Episode 97
A warm glow filters through the tent around a slumbering Bach. Faint twitches of consciousness flit upon his face, and he draws in a long breath. Stirring in his sleeping bag, his blue eyes flutter open, the ambient light radiating the morning sun's heat into the small space. Familiar sounds of movement drift in from outside into his ears and slumber yields to groggy awareness. Bach gradually reconnects his mind back to reality, and he squirms in weak defiance within the comfort of his sleeping bag. Slowing to a pause, he blinks in surprise. His eyes refocus and his attention shifts down to the sleeping bag around his midsection. Tilting his head up from the pillow, he notices his tent flap partially open and the light sounds of claws upon fabric. He lifts his head up and surveys the length of his sleeping bag.
A large, zone parrot with colorful plumage meets his gaze. The creature pivots its head side to side, glancing at Bach with each eye curiously, and fluffs up its feathers momentarily. Still seconds later, it ignores Bach, shifts its weight, and curls its talons around a prismatic crystal. It stares at the glittering colors, cocking its head, and trills in wonder at the artifact. Breaking from the trance, the bird clamps its beak tightly on the mineral and nibbles it around. Unproductive seconds later, boredom seizes the creature, and it slams the crystal repeatedly upon the soft fabric covering Bach's stomach. Blinking in wonder and confusion, Bach smirks with a laugh. "Huh, uh... Hey. What are you doing in here? You like those colorful crystals?"
Perking its head up, the zone parrot plainly drops the prismatic mineral out of its beak and tilts its head at Bach. It flares its neck feathers up and focuses its gaze upon Bach, whistling. Bach glances around, props himself up a little more with arms, and stares at the bird. "I guess that's a no. Are you hungry? You want something to eat?"
Bach continues to observe the parrot, and the creature sways its head around side to side with its body, releasing a series of whistles, clicks, and mimicked noises. It darts over towards Bach face with a fast waddle along the sleeping bag, halts right in front of him, and studies him. Pulling his head back, Bach blinks his blue eyes and grits his teeth uneasily with a nervous chuckle. "Nice bird. If you could get off of me, I'm sure I can get something for you to eat..."
The zone parrot fluffs its feathers momentarily and stares curiously at Bach. In a swift motion, it clamps its beak down on Bach's nose.
Leading with a yelp of pain, a chorus of growling squawks, flails of wings, struggles against fabric, and vocal curses between two voices ring out into the arched concrete shelter. Aristespha, Cideeda, Dretphi, Sebastian, and Sotalia snap their surprise upon the tent shaking around and the chaotic fight inside. Bach angrily swears out from inside. "OH GODS! THE FUCK you little shit!?"
A jumbled mess of mimicked words spews forth between flaps, growls, squawks, and shrieks. "Fuck you! Fuck you! Godsdamn bird! Shit! Shit! Get the fuck out!"
The rest of the team quickly exchange bewildered glances. Dretphi and Cideeda rush on over with Aristespha, Sotalia, and Sebastian close behind. Grabbing hold of a support pole, Dretphi stabilizes the tent and swiftly unzips the front flap. A few colorful feathers fly out with the air from large flapping wings, and Dretphi blinks in surprise, trying to comprehend the situation. Growling over the parrot's battering wings and multilingual insults, and Bach roars. "THAT'S IT! FUCK THIS!"
A golden pulse of light radiates out through the fabric of the tent. The flapping noise stops, and the squawks deaden to a muffle. Dretphi cocks her head of platinum blonde braids to the side, gazes inside in surprise, and leans in concerned. "Can I help?"
Bach's silhouette against the tent outline sits up. He holds out a large golden dodecahedron out of the tent and sniffs sharply. "First. Get THIS away from me... Please."
Dretphi grabs hold of the transparent geometric shape. She observes the zone parrot's attempts to claw, bite, and flap inside with muffled, shrill squawks. Glancing over her shoulder, she meets Cideeda's gawk and passes the dodecahedron over. Cideeda grasps hold of the imprisoned zone parrot and admires the magical geometry. A toothy grin grows from the corner of her mouth, her emerald green eyes widen, and she steps away. Dretphi shifts her attention back over at Bach and reaches in to assist him crawling out of the tent. Sitting upon the ground outside, Bach winces, blinking around, and touches the crimson flowing down from his nose into his beard, groaning. "Okay... I'm awake NOW. OW..."
Dretphi spots the blood, gently places her hand under Bach's chin, and guides his head back. "Tilt your head back."
Bach eases out a sigh and complies. Dretphi points to the towel around Sotalia's hair. In a smooth motion, Sotalia unravels the damp cloth, folds it up to a workable size, and presents it to Dretphi. "Here."
Kneeling down next to Dretphi, Aristespha springs her eyes wide with a violet glow and leans in, inspecting the injuries. "Well... Good news, it is nothing serious. Bad news..."
Bach's blue eyes angle down from his tilted head of brown hair, and he cringes expectantly. "Is?"
Twisting her mouth, she directs Sotalia over towards medical supplies near another tent and sighs sympathetically. "The disinfectant I am going to use is REALLY going to HURT."
Sotalia grimaces and shakes her head, walking away. Sebastian's ethereal form hovers over and hides an ill-humored smirk. "Good gods, bro. What is it with you and the wildlife?"
With Dretphi applying pressure to his nose with a towel, Bach rolls his eyes, groaning out his defeated frustration. "Fuck if I know, man. I mean... Why do they keep going for my head in some way? Gods damn it. All I need now is to run into some thudkickers, again."
Dretphi awkwardly frowns, averting her steely gray gaze around, and whispers to Bach. "Saw a few this morning."
Bach snaps a tense stare towards Dretphi, a faint grumbling sounding out. Dretphi warmly smiles and pats Bach's head with her free hand. "They left. You are safe."
Easing out a sigh of relief, Bach relaxes with a smirk, and Sotalia drops off medical supplies next to Aristespha. Cideeda raps her claw tips upon the large golden dodecahedron, wagging her long fluffy tail, and perks her furry ears. Searching around between the team, she watches the stale rage from the trapped zone parrot. "Hey. What do you want me to do with this?"
Sebastian pivots his attention over, narrows his gaze upon the translucent shape, and leans his voice towards his brother. "Bro, is that roughly the same trap spell you used to do?"
Wincing from Aristespha carefully checking his nose, Bach calls out. "Yeah. It'll fade in a minute or two. Please, just get it far away before then?"
With a nod, Sebastian drifts over next to Cideeda, glances annoyed at the parrot in the geometric container, and smirks to Cideeda. "So... Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
A sly, toothy grin graces Cideeda's light brown face, her furry ears flick up, and her fluffy tail sways expectantly. She rolls the huge magical shape upon her main hand, balancing it with her offhand, and winks at Sebastian. "Think so. Just wish it had numbers on it."
Stretching her arms back in preparation, she digs her toes claws into the dirt and readies her bowling stance, lining up her aim to a far off arched bunker.
Trakenthin's large form cracks open the interior door of the laundry room. Peeking out into the hallway, he searches around the empty passage with hazel eyes. He slowly eases the door closed and turns around to the rest of the team. "She is still occupying the camera crew."
Chad reaches up and plucks a cable from the back of a wall mounted camera, sighing. "Okay... A moment to actually talk."
Crossing her gray skinned arms, Tassilda tosses her raven black hair, huffs out her displeasure, and frowns sharply. "By the gods, is there ANY WAY to get that insufferable pest off the team? Can't we have a vote or something?"
Deedri flicks her furry, tufted ears in thought, tilting her head of multi-colored hair to the side, and ponders out loud. "You have a point. We ARE on a reality TV show. I mean, you would think voting someone off would totally be a thing they would do. It's not like they haven't stooped to other lows lately."
Drawing in a long breath, she sighs out her frustration with a frown and leans against the large white dryer. Casually lounging on top of the washer, Modoran glances over to her and smiles comfortingly. He shifts his gaze ahead, rolls his dark blue eyes with a wry smirk, and snorts derisively. "I had really hoped she would have... Resolved herself. I mean adventuring IS dangerous and all. Stuff happens."
A darker tone grumbles from him. "Sometimes with the right assistance."
Noticing the rest of the team scrutinizing him, Modoran nonchalantly shrugs off the awkward moment. "I DO NOT mean anything too terrible to happen to her. Just spook her enough to not want to do it anymore. At worst, something that would sit her out the rest of the season.
Biting her lip, Deedri wrestles a grimace on her fair skinned face and glances around with a mumble to herself. "A femoral shaft fracture would do that easily..."
Blinking a few times, Modoran turns his head, staring at Deedri, and cocks his head with an amused smile. Deedri blushes at the attention, flutters her auburn eyes wide in embarrassment, and shakes her head of multi-colored hair. "Not that I'm suggesting anything like THAT. But... I'm really shocked she hasn't managed to do that to herself already."
Glancing over Trakenthin, Modoran cracks an evil grin, perking his brow with a hint of sarcasm. "Training session mishap?"
Trakenthin blinks, frowns with a dragging groan, and shakes his head. "Tempting... NO. Would not feel right. Would be obvious if I did. Surprised that more injury has not happened to her. She courts the right conditions often."
Gritting his teeth uneasily, Chad holds his hands up and waves down the developing plot. "As... Effective... As that would be... There's actually a number of clauses in our contracts with the show that prevent THAT type of stuff from happening."
He glances off to the side, furrowing his brow. "I'm guessing due to prior seasons."
Rolling his brown eyes, he twists his mouth. "I sent my copy to my mother and father. There's really no easy way out of them without giving up all the pay and risking a breach of contract lawsuit."
Trakenthin grumbles with a nod of his head. Modoran crosses his arms, frowning in defeated acceptance. Deedri sighs and tightly smiles, sorting through her own thoughts. Tassilda huffs out her irritation, slides her hands tightly along her swirling horns, and shakes her head. "What options do we even have?"
A reserved smile appears on Chad's tan face, and he combs his fingers through his light brown coiffed hair. "Well, we actually are getting close to the minimum number of episodes outlined in the contract. So..."
He gazes over the team in the laundry room, grins slyly, and chuckles. "I'm thinking we let her have her way. Let her hog all the camera attention. Let her choose the most bullshit missions. It'll be annoying... BUT, it'll keep the recorded drama to a minimum."
Tassilda narrows her light blue on black stare at Chad and tilts her head to side, puzzling at the proposal out loud. "I really don't like the idea of appeasing her... But. Since she has made off with my spellbook."
Widening her auburn eyes in surprise, Deedri perks up her furry tufted ears. "Is there anything dangerous in here? Should we take it back?"
Holding up a calming hand, Tassilda narrows her gaze in thought. "OH. NOTHING she would even be remotely capable of starting to comprehend. It contains my spell research notes. It is important. BUT...
A faint curl of a smirk appears on her gray, patterned face, and she lifts up a plotting eyebrow. "Keeping her appeased could be the best option. She has no reason to use it as leverage. I don't reveal how important the book is. And, we avoid any conflict that would prompt."
Trakenthin searches his mind, scratching his short dirty blonde hair, and furrows his brow with a bit of concern. "She has taken something of mine. Nothing dangerous. Personal. Irreplaceable."
Lifting an intrigued eyebrow at Tassilda, he nods in gradual agreement. "I agree your idea is best. For now. Still uneasy about not being in my possession."
Modoran cracks a sly smile and shrugs his shoulders. "I will see what I can do about locating the hostages. That way if anything is about to happen, I can get it out of the way of her wrath."
A bit of relief washes over both Tassilda and Trakenthin, and both appreciatively nod at Modoran. Rapping her claw tipped fingers on her forearm, Deedri sways her weight side to side with the wags of her tail and smirks deviously. "THIS... THIS might work even better than you all think. If the ratings drop enough from the lack of drama, they might end the season right after the required number of episodes."
Tilting his head towards Chad, Modoran grins and chuckles. "I like it. We can not be too obvious about it. But... Just the right amount, and it will be long over before they quite figure it out."
Resting his hands at his sides, Chad straightens up his posture, smiles proudly to everyone, and laughs. "Well, I think that's as good enough of a plan for now."
He chuckles with a waning confidence into a drifting, awkward cadence. "And, if it works out just right, then we can focus on doing some real adventuring on our own..."
Pausing a moment, he glances around at the team. "If any of you... Want to..."
Silence swells into the laundry room and presses down upon the assembled team. Chad shrinks against the quiet, Trakenthin, Tassilda, Modoran, and Deedri processing the idea. Seconds later, Trakenthin glances down at Chad and smirks. "Worthwhile endeavor."
Tassilda guides her hair back over a horn and smiles smugly at Chad, laughing. "Admittedly, this whole experience started out rough, but I can see it working between present company."
Modoran and Deedri exchange quick glances. Perking her furry, tufted ears up, Deedri nods in agreement towards Chad. "I think so, too. We can definitely try a few more missions."
Surveying the team, Modoran shrugs his shoulders nonchalantly and grins. "Hell, crazier shit that we saw ourselves has worked. Let's give it a go."
A renewed sense of pride swells up in Chad, and he slightly bow to the team respectfully. "Thank you. It really means a lot. I'm still figuring all this out. But, I'd really like to give it an honest, proper shot."
Easing out a long sigh, he grits his teeth and shakes his head. "But of course, AFTER we've had a few weeks break from this show."
The group agrees together with laughs and relief. Trakenthin notices noises from the hallway and signals the team. Quickly the members of the Flames of the Phoenix sneak out of the laundry room, and Chad plugs the camera back in on his exit.
Bach's eyes flutter open, and he groggily pulls himself up with a long yawn. Wiping the traces of sleep from his face, he glances around the cab of the humvee and observes the early morning, idling. He pats around the side of his seat and pulls up a lever, adjusting the back to an upright position. He fights through one final yawn, grimacing through, and sighs quietly, pinching down the small bandage on his nose. "I think I'd risk another bite on the nose to have sleep in something like that last rest site."
Grumbling with a nod, Dretphi curls up tighter in a blanket upon the back row bench. Aristespha stretches her back by twisting her upper half in the seat and sighs out her agreement. "Yes. That was certainly not the best sleep I have ever had."
Opening her golden eyes halfway, Sotalia groans weakly with a frown curling the corner of her mouth. She combs her long black nailed fingers through her fiery orange, curly hair, and briefly sticks her tongue out in disgust. "Tell me about it, girl. I don't know what it was. But, I could NOT get comfortable last night around here."
Wrestling a grimace across her face, she sneers her upper lip, tensely shrugging her shoulders, and squirms in her seat. "Still feeling strange today."
Peering over her shoulder towards Bach and Aristespha, she lifts a curious eyebrow at the two. "You two sensing anything weird? I keep feeling... Something... Kinda magical, but not quite what I'm used to? It's hard to describe."
Bach and Aristespha exchange intrigued glances. Searching his thoughts, Bach rocks his head indecisively side to side. "Maybe? This place definitely has a weird vibe to it. But, that just might be the usual around here. I don't really know."
Twisting her mouth, Aristespha hums in thought and narrows her distant gaze. "It feels different today. But. That could very well be the specific area we are in?"
Scanning her emerald green eyes around the scenery surrounding the humvee and flicking her furry ears, Cideeda raps her claw tips upon the center console and slowly nods. "I'd lean towards that. This camp site is pretty crappy. And, just a little creepy. Especially after what we were treated to last."
Sebastian's voice emanates from the sword resting on the floorboard between Aristespha and Bach. "Yeah. Hard to beat that place. But, patrolling around last night, there wasn't anything bad at all. Oddly peaceful. Maybe a little too peaceful? I don't know. Nothing conclusive from what the sword can sense."
Stretching out her arms and curling her clawed fingers, Cideeda wraps her hands around the steering wheel and eyes the roughly cleared lot of gravel along the side of the main patchy roadway. "So, I'm guessing we can start rolling out?"
Watching a series nods from the rest of the team, she flips a few switches, the vehicle's powerplant spinning up. "Good. I vote to tear into those breakfast bars and juice boxes."
Dretphi perks up, sits up on the back bench, and unzips a large pack. "Indeed."
Sotalia rubs her stomach lightly, grimacing, and sighs. "I'll take some orange juice for now. Not quite there yet for food."
Leaning out into the aisle, Bach aims his concern ahead. "If you want, you lean your seat back a bit and take it easy."
An appreciative smile graces Sotalia's face, and she gazes at Bach with a nod. "Thank you. That actually sounds good. Think I'll just sort through all the crystals we got again. Maybe a little distraction will help."
The humvee rolls back onto the road. The team opens breakfast bar wrappers and stakes straws into juice boxes. Poking a straw through Cideeda's drink and handing it over, Sotalia wanders her attention to a number of prismatic crystals resting upon a blanket over her lap. She sorts through the different mineral formations, eyes them curiously, and sets aside a few on the front dash. With the team debating the flavor highlights of their meals, the random rainbows of color refracting through the crystals on the dash slowly synchronize from sparkling specks to wavering waves.
Up a high hill, Isaac slowly scans the rolling scenery around with a pair of binoculars, the breezes fluttering stray, wispy white hairs on his head. Tapping his finger thoughtfully on the chassis of the lenses, he calls back to Mavian. "I do believe we are getting close. I'm seeing a lot of old structures that Malkav described in his notes. A bit far away to be sure, but the style of the architecture is in line with what I would expect."
Mavian nods his head, his faintly glowing green eyes surveying another swath of the landscape, and directs his voice over to Isaac. "Good. It's been a long time since I've been over in this area specifically. I do remember one area that might be the best place to check next."
Lowering the binoculars from his gray eyes, Isaac slowly turns his head with a tight smile on his face and sighs. "Let me guess, there's no direct route to it?"
Cracking a humored smirk, Mavian shrugs his shoulders and chuckles. "Unfortunately not. The zone abhors a straight path to anything. But, thankfully, while a longer route... It's a fairly boring route and an easy drive."
A sigh of relief escapes from Isaac, and he steps closer to the blue all terrain vehicle, slowly shaking his head with a laugh. "By the gods, I will take all the boring you can offer. And, pay the highest premium you can ask."
Mavian snorts, pivots around, and starts walking back to the vehicle. Gazing up into the skies above, his stare halts upon a part of the western horizon. He squints his green eyes, and they brighten intensely. He sharply grits his teeth. "SHIT."
Isaac freezes in place, snaps his attention over to Mavian, and glances around. "What is it?"
Focusing his full concentration, Mavian lifts his hand and points towards the distant skies. "Over there. Use your mage sight. This is what I was talking about."
Following Mavian's guidance, Isaac's eyes illuminate, and he squints into the western horizon. The moments passing, his stare grows into an awestruck gawk. "I think... I think I see what you are talking about. It's... So subtle... Just like you said... A vague... Pattern?"
Nodding uncomfortably, Mavian stiffly draws an uneasy breath through his nose and plucks a field radio off his belt. "Yep. Thankfully, I think it's early enough to get the alert out well in advance."
Isaac's attention leaps to a thought springing to front of his mind, and his concern widens his eyes. "Oh gods! Is that near Precipice?"
Shaking his head watching, Mavian lifts up the radio to his mouth and motions towards a more southern section of the horizon. "No. Precipice is that way. But, that spot is close to one of the main roads to it. Thankfully, surges seem to never hit towns."
He glances seriously over to Isaac. "It might take a bit, but I got to get this properly reported so the PDF and Borderland Rangers know where to monitor. And, it'll also warn any zone runners."
Isaac nods encouragingly to Mavian and turns his intrigued gawking back towards the skies. "Please, go ahead!"
He pauses a moment in thought. "Strange that such phenomena doesn't happen to towns, but I'm glad that's the case then."
Mavian shrugs his shoulders and twists his mouth, dialing in numbers on his radio. "Yeah. People debate on why that is, a lot."
Stepping up to the hood of the all terrain vehicle, he takes breath in and keys up his radio. "Surge sign. Surge sign. This is runner Mavian reporting an early stage surge sign on the horizon. Reporting north east of Precipice. Sighting is westward on my horizon. Requesting assist to triangulate."
The seconds pass. Mavian bites his lower lip and grumbles. "Come on... Stupid radio relays..."
Through heavy static, a calm, commanding voice rises out of the warping background hiss and blares out from the radio. "This is Captain Hays of the Borderland Rangers... ...just north of Brook's Haven... ...Providing vector towards the east."
Seconds later, another stern tone pushes through strange warbling shifts of acoustics and droning interference. "PDF Patrol Boat Hellbringer reporting. Ready to radar coordinate and relay to Perimeter."
Mavian blinks at the response, draws out a large rolled up map from his pack on the front passenger's seat of the blue vehicle, and flops it upon the hood. Isaac rushes over and holds open the chart, and Mavian fishes out other tools from his pack. The radio chirps out, other people joining in on the emergency response.
The late afternoon evening sun looms over the horizon in the west and the blue partly cloudy sky and trace hints of evening orange and purple sneak out into the palette. The humvee wheels churn through shallow patches of loose gravel and grind through the layers, the vehicle climbing up a steep incline. Gracing the crest of the hill, Cideeda spins the steering wheel through a number of motions and navigates around washed out ruts down the slope. She grits her teeth through the brief obstacle course and eases out a sigh of relief, shaking her head of short, multi-colored hair. "That storm a few days ago really worked this place over. I haven't found a level stretch of road yet."
Sebastian's ethereal form leans towards the front of the vehicle and glances over at Cideeda. "How are you holding up?"
Visibly weighing her options, Cideeda contorts her light brown face and grumbles reluctantly. "If I listen to my pride, I could totally keep going. BUT... If I listen to my laziness, I could totally settle in for the night."
With a confirming nod, Sebastian smiles and peers his shoulder towards Aristespha. "Dear, could you check the map to see if there's any good place to stop soon? No sense in pushing our luck."
Aristespha flutters her violet eyes back open and tilts her head forward off the seat rest, disguising her wake from a nap. "Oh... Uh... Yes, I completely agree, Sebastian. I will check the map."
Sebastian dons a loving smile at Aristespha, faint hints of embarrassment fading from Aristespha's ivory cheeks. He spins his attention towards Sotalia in the passenger's seat and cocks his head to the side. "How are you holding up?"
Laying back in a tilted seat, Sotalia turns her head, slipping hand out from underneath her blanket, and brushes stray orange hairs over her swept back horns. "Just feeling... Uncomfortable. On edge, for some reason. I just can't figure out why though."
Nodding in thought, a glint from the prismatic crystals resting in a cup holder catches Sebastian's attention, and he points his ghostly finger. "What's going on with those?"
Sotalia gazes down at the rhythmic rainbow colors drifting through the crystal, narrowing her golden eyes, and frowns unsatisfied. "I don't know. It's gone from glittering to waves of color. I've been trying to figure it out, but I'm too distracted by this weird feeling."
Thinking quietly for a moment, Sebastian drifts his inquisitive focus over towards Bach. "Bro, you feeling anything strange?"
Bach blinks back to awareness from his aimless stare out his window and ponders out a loud. "Um... Yeah... I feel something. But, it's hard to describe. It- Um- It's like you should be expecting something?"
Sotalia angles her head up and directs her voice back. "I felt that earlier today. This... It's like something is moving around us."
Aristespha glances up from her study of the map on her tablet and frowns uneasily. "It feels like the pressure system has changed. That is the best way I can describe it."
Cideeda glances into the rear view mirror, meeting Dretphi's puzzled gaze, and the two exchange mutual shrugs. Sebastian hums with an ethereal reverb, crossing his arms. "Yeah. Haven't noticed any sudden changes with what the sword can sense. But, then again, I'm still figuring this thing out."
A chorus of alert chimes spread through the cab of the humvee. Aetherphones ring out, the humvee radio chirps, and the holoplayer screen materializes above its resting place on the center console. Cideeda swiftly taps through a sequence of buttons on the vehicle's radio, and the speakers crackle to life with a stern woman's voice.
"Warning. Warning. Warning. This is an emergency broadcast from the Perimeter Defense Force and Borderland Rangers. A Surge Sign has been confirmed by multiple sources. Please seek a Surge Shelter immediately if you are in or near the affected area. Please standby for coordinates. Please standby for coordinates. Please standby for coordinates..."
With the voice clearly dictating a series of numbers through the warping static of the radio channel, the holoplayer's holographic screen streams out similar information from a data radio broadcast. Spectrum monitors flood with activity, tones of data transmissions decode into lines of text on screen, and another window appears with a map image gradually flowing into existence. Concentrating on the road ahead, Cideeda calls out to the rest of the team. "Someone check that! I don't want to drive into that mess."
Aristespha leans forward, carefully reading the data on the holoplayer, and checks the map on her tablet. Bach, Sotalia, and Dretphi check their aetherphones. With each glance between the different screens, Aristespha's violet eyes widen, her concern contorts her face, and her body tenses. Sebastian quickly notices the rigid body language, turns to Aristespha, and asks, hints of worry showing. "Dear... What is it?"
Lifting her head up, Aristespha sharply pulls in a breath of air through her nose and presents a frown upon her slightly pale face. "Oh. Fuck... I think we are right in the middle of it."
A strangling silence stills the team inside the cab. They exchange wide eyed stares in between the slow seconds. Sebastian blinks his eyes hard, and his ethereal form pales briefly. Sorting through the stunned stares of the rest of the team, he stiffens his upper lip and straightens his posture. "OKAY. Everyone listen carefully."
He directs his calm, commanding tone to Cideeda. "Cideeda. Full power ahead. Drive it as hard as you think you can manage."
Cideeda nods, snaps her grip to a powerplant limiter control and pushes it all the way, the powerplant revving up to an audible roar in the cab. Sebastian glances back to Dretphi and motions towards Aristespha's tablet. "Dretphi. Work with Aristespha and Cideeda on the route ahead. Find us a shelter. Failing that, the quickest route out of the area."
Summoning up a stoic front, Dretphi slides into the aisle between Bach and Aristespha. Sebastian hovers out of the way behind Aristespha and aims his tone towards her. "Dear. Work on protective wards or whatever you think can help."
He shifts his glance up at Sotalia. "Sotalia. Until we get in a shelter or out of it, be ready to handle magic bullshit that gets in our way."
Gazing over to Bach, he nods to his brother. "Bro, help as you always do... But, start thinking of one of your Oh Shit plans. We just might need it."
Aristespha, Sotalia, and Bach acknowledge Sebastian's orders. Settling in for the trek ahead, Sebastian sighs with a grit of his teeth. "And, keep an eye out for any signs of the situation changing. We may not have that much time to act if it turns bad."
The humvee speeds up, and everyone readies themselves. Bach searches the calm skies above with an uneasy frown. He blinks his blue eyes hard and reopens them to a glowing illumination. With reflexive gasp, his upwards stare widens, and he cringes, scanning above. "Shit... THAT is not normal."
Aristespha's violet eyes ignite, and she gazes out her window. Her expression sours abruptly, and she nervously exhales. "No... It is NOT. That much flow is not supposed to be in the sky and uniformly moving."
Sotalia golden gaze flickers brightly. She blinks blankly, averting her gaze from the skies, and focuses her attention forward. "Gods dammit. Well, THAT explained TOO much."
A tall, horizon stretching, column of clouds swirl fast overhead in a torrent of pulsating hues. Electrical arcs rip across the sky, and ignite plumes of prismatic flow. The churning maelstrom of chaos vacuums the energy into the forming aerial wall. Cyclones of wind whip horizontally through the lower atmosphere and engulf specs of light drifting near. Gusts of unseen force yank the tops of trees to one direction and abruptly snap them back the opposite. Orbs of light fall down upon the landscape in waves, and pulses of energy erupt throughout the area, smashing into the ground. The roar of a turbine screams, the humvee rips through the top layer of gravel on the rough path, and all four wheels spin against the momentum pulling along the sharp turn.
A world shaking low rumble resonates from the sky above. The acoustics pulsate in a warbling cacophony of twisting pitches. Leaves and branches vibrate against the overbearing pressure, gravel shakes loosely into staggered flows upon the road, and the windows of the humvee slightly flex. Cideeda's furry ears reflexively flick down tightly against the back of her neck and shoulders, and she grits her teeth, digging her claws into the steering wheel. "FUCK! It keeps making that SOUND! The fuck is THAT?!"
The vehicle powers through a section of plants shifting by themselves in the still air. Cideeda's emerald eyes widen, the hair on the back of her neck and sideburns flares out, and her tightly coiled tail fluffs out. Fighting against an uncomfortable grimace, she glances over at Sotalia. "Okay... That's... New. Did you feel that... Wind, that wasn't wind... Move through you?"
Sotalia nods, patting Cideeda's shoulder comfortingly, and maintains her watchful stare ahead. "Yes. That was a huge jet of background flow. It's usually a lot nicer feeling. I promise. Just not right now."
Shuddering, Dretphi struggles with the stoic expression on her tan face and uneasily strains a breath through her teeth. "I FELT that. Strange."
She shakes her head of platinum blonde braids, steadies herself upon the aisle floor between Bach and Aristespha. She refocuses upon both paper and digital maps in her hands. Retracing the charted route with her finger, she glances at landmarks through the front windshield and directs her voice to Cideeda. "Hard left. Slight right. Slight decline. Sharp incline. Long straight."
Gritting her sharp teeth, Cideeda musters up her determination, scanning the road ahead. "Got it. Hold on. Next turn is coming up."
Sebastian's ethereal form materializes behind Dretphi in the aisle, and his ghostly tone reports. "Clear ahead from what I can tell."
His visage warps slightly and shimmers off hue briefly. A moment later, his projection stabilizes, and he shakes his head. "Shit. I think the sword is actually confused. Not that I can blame it, because it's absolute chaos out there. Probably never was made to handle this stuff."
Peering around Dretphi's shoulder, he summons up a calm tone, inquiring. "How much further?"
The humvee slides into a drift through the turn, and Dretphi braces herself against Bach's seat, glancing over at the securing grip of Bach on upper arm shoulder appreciatively. Spreading her knees wide upon the aisle floor, she shifts her weight against gradual lateral forces and notices the supporting grasp of Aristespha. In the lull of forces, Dretphi draws in a quick breath and glances up to Sebastian. "Four kilometers. Nearest shelter I could find."
With a reassuring smile, Sebastian nods and gazes ahead, addressing the team. "Okay. We're going to make this work. Just keep it up for a little while longer everyone."
The humvee rides down a long slope towards a rocky stream bed. Aristespha's brilliantly violet glowing eyes squint momentarily and widen. "Cideeda! Move two meters to the right. Something is in that creek!"
Cideeda tugs the steering sharply, guiding the vehicle over, and straightens out. The humvee splashes through the shallow water and roars up the hillside path. Behind the machine, a section of the stream bubbles with vapor dissipating quickly into the winds. Sebastian turns his gaze back to the front and sighs out his relief. "Good catch, dear."
Speeding down the straight away, a wave of energy orbs rain down from above. Small specs of illumination bounce off a translucent barrier coating the humvee, and Aristespha narrows her eyes into focus. Her very long, pointed ears twitch back, and she calmly exhales, magic flowing from her arms into the frame of the humvee. The bits of phenomena slick off the pulsating shell and fall onto the roadside. Sotalia straightens her posture in the front passenger's seat, darts her glance around, and peers up through the windshield. Her golden eyes widen in fright, and she yells out. "INCOMING!"
A large energy mass flops heavily upon the front of the hood, and oozes out upon the protective magical shell. Cideeda tenses her muscles, wrestling for control, and steels herself, steadying the humvee. The team blankly stares ahead. Seconds pass, and Sotalia breaks the uneasy silence. "Okay, I'll pull this one off before I does any-"
The prismatic mass sparks and bubbles, and flame billows out. The fire surrounds the vehicle speeding down the road, and the protective magical barrier warps into opacity against the onslaught. Aristespha grimaces, summons up a surge of flow, and grumbles out, straining. "Get that thing OFF of us! I can only keep the barrier working for so long against all this..."
Cideeda clamps her claws on the steering wheel, clenches her teeth, and stares her wide emerald green eyes through the flames flowing over the windshield. Sotalia growls out her frustration, searching vainly for a solution. "Maybe if I shield the fire enough, I can get dispel out-"
Bach leans forward from his seat, pulls himself through the gap between Cideeda and Sotalia, and firmly places his hands on the front dash. "I got something! Give me a moment."
With Dretphi holding his midsection secure, Bach's eyes flash to a bright blue. Swirls of magical flow surge out from his body, jet along his form, and collect into streams of energy. Threads of magic materialize, weave into dense cables, and rush down into the air condition vents. Moments later, a web of prismatic traces erupts upon the surface of the hood. A large golden triangular shape emerges underneath the protective bubble and flaming blob. Nineteen other triangles materialize from the central point in a purposeful pattern from the central shape. A determined smirk cracks from the corner of Bach's mouth, and he narrows his brilliant blue stare at the fiery mass. Fibers burst out from the edges of the triangles, slip up through the protective bubble, and snag the large blob. The triangular branches curl and fold up, the threads of magical energy peeling the anomaly off the translucent barrier. Pulses of prismatic flow rush down the magical cables in Bach's hand, closing the container and wrenching the flaming entity into the trap. Gritting his teeth, Bach sends a massive surge of flow, and the edges seal the fiery anomaly into a golden dodecahedron. With a final pulse of power, a burst of concussive force ejects the trap high into air and clear of the humvee.
Aristespha eases out a thankful sigh and glances over with a tired smile. "Thank you. That was taking a lot out of me."
Bach nods and chuckles. "Yeah. I know the feeling."
Awkwardly working his way back, he pats around for a good grip. Sotalia holds onto his upper arm, and Dretphi shifts him backwards. He flops back into his seat and shakes his head, the glow dimming in his eyes. "I hope another one doesn't do that. I'm going to need a few minutes."
Cideeda's furry ears perk up and aim forward. Narrowing her eyes ahead, she scans the horizon and cracks a hopeful smile. "I think I hear a siren! That must be the surge shelter! We're close!"
A loud crack echoes. A large mass of leaves sharply shifts in the surrounding forest ahead. The large tree tilts towards the road, slowly descending. The rest of the team watches in shock. Sotalia sneers her upper lip, speeds through a complicated series of incantations and gestures, and yanks the door handle. Pushing the door open with her foot, she thrusts her arms forward at the tumbling lumber, and a jet of nearly invisible force rushes out. The energy envelopes a section of the trunk, rushes down to the ground, and solidifies. The tree slows to a halt mid fall and hangs at an angle over the ground. Sotalia strains hard. Prismatic energy surges out of her, swirls into the beam, and collects into the forming transparent tower. With a harsh wince, Sotalia sharply rotates her hands around the condensation of flow, and the column of force pushes the tree over to fall in another direction.
The humvee speeds by, the energy dissipates, and Sotalia slumps back into her seat, the door closing back. Panting out the stress, she groans out. "Let's get in that shelter already!"
With a hard shove, Dretphi pushes the heavy metal, symbol inscribed door of the surge shelter closed against the old steel frame. Bach steps past the archway into a large central room and flicks up blue illumination orbs up onto the ceiling. "Looks like there's a few alcoves around this main room. Not much else."
Sebastian hovers out into the center of the circular chamber and gazes up at the overhead dome. "Yeah. Probably sleeping areas, I guess. Might be some fold out cots or something."
Slowly walking out, Sotalia rubs the temples of her head and grips her swept back horns. She grimaces, groans out her exhaustion, and drops down on a wall-mounted bench encircling the central room. "Gods. I need to sit down. What a day..."
Flicking the last orb, Bach plods over to the bench spot next to Sotalia and plops down. "Yeah... That doesn't sound too bad. Just need a few minutes..."
Surveying the area, Cideeda peeks into side rooms and inspects the layouts. "This shelter looks pretty basic so far. But, it'll do-"
Her furry ears twitch back towards the heavy metal door, and she pivots, facing Dretphi. "I think someone just pulled up outside."
Sebastian zips up to the heavy door, phases his head through briefly, and nods towards the rest of the team. "Looks like another group. Get the door open for them, and I'll disappear for now."
Dretphi muscles the door handle open, readies herself, and tugs the door open. Peering out in the chaotic outside, she yells. "DOOR IS OPEN! HURRY!"
Seconds later, a woman in elegant robes, a grath man carrying large medical pack, a large man with a sword on his back, an emin woman with a scar across her face and pistols at her sides, and a thin, hooded figure with a sleek outfit emerge from the doorway into the entry area. The group collects themselves, the large man greets Dretphi and motions towards the door. "Thank you. Don't worry, it's just us. We didn't see anyone else on our way here."
Dretphi nods with a smile, presses the heavy metal door shut, and engages the latch. Aristespha steps into the entry from the central room, and Cideeda waves to the new group. Bach tries to get up from the bench. He feels the sudden firm grip of a trembling hand on his arm, gazes over to the frightful, pleading stare of Sotalia, and watches her panicked, shallows pants. His blue eyes spring wide open with recognition, and he glances over towards the entry archway with the realization. Snapping his attention back to Sotalia, he gazes calmly into her golden eyes and whispers reassuringly. "It'll be okay. Pull your cloak over and just act like you fell asleep. I'll sit with you."
Blinking back to some awareness, Sotalia quietly nods and yanks the hood of the cloak over her head, dropping her head down. She leans slightly towards Bach and turns her head away from the entryway. Aristespha steps into the central chamber, motioning to the space, and shrugs her shoulders with a smile on her ivory face. "I wish we could tell you more about this place, but we just arrived ourselves."
The tall man with the sword on his back nods, laughs lightly, and crosses his arms. "Completely understand. Thankfully, we weren't too far away when we got the alert."
The rest of the new group filters into the central chamber, and Cideeda and Dretphi follow in. The tall man pauses in thought a moment and extends his hand, smirking with a bit of embarrassment. "Pardon my manners, the name is Omaron."
Aristespha shakes Omaron's hand and bows politely. "Aristespha. Pleasure to meet you."
Omaron glances around at the rest of his group, sighing, and shakes his head. "Once we settle down, we'll be happy to do introductions and all."
Panning her gaze between Dretphi, Cideeda, Bach, Aristespha settles her stare upon Sotalia and puzzles, responding. "Understandable. We are recovering ourselves, too."
She lifts a confused eyebrow and aims her concern towards Bach, motioning towards Sotalia. Bach smirks awkwardly and chuckles quietly. "She said she was going to rest her eyes."
Aristespha rolls her violet eyes and smiles back. "Heard that one before. It has been quite a day for all of us."
Sneaking a glance out of the corner of his hood, the thin figure in the sleek outfit scrutinizes Bach with forming recognition, and shifts his attention towards the sleeping woman next to him with a sly grin. Minutes later of people settling down and enjoying the lull in activity, a low rumble vibrates through the structure, the outside acoustic pressure warbling through twisting pitches. The heavy metal door rattles against its frame. Dretphi, Cideeda, and Aristespha watch the entryway. Exchanging uneasy glances, Aristespha waves over to Bach. "I think we might need your help. This door does not look that secure."
Gritting her sharp teeth, Cideeda points towards the entry and shakes her head. "Yeah, it's misaligned or something. Maybe you can barrier it up until later."
Bach blinks to attention and nods slowly. "Okay, I'll be right there."
He whispers out the side of his mouth at Sotalia. "Stay calm. I'll be right back."
Sotalia eases out a shuddering breath and quietly sneaks out. "Okay..."
Bach stands up from the bench and rushes over to the team. They cautiously approach the entry door. Lurking around the darker shadows of the room, the thin, hooded figure in the sleek outfit steps silently over towards Sotalia. Swiftly he slinks in front of her. Sotalia's body tenses, and she remains silently still. The thin man kneels down, cranes his head around, and grins with recognition, catching Sotalia's golden eyed stare. "Hello, Sotalia."
Pupils narrowing to pinpoints, Sotalia freezes completely, motionless and breathless. Seconds later, her eyes roll back, and she flops unceremoniously upon the bench, completely limp. The noise echoes in the chamber, and Sotalia's faint seizes everyone's attention. The emin woman with a scar across her face glares angrily at the thin hooded man. "WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO?!"
Stumbling onto the floor in shock, the hooded man shrugs his shoulders pleadingly. "I don't know!? I just said hello! Really!"