Chapter 97: Cave-in
“Comms, status!” Willin barked, throwing himself behind cover to swap out the batteries in his rifle and ignoring the singed fur on his shoulder. Tech had moved to a rooftop somewhere for a better firing angle with her Anti-Material Rifle, so she was taking out priority targets between the explosions. It didn’t stop a stray shot or two getting uncomfortably close though.
“Ship is secure, Leader. Security armament is functional and not reporting hostiles,” the male rattled off in reply, the sounds of Nav managing their station in the background adding a less frenzied tone to the otherwise tense situation. The ship was on the far end of the engagement to the North, away from any likely angle of attack. Flanking manoeuvres didn’t concern him—the ship could deal with most of the armament, though the AMRs might prove to be an issue.
He slammed the battery hatch closed on his gun with a satisfying clack. The rifle spun up, a faint whining tone increasing in pitch sounding like music to his ears. He hadn’t changed out his replacements in a long time, so there was no real guarantee that they would still operate at full capacity. Maybe that Blade had reason to tear into him about maintenance.
The short-wave crackled, barely audible over the sizzle of plasma piercing the sheeting precipitation. Thick layers of trailing steam obscured his view.
“Damn Blade,” Tech grumbled over the hiss. Willin rolled his eyes at the purple-furred female leaving her channel open—though, knowing her, it was intentional. It certainly helped with the stress.
He brought his paw up to activate his mic. “Status, Tech?”
“I can’t shoot anything!”
He popped out of cover, bracing the gun against the building for stability and following the holes in the haze to find his targets. A group of four was approaching, their confidence bolstered by a recent lapse in explosive devices. He let a bust of six shots fly down a pathway, watching two of them drop before he slammed himself back against the wall. Splashes of plasma signified that they were not discouraged.
“Weapon malfunction?”
“No, she’s just—“ The radio went silent for a moment, her growl of frustration happening as soon as he was starting to worry. “How did she hit that!?”
“You’re competing with the heiress, Tech,” he sighed. He wasn’t sure if it was out of relief or annoyance. Either way, her competitive streak was poorly timed.
“Why don’t you try it?” she challenged in return. “I’m done. I’d be more use down there.”
“That’s a negative, Tech. I need overwatch.” Her response was drowned out by his second volley, the rolling scream of steam providing both cover and discomfort as the last of the approaching squad fell. “Say again, Tech?”
“I said that I have a visual on the Grand Hunter.”
He snapped his head back and forth, searching for the one person who had no business being involved in this conflict. “Where?”
“He’s in the warehouse district,” she provided, a curious lilt colouring her tone. “Just came out of one of the buildings and Tel just...when did she leave?”
Willin closed his eyes to take a breath, ignoring the weapon fire coming from pack members nearby as they suppressed the enemy and pushed them back into the treeline. The din of combat rolled off his shoulders like a familiar hum in the background. It was always the same, no matter where it happened.
“Tech?”
“Leader?”
He blind-fired another burst around the corner to obscure his movement. “Shut up and cover me.”
“Whatever you say, Leader. Targets at zero-five-zero through zero-nine-nine. Move on my mark.”
He opened his eyes, exhaling slowly as loaded his weight into his legs. A heartbeat passed. Two. The short-wave crackled.
“Mark.”
He bolted forward out of cover, a single friendly AMR round flying past his vision and leaving a veil of haze in its wake.
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Joseph cleared the top of the steps, slamming his shoulder into the warehouse door and instantly soaking himself to the bone in sheeting rain. The guard was nowhere to be seen, likely off to deal with the ‘guests’ Sunundra alluded to. His gaze swept the buildings around him, searching for his grey-furred fiancee, only to come up empty and squinting at the stinging sensation imparted on him by the unrelenting precipitation.
Another distant explosion rattled his nerves, each impulse through the air and report of distant weapons fire sending images of Tel dead or bleeding through his mind. Those thoughts were quickly shelved as he backed into the building to shake off the rain
His hand reached for his hood, jolting still as it was grabbed unexpectedly at the wrist. He spun on his heel, an arm loaded for a swing. He was met mid-scowl with a deep, passionate kiss. His mind hazed with relief as his half-lidded eyes fell on wet, grey fur.
Tel separated, her smouldering gaze lingering. She released his arm, tipping his chin up to teasingly bite at his neck before taking a step back. Aside from being completely drenched, she looked fine, if amused. Her armour was unblemished, her posture healthy, and she seemed as alert as ever. The only difference he noted was the massive rifle she had propped up on her shoulder.
He pointed to the weapon, his mind clouded from relief. “That’s new.”
Tel smirked. “It has assured the demise of others using such arms.”
Her ear twitched at the sound of footsteps on the large stairs behind her. Without missing a beat, she spun on one pad, shouldering the Anti-Material Rifle as soon as her knee connected with the ground, the barrel aimed squarely for centre mass. Sunundra’s eyes widened, unable to react to the Wraith lining up a kill shot in the time it took for her to clear the final step.
Joseph opened his mouth to call it off, but Tel lowered her gun almost instantly, huffing in both annoyance and boredom. She eyed the grey and yellow-furred female for a moment, standing to return the gun to its resting position with the muzzle aimed upwards. She turned an ear towards him.
“Making friends with the foreign powers seems to have become a habit, my male.”
“Wha— how did you— what?” he stammered, closing his outstretched hand into a loose fist in his confusion. “Not that I’m complaining, but I was expecting you to shoot there.”
Tel’s posture stiffened, a glance over her shoulder filled with doubt and suspicion. “She...wasn’t a threat,” she replied, her voice less sure than usual.
“Is this your mate, Joe?” the forgotten Grand Huntress asked warily, her breathing heavy from what was probably a fairly quick pace to keep up with him during the longer run in the catacombs.
“One of,” he affirmed, an eye kept on the grey-furred female. “Pan is the other.”
“Is she also bonded?”
His brow furrowed. “What—“
An explosion delayed any confusion, Sunundra’s expression turning dark. “Those were on this side of the settlement.”
“Do you have fucking landmines scattered around?” he asked in equal parts disbelief and concern. Sunny returned a half-hearted smirk.
“I rather enjoy explosives.”
He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Ignoring that. Now what?”
She walked to a corner of the room, crouching to pry open another section of the floor open, the wooden hatch banging as it fell to the side. A metal crate rested in the divot in the ground, popping open as she revealed a collection of guns. Sunundra grabbed two and a few sets of black rectangles with gold plates on one end. She attached a holster to her hip and seated one gun in it, as well as two of the rectangles before closing everything back up. The second set of each was thrust into his chest.
“This is a Revision twelve Compact Anti-personal and Rapid Discharge system, ‘CARD’ for short.” She pointed to a lever just above the trigger, sliding it forward. “This is single fire. Accurate, but somewhat lacking for close-quarters.” She grabbed his hand, forcing it to press the switch back towards him. “This is rapid burst. It is designed so that a soldier may activate it in the event of an unexpected encounter in close range. The gun will fire eight pulses near instantaneously. The accuracy is diminished greatly, but it is best used when such is hardly a concern.”
“Wait, I’ve never used a gun before,” he protested, his eyes widening. She ignored him as she pointed to a hole in the grip.
“Batteries go here, gold side first. With two, you should have approximately one-hundred shots in single fire. Ten in rapid—it takes more energy to use that mode.”
She placed his hands on the grip and on an awkwardly shaped section below the barrel, moving his finger from the trigger to a button above the select-fire. “This is the safety. Flush for active, extended for safe.”
She tapped two points on the gun—one near the back and one at the front of the barrel. “These are your sights. Normally I would provide you with an optic, but the warp-spike ruined most of them. Line these up on your target.”
“I really don’t—“
“We can’t abandon them,” Sunny pressed, the intensity of her gaze meeting his own making him flinch. “They will slaughter my kin, then the Atmo. Even if they hide, they will starve or be found eventually. There is no peaceful option here, Joe.”
His mouth opened to deny it again, the weight of the firearm feeling far heavier than it should. Tel rested a paw on his shoulder to draw his attention away, her voice firm.
“Just wish it of me, and they shall be no more, my Sheath.”
Joseph considered doing just that. He wasn’t a killer, he never wanted to be, but he also couldn’t just let Tel take the brunt of his decisions alone. Pulling his lips thin, he nodded. Sunny returned the gesture, passing him the two batteries. With a surprising lack of friction, he pressed the first into the compartment and put the other in a pocket. The CARD whirred to life with an electrical hum.
“No. I can’t let you do this alone,” he replied, giving Tel a smile. She scowled.
“You are not being presented as a target.”
“I’m not letting you run out there without help!”
“She’s correct,” Sunundra interrupted, gesturing to the open stairwell. “The Atmo need someone to protect them if all else fails.”
“But—”
“They will listen to you,” she insisted quietly. “Please.”
His decision was made for him as soon as he saw the desperate edge to her expression, Tel nodding in agreement.
“The inexperienced will be the first to fall,” the Wraith added, her own tone falling sorrowful. “Do not make those who await us suffer.”
He clutched the alien weapon in his hands. Tel broke him out of his thoughts by cupping his cheek and drawing him in, her kiss light and regretful.
“I wish not to part as well, but I would never forgive myself if you were to fall while under my protections because I allowed this.”
He averted his eyes, nodding curtly. “Go, but if you die, I will bring you back just to kill you myself.”
She smirked. “Your paw will be the only one I would allow to separate us, my male.”
Sunundra placed a paw on his shoulder. “We must hurry. We will seal the entrance behind you.”
The two of them arranged themselves next to the large section of floor as he stepped down the stairs, giving the Wraith a lingering glance. The massive cover slid shut, the darkness punctuating his hope that it wouldn’t be the last time he saw them.
“Tel?” he called out as only a sliver of outside sun filtered into the depths, the female pausing to look at him. “I love you.”
She smiled. “I know.”
The hatched closed with a heavy thud, the sound echoing through the catacombs as darkness overtook illumination. He drew a breath, turning around and stepping down towards the refracted glow of light with a whispered prayer that she would be safe. Religious or not, it never hurts to hedge bets.
Maybe the Hunt Mother would feel sympathy for her ‘Guardian.’
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The Atmo were curious, but listened when he explained what was happening above. Groups quickly scattered to inform the rest. Soon, collections of them were skittering deeper into the tunnels, the occasional violent rumble hastening the process.
He jogged through the passageways, keeping his finger on the safety and feeling the subtle protrusion to confirm that he wouldn’t discharge it by mistake. His feet carried him to the hatchery, seeing several of the adults in the process of covering the eggs with unused pelts that had lined free shelves.
“Is there anything I can do?” he asked one of them, the insect glancing at the egg they were covering for a moment. A nod and a gesture to a spot closer to a support pillar was given, the request simple enough. Gingerly, he laid the weapon to the side, cradling the large bundle in his arms and carefully depositing it where the roof was sturdier. A quick lift of the additional pelts confirmed that it survived the transfer cleanly.
He repeated the process a few times, his morphology better suited to the task than the long flat blades of the Atmo. It only took a few trips to move the dozen or so eggs to places that were less likely to experience a collapse. When he laid the last one down, he retrieved his new weapon, double-checking that the safety was still active. One of the adults bowed deeply before gesturing for him to follow them.
At first he was confused, but the question was answered when he was brought to the Queen, the young insect consulting with several others who had been sent to pass along his initial message. She brightened when he came into the room, almost tackling him to the ground in a flying hug that would have flattened him if it wasn’t for the experience he had with Violet.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
“Hey, we’re okay for now,” he assured her, another explosion sounding dangerously close. He couldn’t quite stifle the grimace. “Well, we’re better off down here, at least. Do you have anywhere that’s further from all of that?”
The yellow Queen bounced slightly, clicking orders to the rest of those assembled. One remained behind as the rest went about doing whatever it was she asked of them. As soon as the room was cleared, she looked at him expectantly.
“I don’t know the layout of the tunnels, but I know how to get to the warehouse from here. Are there any emergency escape routes?” The young insect shrunk. “Didn’t think about it, huh?”
He sighed, more out of concern than disappointment. “Don’t worry about it. We’ll do what we can. For now, let’s get everyone somewhere safe. Hopefully, Sunny and Tel will work with the others to clear everything out so that this won't be used,” he finished, tilting his gun for emphasis.
The Queen started off into the tunnels again, looking over her shoulder to make sure he was following. With a flinch at yet another landmine going off somewhere above them, he walked onward, running his finger over the protrusion and testing the resistance.
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With Joseph locked away safely, Sunundra could breathe easier. She didn’t mean to deceive him, but there was a truth to her words, if not her motivations. As the first human she had met since...
She just wished not to witness his end. It would feel too similar. Too fresh. Too much.
The Void would grip her long before she could accomplish her final goals. Before she could do as he wished. Before she could join his side again on her own terms.
Luckily, his mate shared the same sentiment of safety, quickly assisting in sealing the male below. Once that had been accomplished, there was barely a word exchanged between them as they rejoined several of the pack in the process of running batteries to those with armament. Recharging took precedence over supplying lighting to the outpost. Even though the power banks for the building had been destroyed when they overloaded the circuit, the hydroelectric generator using the river for power still supplied enough for most purposes. It meant that they were limited to illuminating just the catacombs during light weather, but in a storm like this, their batteries were being sent out as fast as they returned, non-combatants relegated to being runners.
It wasn’t a safe task, but they were under fire less often because of it. Even from the edge of the warehouses, Sunundra could see the conical trails of steam following behind super-heated plasma and the flickers of flames that threatened to take hold in their wake as buildings became targets. Thankfully, the torrential downpour extinguished any threats of budding inferno quickly.
“Grand Huntress,” one of the runners prefaced, stumbling to a stop on the muddying ground. “The west has been cleared of threats. The south and east are seeing increased presence beyond the treeline, but the north has continued to remain untouched. They are waiting us out.”
“Reinforce the south. We will assist the east and drive them down there.”
Tel remained quiet as the runner accepted the orders and continued on their way, the belt of batteries shielded by an arm.
“I hope you are an accurate shot,” Sunundra sighed, eyeing the grey-furred female.
“More so than your own, yes,” she returned, a question hanging on her lips. Seeing that there was more to be processed before it was ready to be voiced, the Grand Huntress gestured to their destination deeper into the warehouse district.
“Then I hope you do not mind proving it.”
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Though the fence around the settlement had been constructed with the intention of keeping the wildlife at bay, it was also designed to communicate to the hunting party where the landmines were buried. It meant that she needed to disable those in the direction of the ship. Re-enabling them after was an easy enough process, though lengthy. The process would have been easier if she had the rest of her equipment, but sacrifices had to be made. With as many as she had—and due to her position and history, it was quite the number—she couldn’t condone hapless feet setting them off. She could afford neither the loss in defences, nor the loss in members.
That was to say little about how her pack would react should some fail to return due to them.
She was no fool; she was more than aware of the rumours surrounding her. Callous, ruthless, and even dominating were all descriptors directed at her character. Outright hostile was not one she wished to add to the list. The others, however? She felt no reason to correct them. If the members feared her ire, they would cooperate, no matter how truly lonely it made her feel. She needed to be unreadable. Dangerous, but not impossible.
A hiss of steam followed behind Tel’s shot, the smallest sliver between trees revealing a newly ended foe. Sunundra crouched next to the prone female, providing situational awareness and occasionally firing off rounds at those who tried to push northward. The deluge of AMR rounds focused on any attempts at counter-sniping, allowing the Grand Huntress time to line up her shots.
Over the course of their occupation atop the warehouse, the enemy forces had taken to hiding in the trees instead of rushing the fences. It was both a blessing and a curse. On the one paw, it gave her settlement time to recover from the casualties inflicted. On the other, it meant that they suspected they would be able to hold out in their supplies longer than her own. As long as the north remained clear, and the west was locked down, they could still send out people to retrieve food. It would, however, put tremendous pressure on those tasked with such, and would expose them to being ambushed entirely.
They were effectively hoping to outlast an enemy who could top up their reserves whenever they like. The only thing that the settlement had more of was ammunition for their firearms, but even that wouldn’t keep them away forever. Repairs of malfunctions would eventually add up.
Another hiss followed the rapid evaporation behind an AMR round, the grey-furred sniper being oddly complacent despite the impressive shots. Sunundra would have expected some sort of reaction—be it excitement that she had heard prior to being aimed at, or cold hatred for those that sought to do her mate harm—but there was only silent contemplation, her paws operating the firearm as if her mind was hardly needed.
“What makes you believe I am bonded?” she finally asked, another shot landing true. Two distant figures scurried behind trees, the sheeting rain instantly reclaiming the visibility the plasma afforded.
“Are you not?” Sunundra returned, lowering her CARD as the vague target took cover. She waited for a response, only continuing after some time passed. Each long silence was matched by another round from the AMR. “Because you did not end me.”
“You were no threat.”
“And how did you know?”
Tel glanced over with a doubtful expression before returning to her scope. “I just knew.”
“It pulled at you, didn’t it?” the Grand Huntress pressed, letting off a few shots to discourage northward movement. “You were ready to dispose of me, but something said otherwise. The same could have been said of others in the settlement, no? You seemed bored when others approached. Even the hurried runner.”
“There is hardly any threat in one exhausted and distracted.”
“Yet you slip into the shadows, ready to dispose of me as soon as you draw near?”
Tel shot her a cautious look, a claw hooking under the fur. Sunundra gave a dry laugh.
“You called him your Sheath, and my servant seemed perplexed by the absence of a fourth. It is not difficult to assume you were who she was expecting.” She returned to observing the movements of the enemy. “Now, here you are, allowing me to be armed while your senses are focused through the confines of an optic. A Blade allowing me to stay by them with a weapon? Unheard of.”
“You are not a danger to me. I could remove you before you thought to follow through.”
“Or because your bond insists that I am a friend.”
A pause was punctuated by another round from the grey-furred female’s rifle. “It is rather late, if so.”
“Perhaps,” Sunundra allowed. “Perhaps not. Is his other mate bonded?”
“She is,” Tel replied, a reluctant warmth added to her voice.
“I take it she bonded rather quickly. There is little point in comparing your own to hers.”
Tel snorted. “She is a defect, I believe any oddity regarding her is to be ignored at this point.”
The Grand Huntress’ gaze snapped to the Blade. “A defect?”
“And another who is not afflicted within the den as well.”
She loosed a series of shots, cursing in frustration until Tel finished the job. The slightly smug look was matched with a nod. “Another mate?”
“No, thankfully. One other is quite the stretch as it is.”
Sunundra hummed in curiosity, choosing to discount the additional bond for the subject at paw. “Yet you permit another mate at all. I was under the impression Blades were rather possessive.”
Tel missed a shot, growling as she quickly followed it up. “She can not mark him. Outwardly, he is mine alone.”
“And inwardly?” the Grand Huntress pressed, lowering her weapon to focus her attention. True to her suspicions, the female’s tail swayed slightly, tension easing as the question had time to dredge up thoughts of the other mate in whatever arrangement Joseph was a part of. “She is different. I would assume your den is as well. Where the others were perhaps merely others, she has become someone you prefer the company of, no? You seek her out. You do not stray from her presence. She is as much a part of your world as he is, yet you never questioned it?”
“Is there a point to this?” Tel grumbled, taking a longer moment to reload. Where she got the spare battery from, Sunundra wasn’t sure, but the earlier runner was a possibility.
“He mentioned being in possession of the report of what the Union did to our kin. Did you read it?”
“What was pertinent.”
Sunundra gave her a side-eyed glance. “Have you not considered you are one of those who form their bond over a longer duration?”
Tel let her AMR hang limp as she glared into the distance. “Then I am a sad excuse for a bond. We must move, they have started heading south.”
Sunundra stood, waiting for the grey-furred female to do the same. “What specifically pulls at you, Tel? Is it his joy? His fear? When do you feel compelled to act? What breaks past your facade?”
The Blade took a breath as she let the weapon slump upright against her shoulder. “What was yours?”
The Grand Huntress blinked as Tel smirked, the female’s eyes returning to the forest as she continued.
“You could not scent our marks, yet you speak of the bond as if you knew it. There exists only one who fits such a description outside of our den.”
Sunundra knew her expression was one of pain, yet she forced the smile anyway. “Everything. Every breath, every thought, and every beat of his heart echoed through me. Much should be the same for Pan. He has become inseparable from her own desires, much like my mate was from my own.”
Tel nodded, waving a paw outwards to indicate they should be going. “Assuming your suspicions are correct, either I have yet to experience it, or my gift is weak.”
The female dropped from the roof, heading southward without waiting for a reply. The Grand Huntress sighed. To deny the bond was to deny the deepest peace a Lilhun could ever know.
At least she seemed to be humouring the idea.
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They had walked a great deal of the tunnel system, alerting loose Atmo that they needed to go somewhere safe. There were a few that decided to tag along for one reason or another, though he figured that was to be expected. The young Queen served as a translator for those who had yet to adapt to Lilhun language, so he wasn’t sure where exactly they were going. Wherever it was, it was towards the increasingly loud explosions.
“You should head out,” Joseph advised the yellow insect as they turned back from the dead end. He saw the few Atmo they had just sent off taking a left at the intersection, their pace hurried. The Queen clicked sharply in disapproval, bringing her blades to her chest in order to look as peeved as he figured she was.
“Look. Those booms are not something we can ignore...” He paused at the lack of a moniker. “I need something to call you. Did Sunny give you a name to use?”
The yellow insect tilted her head at the concept, but seemed excited all the same.
Joseph exhaled. “Daisy?” A bouncing Queen signified her approval. “Okay, nice to meet you Daisy. Your sister’s name is Violet, by the way. Both are flowers, too.”
His smile faltered as he remembered his daughter. “I miss her. Anyway, you really shouldn’t stay out here. I can keep going, but I don’t want anything to happen to you. Especially before Violet gets the chance to meet you.”
She insisted, stamping her legs in frustration. He smiled, a crossing thought of how Tel was doing ruining his amusement. Daisy approached cautiously as she noticed his expression fall, opening her arms in invitation. He accepted, crouching to embrace the yellow Atmo.
“My mate is up there,” he whispered, letting his anxiety out slowly. “There are people who want to come take this place over. Sunny sent me down to make sure you are all safe. I’m happy to, but I can’t help but worry about them. If things go wrong and I lose her, I don’t know how I'll be able to go back alone.”
Daisy stiffened, earning a gentle rub across her upright torso.
“Hey, she’ll be fine. She has to be,” he murmured, mostly for his own sake, but the words seemed to take the edge off for her as well. “If anyone is going to kick ass, it’ll be—“
An explosion set off down the right of the intersection, dirt and debris spraying through the tunnel. Disoriented yelling of several Lilhuns echoed in the catacombs. His blood cooled.
“Daisy,” Joseph warned in a deceptively calm tone. “Get the others into the back room. If there’s another place or hallway you can dig into, do it. Get as far from here as you can. Okay, sweetheart?”
The young Queen tightened her grip on him, subtle shaking betraying her fear. He lightly pushed her away.
“Daisy, I’m very excited for my daughter to meet her sister, okay?” He forced a smile that he couldn’t mean, his heart hammering in his chest. “I want you to meet her. To do that, I need you—and everyone else here—to get in that room and dig your way out. You’re fast, I know you can do it.”
She clicked quietly, using her joints to grab his arm, tugging him towards the dead end where the hopeful sanctuary lay.
“I can’t go, sweetheart. I need to make sure they don’t come after you.” He stood, carefully separating himself from her and checking the safety of his CARD with a finger. A nod to the other Atmo was returned with worried fidgeting. “I’ll come back, okay? Once I’m done here, I’ll come right to that room and down anywhere you managed to dig into, okay? Go on.”
Daisy hesitated, squeezing one last hug in before hurrying off down the passage with the others. He took a breath and waited until they had disappeared around the corner to exhale. With a flick of his hood, he adjusted the skull mask and brought both hands to the gun, stepping as lightly as he could towards the intersection. Peering around the corner, he fought back the urge to curse.
Eight had fallen in, only two of which were too injured to move. The remaining six were just getting their bearings from falling into the tunnel and the explosion that forced it. Three swords, two bows, and a rifle like the one Leader was using, though it seemed to be in a worse state of repair. Unfortunately, that was the guy who noticed the moss-wolf skull staring them down, the light from outside illuminating the tunnel brighter than it was before.
The flash was bright.
Joseph ducked back behind the corner, plasma splashing against the wall and leaving a sickly hot haze in its wake. It was slower than he feared, but faster than he could ever reasonably react to. He had gotten lucky.
More shouting, the words distorted by the blood pounding in his ears. They were going to come after him, kill him, then kill the Atmo.
They would kill Daisy. Violet would be left more alone in the universe with each passing day. First her biological mother, then her people. Now her adoptive father and sister...
The thought of her losing everything sent a shot through his system.
No.
He flicked the safety on the CARD flush, making sure that the weapon was ready to fire. Was it away for single fire, or towards him? Fuck it.
He slammed the select-fire towards himself and stuck it around the corner, blindly pulling the trigger with the weapon aimed slightly upwards. It jolted—far less than he came to expect from depictions of kinetic armament—as it spewed eight rounds down the tunnel. A scream of pain burst out, followed by what sounded like the more mobile of the group taking cover behind debris. He took stock of his options.
Down his hallway was where Daisy and the group that accompanied her were trying to take shelter. The left was where the rest of the nest was gathering. Right was where the attackers were taking cover. Forward... He didn’t know. It could be an entirely new section of the catacombs, or it could be a dead end after a turn or two. Hushed conversation broke his contemplation. He was running out of time. He thumped his head against the wall, his breathing sharp and charged.
“Tel, I swear to fuck, if I make it and you don’t...”
The CARD was stuck around the corner, the trigger pulled, and time bought. He bolted across the open tunnel into the far side of the intersection, an arrow sinking into the plates of his Wraith armour on his arm. A shot of plasma followed suit, again splashing off the corner just as he crossed the threshold. He ignored the burning pain in his leg and kept running.
There was barely any pause until he heard the shouting resume, his footsteps heavy and reverberating off the smooth stone walls. There was no way he was going to sneak away from them.
Good. That makes it easier to draw them away.
The turns came quicker than he expected, but that was likely due to each moment blending into the last and the next, every footstep slamming into the ground pushing himself as hard as he could. He was right to think there might be more to the nest than he thought, because he had to slow down to take turns here and there, each leading farther away from the Atmo. From Daisy.
He caught his breath after his third turn, peering around the corner. With his endurance, he could outlast them, sure. The issue was what would happen if he lost them. Without an obvious hostile target, they might just go back to exploring the nest. He couldn’t have that. He waited until he saw the first cautious Lilhun, their quieted words hinting at a building argument. Flicking the gun into single-shot, he fired a few randomly around the corner, waiting for the yelling to resume before rushing off again.
He slowed his pace further, giving them time to catch up. To make them think he was running out of steam.
His first real mistake was not checking his corners.
He tore into another intersection at slightly less than a sprint, only to collide with one of the sword-wielding members. Joseph crashed to the floor, his CARD skittering across the ground as he rolled.
The male got to his feet first, bringing the blade to bear and slashing down at the Grand Hunter. A boxer’s block caught the strike, a kick to the ankle tripping his opponent. The sword pressed against his arms as the Lilhun caught himself, a knee pressed to Joseph’s stomach keeping him pinned.
The male swept his claws across the mask, narrowly missing the eyes beneath the skull and knocking the mild protection loose. Gripping the sword in the middle, the Lilhun raised the blade like a falling spike, thrusting downwards at Joseph’s neck.
The Grand Hunter bucked, off balancing the male enough for the sword to miss the mark and stab into stone. A subsequent swipe was blocked by the bracer, but the armour was caught by the paw and his arm forced to the ground.
Joseph punched out towards the male’s head with his free arm. He was caught again, the fist a hair’s width from connecting as a paw gripped the arm.
A heavy clunk followed the recoil from the bracer, the male deploying the blade in his ignorance.
Suddenly, the Lilhun fell to the side and off the hidden dagger, crumpling lifelessly on the ground. Joseph stared at the hole where an eye had been, the blood pooling slowly. The urge to vomit threw his stomach against his throat, only stopped by frantic yelling and an arrow barely missing him.
Puking later. Running now.
He scrambled to his feet and scooped up the CARD on his way, not noticing the slight limp he was forced to take as he ducked around a corner, nor his pocket feeling lighter than it had been.
Blood had been spilled. A distraction had become a hunt.
Now it was just living long enough to find out which side of it he was on.