Rise in Revolution (Chapter Fifty-Six)
Sep. 25th, 2016 01:08 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tanadin posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
saladloveChapter list: https://tanadin.dreamwidth.org/650.html
World map: http://tanadin.deviantart.com/art/Kaldri
Chapter Fifty-Six
We Are
Edge of the city, Sector TZI. April 11, 2272. Time instance 842N.
This, Emma reflected, is probably the worst possible thing that could happen.
She was pinned in an alley with Cataclysm and a few cyborgs, combatting Mainframe units that had dropped in from the sky.
This wasn’t exactly her idea of a good day.
Emma stayed back from the fighting, reluctantly accepting that she’d just get in the way of Cataclysm and the Steelwings. She kept her sword out and her eyes open, scanning around to make sure nothing dropped down behind them. A stray bullet whizzed past and grazed her arm, making her hiss in pain. Cataclysm looked over his shoulder at her, concerned, and almost got his head taken off by a seven thousand unit. He snarled and grabbed the blade on the cyborg’s arm, ignoring how it cut into his hands, and snapped it in half.
The seven thousand unit blinked before shaking it off and aiming its gun at Cataclysm’s head. One of the Steelwings intervened, stabbing the cyborg through the stomach and kicking its legs out from under it. The three thousand beside it- the last of the cyborgs other than the seven thousand- went down, so the rest of the Steelwings immediately jumped on the hostile cyborg.
Cataclysm didn’t stick around. He turned around, ripped the bandage off of his wing, picked Emma up, and took off, beating his wings more aggressively to make up for the addition of Emma’s weight and the missing feathers in his left wing.
I’m taller than you, Emma thought numbly. You shouldn’t be able to do that.
Cataclysm landed on a nearby roof and set her down, breathing heavily and folding his wings once more. “That went well.”
“We’re literally under attack.”
“Yeah.” Cataclysm looked up at the sky, at the eight thousand units as they dropped off the last of their cargo and began to fly back to the Mainframe. “Yeah, we are.”
“I thought we had cannons that prevented this from happening.”
“They’re probably destroyed,” Cataclysm growled. “Why else wouldn’t they be firing?”
Emma turned around at the sound of wingbeats. Geek landed behind them, the Nethernomicon floating alongside her and Vel’kex not far behind. “What’s going on? Other than the fact that we’re under attack. That was pretty obvious.”
“Don’t know. Cannons must be down.” Cataclysm flexed his claws, ignoring the blood that leaked from his hands. Emma glanced down at her clothes and noted that she had some of his blood on her. Well, that’s disturbing.
“Well, that’s inconvenient. Vel’kex!”
“Yes, mistress?”
“Go find Nine or Seven or someone and figure out what’s happened, would you? Then report back. We have some cyborgs to kill.”
“It will be done.” Vel’kex bowed his head and flew off, orange wings beating a path through the air.
“What about OW!” Cataclysm stumbled from the force of a bullet hitting him in the shoulder, roaring in pain. He whipped around to see the cyborg at it shot at Emma, the only thing saving her from a bullet between her eyes being Geek’s fast movement with a barked spell and a magical shield. Emma shivered as the green barrier faded, feeling suddenly defenseless as Geek and Cataclysm moved to battle the three thousand unit.
What am I doing here? What am I doing fighting in a revolution that I can barely help with? All I can do is die and get lucky shots sometimes. Dammit! She kicked at the ground. I hate that’s there’s NOTHING I can do to help!
Her eyes locked on another cyborg flying in. Except maybe yelling. I can yell. “INCOMING!”
Geek turned around in time to see the five thousand unit launch an anti-magic pulse at her. Cataclysm flew out of the way but Geek wasn’t fast enough, stumbling and falling to her knees as her power drained. She forced herself to her feet and looked down at the Nethernomicon. Emma followed her gaze, half-expecting the book to be ash or smoking or at least not floating anymore.
But no.
The Nethernomicon continued to float, glowing ominously. It seemed to hiss, dark forms wriggling out from between its pages and reaching towards Geek, helping her stand until she wasn’t struggling to keep her balance. The tendrils retreated back into the book and it floated closer.
“You are full of surprises,” Geek mumbled, taking the book and hugging it to her chest. “You’re not even affected at all.”
“Little help here?” Cataclysm roared, flying circles in the air with the five thousand unit as they shot at each other and, in the five thousand’s case, attempted to disengage.
“I can’t do anything! I got hit with a pulse, remember?”
“It only limits your magic and that damn book amplifies it! Just do something even if it’s just the worst fireball the world has ever seen!”
Geek launched a small bolt of lightning. Cataclysm swore at her when it hit his side. “Watch it!”
“Sorry!”
He flew up to avoid fire from the three thousand unit, reluctantly letting the five thousand get away. Two more flying units showed up moments later, making Cataclysm look extremely annoyed. Vel’kex returned with a five thousand and a few more three thousands behind him, reported that the cannons were down, and then turned to fight.
Emma was pretty sure that if she was anything but a regular human, she’d be more useful. She resisted the urge to sit down and pout, instead standing next to Geek where she felt relatively safe despite the creepiness of the book.
A two thousand unit landed behind them and stabbed Geek in the side. She howled and pulled away, taking off immediately and leaving Emma alone with the cyborg.
Emma struggled to parry the melee attacks of the two thousand unit, screaming bloody murder the entire time as it pounded on her defenses. One of the three thousands aimed at her and she was pretty sure she was going to die.
Cataclysm picked her up and flew her out of the storm of bullets, placing her down on the adjacent roof before turning back. He didn’t take off yet, however, hesitating and turning around to look at Emma.
“I’m sorry.” He reached up and removed the chain necklace, handing it to her. “Please look after this.” Behind him, the five thousand unit went up in flames and Vel’kex roared in victory.
“What are you going to do?”
He smiled thinly, eye dull. “Give them hell.” He spread his wings and flew back into the battle.
“Geek!” he bellowed as he flew past her. “Don’t get in my way! Tell Vel’kex!”
Emma wasn’t sure how Geek reacted, because Cataclysm’s power spiked to maximum and he was encompassed in darkness and flame while he changed.
It faded and left a demon in the corrupted angel’s place. His horns were longer and sharper, his face distorted as if thinking about forming a muzzle but not quite there yet. His eye was more furious and glowed brightly even from a distance as his wings- larger and sharper and wrong- beat against the sky. His claws were longer and his feet were more reptilian, with fewer toes and larger claws. A tail balanced his flight behind him, ending in a heavy spiked macehead. His skin was darkened from light brown to dark blue, patterned with scales that made his now-white hair look even brighter. He held himself differently, even while hovering, betraying a more hunched standing position and a more chaotic flight pattern.
Cataclysm Calyon, Edme’s monster, screamed into the sky and dove at the cyborgs. He spun past anti-magic pulses and ignored bullets as they bounced off of his scales and wings, driving claws and ice and feathers into what flesh he could find and pouring flames from his mouth and hands onto the circuitry, trying to fry it with heat or just unleashing fury in whatever way he could.
Vel’kex wisely moved to perch on Emma’s roof, wanting nothing to do with that.
“What has he done?” Emma whispered. “What has…”
“I’d guess that’s why he wears that necklace.” Vel’kex jerked a finger at the chain in Emma’s hand. “It limits magical output, but less than the Mainframe’s collars. I don’t think he can really control when that takes over or what he does when he’s like that.” He shivered. “He’s Edme’s work, Geek said. I don’t want to see the others.”
“Others?”
“He’d not Edme’s first pet, and he won’t be her last.”
“Someone should stop her.”
“She’s useful.”
“She’s crazy!”
“That too.” Vel’kex shrugged. “By the late queen, look at him go.”
Emma shivered at the crazed fury that drove Cataclysm onward, the shrieking screams ripping themselves from his throat as he demolished the cyborgs before him. Every time he killed one, he roared and glowed faintly purple, seeming to grow more and more powerful with each one.
“He’s feeding,” Vel’kex mumbled. “He’s killing them and devouring what souls they have left. By the queen. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“You’re a demon. Don’t you devour souls all the time?”
“Few demons actually devour souls! Most of them are insane and are put down!”
Emma squared her shoulders and bared her teeth. “If you touch him-”
“I didn’t say anything about touching him. You think I’m going to fight that if I have a choice? No way. Why do you think I’m over here?”
“Why aren’t you helping Geek?”
“She didn’t tell me to fuck with that and I’ve decided not to unless she literally orders me to.”
“VEL’KEX!”
“Dammit.” Vel’kex spread his wings and took off, flying towards her and leaving Emma alone on the roof. As she watched, Cataclysm dove from the other roof, vanishing from sight, and the two demons followed after. She crossed her arms, wishing that she could fly.
Damn them anyways.
~~~
Tac picked through the wreckage of the battle, feeling her heart pound anxious circles in her chest as she searched for any sign of them.
She, Shawn, and Matt had been together when the Mainframe had attacked, and she had become separated from them during the fight. No one she had asked had seen them since, and fear of the worst case scenario made it hard for her to breathe.
She stepped in the shredded remains of a human and threw up immediately upon seeing it, stumbling away and feeling her limbs shake. That could have been me. That could have been Shawn. That could have been Matt. That could have been anyone.
What have we done?
She moved around the smoking remains of a three thousand unit, looking for something to lean on until her head stopped spinning but only finding more blood and sparking circuitry. Her clothes felt soaked in blood, splattered as they were, and she didn’t even want to think about her shoes. The only part of her that wasn’t complaining were her new hands, stained red and brown but not seeming to mind.
“Tac!” Geluu’s voice cut through the haze of her swimming head and pounding thoughts and she turned, seeing him in a small crowd of people who looked extremely dazed. His voice was concerned, almost desperate.
Tac moved over as quickly as she could, pushing past the people surrounding whatever Geluu was looking at. The closer she got, the most concerned she became, and she stopped in her tracks when she got a good look.
Geluu knelt next to Shawn, who was curled up on the ground twitching and shaking in small, unnatural motions. He wasn’t breathing- which wasn’t surprising as he was a bit dead- and his trenchcoat was covered in blood. Around him, dozens of cyborgs were torn apart or speared on massive spikes of ice, a few with icicles through their eyes and various major arteries or critical cyborg parts. The ground in the center of the cyborgs was scorched and a small crater had formed, the remnants of an explosion that had taken out several of the cyborgs. Matt was nowhere to be seen.
“What the hell,” Tac whispered, kneeling by Shawn’s side. “What happened?”
“I don’t know. He’s not responding, and neither are they.” Geluu motioned at the small crowd of people standing numbly around them. “They’re zombies. Not like him, but regular zombies, with no will or mind of their own.”
Tac shook Shawn’s shoulder, concern raising her voice. “Shawn? Shawn? Come on, Shawn, what happened? Shawn!”
Geluu rolled Shawn onto his back and put a hand on his chest, recoiling quickly. “Dammit, no wonder he’s not responding. His core energy is at critical levels.”
“Core energy?”
“His magical core. If you use too much magic, you expend your energy and you die. It’s especially difficult to not die when you’re held together with magic, like, say, a member of the undead.” He swore aggressively in another language. “I’ve got the ice but I don’t have the necrotic energy for this. Geek!” He got to his feet. “Where the hell is Geek?!”
Dare popped up from behind a frozen cyborg. “Last I saw, she was following Cataclysm and trying to calm him down. I have no idea where she is.”
“Do you know where anyone is that has any kind of necrotic energy they can shove into Shawn? He’s in critical core condition.”
“Oh, shit, dude.” Dare jumped up onto the cyborg and leaped over to them, landing easily and kneeling to put a hand on Shawn’s chest. “Oh, man. Oh, that’s bad.”
“Can you help him?” Tac demanded.
“I mean, maybe? I’ve got shadow magic, and it’s sort of necrotic?”
“It’ll do. Help me.” Geluu got to his feet and focused a bright blue light between his hands, Dare following suit. As if practiced, they stretched out their hands in sync and created channels, blue and purple, between them and the fallen Shawn. They remained that way for a good fifteen seconds before lowering their hands and letting the power fade.
Dare stumbled but quickly recovered, while Geluu only looked troubled. “C’mon, Shawn, I know you can-”
Shawn sat up and his eyes snapped open, black irises glowing with a furious red light. He roared, icy claws forming on his fingers, and the zombies roared with him. He blinked a few times, shaking his head to clear it. The glow faded and the claws melted away, leaving a very confused and very tired Shawn sitting on the ground, bloodstained and singed.
“What happened?” Geluu demanded almost immediately. “You know your limits by now! You could have died!”
“I don’t...know?” Shawn rubbed his eyes, blinking when blood got on his face. “Ah, shit.” He looked around at the wreckage around him, frowning at the ice and the zombies. “Did I do that?”
“You tell me.” Geluu crossed his arms. “You’re the only one here that witnessed it.”
“I don’t know. I just...blacked out. The last thing I remember was a three thousand unit pointing its gun at Matt and he couldn’t move out of the way, Cataclysm flew overhead except he was different, and...that’s it.” Shawn shrugged helplessly. “Where’s Matt?”
“I was hoping he was with you,” Tac mumbled. “No one’s been able to find him. What if he’s…”
“He’s fine,” Shawn said confidently. “He’s a Steelwing, isn’t he?”
“We lost a lot of Steelwings today,” Dare mumbled. “We lost a lot. We won, but…”
“Look what we’ve done.” Tac’s shoulders slumped.
Shawn frowned, getting to his feet. “Tac, we’re not responsible for this. This isn’t-”
“Yes, we are!” Tac grabbed his forearms and shook them to emphasis her point. “We are responsible! If we hadn’t started this revolution, this slaughter of both sides wouldn’t have happened!”
“People would have died even if we hadn’t rebelled.”
“Not in these kinds of numbers!”
“Are you saying we should have kept our heads down and let the Mainframe control us?” Geluu demanded.
“No! Maybe! I don’t know!” Tac shook violently, feeling like she might throw up again. “Just look around you! Look how many are dead! Look what we’re done….”
“The Mainframe did this.”
"We both did this." Tac hugged herself, feeling like all of her body heat had turned to frozen mist. "We are just as responsible as they are."
no subject
Date: 2016-09-25 06:47 pm (UTC)But no.
The Nethernomicon continued to float, glowing ominously. It seemed to hiss, dark forms wriggling out from between its pages and reaching towards Geek, helping her stand until she wasn’t struggling to keep her balance. The tendrils retreated back into the book and it floated closer.
“You are full of surprises,” Geek mumbled, taking the book and hugging it to her chest. “You’re not even affected at all.”
That's one study powerful as all of the universe book! *cheers for the Nethernomicon*
Cataclysm Calyon, Edme’s monster, screamed into the sky and dove at the cyborgs. He spun past anti-magic pulses and ignored bullets as they bounced off of his scales and wings, driving claws and ice and feathers into what flesh he could find and pouring flames from his mouth and hands onto the circuitry, trying to fry it with heat or just unleashing fury in whatever way he could.
Vel’kex wisely moved to perch on Emma’s roof, wanting nothing to do with that.
Welp now we know why Cataclysm wear his chain, to keep his powerful demonic side in check that must be powerful if even Vel'kex wants nothing to do with it.
“He’s feeding,” Vel’kex mumbled. “He’s killing them and devouring what souls they have left. By the queen. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“You’re a demon. Don’t you devour souls all the time?”
“Few demons actually devour souls! Most of them are insane and are put down!”
Emma squared her shoulders and bared her teeth. “If you touch him-”
“I didn’t say anything about touching him. You think I’m going to fight that if I have a choice? No way. Why do you think I’m over here?”
“Why aren’t you helping Geek?”
“She didn’t tell me to fuck with that and I’ve decided not to unless she literally orders me to.”
“VEL’KEX!”
Vel'kex doesn't want to go anyway Edme's handiwork not even with a barge pole. I have a feeling that Cataclysm is going to feel ill and feverish after this battle is over and he puts the chain back on.....
Shawn sat up and his eyes snapped open, black irises glowing with a furious red light. He roared, icy claws forming on his fingers, and the zombies roared with him. He blinked a few times, shaking his head to clear it. The glow faded and the claws melted away, leaving a very confused and very tired Shawn sitting on the ground, bloodstained and singed.
Shawn now has zombie groupies? XD
no subject
Date: 2016-09-26 03:10 am (UTC)-Observing Anon
no subject
Date: 2016-09-26 03:46 am (UTC)Why ARE you an anon, still, after about a year? I'm just curious.
no subject
Date: 2016-09-26 09:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-09-26 10:26 pm (UTC)I don't know, I guess I just never decided on what my username would be.
-Observing Anon