Lei-Xulla – Dread Prism Xaxon IV – Daedalus Expanse – Sarg'Aran Span – Level 501 – 999

“Oh but of course my sweet Iyoe’wkia nectar, its because I contacted them!”

Her eye twitched as her facial muscles failed to match the even tone of her minds’ next question.

“I see…

And why exactly did you contact Zul’s forces Commander Fhan?”

Still clearly elated at having a chance to explain further, he added.

“Well you see it was to secure us all positions on eminence in Zul’s forces!...All I had to do was give them the whereabouts of the stuck up Chief Scr-“

Your raid party has contributed to the slaying of a LvL 681 Prime Sure Shot, all experience awarded equally.

They both froze as the notification popped into being and she didn’t give his traitorous mouth the chance to expound further on his betrayal.

Willing her luminescent [Fractaline Staff of Gua-Eif] free of her [Storage Bracelet] with a mind, it began to revel in the rush of the immediate attribute boost, whilst another mind simultaneously cast [Greater Mind Spike] at his white haired temple. This in turn led to a transparent yellow shield flaring around his head as he looked to her in shock as Fhan stammered.

“W-w-what are yo-“

Collectively put off for a moment due to the unexpected form of shielding that [Predictive Pondering] did not foresee, all of Lei-Xulla’s minds ignored his stuttering entreaty and instead cast [Greater Lightning Bolt]. This time Fhan was ready as he put his high dexterity to use by blurring to hide behind his command chair, letting it absorb the spell, like the cowardly piece of sh'tak he was!

Activating [Greater Mana Barrier] with a mind, it enveloped her in a palpable blue glow, whilst another mind followed it up with [Greater Blink] to pop her into existence to his left and then cast [Greater Torment] to engulf his head with the skills purple corona. Irritation flared as the strange yellow barrier sprung into being once more to war with her spell before they both fizzled into nothingness.

Not ceasing her assault to wonder on its source, Lei-Xulla cast [Greater Lightning Jump] just as the blur of his outline appeared before her. Silently she cursed the deceitful degenerate’s battle prowess, while he held to the fore his shimmering daggers defensively to plead anew.

“Please Lei we don’t hav-“

Casting another [Greater Lightning Bolt] which obliterated an innocent console instead of its intended target, Lei-Xulla felt dread collectively rise within her minds as she was momentarily engulfed in an explosion of flame, only for one of her minds to designate the source as Ships Armaments Petty officer Jah-Da.

Striking out at the invertebrate with a [Greater Lightning Bolt] and in turn his near instant cast of [Greater Mana Barrier] predictably shrugged it off with ease. She was about to strike out at the insufferable orange lunatic of a Commander when she was sent flying, to smash through a console, followed swiftly by its seat before coming to rest in the pinnacles cramped corner.

Mind desperately scanning her immediate vicinity, she found the gangly tripedal figure of Head Engineer Scol’Es’Tan, joining the other two assailants as they stalked through the fractured and smoking electronics, toward her. Noting her mana bar was just below half she began to collectively panic. A mind cast [Greater Blink] to bring her to a lower deck. However the immediate disorientation of the skill failed to manifest as she felt an impermeable wall between her skill and its activation.

Readying her attack skills with a mind, Lei-Xullas other minds frantically sought the source of the interference and found that Fhan was smirking as he held a hand to the slightly charred command chair’s still functioning console, whilst gloating.

“You have nowhere to run, my sweet. It would be best if we put this…unpleasantness behind us…. don’t you agree?”

However to his left, his traitor in arms Sco’Es's gaunt features told a completely different tale as he supplied.

“I told you she would never agree Fhan, we should have ended her the second she returned!”

Glaring at the Head Engineer, Fhan chastised.

“I told you already you bloodthirsty recalcitrant, she was not to be harmed! Besides...We need the information she has as a bargaining chip with the Third Spike.”

Growling in dissent, Sco’Es looked to Ja-Dah who shook his head in silent censure. As one of her minds scanned her foes for potential openings with [Predictive Pondering], and another searched the Pinnacle for anything she could use to cancel the now active anti-teleportation field, Lei took her entrapment as an opportunity and employed her third mind to mock the sheer lack of intelligence their deceitful plan contained.

“You mutinous piles of Sh’tak! Do realize that as soon as the fourth fleet is gone, you and everyone else on board are as good as Ravager fodder!?”

Sighing exasperatedly before holstering his daggers, Commander Fhan entreated her anew.

“That’s why we are going to use whatever you and the stuck up Scryer discussed as a bargaining chip!”

Having already discounted any merit in the refuse the traitors would predictably spout, playing for precious time on of her minds pressed.

“How many of the expedition did you get involved in this little coup of yours?”

The Huj’Del’s hair puffed up as he preened in the apparent success of his plan.

“While it was difficult, I managed to secu-“

But while she had been talking her mana had recovered to a little over sixty percent. At the same time she had one of her minds utilize [Greater Sending] to cajole the terrified Second Communication Officer Hu, from her fear stricken catatonia in the rooms opposite corner to the flee through the Apex Pinnacles only point of entry and seal it. All before she collectively enacted an intelligent deficient plan of her own:

Hu’Gvt’Xe has left the Raid Party.

You have left the Raid Party.

Hu’Gvt’Xe has joined your Party.

While the three surrounding her spun to find a torrent of acid being flung at them from behind and a tentacle blur disappeared through the hatch in the floor and sealed it shut, Lei-Xulla set her minds to unleashing her unbridled wrath on the traitorous scum.

Shielding herself with the blue translucent skin of [Greater Mana Barrier], she cast [Greater Chain Lightning] on the orange skinned bane of her existence. Meanwhile another mind of hers relished the flickering looks of shock and fear as their flared while they dove for cover behind what little remained of the Apex Pinnacles equipment. Universally far from satisfied with the skills outcome, a mind followed up with [Greater Maelstrom] and felt the atmosphere itself electrify in the far too cramped confines of the half rhomboid come command center.

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

Blinding forks of lightning began to randomly sunder and strike, section after section of the pyramidal room as she finished casting [Greater Lightning Dome] in a last ditch attempt to save her-selves from their ill-conceived vengeance. Her ears ruptured from the sonic backlash in such a confined space causing her minds to firm their resolve and continue channeling her skill. The expertly crafted space endured quite well for the opening several seconds of the suicidal implementation of her skill...But it could not hold forever.

The viewing ports of [Tempered Mana Crystal] were the first to buckle as they exploded outward, one after the other, to spew their crystalline fragments and the precious atmosphere into the uncaring void beyond. Failing to secure himself sufficiently, Petty officer Jah-Da whipped past in a blur as lightning lit up his still active defensive barrier. Yet when he was dragged into the vacuum outside the skill and [Amalgamation Expeditionary Suit] were swiftly shredded by the scatter shot of charred and splintered mana compatible tech that was ejected with him.

Meanwhile one of Lei-Xulla’s minds was forced to relinquish her epic quality [Fractaline Staff of Gua-Eif] to the star filled void in lieu of using her claws gouge rents in the pinnacles floor and tapered ceiling. Her other mind preoccupied with the Petty Officer’s plight noted that he activated a fire shielding skill to stave off the icy enveloping grip of space, yet just as he did, both the skill and the male in question were lanced with a particularly large shard of the holo-projector’s sundered remnants. His [Amalgamation Expeditionary Suit] completely ineffectual in blunting the instantaneous death blow.

Lei-Xulla’s mouth cracked in a feral grin at the macabre spray of purple blood and sepia organs that accompanied it, a new notification only serving to further her collective glee:

Your Party has contributed to the slaying of a LvL 638 Fire Mage, all experience awarded equally.

Her elation lasted only a moment as she too was buffeted under her skills brilliant dome while it absorbed several lightning strikes and a charge type skill, from a more than irate the Head Engineer. Ricocheting off the dome to come to a flailing halt on a remnant stump of defunct console, the engineer in question would also have been imbibed by the void beyond, if not for relinquishing his bladed mace to it so that he could shore up his grip on the consoles charred stump with another hand.

Fhan was whipped like a scrap of under enchanted clothing in a phase three wind as the yellow barrier around him absorbed another errant lightning strike while his resultant yell was lost into the mayhem around them.

Checking on her mana with a mind, Lei-Xulla found she was down to just below ten percent and as she tried and failed with her free mind that was not preoccupied with her rictus grip on her surrounds or channeling her skill, to activate either of her transportation spells. Failing to do either yet again, she elected to divest herself of the scant remnants of her caution.

Screaming wordlessly in rage she began with [Greater Confusion] on the preoccupied Chief Engineer.

Clearly unprepared for the skill, the male’s face that was once locked in the byproduct of his effort to resist the vacuum’s unforgiving pull, lost his grip just as his visage worked through a swift transition from painful defication to utter bewilderment, before settling on a blank eyed surrender as he was yanked to the black, star studded beyond.

Mana bar blinking at around five percent, a mind cast [Greater Torment] on the architect of her current suicidal predicament, and to her collectively equal parts relief and amazement, she witnessed his defensive barrier succumb to a lightning strike. His form blurred to dodge another before the purple haze of her skill subsumed his head.

Her bitter laugh was lost to the void as the ships atmospheric systems diligently continued to pump air into the compromised space, as the traitor let go of the command chair to hold his suffering cranium and he was sucked out of the apex as he writhed in pain.

Feeling her grip begin to fail as her suit strained and tore while her claws gouged furrows further along the once pristine pinnacles floor, Lei-Xulla unanimously lamented not adding an extra few points to strength as the notifications of her successful revenge, flashed in front of her field of view in quick succession:

Your Party has contributed to the slaying of a LvL 721 Prime Shadow Blade, all experience awarded equally.

Your Party has contributed to the slaying of a LvL 703 Prime Bulwark, all experience awarded equally.

Your primary class has leveled up, + 1 to Intelligence.

Although the surge of warmth was welcome and her free attributes deviated from her usual distribution by way of immediately going into strength. Her claws continued to tare through the last vestiges of graspable surface heedless of her increase in power, as she too shot for toward the cold grasp of the black void beyond.

Refusing to close her eyes in what were likely her last moments, she ceased channeling her [Greater Maelstrom] and relaxed her body within the blue embrace of [Greater Mana Barrier] as she rushed toward the destroyed viewing port. Then a notification obscured what was to be her collectively final glimpse of her chaotic surrounds:

Your raid Party has contributed to the slaying of a LvL 674 Arch Frost Mage, all experience awarded equally.

Your Secondary Class has leveled up, +1 to Intelligence.

Before she slammed into a newly deployed [Blast Shield] with a bone rattling *THUNK* which summerily shattered the blue sheen of her defensive skill and dropped her to the floor, where despite her post 750 Vitality attribute investment, the impact still brought tears to her painfully alive and stinging eyes.

Groaning on the floor, one of her minds scanned around her and found her panting savior, poking their tentacled head, sheepishly though the pinnacles entryway.

When the beings eyes found the prone for of Lei-Xulla, it stammered.

“S-Sorry it took so long, Vice C-commander. I ran into a s-slight problem in the entry corridor….”

Quirking her eyebrow at the self-conscious Rajukian, she queried a little shakily.

“That problem wouldn’t happen to have been a Frost Mage would it Hu?...”

The beings tentacles curled in obvious discomfort as she replied.

“T-The very same. So w-what now Comm-“

When she was cut off by the brief spark of the holo-display as it tried and failed to achieve visual functionality, before reverting to audio only which in turn led to a grating voice to emanate from it.

“Greetings Fouuuuuurth Flotilla of The Traaaaaaaaaaade Amalgamation. It has been broughhhhhhhht to his merciful atteeeeeeeeeeeention that a member of yoooooooooour consortium has been meddling with someeeeeeeeeeeeeething they should not havvvvvvvvvvvvvve.

Thus it falls to me, Thiiiiiiiiird Spike Eqo’Ja’Ven, to correccccccccccct this error in judgemmmmmmmmment.

Those elevants who surrender Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh-Seer Naz’Ul’Mek to uuuuuuuuuuuuus, shall be rewarded accordinnnnnnnnnngly...I do not need tttttttttttttttttto inform you of what wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiill befall you should yoooooooooooou refuse me this…

Youuuuuuuuuuuu have five minutes.”

Looking to the now quivering Arch Acid Mage, Lei-Xulla wanted nothing more to continue to lay on the pinnacles buckled and scarred flooring, whilst berating her-selves for tolerating the duplicitous Fhan for as long as they had. Yet seeing that would do neither of them any good right now, she tried to project a calm none of her minds felt as one ordered.

“Second Communication Officer Hu, It looks like we are on our own in this until we can verify the rest of the crews allegiances...First things first however, we need to secure control of navigation. I’m not sure why, but the Chief Scryer seemed to be firmly of the opionion it was important that the Xaxon should get away.”

Consternation worked its way onto its face as Hu asked.

“W-what about the i-interdiction field?”

Letting out a frustrated huff, one of her minds countered.

“No idea’s on that yet, but we’ll cross that manabeast when we come to it...Now mana up and lets head for Pinnacle three!”

Following her own advice Lei-Xulla retrieved a [Crystalized Mana Concentrate] from her [Storage Bracelet] with a thought and stuck the bright azure lozenge shaped crystal under her tongue. Allowing a mind to luxuriate in the increased pulsing flow of mana, into her perilously depleted reserves, another mind scanned deeper into the Xaxon’s architecture to find the safest route to pinnacle three.

Mana sufficiently buoyed and a momentarily clear path mapped in a mind, she led her lone and loyal subordinate as swiftly as possible toward their hopeful salvation.

And away from the smoking remains of the Dread Pism Xaxon's pinnacle that was still too close for any of her minds comfort's to the lifeless remnants of her traitorous allies.