One Character (20)

Chapter 20 - Last Stand at Deserek

“This way! Keep close!”

Rackell commanded sharply above the distant roar of battle and the closer crackle of flames.

She led the combined group through the treacherous labyrinth of Deserek Outpost. Her own battered team, Krell’s weary squad, and the injured Diago who floated beside Maya followed closely. They slid beneath precarious, leaning support beams and vaulted over chunks of collapsed walls. Their boots crunched on glass and debris while they rushed towards the border; their last hope somewhere beyond the smoke and ruin.

Krell, Anya, and Bort formed the rear guard. They laid down disciplined bursts of pulse rifle fire at any skittering shapes that emerged from the shadows. Nala walked near them. Her Shield Pixies flitted defensively and intercepted stray projectiles or lunging claws.

Ahead, Dodo occasionally punched through weakened walls or shoved aside heavy obstacles with his Terra-Fist which cleared the path. Rackell stayed at the vanguard and periodically unleashed precise blasts of fire that incinerated Unus scouts before they could raise an alarm.

“Help! Somebody, please! Help me!”

The desperate cry came from a ruined section of administrative offices to their left. Rackell faltered and glanced towards the sound. Every second counted. Diverting could cost them their chance at escape, but the plea was raw and terrified.

“Kark it all,” she muttered then changed direction abruptly. “This way! Quickly!”

They rounded a pile of rubble and saw him – a portly Harmonic. His axe was slick with black ichor. He frantically hacked at thick, pulsating biological vines that snaked around his legs and torso then tightened their grip. He cried out again as thorns pierced his worn combat gear.

“Ignis Burst!”

Rackell thrust her hands forward. Concentrated fire washed over the vines. They hissed and recoiled violently. They shrank away from the heat and burrowed back beneath the cracked pavement which left the man free but panting heavily.

Rackell rushed to his side. “Are you alright? Where’s your squad?”

The portly man leaned heavily against a fractured pillar. His face was pale with exhaustion and despair. He looked down at his shaking hands.

“Gone… all gone. Torn apart back near the south gate.” Tears welled in his eyes. “The transports… they all left. Didn’t even check…”

He looked up at Rackell with an utterly defeated expression. “It’s hopeless. We’re trapped here. You wasted your energy saving me. We’re all just waiting to die.”

Dodo stomped forward. His face contorted with anger. “Die?!” He grabbed the front of the man’s tunic and hauled him partially off his feet. “We just fought through hell to get here, risked getting left behind, and you’re giving up?! Value your damn life, you coward!”

“Dodo! Enough!”

Rackell pulled Dodo back firmly. She turned to the despairing man. Her voice was urgent but steady. “Listen to me. It’s not hopeless. Crimson Star’s command transport is still docked near the border checkpoint. Elizabeth Pellesh is holding the line. If we move now, we can still make it!”

Hope flickered briefly in the man’s eyes. It was a tiny spark amidst the overwhelming despair. “Crimson Star…? Still here?”

RUMBLE!

The ground beneath them did not just tremble; it heaved violently. Deep fissures spiderwebbed across the ruined street. Buildings groaned and shifted precariously. The Harmonics stumbled and fought for balance as the world shook.

“Earthquake?!” Maya yelled.

“No… worse,” Krell breathed. His eyes were wide with dread as he stared at the largest fissure which rapidly widened before them.

With a deafening roar that shattered nearby windows and sent dust plumes high into the air, the ground erupted upwards. A monstrous form ascended from the depths. It was colossal. Glistening black slime stretched over sharp, draconic bones. Two hideous heads, vaguely ant-like but scaled and fanged, rose on serpentine necks and screeched dissonantly. As it fully emerged, the creature’s torso seemed to twist and flow. The two upper halves split and intertwined like some obscene, living knot. Its potent Resonance washed over them, heavy and suffocating.

“Category 3…” Rackell whispered. She recognized the sheer power that radiated from the beast.

“A Burrower… Kuro Ant-Dragon.”

The portly man shrieked and scrambled backwards. He hid behind the largest piece of nearby rubble he could find.

The rest of the Harmonics instinctively fell into combat stances. They raised weapons and Characters flickered into existence.

“Don’t let it strike first!” Krell shouted then opened fire immediately. Pulse rifle bolts splashed harmlessly against the creature’s slimy hide.

The others joined the attack. Fireballs, shadow claws, electric whips, kinetic blasts rained down in a desperate barrage against the towering monstrosity.

The Kuro Ant-Dragon simply hovered. Its twin heads regarded their efforts with something akin to disdainful amusement. The attacks evaporated or slid off its thick, regenerative slime coat without leaving a mark. Boredom flickered in its multiple eyes. It coiled its massive lower body and prepared to charge, to obliterate the annoying insects before it.

WHOOM!

Suddenly, a wall of solid earth erupted from the ground directly in the Ant-Dragon’s path. It was easily ten meters high and several thick. It intercepted the creature’s forward momentum with a tremendous crash.

The Harmonics stared, startled by the unexpected intervention.

“Need a hand, fire lady?”

A familiar, booming voice came from behind them. They turned. Sheldon strode purposefully through the dust. His guild members were close behind him.

“Sheldon?!” Rackell gaped. “You… you didn’t leave?”

Sheldon grinned. “Couldn’t let you have all the fun. Jumped off just before the ramp closed. Wouldn’t feel right leaving comrades behind.” He nodded towards the temporarily halted Ant-Dragon. “Means we’re all stuck here now, though.”

“Not necessarily,” Rackell started, about to reiterate her plan.

FWOOSH! POP!

A bright red flare arched high into the smoky sky from the direction of the Deserek border checkpoint. It exploded in a shower of crimson sparks. Every Harmonic present recognized the signal instantly.

“Crimson Star… Mission Success,” Krell murmured.

As if confirming their fears, they saw it – the sleek, powerful shape of the lead Ackuline 360 rose steadily from the border zone. It gained altitude and began banking away from the burning outpost. Elizabeth Pellesh was withdrawing. Their last chance was gone.

Rackell’s plan crumbled. Hope vanished and grim certainty replaced it. They were stranded.

GRAAAAAAAWR!

The Kuro Ant-Dragon became enraged by the interruption. A seismic shockwave pulsed outwards from its body. Sheldon’s earthen wall did not just crumble; it exploded into dust and pebbles. The monster hovered before them with its twin heads weaving. They were utterly exposed.

“Alright then,” Sheldon growled and slammed his fists together. Rock plating crawled up his arms. “Looks like we fight!”

The combined force of Harmonics attacked again in a desperate, coordinated assault. Rackell’s fire, Dodo’s fists, Maya’s whips, Krell’s squad’s gunfire, Sheldon’s earth manipulation – they threw everything they had at the creature.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

It was useless. Nothing penetrated its defenses.

The Ant-Dragon opened its twin maws. Instead of slime or spikes, torrents of viscous, sickly purple flame spewed forth. The heat was intense, unnatural. One stream struck a large slab of ferrocrete and melted it into slag in seconds.

“Scatter!” Rackell screamed.

They dove for cover and dodged the deadly streams of purple fire. Rackell rolled behind a wrecked transport vehicle.

“Lament Fuego! Distract it!”

Her magma Character roared into existence and charged the Ant-Dragon Unus. The monster contemptuously swatted it aside with one slimy appendage and barely acknowledged the attack. It ascended higher. Its twin heads surveyed the scattered Harmonics below like a predator selecting its meal.

Then, it unleashed another volley of purple fire. It was not aimed directly at them, but around them. Streams of liquid flame slammed into the ground. They erupted into towering walls of violet incineration and rapidly formed a closing circle.

Within moments, they were trapped. An inescapable ring of purple fire blazed around them. It constricted their space while the heat became unbearable. There was nowhere left to run.

Rackell met Sheldon’s gaze across the fiery circle. Krell snakingly nodded beside her. Dodo cracked his knuckles. Maya tightened her grip on her whip. Nala’s Pixies buzzed defensively. They were trapped, outnumbered, and facing impossible odds.

Rackell took a deep breath. The superheated air scorched her lungs. She ignited her Resonance, and fire swirled around her fists.

“Looks like this is it. Let’s make it count! For Aethelgard! Fight to the last breath!”

“FIGHT!”

“TO THE DEATH!”

Around the circle, the other Harmonics echoed her sentiment. Their fear was momentarily eclipsed by defiant resolve. They turned to face the descending Kuro Ant-Dragon, ready for their final, suicidal stand.