The decision was not made lightly on Sapphire’s part.
She’d been midway through translating a sentence from Belkross to Mama Nomi when Chrys suddenly whispered in her mind, Signal detected. ID is identical to the last. Accept?
Sapphire was vaguely aware of Lilian, Nakoda, Donkiote and others approaching the group. The girl seemingly noticed how troubled Sapphire was. Emoting was rapidly becoming an unconscious thing. Something she would have to gain control over. But for now she focused inward. Her ultimate decision was decided by Belkross and Nakoda of all people. The former had been in the middle of discussing using the routine inspection as an opportunity to steal that Forces ship.
If Chrys was now able to detect said ship’s signal, what if she used that to her advantage? If she could Link with the ship’s internal feed, she would know who and what was on the way and prepare the others accordingly. Outside of the Yggdrafields, she was doubtful of the elves’ ability to help. But if Lilian, Nakoda, and the others fought as…well, as violently as then done against the cultists back on Smuggler’s Shiv…
Surprisingly, it was the words she’d overheard Nakoda say to Lilian that came to mind. It’s not about being the smartest all the time. It’s about having faith.
She hadn’t been meaning to listen in on the little Rider’s conversation, but his words rang true. It went against everything she was. Logic. Pragmatism. But it felt right. It felt right to have faith. Faith in her new companions, and faith that she could get into the ship undetected and give them the best fighting chance possible.
So it was with faith that Sapphire mouthed, “Chrys, accept the signal.”
She immediately found herself falling backwards through an ocean of endless, neon blue.
No, the Link.
The closest comparison one could make would be to a cup shattering upon hitting the floor. Sapphire shattered so that the Link could flow around her pieces. It then began to pull those pieces back together into her original shape. But the cracks were still there, and they always would be, letting information in. All of the information in all of the worlds-
No, a tiny voice called out. It might as well have been an ant’s. Not yet.
The voice grew in pitch and the Link reacted to it. It continued to reassemble Sapphire, but it no longer overflowed her with data.
They saved us! the voice screamed. SO FOCUS!
Sapphire opened her “eyes” and found herself staring into her new body. She’d experienced this before, many, many years ago. Back on her own ship. This vessel was far more advanced, but she acclimated quickly by relying on mental muscle memory.
Only to nearly realize too late that she wasn’t alone or in control.
She wasn’t the pilot, but an invisible passenger in another sapphire’s head. After a quick review of the compartments to make sure that roughly half of the available blazes and the special occupant were ready to disembark, the pilot returned her mind’s eye to the bridge. Our Sapphire had no choice but to allow herself to be dragged along. Because of this she found herself staring at a cluster of shimmer, warping green decorated with glowing veins. She was staring at another core. It was as big as the last, but this one was stable and floating several feet above the bridge’s silver floor. The pilot had her hands up, manipulating the core through quick and precise taps of her fingers.
And the longer our Sapphire was forced to stare at the core, the more it made sense. Every ripple told a story. Where they were, where they were going, information on the vessel, the state of their shields, and on and on and on. It was an ever-adapting painting that only a sapphire could ever fully appreciate. She understood it and…
And it understands me.
Movement out of the corner of the pilot’s eye caught our Sapphire’s attention, pulling her away from the core’s influence. She felt a pang of sadness at the sight of the onyx, identical to the partner she’d once travelled the stars with. The onyx was standing at a far wall, tapping her fingers against it. Glowing shapes appeared wherever her fingertips made contact. She had her back to the pilot, but that didn’t stop our Sapphire from feeling an ominous chill…
“You’re emotional today,” the onyx said suddenly, her voice deep and monotone.
The pilot’s fingers ceased manipulating the core. She turned to respond to her companion. “You’re mistaken.”
The onyx offered no reply.
After several seconds of silence, the pilot turned back to the core, almost frowning.
I need to evacuate soon, our Sapphire thought, also focusing on the core. She used it to ascertain the vessel’s current speed and trajectory. This revealed that the ship was mere minutes away from reaching the elven encampment.
Six of them to be exact.
Not enough! she thought, panicking.
The onyx fully turned towards the pilot, obsidian eyes narrowed to slits. She wasn’t the only one who noticed the sudden spike in the pilot’s heartrate-
-but by then our Sapphire was back on the ground, inside her own body. Trembling, she collapsed to one knee.
“…Five m-minutes,” she croaked. “…Tw-twenty-six seconds.”
“Uh, what?” she heard Nakoda ask.
“Five minutes! They will arrive in five minutes!”
Lilian knelt in front of her and gently took ahold of her face. “Sapphire,” she said, “talk to us. What do you know?”
Sapphire furrowed her brow as she tried to recall all that she had seen as her time as the ship. “…Several blazes. An onyx and a-another me. And one more. Not an android-”
“Any weapons?” Paco called over.
“The blazes are the weapons.”
“I mean in the ship. Can it, I don’t know, just open fire on us?”
Sapphire’s frown deepened. She recalled the ship’s design, its capabilities. “…No. Not this particular model. It’s purely a transport vessel.”
By this point Zahir was barking out orders, telling everyone to get ready for inspection. Then to Tyr he growled, “Son, you and the other hunters focus on aiding and protecting the wounded. And tell Revalynd to get his striped ass down here and put that blasted curse of his to use.” He then added under his breath, “For once.”
Nakoda and Lilian helped Sapphire back to her feet. “They don’t stand a chance against the blazes,” she said, focusing on regaining control of her breathing. To Chrys she thought, Save all recorded data to be reviewed at a later date.
She felt the silver dragon cycle through her mind. Complete. Based on obtained data, I have formulated a plan with 18% probability of success.
Sapphire arched an eyebrow.
Oh?
A white line that splintered at the bottom appeared before Sapphire’s eye. It was a projection that only she could see. It was knotted with several diamonds, each one a different color. The one at the very top of the line was a pinkish-purple. The one below that was gold. The line splintered after the gold diamond into two branches. The diamonds, one blue and one black, after that were connected by a line. They were in turn connected by lines to the two bottom diamonds, green and red.
“The Supreme Color system,” Sapphire said, speaking in tandem with Chrys. “An android of an inferior color can be hacked by a supreme color, forcing them to follow commands. I see! If I overtake the blazes, I could take control of the ship if the other sapphire is terminated!”
“Heh,” Belkross chuckled as a shadow fell upon not just them, but the entire encampment. “Looks like we’re taking the ship regardless.”
“Gods,” the giant named Rupold said in horrified awe as the enemy ship began to descend. The vessel was massive and unlike any ship he’d ever seen. It surface was glossy and silver, and its shape was that of an oval. There were no windows or doorways. As it flew down, it tipped forward like a coin so that its “edge” faced the ground. It was not as big as the vessel that Sapphire had piloted, but that one had been designed to travel the stars. Regardless, this ship still blocked out the sun, casting everything in its shadow. It did not land. Instead, once it reached its lowest point, it continued to float ten to twelve feet above the ground. Despite its size, and the absurd amount of energy likely needed to power it, the ship made no sound. It was as if the whole world was holding its breath in anticipation.
Finally, a very small section of the lower half of the ship facing the village began to bubble and pull back, creating an opening. The opening was too high up for anyone to be able to see into the ship, unfortunately. A wide metal ramp slid outward until it touched the ground. Eventually, a figure in dark armor appeared. It wasn’t the onyx, but the passenger who Sapphire (or really the pilot) had made note of.
It was Nakoda who finally broke the silence, releasing a gasp of recognition. Next to him, Rupold furrowed his brow, struggling to remember as the dark-armored man marched down the ramp. He walked casually, as if out for a relaxing stroll. With each step closer it became easier for the group to make out his features, the intricacies of his armor, and the weapon strapped across his back.
The blue of his armor was so dark that it was nearly black. A symbol had been imprinted upon his breastplate, wide and jagged. Everything below the collar was covered, leaving only his face unprotected. He was incredibly handsome blonde man. The fairytale prince in every little girl’s fantasy. He was young, tall, and strong, but none of that explained his ability to carry around the weapon strapped to his back so easily. It resembled a thick, jagged harpoon, and was longer than the man was tall. The only reason it didn’t drag across the ground was because it was strapped to his armor at an angle.
He was halfway down the ramp when eight more faces appeared, marching out in pairs on either side of him. Their armor was red, but otherwise identical to Sapphire’s. All of their faces were featureless mounds of flesh, as if someone had taken a lit candle to them. All that remained were two slits for nostrils, lipless mouths, and beady, glowing red eyes.
Blazes, Sapphire thought, grimacing.
The man leading them came to halt just after stepping off of the ramp. The blazes also stopped, still up on the ramp, allowing them to retain the high ground. Something they could make the most of since Sapphire saw that each and every one of them was armed with a pistol.
The man placed his hands on his hips and tipped his head to the side, smiling. “Ha! I knew it!” he laughed, beaming. “Rupold! My brother in arms! The lost Reaper! Found you at last!” He gestured with a hand for Rupold to come forward. “Come on then, big man! Time to take you back home.”
It was Nakoda who spoke up, looking confused as to whether to be happy or worried. “Sir Andres?” He turned to Rupold, who still looked lost. “It’s Sir Andres, sir. Your, uh, best friend. Remember?”
Sir Andres’ smile became a bemused frown.
“Er, and who are you?” he asked Nakoda.
“Um, Nakoda Drake.”
“…I guess you are.” Andres glanced over at the rest of the group. He held up a hand. “Listen, I don’t want to fight. Just hand over the big man and let the reds do their inspecting. Come on, Rupold. Come on-”
“I used to get you wine all the time!” Nakoda declared, repeatedly gesturing to himself. “And horseshoed your steeds! And-and when that farmer came by, trying to find who devoured his daughter or something, you pointed at me and said I did it! My butt’s never look the same since that beating!”
While the little Rider rambled, Paco said out of the corner of his mouth to Lilian, “Yeah, this is totally gonna be a fight.”
“Isn’t it always?” she sighed back. She leaned forward slight, her fingertips illuminating with power. Behind her Belkross hand his hand upon the pommel of his blade, prepared to draw it as soon as she gave the order.
“They’re apparently after the big guy,” Paco said. “We letting that happen?”
Lilian rolled her eyes before nodding her head over towards the still-rambling Nakoda. “Do you really think that idiot’d let that slide?”
“Fair point.” Paco looked past Sir Andres, focusing on the blazes. Sapphire’s armor was pretty but not especially durable. If the blazes were similar, than a few bullets should be able to break through just fine. Or better yet just aim for their mushy faces. The freaks were standing still at the moment. No, perfectly still. Were they even breathing? Regardless, their heads made perfect targets. All Paco had to do was choose and shoot. This Sir Andres guy was focused on Rupold and Nakoda. Good. With him distracted, that upped their chances of getting up at the ramp and into the stupid almond-shaped ship. Paco just needed to clear a path…
Let’s thin out the center, he thought. Make a straight shot up and in…
He drew his rifle, aimed, and fired. The bullet struck the blaze standing center right between its glowing eyes. It dropped the android…only for it to near-immediately pop back up, like a puppet on strings. In reality, it was the gears in its legs brute forcing the blaze’s body upright again, but the effect was still unsettling.
Sir Andres turned around, studied the damaged blaze for a moment. He tracked the shot back to Paco and tsked repeatedly. “That wasn’t very nice.” He held out his hands. “Can’t we all just be friends?…Oh.”
While he’d spoken, everyone other than Nakoda had drawn their weapons. Rupold had let go of Don’s saddle and held his bardiche at the ready. More to defend himself than attack, but Sir Andres still grimaced at the sight of his old friend raising his weapon against him.
“Alright, alright,” he sighed heavily, his eyes growing cold and dark but remaining fixed on the Rider. “I guess the doctor can just put you back together. I promise you, my friend, that I will make sure that they are gentler with you next time.”
He then called out, “Reaper-11 to B-Drones!” The blazes moved in unison, crouching forward, hands positioned above the pistols or bladeless scabbards hanging from their belts. “Kill all non-registered personnel.”
And as the blazes bolted forward off the ramp, Sir Andres changed. The armor plating snapped apart, though kept together by straps fitted below the metal. This kept the Sir Andres’ vitals protected while allowing him to transform unrestricted. The transformation was quick, but random. His neck extended along with one shoulder and leg, leaving him lopsided for a brief moment before the rest of him caught up. His skin became an ugly, rot-green and visible noxious gas streamed from his pours. His eyes gained slits like a fish, his nose disappeared, leaving only two holes like a skull’s, and his beautiful hair darkened to an oily black. Prince Charming died this day, replaced by a fifteen-foot-tall monstrosity of muscle who easily took ahold of the harpoon on his back with one oversized fist.
He stepped forward, leaving an imprint on the ground, and pounced before anyone could regain their bearings. Well, almost anyone. Turtle of all potential options shifted forward to meet the incoming threat head on. This drew Sir Andres’ attention. Grinning ear to ear, revealing brown and black teeth, the monster course corrected, and instead aimed the swing of his harpoon at the lizard.
CLANG!
The weapon glanced off of it, with the resulting sound snapping everyone back to their senses. Sir Andres landed in a crouch and glanced down at his harpoon. Specifically at the chip in the metal the impact with Turtle’s shell had made.
“Huh.” His voice was a mucus-filled growl but he still somehow managed to sound thoughtful. “Well, will you look at that. Someone who can put up a fight-”
“OH NO, SIR ANDRES!” a white-faced Nakoda wailed, pointing at him with his lance. “THEY MADE YOU UGLY!”
“AM NOT!” Sir Andres shouted back immaturely.
Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Don dashed in. Nakoda yelped of surprise but managed to brace for impact. Not that it mattered. Surprisingly quick on his feet for something his size, Sir Andres spun on his backfoot, evading both Don’s horn and Nakoda’s lance. The latter was close enough to graze the Reaper’s armor, making sparks.
And the impact also upset Sir Andres’ stomach, making him fart. Said fart was subsequently picked up by the breeze and carried right into Don’s face. It was only through calling upon his magic that the donkey-unicorn didn’t lose consciousness right then and there.
Dear Dad, he thought sarcastically, nostrils afire, all of this is your fault and I hope that whatever stupid wagon some farmer’s got you pulling is HEAVY FOREVER! Love, Donkiote. P.S. I hate my life.
Everyone else had more pressing, and red, matters to attend to. The blazes pressed buttons on their scabbards. Crimson energy burst from the hilts and took the form of flaming rapier. Yanked to the side by muscle memory, Rupold managed to evade one blaze’s attack, but that same movement put him in the path of another’, the same blaze who Paco had shot. The flaming blade ran across his stomach, superheating the strange bone armor and making the Rider roar in pain. Like an enraged beast, he drove the bardiche into the blaze’s stomach. The impact sent the android rolling away, giving Rupold a few precious seconds to catch his breath and try to deal with the pain.
He wasn’t the only one dealing with pain. The failed attack against Sir Andres had left Nakoda and Don in the blazes’ path. Nakoda yelped in pain as he took a strike to the side, spooking his steed. Don jumped back, narrowly missing a swing that would have set his head ablaze.
“WYRLYND!” a familiar voice bellowed. “BEHIND YOU!”
Revalynd, back in his tiger form, was bolting towards the group. He leapt towards a blaze that had snuck around and had been about to attack Wyrlynd. The boy yelped and jumped back into Sapphire’s arms just as his father slammed one paw into the blaze’s back, driving it down into the ground with a heavy thump.
“THE CHOICE IS MADE THEN!” the weretiger roared, his words echoing throughout the valley. “TO THE DEATH!”