"War is eternal."~ Hecarim, The Shadow of War
Back to normal schedule from now on. Chapters every other day. Leave comments or even a review. Do you guys have anything you'd like to see in the upcoming chapters? Let me know.
Watched Wake up dead man tonight with the boys on a discord call and that was the most fun I've had in a movie in a while. I really enjoy whodunits. Yesterday was K-pop demon hunters and well... that was alright. I guess. Can't really expect 7 twenty three year olds to not laugh their way through that.
Images update along with the next chapter. You should see it update throughout tomorrow.
Also I had some really stupid mistakes in this chapter so please point out if you find anything.
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"Is... that your mother?" Daisy pointed as Ambessa and her soldiers walked out of the prison.
Mel squinted, and sighed, "Yes. That is my mother. And Rictus."
"Your mother and her soldiers just captured my sister." Rell commented.
Mel turned to him and squinted.
"What?" Rell shrugged. "She did."
"Can I burn them?" Annie asked.
Sydell raised his hand stopping her, "Wait. We aren't here to fight. Its a simple in and out. No need to alert anyone to our presence. And no need to have Tibbers come out either. Not unless something goes horribly wrong."
They watched as Ambessa and her soldiers stopped, in wait for a tram.
Something was bugging her. The two enforcers who had brought that woman in just as she was leaving. They didn't seem normal. She turned, planning to trust her instincts.
Then the creaking sound of a tram moving toward them sounded. She turned around, not understanding the creaking.
Ambessa squinted at the tram.
Its doors were odd.... as if something had rammed into it. Sparks flew off wiring the tram was attached to.
"Rictus." She said.
Rictus stepped forward, his hands grasping his spear tight, "I see it. Raise your weapons."
BANG
The tram shook as it moved toward them. Its doors banging against itself.
BANG
BANG
BANG
She raised her war mask and donned it as she eyed the tram. Reaching into her cloak she pulled out her weapon, a hand blade similar to her Drakehound gauntlets, and got into a fighting stance.
"There's something in the tram." Daisy eyed the vehicle. "Something large."
Sydell frowned as he tried to focus on the tram. Trying to take in every detail was difficult. And unlike Daani and Daisy, he was not gifted enough to have such clear vision. "If whatever inside comes at us.... or makes their escape harder..... Rell... use all the metal you can."
GROWWLL
BANG
A large beast leapt out of the tram, sending the metal doors flying. Its leap aimed right at Ambessa.
And with a swipe of its claws, it sent Ambessa face first into the ground with a sickening thud. The beast had large metallic claws and two metal canisters on its back, glowing red.
Mel gasped.
Rictus swung his spear at it but its head swiveled around and countered with its claws. It then swung its other arm around, slamming into Rictus's body, launching him into the tram.
The two other soldiers moved in with their spears. One swinging at its torso and the other stabbing toward its head.
The beast turned around and smacked away both weapons with one swing and thrust out its claws.
CRUNCH
The armor on the soldiers torso crumpled and gave way to the claws, instantly letting it spear through the soldier.
The beast raised its arm, lifting the body into the air and shook it. The body slipped out and thumped to the ground. The other soldier looked at the bodies on the ground and turned to run.
THWACK
The beast swung at him and slammed him into the ground.
He did not move.
Its head slowly turned to the entrance of the prison, and the metal canister on its back pulled back, red liquid filling it.
PSHHSHHHHH
Steam rose from the beast as the canister went back down, pumping the liquid into the beast. For an instant it looked disoriented and then it got on all fours and sped toward the entrance.
"MOTHER!" Mel yelled as she rushed toward her.
A sudden chill erupted near the silent children.
Sydell didn't turn to understand that Daisy had pulled out her sword. He cracked his neck and stepped forward.
Annie stepped forward and followed Mel to her mother.
Rell looked at Daisy and nodded.
The group didn't need to discuss anything to understand what needed to be done. The creature was going toward where their family was. Annie was looking after Mel. It was their mission. She was strong enough to face anything on her own. And keeping Mel safe was something their father had trusted her to do.
Sydell, Rell and Daisy ran toward the entrance of the prison.
And what met their eyes were a bunch of dead bodies, blood everywhere, on the floor, on the walls and the ceiling.
"They are not all enforcers." Rell said as she observed the bloody bodies.
Sydell leaned to observe a body, "Jinxers." He frowned, "Weren't they imprisoned?"
"Jinx and Sevika probably got them out." Daisy pointed out, "See the hits on the bodies? Not all of them faced that thing. They were probably fighting the enforcers up here when the beast entered."
"And now its going down." Sydell said as he pointed to one of the elevator shafts. Its metal door lay embedded in a wall, ripped off its hinges. "Leapt straight down."
"But this is still operating." Rell said as she walked up to the second elevator shaft.
It slowly pulled up to them and the group saw a bunch of Jinxers and prisoners all huddled inside, ready to escape out.
"Run." Rell said loudly to the prisoners as they exited, "There is a monster that just got in. It caused all this." She said sending a thumb back.
The Jinxers stepped out and most of them crumbled at the bloody sight in front of them. Some ran to the bodies crying out in pain, while some began vomiting profusely.
"Leave!" Sydell roared as the three entered the elevator. "You do not have time to mourn. You do not have the time to sit here. Run. You this opportunity to escape!"
The strong willed ones grit their teeth and began pulling their friends up and dragging them out.
The elevator slowly lurched downward.
"We will be late to the fight with this." Daisy sighed, her feet tapping the base of the elevator as they slowly inched toward the bottom.
-x-
"You didn't go with your siblings." Mel said as she pulled Ambessa's mask off and checked on her mother. The mask cluttered to the ground, a claw mark prominent on it.
Annie looked at the soldier slammed into the ground, she slowly walked to him, "They don't need me there."
"But it would be safer." Mel said with her attention shifting to her mother, "Mother. Mother, wake up." She shook her mother over and over, while kneeling beside her.
Annie checked the soldier for signs of life and noticed his neck bent at an angle. "Dead." She said calmly and walked toward Mel and Ambessa. "I'm staying with you because daddy wanted to keep you safe. You are out with your cloak down Mel. And from what daddy has said, the flower group is everywhere and always watching. It is safe to assume that they know where you are now."
Mel looked up at her and then at her mother almost helplessly.
Annie crouched and observed Ambessa, "Alive. She pointed at her arm. "That is broken. Cushioned the impact from the fall. The mask protected her from instantly dying." Annie said as she looked over her, "Unconscious from now."
Mel looked up, "Rictus." She said in surprise before placing her mother safely on the ground and walking to the tram.
Annie followed her in. The tram was drenched in blood, bodies of enforcers lined the interior.
Together they found the man slumped against a wall, his body having created a dent in the metal.
"Another broken arm." Annie said as she looked at him, "Maybe broken ribs. But he didn't let go of his spear."
Mel turned to her, "Alive then?"
"Alive." Annie confirmed.
She got to her feet and walked back to her mother and tried to rouse her.
"She will wake up on her own." Annie said. "Shaking her might not be as good as you think it is. The body is completely loose right now. Might dislodge something. It is how a lot of soldiers are paralyzed."
Mel looked at her in shock.
Annie shrugged, "Daddy told us. They pull unconscious bodies to safety and that often breaks parts of their bodies that will never work the same again." She pointed at Ambessa, "Shake her shoulders. Not too hard. Remove any clothing that is constricting and she should wake up on her own. Sprinkling some cool water might shock her into waking up."
"Can you use your magic?" Mel asked.
Annie looked at her like she was stupid, "You want me to burn her?"
Mel sighed, "Only fire huh."
Annie nodded.
She loosened her mother's clothing and armor and placed her on the ground. Turning around, she looked at the prison entrance. "Do you think they can beat the creature?"
Annie giggled, "They can easily beat that."
"It took them out in seconds." Mel said, "My mother fought all her life. And this..... creature instantly beat her."
"They are stronger than her." Annie replied, "And they are stronger than it. Rell controls metal. It had plenty of metal on it. She can just wave her hand and it will fly out."
"You don't fear it at all?" Mel asked, "Briar and Daani are alone in there.... will Rell get to them in time?"
"Rell doesn't need to get there in time." Annie smiled, "Briar is there."