Now, Threnosh World
Volkharion watched the entire battle unfold in their faceplate. They saw through every eye in each of their scattered drones as if they were looking at things through their own. They listened through the auditory recorders as if it were their own ear holes. Their power armor’s systems prevented sensory overload and allowed them to efficiently process so many different information input sources.
Their drones had developed their own virtual intelligence as Volkharion had upgraded them over time using Universal Points at the spires. They had been able to increase the drones’ capabilities, both software and hardware. They were all significantly more capable and dangerous than in their earliest days.
Two canine drones patrolled in a wide circle around the entire cragant base camp as a delay and early warning system in the event that the other cragant forces returned.
One gremlin drone lurked near the hierophant’s structure as a last option in the event that the Task faced complete failure.
The second gremlin drone was on the ground floor level of the structure that Volkharion was stationed in to provide protection. One of the two feline drones was doing the same on the roof.
The other feline drone was trying to keep up with Whoosh as the speedy Threnosh caused havoc with the cragants on the northern side of the base camp.
Whoosh kept the cragants busy by skating all around them while slicing at their ankles and legs. They moved just fast enough to avoid getting killed, but slow enough to lead the cragants to believe that they had a chance to catch up.
The feline drone’s job was to distract the cragants in case Whoosh needed help to stay out of the giant humanoids’ clutches.
Volkharion watched the team inside the structure battle the hierophant. The feed from their tiny insectile drones cut out as soon as the cragant brought forth the rust-colored cloud.
Their drones weren’t in the cloud, but perhaps their small size meant they were easier to destroy. Proximity to the cloud, not full immersion, must’ve been enough.
Volkharion mourned their drones. Their power armor would create replacements soon enough, but the Threnosh still felt the loss. The new drones were not the same as the old drones. Some of which had managed to survive the years since they had first been created.
A warning chirp from one of their aerial drones drew Volkharion’s attention. The drone was a mixture between a flying craft and a bird. It had been perched on the corner of the hierophant’s structure, near the rear. The area had been cleared by Silver Wolf as they had rampaged through and drawn away the cragant guards stationed there.
It appeared that a pair of cragants had returned. The two started hacking at the wall with their weapons.
That couldn’t be allowed to continue.
Volkharion instructed their aerial drone to harass the cragants. They quickly amended the instructions to stress that the drone was to not take any undue risks in the effort.
The second aerial drone chirped the same warning.
More cragants had returned and were also chopping away at the walls.
Volkharion scanned the area.
Silver Wolf was heavily engaged in brutal combat on the opposite side of the structure.
Primal and Resplendent Zabriium were similarly engaged.
Whoosh could make it in time with their speed, but wasn’t capable of stopping the cragants.
“Tynk,” Volkharion said into the comms. “I am sending you coordinates.”
“Acknowledged,” Tynk replied immediately.
“You must prevent the cragants ingress attempt. Our teammates inside the structure have not completed the Task.”
“I will.”
Volkharion deployed the last of their insectile drones from the rectangular compartment at their lower back. They needed to get eyes back on the inside of the structure.
The whisper-quiet hum of tiny anti-gravity units and the flutter of thin wings was lost in the sounds of cragant weapons banging into the Threnosh structure’s metallic walls.
Tynk flew high above in the dark night. They took care on their approach to avoid being targeted by the cragants’ missile weapons. They needn’t have bothered. The giant humanoids were wholly focused on their task.
The Threnosh swooped down a handful of meters above the cragants and dusted them with the last of their soporific particles. They had used most of their supply to blanket the entire base camp force at the start of the battle. To weaken and slow the cragants enough that their teammates, like Primal, would be able to fight them in close quarters without being immediately destroyed.
The particles lacked complete efficacy due to the cragants’ large size and robust nature. All Tynk had managed to do was to make them groggy, as if they were in a state of near sleep.
The cragants below Tynk didn’t even mark their passing. The giant humanoids’ attacks on the wall slowed noticeably. They blinked and yawned as their arms grew heavier and their vision became blurry from the water in their eyes.
Tynk fluttered away. Their part was done. It was time to find a safe place to watch and wait.
“Task complete,” Volkharion said into the comms.
“Acknowledged, retreating,” Tynk replied.
Volkharion dismissed their teammate. The last of their insectile drones had just reached the structure. They sent them to several rents in the metallic outer surface, but instructed them to remain outside. They didn’t want to lose the drones to the rust-colored cloud.
It wasn’t ideal, but Volkharion needed eyes on the fight against the hierophant.
The drones’ vision cycled to provide the best image. It clarified in less than a second to give the Threnosh what he was looking for.
It appeared that the battle was not progressing as Caretaker had planned.
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Malendrax gripped the hierophant’s long, lank hair in one over-sized gauntlet, while they punched at the side of the hierophant’s head with the other.
The Threnosh dug their power armor’s toes into the hierophant’s dirty robes as the giant humanoid spun around wildly in an attempt to buck Malendrax off.
The blows echoed throughout the structure like powerful explosions, but the hierophant appeared to be getting stronger.
A reddish haze surrounded the giant humanoid’s body as its muscles continued to bulge and strain against its thick skin.
The hierophant managed to get a huge hand around Malendrax and ripped them from its back.
Malendrax clattered into empty cages, a chunk of the hierophant’s hair and scalp in their fist.
The giant humanoid paid the open wound on its head no mind.
“Caretaker, the cloud is damaging my trueskin. Self-repair capability is keeping up, but at the cost of the repairs to my biological body. I have suffered minor injuries,” Malendrax said into the comms.
Caretaker said a silent human curse. The rust-colored cloud had stopped expanding, but the hierophant and Malendrax were both deep within it.
The hierophant’s back was turned as it advanced on Malendrax. It was slow in its approach, as if it was savoring the moment.
Caretaker had an idea. They shot it in the back with a viral round.
The hierophant roared as the round impacted and immediately started eating away at its flesh.
Caretaker had gambled that the giant humanoid didn’t have its magical shield up. Whether due to a lack of attentiveness or it couldn’t do so on top of the rust-colored cloud and whatever magic ability allowed it to grow in size and strength. The Threnosh’s guess was correct.
“You… I… did not expect… such… powerful… working.” The hierophant wheezed in pain. “I… stronger.” It began to speak words that Caretaker didn’t understand. It fell to its hands and knees as the viral load ate away at the flesh and muscle of its back.
Caretaker watched the damage spread in close detail via the enhanced visual mode in their faceplate. They were surprised and displeased to note that it was spreading slower than usual, before it stopped altogether. At least there was a chunk of the hierophant’s back muscles missing.
“Caretaker… problems!”
Blueballs’ panicked shout into the comms was cut off by several terrible screeches.
The metallic walls near the entrance to the structure tore open from the outside. Cragants barged through the breaches.
“Blueballs, fall back.” Caretaker felt the weight on their shoulders grow heavier.
Blueballs sprinted toward Caretaker and stopped behind them.
“Orders?”
“Avoid attention, look for an opportunity to escape and retreat.”
Blueballs ran to the far end of the structure, where the shadows were deepest.
The cragants moved in formation with the largest example of their kind that Caretaker had ever seen in person at the front.
Shields up, spears and swords out and ready, the giant humanoids kept eyes on Caretaker and Malendrax as they quickly, but carefully, moved to place themselves between the hierophant and the Threnosh.
The hierophant crawled toward what appeared to be the leader, the one surveillance had identified as General Zanya.
“General… just in time… you’ve saved me…” The hierophant reached a hand toward the general.
The general’s expression was unreadable from behind its helmet. It hesitated, but eventually sheathed its sword to extend a hand to help the hierophant up.
“The Savior will—” the hierophant moved with a sudden burst of speed and strength, like a striking snake. The hierophant ripped the helmet off the general’s head and clamped its hand over the general’s face. “—honor your sacrifice!”
Caretaker was stunned by the sight.
The hierophant leered at the general with wide eyes as it whispered its untranslatable words.
Caretaker’s sensors were hampered by the magic, but it appeared as if the general’s vital signs weakened while the hierophant’s strengthened. The ruined muscles of the hierophant’s upper back visibly healed as the general’s body grew slack.
“There truly is no stronger life force than that of our people,” the hierophant’s voice was strong. “You see general, you have triumphed. Your very life, your soul will be what allows me to finally destroy these bothersome gray ones. I will see to it that your line knows of your sacrifice and your honor. You will be remem—” The hierophant let out a scream.
The largest cragant in the space crossed the distance to the hierophant and the general with one massive stride. Its sword slashed out with quickness that seemed impossible for something so large.
The hierophant fell back.
The general slumped to one knee, but refused to go down. Its face was ruined by an ugly red wound in the shape of a hand.
“General!” The large cragant knelt down next to it. “How bad is it?”
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“A scratch,” the general’s booming voice was subdued.
“Your command?”
“Elgorit has revealed his true core is soft. Not solid as the bedrock of the mountain crags. I deem him a traitor to our people.”
“As you will.” The large cragant rose and stomped over to the fallen hierophant, who cradled its stump.
Caretaker recorded the entire exchange. There was plenty of important information that they would need to review many times. It seemed as if their Task was going to be completed by the cragants. That had not been in their projections.
The hierophant sprang to their feet with a snarl as they lunged for the massive cragant.
It was like watching two boss monsters fight.
The blows shook the air, such was the strength and toughness on display.
The massive cragant was a skilled fighter. That much was obvious. It moved with efficiency and intent as it slashed, stabbed and punched the hierophant.
The latter was more like a true boss monster. It fought with an animal ferocity. It ignored all the wounds it took as they healed before everyone’s eyes. The general’s stolen life force provided the hierophant with fuel for its magic.
The rest of the cragant soldiers formed a semi-circle around the fight and kept their eyes and weapons pointed at the Threnosh.
The hierophant’s hand snatched the massive cragant’s sword blade. It held on fast despite the other cragant’s attempts to pull it free. The steel bit deep into the hierophant’s hand. Dark, almost black blood dropped and sizzled as they hit the ground.
“You are a mere adjutant,” the hierophant hissed, “you dare strike at me! The council will hear of this. You, the general! All of your lines will be blotted out of our remembrances!”
“False prophet of a false god,” the general rasped, “your kind has led our people astray. Finish this, adjutant.”
“Yes, general.” The massive cragant, adjutant drew a knife and thrust it into the hierophant’s stomach in one smooth motion.
The hierophant’s grimaced and slump forward, onto the adjutant. It relinquished its grip on the adjutant’s blade and weakly brought its hand up to the adjutant’s face.
The adjutant slapped it away. “Your tricks will not work a second time.”
“Not mere tricks,” the hierophant whispered, drawing the adjutant closer, “workings. Gifts from the Savior.”
“Just die you foul th—”
The adjutant’s eyes widened as a sharp length of something white and bloody emerged out of its back. The rest of what it meant to say came out as a gurgle of blood.
“Trusk!” the general stumbled forward as it tried to draw its blade out of its sheath. Another cragant held the general back.
The hierophant crowed and held up the stump of its arm. “I am the only one on this world worthy of the Savior’s grace.”
Caretaker realized that it was bone, somehow sharpened and lengthened, that had pierced through the adjutant’s armor, into its heart and out its back.
“Legionnaires! Take the general into custody. She will face my judgment once I have dealt with the gray ones.”
The cragants didn’t act as the hierophant expected. They formed up in a line in front of the general. Their weapons pointed at the hierophant.
“Is this what you want, general? For your entire honor guard and their lines to be snuffed out? Erased from existence like the blot you are?”
“You are a disgrace,” the general said.
“Very well,” the hierophant. “I will deal with you all once I am finished with the gray ones.”
The hierophant turned toward Malendrax, who had been sneaking into position to attack.
“Malendrax, don’t—” Caretaker warned.
Too late.
Malendrax charged in.
The hierophant was full of power now. It was a lot faster than before.
Malendrax leapt in with a thunderous punch. The hierophant caught the punch and slammed Malendrax into the floor. It shifted its grip. One hand around Malendrax’s torso and one around their ankles.
It raised the wriggling Malendrax over its head and pulled.
Malendrax’s cry was cut off in the team channel as the hierophant tore them apart at their waist. Pale blood and pieces of Threnosh internal organs showered down on the hierophant as it opened its mouth to consume. It tossed Malendrax aside like refuse.
“Interesting,” the hierophant licked its lips, “this one had significantly more vitality than the gray ones I’ve tasted before. Are the rest of you strange ones the same?” It turned its head to look directly at Caretaker.
Caretaker tightened their grip on their sword and pulled their shield from the back.
“Yes, yes… come, die with some semblance of honor.”
Caretaker charged into the rust-colored cloud. Except they stopped right at the edge. It wasn’t their intent, at least not at the moment. They just wanted to keep the hierophant’s attention for long enough.
Shira dropped down from the ceiling and plunged their claws into the hierophant’s chest.
“Wha—”
The hierophant cried out in pain as Shira drained the giant humanoid’s blood and life.
“Your blood! Your power will be mine!” Shira screamed into the hierophant’s face.
“A working of your own,” the hierophant grimaced. Then started laughing. “You know nothing.”
The hierophant grabbed Shira’s head and started squeezing. It took its bone spike and stabbed Shira in the stomach.
Shira grit their teeth, pushed themselves deeper into the bone spike, to plunge their other hand into the hierophant’s throat.
The hierophant gurgled, but tightened its crushing grip around Shira’s head.
Shira’s face was full of cragant palm flesh, so they did what came naturally and bit down. Their monstrous facemask’s fangs pierced right through the hierophant’s thick skin. They drank deep.
The hierophant pulled its hand back, leaving a chunk of its flesh in Shira’s mouth, their facemask’s mouth. “Impressive.” It looked at its hand, then started speaking words. The wound healed. “You heal? My working is damaging your strange shell, but it is being undone. Perhaps if I concentrate the working.”
The hierophant raised its hand high over its head and started chanting. The words were spoken with strong intent. The rust-colored cloud swirled. It spun around like a hurricane with the hierophant’s hand at the eye. It solidified into a blade-like shape that crackled with visible power.
The hierophant plunged it down into Shira’s side, only for an over-sized gauntlet to grab its wrist.
Malendrax had used their Impact Fist to punch themselves off the floor and shoot into the hierophant.
“Malendrax!” Caretaker forgot their normal calm.
Their teammate’s lower half was gone. Blood and viscera dripped down from their waist.
“My trueskin will keep me combat effective,” Malendrax said into the comms. Their voice was weak, “… long enough.”
Malendrax kept the hierophant from stabbing Shira.
“I cannot hold it for long,” Malendrax said.
Shira nodded. They dug their hands deeper into the hierophant’s barrel chest. They could feel the giant humanoid’s life as it flowed through the blood inside their body. They could feel it flowing in and out of an organ that pulsed in rhythm with the hierophant’s every move.
They reached deeper and found what they sought
Shira grasped the hierophant’s heart and absorbed the blood, the magic.
The hierophant gasped. It tried to pull away.
Shira felt like never before. There was so much power flowing into them. It was too much, yet they couldn’t stop. They wanted more. They wanted to fill the yearning hunger that was always with them.
Their black power armor started to crack. Fractures appeared on the armor’s surface. Glowing red spiderwebs spread over their entire body.
“Shira, stop! Your trueskin is overloading!” Caretaker ran forward.
Malendrax acted before they got there. One last act to save their teammate.
The Threnosh pulled themselves up the hierophant’s arm despite their horrific injury. They reached out and punched Shira in the chest. Their Impact Fist boomed one last time.
Malendrax relinquished their grip on the hierophant’s wrist and fell to the floor. They remained still.
Caretaker silenced the warning ping in their faceplate with a thought. They knew it was too late. The damage to Malendrax and their power armor had been too great even for their ability to self-repair.
Shira flew back, forced off the hierophant’s bone spike. The open hole in their stomach closed completely while they were still in midair. They crashed into the floor, but rolled to their feet in an instant.
The hierophant’s heart lay beating in their hand.
Shira focused their will on the large, red mass and drained it dry until it crumbled to dust.
The hierophant lay on their back with gaping wounds on their chest. It muttered words that were lost in the silence.
General Zanya hobbled to stand over the hierophant. It looked down with a cold look on its ruined face.
The hierophant whispered something.
“Your last words mean nothing,” the general said flatly.
The hierophant appeared to laugh, but only a wheezing cough came out. “… called… Savior…”
The cragant went still.
Caretaker frowned. They ignored the chime in their ear holes that signified the successful completion of their Task. They had killed the hierophant, yet why was their predictive algorithm no warning them to flee. “Attention, everyone retr—”
The hierophant’s body burst out into a pillar or red light that shot up and through the ceiling, utterly destroying the structure’s roof.
“Caretaker, surveillance has detected something approaching at 2148 meters per second,” Volkharion said through the comms. “Trajectory indicates that it will reach your location shortly. Calling for rein—”
The rest of what Volkharion said was drowned out by a loud boom. The shockwave knocked Caretaker off their feet. Even most of the cragants weren’t able to stay standing.
Caretaker looked up.
The dust and debris were cleared by another gust of powerful wind.
There, floating up in the air, against the celestial light, was a winged figure of gleaming gold.
“Zaltyhss,” Caretaker whispered.
The readings in their faceplate gave a hundred percent certainty that this was the case.
“Impossible, the outworld invader is supposed to be imprisoned,” Primal said into the team channel.
“How did it escape the prime?” Blueballs didn’t hide their fear.
Caretaker had no answer.
“Greetings from the Dominion of Immortal Light and Joy!”
There was static in Caretaker’s ear holes, some kind of interference. Zalthyss’ voice was doing something to the automatic auditory protections in their helmet.
Zalthyss’ wings were spread wide, yet unmoving. Somehow the invader hovered in place as though gravity had no ownership over them. Their eyes scanned the entire area. They didn’t miss anything.
Everyone under its gaze felt as though they were a minuscule animal beneath a hungry predator.
The cragants shied away reflexively. It was telling that they still moved to place themselves between the general and Zalthyss.
“A hierophant has fallen,” Zalthyss spoke as if to themselves. “That will be addressed.”
Caretaker couldn’t move as Zalthyss drifted down to land in the hierophant’s ashen remains. The predictive algorithm had gone silent. The warning to flee had ceased as soon as the invader had appeared.
“I listen to your song, loyal servant,” Zalthyss said. They turned to face the cragants a moment later. “Betrayal and heresy.” They turned to Caretaker. Their eyes lit up. A sharp-toothed smile, impossibly wide, followed. “Opportunity.”
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Now, Earth
“Kill them!”
Remy tried to ignore Hanna. It was a struggle to maintain the smallest possible magnetic field around his body at just the right amount of repulsion to stop the bullets without having them wildly ricochet.
He charged into gunfire and tried not to flinch. It wasn’t easy. Getting shot at close range wasn’t really his thing.
Rifle barrels suddenly found themselves being pushed aside as he closed with a couple of shooters. Remy punched one in the face, then kicked another in the stomach.
The men tried to bring their weapons back to bear.
“Damn it!” Remy hit them again, this time a little harder. They crumpled to the ground. He took out a couple of zip ties and bound the men. Fighting was a lot harder when he didn’t want to hit people too hard. The last thing he wanted was to punch some poor, deluded fool’s jaw off. Something he’d done to monsters.
More gunfire plinked against the invisible sphere around Remy. He had been working on field shaping to create ones that followed the contours of his body. It was difficult because he had to actively manage it to move along as he moved. To that end he wasn’t ready to try it out in a real fight.
Remy sprinted across the asphalt and slammed into the shooters. He wasn’t as fast, as strong, nor as tough as either of his brothers, but all of his physical stats were undoubtedly superhuman.
The cultists went flying like ten pins.
Remy winced as he saw that he had broken several limbs. He kicked the guns aside and restrained the group. Taking care to avoid exacerbating their injuries.
Hanna had no such compunctions. She moved with quickness and grace, married to efficiency of motion. Her massive greatsword was almost a blur as she carved swaths of space around her as she cleared the top of the wall. The close quarters put the cultists at a disadvantage. They were primarily armed with long guns. They only had machetes, hatchets and knives as backup melee weapons.
The Swordswoman wasn’t even using any of her Skills, from the looks of it.
Hanna looked out over the wall. “They’re coming! Open the gates!”
Remy looked around the small, makeshift fort the cultists had put up to block the freeway leading directly to the Bay Bridge. He had restrained the men and women on the ground, while Hanna had killed the ones on top of the wall.
It was important to their plan that he obscured his identity for as long as possible. Hence the motorcycle helmet and the drastic departure to his normal fighting style. No big, obvious shows of metal manipulation.
Remy ran up to the gates and made a show of pushing them apart with his hands, just in case any enemies were watching. What he really did was use his magnetic field to blow the gates wide open for the caravan that came screaming through a second later.
The last army truck came to a screeching halt.
Hanna jumped down from nearly ten feet up and landed lightly, despite her full armor. She clambered up into the back of the truck like a cat.
Remy could see her frown through her helmet’s eye slits as she looked down at him.
“Hurry up and get on!”
It was finally time for them to see what the Scions of the Deep Azure had truly done to San Francisco.
And maybe Remy’d also find out what happened to Bennett. It had been over a year since the secret Vampire had failed to return from his scouting mission.