SoS B1 C5 X5: Casualties
"Shit, pick up the pace and be ready." Allarah looked around to see if the hum pulled any beasts from their holes.
As the darkness subsided the Faeo could see something clawing at the window of a side room, a creature black of hide and white of eye, crying out as though wounded by the light. Down another hall (thankfully not the direction she needed to go) another such creature stumbled out of a side room, screaming through a jaw only half on, flailing a scythed hand in their direction. If they did not get a move on it would soon notice them.
More static then sound, the radio at Allarah's hip came to life, chattered something, and went silent.
"We need to go. Now. Synna, quick as you can." She glanced back at the creature only a moment as she urged the two into something between a jog and full sprint. She didn't like how it looked and she didn't want to find out how it could hurt them, or how fast it could run. She grabbed the radio, holding it close to her ear. "I didn't catch that, please repeat." She needed to know if it was simply interference, or if Narissa had tried to contact them after the lights came on.
"Gate.... open!" Not Narissa, Morkun. Close enough.
"Have people on guard and ready to fight. There is a group of... well, creatures. Haven't seen them before. Be careful" She looked to Ijin hoping most of her message got through the static. "How far are we from Vannik?"
Ijin closed her eyes to sense and immediately stumbled, clutched her belly, then the wall, and began to vomit.
"Ijin!" Allarah ran to her and pulled out her pistol looking around. "Synna, is there anything connected to her?"
"She's on the unsafe div bands! Their connection must be fairly high up there." Synna built up a swirl of meta energy in her hands and washed Ijin down with it. Precious seconds went by as Synna dispelled the magic, and in that time the monstrosity turned the corner, attracted by the magic pouring off of Synna.
It howled, and broke into a sprint after them.
Synna struck out with an Immolation spell as it lunged at her. She was able to evade its initial attack, but took the next to the shoulder. Allarah lashed out with an immolation spell of her own, then struck at the beast's legs with her vectors. The monster twitched and jerked under the dual immolations. Blood spilled from Synna's shoulder as she grunted and pushed the beast. It stumbled from the vectors, and fell to the floor.
It seemed to be crumpling like a bug under the immolation, flakes of muscle and skin crackled off of it as it pulled into itself.
Allarah turned to Synna, "Are you alright?" She gazed at the wound. "I could take a quick look if you need."
She shook her head and sucked a breath through her teeth. "No time. More will be coming. We both just lit this place up. Ijin, can you run?"
Ijin nodded.
"Allarah... forward, or back?" Synna asked.
"Forward!" Ijin yelled, forcing herself to her feet.
Allarah nodded. "If Narissa listened to my directions she should be pulling through the city right now. It's pointless to go back. Besides, you said something about the connection between Ijin and Vannik being higher up in the dangerous part of the auric band. I can only imagine what's happening to him." She frowned, "We need to get to him and the others as soon as possible."
And off they went.
Tskhan looked around trying to gain his bearings with the shift in the environment while keeping up his defense. "Looks like it worked; is this it?"
"Should be." Immuena took position closer to the main group, drew her pistol, and reexamined the room once more.
"What are we holding out for? Do you think we can take every monster in this place? Shouldn't we make a run for the train?" Vannik responded at that very moment by dropping to his knees and puking. The feast from this morning splayed out over the floor.
"This generator wasn't shut off simply because people thought that'd be safer. It was targeted by the energy hungry beasts. All our work would be for naught if we let them have their way. However, how many of you feel we should run?" Immuena paused to look at Vannik. "Someone make sure Vannik is okay." she scanned the room.
"We just need enough power to open the gate, right?" Dmitry asked, moving back to face the hallway. "Staying here is sui- By the All-Seer, someone shut him the fuck up or I will!" The Ireheart whipped into his people's infamous fervor as he jabbed his finger at Vannik, who had grabbed his head and began to scream, crumpled on the floor.
Dmitry whipped back around to face the door as inhuman screams responded out in the hallway. A flood of grotesque figures -- facsimiles of humanity -- had just slid around the corner on taloned, shaky feet, and were running towards them at full bore.
Tskhan resisted going to comfort his ally "Vannik you must be strong friend. Immuena can you do anything to help him?"
"On it!" Immuena bolted to Vannik and immediately started a Div connection, in hoping to either find the cause of his screams or calm him. "Like I said, Dmitri, we can collectively make the call. But right now, I need a second. Someone cover us."
Even guarded by a strong mind and a bit of mental girding, Immuena could feel the psychotic maelstrom of grim emotions battering poor Vannik's mind.
For a bare moment she caught sight of a man cornered by beasts. They caved his head in with fists like rocks.
Vannik screamed louder, clutching his head so hard his flesh was bleeding around his nails. He heaved, but nothing came up, and he crumpled to the floor.
Shakily, he raised his pistol to his head. Tears coursed down his face.
Immuena did all that she could do in that split second: she threw herself upon the screaming Venuan.
Her small frame splayed over his, pale skin over dark. She looked into his mind and his eyes alike, falling into each in kind. In his eyes she saw absolute terror--all dilated pupils and popping veins, but in his mind she saw so much more.
Venua's Dayside. Basic Training. Vannik learning how to handle a rifle, a pistol, a mortar. Concrete hallways, flickering lights. Ethereal shapes rushing down the hall like water, their very touch causing their skin to flake and bones to shatter. Venua's Nightside. Deployment. The front lines. The insectile Sylo shucking soldiers of armor and meat alike, casually. The bulkhead closing behind us. They're outside. Outside. The vents! The vents! The Moon of Nemil. Freelance with Ijin. Wrestling on the side of a creek as the planet glitters above. Rolling to the bottom of a hill tangled in each other. Roughhousing and giggling turn to giggles and moans. Turn off the power! They're attracted to it. Send the distress beacon! Karim will send aid, we must only hold out! Ijin's breasts glistening with sweat. Her smile wide. Yawning, wider and wider, lips breaking open into mandibles. Dark worms crawling out from inside. Ijin's eyes locked onto Immuena's face, focusing for a brief moment. Ijin's face morphing further, skin bleaching pale, features growing delicate. Her jaw split down her torso and she fissured open into a screaming black maw. The vents, they can come through the vents! One death, and then another. Vannik and Immuena witnessed the first together, the agony of organs desiccating, freeze dried under darkening skin. The pain of a life long gone, of a frightful poltergeist lurking over them.
"Беда́ никогда́ не прихо́дит одна́1," Vannik murmured, saying the words with perfect clarity.
The gunshot rang out. Immuena saw it in slow motion in detail that would haunt her dreams for years to come. His bone and skin rippled, peeling apart around the impact point, the temple. The energy charge flared somewhere behind his left eye, which jellied and spewed out in a spout of white heat before the other followed suit. There was a moment of doubtless suspension, perhaps more imagined than seen, and his whole face caved outwards, bursting in a shower of bone shards and brains over Immuena's shocked expression.
Everyone turned to look at the source of the sound, their stunned silence lending to the already deafening emptiness left in the wake of his screaming.
Another sound jerked them all back to reality.
Ijin's agonized cry.
1.) Misfortunes don't come alone; When it rains it pours.
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