by T. C. Edge
She blinks heavily, casting off the lingering fog. I see her armour pulse bright orange, flushing the fires through her blood. It seems to bring her back, her eyes suddenly growing clear.
She turns to look out, staring across the plateau. A few figures are now coming our way. One is particularly large, another especially small. A third glides more gracefully than almost anyone I've ever seen. All are heading right for the cells.
"Krun," Amber whispers. "That's Krun, and Dianna."
I don't know the names, but can imagine their powers. "And the third?" I ask.
She looks out, peering through the rain. "Master Tellus," she says. "He's the Chosen Earth-Shaker. A powerful telekinetic."
I let out a puff of air. I don't particularly like fighting telekinetics. "There's no one else," I say, still scanning. "I can't see the Heralds of War."
"They must be fighting below," Amber says. "Most of the other Chosen are cowards. They would not step out to fight."
"And these three?" I ask. "You know them well?"
She nods. "Krun and Dianna," she says. "I know those two well enough."
"So, what do you want to do?"
She looks me dead in the eye, committed now to a single course. "I don't think we have much choice there, Kira. I've tried talking people around before." She looks back out, sighing. "It never works."
I look out too, twirling my left ankle to loosen it up. It's holding up nicely so far. I'm thinking this is going to test it.
"Then what are we waiting for?" I say.
With a sense of deflation and regret, we step out into the storm.
202
AMBER
The rain begins to fizz and evaporate, instantly vaporising as it approaches my body, surrounded by a shield of fire. I step forward, Kira by my side, an Olympian pistol in one hand, curved blade in the other. It seems those signature weapons of hers weren't taken away when she was shackled, only her firearms removed.
Hubris, Alfred, I think. It will be your undoing...
Ahead, three figures of very different form step towards us, two of whom I know and rather like, and do not want to fight. Yet like with Hestia, I know I have no choice. I tried with her, and tried with Gailen, and yet found myself unable to get through. And here upon the hill, with the Prime tucked away in their den, I suspect their will to protect them will be stronger than ever.
It is them, or us, I think. I don't have a choice.
For a moment, nothing happens, the five of us stepping into a standstill. The plateau is only faintly lit, braziers glowing in the central courtyard nearby. The skies, usually so clear up here, are thick and fat with rain, the moon and stars above only breaking through in thin slivers and patches.
I feel no reason, now, to conceal my presence, to keep my armour doused a dark crimson. With a burst of fire, I let it light up, glowing upon the hill, illuminating those before me in dazzling orange hues.
I look first to Lady Dianna, so graceful, so elegant, so calm and composed. She stares back, her green eyes much like Kira's, white hair slick with rain, robes abandoned in favour of pale armour. She has come to fight, it seems. And I see it in her face; she will not hold back.
I look next to Krun, whom I last saw flinging a grenade my way as I soared above the fort. His powerful arm was almost my undoing, though in the end, I came out on top. I fully expected him to have died in the ensuing onslaught, and yet here he is, the Chosen Titan, standing before me in dark brown armour fashioned to complement his role.
The final figure, I barely even bother with. I have seen him a few times, and know him only by name. He is inconsequential to me. I will try to take him out first.
"Well, Amber, I must say, I never expected a situation like this to transpire." Dianna delivers the words, her manner cool and collected, reminding me of Secretary Burns. She raises a brow, showing some humour. It's funny, really, since we're about to fight to the death.
"It doesn't have to be this way, Dianna," I say, trying one final time, despite what I said, to turn her mind, or at least get her to withdraw. "I have never wished you harm. I do not want to do this."
"Nor I, Amber, nor I." She shakes her head. "But you know there's no other way."
I manage to nod, looking right back.
"You're here to kill the Prime," comes the ratty voice of Master Tellus. "You really think any of us would take a backward step?"
My eyes run over the man, ignoring him, and move to Krun. "Congratulations, Krun," I say. "I'm happy for you, truly."
His eyes show a flicker, some gratitude despite the circumstance. His face, so badly burned down one side, pools water in great scars.
I glance to Kira, standing silent as a mouse. Her eyes are narrow and scanning, doing what she does best. Weaknesses, she'd whispered to me. Keep them busy for me to find them.
I sense they realise it, knowing we delay. Tellus, affronted by my snub, calls out once more. "Enough of this pointless preamble," he says, his voice scratchy and rough. "If we're going to fight, let's fight..."
Suddenly, from the side, a great hunk of rock comes flying. It appears as if from nowhere, rushing through the night. Kira sees it just in time, flipping backwards to avoid it. I'm not so quick as she is, the rock crashing into me, smashing against my shield in a great firework of sparks. It knocks me off to the side, tumbling a dozen metres. The rains steam around me as I hit the floor, my brain wobbling in my skull, mind temporarily fuzzed.
I look up, and see Kira already engaging in combat. Through the nightly blur, she rushes in, clashing with Dianna and Krun, the both of them seeking to take her down, rather preferring to kill her - whom they know as Nestor's killer - than me, once friend to them both. They move in a brutal ballet, Dianna and Kira speeding like lightning, Krun doing his best to keep up. He is part Phaser, I know, but few could possibly match the two women for pace.
I cannot watch them for long, however, as more projectiles suddenly come flying my way. They come from the nearby cells, pieces of rocks and stone pulled from the walls and shot towards me. Back there, the rumbling war between Perses and Ares goes on, the building crumbling, all but set to collapse.
I surge up to my feet, strengthening my shield as the rocks hurtle towards me. They crash and spark, some glancing off me, other breaking into a thousand pieces as they connect. Each comes fast, flung at tremendous speed. I search through the madness and see Tellus there, standing back, pummelling me with his astonishing telekinetic powers.
I snarl at him, and he just smiles back, his ratty face unpleasant and cruel. With a pulse of fire, I burst towards him, reaching forward to shower him in flame. He reacts in time, a single hand flying skyward. It brings a jutting column of rock up from the floor, blocking my path as I begin to fire, the flames crashing against the stone wall.
I slow, rushing around the side of it, and find that he's gone. My eyes fling left and right, searching through the rain. I notice large pits in the ground where he was standing, great chunks of rock gouged from its surface. My eyes fling upwards, and there he is, standing upon a floating slab, suspended in midair.
To his sides are several more great hunks. With a flick of his arm, they come hurtling right for me, like meteors flung to earth from the stars. I skip to the side, managing to avoid one, crashing heavily into the ground where I just stood. Another follows right after, its course diverted right at me. I pulse to the left, trying to avoid it, but come right into the path of another.
It hits from above, crushing me into the stone. My shield protects me as it presses me down, its huge weight engulfing me, pinning me to the ground. I begin to panic, trapped to the stone floor. But with a roar of anger, and a great burst of flame, I set myself free.
The huge stone slab bursts apart, obliterated as I fly back to my feet. I turn my eyes up and see Tellus hovering on his stone chariot above me, eyes widening in alarm as waves of flame pulse from my form. I growl as I lift my arms, sending a column of fire towards him. He tries to move off but the fires hit, pr
essing into the rock, pushing him off to the side.
The stone slab tips, and he teeters on the edge. He tries to right himself, but trips on his own feet and goes tumbling away to the ground. I see him flick his wrist, eyes turning to the floor. Another stone slab is ripped from the earth, rushing up to break his fall, catch him before he lands.
He's quick, so skilled, the slab immediately gliding off through the air, trying to put some distance between us. To the side, I catch a glimpse of Kira still in battle, the rains parting as she fights off the others, still managing to hold her own, as gunshots begin to fill the air.
My fears grow that she'll be overcome. It's only a short glance, but it's enough for Tellus to act.
I look back, and more missiles come my way. They aren't great rocks and boulders like the others, but thin and sharp, fashioned to spears. Their tips connect, melting, flashing. Each hit weakens me just a little. Too much of it and my shield will fail. If one of those stone spears gets through, I'm done.
I shoot off to the side, altering the angle. The plateau spreads out before me, a great battleground beneath the stormy skies. The missiles shoot by, most of them missing. Those that hit glance off me only, cutting into the ground at random angles, like defensive spikes around a fortress. I slip left, right, zigzagging as I go, yet Tellus continues to keep his distance, floating back on his carpet of stone, keeping me far enough at bay to avoid my heat, avoid my flame.
A frustration begins to grow within me, and I turn to my trump card. With a swirling vortex of flame consuming me, I push up off the ground, surging into the air. I hover ten metres up, reaching Tellus' height. Even from here, I see his fear.
You're mine now, Tellus, I think. You're mine.
My body becomes a missile of its own, shooting suddenly at him at staggering pace. He sweeps away, crouched low to stay stable. I rush right past, the rains burning off as I go, creating a shockwave as I fly by him.
He rocks a little, as I perform another pass, swooping around at a tight angle, lifting skyward, preparing to dive. The stone slab beneath his feet begins to wobble, requiring great concentration to straighten it out. The missiles no longer come at me, his focus turning to defence. He stabilises, moves back, but I already sense he's failing. It isn't going to be enough.
His time upon the hill is done.
I swoop, hunting like an eagle, my eyes flaring wide as I approach my target. He goes right, trying to escape, but I am too quick for him now. He seems to realise it; his slab drops suddenly. He hits the floor and takes off at a run, drawing up more rock around him, creating a barrier he thinks will protect him.
It won't.
I take chase, reaching out with my palms, and begin firing down on him from above. The fires hit the stone barrier, causing it to glow and grow hot. The rise in temperature is extreme, and immediate. All he has done, is forge an oven around him.
And now he's being cooked alive.
He slows, and comes to a stop. One by one, the stone slabs, glowing orange, begin to fall away, hitting the ground with great, heavy thumps. I cool my flames and drop to the earth, standing there in the fading rains as the protective barrier around him fails.
And as those slabs drop and fall, I see his form inside.
He's on his knees, trembling. His clothes puff smoke, sizzling. I look at his hair, burnt off. I look at his flesh, red raw and blistered.
The sight isn't pleasant; I have no bad feeling towards his man. I step around, moving ahead of him.
I could cool him, I think. I could try to save him.
I look again, his form a disfigured, shivering mess. "End it," his voice cracks, cracking in pain. "P-please, end it..."
A great pity swells inside me. I reach out, palm forward. "I could save you, Master Tellus," I say. "It doesn't have to be this way."
His head tilts upwards, showing me his melted face. His eyes glance to the side weakly. I see a large rock slowly lift into the air. It moves high, and right above him.
And then he shuts his eyes.
The stone slab falls abruptly to the ground, crashing down upon him. I turn my eyes away, not wanting to see him crushed, see his body explode beneath such a weight.
I let out a breath; another pointless death.
And searching across the plateau, I see the others hidden in the gloom, hardly visible to my eyes amid the shroud of falling rain. More deaths will come, I know.
How many more will I take, I think mournfully, before this night is done?
203
KIRA
A great arm swings at me, pace and power combined. I duck under it, bending backwards, my spine abnormally flexible. With a twist, I turn and leap, performing my favourite move. I rise up into the air, my scimitar catching the firelight of nearby braziers as I swing it towards Krun's neck.
It's a move I've used time and time again, one that works more often than not. Krun, like most, isn't fully protected at the neck, his semi-scarred flesh a target for my blade. It swishes through the air, cutting through raindrops, inching closer to his skin.
It doesn't hit its mark.
From the side, Dianna leaps, the Chosen Phaser, as she's called, quite unnaturally quick. She presses through the air with an unfathomable grace, a blade of her own connecting with mine. It knocks it off course, giving Krun a chance to step away. She lands by his side, her white hair drenched, eyes glowing green like mine.
I take a step back, glancing to the left. I see Amber still in combat with the telekinetic, thin spears of stone rushing towards her, other great hunks littering the plateau. It's a cratered mess now, the battlefield torn asunder. I step back as several of those spears miss her, coming flying in my direction. They cut through the night at speed, digging into the earth as I flip away and to the side, Dianna and Krun forced to do the same.
A noise catches my attention, a great booming sound to my right. I don't even need to look that way to know what's going on, the cells rumbling as Ares and Perses crash through the walls, the building set to collapse.
I hear a swish to my other side, and my eyes catch Dianna again on the move. Their plan so far has been quite simple - Dianna distracts me with her speed, while Krun aims to step in and strike a finishing blow.
So far, it hasn't worked.
My eyes catch her, circling around my flank. Her blade cuts right at me, but I'm quick enough to avoid it. Immediately, Krun's on me again, quick for his size, a hybrid of great power. He reminds me of Oom, the great Brute I befriended when fighting in the Imperial Games. With another swinging arm, he attacks, trying to grab hold of me. I see him coming and dart away, though lose track of Dianna as I do.
My ears prick up. Gunshots fill the air. I instinctively duck and weave, hearing them behind me. Bullets crack, whizzing past my ears. I scamper for the cover of some nearby rocks, torn up by the telekinetic. More bullets spit into the stone as I duck away behind it.
I plant my hand to the ground, and flash into the sight. I see Dianna a little way off, firing at me with a pistol. Krun charges right for me, lowering his shoulder into the stone. I see it just in time as he connects, the stone thrusting towards me and splintering under his great force and weight.
Immediately, Dianna fires again as I'm flushed from my cover. I dart for another, pulling my own pistol - taken from one of the guards - and pointing over the top of the stone. I aim not for Dianna, but Krun, closer and a bigger target. My aim is true, but he sees it coming. Bullets rattle off his armour, glancing blows only, as he jumps behind cover of his own.
I switch my eyes straight away, looking again for Dianna. She isn't where she was. Trying to track them both is wearing me down.
Gunshots, again, coming from my left. They're close, exploding near my ear. I lean back, and a bullet rushes back, grazing my neck. I feel a searing heat as it cuts through the skin. Instinct tells me it's a glancing blow only, nothing but a scratch.
I got lucky.
I fire back without looking, knowing I need to take one of them down.
I focus this time on Dianna, thinking the big man cannot flank me with such speed. I catch a glimpse of her white hair, flashing through the night. I make chase, trailing her, the two of us blitzing across the plateau, dodging hunks of rock and firing as we go.
Suddenly, my gun clicks, empty or blocked I cannot know. I grunt and toss it to the side, and draw out my scimitar once more. Dianna is quick, too quick even for me. It is her sole gift, at least as far as I can tell. She may have somewhat augmented eyesight, given what I've seen, but her speed is her great focus, quick as anyone I've ever fought.
She turns, suddenly, whipping back towards me. She lifts her gun and fires, until I hear that clicking empty too. I dodge the coming barrage, and see her grip a blade instead. She draws it out, long and thin, glinting silver in the rain.
We come together, and clash, blades connecting, bouncing back. She has a similar athleticism to me, graceful and lithe, moving like a dancer as we spar. I can't help but be impressed, her face in a state of controlled aggression. It seems madness, almost, that we're having to fight. Neither of us should die.
The thought isn't welcome, not here, not now. Mercy makes you weak, and cannot be allowed to breathe. This woman is trying to kill me, and I must treat her the same in kind. I redouble my efforts, and go again, just starting to learn her style.
My gift of adaptability begins to come to the fore. She is quicker than me, but not by much, and clearly highly trained with blade and bullet alike, but she does not have my senses, does not have my preternatural aim. With each thrust and swing, with each single strike, I learn a little bit more about her; her style, her speed, her choice of attack. And bit by bit, I begin to see openings. A little bit more, and I'll break her down...
Rumbling footsteps sound behind me, Dianna's emerald eyes flashing up. I sense Krun approaching, stampeding across the plateau. He doesn't fire, not with Dianna so near, but draws a knife of his own. It's wide, thick, a short sword in length, if only a dagger to him. He swings from behind as he approaches, trying to decapitate me where I stand.
