>>5374819Gesturing north with a wordless nod, you and your allies carefully make your way to the edge of the conflict, your eyes glued to the shimmering dots as they start to blink out, one by one…and by the time Gina’s able to confirm a visual, only five of the original dozen remain.
“It’s three on two, now.” Gina declares, swallowing hard before adding; “No-one’s even had time to do anything with the bodies. They’re just…jesus, they’re just going at it like animals.”
“Not the context I thought I’d hear you say that in.” Rath grumbles, the short-haired brawler’s face still frozen with her brow knit with concern…concern that gives way to alarm when there’s a sharp, sudden intake of breath between Gina’s teeth, and all five of the Orrery’s remaining lights are extinguished at once.
“Holy fuck, she came outta nowhere.” Gina mutters once words return to her, and then she adds as she turns to face you; “Hephesta. She erupted out of the ground like a lava flow. Burned like one, too.”
Turning to Francine, you find a ready explanation on the doctor’s lips for the question you don’t even have to ask. “She wasn't cloaked, Darling, just fast…” She holds up the Void Orrery to reveal a brightly-glowing mass of lights that shines in place of the disparate, extinguished stars from earlier. “...I would assume that since this particular patch of terrain makes maneuverability easier for us, then other forms of transport would be equally advantageous.”
“Wait, then if we could trace this path, do you think Aunt Heather could move the Geschoss through here?” Rath excitedly chimes in, her voice lowering in the last half of her exclamation when B’ni turns on her heel and waves at her to keep her voice down.
“It’s possible, but ‘path’ might be too optimistic. It’s likely that this is merely another instance of this region’s variability. ” The good doctor frowns, just before a spark of defiance flashes to life in her eyes. “But if there’s a method to be extracted from this madness, then I’ll find it.”
“Gina, what’s the target’s status?” B’ni whispers furtively, she and her friends keeping a close eye on the Orrery and the surrounding hills, their blackened flesh rolling and roiling around you in slow-moving waves. GG narrows her eyes, peering through the tumultuous earth and at her distant target before she answers a few seconds later. “She’s just standing still, right now. She hasn’t even touched the bodies.”
“Does she see us?” Holly demands with a hushed whisper, scanning the crests of the nearby hills with the barrel of her flesh-wrought uzi. “I’ll light her up if she makes a move, I swear to God.”
Gina shakes her head, her unblinking gaze trained on the far-off Daughter. “Her back’s to us. She’s focused on something else, I think.”
(Continued)
