Now, Threnosh World
Telatrine nearly bisected a corrupted with their chainsword.
There was something satisfying in the motor’s growl as razor-sharp teeth sent blood and bits flying.
Telatrine’s faceplate, which was an exact copy of their actual face underneath, grinned.
Their power armor functioned like a biological machine. Exercise increased the size of the artificial musculature, which in turn increased their physical strength.
A second corrupted leapt over the remains of its fallen compatriot.
Telatrine knocked it to the ground with a single punch, then crushed its head with a heavy stomp of their boot.
The Threnosh continued down the narrow corridor. Their bulky, armored form prevented the corrupted from bypassing them to reach the more vulnerable infantry soldiers behind them.
This was fine.
Telatrine preferred the opportunity to dispatch the corrupted by himself. More Universal Points and more physical exertion meant greater strength gains. They’d clear the entire security station on their own if it was up to them.
Three Inheritors sighted.
Unseen was scouting the path to the control chamber. Their message was unwelcome.
Sublevel 3. Appear to have arrived through one of the underground tunnels. Likely headed in your direction.
“Identification?” Telatrine spoke into the comms. They didn’t need to maintain silence on their end.
Unknown. Does not resemble Inheritors from prior encounters.
An unexpected, but not wholly unwelcome development. Telatrine had been wanting to test themselves against an Inheritor.
“Control chamber status?”
Unchanged. Twelve corrupted standing guard.
“Maintain position. Report if anything changes.
Acknowledged.
Three Inheritors were a problem even if Telatrine welcomed it. The bulk of the T-Men were holding back the mass of corrupted attempting to assault the station from the outside. Maul’s firepower and Winding Myriad’s esoteric destructive spells would’ve been useful. Instead they only had Adahn’s makeshift exoskeleton harness of basic Threnosh weaponry, Drega Tali to effect repairs, One experimental weapons squad member and one mixed squad of infantry soldiers.
The security station was all narrow corridors mixed with large berths to house and maintain combat drones. An ambush would’ve been perfect had Rodinian been able to set their traps, unfortunately they had been needed for the battle on the streets.
Telatrine’s thought process was interrupted by a snarling corrupted as it tried to bite their face. They grabbed it by the throat and pushed it away. Only for its head to explode in a shower of brains and blood in a stream of accurate projectile fire.
“That was unnecessary,” Telatrine said.
“Apologies,” Adahn said.
“Conserve your ammunition. We have Inheritors inbound.”
“That is unwelcome information, our team lacks the combat capability to face Inheritors,” Drega Tali said.
Telatrine hacked the last corrupted apart with their chainsword before they regarded Adahn for a moment. Telatrine’s bloody faceplate’s resemblance to a natural Threnosh face was disturbing especially considering the hungry look, so different from the standard lack of expression. “Are you able to seal doors and passage ways to force the Inheritors and corrupted to come to this one?”
“I believe so,” Adahn said.
“Do it.”
Adahn went to a nearby control console and placed their hand on the screen. Their power armor differed from most of the others’ in that it was made of a composite material that was closer in texture and feel to softer fabrics rather than hard, metallic plates. Their power armor lit up as they utilized their ability to manipulate the security station’s once dormant systems.
The seconds ticked away while Adahn worked.
Telatrine tried to envision the Inheritors’ path up from the sublevels. They were unsatisfied with what they came up with. They weren’t Caretaker.
“It is done. All doors have been sealed to force the Inheritors to approach through this corridor. Although, there is nothing to stop them from simply breaking their way through said doors,” Adahn said.
“You can still open doors and operate lifts?”
Adahn’s face betrayed confusion through their currently transparent faceplate. “Yes.”
“You will take the infantry squad through the secondary route to the control chamber. I leave it to you to secure and reinitialize the security station.”
Adahn blinked.
They blinked again.
“Acknowledged.”
Adahn and the squad moved back the way the came.
Telatrine hoped that they would be able to avoid the unknown Inheritors.
“And what are we to do?” Drega Tali exchanged a look with the lone experimental weapons squad soldier.
“You will repair my trueskin,” Telatrine said. They turned to the soldier. “Your designation?”
“E.W.S. Soldier Radiant Canyon 7.”
“You will provide support. Bolter at range. Sonic emitter as I engage. Laser as a last resort in the unlikely event that an Inheritor gets past me.”
“Acknowledged.” The soldier immediately switched to their bolter.
Drega Tali let out something that sounded like a sigh. It was difficult to tell through their helmet. “And where do you intend to engage?”
Telatrine pointed to the open door at the end of the long corridor. “Half way from this position.”
The corridor was devoid of adjacent chambers, which meant there was nowhere to go except back or forward.
“I shall pre-deploy a few of my repair drones with your consent.”
Telatrine nodded.
“I will also keep more close to your position.”
Spider-like drones and hovering disc-shaped drones emerged from compartments on Drega Tali’s power armor. The former crawled across the floor to climb up Telatrine and hid themselves inside the additional armor plates the Threnosh wore over their power armor. While the latter advanced down the corridor to take up positions where the walls met the floor and ceiling.
“Replacements cost Universal Points,” Drega Tali said flatly.
“Acknowledged. Be sure to contribute to the successful Task so that you receive a share of the reward,” Telatrine said.
Telatrine marched forward to take their position, while Drega Tali and E.W.S. Soldier Radiant Canyon 7 readied themselves.
They were just in time as two Inheritors stepped through the open doorway.
Both had similar smooth gray skin tones, just like the standard Threnosh. That was the only similarity.
One was much shorter, but significantly more robust in build. The Inheritor was like a ball of muscle. Their entire body bulged with rock hard muscles. Their thin attire left their arms bare and only went down to their knees. The material shimmered in the corridor’s natural lights. This suggested metallic alloy. Thin armor. Curiously, the Inheritor wasn’t wearing a helmet.
The second was a head taller than the standard Threnosh. They were thinner. They wore armor that resembled older Threnosh make along with an exoskeleton of the same vintage. Telatrine recognized it. The Inheritors had been making use of Orchestral Meridian’s armories.
This Inheritor wore a helmet. The clear faceplate revealed over-sized eyes that bulged out of their head like some kind of giant insect.
A frown crossed Telatrine’s faceplate.
Only two. Unseen had said there were three.
“Clear the firing lane,” E.W.S. soldier Radiant Canyon 7 said.
Telatrine reacted without conscious thought as they pressed their larger than standard Threnosh form up against the corridor wall.
A loud boom echoed through the narrow space.
Their helmets’ built-in auditory protections kept their eardrums safe.
The bolter round zoomed across the distance faster than the unassisted eye could track. It exploded near the Inheritors and sent hot, jagged bits of shrapnel in all directions.
Telatrine marked small cuts on the exposed flesh of the smaller Inheritor and damage to the taller one’s armor.
“The smaller one likely has enhanced strength and durability,” Telatrine said into the comms.
“Acknowledged.” Drega Tali said.
“Firing,” E.W.S. Soldier Radiant Canyon 7 said.
Another bolter round flew and exploded, but the small Inheritor was already moving.
They quickly covered a surprising amount of ground as they bounded across the walls and floor like a Jeluvian strider with the spring like muscles in its hind legs.
Telatrine had to square his body to the Inheritor, which eliminated the safe firing lane.
The Threnosh had equipped themselves with their large, rectangular shield. Threnosh-made, it had packed-on layers of their strongest alloy to increase the density. The extreme weight meant that it took one with Telatrine’s enhanced strength to wield it effectively.
The chainsword in their right hand idled as Telatrine struggled to track the Inheritor’s erratic movement.
They committed the worst mistake in battle.
They hesitated.
The Inheritor attacked feet first like a tiny, dense missile.
Telatrine barely got their shield up in time.
The impact resounded across the space and sent Telatrine back stumbling several steps. They felt the pain in their shield arm. As damage alerts flashed in their faceplate.
The small Inheritor had damage their power armor’s surface and internal musculature, as well as cracking the bones in their biological forearm.
“Commencing repairs,” Drega Tali said into the comms.
Telatrine didn’t spare any thought to the small spider-like repair drones that scuttled down to their arm.
The Inheritor rebounded off the ceiling for another strike.
This time Telatrine committed with a swing of their chainsword. The motor roared and the teeth gnashed as they took the Inheritor across their chest.
The teeth threw up sparks as they tried and failed to penetrate the Inheritor’s skintight armor.
The impact did slam the Inheritor down to the floor with a loud clang.
Telatrine raised an armored boot to crush their opponent when they caught sight of the second Inheritor’s eyes.
The eyes flashed a sequence of bright, strobing lights.
Telatrine stumbled. They suddenly found themselves standing on the ceiling.
No.
That didn’t make sense.
When they looked down they saw the small Inheritor on the ceiling. No, they should’ve been on the floor.
Telatrine’s head swam. They staggered back. They leaned against the right wall or was it the left. They couldn’t tell.
The small Inheritor hopped to its feet and approached Telatrine.
They were still upside down.
Telatrine tried to move, but their body did the exact opposite of what their mind intended.
The small Inheritor grinned the jumped toward Telatrine like a cannonball. Their super strong and dense body knocked Telatrine on their back.
The small Inheritor rebounded off the floor or ceiling and smashed into Telatrine’s armored chest.
The damage alerts became more insistent.
“What are you doing? I cannot repair you when the Inheritor is smashing my drones,” Drega Tali said.
Telatrine grit their teeth. The faceplate followed suit. “Radiant Canyon 7, deploy sonic emitter!”
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
“You will be in the zone of effect.”
“Do it.” Telatrine hoped that their helmet’s auditory protections could hold longer than the Inheritors’.
The invisible sonic attack filled the corridor.
The air was distorted in ring-like waves by the vibrations.
Telatrine felt their entire body thrum.
The effect was devastating to the Inheritors.
Both fell to the their knees as blood poured from their ears. The taller Inheritor’s old-technology helmet proved useless.
E.W.S. Soldier Radiant Canyon 7 would’ve claimed both kills had they enough energy. Sadly, the weapon was a hungry sort and cut out in a little over ten seconds.
“Weapon energy depleted.”
The Inheritors staggered to their feet. Ruptured structures in their ears damaged their equilibrium.
Telatrine rose to their feet. Chainsword in hand.
Their faceplate blared damage alerts, but they were more than functional enough to end their enemies with brutal efficiency.
The Threnosh was drenched in Inheritor blood when they turned back to their fellow teammates. “We proceed to the control chamber.”
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“Fall back into the corridor!” Adahn shouted.
They had reached the target sublevel through a secondary lift near the outer edge of the security station without any problems. Only a large drone manufacturing chamber separated them from the corridor leading to the control chamber.
Unbeknownst to them a large group of corrupted was waiting. They fell on Adahn and the squad of soldiers with frenzied abandon.
Two soldiers had already been pulled out of their hasty defensive formation and torn to pieces.
Only Adahn’s modified harness with its multiple arms and weapons saved them from complete disaster.
Adahn had programmed each arm to act independently, but in concert with each other to attack enemies, while avoiding and in some cases defending allies.
Two arms held modified recoilless projectile weapons that spat out in wide arcs in an attempt to create space. Two more arms worked together to hold up a large, round shield that Adahn used to push away any corrupted that got too close. The last two arms ended in long, sharp blades that stabbed and sliced at any corrupted that got within range.
The blades were so precise that they were able to cut down corrupted that managed to get into clawing and biting distance to individual soldiers.
The soldiers did their best with their recoilless weapons, but the corrupted were relentless. The monstrous versions of Threnosh were seemingly immune to pain as dozens of projectiles impacted their bodies. It just took so much to bring one down permanently.
Even those corrupted with missing limbs, thanks to Adahn’s blades, continued to attack.
The squad retreated, one agonizing step at a time.
Adahn stood at the front, desperately trying to keep the tide at bay long enough.
If they could just reach the corridor. The narrow space would let them deal with the corrupted on their own terms. They wouldn’t be swarmed.
More corrupted are inbound on your position.
Unseen’s words appeared in Adahn’s faceplate.
An idea flashed in Adahn’s brain, as was their way.
“Have they abandoned their watch on the control chamber?”
Affirmative.
“Enter the chamber. Establish a connection with the command console. Then link up with my trueskin. I have an idea.” Adahn waited for the reply. It didn’t arrive immediately. “Unseen?”
I am calculating the probability of my demise.
“Our demise is imminent if you refuse.”
Acknowledged. I will contact you when ready.
“My gratitude to you.”
A corrupted swept a clawed hand at Adahn’s face. Their shield pushed it back, which allowed them to fire a sustained stream of projectiles into it with the recoilless rifle in their actual hands.
“Withdrawing into the corridor,” one of the soldiers said in an eerily calm voice.
“Acknowledged,” Adahn said.
Their blade arms whirled blindingly fast around them slicing and dicing corrupted as they continued to swarm, heedless of the damage they were taking.
Weight of numbers finally won out.
The corrupted managed to snag one of Adahn’s blade arms. They ejected it rather than let the corrupted use the leverage to pull them off their feet.
“I knew you’d try your tricks.”
A voice from the shadows.
The corrupted suddenly stopped.
Adahn took the opportunity to turn and run for the corridor.
A dash of movement near them. They felt the air displace. Fast.
Adahn suddenly found themselves flying through the air and crashing through a line of dormant combat drones many meters away.
“We know you. Defectives. The Mother has learned much from the one you call Honor.”
Adahn rolled to their feet, weapons ready.
The corrupted didn’t attack. They milled around the space between the speaker and the squad of soldiers at the corridor entrance. They blocked the firing lines.
The Inheritor, what else could it have been? Was bigger and looked stronger than the standard Threnosh. Their skin, what little of it was visible out of the shiny, skintight bodysuit was a dark gray, closer to black. They wore no shoes to display sharp toenails, like claws, just like the ones at their fingertips. When they spoke they revealed sharp canine fangs.
Perhaps the strangest aspects of the Inheritor were the small, round lumps on their chest and a waist that narrowed into wider hips. Standard Threnosh body-type was all straight lines.
Lean muscles rippled through the tight suit of thin armor with every move.
Adahn was struck by the memory of the lithe forest feline that prowled the area surrounding the facility that had housed them and other defectives. They had known fear then. For they knew instinctively that they were prey and the only that had kept them safe were high walls and automated defenses.
The Inheritor moved just like the predator.
“You are my first special opponent,” the Inheritor brandished a clawed hand, “I have learned much from my fights with Honor and I’m eager to test myself. I hope you provide a good challenge.”
So said the Inheritor as they sprang at Adahn. Just like a fearsome forest predator.
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Now, Earth
Bennett left Jake to get back with Detective Ordonez and the rest of their group to join the Resistance members in the flight from the cult forces.
The Vampire called out to all of the rats, normal and mutant, with his new found prowess and sent them swarming toward the cultists invading the underground tunnels from multiple locations.
He partially shared the rodents’ perspective, which was highly disorienting. He had dim impressions of cultists transforming their very bodies with Fleshcraft to scythe through his animal minions by the dozens.
Intellectually, Bennett knew that it was strange for him to grow so devastated by the deaths. The scholar in him filed the idea away underneath the concerns about his particular class. Another part of him bared sharp fangs with a hate-filled hiss. He disappeared into a shadow on the wall and went in search of revenge.
A small group of cultists made their way deeper into the sewer tunnels. They had just cleared a surprisingly enormous swarm of rats that had attacked them almost as soon as they had climbed down the ladder.
“Fucking rats, man! Got up my pants.”
“Quit bitching. You just absorbed their biomass anyways.”
“Yeah, I’ve got their blood and guts all over my Bladeform: Fingers.”
“Big deal, wipe them.”
“Can’t, I might cut myself.”
“So, transform them back to normal, then wipe em down. Ain’t difficult. Not like you got to walk backwards after twelve pack.”
“Takes too much out of me to switch back and forth so quickly.”
“What’s up with those rats anyways? I thought mutants and normals don’t really get along.”
“That’s how it’s supposed to be. Something else is up. Be ready for anything.”
The chatter cut out immediately. The cultists moved like they had training, perhaps from a military or law enforcement background before the world had ended. Their formation was tactically sound and they had special abilities granted by their wholehearted embrace of the Deep Azure. They were confident in their ability to handle anything the pathetic Resistance might throw at them.
They weren’t ready for Bennett.
He was as quiet as a ghost as he slipped out of the shadows at the back of the cultist formation. He struck with a viciousness that surprised himself. It was like an out of body experience. It didn’t seem real. His actions didn’t fit his self-image.
Bennett’s fingers and nails had lengthened and sharpened. He stabbed them into cultist bringing up the rear. The man wore makeshift armor, a thick leather jacket with crude chain mail affixed over it. He might as well have been wearing a t-shirt.
Bennett’s fingers plunged into the man’s back. He found the man’s heart and ripped it to chunks as he tore his hand free.
One had to be sure when it came to Fleshcraft. Bennett had seen cultists survive wounds that should’ve been instantly fatal. Bullets to the head and heart being just a couple of examples.
The cultists spun around, but Bennett had already disappeared into the shadows. All they saw was their fellow cultist on his knees, dead.
“Shit! Shit! Shit!”
“Something got Bill!”
“What the fuck!”
“Where’d it go!”
“You see it!”
“I ain’t seen shit!”
“Form up! Backs to each other!”
“We need the lights!”
“Cover all quadrants! 360!”
Lanterns and flashlights flared to life. Stealth was no longer a concern.
Bennett rose out of the shadow in the small space in the middle of their defensive formation. Fingernails like small knives flashed in the dim light as he spun around and slashed at the backs of their necks.
Pained shouts filled the dank tunnel.
The cultists capable of still fighting spun, but only found an empty space.
Bennett had disappeared back into the shadows.
He didn’t need to kill them all. Just dissuade them from continuing on.
Two were dead and the rest were injured and frightened. They were effectively out of the battle.
Bennett had more work to do to help his allies escape. Fortunately, he was full of the human blood necessary to fuel his abilities and generally keep him alive. The Resistance had been helpful in donating blood bags over the years he had been stuck in the Bay Area.
He owed some measure of gratitude, so he was going to do his best to repay them.
----------------------------------------
Veronica watched the giant dog loping ahead in the Suburban’s headlights. It looked like an Akita. She vaguely remembered thanks to her Book of Dogs: A to Z, which was probably now burned to ash in the ruins of her family home. Stupid fishmen and their stupid cult. She was going to make them all pay.
“Are you okay, honey?” Megan said.
“Yes, why?” Veronica frowned.
“You were growling.”
“It’s nothing… I’m fine.”
The dog, weredog, Rino. Since the blond, Kare was in the SUV with them, was about as big as a lion. The sight was hard to believe. She was supposed to lead them to the Resistance and possibly Bennett. Veronica didn’t really know who that was, but her mom and Aunt Nila seemed to recognize the name.
The only problem in Veronica’s mind was that they were going in the opposite direction from where her dad and Tessa were supposedly being held. If she could believe the two weredogs.
She didn’t trust them. They seemed shady. Like, why would they all of a sudden switch sides?
Rino barked. The deep booming sounds reverberated inside the vehicle.
“Uh oh,” Kare said.
“What?” Nila’s head snapped around.
“She’s smelling a lot of people where we’re headed.”
“And that means what, exactly?” Megan said.
“Probably that the Deep Azure, I mean, cult, is pulling an all-out attack on the Resistance,” Kare smiled and shrugged.
“Why now and how did they know where to attack?” Nila said. She looked suspicious of the whole thing.
Veronica shared the thought. This whole thing was a trap and weredogs were probably in on it. She readied her brain blasting electromagnetic pulse.
“I dunno. I mean we always knew where the Resistance had most of their hideouts. At least a general idea. We were just told to leave them alone when they were there. It wasn’t hard to sniff them out, even if they were mostly in the sewers.”
“If what you said about the state government people taking shelter with the Resistance is true…” Nila said.
“No lie,” Kare bobbed her head.
“The cult must be ready to end things. They have Remy and Tessa. The biggest threats are off the board,” Nila continued. “They don’t feel the need to keep up the charade of being challenged.”
“Probably,” Kare shrugged. “The Resistance wasn’t much of one anyways. They mostly tagged stuff and sometimes burned things. Or stole blood for your Vampire friend,” she shivered, “he was kinda creepy.”
Rino suddenly swerved to the left down a tight alley.
“Shit!” Keisha slammed on the brakes and turned sharply to keep up.
A Suburban wasn’t meant to drift, but she pulled it off somehow.
“Sorry. That bitch is crazy,” Keisha grumbled.
There was a loud scraping sound.
“Damn it!”
“There goes the mirror,” Alexa cackled in her high-pitched voice.
“Are you getting anything with your sense skill?” Nila snapped.
Alexa shook her head. “I told you, it’s Sense Eldritch and I have to be careful. I’m almost 90% sure there’s some kind of eldritch creature in the bay, but I think if I try to search for it then it’ll definitely find me first. That’s why I definitely don’t want to use the skill unless I have no other choice.”
“The Deep Azure,” Nila whispered.
Veronica nodded in agreement. It totally sounded like a Cthulhu-style monster. Cults, fishmen, summoning circles. All the signs pointed in that direction.
“Kinda makes you useless doesn’t it,” Max glowered at Alexa.
“Fuck off!”
“Language, please. There are children,” Megan said.
“Mom!” Veronica scowled. She was fifteen going on sixteen. Not a child.
Johnny nudged Bastien. “Is she talking about us?”
“Naw, just you,” Olo said.
“Screw you, man, just cause you look like an NFL linebacker doesn’t mean shit,” Johnny laughed. “I’m actually three months older than you.”
“Johnathan!” Megan snapped.
“Sorry, Mrs. Cruces,” Johnny’s face grew red.
Laughter broke out in the vehicle.
“Damn kids,” Keisha muttered.
“Watch out!” Nila pointed from her position in the shotgun seat.
Rino, the weredog, dodged a large plastic trash container.
Keisha, the driver, didn’t have the same option.
“Oh shi—”
She winced as she plowed right into it and sent garbage flying all over the windshield and roof.
“God da— that reeks!” Johnny amended.
“It had ten years to marinate, of course it reeks,” Gene said.
“How do you know it’s been that long?” Johnny’s voice wheezed thanks to pinched nostrils.
“We haven’t seen anyone in this part of the city. No lights in windows. No sounds. Nothing,” Gene said.
Rino slowed to a stop.
Keisha followed suit.
Kare jumped out of the SUV with Rino’s clothes in her hands.
Rino slowly shifted from giant dog to attractive, athletic young woman.
The young men in the SUV only had the barest glimpse of her naked body thanks to Megan blocking their view.
Much grumbling was to be had. Though they kept it quiet. None of them wanted to mess with Mrs. Cruces.
“Why did you stop?” Nila had joined the two weredogs in the Suburban’s headlights.
“Are you a killer?” Rino said.
“If I have to,” Nila said.
Rino stared at Nila, searching.
Nila returned the gaze without flinching.
It appeared that Rino found what she was looking for after a few seconds because she nodded.
“I can smell them. There’s probably a few hundred cultists down in the tunnels right now. Hunting, killing the Resistance and your friends from Sactown. They’ve set up a staging area not too far from here. Base camp, reinforcements. That sort of thing.”
“You want to hit the camp. Force them to call for help and draw back their forces,” Nila said.
Rino nodded. “We’ll need to split up. Kare can go with your stealthiest people. Preferably ones that your friends will recognize. They head down there,” she pointed to the manhole cover in the middle of the street, “gathers whoever is left alive for our main goal. While, me, you and your heaviest hitters take it to the base camp. Rip them up. Then maybe rip up the cult forces when they pull back. It’s going to get bloody. You up for it?”
Yes, Justice time! Veronica nodded vigorously.
Nila’s face didn’t betray her thoughts.
The silence of the dark night stretched out.