The doors are still closed. It looks like nothing has changed at all. You hear shouting outside.
Back to business as usual.
I stand up from the bed quickly, well used to rude awakenings by now.
Navy zips off the bed into the air instantly. Yippie-kai-yay motherfuckerz.
I grab a pillow and hold it over my head to muffle the noise, before realizing where I am and standing quickly.
I wake up. And promptly fall off the bed.
Milo falls off the other side of the bed.
i sit up from bed, throw the blankets off me, catch my breath quick, and stand up by its side.
i sit up real quick and keep sitting for a bit. and sigh
I lay there for a few seconds, before hovering into the air slowly. Fuck standing.
I shoot into the air and land solidly on the ground.
i yawn and stretch #BBeautifully and #DDramatically and whack seth "accidentally"
Seth grumbles quietly, still just laying there.
"Are we leaving or what."
Navy flies into the doors at maximum speed, busting them open with overzealous gusto.
I stand up, dust off myself, and howl. “AWWWWOOOOOO”
The two guards look like they just pissed themselves, and Navy looks pretty damn smug.
I roll my shoulders and dash out.
I grab my spear and give myself a hard slap. Time to wake up. I follow the others.
"< i suppose that answers that question. >" I say tiredly, rubbing my face. I walk towards the door, with one of those awkward half-run half-walk white people jog.
Parker stands in the hallway, breathless. He winces.
i pick my hats (2) off from the bedposts and put them on as i jog after the rest of the group.
"There you are! I was worried you wouldn't be awake in time."
I stand up in bed, running to follow the others.
i do my fun little weightless low gravity bouncing thing off the bed and out the door
"We need to get outside. Pythia's making a speech."
I just mumble something about mondays and keep walking towards the exit.
I follow after the others, still floating.
Parker turns on his heel and runs, waving for you all to follow.
I walk nervously behind everyone else, following Parker to wherever it is that we need to go.
i run after him with the rest of the group.
Parker runs through the planning area. The holographs displayed in the corners are red, now, and the dome in the center of the room is active, showing a three dimensional diagram of the planet itself. He takes a turn to the only door that you have yet to go through.
Don't mine the gap.
Or the typo.
Don't mine at night, either.
You race outside. Pythia, Sebastian, Rigel, Sam, Ryker, and Cashel stand above the massive crowd of people below the steps they stand on.
"...Today, we don't just fight for our lives. We fight for the life of the entire universe. This battle will go down in history, your names honored, your figures respected. Make no mistake- this is not the last stand. It is only the first."
Pythia's voice carries over the entire crowd. You get the feeling this isn't the first time she's done this, either. Fire blazes in her eyes and her stance is only too fitting for her status as an Admiral. Despite you seeming to have caught the tail end of the speech only, you understand why she's an admiral in the first place. "This is a story people will tell their children for millennia. The story of the brave heroes that defended Onatora, the Earth, and by extension, headed off the expansion of the great evil, defending the entire galaxy."
"So make every bullet count." She raises a fist into the air, high above her head. "LONG LIVE THE SUN."
Everyone else on the platform, everyone else in the crowd, all mimic her pose and shout. Those words, "long live the sun", are echoed by hundreds of thousands of people, all throughout the entire city. The hope, the pride, the power, is infectious.
My eyes practically sparkle at the speech she gives. It's so encouraging, her way with words are amazing, even if we did only catch the end of it.
“LONG LIVE THE SUN!” It slips out and even though I agree, I’m still suprised at it.
“So mmany peoplle...” I whisper absent-mindedly.
Cavall instinctively raises her fist in unison with the others, and shouts out with a determined face,” LONG LIVE THE $$UN!”
Oh boy. I nod along and half raise my fist.
"...LONG LIVE THE SUN!! :DD"
i just watch all of this happen, frowning slightly
Okay fuck it. I throw my fist in the air. "LONG LIVE THE SUN!!!"
i shoot my fist up and yell a "vive le soleil!" because it's the cooler version and i learned it from cashel.
I look around with narrowed eyes. I still barely know what's happening, but it is, as previously described, infectious. I raise my fist. "LONG LIVE THE SUN!"
Without warning, Cashel crosses a hand over his chest, placing it on his opposite shoulder, and shouts. "GLORY TO THE CRIMSON TIDE." Voices, but not nearly as many as from before, rise in refrain from the crowd.
"AND LONG LIVE THE REVOLUTION!"
He turns to Pythia and lowers his hand. "The Tidebound fight with you."
Pythia turns to him and raises an eyebrow curiously. "And who did you say you were, again?"
"Cashel Keimoni, Tidemaster Scholar with the Crimson Tide."
Sam starts. "TideMASTER?"
Cashel glances at her, giving a slight smile of pride. "It's a recent development."
Pythia nods approvingly and turns back to the crowd. "Well, what are you waiting for? STATIONS, EVERYONE!" They all scatter, shuffling and running out and away. Everyone has somewhere to be.
Pythia wheels around to face you, the descendants. She nods as she looks over you, clenching her jaw. "I hope you're all ready."
I stand up straight, and nod. swallowing.
"Let's kick some ASS!" I don't know what ass we're kicking, but I know it's coming!
"We're fighting. I'm always ready for that."
"ready as i'll ever be!" i shrug, smiling.
“so who are we shooting to hell ” I say as I hold my rifle up and grin.
I grin in Chlori's direction, making a determined fist. "< we've got this! >"
I whoop and shake my spear in the air. "Yippie kay yay, motherfuckers! Let's light this place up!"
Cavall crosses her arms and grins, “I wa$$ BORN ready!”
I pull my saber out once again, as well as my half crystal. Now. How fucking fast can I realign this?
i equip my baton and hold it (relatively) high in the air, also using this as an opportunity to do a quick couple of stretches.
Very fast. Time powers, go.
HELL YES YOU'RE SO COOL.
I grin at Cavall and pull out my hatchet, twirling it in one hand.
For the umpteenth time god I think my sibling is so cool, SO cool. I kinda just stare with amazement.
Oh hell fucking yes, I throw the crystal into the saber, turning it on.
And then I pull my crowbar out of my sylladex. Poor beat up thing, I've been so far with you😔. I grip it tightly in my hands, letting it rest at my side.
"Sorry I'm late, everyone!" From above, Etoile floats down to the ground among you. She's changed her clothes, wearing a dress of deep navy speckled with silver flecks like stars.
"What were you doing?" Pythia frowns.
"Oh, I was in the forge." Etoile grins slyly and spins around, scanning the descendants. "Hale! Come here."
"Cashel asked me to make a gift for you."
I frown and step forward.
Cashel nods supportingly and Etoile continues. "Cashel's staff, which is a Tidemaster staff, is built to withstand the full cosmic forces of the sun and moon themselves. Rumor has it you almost broke it, so I had to do a little custom work for you!"
I wince a bit. "I was angry."
She waves a hand dismissively. "It happens. Don't worry about it."
From her sylladex she pulls a weapon. It's tall, staff-worthy, but attached to the end is a long axe-like blade. Both ends of the staff end in a sharp point, and two chains hang off the ring where the blade is attached, crystals that glow scarlet red hanging from them in turn. The blade is silver, intricately and delicately carved with swirling lines reminiscent of the hallway on Audesce. The staff is dark brown wood, almost black, a carved spiral running down its length.
Etoile grins at you, eagerly gauging your reaction. "I figured you might have some sort of connection to Eyja, especially with Two and all, so..."
My eyes go wide, cautious glare replaced by complete astonishment. I look down at it, and then up to her, and then back down to the axe. My fingers twitch. I'm itching to hold it.
Then hold it, you dumb bitch! She holds it out to you, grinning eagerly.
I grab it and step back to give a few experimental swings. Satisfied, I give it a twirl and slam the end on the ground. "Thank you," I say, quietly enough that only she should be able to hear.
Both Etoile and Cashel nod, one firmly, one proudly.
I retreat back to the group, studying the weapon in more depth now that I'm not being watched.
A shadow falls over the island, blocking out the sun.
"What the fuck is that?" Sam whispers hoarsely. Everyone looks up at it in unison.
"The Storm." Pythia replies, grim.
Overhead, far above the outer atmosphere of Earth itself, a black swarm flies.
"< what... what IS that.. >" he murmurs aloud, mostly to himself, following everyone's gaze up to the sky with a worried expression. He grips his crowbar more tightly.
"It's the Baroness' fleet. TO ARMS, EVERYONE!"
The ancestors, one by one, each pull out a weapon. Two rifles, a serrated staff, a sword, a bow and quiver.
"SOLDIERS! THE SHIELD!" Behind you, two soldiers standing in the planning room press their hands against opposite panels on the circle around the holographic dome.
The ground shudders. A beam of light fires towards the sky, somewhere from the center of the city. A network of smaller beams fire from the walls, creating a net over the stronghold. The shield is up.
"Raggedy bitch," I mutter to myself, before clearing my throat. "What should we do?"
"Pythia. When?" Rigel asks, out of the blue, voice strained.
"Not yet." She murmurs. "TURRETS!"
The turrets positioned atop the towers all throughout the city swivel and point up at the fleet.
Pythia turns back to the descendants. "You need to stay safe, but be helpful. Everything that can fight us will come from every direction."
"SIR!" A soldier runs up to the stairs, panting. "Movement in the water. Vantell, though not many of them."
Pythia nods. "Case in point. Cashel, Etoile, light battery. Vaporize them."
Etoile nods and extends a hand to Cashel, who takes it graciously. They catapult themselves into the air, soaring towards the wall. The turrets begin to fire at the mass of ships. That moment, it disperses. The ships swarm in every direction. They're of all different shapes and sizes, but built the same way and painted the same colors. Three colossal ships, significantly larger than the rest, move as slow leviathans through open space, gradually getting closer.
A blinding explosion of light flares from behind the wall that Etoile and Cashel leapt for.
Smaller ships begin descending towards the island, though further out to the beach beyond the shield. Countless soldiers leap off, drones landing and marching among them. The turrets can only manage to shoot down so many of the ships. It's overwhelming.
"That's the place to be." Pythia nods.
"Pythia!" Rigel hisses.
She whirls around, visibly at the end of her rope. Rigel continues before she can. "If not now, then when?"
Pythia hangs her head for a moment, then straightens up. "You're right. This once, you hear?"
Etoile and Cashel come soaring back, landing beside you without a stumble. Parker jumps with a sudden grin. "Now? We're doing it now?"
"What the fuck are they talking about." I mutter to myself, mostly.
Pythia extends her free hand and Rigel takes it, smiling back as she speaks. "No more hiding. Not for this battle."
Etoile gasps, starry eyed, and whirls around to Parker, who has an equally excited grin. They clap their free hands together in the same way. "No more hiding."
At once, all four of them begin to glow.
From the ground up, their clothes are replaced by others.
Two pairs of massive wings expand behind Pythia, a feathered tail lashing anxiously.
Armored braces form on Rigel's forearms, latching onto his skin and spreading like a disease. His neck looks the same way.
Brilliantly bright wings explode behind Etoile, a rusty red feathered tail fanning out as well.
Tall, white ears of a wolf appear on Parker's head, a tail behind him.
They all wear very familiar outfits with very familiar colors.
No more hiding.
Pythia glances behind her and chuckles, flapping her wings experimentally. "Been too long."
I blink, and look between the four of them in stunned silence for a moment before grinning. "Look at your fucking WINGS!"
"FINALLY, I CAN FLY AGAIN INSTEAD OF WALKING EVERYWHERE!" Rigel nearly explodes, breathing a sigh of relief.
Seb sighs. He still just looks tired, not bothering to godtier-shift like the rest of them.
For the first time in her life, Cavall is entirely dumbfounded, jaw on the Floor. “Holyy $$hIIIIIITTTTTT THAT WA$$ INCREDIBLE!”
my eyes widen, my mouth opens, and i just stare at the four of them in absolute fucking awe. i play several rounds of visual eenie-meenie-miney-mo, checking out their individual designs repeatedly.
"Holy shit?" I'm just fucking looking back and forth between the four of them, holy fuck.
Etoile giggles excitedly and leaps a foot into the air. Her wings morph and elongate, becoming more bird-like, then they begin beating at a rapid pace, as a hummingbird's would.
Parker grins and barks, jumping up and down.
Pirine's practically bounces in place, watching the lot of them transform into their godtiers. Even if there is a big battle going on, man he is DISTRACTED. They are so cool?? Look at his MOM LOOK AT PARKERRR LOOK AT THEM OH MY GOSHHH.
The three large ships above have gotten significantly closer. Sebastian looks up at the leading ship. He knows.
Standing on the front, towering over the island, is a woman. She's tall, though not overly so. She wears an outfit of beige, split cape trailing impressively behind her. Sharp black ovals rest on her cheeks underneath her eyes, finned tail sitting perfectly still behind her, fins on her forearms and shins flexing experimentally. Bands of gold and green wrap around her horns, a golden trident in her hand.
Sebastian shifts along with her, ripped cape and scratched tunic appearing on him with all the fervent gusto of the other four, but he doesn't look half as excited. His excited half is standing above him, waiting to kill him.
"Mom?"
Lirium looks equal parts sad and confused, looking down at the same exact fins on her forearms and shins, then at her trident. "Oh."
I stare at her. I feel fury start pumping through me. That's the bitch responsible for everything. Fucking EVERYTHING.
i glance between the baroness and lirium and take a few steps away from the both of them.
"Candra." Pythia's shoulders sag. The mood feels a lot less fun than it did about ten seconds ago.
My face dissolves into shock.
"What did you just say?" I wheel around. "SHE'S CANDRA?!"
I look at Sebastian briefly, before glaring back at The Baroness, holding my saber tighter.
"Candra is gone." Pythia reaffirms, eyebrows lowering. "There is nothing more than a shell of Katanalosi left."
I shake my head. "No," I say. I feel grief stab my chest. "She's not- my mother is not the fucking Baroness!"
My voice raises to a shout. "She slaughtered fifteen of her FUCKING CHILDREN?! Like it was NOTHING?"
My eyebrows furrow, and I'm gripping my weapon so tightly, that my knuckles are pale, and my palms rusty from the metal. I say nothing, not knowing what to say, what I could say, and simply stare up at the ship.
"I don't want to look like her." Lirium's fins sag down and she steps back, shrinking into herself.
"Candra would never have done that." Sebastian finally speaks up.
Sam puts a hand on Quin's shoulder quietly.
I feel my shoulders shake with anger, barely repressed.
I pale. I’m frozen. The Baroness, the monster from my childhood and Kat, the horror that almost killed me wrapped up in one package. I’m. I’m horrified.
i push down the notion that i'm related to... y'know, that. i float up and over to lirium then slowly hover back down. standing beside her, i give her a look halfway between general reassurance and "yeah, me too."
She's the reason Fiddler exists. She's the behind the bombing of Fiddler. Everything. I seize my axe with both hands. "So when are we going to fucking act."
I feel violently ill. I bring my hand to my mouth as the implications of this set in. "Shit," I hiss. "That fucking monster."
Cavall has kept mostly silent since the Baroness appeared. This is the woman that rigged her life from the start, and like hell is she going to get away with it.
I finally look back down from the ship, at everyone around me. "So what the fuck is the plan?"
I turn to the rest of the group and point up at her. "That's the woman who's destroyed most of our lives!" I shout. "It's FUCKING SIMPLE!" I set my jaw and give my new weapon another swing. "We put her down for good," I say, with deadly certainty.
“...”
“Let’s fuck her shit up.”
I feel my fists lose circulation from how tightly they're clenched. My mind races quietly. Should we? Is it okay?
"Maybe have-" Etoile whirls around. Her shoulders are shaking and her face is pale. "A LITTLE sympathy? At least a LITTLE BIT? There's so much of what happened- what's still happening- that none of you understand!"
I whirl on her. "Are you FUCKING KIDDING ME? She's the reason I spent the first sixteen years of my life cheating death every fucking day!"
I hold a tense hand up. "Everyone just shut the fuck up," I spit, and point to Etoile. "What do you need us to do."
"Put her down," Pythia whispers. Her voice cracks. "Like. She's a."
Sebastian buries his face in his hands. "Oh, god."
"Everyone SHUT UP." Pythia turns around. Her wings shudder, eyes blazing the crimson symbol of blood. "I don't care what you feel like. I don't care what you think. I want every one of you down here, either in the city or out with the soldiers by the beach."
"I'm going to face the Baroness, alone, and end this for good."
Etoile's wings drop. "Pythia, s-"
"I SAID BE QUIET." Now it's Pythia's turn to whirl on Etoile. She doesn't back down, just staring Pythia in the eyes despairingly.
"< i... i know it's not my place to say, but- >" he swallows, eyebrows still furrowed. "< is that.. really a good idea? i mean, what if you got hurt? n-not that i'm saying you're not strong or anything!! i just... >"
"If she thinks she can do it then she can fucking do it."
“with all due respect you started us on this mission”
“were coming with you”
I hold a fist out to Milo.
Milo smiles and totally does an epic fist bump. Hell yeah.
"Don't you all understand!?" I wheel on my foot and glare at the descendants. "It's not our place to fucking decide! We need to let them do what they need to fucking do! We have our responsibilities here!!"
"They're not the only people with shit to resolve, Quin! We're seventeen people with insane superpowers, we can't just stay on the fucking beach!"
Parker holds up his hands in an attempt to defuse, stepping in front of Pythia. "No. I'm sorry, I'm stepping in. There's a battle going on! There is no tactical reason to engage one person, much less alone, that hasn't moved on any of us! We need you here, Pythia. We can deal with her, it, whatever is left- later. Okay?" His ears fold down to his head, practically begging. "Please?"
"You think I don't know that, Hale?"
Pythia stands completely still. After what feels like forever, she closes her eyes and sighs. "You're right. We stay here, fight here. We have the upper hand."
"Just so long as we have the stronghold."
“But this Baroness has been in our way since the beginning... and will only cause more harm unless we deal with it. “
I point at Milo. "Shut the fuck up."
I look back at the ancestors. "Now, tell us what we need to do."
Milo frowns and quietly apologized.
"Okay." Pythia takes a deep breath and opens her eyes again, focusing. "Okay."
"Right now our only front is on the beach, thanks to the shield. As long as you can make sure nobody gets to the shield, we should be good to go. I recommend splitting into groups, some fighting on the beach, maybe some providing support, some on the wall to watch. This is why we have classes and aspects: healers heal, seers see, everyone else wreck shit."
I point at hale. "With me. Come on." I start walking towards the beach.
Cavall frowns, “What the hell, $$o I’m just gonna $$it back and watch??”
Pythia gives Cavall a friendly nudge and wink. "Hey, nobody said you had to. I sure as hell ain't."
I cast a final glare back at the group, and float beside him.
Milo just, holds onto his spoon and watches.
Oh. Right. Spoon man. Uh.
Cole hands you the bigass spoon that he got from the Baker and was supposed to give you a long time ago.
Upgrade?
He looks over and his eyes go wide. “Woah... that huge. Thank you!” He says and puts his old spoon away before grabbing his new on. “This is great, I can actually do some damage now.” He smiles over at cole.
Cole smiles back because I said so, giving Milo two thumbs up.
Milo walks over to Seth and points to his new spoon. “Hey, look what I got. What do you think I should name her”
"Her?" Seth raises his eyebrows, looking from Milo to the spoon incredulously. "Uhh. Olivia?"
Navy groans and crouches.
While everyone else is busy yelling and getting spoons, Pirine moves over to stand in front of Etoile, looking weary. "< sorry to bug you, i just. um.. what do you think i should do? i dont think this... >" He gestures to the crowbar, lifting it up, "< will do much damage. >"
“Oh.. um.. sure!”
“Cool, Olivia. Nice.”
Without warning they leap straight up into the air, arcing in a green blur over towards the beach.
Milo brings his attention over to Pirine.
I look over at Milo and Seth. "We done naming weapons? Let's go fucking fight something."
Seth pulls out his violin with renewed confidence, lighting into the air and beginning to fly towards the beach.
Pythia smiles the best she can manage. "Been waiting to do this for a long time."
I make my way to the beach as well, I'm fucking ready to actually use my saber again.
She crouches and positions her wings, propelling herself high into the air with a single jump. Her wings flap behind her, all four splayed out nicely. She laughs from high above, turning herself and letting her body drop dead towards the beach.
Sebastian kneels down on the ground, pressing a hand against the stone and muttering something quietly.
Sam rolls her eyes. "Bunch of flight-having bastards. Walk like the rest of us."
Etoile sighs. "Where are the three of you going? We can give you a lift." Parker nods along.
"This is why I don't do family." Ryker shakes his head, speaking quietly.
you remember that one emoji, :hmph:? i have hereby attached an image of :hmph:. this is the face i make at ryker, with a little sigh just for kicks.
I walk up to Parker. “hi uhhhh dad i had an idea”
He tilts his head at you, nodding.
“since we both seem to have well uh some more canine features i thought it might be a good idea for some family bonding and hunting”
I look over to Milo.
“that sound like fun bro”
“Yeah!” He says and runs over to Finn and his dad. “Let’s go.” He says with a smile.
Oh shit actually, that art reminds me. If we're not already too far out, I turn and wave to Sam. "I'll find you afterwards."
Sam nods back silently, giving a slight wave before she turns to Parker, Finn and Milo. "If it's all the same to you, I'd like to join in. One of the wolves is mine." She gives you a hesitantly hopeful smile.
Parker grins to all three. "Of course!! The dogs should be just outside of the wall."
My face softens. “Of course,” I say quietly, and pause to wait for them. “Sorry.”
I float over to Quin. “dont worry well keep her safe”
I look up at Finn and glance back over to her for a moment before nodding and putting a hand on his shoulder. "Thanks, Finn. You stay safe, too."
You know what? He's my longtime friend. I give him a quick hug before turning back to Hale.
“you keep mcshouty safe too please”
Despite everything, I give him a little grin.
Parker doesn't waste any time, hooking his arm with Sam's and leaping into the air. They soar over the wall in a perfect arc.
Etoile turns to Pirine and smiles kindly. "Sorry about that. A crowbar, huh?" She squints at it. "I don't suppose you're a staff kind of guy."
Her eyes light up. "I do have an alternative solution for you, though!"
I smile sheepishly down at her, cocking my head to the side. “< what do you have in mind? >”
"Instead of focusing on your weapon, focus on your abilities." She holds out a hand and a flame sparks in it, dancing just above her palm. "Figure our what works for you, but you do have two different sets of abilities- use them!"
My eyes sparkle at the sight of the flame in her hand, watching it cavort in her gloved palm. I hold my own hands out in front of myself, staring at them with a guarded expression, one that can't quite be placed. "< so i just try to foccus on the, uh... hope stuff, then? i have to be honest with you, i, um. >" I look down for a second, lowering my voice so only she can hear me. "< i'm sccared. to accccidentally hurt the people surrounded next to me, instead of the bad guys. >"
"I know." The flame flickers out without a wisp of smoke to its name, and Etoile places her hands on your shoulders, giving you a kind smile. "I know you are, but you can't focus on that now. Verdigris told me you've already been getting the hang of your powers more, and besides-" She lowers her voice too. "Not using them will only make it worse in the long run. It's better to practice now than break down later."
I nod in understanding, looking her in the eye instead of staring at my hands. I smile back, feeling more assured than ever. "< i understand. i'll make you proud, i promise. >" I give her a bright smile, more-so to cheer her up then anything, noticing how down she's been since The Baroness showed up.
She smiles back the best she can manage. "Don't worry about me. Make yourself proud."
Etoile offers a hand to Cashel, who takes it. Rigel offers his hand to Ryker, who smacks it and puts his arm around his shoulder instead. Rigel shrugs.
The four soar up and over the wall.
Everyone but two people have left the inside of the city.
Lirium stands behind Sebastian, who is kneeling on the ground with a hand pressed to the stone. She glances around nervously, slowly taking a step forward.
"It's strange." Sebastian turns his head to her. "Come here, feel the ground."
With nobody else around, Lirium is too nervous to say no. She walks forward and crouches next to him, awkwardly placing her palm to the ground.
Her eyes snap wide open the moment she does.
"See? You feel that. And so do I." Sebastian squints off into the street. "Our aspects are strong here. Hope... and doom. I wish I knew what was going to happen." He glances at the sky.
"But I know it isn't going to be good."
THE BEACH