<+=/ Jenna \=+>

Magic swelled from the third member of their squad, and Jenna had to shield her eyes as its intensity grew with tremendous speed. Visible arcs formed and leapt out to six separate points further at the edges of their attacking group's formation. Where each landed, the glow intensified. With another pulse, The space between each point was covered with a partially translucent shield made of magical light. It formed a rough dome overhead that covered the majority of the fire lines - and made it so the rest of the cover and defenses they were putting in place could deal with the rest.

Vidita, the third member of their trio for this attack, took deep, labored breaths as she stared down to the intricately carved, glowing crystal in her hands.

"This is amazing, Lycra."

He beamed - though Jenna wasn't certain if it was due to the praise, or watching his newest 'tool' in action. The Bubble, as Lycra called it, was a design inspired by Lorabelle. The woman's magic had been key to establishing shields and barriers that kept them safe back in the tutorial during the power armor experiments, but those had relied heavily on finely-adjusted mana crystals and precise alignment. Something mobile or messy like this had initially seemed like a pipe dream. She should've known better than to doubt Lycra's focused attention on the problem.

Incoming fire impacted the glowing shield with a sound like tinkling glass. Lycra had been adamant that the design was unfinished and inefficient. His ultimate goal had been personal shields that anyone could power with their own magic. Failing that, he wanted a shield of light that would be highly efficient, so the person powering it could maintain their own strength throughout a full fight. He'd completed neither goal in full, but his accomplishment was doing more than enough. Their people - and their assault - were safe to proceed forward, into the first target.

Jenna moved the railgun to her back, and lifted Vidita into her arms. As they ran, Lycra pulled a notebook out of his backpack and furiously scribbled.

She could tell he wanted to ask the straining light mage questions, but decided against it when he saw her concentration and increasing effort. None of them knew how much longer she was going to be able to keep this up.

As their group made it to the earthen ramps, the points of light near the front of their group shifted. Jenna wasn't certain why - and Lycra couldn't seem to explain it either, but having the six points for the formation was part of what made it work. For the shield to be maintained, so too did the approximate placement of each point in relation to the center. So, as they made it to the digger, their shield shrank. It also meant Jenna, Lycra, and Vidita were forced to hold themselves back as their allies began to storm the first hard target. More of the attacking group shifted around them to get out of the fire zone and into the machine as the size of the shield continued to shrink.

Jenna spared a glance behind her. Two Vuxarinans were motionless in the dirt. Another handful were wounded but with their group, receiving medical attention. They would be left on the digger as defenders while the rest continued to move the strike forwards. For a moment, she wished they'd taken a larger force. But even Lycra's incredible tools had a limit, and 150 was the max they could shield in a realistic formation. She shook the thoughts from her mind. This is what they had to work with, and they were going to make it work.

Her feet hit the incline of the earthen ramp, and Jenna sprinted forward until she was up against the bottom of the metal beast. It had a series of tracks for movement, each one as tall as her head. The body of the machine extended over the edge of the tracks, and made for decent cover. Along the span of the digger, their squads were climbing through holes cut into the massive machine. Further in, the sounds of fighting echoed.

The six team members who had been trusted with the target points for the shield joined them, and handed off their own etched crystals to Lycra. He inspected each quickly before putting them into their own pocket within the backpack. Another few furious scribbles went into the notebook, and Jenna watched him mouth 'Bubble Success'.

In her arms, Vidita was still breathing heavy. Lycra tossed her a marble-sized pill, and pulled his ivory sword from its sheath. Jenna almost dropped Vidita as she lowered the woman to the ground. They were supposed to rest now - recover, and stay fresh for the next target.

"Lycra! Where are you going? The plan is to stay here while they clear the digger!"

He flashed a toothy smile.

"The plan is to win. Vidita is safe now, so I'm gonna go do that."

Without waiting for a response, Lycra jumped straight up through one of the holes in the digger, and disappeared into the machine.

+ Reid +

Dark liquid poured into the ivory mug. Small bubbles formed and clung to the outer edge in a ring as it filled. He took a strong, full sniff of the steaming hot beverage in his hands. Zeke, to the man's credit, had given Reid not two, but seven carafes full of piping hot coffee. Though the ever-incredible magic that was spatial storage, he'd enjoyed a morning cup every day. Reid had stayed in Dayo Evni just long enough to pull more equipment from storage, and immediately after began his trip inland.

He'd spent most of his travel time recently moving along the shorelines, but Reid had decided a direct route would be best to get to his 'final' destination. Dayo Wolte did cross his mind, but if the city was already fallen, Reid would do better by going straight to the Ferber Compound. And - chances were, they needed help. There had been no notification yet that the beast wave was complete - and either scenario he envisioned was a bad one. Either they were struggling, or worse - they were trying to hold one of the spiders captive.

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His mind continued to worry through fictional details as he slowly sipped down his drink. It was a peaceful enough way to spend a morning, watching sunlight break over the island's forest canopy.

Or at least, it was until Reid felt the increasingly familiar sense of something playing at the side of his mind. As soon as it met his resistance, the intruder recoiled their magic immediately, but didn't fully withdraw. He could feel them hovering.

Reid tried to focus in on the magic itself, and to let it draw him to the source as he'd done with the drus. It didn't give him any indication of distance, or range.

It didn't give him much of anything.

"Nyx, I can't tell where they are. Can you?"

He felt her confusion, and curiosity.

"I don't think this is an enemy, Reid. I think it's a telepathic communicator - someone that can't actually speak. Hostile energy is usually quite a bit different. Give them a small window. You can always slam it shut."

With more than a little reluctance, Reid followed her advice and made a mental effort to let this specific presence a small path towards him. As soon as he did, the voice came.

"I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry. Please don't hurt me again."

Everything about the new voice was... childlike. It was tentative, high pitched, and small - even though every word came through like a shout. Reid consciously cooled his anger.

"Nyx, I think this thing is a child."

"I'm a Big Girl! That's why they picked me! That's why... why... why... sorry. I'm sorry. You're not mad anymore, right? Please don't be mad at me. I only want to talk."

"Oh, my bad. I can't see you, so I didn't realize you were a big girl. Think you can come out and say hello? We can have breakfast together."

"NO! I can't come out, can't come out, can't. Barry said. He said not to. So I won't. I'll be good, like he said. I'm sorry, Barry. I'm sorry."

Reid's trusty sense of unease was starting to grow once again. He needed more information, and he felt like he needed it quickly.

"Hey, big girl - you're doing great. Good job following Barry's advice, okay? Why don't you tell me your name?"

"Bubbles! We got to pick, and I picked Bubbles!"

"That's a cool name, Bubbles. You know, I met someone in Dayo Sovni that sounded kind of like you. Do you have any family in Dayo Sovni, or anywhere else on the island?"

"I don't know. I tried to go home. Home was gone. I want to find them. But I have to do what Barry said. I have to warn - oh! I have to warn you!"

Her statement could've been tied to any of the towns, but Dayo Wolte made the most sense. As for the warning...

"Don't trust Randy!"

Reid paused, and waited for an elaboration, but none came. Just a sense of deep fear that echoed out after the name had come through.

"Hey, Bubbles, who is Randy? And who is Barry?"

"You don't know? You should know. You're going to his house! He has a big house. And lots of friends. Are you his friend? I'm not supposed to talk to Randy's friends. Barry said so. And... Barry. I'm sorry, Barry."

Reid felt a chill in his gut. The only thing in the direction he was heading was the Ferber Compound. Randal Ferber's compound. And something had happened there to set a telepathic child running into the woods, with a mission to warn others to avoid the place. Reid nodded to himself. The place that had been his destination for a potential easy and quick way to the mainland had some goddamn bullshit going on with it. This island was fucked. Reid was half tempted to walk into the ocean and swim until he hit land.

"I think you're on the right track, Reid. Something is wrong. We should trust the kid."

A breath in through his nose and out his mouth calmed him. Back to the issue.

"Hey, Bubbles, I know you don't want to be seen, okay? That's fine. But listen - I'm pretty strong, and I help people, okay? It sounds like people at Randy's house need help. Am I right?"

"Yes. Yes yesyes. Help. Please. Barry said help the others. Then there won't be others."

"Okay - right, no others. Hey, let's make sure that happens, then. Do you want to go with me, or stay here? I can make you a shelter, but there are monsters. If you come with me, I might need to carry you."

"No. No stay. Can't stay. They're coming. I can hear them. Don't leave me. Please."

Reid turned his head and listened for sounds in the forest. It was quiet. A few rustling leaves, cracking twigs - wait. The crunching was more constant than it should have been. And it was drawing closer.

"Everything's going to be alright, Bubbles. Those people coming, I'll take care of them."

"Take care... like dead?"

"Is that what you want?"

Reid bit his lip and looked down at the last bits of liquid in his mug while he waited for a reply. The crunching drew close enough that he didn't need to strain and focus to hear it.

"Yes. Yesyesyes. Dead."

He knocked back the rest of his coffee and cracked his neck, then rose as he began to pull weapons from storage.

"Sure. You got it, Bubbles."

#

Minutes later, Reid watched a dozen Vuxarinan men in odd armor stalking towards where he'd made his morning camp. They moved with a practiced precision, but couldn't keep themselves from crunching through everything on the ground. Each carried a pair of large tubes, and one long stick with a needle attached to the end. The man in front held a hand, and the group halted. His eyes glowed as he knelt, and he whispered to those behind him. Not quiet enough to elude Reid's hearing.

"S-19's trail came this way, but this isn't her. Someone or something camped here. She might be after them. Stay sharp, and don't forget to keep an eye high. You know what happens if you underestimate this one."

"This is taking too long. We should just kill the thing and be done. Or leave it. Let the spiders take care of it. We've got more kids."

A taller figure than the rest leaned forward, and all attention turned towards them. Reid felt he'd found the group's leader.

"You might be too old to be a subject, but you can still go into the program. Enough whining, or your next post will be in combat evaluations. That goes for everyone. Get the subject back, as intact as possible. This one's worth more than a diagnostic dissection."

The group quieted at that and started to move, but Reid had heard more than enough.

He stood and strode forward, straight towards the enemies. His armor stood out against the green foliage, and he was in no way trying to hide. They noticed him almost immediately, and pulled odd, circular sidearms from their waists. He raised an eyebrow - then realized they couldn't see his eyebrows through the angled slits on his helmet. The tall leader from earlier put his pistol down and took a step sideways, while the rest stayed aimed at Reid.

"Well met, stranger. Where are you-"

"Yeah, no. Fuck the introduction dance. A scared little girl is hiding from you, and I heard you talking about dissecting and experimenting on kids."

The group opened fire. Glowing projectiles bounced off Reid's ivory armor with enough spare energy to cut down trees and light the brush near him on fire. He slowly moved Requiem to his off hand, and reached town to his tasset. A plucked marrowbomb was fueled on the shrapnel side, and Reid tossed it forwards with an unpowered throw.

Shards of bone impacted the men with enough force to go clean through their odd armor. It shredded those closest to the impact into blue mist, and the shrapnel carried through each of their bodies and into the space beyond. In an instant, all twelve were dead on the ground. Reid walked over to the corpses, and recalled a replacement marrowbomb to put back on his tasset.

"Come on, Bubbles. Let's go see Randy."

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