Wasteland Survivor – Proven effectiveness - ch34
#35 of Wasteland Survivor
When I saw Fox and Crystal charge in to support the Orc flank I swung my machine gun around to break some ground for them, I thought they would need it.
All at once Fox lit up like a ton of thermite, glowing bright red, her speed caused her to blur in my vision, I eased off the gun and swung it back around and began mowing down the hordes still pouring at our front line.
Glancing back over I saw Crystal likewise light up a pure blue-white and great impacts started crushing the beasts into paste against the ground.
All of a sudden the dragons were both swooping down to rake and tear at the largest of the beasts, using their speed and agility to keep clear of the swirling melee.
This was not a good day to be in the employ of the Elves.
-
"Nice shooting Bri." I said, she had, using whatever mental power her Elven heritage gave her, hit and killed a target with every shot. I had been lucky to hit a target for every three.
"Keep an eye, I want to know if any more targets appear." She said, leaning back from the rifle for a brief rest.
I adjusted my binoculars and suddenly things didn't seem so good, "Shit Bri, its their Goddess, the bitch is pissed!" I said, trying to keep my voice muffled.
Bri settled back to her scope, adjusting it to better see the show, then things turned bad as the very pissed off Goddess turned to glare right at us and started screaming. "Oh crap!" I said.
Beside me, Bri didn't swear, she did pray though, murmuring under her breath.
A huge bolt of lightning and the subsequent thunder alternately nearly blinded and deafened me but as my vision cleared, He was standing there, between us and the angry deity.
"Be gone from here, your disciples are no more, your fight is done." He pronounced.
The angry Goddess didn't waver and charged right at him.
He growled out a word, it was unintelligible, but at the same time every molecule of my being knew that this was a true Word of Power and that it meant 'Stop'.
The Goddess was immobile, but still she seethed at her invisible cage, spitting and screaming in wordless hate.
The huge manifestation of lightning walked up to the helpless being, "Will you cease this fight and return to the beyond?" He asked in a kind but firm tone.
The inarticulate scream of hate was his only reply.
"It saddens me to have to do this to another God." He raised his great hand, power crackling around and between his stretched out fingers and place it atop the Goddess' head, "Then if you can't Be in peace, then Be No More!" He intoned.
The whole of the world paused for a moment as reality shuddered.
When I had my senses under control again I saw the God standing alone now, his hand upturned with a brilliant red-black flame boiling just above his palm.
Suddenly he shrank down to the form of his 'little old man' and ambled slowly up to us, the only thing that marked him as 'other' now was the burning flame.
"Children, as I promised." He bowed slightly with a grin, "You are remarkably efficient with those things." he said conversationally, pointing his non-burning hand at our rifles, still arrayed in front of us. Then he hummed.
Dipping his free hand into the flame he tore it in half, separating it into two distinct burning lances of energy, one blue, one black.
"Your powers, child, now that the Goddess of your line is dead will be much diminished, so I think it only right that you have this." And before either of us could act, the God had thrust the blue flame into Brianna's chest. "And I guess it would be remiss of me to give one member of this union such power and not the other, so here.
I staggered as he did the same with the black flame to me.
Suddenly the world was a hotter place, I looked down to my arms and saw the black flame envelope me, knowing that if I wasn't strong enough to control it that I would be consumed. I bent my will to the task feeling the chill of the flame centralise again and become contained in the same place I drew my own magic from. It merged with my magic, tainted it, became chaged by my magic itself, it became something other but wholly mine.
I turned to Bri, saw her turn to me, blue glowing fire burned deep in the recesses of her eyes now, we walked to each other and embraced tightly, suddenly I felt the flame within leap up, seeming to pour over us again, and an answering flame come from her.
"Does this change anything?" She asked me.
I nuzzled her neck, feeling every inch of her I could get myself in contact with, "Not unless we let it, love." I said back before her mouth met my muzzle.
-
The Event cleared and my vision returned to normal, the beasts were in full retreat, running away, the Dwarves around me started to cheer.
"Its a good fight you invited us to lad." One of the more ornately armoured Dwarves said, looking up to me, "Now, I hope you have something to drink, we had to force march down here and our supplies are quite a ways back..."
I laughed, letting power flow off me to dance over the metal armour of my companions, concentrating I forced the electricity to arc at frequencies, modulating a booming voice, "Thank you friends!" It cracked like a whip and was gone.
The Dwarves cheered more and they were all but carrying me as we made our way back to our camp.
-
More pray, there was always more, I danced and danced, my mates joining my song and spinning their own tunes through it making it more. I fought harder.
Eventually it was Crystal at my side, she had captured me with her power first, then as I slowed my pace she had brought herself to me, "Love, its done, the fight is over." Her hand pushed my raised arms down, not with strength, nor with the force of her will, but with her love.
The song shifted, and before I could stop I was on her, my hands reaching for her, the twin daggers in the ground beside us, crackling their protection of this event.
Not far away, right beside me as far as my mind went, the dragons had turned their own songs and were embracing too.
It was fast, it was almost brutal and Crystal growled and roared her need to me by voice as her soul and mind were within me.
Panting in recovery, I realised she had ended up on top of me, we were nose to tail. I gave one more lick, cleaning her before I said softly, "Wow."
"Mmm, you sure know how to have a party babe, but damn can we pick somewhere without so much blood next time?" She said back to me.
It was then I realised where we were and what we were doing and got up with a 'eep'.
My still partly naked partner however stood beside me and just pulled me into an embrace, "Even when you let all that anger out, you still can't help but love. Don't ever change Fox." She said softly and I forgot about my clothing and just stood there, hugging her back.
~"My count has Brathnial of both of us by twelve kills little lover, we shall have to work hard to make amends."~ Drath's voice sounded weary but very very satisfied with not a small hint of pride.
~"You had better, or I may have to seek a stronger dragon!"~ The big dragoness chided him in jest.
-
I walked among the dead of my clans, out of the nearly thousand souls I started with, barely six hundred looked to be standing, and some of those may not be for too much longer.
Walking back to them a rush of red fur came speeding from the Front line, Kitsune, about a dozen female Kitsune, led by a seven tail.
As they reached the Orcs a stillness descended over the two races, the lead female however broke the tableau and reached down to a mortally wounded Orc on the ground, a soft green-white glow spread around where she touched him as she wove spells.
The Orc lifted his head, then braced his arm under himself and rose to his feet a little unsteady, but still in utter defiance of the death sentence his wound should have been.
Reaching down, he helped the Kitsune to her feet, then dropped to one knee and thanked her.
The stillness broke and the unwounded Orcs helped the Kitsune organise the most wounded.
-
We trotted back over the grass, rifles on our backs. I still felt a little different for the flame the God had put in Ryst and me, but somehow it felt right, I turned my head to Ryst. "Think we could speed this up a bit?" I asked, reaching to that reserve and spinning out a fine web of power, letting it wrap around my legs.
Ryst looked on in wonder, then did the same, suddenly our pace quickened and we were running faster than one of the trucks could have carried us.
Cresting a hill we suddenly saw the carnage, thousands of beasts slain. On one flank the Dwarves were clustered around a huge wolf, obviously Nicols. The other side was a mess, the Orcs had lacked the precision fighting that had saved the Dwarves from most of their casualties.
"Something inside wants me to go down there." Ryst said, pointing to the Orc side.
I nodded and we took off, reaching the outer edge in moments.
The first Orc that saw me started to scream a battle cry and charge, only to have the one we had captured grab him and dump him on the ground, "She is a friend. Not to be harmed." He told the humbled warrior.
Ryst was already over with his grandmother and the other Kitsune, "Bri, come over here, I need a hand with this." He yelled to me. I nodded to the Orc leader and trotted over beside Ryst.
"Take my hand." He said and started to gather his power, spinning runes by the dozen into the air. I started drawing power too, poured it into him, let it twine around his own, its perfect compliment.
The magic spread, flowing through the air and along the ground. It searched out wounded, flowed into them, healed them, Orc or beast.
Soon nearly a hundred of the beasts and over a hundred and fifty Orcs were back on their feet and looking at Ryst.
I was dumbstruck, this wasn't how magic should work, where was the cost? Where was the energy consumed.
He just turned to me, "Things are different now Bri, magic is really MAGIC." He laughed and spun his power into the air making faux fire works go off, just for the hell of it.
I was in wonder of him, then he took me in his arms and drew us as close as he could, "Nothing will ever hurt our friends again." he promised and kissed me to the point where I had to believe him.
Phew, that took some out of me, hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it, till next chapter \o