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Welcome to The Cave of Dragonflies forums, where the smallest bugs live alongside the strongest dragons.
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Of course I'm not forcing you to do anything if you don't want to, but seriously, what have you got to lose? Five seconds of your life?
…Well, that was one way to explain the entire situation in only a few seconds! Lyra chuckled nervously, feeling like that wasn’t the best approach to take with nerve-shot folks (even if Quagsire seemed barely fazed by anything…?). Coughing slightly to draw the attention to herself, the Buneary decided to reframe that revelation by baking it with some comforting thoughts.
“Yeah, huh, as Virga said, we’ve got teammates who’re keeping Sta—ah, that ‘beast’ busy. So the coast’s clear for now!”
She smiled reassuringly at the staffers, but she internally balked. Calling Starr a ‘beast’ felt so… dehumanizing. Regardless, she pushed that thought aside to focus on the far more pressing matter, and the change in topic was reflected in her more serious expression.
“Still, time’s running quickly! We’ve got no clue how long they can keep that beast at bay, so we oughta get things rolling, stat!” She hummed and tilted her head, her gaze drifting back and forth between the Sandslash and the Golem on the back. “Maaaybe even literally?”
Lyra tapped her chin, her breeder’s mind supplying multiple lists of potential abilities and moves, then her trainer’s mind kicked into high gear to conjure a strategy. She eyed Virga, her gaze hopeful. “Hey, Virga! Dontcha have some kinda wind move to speed things up? Y’know, something like Whirlwind or… ah, Tailwind?”
Anubis scrambled roughly up the cliff, digging his paws in for purchase. Rescue the scientists. He had promised to do that, and he refused to break his oath. One paw after the other, over the cliffs edge and then he was bounding toward the makeshift den-
Koa's agonized howl reached Anubis ears. "Alpha!" he yelped. He half turned toward the passage, ready to bolt. Alpha needed him. He should be there. In the flames. Protecting them all from the beasts fire. That was his purpose. A good leader protects his pack. Don't worry, they can handle this.
The sound of Virga and Lyra arriving and talking gave him pause. Alcott, Polk, Hayward, and Finick. How could he... how was he supposed to do both? He couldn't be there for Alpha and keep his oath to rescue the ones trapped.
But he did know what Alpha would want.
Heart heavy, he turned back to the den with the trapped pokemon. This was his duty. "We're getting you out of here," he said firmly, scanning the group. "I can carry one," he said confidently. "We must go quickly, before the beast gets out again." A pragmatic voice nudged at the back of his mind. How? How didn't matter. Only what he needed to do.
"Dave!" Flames swallowed everything, black and roaring and all consuming. Dave was trapped there with the beast- He tensed, instinctively ready to surge forward, try to distract the beast and get him out. Aborting the movement, he halted as he glimpsed the golden chains around the beast. Trapping it. And spotted Dave within the flames, still standing.
His relief evaporated in the face of the Fire Blast that swept through the cavern.
The flames were spread thin, far weaker than they would have been in a concentrated burst, but they still hurt, that strangely corrosive dark-light fire that seared the very aura and dragged the worst thoughts and impulses to the surface.
When those flames made contact, the world shifted, and Koa was somewhere else.
He was standing on all fours. Not back in his human body, then, but something about this form was different. When had he evolved...? That wasn't important right now, though, not when that blinding golden titan was bearing down on him with great beating wings and gnashing teeth, threatening to burn his eyes out if he looked at her too long—
A pained cry echoed - his own? - flames swallowed his vision. Then emotion engulfed him. Hate. Hate so strong it burned his throat.Not directed outward. Inward.Desperation. Guilt. Save her save her he had to save.... Someone...
His voice rang with power. Strength he'd craved for so long was his. Finally, finally he was evolving, he had evolved. He could be strong enough, good enough to... save her.... Maple Starr-
The world snapped back to reality like a cracking whip. Ash and smoke choked him, and he was small. Small and weak and - a Failure. Again.
Darkness dogged his steps as he threw himself into action, and for a moment he felt something beside him, hounding him, nipping at his heels, a mental mirage of a dark furred Manectric trailing red chains. A voice, his own yet lifetimes away, sinking its teeth into his soul. Hope and hate merged, and for a moment, he felt only blacklight.
...
'Alpha!'
'Alpha!'
'Alpha!'
His breath crackled with lightning, his eyes glinting oddly in the firelight of purgatory, his paws burning from the strikes he'd delivered.
'Alpha, get out!'
Snapping out of his haze just enough to register Anubis' warning, he leaped for the cliff, scaling it in a frenzy and heaving himself onto solid ground. The phantom Manectric was nowhere to be seen and yet... a shiver ran through him.
Virga clacked her beak. "Hm. I have been experimenting with manipulating the wind in this evolved form." She eyed the relatively flat stretch of terrain that led back to the main facility. "Providing a forceful wind at the backs of the 'mon rolling across the cavern should be manageable."
Certainly preferable to attempting to carry them. Virga threw an incredulous glance at the firepup.
Hayward narrowed his eyes skeptically at this, perhaps figuring out whether or not it was a joke or credible plan. Eventually he accepted it with a tight nod.
"Alright. C'mon everyone. Let's be quick about it."
"Iiiiiii don't like rushin'..."
"Get a fucking move on, Polk!"
The Covenant researchers holed up inside piled out of the Annex and into Virga's care. The last of them, a diminutive Nosepass, faced resolutely northward until Finick tapped her a couple times and – seemingly – scrambled her magnetic orientation for the moment.
The Corvisquire took flight, looping around the structure until she was situated behind the party. She drew deeply on this form's power, felt it filling her wings to the tip of each feather and the air streaming through them.
Her own chosen had used her true power. What did it mean? If she couldn't draw on that strength now, then at least she could do this.
Virga's wings swept forward, a silent command willing the air to move.
Something about that entire situation felt vaguely familiar to Lyra… Perhaps the fact that they were a group of one human and six Pokémon who had to combine their efforts to get outta a tough spot, not unlike what she had to do many times back home?
Huh. Funny how some things stayed the same even while LARPing as a small and cute rabbit in an alien world!
“Keep rolling, you both! Don’t stop until you reach the entrance or until Virga says so!” she said, fully embracing her innate Trainer-like mindset. With that matter settled, she looked at the Nosepass and Quagsire Polk, pondering what to do with them.
“Now, could you increase the strength of your magnetism? Just enough to hover for a few minutes, at least?” she asked the Nosepass, another idea popping into her mind. “We’d have an easier time taking you to the entrance.”
But what about Polk, though? It’s not like we can carry him, too. Not even with our combined strength… Lyra glanced at Anubis, quietly wondering if the Houndour had some suggestion to offer.
"Hop on!" Anubis barked confidently. Confidence he projected more than felt. He half crouched, diggin deep as he could for some internal energy, a way to strengthen his body. (Alpha had a technique like that, surely he could?) This was his promise, and he was the only one in their little pack who might be strong enough to do it. I won't let you down, Alpha.
Hayward and Finick tucked their limbs in tightly and barreled straight down the tunnel pathway like bowling balls, borne along by the tailwind. Even without particular skill at rolling out, roll out they did with Virga's assistance and Lyra's encouragement.
"Certainly!" chirped Nosepass. "I'm Alcott, by the way! It is a pleasure to meet you!"
It was hard to tell whether Alcott was unbothered by the danger, or so terrified and fatigued that she was losing it a little, but either way she rose into the air, near-weightless and easy to push forward for a Wayfarer.
"Nnnnnnnot sure this is such a great ideaaaaa," warned Polk, clambering onto Anubis, who would quickly find that the salamander was a good couple hundred pounds or so and had the bodily composition of wet flour.
Black-and-white flames seared through the air, engulfing the lower grotto and the others there - Koa, Silver, Brisa, Jesse. His breath caught as he stared their way, but they were still standing, still standing--
The beast snarled and charged towards the cliff on the other side, rattling the golden Radiant chains that bound it to him. Beyond it, they were trying to rescue the scientists. No time, no time. Dave sucked in a breath, ignoring the burn itching in his skin. Keep it here. Keep it here and no one over there would have to get hurt.
"Hey," he growled, "down here!"
When he called on poison, it bubbled with searing Radiance. When he charged towards the Incineroar, his aura flaring into a metallic blade, it erupted in bright, golden light.
Lyra beamed warmly. “Nice to meet ya, Alcott! Name’s Lyra!”
Once Alcott began levitating, the Buneary was quick to press her paws to her back. “C’mon! Let’s get you two outta there! You’ve been stuck here for so long!”
With a soft huff, Lyra began pushing the Nosepass toward the exit, hoping that Anubis would quickly follow suit in some way.
Please, everyone. Just hang in there a little longer…
Spite. That had always been one of his biggest motivators, which allowed him to take on any challenge. And oh boy, now that he felt the rush of his evolution, Silver reveled the increased power that came with it, and felt himself tingling with that hazardous mixture of Radiance and Shadow.
But despite their efforts, Starr was still trapped within that emotionless beast that took attack after attack, seemingly unbothered by their assaults. This lack of reaction further enraged Silver, who grew more and more frustrated by the lack of progress. He felt venom tingling in his claws, ready to be unloaded, and he took aim.
“Dammit, Starr!Why won’tyou wake—”
Suddenly, without even knowing why or how, the cavern melted into nothingness…
He was standing in a darkened field bathed in moonlight. Where his claws had been there were now human hands. A human body? But... not his own. Even if he couldn't see the owner's face while looking through her eyes; the height, the build, it was all wrong.
It definitely felt nothing like his own body, human or Sneasel—well, Sneasler now. But despite the many differences, there were also some sensations and thoughts that were eerily similar, if not nearly identical, like a distorted reflection of his own self.
Why me? Why do those sentimental idiots have so much faith in me, a descendant of Giovanni, after I hurt so many people? And then there is Jade—Kotone who sees me as her best friend despite everything, just… how can’t she not hate me?
Do I really deserve to be forgiven for what I’ve done? Why should someone give a second chance to a horrible person like me? What does that foolish girl see in me…?
Staring down at him (her?) was an avian face with great, amber eyes, spreading those blessed wings, and in a flash, the world was enveloped in holy fire.
Fire. There was fire all around. Destructive, ravenous for flesh, that reduced everything to cinder and smoke… and then, nothing. Only the deepest darkness surrounded him and dragged him downward, until the ghost of a bird with rainbow wings cut through the abyss, descending from the heavens themselves…
And yet... the flames weren't burning his flesh. His body, even his clothing, they were untouched. Despite this, it was as if his very soul blazed with searing heat, intent on peeling away everything until nothing but ash remained.
There was so much light, more blinding than the sun. Divine flames traveled across his body, warm and soothing to the touch, and they reacted to the impurities of his broken soul and heart, slowly mending them and replenishing his fading life…
Those eyes still stared down at him, not with malice or judgement, but with understanding. 'I am with you,' the eyes said. 'Legend and human are as one.'
The majestic bird looked at him with a gentle gaze, an overpowering compassion radiating from his very essence and rippling into his mortal spirit. The world began fading to white, with the legendary leaving behind a few parting words:
«Our souls are now connected. Whatever you do with my gift of life is up to you.»
Silver hissed sharply as his mind was roughly brought back to the present by intense black flames searing his fur, giving him a split second to get his bearings straight and realize that he was falling, dismounted by the beast who had leapt away. With his quicker reflexes, the newly evolved Sneasler twisted his body in midair and landed on all fours, panting heavily when he touched ground.
“T-this is so notthe time to be hallucinating!” he grumbled between heavy breaths, still weirded out by that… whatever-it-was that had just transpired. He unconsciously pressed his claws to his chest, and blinked in surprise when he felt it much warmer than usual. It was not a fever-like heat, no, but something far more positive that reminded him of…
“…Ho-Oh.”
Those memories, both his own and someone else’s, who had met the rainbow phoenix of their respective worlds under specific circumstances and forged a connection with said legendary… Was that someone Starr? Where did that vision, flashback or whatever come from? Did Starr try to reach out to him, or was it a result of Spectrum reacting to the presence of the other Ho-Oh’s energy?
…Wait! But then that meant… that Starr had connected with a Ho-Oh, too?!
“You gotta be kidding me!” Silver muttered, wide-eyed. So many questions poured all at once, demanding immediate answers, but then something akin to a growl or a snort caught his attention and dispelled those thoughts, making his blood freeze.
The Incineroar was staring at the cliff, an ominous aura swirling in those emotionless eyes, in the same way he hyper-focused on something with ruthlessness and nefarious intentions, almost murderous…
‘Kotone… How’s the situation over there?’
The response seemed to be taking centuries to arrive. That beast lowered on all fours, readying a jump…
‘We’ve freed the guys and are now close to the exit! Is… is everyone okay? The temperature is kinda rising here…’
And the beast jumped on the cliff. Silver felt as if his heart stopped.
She’s gonna kill those idiots; your friends; KOTONE!
Blood boiled instantly, a protective snarl stretching on his face and his fury surging again. “Oh no! You won’t!!”
As he rushed through the blazing inferno, disregarding any potential burn, Silver ran through his mind the countless climbing lessons he had learned from his father, and by combining them with his Sneasler’s instincts he found the quickest path to reach the top of the cliff before the oversized feline could.
“You asshole! Why don’t you meddle with someone closer to your size and lineage?!” he roared as he slashed at the giant construct with his massive claws, aiming to slow her down as much as he could. With another burst of speed and his lithe body, he near effortlessly reached the top and glared down at the beast.
If Starr wanted to take on those folks she would have had to get through him, first!
Jade was frozen at the edge of the cliff, staring down at the hellish inferno far below, one that hadn't been there minutes ago. Even from her vantage point she could feel the burning updrafts on her face and see the burning eyes of the beast as it sought new victims. The itch in the back of her brain was screaming at her to get back into the fray, even though she'd just barely managed to escape before everything caught fire. Going back down there was suicide, but she couldn't just stay here, not when—
Her thoughts locked up as her brain struggled to process what she was seeing. The beast had leapt at the cliff and was... ascending. Claws digging into the rock at it scaled the sheer wall, one paw after another.
It was coming this way. It was escaping the deep. No no no no.
Jade's ears flicked behind her. She could hear the sounds of movement in the cavern behind her. The staff were leaving their bunker, trying to escape the dungeon, and wow, the timing couldn't possibly have been worse! But at the same time, she couldn't just yell for them to turn back around and make a run for the bunker again, not when for all they knew this could've been their only shot!
Her head was buzzing. Too many thoughts, it felt like her brain was going to explode.
She had to do something. Every inch of Jade was screaming at her to do something, but she was stuck on what. She could wait for the beast to keep ascending, to get high enough for her to nail it in the face with a rain of strikes and pray that that'd be enough to knock it back into the pit below. But the idea of waiting around up here felt wrong, not when far below her Koa and Silver and Dave were fighting for their lives in the midst of those hellish flames. And on top of it all, the light was still burning in the back of her mind and urging her to move, to fight, to stop standing around get down there the fastest way possible, the obvious answer was staring her straight in the face, she had to do it she had to do it she had to—
She didn't know when she'd started running. All she knew was that her last footfall had been the final one to hit solid ground, and now she was falling.
And as the air streamed past her face and the inferno rushed up at her, the maddening whirlwind of thoughts inside her skull finally, finally, went silent.
.
..
...
Jade closed her eyes for a few endless moments, taking in the feeling of falling, and the inexplicable wave of calm that came with it. When she opened her eyes, she saw it all in perfect clarity, as if in slow motion. She reached out, feeling the Shadows creeping up her arm as she steadied her aim. And once that arrow of darkness struck true, she felt that certainty of connection once more, at once terrifying and comforting. If she died down here, it'd be where Starr died.
And without any question in her mind of if it'd be enough, she reached for the light still burning within and let it free.
"Nnnnnnnot sure this is such a great ideaaaaa," warned Polk, clambering onto Anubis, who would quickly find that the salamander was a good couple hundred pounds or so and had the bodily composition of wet flour.
For all of a half second, Anubis managed to remain upright, crouched as Polk got on. His legs immediately crumpled under him. No. He wasn't supposed to be this weak. In his old body, he could have. Roars of rage from the beast filled the air. The earth shook beneath his paws. Time was running out, he needed to move, he was falling behind, letting them down. What kind of leader cannot keep his oath?
Determination stoked his inner fire. A memory surfaced briefly, of blocking the Lord of the Volcano's flame from striking Alpha. That power, he could feel it, if he could find it, claim it then he could fufill his duty. Heat flared within him. His limbs shook as he tried to find that same well that had burst within him back then. Just a little more-
Whatever fire and memory he'd been reaching for receeded. Flame, extinguished by the wind before it grow into a bonfire. All that remained was him, a still trapped in a pup's body.
Relax, take it easy.If you can't do it the usual way, just try and figure out something else.
Dark shadow cast by the hellfire below rippled around his body. This pack needed him, and he refused to fail them. Shadow spread, thick and cool under his paws. You are the flame in the night. Darkness and fire are yours, use them. Fluidly, easily, Anubis sank into the shadow like falling into water. Weightless shade enevloped them for a moment, and a sensation like stepping through a doorway and then...
Anubis used Teleport!
Polk still draped over him, Anubis suddenly found himself at the caverns exit, several yards away from where they first stood. Still unable to move, with Polk's damp weight on his back, but now close to safety.
Jesse's nose flared, and a rush of air drawn to the fire billowed his coat and fur. Fire and brimstone.
You're gonna go to Hell.
Well maybe I already live there.
He put his wand up, pushed the barrier forward, ignored his aching limbs, advanced. He had to go all-out. They had to take the initiative. He had to, had to, had to—
He glanced at Dave. Stared at him, standing in the fire. Felt something unnameable in his skin, in his skull, in his sternum.
The fuck. He'd never thought that. Had Dave— No, Dave'd never said that. Thought it, maybe? Maybe. Maybe he deserved it. It rang true, in the fire, the noise in his head clamouring louder and harsher with every second passing, a burning in his blood, a roaring in his brain that told him you failed her.
Dave was up front, goading, trying to draw the heat to him. Why the fuck would he do that? For him, most of all. Well, Ambrose, y'ain't gonna get to be a martyr.
It was alright. He could go down, just so long as everyone else stayed standing.
"Hey! Turn on yer fuckin' heel and come get me!" he howled.
Smoke and heat and light, burning, burning. Powerful as ever, her Starr. Bright and dark, smouldering away. Some small part of her even loved it, admired Starr's strength and recklessness, felt kinship with the battleheart in her, even thought it was hot. Didn't mean she burned any easier, though.
Something was... different, she realised. Her eyes, her ears, her nose told her naught. But still, something in the soul... It was affecting her. Others, too. Dave, Koa, her pa, everyone had some madness in their eyes... Couldn't even tell if it were shining or shadowed.
Fight for them. Your friends. Comrades. Partners.
She hardly knew them. They hardly knew her. Was this their network, making them treat her like she mattered so much to them? Did they just have that spark of heroism in them?
No. It ain't that.
Something welled behind Brisa's eyes, unbidden, a rising feeling of certainty. A truth she could hardly recognise.
You know what you do next.
What? What did she have to do? Stand on her goddamn paws and fight?
It was working. A powerful tailwind carried the researchers across the vast underground cavern, rapidly approaching the main facility. Virga allowed herself to feel a flicker of satisfaction at the success.
Of course, that good feeling couldn't last. A tidal wave of urgency struck the back of her mind suddenly and without mercy. Something was very wrong, and she had only moments to act.
'What. What is happening. What are you doing.'
No answer from the girl.
'Answer me!'
Maddening silence. Infuriating. Virga threw a glance back at the others and called out, "Carry on without me!" before darting away in a flash, as fast as her wings would take her.
Silver's lengthened claws effortlessly carried him up the sheer drop as Dave and Koa dashed after him and Jade plummeted from the clifftop above. An onslaught of strikes one after the other, claws and fists, fangs and lightning, all tearing that abomination apart in tandem.
Silver's AGILE Fighting Crush Claw dealt 53 damage to Blacklight Beast! It's super effective!
Silver's Fighting Crush Claw dealt 90 damage to Blacklight Beast! It's super effective!
Silver's Drain Punch dealt a CRITICAL 70 damage to Blacklight Beast! It's super effective!
Recovered 39 HP!
Jade's Shining Freefall dealt a CRITICAL 100 damage to Blacklight Beast! It's super effective! Freefalling!
Jade's Umbral Determinism dealt a CRITICAL 85 damage to Blacklight Beast! It's super effective! +1 Helping Hand
Jade's RADIANT Soul's Adversity + STRONG Thunderbolt, boosted by Starr, dealt a CRITICAL 182 damage to Blacklight Beast! It's super effective!
Virga's wings were screaming with effort as she dove over the edge of the cliff, drawing on bursts of speed again and again. Her eyes locked onto the speck of cream fur, far far below, wings pitched back to their maximum, talons outstretched, willing the distance between them to shrink. Closer, closer--!
Talons locked around fur and Virga flared her wings so hard she was certain something in her shoulder had snapped. There wasn't enough time to pull out of the dive; it was all she could do to level their flight before they hit the ground and hope that it was enough.
Jesse's Mystical Fire dealt 19 damage to Blacklight Beast! It's not very effective... -1 Mag!
Jesse's AGILE Scorching Sands x2 dealt 23 + a CRITICAL 58 damage to Blacklight Beast! It's super effective!
It was too much. The beast's claws lost their hold on the stone and its arms flailed for purchase, but massive holes had been torn through its body and there wasn't enough of it left to keep a stable hold. With a furious roar, it pitched backward, careening to the ground with a mighty thud in an explosion of dark-light flames that consumed everything in its vicinity.
Boss Attack: The Blacklight Beast's Blacklight Fury fell upon Purgatory for quarter damage!
The sheer impact of it knocked Dave's vision into blackness, and for an endless moment, he was somewhere else.
Still a Mightyena, the form straining to hold its shape as corruption streamed across his pelt in sizzling rivulets. Fangs burned in his mouth as he tore into a wall of golden scales.
His very being felt corrosive, and wasn't that just a fucking metaphor for everything. He let out a drunken giggle as he charged into the side of ₥₳₱ⱠɆ's head, sizzling Blacklight splattering onto her face where it dug into her spiritual flesh. Fucking fantastic. An actual use for being an insufferable piece of shit, in the service of something better.
The beast's arms, still mangled from the fall, lashed out in a wide arc, catching everyone nearby with a wicked strike. Jesse collapsed from the impact, but even as he fell, his energy passed to Brisa...
Blacklight Beast Focused...
Blacklight Beast's BLACKLIGHT Dark Pulse!
Koa: a CRITICAL 187! KO!
Jade: a CRITICAL 184! KO!
Boss Action: Sure Crit!
Blacklight Beast's STRONG Fire Blast!
Brisa was burned by Purgatory and hurt by Fire Field.
The Beast was hurt by Toxic.
Silver fainted due to his burn...
Dave, Jade, Koa, and Silver were revived!
Everyone's Rhythm activated!
The Beast's Blacklight Regenerator drained 580 HP. But then—!
Corrupted flames swept over the construct yet again, stitching its mangled form back together. But the damage was far, far more extensive this time, and it looked like the beast was genuinely struggling to put itself back together. One of its arms had been close to falling off, and in the long moments it took to reattach itself, something was visible through the gaping hole left behind.
Fur. Crimson fur.
There's something inside the Blacklight Beast...!
Could it be possible to Interact with it?
Everything felt weightless, like floating through a sea of clouds. Jade couldn't feel her body. She couldn't feel or see much of anything.
The last thing she remembered was... falling. The calm and clarity that always came with it. Except... Swift and Firestorm weren't here to catch her. That realization had only caught up with her once it was too late to do anything. But she'd done it; she'd dug into herself and found the power she'd needed to strike the beast with everything she had. Maybe that was... enough.
Except that wasn't where it had ended. She was remembering something else now. Claws digging into her shoulders and the feeling of her momentum being suddenly wrenched sideways before hitting the ground and tumbling over and over.
And now, everything felt broken.
Sensations other than pain no longer existed. She was a wound in the shape of a body. Her eyes peeled open just enough to see the flickering firelight all around, illuminating a blurry mess that slowly came into focus. There were limbs stretched out in front of her face, the fur skinned away, the joints bent at impossible angles. It only distantly registered in her brain that they were hers.
Get up.
You can't.
Get up.
That was all you had.
Aren't you meant to be here?
You're meant to die here.
You can't go home, not yet, you haven't finished what you started, GET UP.
Blinding light had consumed her vision, but it wasn't the burning, buzzing urgency of Radiance. It was a wave, spreading from her core to her extremities, and with each part of her it touched, she felt her mangled body righting itself. She could move. She could... stand. One foot at a time until she'd lifted her weight from the stone floor.
To her right, an Electrike and Mightyena. On the cliff's edge, high above, a Sneasel (not quite a Sneasel anymore, the claws and limbs too long). Koa, Dave, Silver... they were all still standing, thank god. Then her eyes fell on the Corvisquire lying in a crumpled heap behind her, and she winced. She owed Virga a lot for that save...
Jesse had fallen too. Brisa was standing over him protectively, the bands around her arms glowing golden.
And then there was the beast, almost done patching itself back up, but not before Jade caught a glimpse of red fur at its center. Her eyes went wide, her chest tightening. In an instant, she knew what she had to do, reaching within herself for the darkness, the certainty, the inevitability. Envisioning the threads of lightning that'd connected them from this life to the last. Letting that lightning tear through the beast's outer shell and expose its core.
"If you're in there, I'm sorry," she whispered to no one.
Then, to her friends: "I need help! There's something in here—!"
Jade! Plunging over the edge of cliff, into hellfire. Shining light, rising to meet the beast. To save her-
Heat and pain and calls blured in the face of the disorienting waves of energy pulsing through his body. Elation and fear and so much emotion consuming him- Vision rippling, breath coming in heaves, feeling like for once, he had it, had the power. He was good enough, he was
Finally he was perfect.
Then came a wave of inescapably huge dark energy, headed for him. Silhouetted before him against the incoming attack, a four-legged figure appeared from thin air. Anubis. Shielding Koa.
Blacklight flame and thunder threw the world into cold sharp clarity. He had the power.
When the beam struck, it was Koa who stood in front of Anubis.
KO!
Black. Infinite black. Calls and cries flitted about, far away. Voices, calling out, to one another, to him, and for the beast. For Starr.
“This isn’t even someone you ever were. Just someone you could have been.”
"you’re worth something.”
"But guess what—we still made a fucking difference, didn’t we?"
Jade's cry snapped him back to consciousness as his Reviver Seed kicked in. His body spasmed, he choked a breath and coughed as his senses returned all at once. Fire. Howling. Smoke. Pain. The touch of Anubis' cold nose, nudging him and whimpering. With a murmured reassurance to Anubis, he rose and bounded to the cliff's edge. I'm coming. Not with light or shadow, but thunder.
Then he reached for the spark, and for the memory of another life. "Brisa!" Down from the top of the cliff came a crackling orb that shattered below, followed by a Koa streaking down like living lightning, landing on the charged earth.
Electricity arced between them, power and will resonating. He pressed a paw to Brisa's shoulder and bared his soul.
Objective: rescue the trapped researchers.
