BLAZE!
Below, Sector Gamma burned. The view from the Ackuline 360's viewport revealed a scene of pure chaos. Harmonic teams clashed desperately against churning tides of Unus on the scarred earth. Figures zipped across the battlefield, flashes of Character energy illuminating the smoke-choked air – fiery comets, lightning discharge, shimmering shields – battling swarms of skittering, clawing, insectoid horrors. Alongside them, heavy artillery units roared; huge howitzers mounted on armored trucks lobbed explosive shells into the densest concentrations of creatures, shaking the very ground.
BOOM! BOOM!
Rackell pressed her face against the thick plexiglass window, her excitement momentarily overshadowed by the brutal reality below. "Gods… Look at that fighting. Those Harmonics are right in the thick of it."
Dodo squeezed in beside her. "Chaos… pure chaos. Never seen so many Unus in one place."
Maya, seated further back, gripped the edge of her seat; her knuckles were white. "My hands are shaking," she admitted.
Nala reached over and gently grasped Maya's trembling hand. "It will be alright, Maya. My Shield Pixies will protect us." Her calm certainty offered a small anchor amidst the rising dread that permeated the transport cabin.
"Alright, listen up, Provisionals!"
A loud, booming voice cut through the nervous chatter. Standing near the main ramp was the Crimson Star member assigned to oversee their group. He was a mountain of muscle, bald head gleaming under the cabin lights, clad in heavy-duty combat armor. Two enormous, complex-looking cannons were strapped securely across his back. Patches on his armor identified him as 'Tanker Joe'.
He surveyed the anxious faces before him; looking hard as a cock, but steady. "Eyes sharp! We're approaching the LZ. Target is Deserek Outpost." He pointed downwards.
Through the viewport, they could see a fortified settlement below, smaller than Aethelgard but clearly built for defense. However, its perimeter walls were already breached in several places. Dark swarms of Unus poured through the gaps like venomous insects, overwhelming the outpost's struggling defenders.
"Looks like intel was wrong, or the situation deteriorated fast. Place is on the brink. Civilians are trapped inside. Rescue needs to be fast and hard." He barked into his comm unit, "Pilot! Take us down! Find the clearest landing zone near the central plaza!"
As the Ackuline 360 began its rapid descent, streaking towards the embattled outpost, new threats emerged. A screeching swarm of aerial Unus – bat-winged creatures spitting corrosive globs – arrowed towards them from the smoke-filled sky.
"Hostiles incoming! Activate defensive grid!" Tanker Joe roared.
Automated turrets mounted on the transport's hull swiveled and opened fire, spitting streams of energized projectiles that tore through the attacking swarm. Explosions dotted the air around them.
Suddenly, a calm, authoritative female voice echoed through the transport's internal speakers – Elizabeth Pellesh.
"All units, this is Crimson Lead. Primary Crimson Star teams are engaging Category 2 and potential Category 3 threats concentrating near the main breach points. Support guilds, focus on civilian extraction at the designated rally points. Secure the evacuees. Leave no one behind. Crimson Star out." Her tone was resolute despite the chaos.
The transport bucked as defensive fire intensified. "Almost there!" Tanker Joe yelled over the noise. "Get your Characters ready! We hit the ground running!"
Thud!
The Ackuline 360 touched down hard amidst the outpost's central plaza, the landing struts groaned under the impact. Dust and debris billowed around them. The main ramp slammed down before the engines fully powered down.
"GO! GO! GO!"
Tanker Joe bellowed. He was the first one out, immediately unclipping the massive cannons from his back. He hefted one in each hand as Unus Skitterlings already scrambled towards the newly arrived transport. The Resonance Socket on the back of his thick neck flared brightly.
"Ballerina!"
A huge, spectral figure materialized above him – ethereal, feminine, yet radiating immense power. It wore a flowing, energy-woven tutu and moved with unsettling grace. The Ballerina channeled glowing energy down into Tanker Joe's cannons; the weapons visibly swelled, glowing conduits began pulsing along their barrels until they looked impossibly oversized, even for him.
"Come get some, you chitinous freaks!"
Tanker Joe opened fire.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The cannons unleashed devastating blasts of energy, not as single shots, but as complex, almost choreographed volleys that danced through the air like deadly bees, striking multiple targets with pinpoint accuracy, tearing Unus apart in sprays of ichor and shattered carapace. "Provisionals! Move out! Secure those civilians!" he yelled between devastating bursts of fire as he held back the immediate tide of monsters.
Dodo watched, utterly mesmerized by the display of controlled destruction. "Whoa… So manly! That's power!" He clenched his own fists. "One day… I'll be that cool."
SMACK!
Rackell slapped the back of his head sharply.
"Focus, Dodo! We have a job to do!"
As their designated team leader, she took charge immediately, adrenaline sharpened her senses.
"Maya, Nala, Dodo – with me! Towards that fortified building! That must be the primary shelter!" She ignited her own secondary Character. "Lament Fuego!"
Her Resonance Socket flared. A creature made of dripping, superheated magma, roughly two meters tall and radiating intense heat, coalesced beside her. It let out a guttural roar.
With Tanker Joe providing overwhelming covering fire, Rackell and her team accompanied by other Provisionals, charged forward into the chaos of the overrun outpost. Lament Fuego was lumbering beside them like a walking inferno.
"Over there! Hostiles!"
Rackell led her team deeper into the chaos of Deserek Outpost. They moved swiftly through debris-strewn streets, sticking to cover whenever possible. Around them, other Provisional Harvester teams engaged scattered pockets of Unus Skitterlings and Strikers that had infiltrated the settlement – frantic bursts of energy fire, the clash of manifested weapons, the occasional panicked scream echoed through the ruins.
Suddenly, the skeletal remains of a building ahead of them groaned, then collapsed inwards with a deafening roar, kicking up a thick cloud of dust and pulverized concrete.
From within the rising plume, a new figure emerged, silent and menacing. It floated effortlessly, vaguely humanoid but alien – sleek, dark carapace, four multi-jointed arms tipped with wicked claws, and a long, segmented tail ending in a razor-sharp barb. Its head was featureless save for multiple glowing red eyes. Large, membranous wings spread from its back.
Rackell recognized it instantly from briefing files. "Category 2 Floater – Spike Dweller! Watch out! Its ranged attacks are lethal!"
Her warning came barely a second too soon. Several Harmonics nearby launched opportunistic attacks – energy blasts, kinetic shards – but the Spike Dweller evaded them with uncanny aerial agility. It ascended rapidly, hovered high above the ruined street, and let loose a piercing, high-frequency screech.
Visible ripples distorted the air around it. From these ripples, dozens of long, crystalline spikes materialized and launched downwards with incredible velocity, raining upon the exposed Harmonics below.
SHINK! THWACK! CRUNCH!
Shields flared, some held, others shattered instantly. A few unlucky Harmonics were impaled where they stood and collapsed lifelessly. Others cried out in pain as spikes pierced limbs or armor.
"Cover! Now!"
Rackell yelled as she shoved her team towards the precarious shelter of a partially collapsed storefront. Several other nearby Provisional teams scrambled for cover alongside them, pressing themselves against crumbling walls as more spikes rained down.
Their path to the civilian shelter was blocked, and the Spike Dweller hovered menacingly overhead, clearly targeting anyone who broke cover.
"We can't let this thing pin us down."
Rackell peered out cautiously.
"And we definitely can't lead it towards the shelter. We need to deal with it here, fast, before something worse shows up."
She looked at the leader of another small guild huddled nearby, a burly man whose Character manifested as rock-like plating on his arms. "We have the numbers if we coordinate."
The burly leader nodded grimly. "Agreed. Can't risk it getting behind us. My team's with you."
"Us too!"
Other nearby team leaders voiced their assent. They quickly began formulating a plan – ranged suppression, flanking maneuvers, coordinated Character attacks.
But…
Before they could finalize the strategy, a dreadful blur came from above. The Spike Dweller whipped its long tail then a blade of pure white energy slashed downwards which carved through their flimsy cover and forced everyone to scatter frantically into the open street.
"Damn it! Exposed!" Rackell cursed. "Lament Fuego! Attack!"
Her magma creature roared and unleashed a torrent of fire breath towards the hovering Unus. The intense heat forced the Spike Dweller to momentarily bank away. This provided precious seconds for the ground teams to regroup.
"Surround formation! Hit it from all sides!" Rackell commanded.
Harmonics spread out and began unleashing a barrage of attacks – energy bolts, shadow tendrils, kinetic blasts, manifested weapons hurled upwards.
The Spike Dweller remained unfazed. A shimmering, translucent field materialized around it – a Kinetic Shield, absorbing the initial volley harmlessly. It then locked its multiple red eyes onto the attackers below and began firing another, more concentrated shower of its deadly spikes.
The Harmonics scrambled, dodging and blocking. Shields flared and shattered under the onslaught.
While others focused on evasion, Nala noticed something odd about the spikes that had impaled the ground near them. A faint, black haze started to seep from them. Curious, she watched intently as the haze drifted towards a fallen Harmonic's discarded glove. The moment it touched the material, the glove began to rapidly corrode and dissolve into black sludge.
"The haze! It's corrosive! Don't let it touch you!"
Nala's voice was louder and more urgent than her teammates had ever heard it
Her warning came just as dozens more spikes embedded themselves around the battlefield, all beginning to emit the sinister black haze. It spread rapidly, like an acrid fog clinging to the ground. Several Harmonics who couldn't react fast enough were enveloped; their armor dissolved, followed swiftly by agonized screams that were cut short as the haze consumed them.
"Ignis Cascade!"
Rackell pushed past her fear. She activated her primary Character, undergoing Full Characterization. Her form dissolved into the familiar searing comet of fire, burning even brighter alongside Lament Fuego. She directed intense jets of flame at the spikes near her team, incinerating them and neutralizing the spreading haze before it could reach them. The fire seemed effective against the corrosive mist.
"GRAAAAH!"
Seeing its tactic countered, the Spike Dweller immediately focused its attention on the fiery Harmonic. It generated a single, significantly larger spike, humming with contained energy, and launched it directly at Rackell.
Whoosh!
Lament Fuego lumbered forward to intercept the massive projectile, but exploded in a shower of molten rock upon impact.
"Go!"
Nala's Shield Pixies zipped forward, forming a desperate, multi-layered shield around Rackell, but they too shattered like glass against the spike's overwhelming power.
The projectile continued straight for Rackell's core.
"OH NO!"
Just as it was about to hit, Dodo leaped forward. His Shadow Maw Character manifested fully – a huge, snarling wolf's head made of pure darkness. He punched upwards, intercepting the spike with his shadowy fist. There was a strange, resonant clang, and the spike was violently deflected into a nearby ruined building which promptly exploded from the contained energy.
"Dodo! Are you alright?" Rackell cried out.
"Yeah… I think so," Dodo grunted and examined his Shadow Maw fist, which seemed unharmed. "Guess my Character's dark energy has some resistance to whatever that was."
Frustrated, the Spike Dweller abandoned its ranged attacks. It folded its wings and nosedived directly towards the vulnerable Rackell. Sharp energy crescents formed along its four forearms, ready for a decapitating strike.
Before it could reach her, the burly guild leader Rackell had spoken to earlier slammed his hands onto the ground. "Earthen Grasp!"
The ruined street buckled. A massive wall of compacted earth and rubble erupted upwards, directly in the Spike Dweller's path. The Unus crashed into it with tremendous force. Before it could recover, the leader manipulated the wall, reshaping it into thick, muddy tendrils that wrapped around the struggling creature, trapping it against the makeshift barrier.
"Now, fire lady! Roast it!" The leader yelled.
Rackell didn't hesitate. "Lumen Devastation!" Focusing all her power, she formed a massive sphere of incandescent fire between her hands and slammed it directly into the immobilized Spike Dweller.
KRA-BOOM!
The explosion was immense, it vaporized the mud prison and carved a deep, molten crater where the Unus had been trapped. Dust rained down and the crackling of residual flames permeated.
Did they get it?