BETH
With the Branch of Companionship in her left hand and the dragon claw in her right, Beth stepped up to the cliff ledge. Golems and flesh amalgamations rushed up the slopes, looking hellbent on their annihilation. The amount of them was scary and the way they fought, they showed little interest in avoiding injuries but instead pushed the attack, no matter the cost. There were not many omfs flying in the formation. The alien orbs must have done something to their companions and decided that their own lives were worth more than assaulting a dragon controlled mountain range.
The first golem leaped over the ledge. With the smallest amount of sweetness, Beth stepped forward with her left foot, winching about the pain, and performed an overhead smash with the dragon claw. Slim meaty strings that had attached the thing to the dragon’s paw, flapped in the air as the improvised weapon slammed down on the golem’s head. Stone shattered. She tugged the claw back and rolled her shoulder forward, making the weapon rest on her shoulder again.
The dragons on either side of her fought their own skirmishes against the same enemy. Chewing and splashing liquid fire at them. They were still upset, thus giving her extra space and not wanting to talk to her. But in battle that was only a positive.
Tern fought on her side. Discharging his weaponry into the crowd as she withdrew her weapon. Giving the enemy no pause, no room to maneuver closer.
Beth performed the overhead smash once again, The incoming flesh amalgamation barely cresended the cliff ledge before being turned into pulp with escaping black gases.
Overhead smash.
Overhead smash.
Overhead smash.
It was so simple. She one-shotted anybody who came above the lip. Little chance for injuries, falling into a rhythmic fighting style was easy when the body grew worn and the mind tired.
Overhead smash.
Overhead smash.
But the enemies started to pile on the lip and in their battle crazed minds they pushed their allies forward, right into her dragon claw.
Overhead smash.
Those stringy bits on the thicker end of the dragon claw came loose and got stuck on a shattered golem’s shattered protrusions as she lifted the weapon away again.
Overhe…
The golem knew it was coming, thus it stepped to the side, her improvised weapon slammed down hard into the mountain. The trigger word came instinctively to her lips and the twig’s fiery beam discharged. As the blast impacted the golem, it displaced the very atoms of its chest, digging a crater and tunnelling through its stone flesh. The creature fell back, dead as they came.
“Do you want to die? Falling into a rhythmic, predictable style is dangerous. Variation and randomness are your friends,” Birgitta said in the mental channel. Had not Elzrig said something similar before? It felt like a lifetime ago.
Beth grunted, placing the dragon claw back on her shoulder.
Tern!
She knew without looking. She turned and threw the dragon claw. It struck the three golems that were on top of her friend, shattering them and sending the pieces down the slopes.
“Thank you,” Tern said. There was a new crack along his shell, wide as a finger and even sparks jumped out from it.
“We look like shit.” Beth recovered the dragon claw, carefully not putting too much weight on her injured foot. “We are slowly being grinded down.”
“Beth, don’t say you are losing hope,” Tern said.
Beth ducked underneath a golem’s jagged arm and leaned her weight into her elbow, two of its legs broke and as the enemy fell backwards, her dragon claw came from above and finished it. Cracks were forming in the very mountain top they stood on. Her repeated slamming and hammering.
“Coming in for a new run,” Leo said, with the shuttle zooming in above their heads.
There were fewer dragons fighting in the sky, that frontline was losing. And it meant that Leo was even more exposed. A series of green laser beams erupted from the enemy’s side, punching holes and tearing metal hulls off the shuttle.
“Oh no,” Birgitta mumbled.
Beth was already looking at the disaster. The shuttle flew several hundreds meters ahead and above the enemy line. “Eject, Leo!”
The shuttle fell and burned as a falling meteor.
“The cockpit is too warped. Going down,” Leo said.
The rear hatch opened, releasing the last batch of liquid fire onto the enemy forces just before the shuttle crashed into the mud, sliding along it before coming to a standstill against a boulder which towered above it and the mud field.
“Leo! No!” Beth yelled, stepping forward to the cliff ledge. “Leo, answer!”
It was almost too far away, but she thought she saw a figure crawling away from the wreckage.
“Hold the fort, Tern,” Beth said, walking back to the mountain square. She holstered the twig, couldn’t have it snap in two, and grabbed the dragon claw with both her hands.
“What are you doing?” Tern said.
“Beth?” Birgitta said. “I can see him. He is alive, but the slippery mud makes it a hell to wade through.”
“Tern, hold the fort,” Beth said.
Sweetness rushed into her mouth, powering her body up. Her leg muscles had anticipated the surge of energy and invigoration, the ruthless usage of the water. She strode forward, leaning into her rush. Pushing harder into the rocky floor, more cracks shot out in the stone. The dragons still fighting on top of the mountain looked on her with confusion. Wyrhgon, Rahgon and Elzrig were still among the living.
She reached the cliff ledge, jumped and dove. Her push cracked that section of the ledge, sending boulders down the slope.
For a moment she flew.
She flew above the battlefield, above the horde of enemies.
But it was only temporary, she was falling with style. She held the dragon claw above her head, and channeled her power into her arm muscles.
Beth roared.
As she landed, she slammed down the claw, right into the middle of a group of enemies. They shattered and were launched away, then the claw struck the mud, splashing its holy content into her face and over her body.
She stood up, her attack had created a clearing behind the enemy line, but it wouldn’t last. She waded through the mud, it reached almost to her knees and had a surprising resistance.
Leo was half swimming, half struggling in it. “You flew!”
“I didn’t fly, stupid. I fell with grace,” Beth said, helping him up. “Birgitta, Tern, we need a way out.”
The hesitated enemies circled around them and the ones with confidence tried attacking. One versus one, they could not get past her strength and the weight of the dragon claw.
“We need to get away from this mud,” Beth said.
“My flying module is damaged, I can only hover for a few seconds,” Tern said. “The dragons are not willing to save you. They are saying good riddance among other things.”
“Typical.” Beth performed an overhead smash again, but remembered to not fall into a pattern.
“You could walk up that boulder by the shuttle, it will get you away from the mud,” Birgitta said.
Beth grabbed onto Leo’s uniform with her free hand, pulling him through the mud.
Just meters away from the boulder, there looked to be a tight cave opening in the ground. It must have been hidden underneath the mud, which her slam had displaced.
“Leo, there!” Beth yelled. “Go! Birgitta, where does that cave lead?”
“Maybe to the dragon hall, maybe not,” Birgitta said. “It is impossible to determine.”
Away from the battle, at least it led away from the battle. She shoved Leo into the cave. But as she stepped forward, a dark, blunt club grew bigger and bigger in her vision, before it slammed into her face, sending her backwards.
Beth landed and bounced twice before coming to a stop. She was lying on a boulder. She shook her head and grabbed the dragon claw, at least some luck.
An adolescent dragon crawled up by her side, it was not bigger than the distance between her hands. Its scales were dark purple in color, but there was blood seeping out a wound on its side, which might make flying an impossibility. Beth hesitated, it was the same dragon which had flown past their shuttle as they landed and poked its head into their chamber one morning. Nymri, was it?
Golems and flesh amalgamations ascended the prolonged boulder, they were looking for death. She had to act quickly, no time for niceties.
The first golem stepped forward and swung, Beth ducked underneath its weapon and swiped its legs with the dragon claw. Next, no time to finish it off. She re-positioned her feet, gaining balance. Her overhead smash shattered the next enemy before it was able to discharge its Branch of Companionship. The claw cracked apart at the top.
“Hurry!” Leo yelled from the entrance to the cave.
The purple dragon was still by her feet, she grabbed it with her free arm and held it tightly against her chest.
“Please don’t cover me in liquid fire,” Beth said.
The sweetness rushed into her mouth, there was no reason to save it now. She bent her legs deep as the enemies rushed up the boulder and she jumped over them, but not high enough.
Something pulled her down and she landed face down in the mud. Cold and dirty, it stuck to her face and body. She struggled to her feet again, almost slipping right away into the mud, her grip on the purple dragon was still strong but she had lost the dragon claw.
Beth raised her free hand and caught the arm, the weight behind it was huge, but her body kept its posture. She exchanged looks with the golem, it was surprised, but the hesitation didn’t last. Its second arm came from the other side. She switched her grip and caught that arm as well, dropping the purple dragon into the mud.
The golem pulled and moved its center of gravity, but Beth stood firm and snarled at it. She pulled her head back and struck its chest, her metal skin protected her against injuries, but the strike did little to phaze the creature. The golem prepared its own headbutt. As its head came forward, Beth let go and crouched, but her injured foot didn’t find the grip and she slipped in the mud and fell backwards. The golem’s head slammed down into her face, dazing her and pushed her deeper into the mud. She grabbed the golem by its leg and yanked, it too fell into the mud.
Move!
She came to her feet again and grabbed the purple dragon again. Leo was a jump away, and wading through this mud was too slow.
She pushed with water powered legs, but she didn’t turn airborne. By pushing away from the mud with her enhanced strength, she had only managed to push her feet deeper into the mud and now she was stuck in it. She fell forward, having no chance to stay upright. Her face slammed into the cold mud and she lost her grip on the purple dragon. The filthy crap tasted salty in her mouth and blocked her nose.
Leo was waving his arms behind the lines of enemies. A golem noticed it and started slamming its arms on the cave entrance.
Beth dug her fingers into the mud and pulled, inching closer. It felt as the mud itself tried to suck her down. Her feet were still stuck.
She pulled forward another inch and more mud slipped into her mouth.
Something big and heavy slammed down on her back.
Her finger dug even deeper into the mud, looking desperately for purchase.
The cave entrance started cracking apart. And that something slammed down across her back again.
She turned her head, the purple dragon was at her side, it must have been hidden in the mud. She grabbed it and flinged it forward, by a miracle it didn’t hit an enemy. Leo was hit by the purple dragon and the two of them rolled backwards into the cave just as the entrance caved in.
“Go!” Beth yelled.
The golem towered over her and slammed down its heavy arms again, right on her face.
The twig!
Beth pulled the Branch of Companionship from its thigh holster, and sent the trigger word almost too soon before it was aligned. The fiery beam struck the golem’s face and displaced the very atoms of it, digging a nice hole through its stony skull.
Another golem, there was always another enemy, grabbed the twig and pulled it out from her hands. She grabbed its legs and pulled, with the sweetness rushing into her, her feet became unstuck. She rolled through the mud and avoided a series of heavy blows from various enemies, while wrestling the golem who had stolen her twig. It felt like an eternity, but finally, she managed to wrench her Branch of Companionship back into her hands. She sent the trigger word, the displacement beam dug a tunnel through the golem’s chest. She turned away and waded back towards the boulder.
Her hand landed on the big boulder beside the shuttle and she started to ascend it, at least she was out of the mud. But the invasion force breathed down her neck, golems slamming down their heavy arms after her and aiming their own twigs at her. One of the fiery beams struck her back, she felt her metal skin giving in, but she had to keep going. She had to keep going up the boulder.
“Beth! Catch!” Birgitta yelled through the mental channel.
Birgitta must have yelled a lot the last few desperate minutes, but Beth had ignored her and kept her focus on staying alive.
The flying object came at her fast as it flew above the enemy forces. Why did it look as if the object had a long tail?
“Catch?” Beth stuttered.
Beth reached into the air, half crawling and halted on her feet, and she caught her mace with one hand. It’s cold handle and recognizable weight was reassuring. She got up on her feet, turning around and grabbed lower on the cord and spun the mace into action. The first row of incoming golems were swiped off their feet. She tugged back the mace and swung it wide above her head before translating the momentum into another side swiping swing. The next row fell, their rocky bodies cracked and shattered. A pain shot up her side, but she ignored it.
“How did you manage to both find and throw me the mace?” Beth asked, her mind felt tired.
“They ran a hard bargain, but I managed to convince them to help at least a little,” Birgitta said. “I can’t throw the mace by myself. Rahgon happened to stumble over it and I snarled, roared and snapped at her a bit.”
“Thank you, Birgitta,” Beth said. “Birgitta, The scarer of space dragons.”
Birgitta laughed at the other end of the conversion, but the scientist was trying to hold it back, but Beth was sure of it.
But still she was pushed back, up the boulder. She swung and swung, swiping at the incoming enemies, but still she was pushed back, up the boulder. A boulder whose face had only two meters left and then she would be doomed, running out of space to move. At least she would not die facedown in the mud. And she had saved Leo, and the young purple dragon. She turned and swung the mace wide again, not holding back any of the water she had left in its deposit. With a powerful overhead smash she shattered the beginning of the rock face and whatever enemy that stood there. Her back hurt, it hurt too much for her to turn her head enough. That twig’s discharge had done a number to it, by the stinging pain, it had probably cracked her skin open. It didn’t help that a golem had repeatedly slammed its arms on it either.
Beth turned and walked up higher on the boulder. The mountain and its slopes and cliff ledge stood high in the background of the battlefield. Birgitta, Tern and the dragons were somewhere up there. If she could fly, she could have just flown up there. But alas, she had no wings. She looked at her mace in her hands and its cord, the thoughts clicked in the back of her mind. She could fly, she had done it before, the battle had drained her so much that her mind had turned dull and slow.
“I am coming back,” Beth said.
“How?” Birgitta said.
Golems and flesh amalgamations were ascending the broken boulder. Beth grabbed lower on the cord and started to spin up the mace again. She would fly once more, as she had done when assaulting the landing sphere. It should be easy to repeat the action, she just had to angle the throw to gain more horizontal motion than vertical. With a sweetness fueled spin, she launched the mace towards the cliff edge and let the cord follow loosely in her hands. She grabbed the cord tightly.
The cord snapped off the mace and she stumbled forward, landing her face on the boulder. She looked up, and yes, the mace had continued its trajectory and slammed into the slopes with force.
“To hell!” Beth said.
“What happened?” Birgitta said. “The mace slammed into the mountain, but you have not landed with us.”
“Beth, come on!” Tern yelled.
Beth got up on her feet. “The cord snapped off the mace. Its anchors must have worn out. Fuck!”
“Not good,” Birgitta said. “Behind you.”
Beth turned. The golems were quickly approaching. She still had the twig at her hip, she offset her feet and made a fist of one hand and a paused grabbing motion with the other. The battle was not over, far from it. While she still drew breath and fueled with water, the battle was not over.
The golems seized the moment and leaped at her. She quickdrew the twig and sent the trigger word at almost the same time, and the twig’s fiery beam dug a hole through the first golem’s head.
“Wild, wild west style,” Beth mumbled.
But the others came too fast, and two landed on her. She triggered the twig again, but the beam missed because a golem knocked it out of her hand.
At this close distance, the joints between the boulders on the golems’ bodies were easily distinguished. What had Ezlrig told her all that time ago? It felt like a lifetime ago.
Beth rolled to avoid the overhead smash and came up to the golem’s side, and she reached in between the joint of its torso and head. Her fingers pried with enhanced strength.
The golem’s head popped off and rolled down the side of the boulder, then the golem’s corpse rolled after it as she shoved it away.
This time the maneuver had been easier, it had clicked for her. She just needed more training in Elzrig’s fighting style. She turned back to the battle. There would be plenty of training. She picked up the twig and held it ready, this training session would never end.
“Attack her!” Argus yelled, hovering behind the first line of enemies. Argus had returned for her head for a third time.
“You have yet learned your lesson, ball,” Beth said.
Beth leaped into the next row of golems and flesh amalgamations. The twig’s fiery beams dug holes through flesh, while her fingers reached in between joints and pulled apart the very bodies of the golems. For every time she succeeded it grew easier to find the right spot and angle to apply the pressure. She was not ready to give up just yet.
Beth kept her distance from Argus and his shield as she plowed through the waves of enemies, unless he would be able to repeat his previous trick. But Argus’ energy weapon discharged, trying to poke holes in her metal skin. She felt the glares of heat as they impacted, but she kept moving and kept fighting, never stopping. Never giving Argus or anyone else the chance to get a proper opportunity to hurt her.
The next row of enemies paused and looked into the sky. The rain clouds were gone and had been replaced with a clear blue sky and shining sun. When had the night turned into day? The bright light was blinding.
“Go! Kill her!” Argus yelled. Instead of endangering himself, he used the creatures in his ranks as weapons.
One of those insect-like swarms floated up the boulder, obviously coming for her. A fiery beam erupted from the middle of the swarm. She leaned to the side, but the beam still impacted her, it displaced a small crater in her side. This enemy didn’t have the joints the golem had, so that strategy was useless. The swarm flew forward.
She sent the trigger word to her own twig and the fiery beam discharged. But the swarm scattered for a brief moment, avoiding all the displacement before joining back together again. She turned tail and ran up the length of the boulder as the swarm chased after. The twig was holstered.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
“Tern! I have another swarm here,” Beth managed saying between her frantic breathing.
“I cannot come for you. Neither will the dragons. Deal with it,” Tern said, ending their conversation abruptly. He must be locked in his own battles and the dragons were still upset with her.
As she came to the peak of the boulder, she saw the shuttle’s roof sticking up above it. The shuttle which Leo had crashed landed against this boulder. Currently it was not engulfed in flames.
Fire had worked last time.
Something clicked in the back of her mind. Maybe Leo had missed to drop some of the canisters of liquid fire?
Beth dove and crashed into the weakened hull, it shattered on her impact and she landed on the shuttle’s floor. Left and right, she looked. The shuttle was badly damaged, it was difficult deciding which end was the rear and the place where she might find the canisters.
Tern’s hollow! It was right in front of the door which led to the rear compartment.
The swarm crashed into the shuttle, from the opening that she had created.
Beth ran, her water empowered leg muscles giving her inhuman speed. The shuttle’s floor cracked underneath her feet, but was not shattering. Instead of kicking, she leaped at the closed door, hoping it would shatter.
The door shattered. And she rolled across the rear compartment’s floor.
Her roll stopped unexpectedly. She had not reached the far wall yet.
She looked up. A single canister of liquid fire had halted her roll. It was unbalanced from her rolling into it and it was about to fall over. Her hand shot out and she grabbed the edge of it, a moment before it tipped over.
“Fuck,” Beth said. If she had let it fall over, it would have exploded and engulfed her in its liquid fire. And fire had a nasty way of bleeding through her metal skin.
Beth turned and threw the canister, which exploded against the ceiling over the swarm. The swarm was engulfed with liquid fire.
She made her way out the rear hatch, which had broken during Leo’s crash, and climbed on the outside of the shuttle’s hull. Her feet landed on top of the large boulder again.
She turned towards the other end of the boulder, which lay towards the invading enemy force and she inhaled deeply, before sighing and relaxing her shoulders. “Here we go again.”
“How is it going?” Tern asked. “What happened with the swarm?”
“She is about to die,” Argus said.
“Fuck off, Argus. You are dying this time,” Beth said. “Now you have time to talk, Tern. I burnt it, since I remember Rahgon doing the same. I found a canister in the crashed shuttle,” Beth said.
“No, Rahgon. I am over these rules!” Freet yelled. “Beth is of the Celeste Clan and we never leave each other behind. Never. Beth, hold on.”
“Freet, no. Please,” Rahgon said.
Freet’s round body came flying across the gap between the mountain and Beth’s boulder in the mud.
A series of beams came aimed at Freet, but the omf deftly avoided the threats.
Freet landed and floated to Beth’s side. “Together, we stand. Come closer and we will get the hell out of here.”
“Thank you.” Beth stepped forward, to come close enough for Freet’s bubble.
“NO!” Argus yelled. “ATTACK!”
Golems jumped them.
Beth was shoved to the side by one golem and they wrestled towards the side of the boulder. The golem knew her strategy and moved in a way, making it difficult for her to get her fingers in between its joints. The golem was if possessed, its attacks were ruthless. They rolled another lap and she felt the edge of the boulder on her back. Another roll and both of them would land in that damn mud.
“Launch it!” Freet yelled.
Beth managed to get her feet under the golem and pushed. The boulder creature was shoved into the air above her.
A ray of scatter impacted the golem, expanded and sliced the creature in half. Beth rolled away from the falling debris.
Freet was lying on the very surface of the boulder, not hovering or flying, and around her lay the remains of multiple golems. Her surface was cracked and several of her modules were damaged. She had fought fiercely.
“You are hurt.” Beth stepped over to Freet.
Freet turned around. “A bit.”
“Thank you,” Beth said.
“This is not over,” Argus said, still hovering at the base of the boulder with a wave of golems and flesh amalgamations on his sides.
“There are too many of them,” Freet said.
Beth shook her head. “Never.”
“Shut up, Beth. If they overrun us, you go up higher on this boulder. You stay alive. Don’t die for me,” Freet said.
“NO!” Rahgon yelled across the mental channel. The channel was filled with roars and screams. The dragon was locked in battle, but was furiously fighting to get free, to help her omf companion.
“Attack!” Argus said.
Beth looked at the incoming attack, then back at Freet. “Never.”
Beth let the sweetness rush into her mouth and she grabbed Freet, firmly but enough to break her. And she ran up the boulder.
“We are both dying here,” Freet said.
“Never,” Beth said.
“Keep her alive, Beth,” Rahgon said.
The top of the boulder came quicker than Beth had wanted. She put Freet down at the top in a way so the omf wouldn’t roll over the edge.
“I will keep us alive,” Beth said, before facing the incoming wave of enemies. The horde roared and yelled, golems brandishing their stony arms and flesh amalgamations aiming their Branches of Companionship.
Beth inhaled deeply, fueling with as much water as she dared. She leaped into the wave of enemies. Her fingers reached for the golem’s joints and pried their boulders apart. She thrashed and pulled at the flesh amalgamations, tearing them into pieces. She drew her own Branch of Companionship, its displacement beam digging holes through her enemies. She kept her center of gravity low and her feet wide, never letting anyone shove her off balance. Her fist came down on the boulder, cracks shot out to the sides. Waves of enemies came at her, but she plowed through them. Using all the tricks, all the moves she had learned over the years. Applying her strength and knowledge to maximise the carnage. But it had been a long day and it had taken its toll on her. Fueling with water was not keeping away the fatigue anymore. Her body was sore and hurt. She slowed down and made mistakes. She fell behind in the killing, enemies came past her.
“NO!” Rahgon yelled, still fighting to get free.
Beth turned her head, shoving a golem over the boulder’s side.
Freet shattered into a million pieces as a group of golems slammed their arms down on her, repeatedly.
“I am sorry,” Beth said. She roared and grabbed for the next golem, prying at its joints.
Then the next one.
Then the next one.
Then the next one.
There was always a next one.
Beth roared and killed.
Everyone stopped. A pause entered into the battle. And everyone’s attention was locked into the sky. Even Argus. Beth hesitated and looked into the sky.
A dark figure fell through the sky. The figure was not falling, it was floating downwards with a calculated slowness. A flying man. Then the man started waving his arms. Golems, flesh amalgamations, omfs and dragons were all equally crushed and shoved violently downwards by some invisible force. Argus fled.
“Stand still!” Rahgon roared through the mental channel.
But Beth’s focus was fixed on this floating man. Could it be? Could it?
Careful, but powerful claws grabbed onto her and pulled her off the boulder, and into the air. Rahgon’s strong wings gave them much speed and they soared back to the mountain.
“I saw you, fighting and taking hits to keep Nymri alive. You saved her. You stood by Freet’s side. Thank you. I tried getting away from the fighting, but I couldn’t. Not until everyone stopped in their tracks. Thank you,” Rahgon said. “Birgitta and Tern kept threatening to kill us all if we didn’t pull you out. Your friends can be quite persuasive.”
“I am sorry, I failed,” Beth said.
“It is not your fault,” Rahgon said. “You did your best.”
If her best was not enough, then she would have to be better and try harder. She had failed and now Freet was dead. Freet, who always was at Rahgon’s side. Always. But now, Freet would never be beside Rahgon again.
The floating man came in view.
“Tom!” Beth yelled.
Other powered people fell through the sky and landed on the mud, they charged into their attack. Slaying the invasion force as well as the dragons.
Beth struggled to come loose from Rahgon’s grip. “Tom!”
Another man floated down, hovering to Tom’s side. A man with the skin of diamond.
“Alien dragons and all alien beings, your end is now,” Saif said, floating beside Tom. “Rejoice in your final moments. Say goodbye to your loved ones. Mankind has arrived.”
Saif? Saif!?
Rahgon landed on top of the mountain. Tern and Birgitta ran up to meet them.
“Saif is here!” Beth yelled. “And Tom. And his vanguard. Look, they are slaughtering everyone.”
Birgitta put a hand on her shoulder. ”We know. Your mace.”
Her mace was lying just above the cliff ledge, but without the cord that had snapped off. She grabbed and tried a few swings, it would have to be enough. Hopefully the weighted lump wouldn’t snap off as well.
With a heavy thud, a man landed on a peak beside them. A man with the skin of white marble and which glimmered in the strong sun. He had short brown hair and an obvious scar that ran along his scalp. Pebbles started snaking around his hands and arms, but the stream grew, both in thickness and size. He extended his palms towards them, the pebbles streamed towards the center of said palms and merged together.
“Surrender or I will have to kill you,” the man said in a clear Russian accent.
Rahgon turned and roared at the man before leaping at him.
The first stream of pebbles were shot, behaving much as a liquid, and struck Rahgon’s snout, which cracked her head back and sent her rolling away from the man.
“I am not here to play nice,” the man said.
“Big guy, stop hurting my friends. You are with Saif?” Beth asked, shoving Birgitta’s hand off her.
“Thank the Great Saif,” the man said as if it was a prayer.
Beth brandished her mace. “Thank the Great Saif. Either that fucker has put his talons in your grey matter or you are just a stupid buffon.”
The Russian man in stone aimed his hands and shot his pebbles at Elzrig.
“Look at me!” Beth yelled. “Stay away from my friends! You see this mace? It has cracked many boulders and stones today. You will be no different.”
The Russian man raised his palms towards her. “Don’t do it. I will hurt you.”
Tern discharged his scatter energy into the back of the Russian, which sent the man flying towards her. Beth swung her mace, striking right in his face, canceling out his current momentum and making him stop right before her feet. She stepped into an overhead smash. Cracks shot out in the very white marbled skin from the Russian’s gut.
“I have had a long goddamn day. You cannot use brute force against me and think you will win,” Beth said.
Blood was trickling out between the Russian’s lips and down his neck. Something had broken inside him. Maybe he was already dead, but his body just needed time to react to it.
Beth nodded towards Tern, before turning back to the Russian. “Why are you here?”
Tom flew back and forth across the fields in front of the mountain, waving his arms and everyone that stood against him was squeezed and crushed where they stood. The invasion army was finished.
The Russian man coughed. “Fuck you.”
Beth raised the mace, someone who served with Saif deserved death.
“Tom is coming,” Tern said.
“Rahgon, take whoever is left and whatever eggs you can find and leave this planet,” Beth said. They had not had the time to store all the eggs deeper into the mountain before the battle had begun.
Tom’s figure flew towards them at great speeds, the kid had learned a few new tricks. Saif flew behind him, but at some distance. It looked like the perverted man had learned a few new powers of his own, somehow.
Rahgon roared. “Because of that small thing?”
“Leave or your people will die. This is no joke.” Beth kicked the Russian man, sending him rolling over the cliff ledge and down the slopes. “The battle is over. Flee while you still draw breath.”
An invisible force forced her fingers apart and her mace was tugged away from her, flying off the side of the mountain and down the slopes. Not again. All the muscles in her body locked in place. It was already too late. Her eyes were fixed, but she saw how Birgitta and Tern, and all the dragons on the mountain top suffered the same faith. The sweetness retreated.
“Beth,” Tom said, coming down and landing softly on the mountain square. “Nice to see you again.”
Her lips loosened.
“Why are you here? Why come here?” Beth said.
That laughter and that grin. Suddenly, she felt like throwing up. Saif came down and landed on the rocky surface and laughed. He looked just the same as he had the last time she had encountered him. A lumbering giant in a combat suit stepped up behind him, mist billowed out from the suit.
“Elizabeth,” Saif said. “You are still alive. And you are out in the galaxy, living among the very aliens which sought to destroy mankind. How fitting of an end for you, dying atop their mountain.”
In her peripheral vision, the Russian man in white marble crawled over the cliff ledge. He must have caught something when rolling down. He stopped and observed the scene unfold from a safe distance.
A row of dragon eggs stood before Saif.
“Space dragons? That is too dangerous,” Saif said. “Why would you fight alongside them? You were prepared to give your life in their servitude, in their defense, but not in the defense of mankind and Earth. Your brain must be wired incorrectly.”
Saif kicked the dragon eggs apart, their juices and unborn bodies slid out on the rock and died within a few moments. The rage in Rahgon and Elzrig’s eyes were distinct. They would have shattered mountains defending those eggs. The Russian man was still in her vision and the disgust in his face was a surprise, he must not be in Saif’s control. A loyal one.
“But Beth you can still be useful. Maybe not as a frontline trooper anymore. We. I don’t really need that,” Saif said. “But I would very much like your manifestation. The first one to overpower me. You remember back in the facility? It would be poetic if I acquired your strength. More fuel to the mythos of Saif. The legend of Saif. Saif, The God. Tom, bring her to the brink of death. Then I will yank it out of you, Elizabeth.”
Tom nodded and raised a palm towards her.
The invisible force grabbed onto her throat and neck, and started applying pressure. Breathing grew difficult and her vision blurred. She had imagined that death would come to her today, but she never thought it would go down like this. Her breaths turned sharp and frantic, her throat felt like fire. By Tom’s own hand, she was dying.
Rage. Anger. The familiar feeling boiled inside her. Tom. Why would it have to be him?
Boiling rage.
As the lack of air turned her whole body into pain, her rage grew.
She wanted to roar, but the invisible force kept her in place. She needed to roar. To punch.
Rage.
A new deposit grew distinct in her mind as her rage stormed within her. The red colored blood flowed back and forth, as if inviting her to release it. Within her mind, the rage gave her the option, she reached and tore into the deposit. The taste of iron and blood rushed into her mouth. Her strength spiked, the sense of invigoration exploded within her. Her strength grew tenfold in comparison with water fueling. The invisible force struggled before her might.
Beth stepped forward and inhaled deeply, Tom looked worried and Saif amused. Amused? Stupid little men, to challenge rage was to challenge death itself.
Beth smiled, tensing her hands into fists. She stepped forward, cutting straight through Tom’s telekinetic power and with a raised fist she was about to disable him before she went and murdered Saif.
“Stop,” Saif whispered.
Beth’s body locked once more and mid punch she was frozen in place. Again. The taste of iron and its confidence retreated from her.
“You really, really, should know when to quit. Before me, before the God of the Universe, you all are mere children,” Saif said.
Saif was in her mind, poking around. But it felt different than last time. His mental touch bore a surgical precision, but also a strength which were magnitudes stronger.
“Elizabeth, you are fueling with blood. Finally, but it’s way too late and you are so late. I remember, back at the facility, thinking that you would become an intellectual partner to me. You have proved me wrong countless times now. Disappointing,” Saif said, before turning to Tern. “You have a mental bond with this thing? This ball. I see the connections. Elizabeth, so low you have fallen. Tom, squeeze and throw this piece of scrap down the mountain.”
“No,” Tern struggled to say in their mental channel.
Tom closed his fist.
Tern was squeezed into a third of his size and launched over the cliff ledge. The mental channel was severed and she felt alone, so completely alone.
“Alien junk,” Saif said.
The sky was blue and cleared of clouds, the system’s star shone brightly. Not the worst, final view.
“Tom, bring her to the brink of death,” Saif repeated.
Tom’s invisible force grabbed onto her throat once more. Breathing grew difficult again.
The crack of thunder and the spark of lightning pierced and echoed through the sky. A giant, blue lightning bolt struck downwards. Beth only stared, but Tom waved his hands frantically as the bolt neared, but the boy’s telekinetic powers had no effect.
The bolt of lightning struck the ground between Tom, Saif and the combat suit, sending them in opposite directions. Tom’s invisible force lost its grip on her. The lightning transformed, taking the shape of a person.
“Milo?” Beth exclaimed, not believing what her eyes showed her. “Milo?”
“Hi, Beth. How are you doing?” Milo said.
Captain Samuels Adam landed with a heavy grunt and deeply bent motor muscles, his combat suit looking even meaner than before and one of the gauntlets held a nuclear warhead, there was a strap hanging loose from it.
“Sam, they are dazed. You do, Saif?” Milo said. “Diego, bring down the ship. We need to hurry. Rahgon, nice to meet again.”
Rahgin nodded, her snout moved, but there came no words into the mental channel. The mental channel was offline, since Tern had been crushed and thrown over the edge. Tern was dead. Oh no. Something tugged at her heart and a tear trickled down her face. Tern was dead.
“Yeah,” Captain Samuels said.
Beth stepped forward. “You are alive. Milo, they murdered Tern.”
“Hell. Yes. Long story. We will talk later,” Milo. “Sam. How are you doing?”
Captain Samuels stood by Saif’s unconscious body, which was still clad in diamond skin. Samuels shoved the muzzle of his acid shotgun down Saif’s throat and fired twice.
“Milo, this diamond stuff. It continues down his throat. He didn’t even stir when given two rounds of acid.” Samuels strapped the nuclear warhead to Saif’s back.
“More powered incoming,” Milo said, standing by the cliff ledge. He extended a palm forward, as if he were to shoot a bolt of lightning, but nothing happened. He extended a palm again, nothing happened. “They are coming, Sam!”
A beam of something green came at Milo, but he simply sidestepped as the acid impacted the ground instead.
That something tingled inside her mind. She rubbed at her temples, but then it clicked for her.
Samuels tightened the strap around Saif’s neck and shoved a grenade in between Saif’s teeth. “You fucking, goddamn mind pervert. I hope you burn. Milo, I think he is wak...”
Captain Samuels turned around and went down on a knee, and discharged his acid shotgun. The green ooze splashed across Beth’s metal skin and some even seeped down through the cracks and dents she had accumulated during the battle. It stung like nothing else she had felt before. She stumbled down to the rocky ground, trying to scoop the green acid off her.
“Claire! Now!” Milo yelled.
A plume of fire and warmth pushed at them, as the nuke’s rocket came online and flew away, pulling Saif with it, hanging from the strap around his neck.
Milo tried twice, on the second attempt a lightning bolt surged at Samuels, but the brute Navy marine ignored it and leaped at her instead. Sweetness turned from trickle into a flood.
Samuels punched with metal gauntlets and motor muscles enhanced strength, it hurt, even with her skin turned metal. She ducked, but Samuels moved faster than her. He was neither injured nor drained from many hours of battle. And his attacks were frenzied, he leaned into his offensive. Another round of acid splashed over her face.
“Sam! Don’t!” Milo yelled.
Rahgon’s giant paw swung at Samuels, but he caught it with one hand and held it steady, changed his balance and turned around, aligning his laser cannon and fired. The superheated beams impacted the paw and side of Rahgon, and she screamed. Samuels turned back to Beth and grabbed her throat, the sweetness retreated slowly.
An explosion sounded in the distance and the distinct mushroom cloud of a nuclear detonation took shape.
Samuels stopped and hesitated, before stumbling backwards and landing on his ass. “He woke up. I am sorry. I tried fighting him, but there was nothing I could do. He just took control!”
Rahgon and Elzrig positioned themselves in front of him and roared.
Milo leaped in between and held his hands out, his electrical barrier was down. “Please don’t.”
A hand landed on Beth’s shoulder, it was Birgitta. “He is alive. Milo is alive.”
“Yes,” Beth said.
“I tried yelling through the mental channel, but it was down,” Birgitta said.
Beth nodded, a tear slid down her face. “It went offline when Tern died.”
A familiar ship shape and engine sound, the Final Sight descended through the atmosphere and parked on the far side of the mountain square. Avoiding the eggs and the surviving dragons. It’s rear hatch opened and Claire stepped out on it.
Claire waved. “Come on!”
“Dragons and humans alike. Everyone, grab an egg and run inside. We are leaving,” Milo said, running over to Tom’s unconscious body. “Sam, what will we do about the boy? His telekinesis power protects the mental seeds, I cannot burn Saif’s influence away.”
“Kill him,” Samuels said.
The rage crawled to the surface, making Beth’s hands tremble.
“I am not murdering a child,” Milo said.
Samuels stepped up. “Dead is dead. Another wheel in Saif’s machine of war. I will do it.” Samuels shoved Milo aside and trained the acid shotgun at Tom’s head. “Nice dreams, kid.”
Rage.
In an instant, the blood deposit snapped into distinction in Beth’s mind. She tore into it and the iron taste flooded her mouth. Her hands stopped trembling and she tensed them into fists, as she leaped forward. She grabbed the combat suit’s armor plates and her fingers dug into the very metal. She turned and threw Samuels away, the Captain crashed into a nearby rock wall.
“You don’t hurt him!” Beth yelled, leaping after him.
“You don’t hurt him!” Beth punched at Samuels helmet, but his gauntlet came up in time to deflect the blow.
The exchange of blows grew faster and faster, more violent for each second that passed. Beth aimed for between one of the plates, but Samuels rolled his shoulder into the blow, changing the angle of which her fist impacted, making the strike far less effective than it should have been.
“You don’t hurt him!” Beth yelled.
Something or someone pulled at her, but she swatted them away. Her focus was at Samuels, nothing else. Couldn’t let him hurt Tom. Never!
Samuels stamped down on her injured foot and Beth stumbled backwards, screaming. The metal skin on that foot had cracked even more, thus not stopping the force of Samuel’s strike enough.
“Goddamn, you Elizabeth and your fucking, powered kind. I am upgraded, I am stronger than you, I am better than you,” Samuels said, going into another series of blows and discharges of acid. “We come down here to save your asses and this is how you react? Tom cannot be left alive, you know this. He is Saif’s weapon.”
Circular, spinning, saw blades were ejected from Sam’s gauntlet between his punches. They dug into the metal of her skin, but stopped before penetrating deep enough to hurt her human tissue.
She pushed him off and they separated. She pulled out the saw blades and threw them to the ground, small cuts remained in her skin. “Saw blades, really?”
“Have another!” Samuels yelled.
The spinning saw blade came at her fast. Its metal glimmered in the light. She caught it with one hand and crumpled it. Something wet splashed onto her knee and it started solidifying. She grabbed it and pulled it off her knee. The paste detonated in her hand, but did little harm to her metal.
“Fuck you,” Samuels said.
Rage.
“You don’t hurt him!” Beth roared.
A third deposit took shape within her mind. It’s yellow liquid flowed from side to side. She tore into it, but only a few drops trickled through and the bitter taste into her mouth.
Beth’s right hand snapped into a fist and transformed, it transformed into a giant metal fist which challenged the size of Rahgon’s paws. She rushed forward and struck Samuel at chest level with the transformed fist. No blocking or deflecting mattered. Samuels crashed into the rock wall again and sunk several meters into the stone, cracks shot out from his impact crater. His combat suit clung onto him in tattered remains.
Beth leaped at him.
Samuels’ rig jumped in front of him and extended its arms to the side, as if trying to hug her. It tried to grab her, but she slammed her enlarged metal fist at it. The rig fell into pieces.
“No!” Milo yelled and she hesitated.
“Please, Beth,” someone whispered behind her. “Please, don’t,” Birgitta whispered. She sounded afraid.
“I…,” Beth started, the bitter taste retreated and her fist transformed back into normal. She fell onto her knees. Exhausted beyond belief.
Birgitta grabbed her shoulders and helped her towards the ship.
A giant in a combat suit stepped towards them, from the ledge, mist billowing from him. He aligned his multi barrelled cannon, it spun up and beams of liquid ice were discharged.
Beth grabbed Birgitta and threw both of them to the side.
Milo discharged a lightning bolt, but it only glanced off the giant’s combat suit.
Samuels leaped at the giant, and slid underneath its legs. She recognized the discharge of his acid shotgun, and the ejection of saw blades. The combat suit lost power and fell backwards.
Samuels fell down to his knees. “Metal coffin.”
Milo helped him up.
They moved into the ship. The surviving dragons were carrying whatever egg they could find. Claire ran another lap outside, grabbing the last remaining batch of eggs. Birgitta helped Beth down into a seat, the rear hatch closed and the ship took to the sky.
“Where is Leo?” Claire stood in front of her.
Beth looked up. “In the mountain tunnels somewhere. I don’t know. I helped him out from his crashed shuttle. He escaped into a cave with a young dragon under his arm.”
“Good,” Claire said.
“It will be bumpy, the space battle is still raging on,” Diego said through the speakers. “Hang on!”
The ship trembled, but nothing really impacted it. Beth didn’t care, she was stuck with her thoughts. She had fueled first with blood and then with adrenaline. Her rage had crept forward, more than ever before, but only when the situation involved Tom’s safety. What could it mean?
“We are outside the battlefield,” Diego announced.
A terrible tremble went through the ship.
“Oh, shit. We have been hit,” Diego said. “We are boarded! Milo and the Capt’n, fix it! Can it be Saif?”
“If Saif was onboard, we would already be dead,” Milo said.
Beth looked up at him, but he didn’t meet her eyes. Milo opened and closed his hands, as if he was trying to summon his electricity. He had trouble finding his power, just like he had down on the mountain. How could that be? But she shoved the thought away, she had no energy to delve on it.