laser for another strike. Once again, I reached forward with my talons to grapple the silver tower, and with a pull, I crushed it, and toppled it to the ground. There. No one would shoot at me with nasty cannons anymore, I thought as I flew in a wide circle around the statue. People were screaming in fear and laughing in madness below me, and I realized that the cultists that remained were now absolutely terrified. Good.
One particularly black soul had his eyes on me, and he stood on a podium with other evil traitors of mankind. I put my Sight on him as I banked in the air while letting loose another long scream, circling the cultists like a titanic gold vulture. I wanted them to see me and know me before I exterminated them.
My Sight then easily informed me that the dark soul was High Confessor Kopeland, current acting leader of the Family of Liberty.
"We cannot win against it!" A mutated man with the face of a horned frog was explaining to the High Confessor. "It is of holy strength! I saw it in a dream! It wars against blessed Slaanesh and the Lord of Hosts! We must let Am'Erika deal with this cursed bird machine!"
"I refuse to be submissive against the enemies of sensation. This screaming chicken deserves to have its wings plucked," Kopeland replied as pink lightning cackled around his arms. "I am protected by the Prince of Pleasure, and he will bless me to slaughter this abomination!"
Abomination, huh? I stopped my aggressive circling, and then turned to face the group of cultists from above, my three eyes glowing balefully.
"You cannot hope to win!" the frog man explained to the High Confessor. "Let Am'Erika fight this battle! The summoning is complete!"
"The bird denied the Lord of Hosts his meal of pleasure. The bird must now experience pain," the High Confessor spoke balefully as he raised his arms, and began to aim at me.
Was this little bug for real, I thought, greatly amused. I decided not to waste a torpedo on this pathetic insect, and began to dive forward with my talons out once again. I would crush the remaining cultists beneath my claws!
However, before the High Confessor's bolt of pink energy could be expelled, something unexpected happened. My wings pulled upward, and I desperately aborted my charge as a gigantic golden hoof stepped off the podium, and crushed the remaining cultists into paste. My wings beat as I readjusted my flight to evade the reach of the statue, which I was luckily able to do.
As I stood circling above the statue, a familiar voice dragged through my mind.
"Hello again, Erika," Am'Erika boomed both audibly and psychically. "Lovely to see you again! Shall we dance?"