>>5212585Three titans, one stone—it’s time to reach out to the Creator with Ziz, Behemoth, and Leviathan on the line.
“Very well…give me a moment, and I’ll get you the proof you’re asking for.” You say to the land-bound titan, and to your considerable surprise, he relents. Taking a step back, the ground thunders underfoot as you turn to the red head at your side.
“That panic attack you just mentioned? I think you're resonating with Behemoth like how Amara attuned to Ziz. It's like a…pseudo-crimson cord, in a way.” You explain, the other girl’s eyebrows shooting up in alarm. “Now, you may be able to use that feeling to your advantage.”
She blinks.
“How in the shit is me mind-melding with a fuckin’ mountain ‘gonna help us, my dude?”
“By making sure he keeps his head cool while I bring Levi up to speed.” You reply, and her eyes go even wider.
“So…you’re asking *me* to keep him calm?” She repeats. “Me?”
“Pretty much, yeah.” You affirm with an assured nod. “You’re the only one I can trust to actually meet him on level ground.”
Rath just rolls her shoulders, cracks her neck, then claps you on one shoulder with a grin. “We’ve come a long way, Shu. Wish me luck.”
“Nah…you’ve always made your own.” You fire back with a wink, and she chuckles as you turn back to Behemoth.
“There is a way, we can contact your father directly through his fragments.” You start to explain. “We already have one here. We have others close by that we can gather shortly. The more fragments present, the better our chances at getting a good connection. But we're going to take precautions, first. I doubt this is without risk, for either us or him, because if it was then he'd speak more often. I'm going to call on some allies who I think can help, so give me a moment."
“If this is yet ANOTHER absurd attempt to STALL for TIME, then YOU-“ He roars until Rath strides past you, calling out to the mountain above her.
“Yo, big guy! Name’s Rath! I got a couple questions for you while the boss lady patches us through!”
He rounds on her with no small measure of indignation. “You DARE to-“
“Yeah, I do! I hate standing around while everyone else does technical shit. Don’t you?” She interrupts, planting her hands on her hips with that same cock-sure grin. “Anyway, you’ve seen your fair share of scraps, yeah? You got a favorite?”
“Favorite?” Behemoth echoes, put on the back foot by a being a fraction of his size.
“Yeah, man! A favorite fight! I got this one, not too far from here-“
Not the tactic you’d have tried, but it seems to be working, regardless—and with Behemoth sufficiently distracted for the moment, you make the announcement of your plan across the Commlings. Francine and November are promptly in route with the Hope Fragment, while Jackie and Tinker Tailor begin to converge on your location as you open up a private channel to Leviathan.
(Continued)
