Revelations (Song of Sophangence Book 4)

by E. I. McAllistair

  Stefani had taken Sophia’s lessons to heart, and fully internalized the danger of the unknown. There were few things that were more terrifying than being trapped with little to no information. It was time to take the plunge and change that situation.

  Stefani fired a few shots in the general direction of where the shot originated. To her dismay the shooter did not take her bait. Checking her gun, she was also made painfully aware that her ammunition was limited. She knew this going in, but since she lacked Melee experience, she did not have a good frame of reference for how much ammunition she would need. None of her closest friends used firearms as their main weapon, so she found herself lacking in resources to help her. Even Sophia was not helpful, as she had ways to replenish her supply, so she never worried.

  Two shots rang out, but they were almost simultaneous and came from different directions. If it had not been for her desperately doing her best to keep up her ballistic shield, Stefani would have met the end of her second Melee. This was the second time that trick had saved her, but it gave her unfortunate intelligence. She now knew that there were at least two shooters, which made the situation much worse for someone like herself who was very weak at range, and also with multiple opponents.

  She scrambled to a new location the best she could, hoping that she had not given them enough time to flank her. She had not yet become comfortable using her abilities to create disparate effects at once. Though she could layer a bevy of enhancements simultaneously at this point, she could not use her shield whilst healing herself. She would have to make a choice as to which was more important.

  Her shield had been indispensable, but if she could not move properly, she might as well give up. Her shield was unpredictable, and only worked when she had the time to prime it before impact. With a small prayer, she hoped she was making the correct decision. She focused on healing, but as a compromise, she layered as many enhancements onto herself as she was currently capable. Resilience, strength and speed accompanied her regeneration just in case she came face to face with her attacker.

  A hail of bullets rained down upon her from two directions, causing her to squeal in shock as she did her best to prevent being hit. Wherever her foes might be, she was thankful they still did not have the best angle to hit her, or it would have been over with that attack. She was sure her pattern of rotating to her right was becoming noticeable, so she decided to go the opposite direction. As she was moving, it occurred to her that it would be more prudent to escape while she had the chance.

  The moment she moved out from her newest hiding space, she was peppered with bullets again, this time two of them finding their mark. Her tolerance was at its max, as she was still attempting to heal herself from the first bullet wound. She now thought herself incredibly shortsighted to think there was nothing she and Zenia could do for one another, as Zenia would have made quick work of something like a bullet wound. She could not stop herself from screaming and moaning in pain, which easily gave away her exact position.

  Since she could not stop herself naturally, she tried to gag herself to prevent detection, but it was no use as she had already been discovered. A woman stepped around the tree, an annoyed expression turning into a smile once she came face to face with Stefani. With the gun aimed at her, she smirked at the helpless girl.

  “Damn, you sure put us through a lot of shit to get you. Never knew a prissy little model like you would be such a pain. I’m glad that idiot over there doesn’t want to ruin his chances at dating you, or else he’d be the one getting these points. Pissed me the fuck off having to switch positions and shit. I told him rifles were the way to go. Way more ammo. Welp, nighty night princess.”

  Stefani told herself she had to be proud of what she accomplished. She had made it past the halfway mark all alone. She was capable of taking down three opponents at once. She was stronger than she gave herself credit for. That was what she had to dwell upon as she met her end in the Melee. Her body was so wrecked with pain and fatigue, she could not even muster the energy to attempt any semblance of a defense. She closed her eyes, unable to face the pain with her eyes open. Her body tensed the moment she heard the gunshot, her mind and heart doing its best to accept her Melee had come to an end.

  ◆◆◆

  Despite being in an overwhelming amount of pain, Dan found there to be something else on his mind that he could not shake, preventing him from dwelling on his injury. Even though he had made it farther into the tournament than the year prior, he was technically in the same position as when he was eliminated before. This produced a staggering sense of impending doom for him that made him jump at every little sound. His paranoia made his advancement a slow and arduous process.

  He was beginning to get the sinking feeling he had been traveling in circles again. Very little about his surroundings had changed, and though he had come across two people fighting, he chose not to intervene in his current state. Holding his side as he limped along, the sound of gunfire rang out nearby. His immediate response was to turn toward another direction, but for some reason he was sure the route he was supposed to take was on the same path.

  Sucking his teeth, he decided he would continue as he had, confident that he should be capable of making a hasty retreat if it was required. With an added layer of caution, he made sure to step softly so that he did not draw the attention away from the shooters’ intended target. The farther he traveled, the more shots rang out.

  There was a brief period of silence, which caused him to wonder if the fight was over, allowing him to avoid confrontation. His question was immediately answered as there were more shots that rang out, and then he almost stepped on what he could only presume to be one of the people he had heard firing. He recognized the man, but he was horrendous when it came to remembering names. He also found nothing clicked for him regarding what the man was capable of.

  He had encountered a Juggernaut and a Terrakinetic thus far. Though Jesus was only one of two Terrakinetics in their class, there were any number of Juggernauts. This left him lacking any useful information about who the man could be. Remembering to not waste opportunities, he threw out a sheet of paper, it silently smothering the man so he could not scream. From there he took out his sword, ramming it into the man’s back a number of times until the muffled screams stopped.

  He recovered his sheet of paper and continued, wiping off his sword in the process. Though it aggravated his wounds, using his sword was far more efficient in the energy consumption department. He had used up quite a substantial amount of energy fighting against Jesus, and worried he would give out at a critical time later if he was not more conservative where he was able. The shots had continued, but it sounded more one sided, which made him wonder if the man he eliminated was not the original target of the mysterious shooter.

  Inside, he was nearly ready to burst as he had just defeated his third person, officially solidifying his growth from the previous year. Some of his anxiety had begun to wane as he heard the fight intensifying. His confidence elevated by his triumphant takedown, he decided he would properly investigate the fight in hopes he could easily defeat the victor in a moment where their guard was dropped.

  He had finally come upon the fight he was looking for when the excitement in his chest lurched. The moment he had been waiting for had finally come. Disregarding his injuries, he took off at full speed into the fray. In his mind all he could do was keep shouting, “I can’t mess this up! I must break through!” His efforts were rewarded as the sheets of paper reached their destination just as a single shot was fired.

  The woman shooting looked up in surprise at Dan, which proved to be a fatal mistake. By allowing herself to become distracted, she failed to see her prey sweep her to the ground, firing three swift shots to the woman. With a pained grunt, she slumped over squirming. Dan fell to the ground ejecting a huge breath that seemed to have been caught in his chest.

  Though it took everything she could muster, a tearful Stefani threw her arms around Dan. “I th
ought I was done for!”

  Dan hugs Stefani back in return, clearly with a bit too much passion as she shrieked in pain. “Glad to see ya Stef. You don’t look so good.”

  A weakened Stefani looked into his eyes pleading. “I’ve got multiple bullets in me. I need your help getting them out so I can heal.”

  Dan immediately became uncomfortable, slightly shifting away from Stefani after hearing her request. “I… don’t know bout no shit like dat. I might fuck you up real good.”

  The tears streaming from Stefani’s eyes appeared to be much more indicative of pain than of joy now. “Please, Dan. I don’t think I can last much longer. It is crazy to think that last year I would have immediately passed out with one gunshot.”

  Dan was extremely nervous, but he did what he could. In a bit of trial and error, he realized his normal paper would not hold up long enough to get the bullet out. Instead he ended up ripping some of his cards, hoping the coating would last long enough to extract the bullets. The first two were somewhat easy, as they were shallow and in places that were not complex. The last was in Stefani’s abdomen, which proved a much more difficult task. With her guidance and an unparalleled amount of luck, he was able to successfully remove the last bullet.

  Though it began weakly, Stefani’s humming was allowing her to stay conscious and guide Dan as he sought out the bullets inside her. With the pain numbing and stabilizing effects, she somehow made it through. Once the bullets were removed, she shifted her attention solely to regeneration, even if she had to fight through the pain. Though her intensity had increased over time, her humming was still practically inaudible to Dan. After a while of holding her, he awkwardly brushed the hair from her face.

  “Umm, Stef? I know you was in a real bad way, but Jesus kinda fucked me up before dis. You thank you cain’t do somethin’ bout it? Them damn people who pick up da bodies said I jest had to deal wit it if I wanted to keep fightin’. Ain’t dat some shit?”

  Dan’s words took Stefani by surprise, who sat up much too quickly, producing a wave of pain that almost caused her to vomit. Once she had recomposed herself, she looked to Dan apologetically. Realizing her struggle, he guided her back down to lay in his arms so she would not overexert herself.

  “I’m so sorry. I have been completely selfish. I forgot you cannot hear my humming, so you got no effect. I didn’t even take into consideration you might be injured too. I’ll start singing so we can both heal.”

  True to her word, she began to sing, and Dan could immediately feel the warm, soothing effects of her song. It was clear she was in far worse condition than he was, as he felt completely normal in a few minutes, whereas it was almost twenty minutes later before she finally stood to her feet.

  “I’m nowhere near back to normal, but I can heal as we move. Lately I have about a minute or so of the effect lingering even after I have stopped singing, so I can take breaks if we might be in danger. We need to keep moving though.”

  Dan beamed at her in response, his freckled face giving her a sense of peace. “Don’t worry Stef. You jest get healed up. I’ll protect ya no matter what.”

  The response teams had long come and gone once they finally made their departure. With the two of them together, they both finally felt as if the world was righting itself. They had both made it through situations that would have easily broken them in their previous states. Dan was happy that he had someone to protect, as it always increased his capability when he held someone else’s wellbeing in his hands. Stefani had found someone whom she could push to much greater heights with her support. Together they set off with a renewed sense of where the rest of the Melee would take them.

  Once Dan mentioned he felt completely healed, Stefani had switched back to humming in order to conserve her energy and her voice. She was not completely positive, but she had begun to believe the price of her abilities increased not only with how significant the effect was, but also how many people she was affecting. It seemed slight, but she had never put it through any rigorous scrutiny. She tried remembering how it felt to sway an entire concert hall, but she had always assumed that was normal fatigue from performing. She also understood it would only draw attention to them if she could be heard singing.

  Feeling the comfort of companionship once again, Stefani had been completely silent except for her humming to herself. In another avenue of her exploration into her capabilities, she was trying different ways to increase the speed and efficacy of her healing. She knew she would never top someone who was a Medic, but understanding how useful it was, she knew it was important to push her powers to the limit. If it had not been for such an ability, she would have long been eliminated.

  Dan had taken the lead while Stefani focused on her recuperation, but silence had begun to grate on him. He felt it was a complete waste to travel alongside someone just to continue on as if he were still alone. No longer able to stand it, he finally broke the silence, stopping in his tracks and turning to Stefani.

  “I know you was messed up somethin’ fierce, but I shore do miss your company. If we gone be out here together, I figure we could talk or somethin’.”

  Stefani is jarred from her thoughts by Dan’s abrupt stop. Taking a moment to digest what he had said, she gasped, clasping her hands to her mouth in horror.

  “I have been so rude! I’m sorry! I have been pushing all the responsibility off on you!”

  Dan shakes his head, his stern expression melting into a goofy grin. “Nah, it’s alright. I ain’t mean to shame you or nothin’. I get you jest workin’ on gettin’ back in top shape. How that goin’ by the way?”

  Stefani nods her head happily as she checks herself over. “All my wounds have closed up, meaning I don’t think I need to worry about infection. I can still feel some pain, most likely meaning I’m not completely healed, but most of my mobility is back. I shouldn’t slow us down if we get into another fight.”

  “I ain’t bothered none ‘bout you fightin’. Jest leave it to me. Glad to hear ya doin’ better though. How you get in all dat mess in da first place?”

  Stefani sighs dejectedly. “Your guess is as good as mine. One minute I’m walking along, the next I’m being shot at. I never realized how much more stressful this gets as time goes on.”

  Nodding vehemently, “Ain’t dat da damn truth. We so far in now, I be scared the next fight gonna be ma last. People left in this thang gotta be perty strong, right?”

  “One could only assume as much. We just need to keep our heads up and keep moving forward though.”

  With nods of understanding, they both move forward, much more cautious of their surroundings than they were before. Stefani had become so paranoid, she walked with her pistol at the ready, refusing to be caught in such a loathsome position again. Her intuition proved correct, as they were set upon by blasts from the trees. Woven into the streaks of deadly energy was gunfire as well, indicating they faced a team like themselves.

  Dan wasted no time throwing up a shield to protect them, but as Anaar often liked to point out, much to Dan’s dismay, his shields, though tough, obscured the vision of those they were meant to protect. The obstruction proved to be of little consequence to opponents, as not having clear vision of their target meant little if they could not pierce their defenses. Stefani must have been thinking along the same path, because she suddenly had an idea to utilize the weakness of Dan’s shields to their benefit.

  “Dan, we have plenty of shelter in this area. Right now they are aiming for the barrier, but like the last time, they will begin moving in a way to try to surround us. I’m thinking we use the shield as a decoy, and hide while it is still up. That will give us more time to get into a better position.”

  Hearing the word decoy caused Dan’s face to light up. “Aww shit, you got my brain cookin’ now. If it’s a distraction, I got a idea.”

  Dan and Stefani agree to their plan and both dart away in opposite directions but still obscured by the shield. Once they had successfully split, the shield bega
n charging in the direction of the shots that were being fired. In a panic, the unknown assailants began hurtling everything they had at the barrier. The heat from the Artillerite’s blasts had finally built up enough to ignite the shield. It rapidly began to crumble, with the enemies poised to strike again the moment it had fully disintegrated.

  Once the shield had fallen, rather than Dan, who they expected to see, instead they were greeted by a humanoid figure that immediately tackled the Artillerite. Before the man had the opportunity to regain his composure, Dan had come up behind and delivered a wicked slice to the man’s back. Finding it was armored, he quickly shifted to jamming his katana into a gap in the man’s armor, sending him gurgling to the ground.

  Dan was extremely proud of himself for remembering so much of the training he had been learning in preparation to partake in missions. He might not have been so quick to recognize and change his approach without it. The shooter thought himself lucky that Dan had left himself open, even if his partner had fallen. Like most people in the Melee, their partnership was one of convenience and survival, rather than loyalty and concern.

  With his gun trained on Dan, he was squeezing the trigger when Stefani exploded from the brush, a whirl of sharp metal claws ripping into the man’s flesh. His weapon discharged in the exchange, but as he was taken off balance, the bullet traveled harmlessly into the canopy above. With the man down, Stefani wiped her brow as she winced at a shooting pain from her injuries that were still not fully healed.

  The two of them converged with large smiles on their faces. “Life is so much easier when you have amazing people with you! Awesome job Dan!”

  “Damn right! You too Stef! Even though you still hurt, you ain’t waste no time takin’ care of dat dude. How is it you was strugglin’ before?”

  Stefani inhales deeply, blowing the breath back out in one heavy rush. “Who knows? Maybe we just work that well together! It definitely felt like a walk in the park just then.”