Eternally Bound: Part 19
----- Conflagration -----
Ahead stood two towers, asuran structures, with magitech laced within its stone pillars. Kimura examined them, came to a conclusion fitting of a thief with experience. "Most likely a trap," she muttered. "I got a bad feeling about this."
"When do you not?" Tressa said with a grin as she came to stand beside her. "But, agreed. If the defenses are active, this is no simple decoration." She knelt down, scooped up a fist full of lose dirt, then blew it at the space between the columns. Yellow orbs scrutinized the area. "There seems to be no signs of tripwires or detection lasers."
"Then we're good to go?" Ari asked, echoing her captain's unrest.
Sylas dismounted, came to stand beside the Black Rose. She knelt closely to the pillar, took out a small optical gadget, examining it. In time, she looked back at Paige and Harid. "It appears she is correct. It looks as though these have been deactivated and dormant for a while. I recommend caution, but I think we should be able to pass."
Paige raised an eyebrow, looked to Harid for advice.
The man simply shrugged. "This is your operation; you're call. You lead, we… I'll follow."
Despite the emanate threat and pending battle, Paige couldn't help but smile at her father's trust and confidence in her. She hadn't expected their talk in the small grove to transcend beyond it, and had been quite convinced it would have taken the old warrior longer to accept her role. But, he seemed genuine in his words and it was a much needed reassurance, given their current tumultuous situation.
The noble woman looked down the road ahead to a small outlying Inquest staging area appearing to be dormant. She glanced around at the overgrowth of vines upon the pillars and the dead diodes and lights upon both it and the depot on the path. "I don't like this, but I see little reason to doubt our findings. Everyone proceed, but do so cautiously. The pricking on the back of my neck is not without warrant. I don't want us to get waylaid."
The company proceeded through the pillars slowly. After several had pushed through, a light suddenly sparked to life, as did the outpost ahead. Lights sprang forth, whirls of gears turning, and the humming of machines booting up filled the silence. An electronic voice of Lennk buzzed. "Mark IX activated. Defense systems engaged. Kindly die, intruders!" Within the station, a wall slid upward, activating a large inquest champion golem.
"We've been found out!" Ariadne yelled.
Sylas shook her head. "The golem is a perimeter defense drone. That thing's going to initiate the rest of the defenses at the main facility. We gotta stop it!"
Paige looked at Ember. "Captain, on your mark!"
Ariadne was already on point, catching her captain as Kimura and Sylas laid a barrage of bullets at the machine. Tressa leaped into the golem, denting its exterior armor with a dagger, shoving it into the champion's back.
Harid admired the women's efforts, then charged in with his troop, each landing blow after blow to the golem's hull. It rigidly stood, then began to emanate a high squeal. "Back! It's going to-"
Suddenly the golem began to spin, flailing its arms, creating a vortex of spiraling force. Almost all the combatants flew backward, some dodging, others having been struck by the machine.
Paige drew her scepter, casting an incantation to cause bone claws to dig into the golem's stubby legs, grasping to keep the monster from rampaging.
The Black Rose rocketed over the automaton's head in her own spiral, retrieving her dagger after turning it, widening the hole. She landed outside the range, looked to Kimura and nodded. "Pink Thorn; now!"
Without hesitation (though she would have scoffed at the moniker), Kimura bombarded the golem with projectiles. The shells bounced futilly off the machine's armor, only one bullet landing within the gaping hole. The golem paused a minute, stopped spinning, appeared to be dazed.
"Now!" Ember cried.
In unison, the group jumped into the fray, slashing, spinning, casting upon the beast. It toppled to the ground, but was not yet ready to give defeat. Both arms locked into place, began a rhythmic assault, forcing the group's retreat again. Fists flew, striking both Ariadne and Sylas, both knocked over from the blunt object, then turned its attention to the black and red sylvari and Harid, who both skillfully dodged out of range.
Ember looked around at the group, then at the golem. The fury building in the woman was a physical fire which radiated from her in waves. "No," she said as she stood. "You will not keep us any longer. Everyone. Back." She slowly walked forward, the heat the woman exuded multiplying with each step. Her hair caught on fire, her armor erupted into flame.
The company quickly exited the outpost, each turning to watch the captain. The small woman walked forward in glowing bright orange, super-heated armor. She reached out and embraced the golem in a hug that confused half the troops. Suddenly Ember erupted, exploding into an inferno of molten heat and magma. The machines, the golem, the entire structure combusting into a scorching pyre.
Several members were blown back from the blast.
Paige's hazel eyes reflected the fire. "Em-Ember! No!" she screamed. Her friend had always been attuned to fire, but she wasn't sure if a point blank detonation could be survived.
The inferno raged. Tressa looked at Kimura. "This group is most definitely the opposite of subtle. They undoubtedly know we're here, with this beacon of flames."
Kimura was hunched over, breathing heavily. "They are going to get us killed! This is definitely not my style!"
Tressa regarded the woman a moment, then pulsated a red glow with a smile. "Told you we should have just robbed her."
The masked woman looked exasperatedly up to her companion. She softly giggled at the joke. "Well, I just hope we're around long enough to spend what we're get paid."
Harid braved the fire, getting as close as he dared, mindful of future explosions. "I think I see her!"
Paige looked up, hope returning to her. "Em… Captain! Are you alright?"
From the fire emerged a being almost completely made of flames. After a few steps, it died down, finally extinguishing around the frame of a small woman. Ember's eyes however, were still ablaze. She walked slowly, methodically, her gaze cast ahead of the group, down the path and onto the main central complex. "I am done waiting," she said as she began to run toward it.
"Ember! Wait!" Paige called out, but the plea landed on deaf ears. "Someone stop her! She'll alert everyone!"
Harid ran after, grabbed onto the woman's shoulder. He yelled in agony, withdrew his burnt hand, seared from the woman's radiant heat.
"You're going to blow this whole operation!" Paige screamed.
"I'll melt them all," Ember defiantly retorted continuing toward the facility.
"Kormir's tits!" Paige growled, aggravated. She looked over her shoulder, beckoned as she spurred her raptor. "Everyone fall in, converge on the facility entrance!"
"Oh this is going to go well," Kimura scoffed frowning beneath her mask. She looked to her side where the Black Rose had been, but Tressa was already on the move.
Ari, Sylas, Harid, and the rest of the cavalry charged forward in a stampede of raptors, mounts and armor. Battle cries could be heard over the roar of the assault, with an occasional inspiration yelled by the Lady of the house. The group came to a ramp leading to the first small laboratory. They piled up at the entrance-way, where golems and automated defense turrets awaited them.
Ember was already further in the lab, indicated by various columns of fire randomly erupting.
"Fight your way in!" Harid howled.
Ari's bo-staff slammed into one of the smaller golems. She growled, pushing it forward where the end dove into another behind it. Sparks flew as the machine's sizzled and quickly caught fire. She pulled her weapon from them, flinging the robotic corpses to the ground, twirled her now flaming staff toward the next group.
Tressa flew through the air, slicing a golem with an unseen dagger strike. She landed on the ground, sliding with both blades felling multiple automatons as she went.
Kimura couldn't help but admire the woman's prowess, but quickly came to realize her own marksmanship against these less armored golems was formidable. Her guns were blazing, mowing down several of the machines. A click of her gun only momentarily stopped her, as the woman threw magical shells in the air, which quickly found their way into her pistol, reloading within seconds.
"There's too many of them!" exclaimed a House Guard. No sooner than the words left the man's lips than did he fall from a turret's electrical bolts.
Paige witnessed the man's downfall. "No!" she shrieked, then pulled her torch to combine its power with her scepter and call upon skeletal hands to rise and root their opponents. What came was unexpected. The torch's power infused the woman's spell, and to her shock, smaller skeletal cadaverous hands of creatures pulled themselves from the ground, forming several putrid bone animations that let out ghastly, wailing howls. No matter how much her inquisitive mind wanted to analyze it, there was simply no time. Paige ordered the minions to attack various turrets. On command, they leaped upon the automated defenses, clawing, biting, and scratching until one after another exploded.
The woman's father saw the spell, was immediately reminded of Paige's mother, but Harid's look of disgust was fleeting as he engaged three more sentry golems with his steel. It was an issue to be tabled and compartmentalized, spoken about after the battle.
Lucia Sylas came to stand beside Kimura, both unloading their arms at the enemies. "Got a reload?" Kimura nodded, tossed the woman a handful of rounds. Both continued laying down suppression.
A larger golem approached Tressa from behind.
"Tressa! Behind you!" Kimura warned. But, it was a second too late. The golems armored arm slammed into the sylvari, sending her like a child's ragdoll across the facility. She slammed into a cylindrical tube, her head landing hard against the thick glass. Her eyes were closed; Kimura feared the worst, darted to the woman's side to pull her from the fray.
The liquid inside the tube began to bubble as the occupant stirred. Ahead of Ember and past the last wall of golems, a small figure could be seen hobbling toward a control panel. "He said there would be more time! She hasn't fully recharged yet!" The asura groaned. She reached the controls, and pressed a button. "Fine! Then I guess we'll just have to make due with a half-powered half-dead warrior." The chamber drained of liquid as the side of the tube opened with a hiss.
Lennk's voice came from the chamber, "Fifteen Omega, activated."
[To be Continued...]
