You are baiting a trap, not scampering away. These clawless weaklings, bought and paid for by Dod Stal, can’t tell the difference between predator and prey.

A foul tang filled her mouth just thinking of the abomination who had murdered her friends and slain her mate. She spit the taste from her muzzle as she fled down the alley. Dirty walls on both sides reflected the green and blue arcs of focused Life and Water lances the borcine mercenaries were hurling after her. Heavy-framed and single-minded humanoids, the borcine were better known for hard-hitting attacks, not quick and flexible thinking. Doggedly they lumbered after her, increasing their rate of attack as Par’vata neared the alley’s blind end.

The huntress smiled. Yes, their blood is up! They think this is the end of the hunt!

And it was . . . for them. I’m a warrior, I’ll die like one. I just can't die here. We are far too close to where Rakshak is hidden. Dod Stal and his army of adharmic thugs and gangsters would ultimately find him if she gave in to her pride to stand her ground here. A new mother, Par’vata wouldn't fail her cub that way.

But if they want to play with Life Essence, I shouldn't give them a few pointers.

Life had been Par'vata's first Spherical Attunement. She was now on the cusp of forming her Tetrahedral core and begin her Life Mastery focus. It was fair to say she knew a bit about it.

In combat, just as important as playing to your strengths, it was crucial to facilitate your opponents’ weaknesses. Overconfident in their numbers, the slow-witted borcine had bunched up together. Par’vata’s steps never slowed as she kicked off the alley’s end wall before and activated her Space / Time Attunement. She gap-step behind the trailing members of the mob behind her. Fire and Force Essence ran through both splayed paws as she raked searing and accelerated claws through the surprised mercenaries’ earthen shields and heavy titasteel plates leaving red runnels of liquid metal to punctuate where Par’vata’s had sliced through spines and hamstrings.

But more importantly, the attacks had prevented the defenders from sensing the slim tendril of Life Essence she had woven into the Force/Fire braid. Even if they had, the borcine would not likely have cared. As peak Spherical cultivators, even crippling physical attacks would heal in fractions of a second. They expected to be battle-ready from even the most grievous of wounds in the blink of an eye through the cycling of enough Essence . . .

This time they will have to live with disappointment!

Par'vata's Life Essence had rejuvenated both sides of the wounds she’d given. The borcines’ meridians, muscles, and nerve endings were completely healed but severed and useless. Helplessly they collapsed to the street with grunts of surprise.

The Tigris grinned at her work, the downed two would need a physic to splice and reunite their structures before they could rejoin any fight. She had already spun around toward the opening of the alley as the momentum of their falling bodies tripped the four mercenaries immediately behind them, who were mid-charge to Par’vata’s new position. But the assault of Essence lances continued as the last three in the front of the column had to renew their firing. While the lances were standard thoughtless attacks, now sow near in the narrow alley, Par'vata couldn’t avoid them without another gap step.

Perhaps complete avoidance isn’t absolutely necessary . . . Not when I can use the blasts to my advantage.

Par’vata promulgated two shields in quick succession. A Force Essence dampening field to drain the momentum from the three incoming Water lances and a blended Earthen/Fire shield to for more protection while superheating the element and fill the alley with steam. This close, The intense clouds of superheated water also caused the unexpecting borcine to reflexively turn away as she dropped through the Space-Time portal she had simultaneously opened below her.

Instantly, Par'vata was three hundred and fifty thousand meters away, halfway to Dagamo's moon port and her ride out of the system.

Let’s see if it worked! Par’vata’s thoughts raced as she spun to remove the Essence maintaining her portal. Admittedly, the proper response to her tactic would be to just bear the pain and flash through behind her and stab her in the back before she could seal the passage. Her steam trick wouldn’t fool anyone with a quick battlefield wit using aural sight.

. . .But against this group? I give it even odds that half of them are dim enough to fall for it . . . The next few moments proved that it had worked well enough. In the one micro since getting through the portal, the huntress had its Essence withdrawn. The portal quickly began to shrink as space/time reformed itself. The fastest and most foolhardy of the borcine had been quick enough to get its lower leg and half of its face through the shrinking portal. Tough as he was, there was no way to overcome the primordial laws of space/time. The accelerating closure finished with neat vertical amputations of the borcine’s leg and a thick slab of its face.

You just didn’t attempt to flash through someone else’s translocation portal if they already had the necessary micro to withdraw their Essence. The victim would eventually heal . . . but if they weren’t very skilled with their life Attunement, it was going to hurt.

Free of them for now, Par’vata took a cleansing breath and propagated a second instigation of her portal skill. In less than a blink, she was standing in front of her star runner. Disappointingly, she wasn't the only one.

Two more borcine with estrella-edged short spears channeling the yellow glow of Force Essence on their quad-pronged heads barred her way. Par’vata’s Mindscape also picked up another presence. The unseen enemy was strong, lurking in the back of the hangar, and, of all things, a female human.

Likely waiting for a moment of weakness to spring . . .Then it is best not to have such a moment!

Par’vata stepped quickly forward and met the advancing attackers. She dodged the first spear thrust with a shift to the right. The spear’s enhanced tip rippled the air as she grabbed its shaft with her paws and rolled backward. Par’vata’s surprise lunge was enough to overpower him with the momentum of his own weight. Initiative on her side, she impaled the borcine's core with his own short spear. Then launched him out of the hangar's portal with her clawed rear legs. Quickly fading struggles showed the depth of his injury.

No time for pride-gawking! Par'vata scolded herself as the second merc was upon her with a lateral swipe from his right side. Still lying on the ground, Par'vata was at tactical disadvantage. She filled the gap with Life Attunement’s amplification of her physical attributes, increasing her speed, strength, flexibility, healing, and perception. She then doubled her speed and power again by braiding Force Essence alongside the Life Essence streaming through her meridians. As she popped off the floor and struggled over the spear with her attacker Parvata’s metabolism was streaking. But, without the element of surprise, the borcine was still more than a match for her physical strength. However, Par’vata’s quicker movements and better position allowed her to roll back and flip him over her head. Not a complete dunce, the borcine propagated a full earthen shield and simultaneously began instigation of a space-time gap-step. But the huntress was still one mental step ahead and had already started to force her spirit through the Essence conducting spear when she had grabbed it. Obviously lacking adequate training in the finer points of metaphysical combat, Par’vata quickly overcame the mercenary’s late attempts at blocking her. The huntress flooded his meridians with her adversarial intent, halting his instigation and rendering him stunned under the spiritual feedback. His body helplessly seizing, she dropped him to the deck, quickly snapped his cervical spine, and pushed him out of the hangar. With his Essence flow inhibited, the merc might not survive the wound—

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

" It's no surprise Zarbai made you his mate . . . You’re as formidable as we were told. "

Par'vata whirled to confront the female human. Dressed in a simple black crew jumper, she was battle-ready with a dagger held in a close grip and ready to strike. In the overhead lighting, Par’vata could see that its blade was covered with the green-yellow sheen of an Essence Toxin.

The human also had her Essence masked, rendering Par'vata unable to assess core like she had been able to do with the sixth and seventh-level Attuned borcine.

It is still unlikely that she has formed a Tetrahedral core. If she had, there would be no need to lurk in shadows or fool with Essence toxin on someone like me.

No, this human was a skilled mind-attunement user at the peak of Spherical cultivation, very near the same level of cultivation as Par'vata.

"Keep my mate's name from your foul mouth—" And by unspoken agreement, they flew at each other. Par'vata's natural and enhanced Beast Affin attributes being offset by the human's significant skill with the blade. After several exchanges, the female mercenary ended up a step ahead and capitalized by sweeping Par'vata's lower left paw out from under her. As Par’vata fell, the assassin maintained physical contact with her to both better her position on the ground as well as to prevent Par’vata from gap-stepping away.

The human's smile was wide and feral as she scrabbled forward, her poisoned blade striking down in an overhead arc scoring a hit and slowing Par'vata's Essence control. The blade struck deep into the huntress’ left shoulder . . . and it stayed there . . . Par'vata had already coiled her feline feet into a merciless series of vicious kick slashes that tore the human's core, meridians, both legs and most of her pelvic and abdominal organs from her. They sprayed over the deck behind her into a loose pile of wet, clumped shreds.

A good trade . . .

Par’vata stumbled to her numb feet as the assassin’s Essence toxin was already taking hold in strong effect. The Tigris’ Essence was quickly turning into sludge and preventing the propagation of skills. It also drastically slowed her healing and confused her mentation.

Poisons . . . nasty business! Par’vata thought to herself through a growing cloud of confusion and slowed thinking as she struggled up with her back legs and remaining functional arm.

Blood dripped freely down her striped fur as Par’vata pulled the bone-wedged blade from her shoulder. A clank of finality rose from the metal plates as it dropped . . .

. . . It’s time to go.

Slowed thinking or not, Par'vata’s goals hadn’t changed. She needed to lead Dod Stal's servants away from the Essence poor sector she had chosen as Rakshak's hiding place. She couldn’t fool herself into thinking all of the aberration’s lackeys had been dealt with. There will be more . . . there are always more . . .

Par’vata three-point stumble-rushed aboard her ship and fell into the cockpit’s seat. Grabbing the flight controls, she spun a quick 180 degrees and flew out of the hangar’s port.

Concentrating not to slur her words, Par’vata called to the ship’s AI, “Callcuulate course . . . for Cassttrroni . . . sysstem. Hyperrrspace when readdy."

"Compiling data …" The AI responded.

Now, with the freedom to release the loosening grip she was holding on her focus, Par’vata closed her eyes and sagged helplessly in her chair to wait out the toxin’s effect. Her Essence would eventually purge—

--Par'vata . . . Leaving so soon . . . and without farewell? You also seem to have left something behind . . .

Dod Stal’s hated voice spoke directly into her mind. Her rear-facing view screen showed him standing casually at the edge of the hangar bay’s portal. His handsome adamite face and battle chassis still bore the telling of her mate Zarbai's paw slashes. But she only had eyes for what was nestled in the crook of the abomination's left arm. A small black and orange stripped child was being fed there from a bottle held in Dod Stal’s other hand.

Rakshak!

Knowing that Par'vata could see him, his metal face smiled warmly at her.

Thoughts still sluggish, it took a moment for Par’vata to realize her tragic error . . . My mindscape!! How could I have been so foolish to leave it even partially open in the possible presence of this enemy!?

She clamped her Mind Attunement down to her center, but the damage was already done. The aberration’s Mind skills had already planted the consciousness seed of Rakshak's presence. With his power level at the peak of Tetrahedral cultivation, his skills could not be stopped by merely shielding herself. From this point forward, Par’vata would never be able to tell if Rakshak was really there or not!

In the moment of stunned silence, Dod Stal nailed home his advantage. With a wink to Par’vata, the monster levitated a Mouse Affin's obviously torn-off head like an orbiting moon, around the battle android and her son. After one rotation, Dod Stal let it fall to the ground behind him. Your small friend also seems to have been unaware of your imminent departure.

Bondi!

Despite her size, Bondi had been an unflappable Affin. She had been the only choice Par’vata would consider as her backup messenger to inform the Sundai of Rakshak's hidden location . . . What information did this maniac get from her before she paid the ultimate price for our friendship?

Dod Stal looked over his shoulder while still cuddling Rakshak. You seem to have wholly disassembled my human protégé, Xsias. A pity that . . . I had such high hopes for her.

The living-undead-mechanical abomination turned back to Par’vata with flat sincerity in his dead eyes. We need to talk, don't you think? A malevolent smirk crept over the android's adamite face as he raised Rakshak's tiny body a few inches in her direction. He arched his metal fingers in mock aggression to Rakshak as a brutal reminder of the stakes.

Even in her addled condition, Par’vata knew there was no leaving with the possibility that Dod Stal had her son. With Bondi's loss . . . it was more likely a probability at this point. Peak Tetrahedral reality glamours aside, there was no way Dod Stal would know Bondi had been Par’vata’s insurance policy without having actually captured and torturing it from her. It was not a big leap to assume that he had gotten her son’s location from the poor Mouse-Affin as well.

Par'vata slowly turned her ship 180 degrees back toward the open hangar.

Tears ran down her orange and black-furred cheeks as she roared in defiance.

"Override safety protocols! Manual control! Authorization: Sundai-0-2-Prime!"

"Control Authorized." The sexless AI's voice came back.

There was one clear thought surfacing in Par'vata's Essence-poisoned and anxiety-accelerated state, and she accepted it.

A clean death is better than what terror-filled existence this soulless obscenity has planned for you Rakshak…

“Calculations complete.” The ship’s AI noted.

Forgive me, son . . . I’m sorry that this is the best I can do for you . . .

"Activate Hyperdrive!"

* * * * *

Even at the peak of Tetrahedral cultivation, Dod Stal only had time for a partial expression of horrified understanding as Par'vata's ship jumped to lightspeed and detonated itself into the moonport's hanger. Forever ending the abomination's belief in the myth of immortality.