“Holy shit, Ink… Are you okay?” Leech asked with widening eyes as blood and goo dripped from the other Controller’s back. “Did he do that?”
“No. Some giant lizard beast did. I killed it. And I'm fine.” Ink hissed back, a quiet growl escaping her lips with every breath she took.
“Giant beast…? Was there a warshee here? Did you… kill a warshee?” Leech asked softly.
Ink shrugged and mumbled a response under her breath.
“Why was there a warshee here? This isn’t anywhere near the DA’s border. Unless it was in training, or maybe retired? Oh fucking hell, did we kill a retired warshee? Naw, that isn’t right…” Leech’s voice trailed off, and for a few moments, her expression appeared solemn, almost sad, the colour visibly draining from her cheeks. But then the moment passed, and she turned to face Ink with her usual eccentric energy. “You fucking idiot. You massive twat. Why - WHY did you insist on going in alone?! You made the Nodes wait outside the perimeter! And you fucking took off before everyone else too! You disobeyed my direct orders to launch from the dreadnought together!” Leech scolded, flapping her arms at Ink as she stepped off the dropship ramp, a squad of heavily armed Nodes in her stead. “Now we’re killing retired warshees, balls deep in DA territory and the stupid lizard has a head start! All because you wouldn’t wait five minutes!”
“I had him.” Ink muttered, her eye twitching. “He got lucky.”
“Oh, he got lucky, did he? Did he?! Ugh. Whatever. I’m here now. I'll clean this mess up. We do not want to go back to Moltezz empty handed after all of… this.” She gestured to the carnage unfolding in front of them as yet another Baron ship crashed to the ground, just on the outskirts of the village.
Leech opened her mouth to address her Nodes, when suddenly, she froze. She stopped short of the first syllable, with only a half-questioning croak vibrating from her throat. She spun around and stared at Ink intensely as she gently rolled her shoulder - the one now missing a tentacle.
“Wait a minute… Look at me.” Leech's voice was almost a whisper.
Ink turned her scathing gaze towards Leech, unsure of what she was trying to gauge but pissed off about it nevertheless.
“No…”
“What?!” Ink protested.
“You fucking like him, don’t you?”
“I.. Who? Diego?” Ink asked, unconvincingly, her remaining tentacles flittering out around her as she dropped her gaze away from Leech’s.
“Who the fuck else would I be asking about?” Leech’s stare intensified. “Seriously? He’s got you too?” She shook her head in disbelief. “Are you for real? You’ve met the fucker once and you’re already lost in his dreamy eyes and fabulous hair?! I thought you had better taste than that! What is it about that lizard? I mean, look at us! We’re prodding the prostate of DA territory on a ramshack dreadnought, breaking fuck knows how many laws, all in the pursuit of one guy? This shit is insane, even for me.”
“I don’t know! He seems different! Stop winding me up!” Ink scowled back defensively.
“Uh-huh. Different.” Leech replied lowly. “Psh. I am the only one that isn’t positively obsessed with this prick?”
“You are the odd one here, Leech. Maybe you're the one with bad taste.” Ink grinned briefly, before falling back into her more solemn mood.
I have bad taste? Leech smiled back, her usual shit-eating grin now plastered firmly across her face, happy to watch Ink’s self-own fly straight over her head. I’m sorry, who do I spend the most time with in my lab these days? Oh, that's right. Your giant ebony ass.
As they spoke, a dedicated team of Nodes finished hauling over a massive weapons crate towards Leech. It was heavy, even by Node standards, and the team was only too happy to drop it onto the trampled grass with a sigh of relief. The top was covered in a slightly stained red tarp, and someone had crudely painted the words ‘Hair Straighteners’ on the side. Leech whipped off the tarp and handed it to one of the Nodes to dispose of. There was a proud twinkle in her eye as she looked over her latest creation.
She glanced up then and scanned across the horizon, her gaze landing on the dragoons striding the countryside with lethal intent. They continued to fire their scale-steel volleys into the air. Approaching the village with the horde whilst the dragoons were active was nothing but suicide. Their macro-needles could puncture through hundreds of Slaves and would make short work of them, no matter their numbers. These mechanical beasts would need to be felled if they had any hope of taking off as the Vora Baron distractions in the air waned.
Speaking of Vora Barons, where in the flying fuck did they even come from?! Despite never physically encountering their kind, the tales of the Barons more than adequately described their hideousness. There was no mistaking them for anybody else; both DA tales of monsters beyond the border, and direct nomad accounts of their brutality were true to their word. Did they warp in with us? How did we not notice?! Psh, just can’t get the staff these days!
“We’d better get a move on. You know what you’re doing?” Leech asked, fumbling through a bag strapped across her hip.
“Yes.” Ink muttered.
“And are you actually going to do it this time?”
“Yes.” Ink replied sharply, her tongue flickering between her lips angrily.
“Good!” Leech pulled out a thick syringe from her bag and jabbed it into Ink’s back, who winced briefly at its sting. “A stim shot to keep you going and help the pain with that missin’ tentacle situation. Also -” She rummaged through the bag again and produced two slim metallic bracers, with bright blue panels on the top. “We know… Seeth… is here. I imagine she is very likely going to open fire on us on sight. I like your holes as they are, you don’t need new ones. These bracers are the best kinetic shields we’ve got, should be enough to stop a few shells from her, but for fuck’s sake don’t doddle, she’s lugging some sort of personal artillery around. They won’t last indefinitely.”
She slapped the bracers onto Ink’s forearms and they hummed to life immediately, projecting a hazy blue bubble around Ink’s body.
“Thanks.” Ink replied bluntly again.
“You’re welcome…” Leech frowned, rolling her eyes. Honestly, she’s like a fucking teenager sometimes. “This time, use the horde, babes. They’re an asset. I’ve mixed in a few special Slaves in the crowd, we have some squads already quite close to the village but they’re being intercepted by Barons. Kross and the other Imprinted are focusing on keeping the Barons out - we can’t have Diego getting offed by some blubbery fucker, you know? Just… don’t get yourself killed. Please?”
Ink grunted back and strode off towards the crashed barge, her rapidly assembled army following in tow.
“Eh. I’ll take that.” Leech mimicked Ink’s grunt and snickered to herself before turning her attention back to the ongoing conflict.
More and more Rewritten dropships were descending from the sky, taking care to avoid the dragoon’s firing lines. Some descending were obviously looted nomad transports, but others were dropped off by stolen Darkpaw dropships, limited in number but noticeably more nimble than their rag-tag counterparts. It would matter little however, the Baron ships in the atmosphere began to deplete as the dragoon’s metal gaze would find its way to them and would shred both nomad and Darkpaw vessels alike. Megacorp tech was not able to contest the might of the DA, no matter how flashy it looked.
Eight handpicked squads broke away from the main force to join Leech as she hauled her invention free from its container. A handful of Slaves helped haul the back-pack out of the crate, straining together to lift and loop it over Leech’s shoulders, tightening the straps so it sat securely against her back.
Fuck me, this thing weighs a ton… this better work or I’m going to be a sitting duck. Time to get moving, they’re not gonna melt themselves. Three dragoons… piece of cake.
They approached on foot, the squads staying deliberately segregated and travelling by foot to not alert the closest dragoon, on the foothill ahead of them. It stood proud and fierce, shouldering its oversized rifle and firing into the sky with a nauseating BRRRRRRR that rumbled through the ground and deep into their chests. Each squad had a nervous-looking Node at the head, and an unusual ensemble of Slaves. Some had explosives physically attached to their body, while others had a seemingly random configuration of cables and antennae poking out of them instead, with metal prongs stapled through their forearms.
Although anything Leech did was seldom random.
“~You know the plan. Move!~”
They approached the foothill in loose formation, each squad side-by-side, perpendicular to the dragoon still firing into the air. They stormed over the grass with tight knots in their stomachs, which only clenched and squeezed further with every step they took. Their advance did not go unnoticed. The squads still had half a mile to go when the dragoon turned its attention on them, pausing for a brief moment before turning the barrel of its gun to face them. The farthest squad from Leech was the furthest up the hill, and the machine’s beady optics honed in on them first.
BRRRRRRRRR
Leech felt its impact through the hierclasty. In less than a second the squad was gone, the super-sized needles punched through armour, flesh and bone alike with the expected, disgusting efficacy. These were weapons of war, designed to shred through terra-corp tanks and rival empire armies; their use on infantry-sized targets was practically a war crime. The flak vests thrown over the Node did precisely nothing to prevent her fate, her body reduced to partially burning chunks along with all the Slaves. Nothing in the Rewritten’s entire looted arsenal would protect them from this… However, forward was the only way through.
BRRRRRRRRR
The second squad, gone. One burst was all it took and it was raining limbs and speckles of hot dirt.
BRRRRRRRR
The third volley detonated one of the explosive Slaves, catapulting bodily viscera in all directions.
They still weren’t anywhere near close enough to detonate, and the dragoon had already killed one third of the approaching squads.
This isn’t going to work… we’re not fast enough!
The squads threw themselves up the hill as fast as they could and the Nodes opened fire, but their bullets merely pinged off the dragoon as though they were wielding little more than toys.
“~I need a distraction on this dragoon! Now!~”
A looted quill-belly gunship swooped down from above, deploying its dual auto-cannons from the front of its chassis and unloaded an alternating, thudding barrage into the dragoon, raining empty brass casings onto the ground. However even the higher calibre cannons failed to crack its armour. Leech could hear the rounds shattering against the dragoon, leaving blackened scorch marks all over its frame, but nothing in the way of actual damage.
BRRRRRRRR
The quill-belly was practically sheared in half, raining down onto the assaulted estate in several shredded chunks, clattering through the roof and into the pool. Somehow, the Node pilot managed to escape almost certain death, pulling herself free of the wreckage and stumbling into the remains of the manor, and out of sight.
The ground squads rolled in closer. They were only moments away. The metal beast was in lunging range when they heard its servos whirr to life. It began to strafe backwards, walking away from the approaching forces but very much keeping its huge rifle pointed forwards.
No! Fuck! Don’t walk away!
BRRRRRRRR
The closest squad was torn apart, the marco-needles over-penetrating and cutting deep into the ground in the same gruesome manner as before.
There were only two squads left between her and the business end of the dragoon’s firepower. Panic flushed through her chest as her plan started to fall apart before her. She’d felt the power of vulcan weapons first hand; she didn’t fancy her chances of surviving their big brother.
More quill-bellies rolled in, taking multiple angles on the dragoon. The increasing air-traffic around it caused an ally dragoon perched on a separate hill to take note and pitched in to help clear the sky, punching through the gunships in a series of precise volleys.
BRRRRRRRR
Another squad was turned into mulch as scraps of gunship and empty brass casings rained down around them, splattering into the frost clogged mud.
Ah fuck it! I’ll take a page from Seeth’s book!
The dragoon turned its gun on the last squad before Leech, the Controller could see the neon-blue optics within its head focusing on the node. It steadied its aim, in spite of the auto-cannon shells peppering its chassis.
Leech dropped her weapon to the ground and snatched an antenna Slave into her hands, pulled her arm back and launched the poor thing into the air, over the hill with all the force she could muster. The Slave hurtled through the air straight towards the mech, flailing wildly when Leech confirmed its activation through the hierclasty with a single, desperate thought. It screeched mid-flight like a wailing banshee and began to convulse wildly as its body surged with energy, blue crackles of energy arcing between its antennae. The dragoon lowered its rifle with one arm and went to swat it out of the air with its other hand when suddenly, the mech seized and stopped in its tracks. Its arm refused to move.
The optics on the dragoon blinked on and off, its once clean movement now halted as its joints locked up, and the Slave ploughed into the mud unceremoniously, still spasming violently as the smell of burning flesh began to permeate the air.
Oh my fuck! I can't believe that actually worked! Yes! I just disabled a dragoon! A fucking dragoon!
The closest squad made it within distance of the dragoon but Leech ordered the explosive slaves back and lifted her weapon back up. It was an unwieldy construct, with several massive black cables and two different coloured tubes, connecting to her oversized metallic backpack that was flicked on with a threatening hum. Its ‘barrel’ was a thick pair of parallel metal plates, similar to a tuning fork, or a giant pair of hair straighteners. A bright orange light emitted from between the prongs as she aimed the massive construct at the locked dragoon, now at the mercy of the multiple seizing slaves, violenting shaking around its feet to keep it pinned down.
A bright orange beam discharged from Leech’s weapon and bore into the dragoon’s chassis in a blinding eruption of sparks and heat. The dragoon’s armour held for a few tense seconds, clinking gently under the sustained heat before finally giving way catastrophically. A cascade of molten metal poured down its frame like a candle under a blow torch, followed by the brief scream of its pilot within who was hammering at its non-responsive controls, but their struggle was short lived under the laser’s sheer heat, as the cockpit liquified and poured out over the grass.
Leech pulled on the handle of her weapon and it silenced with a loud hiss, the prongs closing together to cease the beam in tandem with a blast of steam from its outer side.
The dragoon now stood hollow, arms and legs locked in place but its torso now a vacuous mess of dripping wires and slurried metal. A smog of plastic smoke and belching ichor billowed out from its once proud frame.
Fuck yes! Part two bitch, let's r-roll! Leech grinned, but her hands were shaking, and her heart was still firmly lodged in her throat.
Across the fields below, the Rewritten dived into furious combat with the crashed Barons, still lumbering out of their barges in a fury of confusion, but whilst the other two dragoons were up, they risked heavy losses. They needed to be eliminated.
Her eyes landed on the destroyed dragoon's rifle, intentionally left intact…
*
A single DA garrison soldier skulked between the wreckages of two crashed barges, navigating the narrow corridor of burnt grass between the two brass-coloured vessels. He clasped his vulcan rifle tightly in his young, shaking hands, his scale armour completely bare of any accolades or recognition. His ears could hear nothing but the cracking of distance fires and the occasional buzz of macro-vulcan fire, which seemed to be dropping in frequency.
He pressed his fingers to his communicator again, but the line remained jammed.
I need to get to the village. They’ll need my help.
He pushed on, stepping over crushed mud and around burning wreckages, until something caught his eye. Someone’s shadow was being cast over the walls of a barge, flickering in the firelight.
He kept his rifle poised and ready as he approached, winding through the burning wreckage’s snake-like path, ducking under crumbling panels and crushed wings, when suddenly, he caught sight of a lone, shuddering figure, hunched over in a small clearing between the vessels. A Rager. He stood, alone, wavering on his feet oddly gently considering his size, almost like a flag caught in the breeze. Blood dripped down his neck and chest. His hands creaked around a crimson-soaked club. He was surrounded by dead Famished, panting loudly as the rage engine stapled on his back whirred quietly away.
The soldier’s eyes found the Rager’s. First he saw the madness with them, wide and bloodshot, pupils darting to and fro. Then he saw the blades, puncturing through his ribs, and the teeth marks on his arms. The rage engine on his back shuddered and roared to life, the sound punctuated by a visible gush of blood from his neck. The rager broke into a furious sprint, charging straight for the soldier, the whir of the engine getting louder and louder.
The soldier took aim, his shaking finger hovering over the trigger… but the rager only made it a few steps before suddenly collapsing to the floor, his body desaturating as his remaining blood spilled out over the grass, forcibly ejected by the engine as it spluttered to an anticlimactic end. The quiver in the soldier's bones intensified. Were these the savages beyond the border he’d heard about?
He couldn’t stay here. He could hear more of the creatures, clambering around inside their oversized metal coffins. Every crumpled door concealed more of them, every puncture in the ship's carcass, another way to ambush him. So he continued on, treading across the blood-soaked ground and stepping carefully over battered Famished bodies, as he made his way closer towards the distant sound of friendly vulcan gunfire. Rounding the corner of the crashed vessels, finally he was nearing the edge of the village. A lumbering Baron clutched his side in pain, blood dribbling from between his fingers. He limped away from a scattering of corpses where the invading forces had clashed.
Without warning, a fresh attacker sprinted in and leapt onto the Baron's back, clutching his grey arms around the lumbering giant's neck. He roared in frustration and reached around shoulders, snatching the monochrome individual from his back and lining him up with his leering jaws. The Baron wasted no time and sink his teeth straight into the skull of the attacker, with an audible crunch -
The soldier squeezed his rifle tightly as a loud bang echoed in his ears, and the Baron collapsed to the floor in a blinding blue flash. Massive arcs of plasma welded the two intruders' bodies together, arcing from the smaller attacker and melting the Baron into nothing but a smouldering, half-liquid pile, strewn messily over the carefully placed paving slabs that surrounded the once pristine village.
The soldier's shuddering breaths were drowned out by the sound of more footsteps, more gunshots, more death, when a shiver suddenly ran uncomfortably down his spine. Someone was close. He heard the clatter of metal and the whirr of another rage engine - no, several more rage engines. He spun around as a battered group of Ragers emerged from the crashed vessels he’d navigated between, their gaze locked onto the soldier as they spread out over the crushed soil, surrounding him.
They were on him in seconds, roaring with bloody spittle as the soldier let loose with his rifle. Vulcan needles tore through the air, downing a couple of the creatures before a club swatted the rifle out from his grasp. Another cracked him across the side of the head and he collapsed to the floor, fumbling for his pistol desperately.
“BEAT HIM TO PASTE! LICK HIS BLOOD FROM HIS BONES!”
Their clubs clattered against his scale-male armour, each hit painful and dull. He shielded his head with his arms, watching in terror as the frenzied attackers slammed their bats and clubs against him, helpless. Every attempt to reach for a weapon was denied with a stinging swat of his limbs.
Suddenly, there was a boom. The entire group was launched off their feet in one go. Blood and chunks rained down on him as the aggressors were levelled by something.
Still dazed and reeling, he felt a strong hand on his shoulder drag him away from the crashed ships.
“Got another one!”
The soldier quickly scampered to his feet and found himself in the presence of a towering purple czarite, wielding an oversized shotgun and a massive axe strapped to her back.
“ Are you okay?” She asked, pulling him into a nearby alleyway between two small shops.
“Y-Yeah. Thank you. What can I do to help?” The soldier asked, shakily but instinctively feeling over his hands for broken fingers.
“Get your ass to the village centre, there are civilians there who need protecting and every gun counts.” She racked her shotgun loudly. “Officer Kintrax is leading the defence, tell him Seeth sent you. There's medics there, they’ll patch you up.”
“Y-Yes, ma’am.”
The soldier limped off, body shaking but voice steady. He followed the path further into the sparse village centre ahead of him, making his way towards the centre as directed.
We’re gonna need all the guns we can muster.
Time had been short. There wasn’t much of a plan in place, only that Theo would defend the civilian hold-out, and Seeth would position herself directly between them, and the oncoming corrupted horde. She was better equipped for it after all. She casted her gaze up, catching sight of the dreadnought hanging crooked in the sky. It was just outside of the planet’s orbit, but still plainly visible to see from the surface.
How the fuck did you get that, Leech? I need to know how many of you there are…
She opened her mind to the hierclasty, skimming through the Nodes and Slaves around her almost like she were flipping through a book. It appeared her opponents had learned something; some of the Node’s minds were being actively guarded against her, preventing her from pulling information from them. The Slaves had little in the way of memories, but the sheer volume of them helped clarify the scale of the attack.
This was more Slaves that Seeth had ever felt before, it was impossible to count but there must have been tens of thousands on the planet already. She saw flickers of Slaves ripping into Barons, being torn apart by gunfire and a wall of them thundering after a black figure on the horizon…
Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.
And Diego…
Psyonic electricity crackling from his hands.
An untempered fury in his dark amethystine eyes.
His arms wrapped tightly around another woman…
A subconscious growl emanated from deep within her throat.
A deep hunger permeated through the Slaves. It was more than just the corruption, a consuming fire burnt bright and deadly in their hearts. It appeared that Moltezz’s will was firmly embedded within them, as mindless as they were. The scale of the assault filled her with dread, but watching Diego outpacing the horde once again and on-route to the village took her straight back to the first night she met him. It felt surreal. Her whole body flooded with buried emotions, rushing to the surface like an overflowing well. His voice, his body, his smell, his taste… Past images of his eyes locked onto hers, their bodies grinding and pressing together… All of it was pushed down to try and keep her life together. Seeing him again was like a train ploughing through the walls she’d built. Unstoppable and inevitable. But hell itself knew she wanted to feel this more than anything else in the universe. To be this close to him again was worth every inch of heartache and pain she’d endured. Part of her wanted to just sit and watch through the Slave’s eyes, enchanted by him.
But now was not the time for stargazing.
I have to find him. I’ve missed you so much, Diego. I’m not leaving this planet without you.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the hacking and coughing of a figure stumbling through the shop, their gait heavy followed by the rustling of chains on belts.
More Barons.
They could not be allowed to endanger anyone else here. A culling was required. Then, she would hold the horde back and bring Diego to safety… What could go wrong?
*
“You hanging in there?” Diego asked between controlled breaths, the rheumatic thumps of his feet against the ground were unyielding, and his tone surprisingly calm, considering the situation. He sprinted bare foot, claws and scales raw against the grass, his buttonless white shirt open and flapping frantically about him in the breeze. Between the wind-swept hair and now glistening abs, he actually looked good, almost as though the chaos suited him. Karen was held securely across his shoulders in a fireman’s grip, his one muscular arm looped through her legs to keep her steady. The lizard commanded a strong, calming sense of security, even through this hell.
“Y-Yeah… It hurts but I'm okay.” Karen shuddered, her grip tightening around his shoulders.
“Good. I’ll get you out of here, I promise.”
Behind him, the droning of the Famished stayed at a safe but nevertheless concerning distance. Diego knew these things, they were remnants of the Baron’s victims, tragically shaped into that which destroyed them. The only thing that coursed through their bionic still-warm corpse was hunger, although the pining, synthetic growls coming from them appeared amused by the chase at the very least. If they could still feel joy, maybe it was in the hunt as much as it was the feast.
The path to the village was now clear and he could make out the surrounding roads and buildings in the distance. To his left and right, he could just about see Baron squads, getting overrun by the corrupted. The thudding of their auto-cannons and hand-held mortars were rapidly drowned out as they were dragged to the floor by the encroaching swarm. Their fate varied however, some were torn apart by vicious Nodes, tearing into the pinned Barons’ flesh with sadistic or perhaps vengeful desire. But others were in the process of being corrupted by Slaves, who were apparently immune to the typical disgust response that the Barons tended to elicit from anyone with a functioning cortex. The Barons' oversized bodies were pinned down and invaded, their limbs held down and their control taken away from them, despite their roars of protest, perhaps even fear. The thought of a corrupted Baron sent an uncomfortable shiver down his spine; the last thing these corrupted fuckers needed were those monsters under their control.
His thoughts were interrupted by the holler of approaching engines behind him.
“D-Diego! They’re coming!” Karen cried out, her body tensing.
He glanced over his shoulder to see a warband of approaching Nodes, zooming across the grass in tight formation, along with a larger wheeled vehicle, not too dissimilar to a pick-up truck, with none other than Ink perched on its open back, leaning over the roof menacingly. The Nodes quickly dispatched the chasing Famished, using their energy whips to catch their legs and leaving them far behind in the dirt as they approached rapidly.
The village was on fast approach, but all it would take is one net or whip on him, the psyonic protection was better for stopping bullets than it was a large, slow-moving item like a net. He just needed to get Karen to safety first, then he could meet the horde face to face. He could hear more fighting up ahead, what sounded like roamer-sized vulcan weapons, but that meant the DA’s local forces were still fighting at least.
The Nodes rode in pairs, one driving, one mounted on the back, sporting an array of whips, tasers and net guns between them. Diego could hear the chew of the tires, biting into the grass either side of him, with the larger engine closing in on him from behind. The scraping of fingers on triggers clicked through his ears as the net guns rattled in their Node’s hands.
A glimmer of golden power shimmered down Diego’s legs and he suddenly surged into the air in one massive jump, a shockwave blasting out from under him, sending the nearest bikes crashing into the dirt. Karen screamed for dear life as the lizard leapt several stories in a single stride, her wing stumps twitching impulsively at the sudden air-time.
At the peak of his jump, Diego could see the village ahead, with a small but dedicated force of DA soldiers holding the village centre, directing the locals inside. It appeared they were mostly dealing with the Barons coming from the opposite side. They were stretched thin, but were holding the line with some degree of success. Somewhat level with his current height, he caught sight of a grey dragoon behind the village, perched on the surrounding hills. To his horror, he watched the dragoon get levelled by macro-vulcan fire coming from somewhere behind him.
Friendly fire?! Impossible… That must be something to do with this lot -
The ground soon rushed towards him but as he thumped back down to the ground, now concerned over the DA’s failing defences, but at least he knew where to drop Karen off.
He landed some distance ahead of the bikes, the village's outskirts now tantalisingly close, although he did wonder why there were no DA soldiers defending this side of the village. But his thoughts were once again interrupted by the encroaching grumble of a heavier engine, snapping at his heels.
“GIVE IT UP, DIEGO!” Ink screamed, leaning over the roof of the truck. “YOU’RE MINE!”
He could see one of the surrounding roads ahead of him, running perpendicular to him, it was only a little further -
He clenched his fists, feeling power surge into them and prepared to sling a bola backwards towards the vehicle's tires when he suddenly heard a screech behind him. The Node driver slammed on the brakes as hard as she could and Ink was sent hurtling over the bonnet, crashing into the ground and skidding through several metres of grass.
Diego immediately ceased his bola and reabsorbed the energy, charging over the road and into the village with all his might when a familiar glimmer caught his attention. A figure was charging towards the approaching horde, diving between the parked vehicles and outermost sheds on the village's perimeter. A flash of amethystine skin and jelly dreadlocks, along with a sense of confidence that said don’t fuck with me in a way impossible to misunderstand.
Seeth?!
It must have been her. He knew it. He didn’t know how or why, but she was here. His heart pounded at his ribs, his belly full of butterflies in an instant. He wanted to investigate, to see if it really was her… and if it was…? But the quivering dragoness, quietly whimpering in pain on his shoulders, was a reminder that he had made a promise.
I’ll be back, Seeth. Hang in there.
Against his every thought and desire, he pressed onto into the village, the horde seemingly quiet behind him. The village centre was a town-hall of sorts, a reasonably sized building of heavy construction, functioning as a garrison for the local forces. Civilians were being directed inside and into the fortified basement, which as per the DA’s typical design contracts, was bomb proof and exceedingly difficult to breach once sealed.
An imposing cerulean rhargnorn was standing out the front of the community centre, wielding an oddly ceremonial vulcan revolver in one hand and dressed in tactical scale-mail armour. He fired a couple of shots into the opposite distance before turning around to see Diego barreling towards him, skidding to a halt at the front double-doors of the centre.
“We have an injured civvie. Get me a doctor up here.” He spoke into his wrist, before quickly coming over to Diego and helping Karen off his shoulders. The rhargnorn turned and looked at Diego, seemingly recognising him. “Officer Theo Kintrax, I'm the senior officer on the field at the moment. You are… Diego Harley?” He asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Can you get her to safety, please?” Diego asked, ignoring the question.
“Of course, we have room in the bunker for both of you.”
“I’m… I’m not staying here. I can help.” Diego stated firmly, gently pushing Karen towards Theo.
“No! Don’t leave me!” Karen begged, twisting around in the dragon's grip as Theo helped her stand. “Y-You said you would stay with me! I don’t want to lose you!”
“I can’t stay in a fucking bunker, Karen! These people are here for me! If I stay, I'm putting everyone at risk!”
“Diego! Please!” She begged, tears streaming down her face. “W-We… We need to go back for Maloch…” Karen's voice broke at her warshee's name - everything had gone fuzzy, her memory was a blur after her wings had been sliced, and the sounds of the carnage unfolding around her dulled and slowed, as though she were underwater. However, she remembered his roars. They cut through her muffled haze with a crystal clarity, his roars as he reared and threw her from his back to safety, his roars as he pushed that creature back towards the estate…
And then the roars had stopped.
And the valley had fallen into a haunting, deafening silence.
She was all but certain of the fate that had befallen her beast. Fresh sobs hiccuped from her throat. “I-I can’t lose you… I can't lose you both!”
“I… I’m not yours to lose!” Diego insisted, fighting back his own tears. “I have to do this!” He turned to Theo, pulling away as Karen reached towards him. “Can you get her to safety? Please?”
Two medics entered then through the double-doors behind them, and quickly began to attend to Karen’s wounds, spraying her bleeding body with gel and urging her to come inside, but she fought with every bit of strength she had to reach towards Diego.
“You promised me! You said you would stay with me!”
“I promised I would get you to safety!”
“You need to do what I say!” Karen called out, blinking back hot tears. “You’re m-mine…!” But she stumbled over her words and covered her mouth with her hands, shocked, disgusted with what had just come out of her mouth.
Diego felt his heart harden at her words. He needed to leave, he had to find Seeth, but Karen was determined to pour her heart out as the two doctors gently but firmly pulled her towards the door.
“People are in danger, Karen. I can’t sit by and do nothing! I won't.”
“I’m sorry…” Karen cried softly. “I… I never should have…”
“You’ll be safe here, Karen. Please, you need to stay in the shelter.” Diego replied, with a slight growl.
“I’m sorry, Diego. I never should have put you in that collar… You didn’t deserve that. You’re not mine. You shouldn’t belong to anyone.”
The words choked him up harder than he expected, and a lump swelled in his throat. Hearing those words, after everything he'd been through, everything he'd lost... He didn’t know how to respond. A million thoughts swirled around his head, all begging for his attention, but in the end, he could only respond with one.
“Thank you.” He replied softly, still processing her words. “I… I forgive you.”
“Will you come and find me afterwards? Please?” Karen all but begged as she was led into the room.
Diego opened his mouth to answer her, but this time, no sound came out. He stood there silently for a few seconds, not wanting to lie, but not knowing the truth. Karen’s sad expression twisted into one of heartbreak then, as she met the lizard’s gaze for one final time before disappearing into the doors, pulled into the safety of the village centre. There was no telling exactly how he felt, things were too chaotic right now and the ever present thought of Seeth was overflowing through his mind. But he was sure, his shoulders felt a little lighter. He turned to leave, still unsure of what exactly just happened, when Theo called to him.
“Hey, uhm, I don’t think there are many coralith komodos here with the first name, Diego. Am I right in thinking you’re Diego Harley?”
“Yeah.” Diego responded shortly.
“I won’t take your time, you’re officially released from the DA’s ‘indentured servant’ program. Signed off by Commander Jace Koa of the Royal Military Division. I’ll, uh… inform your ‘keeper’ after all this. I’m guessing you’re looking for Lockblade?”
“Lockblade?” Diego raised an eyebrow.
“Sorry - Seeth.” Theo noticed the immediate shift in Diego’s demeanour at the mention of her name. “Lockblade is her merc name. She charged off towards that lot, said she would hold them back. I can see you’re the doing type, we can get you some basic fighting gear if you need it?”.
“No. I don’t use DA weapons.” Diego responded without thinking, but quickly remembered himself. “Wait, I’m not part of the slave program anymore? A-And I can just… go?”
“Yes and yes. Nothing for you to sign or complete, I think your girl brought a ride to get you out of here. And, uh, Jace sends a personal apology to you. I’m sure he’ll be in touch.” Theo wanted to go on, but could see the lizard pulling away from the conversation. Barefooted or not, Diego was intent on charging straight back into the fray. There wasn’t a force on the planet that was going to keep him away from Seeth. “You better get moving. Just stay alive, the fleet is coming. You can make it out of this, we all can.” Theo turned his gaze towards the sky, seeing the dreadnought lurking in the far distance. It almost seemed to stare right back at him.
“Right… t-thanks! I need to go!”
“Yeah dude, go! No need to be polite, go!” Theo nodded. With that, Diego took off, charging back towards the encroaching horde.
*
Ink pushed herself up from the grass, her eyes landing on the defiant traitor directly ahead of her. So this is the bitch that Leech keeps comparing me to. Doesn’t seem all that much to me. The bitch in question was currently pointing her shotgun straight at Ink. A sharp, mean-looking axe rested against her back, patiently waiting for it's time to strike. A ring hung from its pommel, thick with ornate looking keys, catching Ink’s eye. Seeth was otherwise dressed in tactical gear, with straps for weapons and ammo across her body and a no-nonsense glare that was in the same fashion as the shotgun.
“You must be See-”
BOOM
CHIC-CHACK
The ear splitting boom of the SAFU was immediately followed by the teeth grating fizzle and crack of tungsten ball-bearings impacting Ink’s energy shield, barely protecting her from the shell. The shield held, but it wouldn’t survive forever.
Leech did say she wouldn’t hesitate.
BOOM
Another thudding volley of pellets fizzled across her shields, some deflecting into the ground nearby. Seeth stood a hundred metres or so ahead of Ink, simultaneously holding the horde frozen in a ring around the village in addition to sending artillery straight at Ink’s face. She stood absolute and defiant, staring Ink down with nothing but sheer determination as she cocked her shotgun again. So long as Seeth was functioning, the horde would be all but powerless to help her.
I need to close the gap, I can overpower her up close. No one is stronger than me.
And with that thought, Ink charged up the grassy knoll that separated them with a guttural bellow, her sprint frighteningly fast. Another shell impacted her shield, causing a visible crack in the faint blue shield. Its integrity was failing under the uncompromising firepower of the SAFU, yet Ink’s feet continued to pound over the grass, as if she were artillery herself. Another shell scattered over the blue shield just before she reached Seeth, throwing herself up the hill desperately as the last of her shield modules died with a ceremonious crackle.
A tentacle wrapped around the body of the SAFU and pulled its barrel away from Ink’s body as she attempted to grapple Seeth to the floor. The smaller controller allowed the oversized shotgun to slip from her grip as she redirected Ink’s overwhelming momentum past her and tripped the giant. Ink stumbled against the tarmac of the road but pushed herself up instantly, her mind focused on ensuring the shotgun was not brought to bear on her hide.
She turned to see the silver blade of Seeth’s axe hurtling towards her neck, whooshing through the air with deadly intent. She raised her arms, barely managing to catch the handle just under the blade with a shuddering PANG. As they struggled over the blade, Ink pushed herself up onto her feet with her lowest tentacles, as her upper pair wrapped around the blade's head.
“Rude of you.” She scoffed, trying to laugh off the lethal glare in Seeth’s eyes. But her opponent didn’t respond. Instead, her finger twitched and pressed on a small notch on the handle. Ink’s flesh sizzled loudly around the blade and she yelped, uncurling her tentacles frantically as the pain rippled through her. As her grip of the now glowing axe momentarily faltered, Seeth yanked it back and slammed the handle end of it across Ink’s jaw, sending the giant scuttling back into the road.
In the blink of an eye, the axe was swung through the air again, yet, it wasn’t aimed at Ink’s centre of mass this time as she desperately turned around to face her opponent and pulled her body out of the way of the blade. In one decisive swing, the blade cleaved through Ink’s two centre back tentacles, close to the base, cutting both off in one clean slice. Both appenditches thumped to the floor, splattering blood and goo over the ground.
YOU DARE DISMEMBER ME?!
A surge of fury overtook Ink and she latched onto a lamppost next to her, pulling it free of the ground with her hands in a single sharp pull as the connecting cables broke in a series of metallic pings.
“LEECH SAID BRING YOU IN ALIVE, BUT SHE SAID NOTHING ABOUT HURTING YOU!” She bellowed, grinding her teeth together as she swung the post directly as Seeth, the length of her makeshift weapon clearing the entire width of the road.
Seeth did not respond, her steely gaze briefly flickered to several points of the lamppost, before landing squarely back on Ink’s neck.
She raised her axe up and sliced through Ink’s makeshift weapon, cutting through the main body of it three times in rapid succession.
Ink’s furious grip squeezed the metal dry like it was little more than fruit as the remnants of her weapon clattered to the ground around Seeth, leaving the controller unharmed. An uncomfortable realisation hit her. This would take more than just brute strength.
I can still overpower her, I got three tentacles left! Ink thought, feeling her heart pound in her chest. Seeth wasn’t messing around, the fact that the girl was staring at Ink’s neck brought an unsettling quiver down her spine. Anger and fear mixed together in a bubbling, frothing stew deep in Ink’s gut and it felt like it was flowing out of the bleeding stumps on her back. I just need to get close… Disarm her.
Never one to show her fear, Ink screeched loudly and threw herself at Seeth once again, going for her axe handle once more.
Don’t touch the blade, go for the handle…
She managed to get her hands onto the mid-section of the weapon, her tentacles squeezing it tightly and trying to pull it from Seeth’s grip, when in the blink of an eye, a rippling pain shuddered through her flank.
Seeth threw a walloping punch straight into Ink’s side and followed up immediately with a uppercut in front of the axe handle, crunching painfully into her chin. Ink recoiled briefly, feeling the axe slip slightly between her fingers. Each hit was like steel, visibly shuddering through her body, cold and painful.
She’s fucking relentless!
Yet Ink fought through the pain and seized hold on the axe handle once more and tugged it away from Seeth with all her might, feeling it release from the Controller's grip. Finally! Victory is close! She thought, raising the axe up above her head, but the sudden drop in defence was all Seeth needed…
Before Ink could finish bringing the blade up, Seeth laid into her torso relentlessly, as if Ink was nothing more than a punching bag. Her fists hammered against Ink’s stomach and ribs with thunderous force, forcing the air out of lungs in several brutal blows. The axe tumbled out of her grip as Ink stumbled backwards, desperately shielding herself from Seeth’s assault as her body quivered in shock, her consciousness swaying as she could feel her organs shifting and moving around her in her body with each blow.
The sound of the blade hitting the road rang in her ears. Ink knew she needed to keep it out of hands, at any cost. Despite her aching body, she threw herself at the weapon, expecting Seeth to do the same, but instead, her opponent merely took the calmest step back and booted Ink on the side of the head with a sweeping kick.
Ink’s head bounced off the tarmac painfully, and a horrible wet tearing sound filled her ears… She felt another wave of pain through another tentacle as Seeth raked the length of it with her claws, shredding the flesh. But Ink refused to stay down and forced herself to feet once more, panting loudly.
“Is that - it?” She growled, her taunt falling short as she saw the axe firmly back in Seeth’s grasp again, inky fluid stained her claws. “No… I won’t lose to someone smaller, weaker... than me!” Ink’s anger overflowed again as blood dripped from her face and pattered over the road, she wiped her bleeding lips with the back of her hand.
Yet, her opponent was once again unimpressed, staring Ink down with her cold glare, her knuckles whitened over the axe handle.
“Stand down or die.” She replied coldly. “Choose wisely. For I won’t -”
She stopped mid-sentence. Both Controllers visibly bristled, as though their bodies both felt a wave of danger.
In the far distance behind Ink, Seeth's eyes flickered and widened and she dived to her side as a volley of macro-vulcan needles erupted through the road to her left, tearing through the ground with ease and spitting copious amounts of rock and dirt into the air. The axe tumbled out of her hands and clattered to the ground once more.
A distant BRRRRRR rang out from the hills in the distance.
“~Leech?! Is that you?!~”
Seeth stumbled as the ground shook and fought to regain her composure when Ink charged straight for her desperately. But instead of going for the axe this time, Ink wrapped her arms around Seeth’s waist and hugged her close, squeezing her with every bit of strength she had. Her remaining tentacles looped over Seeth’s wrists and held them firmly.
The two struggled as their withering, blood covered bodies squeezed against one another. Seeth felt a wave of pain surge through her hips and spine as Ink bear-hugged her, her body forcibly crushed by the sheer force and pressure of Ink’s desperate but brutish grip.
Seeth fought with every ounce of strength she had against the tentacles around her wrists, fighting to raise her arms up, brandishing her razor sharp claws towards Ink’s face. Both grit their teeth, their blood forced against the inside of their skin as their quaking muscles fought against one another.
Seeth’s razors inched closer and closer to Ink’s face, threatening to rake the flesh straight from her as the tentacles pulsed and strained, their grip slipping as ooze leaked out over Seeth’s skin. A wave of panic visibly rippled through Ink as her grip slipped once more and Seeth’s daggers surged for her face.
She's trying to gouge my eyes out! I have to do something! I can’t be beaten like this!
Ink’s final wounded tentacle flopped into the fight, dripping various fluids profusely from its wounds as it began to curl around Seeth’s neck, tightening slowly as more and more of it stretched forward. The first of Seeth’s claws touched Ink’s forehead carapace, scrabbling across it as she pushed on, fighting to ignore the massive pain building in her lower body. She could hear a deep crack rumble through her bones as Ink finally put her mountainous muscle to use.
The final tentacle finished curling around Seeth’s neck and squeezed her throat as tightly as its shredded state could. Ink felt the fight drain from Seeth as her grip tightened. Her other tentacles began to win the test-of-strength and with a gasp of relief, she pulled the claws away from her. Seeth’s body creaked under the strain and the fight faded from her, going limp in Ink’s feracious grip.
She breathed a sigh of relief as Seeth finally stopped resisting entirely, her head flopping limply against the tentacle looped around her throat. The controller was still alive, just temporarily knocked out… but before she could even breathe, a golden flash glimmered in the corner of her eye.
“GET YOUR FUCKING HANDS OFF HER!” A familiar voice bellowed, she turned to see a bolt of sable and gold diving straight for her. The lizard’s body flushed a deep crimson as he slugged her straight across the jaw. A shockwave emanated from the impact and Ink was sent hurtling back towards the horde, landing on a bunch of slaves further back into the fields. Her grip of Seeth’s frame uncurled from the force and the lizard landed neatly to catch her falling body.
He quickly lowered her to the floor, a wave of relief washing over him as he checked her pulse and found it strong.
Oh my… Oh thank fuck… She’s okay. I just -
His thoughts were interrupted by the rumble of the horde.
“Oh no… Seeth! Seeth! Wake up!”
There was nothing to stop their approach. A wall of hungry, desperate grey faces thundered towards him, only seconds away from grabbing him. Their army was regularly permeated with taller Nodes, rushing forward with the wall of corrupted flesh and keeping them under tight control. Most were looking directly at him, but a portion were focused on Seeth… It was more than just him at stake now.
Most would have felt fear or outright terror. The back-up wasn’t here yet, it wouldn’t make it in time. There was no one else coming to help… But seeing the approaching force closing the distance… He felt a surprising sense of calm, or perhaps it was familiarity.
This was his territory. These fuckers were just borrowing it.
His eyes landed first on Seeth’s unmoving body and then on the axe on the ground.
Six months of uninterrupted psyonic recovery. It was the longest he’d had in years and not by accident; He hadn’t felt comfortable letting it build. But he wasn’t given a choice. He was not going to let them take her, even if that meant utilising that which he had tried to bury.
“Fine. You fuckers want to see the real me? You watching, Moltezz?”
He snatched the axe off the ground, its strider size somehow looking completely natural on him. His chest swelled with air and confidence and he roared into the sky as he pounded one fist against his ribs.
*
Tivy sat within the destroyer's lounge, her foot bobbing anxiously as she tugged on her antenna. The surprisingly comfy sofas within did little to comfort her as she pondered what was happening below, when a familiar feeling enveloped her.
A golden after image coated her body, a bulletproof auric coating. Her limbs lighter, her breath quicker and easier…
She relaxed back into the leather, a growing smile creased her cheeks as she waved her arms in front of her, enamoured by the visage. It felt good. Really damn good.
“Holy shit! Is that-”
*
Diego planted his feet, standing between Seeth and the horde. A golden cross slowly shimmered and materialised across the bridge of his nose, running down the length of his nuzzle and over his lips, with the same glimmering colour as the rings of his eyes.
The entire battlefield felt an uncomfortable shift, deep in their guts and in their bones.
The colossal gears of a long forgotten war machine, left to rot and buried out of shame, creaking to life all too eagerly. More runes appeared across his body, vibrant against his raven scales and shining through his clothes. Their connection to his soul was not dampened with time, they were just as capable as when they were first etched upon his being.
He slammed his fist to the ground and tore free what looked like golden strands, pulling them back towards him. A series of golden cracks crept under the horde, as if he was unravelling the very ground beneath their feet. As the horde trampled closer, he yanked on the lines violently, causing the cracks to detonate with massive concussive force. The front line of the horde collapsed to the floor, obstructing those behind them.
A couple of slaves managed to avoid the attack and weaved through their fallen kin, desperately diving towards him and the lizard responded in kind, as it was planned. He swung the axe brutally, with a flash of crimson following his arc as he turned the flat head of the axe to his opponents.
Corpse breaker.
A disgusting wet crunch rang out, louder of gunfire raining all around them.
The slaves were reduced to red and white chunks, the remnants of their bodies spat back at their kin like organic shrapnel. Bones and slurry slapped into the wall of faces clambering over one-another like a street sweeping shotgun blast, tearing holes through eyes, faces and bodies.
Bullets pinged off his shoulders and sides as scared barons took pot-shots at him from their ships, hoping to quell the source of their new fear. But as their shots shattered on Diego’s psyonic armour, a counter-bolt of lightning arced through the air, directly at the attackers with every successful shot they hit him with. The counter-bolts were remarkably accurate, tracking the exact shooter and scolding their body with skin-melting efficacy, downing them one at a time.
Cowardice shall be punished.
It took every inch of restraint Diego had within him to not charge directly at the attackers. Old habits were clawing at his new self. But the safety of Seeth and the others had to come first. He felt a psychic scream of pure frustration in his head as the horde rumbled closer. But this was no demon or possession. This was him, through and through. Despite his lurching physique, he stayed close to his love, his hands creaking around the axe handle as the horde got close enough to strike.
Golden runes shimmered on his shoulders, glistening with every motion he made, as if they were connected to his muscles directly. Within his grip, the axe vibrated with power, buzzing with a blood-thirsty eagerness.
Every blow shook the very earth itself. The blade punched through flesh and bone, but every Slave killed erupted into crackling golden lightning, similar to the counter-bolts in look, but arcing through the horde mercilessly instead. The axe cleaved through wave after wave, the blade cutting with relentless efficacy, each kill resulting in four more Slaves collapsing to the ground. Nodes who opened fire with net guns or stun-rifles were treated to scolding counter-bolts, bursting the weapons out of their hands as they collapsed to the floor in agony.
But the beast wasn’t sated. It was barely getting started.
He knew how to manoeuvre and cycle the axe, each blow leading to another, unending and unwavering. There was no gap in his assault, no way to leverage any advantage, not whilst his psyonics were engaged. The scales weren’t just even, they were firmly tilted in the lizard’s favour. No amount of bodies thrown at him could breach his stance.
Their numbers meant nothing as scolded and bisected Slave corpses littered the field. The distant barons firing over the battle had been dispatched, either by counter-bolts or by the horde. It was intoxicating to be back so thoroughly, Diego felt the power through his shimmering limbs, the glittering gold runes over his body, an expression of who he used to be. He was a crackling whirlwind of auric lightening and furious steel -
But it was unsustainable. Six months were drying up fast. This needed to end. Or at least, he needed to buy enough time for Seeth to wake up.
The horde briefly pulled back, shifting their dead out of the way remarkably quickly and preparing for another charge.
I need to flatten the whole field. Scare them off-
The runes across his body shone brighter. These were fight enders. Battlefield shifting psyonics he had been taught to swiftly and suddenly alter the course of wars. People like him were trusted with them. The horde had congregated in front of him, long since abandoning the idea of flanking as the arcing bolts chaining from his body were eager to jump to isolated targets, and he knew exactly what to do.
The cross over his face shimmered threateningly and his grip on the axe tightened once more.
Power surged into the axes body and the head began to glow, vibrating with the same power.
His eyes met with the various Nodes standing within the shifting grey mass ahead of him, like lighthouses along a stormy coast. He saw their hunger and desire, only further entrenched by his resistance.
The axe began to vibrate painfully in his hands as the glow reached a nearly blinding crescendo, prompting a concerned, visible shiver from the horde.
Diego raised the axe above his head with both hands and heaved it forwards with his entire body. The blade slammed into the ground and a massive, conical shockwave erupted with an ear-splitting BOOM. The axe shattered on impact, sending its ruptured blade scattering into the sky.
The front line of slaves crumpled like they were nothing, vaporised on contact with the shockwave. Those behind them were sent hurtling backwards, crashing over the dirt and one-another. The collective noise of a thousand bodies breaking and slamming into the mud echoed through the valley. Their deaths sparked further chain lightning, causing a massive cascade of brilliant auric death. Those who weren’t broken by the initial impact were fried by the onslaught of jumping bolts, eagerly arcing from one body to the next in the sizzling dance of well honed psyonics. The ground was scorched black around the impact, following the shape of shockwave, fading into faintly visible, silent golden flames still dancing over the grass and bodies.
The horde was decimated, Nodes and all, splintered and broken.
He fell to one knee, the runes flickered across his body hungrily, fading away as he burnt through his psyonic reserve, although the cross remained on his face, as well as the golden rings within his eyes. Ahead of him, the field laid littered with corpses and crumpled nodes, not all were dead, but their fight was over. The ringing in his ears gave way to surprising quiet, a gentle wind graced the tips of his ears. It was like he never stopped.
Six months for one strike… I used to do them every day.
Although the danger was over for now, he could see they were preparing for a second wave, dropships were to land in close as a back-up horde began to assemble in the distance, but they were minutes away yet. He had time.
I need to get Seeth to safety above everything. I can carry her back to the bunker.
“Diego…?”
His heart almost stopped in his chest at the sound of her voice. A warm, familiar shiver spread through his whole body.
He turned back to see her pushing herself up, confused, when her eyes landed on him. In all her battle worn beauty, she looked just as fine as the first night they met. He plucked himself off the ground and ran over, skidding into his knees and throwing his arms around her shoulders.
Slowly, her arms wrapped around him. Cautious at first, unsure. She couldn’t believe it… But then it hit her.
She broke into a cry and squeezed him tightly, pulling him on top of her and planting kiss after kiss on his lips.
“I-I found you! It's really you!”
She pulled back slightly to look at his face, blinking away her happy, overwhelmed tears.
“Y-You’re all gold! Did you get a tattoo?” Her eyes darted all over his face, absorbing everything about him again as she excitedly stuttered on. “I - You - Oh my fuck - I just -” She squeezed him close again, her body vibrating from head to toe with overflowing emotions and excitement. “I’ve missed you more than I've ever missed anything in my entire life!”
He hugged her back with everything he had, fighting back his own tears.
“Gods, I've missed you too, Seeth. More than you’ll ever know. But w-what are you doing here?” He asked, moving his hands to cradle her cheeks.
“I’m here to bring you home.” She smiled warmly, bringing her hands up to his face in the same manner. “We’ve been looking for you since Barru X!”
“Y-You have?” Diego asked, feeling a stubborn lump in his throat suddenly appear again. He was overwhelmed, gently shaking his head in disbelief.
“Of course! How couldn’t we?” Seeth smiled again, a crystal tear rolled down her cheek as she caressed his scales and hair. “I love you, silly. I couldn’t just leave you!”
I… I love you too, Seeth.
But before he could reply, something caught Seeth’s eye and her face hardened for a moment.
“W-We should go. I have a ship docked close to the town centre. The others are going to try another attack on you soon.”
“Right. Y-Yeah.” Diego cleared his throat and stood from her. “We should get to safety first.” He held his hand to her and helped her off the floor, as Seeth grimaced in pain for a second. “You okay?”
“I’m fine. The freak with the tentacles got my back. No biggie though, I can walk.” But her concern intensified, as Diego swayed slightly in the breeze. She glanced over towards the levelled horde, her mouth falling agape at the scorched ground and burning Slaves. “Was that you…?”
Diego nodded shyly, wrapping his arm around her waist to support her. She leaned an arm over his shoulder and helped keep him upright. They leaned on one another and began to walk back towards the village centre, padding over the ruined road. A familiar, warm feeling of love and palpable excitement coursing through both of them.
Everything was going to be okay.