Episode 111

Footsteps upon the tile floors echo out up into the high ceilings of the main mall hallway, sharply reflecting off the hard surfaces. Glances around at the leftover clusters of disarray near displays and vendor stalls, Bach searches the area, squinting at fresher signs of chaos and disruption. He steps around the remains of a construction bot, an oozing pool of hydraulic fluid spreading slowly upon the tile floor. Pausing a moment, he blinks his blue eyes, furrowing his brow, and grimaces uncomfortably. He slowly scans the vicinity, lifts up the visor of his helmet, and darts his stare eyes around in the relative quiet of the massive space. Walking ahead, he pans his gaze around a huge intersection and orbits around the large decorative fountain, the sputtering trickles of water tickling the soundscape. He rolls his shoulders against the tension and wrestles twitches of discomfort upon his face. Standing still, he stares distantly down each of the corridor runs from the intersection and curls an uneasy frown.

He reaches into his pants pocket and retrieves his aetherphone. Flipping through menus, he attentively watches a radio application scan through frequencies and the dead noise charting out on the display. He draws in a breath, glances around the area, and rests his hand on the side of his helmet. "Chad? Hey. Come in Chad. Can you hear me? This is Bach from Sebastian's team. We're trying to reach you, and something is causing problems with the radio."

Seconds later, blips of noise crackle into distorted surges of volume from the helmet speaker. Bach carefully listens and grimaces, the interference obscuring any coherence of the transmission. Shaking his head with a long sigh, he taps the display on his phone and tunes into clearer channels.

Cideeda's voice chimes out from the headset in Bach's helmet. "We're heading back now. There was one more of those bots wandering around. But, I think that's it."

Moments later, a key up chimes over the channel, and Dretphi sounds out from the background crackle. "Modoran found us. One civilian found. Remaining robot eliminated. Proceeding with caution."

Aristespha calls out over the frequency with hints of relief. "Sebastian scouted out as far as he could go. From what he saw, the main halls near the intersection should be all clear. He has not seen any new threats."

The radio keys down and remains quiet. Bach breathes in and gazes out into the area. "It's been clear for me, so far. I haven't been able to contact Chad using any of the channels he should be on. I don't think my signal is reaching him clearly. Something might be getting to him, but I think it's as garbled as what I might be getting back from him."

Moments later, Cideeda responds, tinges of worry slipping out. "Yeah... There's A LOT of interference. Way too much, even if these bots had something to try to jam up the radio. We really should not be getting any now. Tassilda and Trakenthin haven't been able to call Chad up on the aether system. It's really weird."

Drawing in a breath over the call, she grumbles uneasily. "But... They can call everyone else and radios are still working between us. Though... The interference is getting worse by the minute."

Bach nods gradually and freezes in place. A faint, barely audible thumping rises out of the idle drone of the vast open halls beneath arching skylights. Searching for the source in vain, Bach darts his blue eyes around, gritting his teeth, and spins around, staring down each long, wide hall. The overhead lighting flickers erratically, stabilizing seconds later. Wrestling surges of discomfort on his face, Bach pulls in a stiff breath and frowns with slow hiss through his teeth. He stares distantly into his mind, contorts his face into uncomfortable winces, and calmly inquires on the radio. "Okay... This just might be my paranoia speaking, but... Anyone else been getting a really WEIRD feeling about this place... that's getting stronger?"

The radio remains silent for seconds. Sotalia's voice crackles out of the wavering static. "Well, I've felt that something has been off with the magic in the area. But, then again, there's been some fighting and spells used. So, I don't know what to compare it to. It definitely doesn't have the same feel as the last time we were here."

Moments of quiet later, a wary, cool tone slips out from Cideeda over the radio. "You too, Bach?"

Blinking at the response, Bach grimaces and sighs. "Yeah... It feels familiar... In a BAD way. I don't want to jump to conclusions..."

Cideeda's side of the radio call keys up, a cold tinge coloring her voice. "Orth Ridge."

A brief moment of quiet later, Dretphi groans uneasily. "It feels like Hattan to me. Quiet. Dangerous. Do NOT know why."

Gritting his teeth, Bach stares long down the wide hall, straining with a few calming breaths in the radio silence, and keys up his radio. "Yeah... Shit... I don't want to worry everyone, but... Gods. I swear I keep hearing some low thumping. I don't know where it is."

Cideeda quickly replies with a surge of concern. "I've been hearing that, too! It's too quiet and low for me to figure out what direction it's coming from."

A nervous sigh creeps out from Aristespha over the channel. "Deedri has heard it, too. And... So have I."

In the lull of conversation, Aristespha keeps the radio keyed up. Sebastian's ethereal tone reverberates from a distance over the channel. "Okay. Everyone... Keep a look out. Let's focus on getting everyone back to the meet up. Aristespha has gotten reports the GAA and Rangers have been called in to secure the area, since they don't know where these things came from. Let's try to get everyone out of here, and we'll go from there."

Agreements chime in from all the team. Seconds later, Aristespha keys up her side of the radio call. "Bach, Sebastian is going to see how far he can go towards you and keep watch of your way back. Don't go too far, yet. We should have a group ready to head your way soon."

Bach nods, scanning the area, and squints at the far off points in view. "Wasn't really planning on it. I'll walk a little further out and keep trying on those channels."

Frowning uneasily, he pauses a moment and steps towards a long hallway off the junction. Paranoia drives his glances around the corners, pauses after the low background thumps, and long stares at the overhead lighting flickering.

---

Outside in the massive parking lot in front of the convention center, Samantha rushes between different crew members, inspecting lists upon tablets and clipboards. Pushing through the chaos of people scrambling away and police forming a perimeter, she rushes up to one of the studio trucks. She leans her back against the side of the vehicle and gradually collects herself, desperately trying to secure a moment of calm from the pressing anxiety all around. Her hazel eyes flutter and she glances around at the different groups of people gathering nearby. Combing her fingers through her shoulder length, brown hair, she hisses a breath through her teeth, summoning up her composure, and spins around. She grips hold of the handle of the nearby door, opens it up, and climbs inside. She peers into the narrow cab and calls out. "Any sign of Veevi on the cameras?"

Gerald glances over, shakes his head, and returns his attention to the bank of monitors. "Nothing yet. Thankfully, we've been finding a lot of stragglers and people in hiding."

Samantha nods, pulls out her clipboard from underneath her arm, and flips through a few pages. "Okay. All crew are accounted for. Half the registered guests have been confirmed to have left the area. I've got everyone with parts of the registration roster calling people, and a few working with the police to check guests still here."

Pressing a series of buttons on the main panel, Gerald squints his eyes at the screens ahead and grabs hold of a joystick on a control console. "GOOD. At this point, I think all the fans are out of the building. We haven't found anyone else on the cameras for a while, and the teams have directed those we found out to the place."

Glancing at Urdi, Radnae, and Harris sitting at different control stations, Samantha frowns briefly and wrestles down the surges of nervousness upon her face. "Okay... The guild says the GAA and Rangers are near and will be doing perimeter containment and area searches. I think we're going to be here for a while."

With a simple nod in response, Gerald flips a few switches, adjusts the aim of a remote camera via joystick, and carefully watches the output on the main screen. "Yeah... Have you been able to call Chad again?"

Samantha shakes her head, twisting her unease upon her face, and sighs out her stress. "No. Any call to him won't even connect, and I'm getting nothing on the radio from him. And, I STILL can't call up Veevi."

Gerald narrows his dark brown eyes and shakes his head of short, dark blonde hair, grimacing hard. "Gods damn it... This shouldn't be happening. What the hell is going on here?"

Harris calls over toward the other side of the van. "Hey, Gerald. Did outside camera three just go down for you?"

Blinking a moment, Gerald shifts his attention over to a side display and nods, tinges of visibly frustration emerging. "Yeah. Okay. What the fuck is going on? I KNOW those are good shielded cables. They shouldn't be getting this much interference. And, they shouldn't be getting completely cut off by... Anything."

Radnae flicks his furry ears, glances over at Gerald, and grimaces in surprise. "UM, I think something is causing the cameras themselves to shut down. Outside cam five just came back up, and it's going through its start up checks."

Gerald meets Radnae's gaze, and the two exchange uncertain frowns, both furrowing their brows in a silent conversation. Shaking his head, Gerald flips through another series of views on the monitor bank, distributing the feeds on the monitor bank. "What THE HOLY HELL is going on?! I KNOW we've had those cameras in worse spots before, and they didn't do any of THIS."

Urdi's furry ears perk up, and she quickly taps her claw tips upon a control keyboard. "I think I found her! Interview area, camera two!"

Harris, Radnae, and Gerald quickly switch the feeds to the main screens of each of their stations, and Samantha slips behind Gerald. On the main display of Gerald's console, a stool stands in front of a toppled over backdrop. Peeking out from cover behind a pile of advertising stand debris past the backdrop, Veevi frantically glances around and rushes out from cover. She scrambles down the hall in partial view of the camera and slips out of the shot. Samantha grits her teeth and grumbles into a near growl. "Dammit! She's all the way in the interview area. OH, I think that hall leads to that old food court."

Gerald nods and sighs out his frustration, shaking his head. "Yeah, and we got nothing past that point. SHIT. We really need to let Chad know."

Blinking her purple eyes, Urdi cracks a sharp grin and adjusts her headset. "I got an idea! He's still probably in a section where we have some announcement equipment working. I'll patch it into my station and hope he's listening."

With a hopeful smile, Gerald shrugs his shoulders and focuses upon the other screens of images streaming in. "Worth a shot at least. Good for it!"

He pauses a moment in thought and settles his attention upon a side monitor. Pressing a few buttons on the control panel, he swaps out the side feed to the main screen and squints. He leans in closer and contorts his face in utter bewilderment, blinking. "What... the... fuck... Is THAT?"

Samantha leans over Gerald's shoulder and narrows her stare at the monitor. "What?"

The two watch a video of the outside greenery around the mall from a high vantage point. The screen shows a long sidewalk along the side of the building with a thick forest meters beyond a mowed lawn. Moments of still quiet pass. The tops of distant trees abruptly shift, briefly try to move back, and stop. Noticing the audio meter activity from the source, Gerald turns up a volume knob and flips a switch, external speakers playing out. Over the amplified feed, low thumps sound out and wood cracks resonate in the area. Harris and Radnae slowly turn in their seats, staring in utter confusion at Gerald's display.

Seconds after another tree top falls below the canopy. The feed distorts, an error screen flickering, and the video cuts to a no signal warning.

---

Hurried footsteps echo out into the vacant food court. Veevi scurries out from behind a decorative column near the center of the large rotunda and frantically glances around the abandoned chairs and tables. She rushes over and slides behind a dividing, concrete planter. Scrambling next to the disused low wall, she pants loudly, darting her pink pupil eyes around, and presses her back against the cover. Minutes pass. Idle silence settles around Veevi's slowing breaths. Blinking to some semblance of calm, she cautiously surveys the unused food court. Her attention wanders between dust sprinkled tables, stacked up chairs, and vacant vendor stalls. Wrestling her paranoia surging within, Veevi pulls her legs up, wraps her shaky arms around, and rests her forehead upon her knees. She fights off tremors of fright, forces deep, long breaths into her lungs, and exhales slowly. Her long, short-hair tail coils around her cowered form, and she sniffs up the traces of tears in her eyes.

Lifting her head up, she glances up into the high, glass ceiling and finds a moment of tranquility in the white, fluffy clouds coasting above in the light blue sky. She combs her sharp nails through her long, pink hair, mustering up a bit of composure, and mutters to herself. "Okay... Okay... No one is here... Just me... Wait here... Let them take care of it..."

She buries her face in her hands, sniffs up a few more tears, and vents a long sigh through her fingers. Her fuzzy ears perk up. Her pink pupil eyes widen. She straightens her back up against the concrete planter wall and frantically searches ahead of her. Moments of a fruitless search later, her fuzzy ears twitch with each low, distant thump growing from the background noise of the cavernous space. The rhythmic sounds mix with loud wooden cracks and the chaotic, muffled cacophony of branches crashing. Veevi's eyes lead her head, and she gradually peeks over the top of the low wall. Down the far off end of the disused food court, treetops violently shudder beyond a tall glass wall.

A few large trees at the edge of the forest topple, crashing off to the sides. From the shade of the canopy, a darker, massive humanoid form stomps out. Black ethereal fire fluctuates wildly between a robotic frame and stone plating of magic. The giant golem steps forward, plants its metal alloy foot into the crackling sidewalk, and shifts its mass for the next move. Its metal and crystal skull presses through the glass wall effortlessly. A waterfall of shards wash over the humanoid monstrosity and splash upon the food court floor. Window framework breaks free from anchors and crashes upon shattering tile work. The black fire automaton slowly marches into the court and approaches the center of the rotunda, each foot fall rattling loose everything in the vicinity.

Veevi gawks in utter horror, unbridled terror freezing her mortified stare ahead. Her hands clench through tremors upon the planter lip on top of the short wall. Moments later, her knees buckle underneath the overwhelming fear, and she drops down upon a pooling puddle of absolute fright. Each powerful thump shakes her still. She remains motionless, each stent longer with the increasing intensity.

Seconds of silence pass. Veevi blinks her eyes, forces her quivering lips into a frown, and leans towards the side of her cover. Her fuzzy ear passes around the corner of the short wall, and she freezes. Her eyes widen. Her breath halts. A dark, hellish taint poisons the background ambiance, flooding out the peaceful tranquility with an unearthly blend of machine drone, energy hums, and chaotic hiss. Swallowing hard, she presses through a surge of fear driven trembles and peeks an eye around the corner.

The nightmare golem stands at the center of the vast space under the high up, skylight ceiling. The black energy writhing between machine and magic components vehemently rejects the sunlight from above, and pulses of dark miasma vent out into dispersing mists upon the food court floor. The robotic frame containing the dark flow shifts with hisses of hydraulics, tightening bands of artificial muscle, and glows of magical runes. Powerful, large metal hands idly clench, and the inhuman head of the dark creation scans the area with two dots of blood red within a hollow, dark void.

Veevi remains motionless. Sparks of attention fight past terror, and her pink pupil eyes follow the panning, empty stare of the nightmare. Silently swallowing her fear down, she observes, fighting back her horror. She times the rhythm of the sweeps with the subtle wags of her tail, and Veevi's retreats behind her low cover. Searching the surrounding vendor stalls, she settles her focus upon one and spots the metal door leading into a back area. Her glances dart around the vast space above her, the tighter fit of the metal door, and proximity of the nightmare golem. Quelling the surge of quivers over her body, she grits her sharp teeth, peers around the corner of the short wall, and watches the idle scans of the monstrosity.

The huge, dark form stands in place. Its metal and stone plated head repetitiously pans across the area and constantly sweeps the same arcs rhythmically. Its cold stare reaches an extreme of its range. Veevi slinks out fast and slips behind another short planter wall. The black fire coated skull pans back towards the other extreme, holding, and drifts back. Pulling her peek back from around another corner, Veevi scrambles quickly towards the vendor stall and slides around the counter, freezing in place. Seconds of tension weigh down upon her, and she mouths a silent count to herself. Wincing briefly, she carefully peeks around the corner and watches the head of nightmare golem turn away from her. Her full focus snaps onto the metal door, and she crawls over towards the solid barrier. She grips the handle and pulls. It remains in place. The color drains from Veevi's tan face. Her brown striped arms flex against the immobile door, and she strains in vain, trying to budge the door open. Her eyes widen, she glances around, the head of the dark beast beginning to swing back into another pass. Veevi releases the handle, scrambles back behind the counter, and freezes in place.

The quiet moment gives way to the hellish, looming drone pressing down upon Veevi. Seconds pass, and Veevi remains still, staring up at the age stained drop ceiling of the vendor stall. A ground shaking thump vibrates into her from the floor. Another impact follows, and a subsequent one grows weaker. A strange relief teasing, she closes her eyes. Her fuzzy ears perk up towards the lessening power of the thunderous footsteps. She eases out her relief quietly and opens her pink pupil eyes. Her attention drifts away from the distancing sounds still vibrating the area."

A crisp metal clatter near her seizes her attention.

Spotting the ladle next her, Veevi darts her terrified, wide-eyed stare upwards in the food stall. A collection of stacked pots tips over from the top of a nearby shelf. Veevi gawks horrified. The cookware crashes upon the tile work floor, bounces loudly, and scatters in a cacophony of clangs around Veevi. Silence stills the air. A fast series of powerful impacts rushes up towards the counter and halts on the other side. Veevi remains perfectly still. Her terrified glances search desperately.

Robotic hands crush wood and metal and rip the counter free of its floor anchoring. Veevi rolls over and stares up at the nightmare over her. She reflexively gasps and unleashes a shattering shriek, echoing out violently around the food court. Scrambling for footing, she tears off into a sprint. Mid step, a powerful machine grip seizes her around the chest.

The tightening hold clamps down upon her. Squirming and writhing against the pressures, Veevi struggles for freedom. The golem glares coldly down at Veevi and waits. Moments later, the grip gradually closes down upon Veevi. She frantically flails around, futilely pulling against uncaring steel, and grits her teeth, the mix of machine and magic pressing upon her torso. Her desperate pants shrink. She fights against the forces upon her rib cage for each shallow gasp. Between forcing out screams of help, a few muffled cracks from within sound out, and Veevi barely manages a yelp of pain. With tears streaming down her face, she struggles for consciousness and uses her last bit of strength, clawing against the robotic hand crushing her. Her hope fades.

A laser blast drags across the metal and crystal head of the machine. Another beam rocks the unnatural skull, and the nightmare golem spins around, facing the barrage of attacks. With his laser pistol leading and sword at the ready, Chad charges forth at full speed. Another volley of laser blasts pelt the monstrosity, pulling its attention away from Veevi. Chad rushes in close, stabs his blade into the wrist joint of the machine, and violently thrashes the edge deep within. Loud clanks rattle out, and sparks spray out from the robotic mechanisms. The grip around Veevi shudders into a full release, and Chad yanks his sword free. Veevi flops onto the ground, reflexively gasping for a deep breath, and winces in pain.

The nightmare wails out a flood of unnatural and synthetic tones, flushing out all other noises in the food court. Stepping back, it straightens its imposing metal and stone frame and glares blood red points upon dark void eyes down upon Chad. It stomps over slowly, and Chad kneels down next to Veevi, checking on her. "Veevi. Are you okay?"

Veevi gazes up with tear stained eyes and fights through the pain, whimpering. "I... don't think so..."

Glancing back at the towering amalgamation of magic, tech, and terror, Chad grits his teeth uneasily and nods at Veevi. "Okay... Get to cover. I'm going to keep it busy."

Watching the shifting form of the nightmare golem, Chad points his blade down the corridor away from the food court, aims his pistol at the beast, and calls out to Veevi. "Catch your breath. Stay in cover. And, get ready to run that way when I tell you to."

Blinking back to awareness, Veevi notes the direction, gazes up at Chad in her confusion, and shakily asks. "W-w-what are you... Going t-t-o do?"

Chad stands up straight, steps in between the monster and Veevi, and lines up a shot with his pistol. "Make myself the main target."

He pulls the trigger and drags another beam across the metal, stone, and dark energy form of the golem. Side stepping away from Veevi, he fires blast after blast upon the towering, black fire entity and yells out. "HEY! You going to do something about me or WHAT?! Plenty charge left to crack open that fucking beer can you call a body! What are you waiting for, ASSHOLE?!"

With each scorching trail upon the armored exterior, the nightmare golem's head leads the rest of its imposing form, following Chad's strafing movements. The glowing blood glare shifts completely away from Veevi and locks onto Chad. Crawling over behind the cover of another planter wall, Veevi pants heavily, clutching her sides. Chad concentrates his fire upon the head of the monster and backpedals away from the designated exit. He waits for the nightmare golem to step forward and unleashes another laser volley. Tense second passing, the creature slams each tile shattering footstep forward, flexes robotic hands, and shifts the black energy form within its frame.

Chad pulls the trigger. A shrill alarm screams out from the pistol. Glancing at the weapon, he grimaces at the various warning lights flashing on the pistol and sternly eyes the lumbering monster closing in. He holsters the laser pistol, retrieves his shield from his back, and readies himself, yelling out. "Veevi! Are you about ready?"

Veevi forces out a response through the tinges of pain and weighing exhaustion. "I'm trying... A little longer... I'm sorry..."

With a concerned frown, Chad musters up his resolve, tightening the grip on sword, and shouts back encouragingly. "It's okay! Just tell me when you are ready. I'll draw it far away."

He concentrates fully upon the light absorbing mass of the nightmare before him, summons up his courage, and grins boldly. "Gods almighty. I'm such a dumbass."

Carefully stepping towards the towering creature, Chad watches the fluctuating black energies of the monster and listens to the mixture of chaotic drone, hydraulic hisses, and magical hums. He hops forward. The golem's darkness flares within the confines of its frame, and a robotic hand quickly swipes out. With his shield guarding the dodge, Chad leaps back. The golem's attack finishes. Chad jumps forward into its recovery and drives his blade forward, sinking the sword into the dark energy of the nightmare's forearm. Wrenching the sword within the amorphous mass, Chad slices through the thick energy and savagely scrambles for vital points with the sharp edges. A corrupted growl vibrates in the room, and the monster pulls its arm away from the assault. Seizing the opportunity, Chad yanks his sword clear and darts his brown eyes around at other similar points.

With quick thrusts, Chad violently probes his blade into the dark energy forms, gaps between plating, and spaces of joints. He orbits around the beast, slashes at other probable targets. His eyes watch the golem's reactions, and his ears listen to the resulting noises. Chad backs away and readies his shield. The nightmare's full focus rests upon Chad, closing in on him. Chad steps back, maintaining a distance just outside the demonstrated reach, and waits cautiously. In the tense standoff, he glances away from the monster and spots the stains of black energy pluming out upon his blade. Blinking in utter confusion, he tries to shake the dark flames off his sword.

Rushes of fluid, clanks of metal, and surges of chaotic noise echo out from the beast. It draws its arm back, clenches a robotic fist, and drives it forward. Chad raises his shield and hops back, watching carefully. His eyes spring wide open in shock. The nightmare golem's arm stretches beyond the restraints of its frame, partially detaching. Bracing against his shield, Chad catches the impact, the force shoving him onto the floor. He slides upon the back of his breastplate and scrapes against the floor, leaving long gouges in the tile surface. Veevi's panicked voice yells out over the shift of metal and hum of energy. "Chad?! Are you okay?!"

Chad blinks his eyes open, checks his helm, and groans out. "Yeah... I'm fine. Just fine... Fuck..."

With each thunderous step forward, Chad forces another motion, gets his legs back under himself, and stands up at the ready. "Just get ready! He's really mad at me now! He shouldn't care about you."

Wincing, Veevi nods and squirms pained behind cover. She struggles against her trembling form and peeks out from behind the wall. Flinching, she lowers her fuzzy ears against the clashes of metal, crushing thumps of footsteps, splinters of furniture, and crumbling of concrete. Fluid rushes, metal pings out, and chaotic droning surges. A solid clang resonates, and a heavy flop slides into a grind of plating against floor tile. Veevi's pink pupil eyes widen, and she screams out. "CHAD!"

Bracing herself upon the short wall, she lifts herself up and searches around the court. Past the lumbering black fire form of metal and stone, Chad grumbles loudly and grunts in a mix of pain and anger. "Oh, FUCK. YOU! That's such a bitch move..."

He shakes his, shuddering down his body, and arches his back. "Oh. Fuck... Gods dammit... Shit, that STUNG..."

He props himself up on his sword, stands up panting, and summons up another wave of courage against the nightmare golem. Narrowing his eyes up at the beast looming over him, he pushes forth a brave smirk and prepares for the next assault. He tenses his body, steadying his footing, and glances around at the fresh debris around him. The towering dark machine draws back its arm. A high pitched electronic whine rises up over the background. The nightmare golem pauses. Lowering its arm, it straightens its form and scans its blood red eyes around.

A powerful eruption of plasma bursts out against the back of the golem's armored skull. Bolt after bolt slams against the black fire filled form of the nightmare. Slowly orbiting around the monster, Bach squeezes the trigger of his magically enhanced plasma pistol and releases another charged up ball of energy. The golem's full attention locks onto Bach. It glowers blood red within black void eyes into the pinpoint of white within Bach's glowing blue eyes. Side stepping with each barrage of bolts, Bach shifts closer to Chad, calling out. "Chad! Are you okay?"

Blinking in surprise, Chad thinks a moment and nods. "Uh- Yeah! I'm still standing."

Bach settles near Chad, holding his fire, and watches the nightmare monster. "Did you find Veevi?"

Pointing his blade over to a short wall planter, he smiles comfortingly at Veevi peeking over the top. "Yeah. She needs to get out of here."

Gritting his teeth, Bach maintains uncomfortable eye contact with the nightmare golem and motions towards the exit route. "It's clear that way, and the others are coming."

Chad grimaces, keeping his attention upon the monster. "Yeah. I've been trying to draw it away and keep its attention. That way Veevi can get clear."

Bach glances over at Chad, checks over him, and returns his uneasy stare at the golem. "Yeah. She should be good to go. It's NOT paying attention to her anymore."

Following the concentrated glare from the nightmare towards Bach, Chad twists his mouth, nodding in agreement, and yells out. "Veevi! If you can move, get out here! The others are coming that way! Meet up with them!"

Veevi lifts herself, nervously glances around, and stares at Chad with genuine worry pushing through her terror. Chad grants a simple nod with a comforting smile. Veevi fights against a frown, turns towards the exit corridor, and rushes off. The nightmare golem maintains its unmoving glare right through Bach. Veevi clears out of the area. Chad draws in a long, deep breath, side steps closer to Bach, and whispers. "So... You got an idea on how to deal with this? Because, my blade isn't doing a gods damned thing to it."

He lifts up his sword, rotating the blade, and eyes the coating of flaming black energy. "And... Ungh... I have no fucking clue what it is made of. But, THIS doesn't look good."

Wrestling a few thoughts on his tan face, he sighs out his exhaustion and worry. "The best I got is the two of us keeping it busy until the others arrive... But..."

He notices the nightmare golem still standing motionless, still glowering at Bach. "It- Uh... What the fuck... I think it's watching YOU."

Gritting his teeth, Bach hisses a nervous breath, swallows hard, and chuckles awkwardly. "Yeah. It's got a damned good reason to watch me."

He glances over and meets Chad's intrigued gaze. "Do you think you can keep it occupied for a little while? I got something that'll take it down... But, it probably won't give me the chance to try it."

Chad cracks a humored smirk and laughs. "Sure, but I don't think my sword will do anything to it-"

Bach reaches his hand out, threads of white energy flowing down, grips hold of the blade through the black flaming energy, smirking against Chad's surprise. "I can fix THAT."

Threads of elder flow surge out along Bach's arm, condense into his hand, and spread upon Chad's sword. Flashes of bright light crackle against the disappearing black flames. Energy sinks in the blade, channels of elder flow attach to the surface, and a white aura pulses. Releasing his hold of the blade, Bach grins at Chad and turns his attention toward the nightmare golem. "THAT will probably hurt it."

Quickly glancing over his blade, Chad gawks in awe, a bold, bright white smile spreading on his face. "There's one way to find out."

Lifting the sword up, Chad watches the red glowing stare dart to the blade. "Yeah... I think he's worried about THIS."

Bach nods, stares up at the nightmare, and grimaces, tenses his body. "Once I start, it's probably going to come right after me."

Chad rolls his shoulders, readies his shield, and tightens the grip on his brilliant blade. "Hey, it's not the fastest. If I can set up an approach to its side, I'll probably be able to get a good chance to strike it before it gets too close. I'll go for the legs."

The two exchange glances of agreement. Bach glares up to the nightmare golem and remains stoically still. Chad slowly orbits around the monster, keeping his blade down and out of sight at his side, and hunts for an approach. The towering monstrosity grants moments of attention upon Chad away its primary attention on Bach. Chad stops his circling and meets Bach's gaze.

Yanking a deep breath in, Bach brings his hands close together, and his eyes flash a brilliant blue glow with growing white. Layers upon layers of circular bands of magical energy materialize, rotate up to blinding speed, and spin upon chaotic pivots. A growing white noise rises up from the background, crackles of power flooding into the swirling air. The nightmare golem focuses fully upon Bach, digs its metal alloy feet into the crumbling tile work floor, and powers itself forward.

Chad springs forth into a full charge, speeding towards the side of the monster, and readies the pulsing energy sword. Finding his approach vector, he lines up with the target, powers down the route, and slashes into the dark, flaming mass of a leg. The blade's slice through the bulk of the nightmare limb, and a brilliant burst of hellish miasma erupts in the wake. A bellowing shriek floods the air with the unnatural cacophony of random noise, and the golem staggers. Wincing through the acoustic assault, Chad follows the momentum of the swing and carves his sword across the thick of the other leg. Another enraged roar vibrates the area, drowning the space in sonic chaos.

Wind vortexes around the orb, countless streams of prismatic energy pour into the ball. Gazing up at the downed nightmare, Bach cracks a bold grin. White light flashes in his eyes, radiating out. Surges of elder energy burst forth from his body, jet towards his hands, and drive into the contained maelstrom. The glowing blood red eyes of the monster widen. Its body shudders. Bach grits his teeth, tenses his body against the power, and shouts. "GET CLEAR OF IT!"

Chad nods and turns away. The golem glares at Bach and draws its arm back. The sounds of fluid rushing, metal clanging, and magic humming fill the air. Chad's brown eyes widen in immediate recognition, and he slides into a pivot around. Reversing into a sprint, he drops his shield and raises his blade with both hands. "NO!"

The glowing white blade slams through the rearing, black fire limb in a burst of dissipating energy and sticks solidly into the framework within the warping mass. The beast wails in synthetic, distorted agony, its arm flopping limply upon the floor. Chad yanks against the sword, failing to budge it, and glances over at Bach. The moment of awe upon the spherical chaos promptly convinces Chad, and he abandons the blade, bolting for cover.

The energy flows into the orb stop. Bach hoists up the elder energy disintegration ball, smirking wildly, eagerly, and releases. The sphere launches forward from a pulse of power and jets across the distance towards the nightmare golem, trails of magical energy threading coasting behind it. The monstrosity swings its other arm at the projectile. The ball suddenly slows, sharply drops low, and darts underneath the arc of the limb. It pitches up and slams into the metal and stone plated chest. A particle cloud plumes out from the impact, and it burrows through. The orb sinks into the roaring black fire core of the nightmare.

A silent moment passes. Cracks of white spider out along the hidden surface of the fluctuating dark mass behind surging black flames. The frame of the golem rattles violently. Spouts of hydraulic fluid burst out, sparks erupt into showers bouncing upon the tile floor, artificial muscle rupture into frayed threads, and metal joints snap into fragments. The fractured dark form leaks billowing clouds of white miasma, and the black mass within the magical and mechanical frame disintegrates. In the final plume of energy, the last traces of the nightmare energy dissipate and fade from existence.

The remaining metal and stone collapses into a smoldering heap upon the fluid stained floor.

Bach chuckles lightly with a worn, triumphant grin, and drops down to his knees. Laying back upon the tile work, he flips up his visor and loudly sighs. "It's done. Shit..."

From behind a pillar, Chad plods out in disbelief and gawks at the leftovers, tilting his head to the side. He pivots to gaze at Bach and plods over. Sitting down on the ground, he props himself against a tipped over table. Moments of exhausted breathing between both later, Chad cocks his head and stares at Bach, contorting his face in sheer utter confusion. "What the fuck... was THAT!?"

Blinking against the wave of fatigue, Bach tilts his head towards Chad and ponders out loud. "I don't know, man. I guess... Some kind of Nightmare based creation? I mean, it wasn't as bad as the Nightmare Geists."

He furrows his brow and glances off to the side in thought. "Both those SUCKED. Thinking about it, maybe it was kind of a bot and kind of a golem? I'm leaning towards golem... Yeah... There was some magical stone on there, so that kind of makes sense."

Blinking his wide eyes, Chad gawks blankly at Bach. He pulls off his helm, sets it off to the side, and rubs the temples of head. "Wait, you... What? Okay... I've got... Oh, I've got... So... Many questions..."

With a long sigh, Bach accepts the situation and chuckles amused. "Well, I literally can't move right now. So... You might as well ask. Ain't going anywhere for a bit."

---

Veevi struggles keeping up her pace down the long, wide halls. She pushes forth between debris, wrecked bots, and toppled advertisements. Her sprint waning, her stride staggers, and she slows. Panting loud, short breaths, she clutches her chest and winces with each draw of air. She blinks her eyes, reaches out for support against a pillar, and leans down, gasping. Mustering up her strength, she grits her teeth, stands up, and lurches forward. She plods ahead, her distant gaze ahead, fighting the fear emerging upon face.

Seconds later, her eyes flutter, her balances tips, and she stumbles to the ground. Catching herself, she yelps out in pain, wincing, and trembles. Pulling in short breaths, she gulps down air and coughs in agony. With a sharp frown, she positions her hands and pulls her legs underneath, straining to stand. Seconds of struggle later, she settles back upon the tile floor. Horror erupts on her face. "No..."

Veevi heaves her chest, dragging more air into her lungs, and grabs her sides, reflexively blurting out in pain. Her worn stare searches around in vain, growing distant. She slumps down upon the floor and flops out onto her back. Short, rapid pants punctuate the overwhelming panic throughout her body. Surges of terror press against her exhaustion, and Veevi aimlessly flails weakly, attempting to right herself. The power behind each attempt fading.

Struggling to keep her eyes open, Veevi heaves with each shortening pant and stares distantly up to the high skylight ceiling. Tears well up in her pink pupil eyes, flow down her tan face, and soak her pink hair upon the floor. Veevi forces air out, pushing forth single syllables. "Please... No... Help... Please... Help..."

The empty, hollow silence of the hall overpowers the frail squeaks. Veevi musters small, partial sobs with each labored breath. Short pants punctuate the silence surrounding her. The long moments between gasps loom over her. Veevi's distant stare softens, gazing up at the clouds drifting through the skylight. Her eyes shudder between the flood of thoughts in her mind. The seconds pass by. Her tired stare weakens.

Between the shallow, heaving pants, a grim resignation washes over her, and genuine acceptance leaves her lips. "I'm... sorry..."

Consciousness slips away, and her body continues the fight.

Through a radio, Chad's crackling voice echoes out down the hall over the sound of fast footsteps. "I think we're good. Has Veevi found you all? She was looking rough and might need help."

Across another channel, Bach keys up his side. "Yeah. She should be getting close to you all."

Jogging with Trakenthin and Tassilda, Cideeda glances her emerald green eyes around, frowning. "We're heading down that one last run your way-"

Her furry ears flick, and she searches around. "Wait! I hear someone down that way."

With the team spreading out, Tassilda steps towards the other side of the hall around a center aisle decoration, and her light blue on black eyes widen. "Veevi!"

Rushing over with Trakenthin and Cideeda in tow, Tassilda kneels down and watches the unconscious Veevi struggle for each breath. "Trakenthin!"

With a simple acknowledging nod, Trakenthin sweeps up Veevi in his arms, pivots sharply, and sprints at full speed down the hall. Cideeda keys up her radio and yells out. "Aristespha! Deedri! Veevi needs help! Trakenthin has her! He's on his way back!"

Powering through the sharp turns, Trakenthin speeds down the long distances, the wind blowing the pink hair of Veevi's limp form. Around a final bend, the Deedri and Aristespha lead ahead of Sotalia, Dretphi, and Modoran. Trakenthin slides down to a halt in front of both Deedri and Aristespha and lays Veevi upon the ground. Deedri and Aristespha rush over, jumping into medical diagnostics. Blinking her glowing auburn eyes, Deedri quickly speeds through a complex series of incantations. "Massive hemothorax. Multiple broken ribs."

Nodding, Aristespha gesturing another chain of incantations, focuses her violet illuminating eyes, and rests her hands on Veevi's sides. "I will handle the bleeding and the ribs."

Deedri directs prismatic flows into Veevi's gasping mouth and rests a hand on her chest, energy sinks into Veevi's body. "I'll get oxygenation up and fluid evacuation."

Aristespha and Deedri methodically work magical energies and apply chains of trauma treatments, stabilizing Veevi. Aristespha installs a IV line, secures it, and readies medications, preparing a synthetic blood bag. Keeping her glowing auburn eyes attentive to Veevi, Deedri constantly gestures through different spells, reciting incantations, and carefully adjusts fine details, Veevi's breaths deepening. Among the concerns in the surrounding teams, Cideeda messages back to Bach, and Tassilda relays the updates to Chad. In the midst of the emergency care, Veevi's eyes flutter open.

Awareness gradually returns to Veevi, her eyes refocusing upon the world around her. Deedri notices the searching gaze and twitches of emotion upon Veevi. With a calming smile, Deedri speaks softly. "You're okay. We're taking care of you. Just... Focus on deep, slow breaths. Okay?"

Veevi glances up at Deedri's concerned face, frowns slightly, and weakly whimpers honestly. "Thank... you..."

Closing her eyes tightly, streams of tears trail down the side of Veevi's tan face. She reopens her pink pupil eyes and gazes distantly up into the clouds through the skylights. Her fuzzy ears perk and focus upon a nearby conversation. Chad's voice crackles over Tassilda's aetherphone radio. "Any update on Veevi? Is she okay?"

Tassilda glances over at Veevi briefly, smiles, and reassuringly states over the radio. "She's woken up. They're still taking care of her. But, it is looking good. I think they're just getting her ready to be transported to the hospital."

An exhale of relief sounds out from the other side of the channel, and Chad replies with a faint tremble in his voice. "Oh. Thank the gods. I... um... fuck..."

Stretching out the tension in her back and shoulders, Tassilda slowly nods her head. "Rest up. Once things are good here, we'll get to you soon. Are you sure you don't need anything?"

Chad chuckles awkwardly and sighs. "No. I'm fine. Just... was worried."

Veevi blinks another swell of tears out of her eyes, returning her distant gaze up to the clouds above, and weathers the long forgotten waves of shame and regret.