Foes? Pt. 2: Dangerous Encounters
Pure spite alone does not win the fight for Elysium. With Sovereign’s triumph, she bitterly accepts a truth she often finds difficult to swallow: she needs help. It pains her to potentially share the glory, but she prefers it to losing out on her trophy altogether. Fortunately, Sovereign’s primary objective is to protect and aid his new alien friends, and this allows Elysium to slip back into the woods, disappearing in darkness.
Making contact with Dione takes no time at all, and convincing her to show up is even easier. Though rivals in a way, they share enough in common to let them work together from time to time, whenever their goals align and the work is better done as a team. By sunrise, Dione reaches the rendezvous Elysium described, and the two waste no time scheming their next step.
“Old Sov will regret making an appearance,” Dione croons, already relishing the thought of facing off with a sworn enemy.
Elysium realizes this approach works out even better than she originally considered. With Dione focused on a feud, she will almost certainly ignore the weak alien creatures, leaving them all to Elysium. “Oh, yes; for all his stoic showboating, he simply can’t keep it up when he’s up against you.”
With a plan in mind, they make their way back to the edge of the trees, this time keeping a low profile to avoid being spotted in the swelling light of dawn. At the crash site, Sovereign’s mighty form stands alert and on guard some paces away from a new addition to the scene - overnight, a makeshift camp has been constructed, surely occupied by the stranded extraterrestrials. Two are visible from the hiding place of the two corrupted daitens, but the other two seem to be inside the tents, and cannot be seen.
Dione’s wings rustle in restless anticipation. Her role is that of distraction, holding off Sovereign while Elysium moves in to terrorize her prey once more. They look at one another, nod, then make their move. Dione bolts from the trees, wings spreading and beating at the air. Sovereign’s sharp eyes turn immediately to the movement, just as Dione’s feet leave the ground. Holding back for a few beats, Elysium moves further down the line of the trees, waiting for the moment the other two daitens engage. Seconds later, Dione dives for her target, while Sovereign simultaneously pounces upwards to meet her, and they collide midair, tumbling to the ground in a vicious tangle of angry teeth and claws.
Taking her cue, Elysium moves across the field, still keeping her head down, but crossing the distance swiftly all the same. Again her pulse quickens. This time, there will be no interventions, no distractions, nothing and no one in her way. She circles around behind the camp, her attention divided between the ongoing fight and the tents the two aliens who earlier sat outside now fled into. She pauses a final time, readying her first attack.
With a shriek, she rips away the fabric of the first tent, pulling the tent poles clean out of the ground. Panicked cries return her battle cry, signalling the surprise of her prey, but as the fabric falls away, Elysium experiences a surprise of her own. Instead of a cowering alien standing before her, a tall, black daiten looks up at her, wearing an expression of disbelief and worry. Dumbfounded, Elysium freezes. The two stare at each other.
Emperius breaks the silence with an awkward cough. “Hello, Elysium. Sov told me you might come back.”
Frustration floods Elysium’s whole body, replacing the shock. “I don’t have time for small talk you stupid insect!” Stalking forward, she goes to shove Emperius aside, but he grabs her wrist as she passes.
“Please don’t do this,” he pleads, too calm for what should be a dire situation. “Sov might try to kill you this time.” He looks at her not with anger or contempt, but with true concern.
“You- you can’t be serious!” Elysium gasps. “I don’t care about that, I came here to get something I want, and I am not leaving without it.” With a hard yank, she tears her arm away from Emperius’ grasp, and turns back to the camp in search of her alien prey. To her dismay, they have all fled, and are nowhere to be seen.
A wretched scream persuades them both to look over to the field, where Dione and Sovereign stand apart, having broken away after Dione sustained a particularly bad wound.
“Lord damn it,” Elysium curses, realizing the fight is over for the second time. Reluctantly, she glances back at Emperius. “I better… go make sure he doesn’t kill her.”
Ever upbeat, Emperius laughs. “That’s a good idea. Good luck!”
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