Fun fact, I had a good chunk of these scenes already written out, so some of this was just copy and paste. Ah, the joys of random ideas you wrote out months ago finally having a use.
On another note, Merry Christmas
Driluth's Legacy Chapter 4: … Inevitable Conflicts
Catra awoke to the sound of screams and flames. She shot up, coughing as smoke entered her lungs. She looked around in a panic and wondered where she was, because there was no way this flaming hellscape was Thaymor. How long had she been out for it to turn into a cheerful place of festivities into this burning wreck?
Catra got up, her body protesting due to the rough landing she had. She had far worse, though. This wouldn't stop her. She set off at a fast pace, eyes darting around for anyone among the fires. Tents that once housed goods and crowding people were now burning to ash, all that was bright and colourful fading away. She never thought that such a sight would hurt so much. Why was this bothering her? She heard someone scream and quickly rounded a corner. Someone was buried in the burning remains of a house, trying to crawl out but evidently trapped by the rubble.
"Help me!" she screamed.
"It's okay!" Catra ran over, checking over the wreckage to see what she could do. Maybe she could lift it? "Get ready to crawl out, alright?"
"Okay." The woman nodded. Catra gripped a wooden beam that was only mildly charred and lifted with all her might. She snarled as the weight threatened to dominate her strength but she redoubled her efforts and lifted the wreckage up enough for the woman to crawl out. She dropped the beam she was holding and the house collapsed in on itself. The woman sobbed, holding her side which had suffered some burns.
"Hey, is there a place we can get to? There a rendezvous point for the civilians?" Catra asked. The woman didn't seem to hear her, still sobbing.
"Why is this happening?" she wept. Catra stopped short, looking around the once thriving village. Corpses of men women and even some children littered the area, buildings and stalls once bustling with people were now aflame and she could faintly see armoured figures among the smoke along with the familiar flare of laser fire. She looked at all this and where once she would have said that this is simply what the Horde does, now she has no answer. What can she say in the face of this devastation when she is among its victims?
"Hey!" a voice rung out. Catra turned, snarling as she unsheathed her claws. She barely managed to stop herself when a guard in Etherian attire emerged from the smoke, holding a hand crossbow in one hand a bloody sword in the other. "You two okay?" he asked.
"I'm fine. She needs medical attention." Catra jerked her head to the still crying woman. "Where's Spinnerella and Netossa? I came here with them."
"Not sure. The whole place turned into a free for all." The guard responded. He looked up and grimaced. "Down!" he snapped, firing his crossbow at distant figures clad in dark armour. Catra tackled the woman, ignoring her pained moans as the guard jerked his head to a location deeper in the village. "Evacuation's that way! Go, now!" he roared before charging into battle, meeting a Horde trooper blade to baton. Catra lifted the woman's arm across her shoulder and the two hobbled through the burning village.
"Just leave me." The woman sobbed.
"Shut up." Catra growled.
"I'm dead weight."
She's right. And you know it.
"Just shut up and keep moving." Catra hissed to the woman and to herself. Her eyes scanned the area, searching for any threats or places to find safety. The smoke made it hard to see but she could tell the damage wasn't as severe the farther the two went. "Okay, I think we're getting there. Just keep holding on."
"Hey, you two!" a voice with an electronic buzz bellowed. "Surrender in the name of Hordak!" Catra snapped around to see several soldiers approaching, blasters trained on her.
"Get behind me." She hissed. Her claws unsheathed but all of a sudden threads made of light wrapped around the soldiers and tore them to ribbons. Catra snapped back in shock at the sudden brutality as Netossa emerged from the smoke, blood streaming from a cut on her temple and a look of incandescent fury on her face.
"Netossa!" Catra cried out.
"Princess!" the woman cheered. Netossa turned to them, the expression of rage still on her face. Catra was worried for a moment that the princess was going to turn on her when Netossa's face morphed into shock.
"Catra! Thank the Runes, you're okay!" she said, jogging over to them and grabbing her in a hug. Catra stiffened up but didn't push her away. "I saw the tank shot and I swore that you were on the ramparts, I heard you cry out and…" Netossa trailed off. A squad of guards emerged from the smoke, looking around cautiously.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Catra nodded. "Listen, this lady's hurt. We need to get out of here." One soldier approached and gently guided the woman away.
"Thank you." She said to Catra. The magicat made no response. She didn't have time to ponder on how to reply to the things she's never heard before. The other soldiers looked to Netossa for orders. She pointed to a place in the distance where blaster fire could be heard.
"Flank them in the main square. Don't do anything stupid, we just need to hold them off." The soldiers nodded and ran into the smoke. Netossa turned to Catra again.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have ran off like that and you wasted time looking for me."
"None of that, now." Netossa admonished softly. "The point is, you're okay. Speaking of, I think I see my wife. Spinny, over here!" she called out. A gust of wind heralded the wind princesses arrival. Catra also spied a small figure floating alongside her and breathed a sigh of relief. Aeola was okay. The girl looked terrified but wasn't panicking at least.
"Catra!" Aeola cried. "You're okay!"
"Why the hell is Aeola still here, Spinnerella!?" Netossa yelled. "I told you to get her out of here!"
"I couldn't find anyone to escort Aeola and I can't run now. There's Horde soldiers everywhere." Spinnerella reported. "Believe me, I tried but there's too much to do and we don't have enough people."
"I'm sorry." Catra found herself saying. "I should have known, I should have remembered that the Horde…" she stopped, realising what she was talking about and seeing the gazes of the two princesses lock onto her. "I mean, I… I didn't…"
"Catra." Spinnerella spoke softly. "We know."
"Huh?" Catra squeaked.
"Kid, we know you were with the Horde." Netossa clarified. Catra stood in stunned silence, the sounds of the battle around them becoming muted.
"You knew?" she breathed. "You knew and you still—" a sudden explosion cut her words off. A tank floated through the burning remnants of a building. Spinnerella reacted first, summoning a tornado the lifted the tank up before Netossa sent threads to hit the energy grid on its underside. The tank detonated in a flash of sickly green energy. Aeola gripped Catra's leg, whimpering softly.
"Look, we can unpack all of this later but right now we need to move." Netossa declared. "Catra, take Aeola and get the hell out of here. We'll meet you later."
"Mama?" Aeola sobbed.
"Cloudling, I need you to be brave right now. Follow Catra to the south where the evacuation place is and wait for us. We'll be okay." Spinnerella knelt over and gave the young girl a hug. She looked up at Catra and nodded to her. "I trust you, okay? Keep her safe."
Catra felt as though her world had been turned upside down. They knew she was Horde and they still trusted her? She wanted to protest, say that they couldn't trust a failure and a coward like her who only ever ran away from her problems but one look from the teary eyed girl in Spinnerella's arms melted through her meagre defiance. She nodded, choking back the onset of tears that threatened to break through.
"Okay." She said. "But you better not die."
"It'll take more than this to stop us." Netossa smirked as she and her wife began to move towards the fighting. Catra turned to usher Aeola away, but then Netossa called out, "Oh, hey! One more thing." Catra turned and caught something that Netossa threw to her. It was the sword from the stall, the khopesh. She looked up at Netossa who gave her a serious look. "Just in case." Catra wanted to tell her that she was just as dangerous, if not more so, with her claws alone but Netossa was already gone.
"Catra?" Aeola meekly spoke up. Catra looked at her and took a deep breath. No more fuck ups this time.
"Okay, let's go." The two set off into the smoke.
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Several miles away, two figures made their way through the Whispering Woods, both were covered in grime and dirt. One was a dark skinned man with short cropped hair and a shirt that exposed his well-built midriff. His strides were long and graceful, owing to years of trekking in woods like these. On his back was a quiver filled with arrows. The quiver was not like most used on Etheria. Instead of being made of leather it was made of metal, with various technological enhancements that were the result of years of research, trial and error. A bow that had been folded into a more compact form hung from his hip. He was currently fiddling with a tracker device, grimacing but evidently trying to keep up a cheerful façade.
"Well, that wasn't how we expected things to go, but we did gather some valuable data on First Ones emission signals. Plus we found that weird building thing." He said cheerily.
The person next to him looked distinctly less amused. She was more heavier armoured compared to him and significantly stockier. One would think upon first glance that she was on the chubbier side, but the girl's legs were as solid as tree trunks and the parts of her arms that weren't covered rippled with musculature forged from years of harsh training. Her face was set in an unimpressed scowl and she would have radiated an aura of utter irritation and intimidation were it not for her bright pink and sparkly hair. Her similarly pink eyes were narrowed in annoyance. Small flickers of light taking the form of celestial constellations orbited her head, a sign of her irritation.
"Yes, very nice." She drawled. "Almost nice enough to make getting attacked by that abomination worth it."
"Oh, come on. It wasn't that bad." The archer responded. The flickering lights intensified as the pink haired woman shot a glare at her companion.
"Not so bad? I was almost eaten!" she snapped.
"You blew that thing apart though." The archer retorted. "And I wouldn't let my best friend just get killed like that."
"Damn right you won't." the pinkette huffed. "A princess, especially one of Brightmoon will not suffer such an ignoble end."
"Yes, yes, you'll die the most glorious of deaths, I'm sure." The archer rolled his eyes. Then he sniffed. "Do you smell smoke?" the princess frowned, the constellations disappearing as her mild anger was snuffed out in place of curiosity.
"I don't smell… wait, yes." She disappeared in a flash of sparkles. The archer looked up and saw a small flicker of light from atop the trees, then another flicker before his companion reappeared.
"What did you see?" the archer asked, his hand straying to his weapon.
"The village we planned to stop by. Thaymor." The princess responded.
"The one scheduled for the Harvest Festival?"
"The same. It's under attack. The Horde advances. As I kept telling everyone." The princess grit her teeth. "We need to get over there." She extended a hand which the archer took. The two disappeared in a flash.
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Catra and Aeola had gained company during their flight away from the battle. Several villagers, all scared and confused, had crashed into them. After briefly explaining the situation and where they needed to go, Catra had become the unofficial leader of the group, helping them avoid squads of enemy soldiers and the occasional tank. Sometimes they would stumble into a fight and quickly scramble away. Twice Catra saw the two princesses who took her in battling amongst the flames. In the back of her mind she questioned their sanity and intelligence. If they knew who she was then why take her in? It made no sense for them to do so. Surely they had prisons for Horde defectors, or maybe holding camps and other means of containment. Not once did they interrogate her about her knowledge of the Horde. The only questions they ever really asked alluded to her well-being.
Catra couldn't wrap her head around this puzzle. There had to be a reason. There just had to be!
"Catra." Aeola spoke up. "I think I can see the edge of the village over there." She pointed a small hand over to the distance where the smoke was beginning to clear. The girl had been surprisingly willing to help after the tears died down, using her power to clear away smoke one moment and use it as cover the next. It had been a major help in getting out of there.
"Okay, not long now." Catra nodded. "We'll be fine. We just need to—"
"Halt! In the name of Hordak!" a mechanised voice bellowed. Catra grimaced as she turned to face where the voice came from. A group of Horde soldiers approached, weapons trained on them. Catra found herself advancing to the front of the group, Aeola clinging on behind her. Catra gripped her sword in an unsteady grip, eyeing up the squad as they advanced. The leader paused, looking straight at her. Catra had a sinking feeling about what he was about to say.
"Hey, I know you." He said.
Shit. That was exactly what she was worried about. The sergeant chuckled, "So this is where Shadow Weaver's little stray was hiding. Didn't think you'd be frolicking around with these weaklings. I thought even you had more pride than that."
"Catra?" Aeola sniffled. She glanced down at the child before returning her gaze to the soldiers.
"Tell you what. I'm in a good mood. Hand over those civvies and that little princess looking brat and we'll put a good word in with the Force General. I'm sure that blonde owner of yours would love that. She hasn't stopped talking about it since she got back. Hell, she even gave orders that if by some miracle you were found, you were to be recovered and sent to her." Catra felt her heart lurch with surprise as the squad chuckled.
Adora had been talking about her? She wanted Catra back? Thoughts she swore never to have started to run rampant in her mind, options that she knew were impossible and yet so tempting to her, despite knowing that the only logical end result was a horrible death. She could go back to the Horde, more importantly she could be with Adora, even if only for a short time before Shadow Weaver made Catra disappear for good. Her absence had been a constant ache in Catra's chest that not even the princesses who foolishly took her in could assuage. Catra missed her, she would admit that. Still, though…
"I'm not buying it." She said. "Why should I trust you?" She heard some of the people behind her murmur among themselves. She found it surprisingly difficult to ignore them.
"Sergeant's honour." The man said. "Besides, turning in a princess is bound to get you some favour. You know this. Hand her over and we'll guarantee your safe return."
Without meaning to, Catra adjusted the grip on her sword as she settled into a more combative stance, turning her body to side as to lower the chances of getting shot in a vital area. It was strange, this wasn't the sort of stance she recognised and somehow she knew that it wasn't a true stance for fighting, but rather one of preparation. It felt like a hand was slowly pushing her legs and arms into position. Her body was her own, but it was as though someone was gently guiding it.
"You got a choice, kitten. Either prove your loyalty and hand over the child or die like a traitor." The soldier declared. Catra's blood pounded in her ears, a drumbeat that drowned out the fire and the screams. The option was there, the door to redemption was open and all she had to do was sell out…
"Catra?" she heard Aeola squeak. She glanced down at the girl's grey eyes that were rimmed with tears and cursed to herself, for in locking gazes with the child she had sealed her fate. There would be no going back after this. A boundary had been set, the boundary that stood between herself and treachery. It was a boundary that she realised she was fully willing to step over.
"Damn it." She cursed. She slowly pried the girl off her leg and pushed her to the other villagers. "Go." She ordered before turning back to the soldiers, her sword gripped firmly in her hand.
"Damn, what a shame. Guess I'll just have to take your corpse to Shadow Weaver. Open fire, but be careful where you hit… I want that cat's skin as a rug." The sergeant ordered.
Time slowed down as Catra breathed in deeply, allowing the strange energy that helped her during her escape and the hammer contest to flow through her. Whether it was magic or not didn't matter, she needed it now. No time for hesitation. The world slowed to a crawl and she began to move.
One soldier raised his rifle and fired a shot, but following a strange instinct she couldn't identify Catra swung her blade at the laser, the sword sparking momentarily before absorbing the blast. Catra eyed the sword for a few seconds with shock at what had just happened before the other soldiers began to advance, activating their batons.
No time to think about what her sword did.
Two soldiers charged towards her with batons while the others hung back to open fire when they had a clear shot. Catra eyed the squad. It was a standard group of soldiers for city fighting scenarios, five strong. Normally it was ten but in situations like these, they often split up to round up whoever was hiding and cover ground more efficiently. There were three shooters and two melee fighters, but all of them would have batons in case they needed to get close and personal. Catra blocked another shot, the sword crackling with power once again before she made her first strike. The soldier tried to parry her sword, but his stance was off. He staggered and was vulnerable to the follow up attack, which led to his face being impaled by Catra's sword. She ripped her weapon free just in time to meet the second attacker. He swung at her, but she stepped back from the telegraphed attack and severed his hand neatly at the wrist before doing the same to his head.
Now came the hard part, though Catra was confident that her agility as well as her blade's strange properties would make this easier. Even so, she never liked to take risks and as far as she was concerned the only way to fight was to fight dirty. She grabbed the corpse of the headless soldier before it fell and ran forward, using it as a shield. The body jerked and bucked as lasers blasted it, but none of them penetrated through to Catra. When she got close enough, she hurled the corpse at one soldier while another was trying to hit her with his hastily unsheathed baton. She ducked under the blow and drove her sword into his guts, tearing the blade free in flood of gore and intestines. Blood coated her and for a moment she was back in that room. Rage poured into the cauldron of emotions as she found another reason to fight. Hatred was always a good motivator and she had so much to hate about the Horde.
Now that hatred had an outlet.
She rushed the next soldier as she struggled to reload her gun. She slapped a fresh clip in but it was far too late. Catra's claws claimed the kill this time, ramming through the soldier's chest and shredding organs as it entered. Catra shook the dead woman off just as the soldier she threw the corpse at managed to stagger back to his feet. Judging by the badge on his chest he must be a squad sergeant.
"You're a monster." He gasped. Catra supposed it would make sense he'd think that. The entire fight took the best part of seven seconds after all. Seven seconds of terrible violence that resulted in Catra being coated in red.
"You can thank Shadow Weaver for that." Her voice was a harsh snarl, surprising even herself with the amount of vitriol it contained. "She created me. You all created me." She advanced, rolling her shoulders as the man unsheathed his combat weapon. Catra tilted her head. A power sword, neat. Power weapons possessed an energy field which boosted their effectiveness immensely. She definitely paid attention during that part of her education and knew that the sword the squad leader held could cut through metal like it was water. Only weapons of a similar nature or the enchanted armaments that high ranking Etherian soldiers used could properly counter such a thing.
Catra glanced at her own sword and wondered if it would get cut apart by the weapon but figured that if it could take two blaster shots without a dent then she should be fine. In looking at her sword she noted that something had changed. Strange green lines similar to the lines she would see on circuit boards traced along the both sides of the blade. Was this technology or magic? Her musing was cut off as the soldier charged with a roar. Catra stepped aside the first thrust and ducked under the backhanded slash. She didn't dodge the punch to the gut that followed and staggered back. The squad sergeant unleashed a blistering hail of attacks that kept her on the backfoot, driving her to retreat. A duellist. Go figure.
She needed to stop going back, that just gave him a better advantage. The sergeant was getting cocky, his swings more pronounced and wild as he sought to beat Catra down before delivering the final blow. Catra spotted her chance as he draw his arm back. Instead of stepping away, she moved forward, surprising him as he made his swing. She swiped up, her sword going through the elbow joint where the armour was its weakest and hacked through completely, causing the arm to fly into the air. The sergeant howled in pain but Catra caught the severed arm that still somehow held onto the power sword and spun, ramming the blade into the Horde soldier's neck. He gurgled and attempted to speak one last spiteful curse, but evidently his mouth was too full of blood to even form a word. He tried to go for his sidearm in a final act of defiance but the injury took his life before he could even draw it from the holster.
Catra panted as her exertion caught up to her. Her stomach ached from the punch and she realised her parries weren't as clean as she thought, as several small cuts and lacerations made their presence known as the adrenaline died down. She took several slow breaths to calm her heart down before she rooted for his side weapon, pulling out a laser pistol and some spare clips. She took his ammunition belt and shouldered it making sure it won't fall off. She could still hear the fighting and against her better judgement she ran back into the fray.
Spinnerella and Netossa owed her answers and she was damn sure they were going to live long enough to give them.
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All things considered, the siege was going remarkably well.
Adora sat atop the tank, eyeing a data slate as the battle continued. Truth be told she would rather be in the fray but apparently this task would be a test of coordinating an invading force and following protocol. So here she sat with her squad mates who she had assigned to her as a personal unit. She didn't really trust anyone else and despite some of their issues, they did come out as the best ranked squad.
And it wasn't just because of Adora herself, thank you very much! The team could pull their weight perfectly fine without her.
And she definitely did not handpick them personally because she knew them. Adora was above such petty things as nepotism and if anyone accused her of that she will file a disciplinary report… or just bash the person in the face with a baton, either or.
"Man, didn't expect to have the Terrible Two here of all places." Lonnie remarked. Despite her casual tone she gripped her laser rifle nervously. "Are these flashlights going to be of any use against them?"
"I called in for reinforcements when they were first spotted. They should be arriving soon." Adora reported.
"Eh, calling for help on your first rodeo won't look good on Hordemind's records, you know." Lonnie pointed out. Adora gave her a hard look.
"Those two are among the Etherian's most powerful fighters. I'm not going to ruin any chance at success out of misplaced pride." She said. "I won't make the same mistake all the others did."
"Yeah, remember what they did to Vultak? The rumours I heard were scary." Kyle remarked.
"Which ones? The ones where they blasted him through a mountain?" Lonnie asked.
"No, the one where they apparently sliced his wings off and he had to get prosthetics from Modulok." Kyle answered.
"Huh, you know his wings do look a little cybernetic. What do you think, Force Captain? Going to confirm the rumours? Adora? Adooooraaaa!" Lonnie leaned over to see what Adora was fixating on and gasped. "Holy shit." She gaped. "That who I think it is?" Kyle made to climb up the tank, slipped a bit and needed to be helped up by Rogelio before they all crowded around the tablet.
"Is that…" Kyle didn't want to finish the sentence.
"Yeah. It is." Lonnie's tone had lost its shock, replaced by a stony anger as they watched Catra fight her way through the soldiers through the camera feeds on their helmets. They watched as she used a strangely curved blade to slice a drone's leg off before smashing a fist through it and ripping out whatever she could. Her eyes were wild and her teeth bared in a snarl.
"Maybe it's not her." Kyle said, his tone clearly not believing his own words while the feline woman ducked under a chainsword and rammed her sword through the armpit of the attacker, the blade protruding from his neck. "Maybe it's someone else. And look, a tank has her in its sights." Adora gasped softly as she realised that Kyle was right. The few remaining soldiers in the area cheered as it set its sights on Catra. It fired just before she could give the order for it to stop.
"Sword, don't fail me now!" she heard Catra's voice yell as she swung her strange blade at the blast of plasma energy. To everyone's surprise, the sword absorbed the energy in its entirety, crackling with sickly green flames. Catra stared at her sword in amazement before shooting a very familiar grin that radiated smugness before swinging her sword and firing the energy right back at the tank. It detonated loud enough to be heard even without the tablet.
Even Catra looked surprised as she and the surrounding soldiers stared at the tank's burning remains.
"We're fucked." Said one soldier.
"Okay, it's official." Catra grinned as she tossed her sword up before catching it with a cheeky smile. "I love this sword." The sword crackled with energy, almost as if it appreciated the complement.
"Yup, it's her." Lonnie remarked as Catra rushed the soldiers, their camera feeds cutting out and their heart monitors flatlining. Adora stared in horror at the carnage her best friend was committing before she shoved the tablet into Lonnie's hands.
"You have command. Oversee the forces and tell the reinforcements to head for the west and east sides to flank the enemy. I'm going in." Adora ordered.
"Adora, Shadow Weaver was explicitly clear about this." Lonnie protested.
"Lonnie, Catra is in there and I know she wouldn't do this. I'm finding out what happened and I'm going to get her back." Adora affirmed. She hoped off the tank and was about to set off when Lonnie landed behind her.
"Force Captain, respectfully, we have literal evidence. Catra betrayed us." Lonnie spoke words that she knew would get her in trouble but someone had to say it.
"No!" Adora shouted, whirling around on Lonnie. "Catra would never do this. I know her!" a moment of silence stretched out before Lonnie sighed, "Fine. I can't stop you…" Adora set off at a brisk pace, charging into the enemy fort without hesitation. "… as if you'd ever pull your head out your ass anyway, you blind sack of—"
"Uh, Lonnie?" Kyle meekly spoke up.
"What!?" she snapped at him. Kyle flinched back and pointed at the forest. Lonnie saw more tanks emerging along with a healthy detachment of troops. She saw Force Captain Grizzlor and his band of heavily armoured brutes. She groaned and set off to meet him with a grumble.
Adora owes her big time for this.
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The sword was caked in gore and so was Catra. Her lungs burned with an exertion she hadn't made in days. Hell, she hadn't fought like this in who knows how long. It was times like this when Catra remembered how much she held back to not risk Shadow Weaver's wrath. The corpses of at least two full squads lied in her wake and even with her new weapon she was struggling a bit. She'd lost her stolen gun during the fighting after using all its ammo. Well, more accurately she broke it while smashing a soldier across the face with it multiple times.
She needed to dig deeper if she was going to survive this.
She slowed and deepened her breathing, feeling the strange energy that kept her going slowly rise again. A part of her mind protested against this, remembering Spinnerella's words. It wasn't magic. It was just adrenaline. That's all. The small wounds she had gained during the fighting began to close, something she always found strange as opposed to her cohorts who would take hours or even days to heal their own injuries. Catra heard more soldiers coming and winced as her world began to blur. Visions of battle not unlike the ones she had when she touched the sword flickered across her vision. Catra stumbled as more memories assailed her as a group of soldiers began to rush her.
"Remember…" a voice whispered into her mind as she glared at them with a hatred she suspected wasn't entirely her own. "Remember what they did. What they took from us."
The next few moments were a haze of red mist and screams. When Catra came to she was staring into the terrified eyes of a squad sergeant, her visor broken. The khopesh was lodged deep in her gut and Catra realised there were more holes present. She must have stabbed the soldier multiple times. Catra kicked her off with a scowl.
"The fuck's happening to me?" she looked at the khopesh, still shining with the stolen energy from the blasters. "What are you?"
This was too much. She couldn't do this anymore. The Terrible Two could handle the rest, she had to leave. They wouldn't blame her, right? They said to look after Aeola anyway, so it was fine. She could leave. Catra nodded to herself, satisfied with her reasoning to run away again. She dashed as fast as she could, finding the group of survivors making their hasty trek away from the village. They had almost escaped now and she will be safe with them, as will Aeola.
The Etherian guards raised their weapons at her the moment they noticed her approach, only for a more ornately dressed one (most likely an officer) raised a hand.
"Hold your fire." He ordered. "Miss… Catra, was it?"
"Uh, yeah." Catra frowned. She didn't know this guy.
"I'm the garrison captain here, I thank you for your contribution to helping these people escape." He bowed to her. Catra was caught between the urge to preen and fidget uncomfortably. "Are Princesses Netossa and Spinnerella okay?" the man asked.
At that moment a tank was blown through the air before being sliced to pieces.
"Kill stealer!" the unmistakable voice of Spinnerella bellowed.
"All's fair in love and war, honey!" Netossa hollered back.
"Yeah, they're good." Catra nodded.
"They should be retreating soon, anyway. The Horde tends to panic and get more drones and soldiers whenever those two are around." The captain explained. Catra nodded and smiled as she noticed Aeola within the crowd, standing next to the woman she rescued earlier. Bandages covered her injuries and she seemed a bit better now. Aeola floated over to her, looking worried.
"Are mother and mama okay?" she asked.
"Well, I just saw them launch a tank into the air." Catra shrugged. "Out of interest, do they make everything a competition?"
"You have no idea." Aeola said in the flattest voice imaginable.
"Captain, it seems this is every survivor. We should leave. The princesses' orders were clear." One soldier reported. Catra looked at the crowd. There were at least three dozen left. A small fraction of the massive population from before had survived. So many people have died, and for what? Catra then realised that she couldn't spot a particular individual she was looking for. She leaned over to Aeola.
"Hey, they old man who had this? Where is he?" she gestured to the sword. She had to give it back quickly before it made her crazy. Aeola's lips wobbled as tears built up in her eyes. She shook her head. "Him too?" Catra asked.
"He said the sword was important before he…" Aeola sniffled, not wanting to finish that sentence. "He said 'the hand of fate reaches for those who will grasp it' and told us to give you the sword. He thought you were supposed to have it." Catra stared at the khopesh, watching the parts unstained by blood shine with lingering energy. Damn it all, now there was no way she could get rid of it.
"One approaching." A guard spoke up. "Not friendly."
"Prepare to fire." The captain announced.
"Wait." Catra spoke up. "If you kill this one, the rest will follow you. Let me take care of this, then I'll lose them and get back to you."
"You're leaving again?" Aeola sobbed.
"I'll come back." Catra told her.
"You promise?" oh, how those two words stabbed Catra in the heart so painfully. Her mouth felt numb and she was unable to speak, she had to force the words out.
"I promise." She swore. And she meant it. Hordak's bones, she meant it. Aeola nodded and began to fly away, circling around the crowd and scanning for anything out of the ordinary. She really hoped this kid never grew up to fight in the war. She deserved so much better than that.
Her ears twitches as she heard another pair of thudding footsteps, the lone soldier that was coming had arrived. Catra scowled and cracked her neck as she made her way over to her next enemy. Her teeth bared themselves in a snarl and a growl rumbled from her throat.
"Picked a bad time to wander away from your squad you fucking piece of—"
"Catra?" the voice stopped her dead in her tracks. No, it couldn't be. Not now. Why here?
A familiar stepped through the smoke. Blonde hair, blue eyes and a face that had long since been seared into Catra's mind. That stupid, stupid face that Catra never wanted to see again but yearned for simultaneously. The face of one who cared for Catra despite the fact that deep down, Catra knew she deserved better.
"Adora?" Catra's voice was small and it took a surprising amount of effort on her part not to jump on Adora and wrap in her in an embrace that wouldn't end anytime soon. She truly has gone soft.
"Catra, what are you doing here?" Adora asked. It was the tone that did it, a tone that Catra had heard a hundred times.
What did you do now?
That tone was always used by Adora, even if she was never malicious about it. Catra had never been truly bothered with it, but surrounded by the burning remnants of Thaymor only to be asked such a question in that manner set her teeth on edge.
"Me? What the hell are you doing here? Shouldn't you be off leading on the front lines?" Catra asked in turn. She knew the sergeant told her of Adora, but it was one thing to hear of her best friend's presence and another to see proof of it.
"That's what I'm doing." Adora replied, her voice growing firm. Catra flinched back in shock before she growled, throwing her arms out to the burning village.
"You think this is leading the front lines?" of all the things that baffled Catra this had reached the top of the list. Despite all her flaws, Adora was a noble person. The thought of her committing this sort of atrocity was something Catra couldn't comprehend. "You talked about taking the fight to Brightmoon's armies, fighting through waves of enemy soldiers with your squad at your side and yet here you are, burning a peaceful village to the ground!"
"Peaceful village? It's a fortress. It has walls." Adora pointed out. "That's literally what the tanks were for."
"It's a border village, you moron, they have those just in case. There's nothing here worth going after."
"That's where you're wrong, there's a weapon cache here. The Rebellion stored it somewhere. My soldiers are sweeping for it as we speak, as well as for you. Which brings me back to my question, why are you here and why are you killing your own people?" Catra took a step back, flinching at Adora's accusatory tone.
"I-I'm not… I… I didn't have a choice." The excuse was a weak one and she knew it. Even Adora didn't buy it, "You say while covered in the blood of good men and women fighting for freedom."
"Oh, get over yourself, you're not fighting for freedom. No member of the Horde is. They're the oppressors and subjugators, not the Rebellion!" Catra snapped back.
"What?" Adora shrieked, her features a mask of almost comical shock. "You're wrong. The princesses and the rest of their kind are the tyrants."
"According to who, Shadow Weaver?" Catra sneered. "News flash, Adora, she lied. That's what she does."
"No, you're just confused. I don't know what happened but you know this is right. The Horde—"
"RIGHT!?" Catra's roar drowned out all other sounds temporarily, her eyes flashing with rage. "Look around you, Adora! Fucking look! This isn't a fortress filled with soldiers or some weapon storage unit or whatever other bullshit that cunt fed you! This is a Horde damned civilian town! Look at those!" she pointed at the corpses of all the people who lied around, at the flames that consumed their homes and treasures. "Look at those and tell me that this is an outpost!"
"Catra, why are you so angry? I've never seen you like this before." Adora had taken several steps backwards during Catra's tirade. Catra realised she had stormed up to the blonde, looming over her. Catra forced herself to backtrack. She had no idea where that had come from. Was it all of today's trauma briefly emerging or was it something to do with the voices and the visions from the sword? Catra took a step back, her grip on the khopesh tight to the point of turning her knuckles white.
"If it's not a cache or something else then why do you have that sword? And why are there two princesses here?" Adora asked shakily.
"I found the sword. Liked the weight." Catra explained. She didn't want to tell Adora the whole story or she would really look crazy. "And those princesses aren't checking for anything important. They were just visiting."
"Oh, really? And how would you know that? What does the great and intrepid Catra know that the intelligence department doesn't?" Adora crossed her arms. Catra shifted uncomfortably. "I'm serious, Catra. How do you know that the Terrible Two just happened to come here today?"
"Because I came with them!" Catra answered. Then she flinched when she saw Adora's look of absolute horror. "Eh, shit."
"What do you mean, Catra?" Adora asked.
"Adora, listen. Let me explain." Catra pleaded but Adora had gotten that look in her eye when she started to overthink things. Catra could never get through to her when she got like that, but she had to try.
"It makes sense now. I understand." Adora gasped.
"Adora, please." 'Please don't say I betrayed you. Don't leave me too.'
"The princesses brainwashed you!" Adora pointed at Catra, her eyes lighting up with realisation. The declaration nearly made Catra trip over and fall flat on her face.
"What?" she asked flatly.
"They must have kidnapped you after you went joyriding and forced you to turn on your friends in the Horde." Adora explained to herself.
"Friends in the Horde?" Catra repeated, utterly affronted. Where the hell did Adora get that from? Nobody in the Horde liked her and the feeling was completely mutual!
"Yes!" Adora nodded. "You would never turn against us! Don't worry, Catra, I'll save you. I promise!" for several long moments, Catra stood frozen in absolute incredulity, her mouth agape as her brain struggled to find a sarcastic quip for her friend's blatant case of denseness. All the while said friend looked at her with the eyes of a very cute and very stupid puppy.
"… Brain damaged from birth." Catra deadpanned at long last. "Calling it now. Dropped on your head multiple times as a child."
"But first," Adora ignored Catra's (incredibly accurate) remarks. "I need to deal with that." Catra turned back to where Adora was pointing, her eyes widening in horror as she saw the group she helped escape.
"Wait, Adora. They don't have weapons." Catra made to reach for Adora while the blonde took out a radio. Adora drew away, keeping the radio out of Catra's hands, "Then what are those carts filled with?" she asked with the sort of smugness of someone who believed themselves to be in the right.
"Adora, listen to me. Please, just once." Catra begged.
"Catra, I'm sorry but I can't trust you right now. You're not yourself but I will fix you after I sort all of this out." Adora said as she tuned her radio and made to speak her orders, all the while keeping a careful eye on her friend. Catra felt her brow twitched at being pushed aside again.
In the past, she always used to storm off in a huff when this happened. But things were different now and Catra finally admitted to herself without shame that she was different. Changed. She had fought and killed to protect Aeola and she sure as hell wasn't going to stop fighting now.
The sword flashed and the radio Adora was calibrating fell into two pieces. Adora yelped and staggered back, looking at Catra in disbelief. Catra gave her a firm glare in response.
"What the hell, Catra?" Adora yelled.
"You're not. Touching. Aeola." Catra's voice was a low growl.
"Who?" Adora asked.
"The kid. Spinnerella and Netossa's daughter. You're not touching her. You're going anywhere near her or any of those people." Catra's claws in her unarmed hand began to slide out. "She doesn't deserve to be caught by the Horde and she doesn't deserve to be forced to live in a shithole like the Fright Zone. Turn around, walk away."
"Catra…" Adora's voice was devastated. It hurt Catra to hear it, but she wouldn't back down. Not now.
"You have your prize. Thaymor has fallen. You won. Take your victory and leave." Catra's eyes turned soft. "Please. Just for once. You don't have to go above and beyond. You did what you needed to, now go."
"I'm not leaving without you." Adora said as she reached for her baton. It extended, lightning crackling around it. Catra's heart hammered in her chest at the sight of the electric emissions. Adora settled into a duelling stance, both hands on the baton with a determined glare. "I'll take you back and you'll be saved."
00000000
Spinnerella was breathing heavily as she tossed another tank through the air. This time Netossa didn't hit it. Turning to her wife, she saw why. Netossa was as exhausted as she was.
"Remind me… not to skip out… on cardio again." Netossa wheezed.
"This is too much for just one attack force." Spinnerella frowned. "They must have called for help. We have to leave."
"Five more minutes, then we go." Netossa demanded.
"Netty, I know I'm outscoring you, but—"
"Fuck the score, Spinny, our daughter comes first!" Netossa snapped. Spinnerella winced, causing Netossa's harsh expression to soften. Spinnerella waved away the incoming apology, "You're right. We're protectors. Let's protect what we hold precious." She declared as several more tanks and dozens of troops started to enter their line of sight. Spinnerella groaned, but raised her hands. "Well, I'll take the dozen on the left you take the ones on the right."
"Bet you I can finish my group off first." Netossa smirked.
"Never lose your spirit, honey." Spinnerella chuckled. They both made to charge when a titanic beam of light but through the tanks and caused them to explode, scattering the troops that surrounded them. The princesses stopped short, momentarily flatfooted by this turn of events when they saw a figure moving through the troops, leaving trails of light in her wake.
"Of course." Netossa shook her head as the two realised who it was. "Of course she'd be here." The figure disappeared before she suddenly stood before the two.
"I was in the area." The newcomer spoke. "More forces are on their way. Is everyone evacuated?"
"Everyone that still lives is falling back to Bastion as we speak." Netossa reported.
"Good. Get yourselves out of here, I'll clear out any stragglers before joining you. Bow's heading over to protect the refugees." The princess cast a glare at the regrouping Horde soldiers. "Someone needs to leave a wound the Horde won't forget." She disappeared again.
"And the gremlin princess strikes again." Netossa sighed.
"Indeed. Let's go. I'm sure that archer friend of hers is close by." Spinnerella affirmed. "Do you think Catra will be okay?"
"She's tough enough to survive the Fright Zone. She'll be fine." Netossa told her.
00000000
"Adora, please!" Catra begged as she parried another attack. Adora's attacks were relentless, her expression grim with determination.
"I won't let the princesses do this to you, Catra!" she yelled. "I'll break their magic hold over you, no matter what!"
"I didn't get brainwashed, you idiot!" Catra shot back. The sword, while definitely special, wasn't perfect in her hands. Even though it and her were more than a match for your average soldier, her current opponent was not average. Adora had trained with a stun baton since the day she could hold one, which coincidentally was the day she learned to walk without falling flat on her face. The weapon was a part of her body like the hand that held it. And due to this it was clear to Catra that she was winning. It didn't help that Catra's enhanced state had faded away and she was effectively running on fumes right now. Catra was unable to make a counterattack in the face of the barrage of swings, thrusts and feints being sent her way.
But even throughout the duel, Catra still noticed how the sword seemed to be drinking in the energies created by the baton. After a few strikes it was also crackling with electricity. Adora had noticed as well.
"You're using a magic weapon?" she asked, disgust on her face. "I thought you hated magic. There's no way you'd ever willingly use that sword."
"Just listen to me!" Catra snapped.
"No! You're brainwashed to fight for the princesses, you're not yourself!" Adora insisted.
"And what the hell do you know about me, huh!?" in her rage, Catra made a mistake and lowered her guard. The baton caught her in the cheek. Her face lit up with pain and her world began to spin. For a while she was unaware of a lot of things as the hit shocked her brain for a moment. When her dizziness faded and she blinked the tears away, Catra realised she was on the ground. Her sword was a few feet away, she must have lost her grip when she fell over. Adora stood over her.
"I know you, Catra." Adora insisted, panting from exertion. "And I know you'd never betray the Horde."
"I'd never betray you, Adora." Catra wheezed. "The Horde's another story. I can't betray something that was never on my side." Adora shook her head sadly and raised her baton to make the finishing blow. Catra reached for her fallen blade, but it was too late.
Then a blast of glittering light shot past and nearly hit Adora had she not jumped out of the way. Catra looked up to see a figure in blue and purple clothing, wearing a breastplate and armoured greaves charging forwards. The woman had pink sparkly hair and similarly coloured eyes. Eyes that were currently narrowed into a glare at Adora before halting at Catra's side. She offered a hand to Catra and pulled her up. Catra stumbled a bit as the baton's earlier hit made its presence known. She was lucky her jaw didn't break.
"It's alright, you've done well." The newcomer told her. "I'll handle this one. It's best if you leave now."
"Who are you?" Catra asked as she grabbed her sword.
"I'd like to know that too." Adora demanded. The stranger, evidently a princess, turned to face Adora. She noted the badge pinned on her chestplate.
"A Force Captain?" the princess mused. "Tell me, what acts of barbarism did you commit to earn such a prestigious rank? Have you burned other villages, or perhaps this is your trial by fire… pardon the pun." She smirked sardonically. "Is this the first time you ventured onto the battlefield? Am I the first vile member of Etherian royalty you've come across?"
"So you're a princess. I thought one of your kind would come slithering out of the shadows. Tell me where the weapon cache is and I will show mercy." Adora demanded.
"… What in the hells are you talking about?" the princess asked, making an expression that looked to be a mix of amusement and genuine bafflement. "I understand this village has some fortifications, but it has no military significance."
"Don't play dumb, princess!" Adora snapped.
"If this entire dialogue is anything to go by, you would know more about being dumb than me. Except you're not exactly playing at it, I gather." The princess smirked. Catra barely contained her laugh, covering her mouth to stop the sound. Adora's response was a wordless snarl as she charged forwards, thrusting her baton at the newcomer's heart. The princess was surprisingly fast for one so heavyset, dodging with a fencer's grace. She eventually saw an opening and launched a quick jab at Adora's face, making her stagger back with a bloody nose.
'She's protecting me. She didn't even hesitate to save a stranger.' Catra realised.
"If this village is so insignificant, why are three princesses here?" Adora queried.
"I had business nearby and was planning to stop and resupply before heading home, as well as enjoy the festivities. Unfortunately, they seem to have been interrupted."
"Three princesses just happened to be here by accident? Like I'd believe that." Adora scoffed with a cocksure smirk as though she had it all figured out. Catra saw that expression several times. The princess for her part merely sighed.
"I see your mind is made up. Whether from ignorance or indifference… it matters not." The princess breathed deep and raised a hand, flickers of light coalescing in her hand. The lights gradually began to combine and form a long glittering blade. The guard completely covered the princess's hand and the blade was much thinner than the swords the soldiers used. She held it up in salute, her eyes flashing with power.
"Have it carved on your tombstone… felled by Glimmer, Princess of Brightmoon."
"Force Captain Adora, the one who will end your reign of tyranny, princess." Adora introduced, spitting the title like it was a curse.
"Go." Glimmer spoke quietly. Catra realised she was the one being addressed. "Leave with the others. Netossa and Spinnerella are on their way along with my friend. He uses a bow and arrow, you'll know him when you see him. Go now." Catra found herself nodding and running off, but then she realised what she was doing and as soon as she was out of sight she circled around and watched from a hidden area in the crumbling ruins of a house to witness a princess in action for the first time.
You know, I was going to do more, but then I saw the word count and thought this would be a good place to stop. Cliffhangers are fun when you're the one writing them.
So, yes, now you know what Catra's sword does. In short, it's like the Absorb Elements spell from DND with a few more fun abilities.