Chapter 16: CHAPTER V – Courage, Cowardice and Conviction

"There has to be a better way!" Rhystea insisted, following closely behind A212 as he made his way towards the trees.

"Like what? Rely on you and your infant? No, this is our fight. These are our homes. We don't have time to wait and hope!" A212 rebuked her.

Rhystea scoffed. "Of course it isn't that simple! That doesn't mean you have to run to your death! What do you expect to accomplish out there?" She turned back to see R208’s group heading in their direction from the gate.

A212 focused solely on the jungle and what lay in wait. "I will see with my own eyes their might. Maybe I can find a weakness or at least show those watching the best means of fighting them. More than that, I want to show everyone that the Aves are not trash. I..." He grimaced as he hesitated, then grit his beak and finished, "am afraid. But more than that, I am grateful. After everything we have taken, we have this precious chance to give something back. Even if I were to die, it wouldn't be in vain." 

R208 called out after them, "Hey, what's going on?" 

"Help me stop this fool before he charges off to his death!" Rhystea called back.

R208 came rushing to their sides, cradling his weapon rather than carrying it. "Where are we going?"

"No where!" A212 and Rhystea insisted simultaneously. Pausing to glare at each other for a moment. A212 added, "Your job comes next."

R208 nodded to the Aves before returning to his group at the gate, stopping momentarily as he passed Sphaere.

"Why won't you wait just a moment, I'm sure we can figure something out!" Rhystea insisted, following behind him.

"The time to act is now, and I'm afraid I don't know of a better way to handle this." A212 replied resolutely. 

Not far behind him, Rhystea had just opened her mouth for a rebuttal when much to her surprise, Cekell came charging from behind her, repeating the first word he had learned. Leaping up into her expecting arms, he yelled, "No!"

Turning his head to see that she had been stopped, A212 picked up his pace. He had to hurry, before his courage wavered. 

"I'm trying to stop-" Rhystea started in futility, but was quickly interrupted.

"No! No, no no!" Cekell repeated over and over. "NO!!!" Cringing up, Cekell enveloped the both of them in a barrier. He finished with one last assertive, “No!”

Rhystea sighed. A212 was already gone, so she turned and faced the gates. "Cekell..." She started, but didn’t know what else to say. She pulled him in tightly and with tears in her eyes, she pleaded, "Cekell, would it be too much to ask for you to protect not just me, but everyone?" A tear started to slide down her cheek, and when she reached up to wipe it away, Cekell stopped her. Reaching up with his tendril, he examined it until Rhystea leaned over and wiped it across her shoulder.

Cekell chirped sadly as he looked up at her. "Do you think you could erect a bigger barrier? One that we all can fit in?" Rhystea requested, also using her arms, she motioned to the barrier around her, then pointed to Sphaere, who was speaking with R208 at the gate.

Cekell groaned and wiggled out of her grip and plopped down on the ground. She watched him curiously as he walked a few steps away from her, towards the tree line, collapsing his barrier as he reached it's boundary. Stopping and turning, he smiled big and waved excitedly. She turned to see Sphaere waving back with a befuddled look.

Started to concentrate, Cekell closed his eyes. His body tensed up and he started to lower to the ground... or perhaps something was forcing him down? Whatever it was, he strained against it. His body started to glow with the probe of his tendril shining radiantly, and all at once,  the tension seemed to cease. 

Flimsy at first, a great bubble started to appear around her and expanding to encompass the gate and extending back to cover even the mouth of the cave. Just as it started to stabilize, the light Cekell was emitting flickered. His eyes went wide as he fell to his knees and the barrier went erratic!

Rhystea froze up, she didn't know what was going on, but she could tell it wasn't good. She ran to Cekell's side, he was still straining to complete the barrier. His eyes were clamped shut. Through sheer force of will, he rose back to his feet. She could hear him groaning under some invisible pressure. Throwing her arms around him, she began to apologize over and over. 

She didn't realize it, but as soon as Rhystea drew him in, the tension left his body and the barrier calmed and stabilized. There was a soft, undeniably relieved squeak before Cekell fell limp in her arms.

"Cekell... Cekell?" Rhystea stammered. There was no reply. She gently shook his tiny body and called out to him once again, and once again she was answered with silence. Tears started to pour down her face. "Cekell... I'm so sorry... This isn’t...!" She started sobbing uncontrollably. 

Rhystea started crying his name out, over and over, louder with each iteration. A moment that seemed to her like an eternity passed when she felt a hand lightly grasp her shoulder. She turned to see Sphaere force a light smile. "Cekell, he’s..!" she started before immediately hesitating.

"The barrier's up, that means 'e's still with us, right?" Sphaere questioned.

"Be that as it may, I can't imagine the toll it's taking on him to keep it up!" Rhystea responded, turning back to Cekell and drawing him in tightly, her fears starting to overwhelm her.

"Oh c'mon, ya saw what those bugs did ta 'im! If 'e bounced back jus’ fine from that, I cain't imagine ya bein' the one ta do 'em in! If ‘e was in any danger, ya can bet that... Verakry... whatever, would be here - ta watch if nothin' else! ‘E's probably just tired from all these crazy barriers ya keep makin' 'im cast!" Sphaere insisted with a light laugh.

"I-" Rhystea started, turning back to Sphaere before hesitating and turning back to Cekell. She smiled weakly and hugged him tightly. "I count on you for a lot, don't I? Thanks for never letting me down!"

"Yer not the only one countin' on 'im!" Sphaere insisted, kneeling beside and embracing both Rhystea and Cekell. "We've put each other through a lot, but we always pull through, don’ we?"

"What's he going to do? Jump into the fire?" Rhystea repeated what she started to say as Cekell had done just that, before laughing lightly.

"Good, yer back with us! Listen, I don' mean ta rush ya, but I need yer help!" Sphaere imposed. “R208 says ‘e has an idea o’ where A212 will take the insect now that the gate is closed off, but jus’ ta make sure, ‘e wants me ta send ‘im ‘round back. Yer gonna hafta let lizard boy outta this barrier though!”

Wiping away her tears, Rhystea’s visage hardened before she was galvanized into action, determined to do accomplish more than simply depend on others. Using Sphaere’s shoulder to climb to her feet, she reached out and took Sphaere’s hand to reciprocate the favor. Passing off an unusually placid warborn to Sphaere, Rhystea’s conviction pushed her forward as she made her way to R208.

 

A212 was dead. He couldn't afford to be afraid, so he killed his emotions. He ran blindly towards an enemy described as certain death. He couldn't allow himself to look for a way out, so he focused solely on his target. His body hadn't figured it out yet, but most likely, he wasn't alive at all... And yet, he charged forward.

His eyes were locked onto his target, or maybe he just wasn't allowing himself to see anything else. Part way up a tree, it waited. He would attempt to make it a medium distance from his target, if he was allowed to. He would throw a feather dart close to see how it responded, followed quickly by an attack with intent. He was already be on the ground where he could react quickly to his foe's response. 

Maybe he could lure it away from the others and... well he wouldn't get ahead of himself. He was fast approaching his target and he had precious little time to pull this all off, ascertain a few things from his enemy, and live. He hadn't given up this instinct, he just wouldn't allow himself the expectation of living... or rather, he just couldn't afford it.

It all happened in an instant. A212 came to a dead stop a couple dozen paces from the tree the insect was waiting in. He felt his heart racing within his chest, reminding him again that he was still alive. Would he stay that way? He felt a singular heartbeat as the first dart left his right hand. Another heart beat and a second was leaving his left hand. Another heartbeat in the moment everything was hanging in the air. How many more of those did he have left? He wondered, as he felt his heart racing away. Another heartbeat as a third dart left his right hand again, about the same time as the first dart connected to the tree. 

The insect... didn't respond. A212 was mid turn as the second dart he threw collided with the first, a metallic clamor rang out. The insect... didn't respond. He felt his heart beat again. The third dart hit the insect, and just as A212 had imagined, it came crashing to the ground with a hissing screech. His heart skipped a beat. The insect was no longer in his field of vision, as by now he was facing his home and running full speed as an irritated insect tore after him. 

None of the other insects so much as twitched. His heart beat again, reminding him he was still alive and prodded him onward. He would spend his next few heart beats bringing his foe in better view of his allies. The next few... He would worry about when they weren't so far out of sight.

Light glinted off the barrier that was erected since his departure. His heart skipped another beat. He was happy and sad at the same time. Their home was now further fortified, but... well he couldn't worry about that now. His heart beat again and he remembered he was still alive, and more importantly, he had a job to do. It wasn't only his life that was depending on it. His name had become dirty and he would pay any price to clean it, even if his blood was the only thing capable of washing it clean.

He jumped high in the air and folded into a flip. Fast as he was, he had gained no ground on his opponent. Before following through with his flip, he hurled a dart from each hand before he hit the ground running as he continued forward - frittering away his heart beats as though he wouldn't get another chance. The insect let out a screech, though it didn't slow it's pace. Was his attack ineffective? His heart beat yet again and he decided not to waste any more of them on worry. 

The barrier protecting the entrance to his home gleaned in the sunlight, but it was eclipsed by the fact that he was outside of that protection... His heart skipped yet another beat and he wondered if he would get those back. He would soon find out as he closed in on his target destination. His heart continued to race, hammering away in his chest.

Approaching the barrier, he could see R208 and company focused on him and his pursuer. He wouldn’t be able to get in through the gates, but he could give them an eye full. There were other ways into the caves. He could drop the insect right into the Reptilia Series’ lap.

He leapt high and met with the barrier which he kicked off of, rising even higher into the air. Fast as he could, he threw his remaining darts and drew a pair of short blades hidden in his wing feathers. He came down, using his weight to propel an attack intending to catch his opponent off guard. He felt his heart beat as he shot through the air. The insect screeched as it brushed off the darts as a minor nuisance and prepared to receive A212's sudden assault. There was no hesitation or surprise in it's actions, it merely reacted. 

By reflex, A212 parried the insect's claws with his blades, and simultaneously shifted his weight to his feet to funnel his momentum forward. Kicking his legs out to inflict a solid blow to the insect’s abdomen, he revealed a pair of talon spurs attached to his ankles and buried them as deeply as he could into his opponent before instantaneously kicking back off and away from his quarry, which responded with a shrill screech and a quick swipe of it's claw that A212 narrowly avoided.

Holding on to his momentum from breaking away, he darted around the barrier and faced a fairly steep and jagged rocky incline that was between him and his destination. His attack barely phased the insect which was quick to continue it's pursuit of A212. With one last look to his allies, he could see everyone but Sphaere heading through the gate. Sphaere was holding the silver infant and pointing up to the top of his cave.

A212 nodded to her as he made his way around the barrier. He knew there was a sizeable hole in the ceiling of the cavern he called home. To allow the rains and some light to make it to the deeper parts of the cave, even for those cold blooded lizards to warm themselves - that’s where he was headed now. Not only was this a large enough hole, it was the closest. R208 would be there, those scale heads loved showing off in a fight and A212 would have to make his delivery if he wanted to live. 

A212’s heart continued racing as he led the insect onward to their destination. He wanted to at least slow it down a little before bringing it in, to make it even a little more manageable. The insect was slowly catching up to him, but they were close to his goal. He got greedy and grabbed a rock which he then threw behind him without looking. The insect screech and that signaled for him to launch another. His heart skipped a beat, he turned just in time to realize his mistake.

 

"Rhystea Cromwell, what the hell are you doing?!" She quoted one of her favorite teachers from the time she was caught using expensive university materials in an experiment that would not only help prove a theory of her parents, but earn her a place at the university years before her time.

She was trying to wrap her mind around it. It was insanity that utterly transcended ridiculousness. Here she was in the middle of the front yard of a bunch of demi human experiments trying to tear a hole in the side of a barrier she herself had asked an even more ridiculous child to make! She was trying to wrap her mind around it, but it just wasn't possible.

She sighed as she looked down at her hand. She rushed off and forgot to ask for a knife, and if she kept tearing off the scab of her wound, it would take forever to heal and leave a nasty scar. Fortunately she had practiced this array a few times now, and was starting to become proficient with it. She had mixed feelings about that.

"You're not in school any more little girl, time for real world application!" She scolded herself as she double checked the placement of an advanced version of the sigil array she had used to escape Cekell’s barrier before. The alignment looked good on a pair of overlapping arrays in an attempt to first soften then sever a hole on the back side of the barrier so that R208 and his buddies could meet up with and help out A212. 

Everyone was right behind her and eagerly awaiting a means with which they could egress the barrier and deal with the threat at hand. "No pressure!~" Rhystea chimed, before extending her hands out and commanding, "Sever!" As the barrier wavered in front of her and seemed to stretch, slowly ripping an exit in the side through which everyone else charged past her.

Rhystea looked down at the blood still oozing out of her hand and sighed again as she started to step through the hole she had made in Cekell's barrier, but froze when it buckled. "Uh-oh!" She said to herself as she quickly attempted to leap through.

The barrier itself seemingly reached out and enveloped her in what appeared to be a hallway that had stretched out and closed off, barring her exit. She sighed dejectedly and turned to made her way back to the other side of the gate. She wasn’t satisfied, even though she did manage to accomplish her main objective.

She couldn't help herself from cracking a bit of a smile, she was pleased with the success of her array, even if it was short lived. It was completely ephemeral, but for that brief moment, she was back with her parents as they explained how sigils can be used in conjunction to increase their effectiveness.

"Sigils placed in alignment to increase their potency, that was an array. Overlaying two different arrays allowed them to work in tandem. The whole is truly greater than the sum of its parts!" Her father insisted with the excitement of a school teacher fascinated by his student's wonder, "It's sigil synergy!"

Her smile widened as she thought how much her goofy father enjoyed teaching her. While he might not have been as smart as her mother, who was simply a quick-learning natural, her father's passion for learning was second to none. Rhystea had received both of these traits from her parents. They were always doting on how they synergized so well, they couldn't help but have a prodigy for a daughter. They were always so proud of her, and she wasn't going to allow herself to let them down. She was yanked out of this day dream when Sphaere's frantic cries reached her ears. She was crying out Cekell's name!

 

R208 led the pack that raced off into the cave, toting his father's cherished sword. The only thing special about it was it’s sheer size. He had only recently acquired it, and it had seldom left his side since. It was a symbol of both strength and pride to him and his kind, and he held it affectionately as he charged, and he charged as he yelled. It’s difficult to determine which he put more effort into, and his kind were defined with three simple words. The biggest, the strongest, and the loudest.

There were several reasons for this. It acted as a siren to alert everyone that the scale train was mobilized and en route to… whatever had excited it, but usually there was a fight involved. It would scare away weaker prey when they were out hunting. Yelling inaudibly as loud as one could was a special, morale boosting cheer to his kind, and they did it whenever they got excited. Fortunately, unless provoked, they are not too easily excited. Yelling also happens to be great lung exercise, and Reptilia are taught from a young age to yell frequently – regardless of the vexation that taxed everyone else.

 It is exceptionally rare for a Reptilia youngling to get, or at least stay lost. They even have a children’s game where one would chase another for as long as they could yell with a single breath, only to turn around and run from their opponent as it was their turn to yell and give chase. You won by yelling the loudest for the longest, and R208 was the best at that game. He was sure that it was even a reason why he inherited his father’s sword. Not that it was a competition, but that he could simply yell louder than his father.

R208 knew exactly where to go. Not only was his destination the closest entrance open to A212, it was one they both were familiar with. Just as the Reptilia Series loved to yell, the Aves Series loved to jump from high places, and the few times A212 had been in the Reptilia’s basking chamber, jumping down from this opening was something of a game for his Aves Series. 

Charging as loudly as he could into the chamber of his destination, his yell fell to a questioning ‘Ehhhhhh?’ along with that of his brethren. Even the toadmen that had been silently accompanying them were audibly confused. The sluggish turtle bringing up the rear didn’t make a sound outside of gasping for air. 

R208 had not expected to beat his quarry here, A212 was particularly fast for a Series known for their agility. This made him want to yell, but not even he could tell if it was out of frustration or just to pump himself up for the coming fight, not that his kind ever truly needed an excuse to yell, and yell he did – for all he was worth.

 

A212 glimpsed over his shoulder just in time to see the insect hunker down and leap with tremendous force, launching itself hard at an unsuspecting A212. Having caught a glimpse of the incoming attack, he moved to evade; and even while avoiding a fatal injury, it was still enough to knock him down right next to his goal. He laid there, half stunned, clutching the wound on his side. The insect had shot passed him in an attack that was meant to cleave him right in two, but only catching him with a glancing blow. A212 held his breath as he waited for the insect to turn and see him throw himself down the hole next to them.

Wounded, he wasn’t sure how well he would be able to land this maneuver, but he also knew that it was his only move other than surrender, and he didn’t bother wondering if this insect was taking prisoners. Before the insect could fully turn around, a cacophony of yelling erupted from the chamber below. This caused the insect to give pause, as well as prompted A212 to quickly dive in through the opening.

He knew to hit the ground rolling, and he could hear the insect shrieking behind him. He had never been so happy to see a pack of Reptilia. He hit the ground, hard and awkward, but not fully unanticipated. He quickly recovered and launched himself away from where he figured the insect would come down. Owing to wounding his leg in an awkward landing, he did not make it very far. 

The insect came screaming down, almost on top of A212, who narrowly dodged the falling attack. Seeing its prey lying prone on the ground caused the insect to slow its assault. Confidently it closed the gap between itself and A212 and raised its scythe like claws high for a finishing stroke. Before it could deliver, a hollering horde of impatient Reptilia threw away the element of surprise, probably saving A212’s life in the process.

Without waiting for a complete thought, R208 charged, and R208 could not charge without yelling at the top of his lungs. Believing a hearty yell to be the source of his power, he charged on all cylinders. His foe turned to meet him and they greeted each other with a wide swipe. Fortunately, what R208 was packing was bigger, and it lopped off a large portion of one of the insect scythe like claws. Using his tail to preserve as much momentum as he could as well as propel him into another swing, R208 reeled for another massive blow; prompting the wounded insect to put some distance between them, as well as R208 to yell louder.

Knowing that R208 would leap in with a flurry of blows meant to swathe down anything in his reach, his Reptilia brethren swarmed the insect, keeping it pressed while their leader wound up for another heavy onslaught. They never had trouble getting out of the way when he was ready, as a surprise attack launched by a Reptilia Series would only work on the deaf. R208 would come hollering with his weapon and they would scatter for a sequence of blows that would then be followed by his kin once again rushing their foe. This combination made it hard for even larger prey to withstand a Reptilia Series assault. 

The toadmen and the turtle had stayed back. The toadmen weren’t nearly as battle hungry as their scaly cousins, but this was R208’s fight, and they were ordered to wait as back up. The reach of their spears along with their powerful jumps made them powerful and agile warriors. They weren’t defensive, but they weren’t imposing either. This meant that confident foes would usually overlook them, focusing on larger fighters and giving them the opportunity for hit and run tactics that they looked to take advantage of.

The turtle, however, craving a place in the fight, lifted up and slammed down its massive shield rhythmically, both in protest as well as to add to the battle cries of their fellow scalekin. Being slower than the lizardmen, the turtle was usually excluded from battle; but if needed, the turtle could raise it’s shield and use it’s shear mass to plow through most any opponent - all while heavily armored at both the fore and aft. It was a simple yet effective tactic mostly used to knock a foe off balance or to otherwise create an opening, most often at the start of an engagement.

Much to the turtle’s chagrin, they were frequently partnered with the Amphibian Series for hunting. Their combat styles complimented each other nicely, and they made for an excellent team. That being said, the turtle carried much disdain for being left out of R208’s group. The toadmen were strong, but this turtle was looking for something more; and watched the battle not concerned, but enviously.

While the wounded insect couldn’t find a moment to attack between R208’s heavy lunges and his brethren’s paced rushes, it was also avoiding taking any further damage. Getting frustrated that his attacks weren’t hitting their mark, R208 decided it was time for a different approach. With a yell he stabbed his blade into the ground. Knowing what was going to happen next, the other Reptilia kept the insect pressed, but focused more on defense and evasion. 

After a couple light stretches while his comrades cornered their foe, he grabbed his weapon with his tail, ripped it out of the ground as he fell to all fours, and pressed his foe with consecutive great, cleaving swings and loud, incoherent screams. It was a simple, yet effective strategy where he held a solid foundation without sacrificing mobility while constantly swinging his blade to attack - but it made it hard for his comrades to assist or otherwise get near him. He also insists it is part of his stratagem that this allows him to yell louder, but if you question him on it, he will undoubtedly try and show you. Most simply agree with him.

The repetitive low, heavy attacks is not what the already wounded insect was custom too, and it didn’t take long for R208 to claim a leg and continue on to topple the insect. Even crippled and maimed, even when swarmed by scalekin; the insect never stopped lashing out until it was completely subdued, even wounding an over eager yet under cautious Reptilia. With their foe at last vanquished into paste, the Reptilia let out a heartfelt howl before collecting their wounded, including A212, and departing to tell of their victory - though most knew the familiar echoes of a satisfied scale train meant there was little to worry about.

 

“What’s wrong now?!” Rhystea yelled with concern as she frantically dashed off to find out what was amiss.

“I dunno!” Sphaere replied with worry, “‘E was startin’ ta calm down, then jus’ clenched up like a fist! Right before yer lizard buddies made off like madmen!”

This stopped Rhystea midstep. “Oh, shit!” She gasped at the thought of her causing this when she tore open his barrier.

“Wooh! Miss priss let one slip, shit must've hit the fan!” Sphaere said sarcastically, not turning her attention from Cekell, who was curled up into a ball, tension locking him up tight with the exception of an excruciating knot that slowly writhed down his tendril. “Somethin’ ain’t right with ‘im though!”

“Tell him to drop his barrier!” Rhystea demanded

“But-” Sphaere started, but was immediately cut off.

“Look, I screwed up his barrier and somehow he compensated, but it’s clearly causing him great strain, make him stop!” Rhystea reaffirmed her demand.

“Fiiine!” Sphaere scoffed before tenderly pulling Cekell closer and gently telling him to drop the barrier and calm down. The knot crawling back down his tendril paused and slowly loosened as the tension bled out of his little body as the barrier collapsed. A moment passed where he lay limp, before rousing sluggishly as he gently set his wrist over his eye, brushed over his nose and leaned forward with a groggy chirp.

“Holy heck, that’s a relief and a half!” Rhystea said, relaxing, as she stepped up next to Sphaere to confirm Cekell’s condition for herself. 

“Careful! Or ‘e’s gonna go repeatin’ awful words like that!” Sphaere laughed before returning her focus on Cekell. “You gotta stop doin’ that, ya li’l shit! One o’ these times yer gonna scare us all the way ta death!” 

It was Rhystea’s turn to scoff, and as she did, Cekell snapped to and a barrier flared up around them. Cekell leapt out of Sphaere’s arms, and before either girl could pose a question, they were answered with a hissing produced by multiple large, black insects. 

They were here, at the front door, while everyone else was off taking care of the other one - thinking they had a barrier up here to protect them. Cekell, unphased, stood before the lot of them, tall as his little body would let him. Puffed up as much as he could, his tendril standing straight up – full salute, he sharply chirped at them. Angrily. Tauntingly. No one knew what to make of it, the least of all these giant insects who were clearly larger, far more menacing, and outnumbered him half a dozen to one. 

Hilariously audacious and simply unbelievable, the tension rose until it was palpable - at which point the closest insect to Cekell charged without warning and with equal reflex was immediately razed with a sky sundering bolt of lighting. This silenced everyone but Cekell who… sneer chirped? At his fallen foe. 

Rising up into the air, he was clearly trying to intimidate the remaining insects; and though he was small, the threat he posted to them was clearly not. There was a short pause before they slowly started to back away until they were at a comfortable distance to turn and beat a hasty retreat.

Dropping to the ground, the tension leaving his body must have made Cekell a bit dizzy as he stumbled on his landing; but didn’t seem to notice as he chirped mockingly before turning back to see both girls with their hands pressed against their barrier, staring with their mouths agape. With an excited chirp, he dropped the barrier. Not prepared for this, Sphaere was quick to catch her balance, but Rhystea fell over flat. With a panicked chirp, Cekell darted to her side.

“What the…” Sphaere trailed off.

“Heck!?” Rhystea groaned before staving off a concerned Cekell and climbing back up to her feet.

“This is just…” Sphaere started.

“Nuts!” Rhystea finished her statement for her, before stating her question. “Did you see that GIANT bolt of lightning?!”

“Yea, I’s here too, an’ look at that - it’s still over there smokin’!” Sphaere pointed to the charred remains she had mentioned with a half sneer, half scoff that turned into a confused, slightly concerned, “Eeeeh?” Which fully and accurately conveyed her feelings on the subject matter.

“I’m not just out of my element, this is way beyond my scope… it’s so far beyond comprehensible, it’s just laughable. Conjures lightning, cuddles with fire. I mean, the way he panicked when we yanked him out of the water thinking he had drowned, and clapped his little hands down over his eyes like we taught him… Demihumans, insect armies… There’s a dragon here somewhere, I just know it.” Rhystea prattled on as she tried to sort things out in her mind.

“Woah, slow yer role princess! We don’ know how much more wizard-boy can handle, so careful whatcha ask fer.” Sphaere replied sarcastically.

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First chirping happily at the sight of everything appearing to be ok, Cekell held his hands up and chirped excitedly, with just a hint of desired recompense. “Okay, okay!” Rhystea insisted as she scooped him up, to which he again chirped happily. “I don’t know if it’s safe to let you out of our reach anyway.” She paused before looking over to Sphaere and asked, “What do we do now?”

“I guess, wait till those scaleheads get back, someone needs ta mind the front door an’ all.” Sphaere answered nonchalantly as she rolled her eyes and wondered how anyone was supposed to know what to do in this situation.

“Don’t call them scaleheads! What if they heard you?! How would you like to be judged off of your appearance?” Rhystea half snapped, half lectured, and only half paying attention to the conversation.

“I’m not judgin’ ‘em! I’m describin’ ‘em!” Sphaere insisted with a stomp.

“It’s derogatory and rude.” Rhystea wasn’t backing down, but her mind was on other things. She didn’t mean to be rude herself, she was just in a kind of auto mode while she sorted some things out mentally.

“Better than naggin’ every word someone else says!” Sphaere escalated. She had a habit of showing people why the things that annoyed her did so.

“I’m not nagging, I’m informing.” Rhystea explained nonchalantly. 

“Well~” The word rolled off her tongue as Sphaere turned with a sharp gaze and continued, “allow me ta inform ya thatcha can be a real pain in the-” Before she could finish, a squad of screaming scale heads came charging out from their cave and through the gate as though their tails were on fire, cutting her off.

R208 stopped to speak with them as his entourage charged past to examine the still smoldering remains of the insect Cekell had zapped. With astonishment, he exclaimed “Hairheads, well done! How did you manage to set it on fire?!”

“Did you just call us ‘hairheads?’ Rhystea asked, equally astonished.

“Yes.” R208 proclaimed, with no less enthusiasm. The turtle bringing up the rear finally made its way to them, but remained silent as it focused on catching it’s breath. Both Sphaere and Rhystea picked up on it’s curious gaze.

“You shouldn’ describe someone based off o’ their appearance, it’s derogatory.” Sphaere passed on her lesson.

R208 was taken aback. He paused and looked over at the smoldering corpse before responding with, “I will be more careful with my words. You may appear scrawny and weak, but there is clearly more to you than meets the eye. I am sorry if I have offended you.” He closed his eyes and slightly lowered his head as he apologized, then turned and headed off rejoin his band of loud lizardmen that were examining the still smoking remains.

“Naw, yer good scalehead.” Sphere stated softly with a smile when he was out of earshot, as she playfully nudged Rhystea; who shook her head as she chuckled. She looked down at Cekell, comfortably wrapped up in Rhystea’s arms, and noted, “Well ‘e seems to’ve calmed down.”

“For now. Won’t be long and he’ll find something that piques his interest. Don’t want to think about what would happen if we lost him.” Rhystea replied with a twinge of worry.

“We’ll get put on the menu, or worse.” Sphaere suggested matter-of-factly.

“I said I DON’T want to think about it.” Rhystea reiterated.

“Haven’t seen cages or slaves at least.” Sphaere paused for a moment before finishing with a half hearted laugh after posing, “What’s the worst that could happen?”

Rhystea groaned and after a moment came up with, “We need a longer leash.” She hugged Cekell tightly who responded with an excited chirp.

“At least we ain’t alone anymore!” Sphaere tried reassuring her.

“Mixed feelings about that.” Rhystea responded.

“Aw c’mon! They cain’t all be bad, most o’ them even seem purdy decent!” Sphaere pressed harder.

There was a long pause before Rhystea came up with a sudden subject change, “What do you think they eat here?”

“I shore don’ smell any burgers ‘r fries in our future…” Sphaere trailed off, then smiled and finished with a snarky laugh after adding, “It does smell kinda like a feed lot though, maybe we’ll get lucky!”

Having thoroughly examined the corpse and debating amongst themselves for a bit, the Reptilia decided the cause of death was that it had angered something very powerful, but that was about the only part they could all agree on. R208 had approached and apparently caught the tail end of their conversation. “Yes, feed, and lots of it! You are truly wise beyond your size!”

“Wait, size?” Rhystea started before quickly deciding that she had best keep things simple. “Never mind, tell me my very large friend… On what do you... Feed?” She waited with bated breath.

R208 declared confidently, “Whatever you want! We’ve got everything! We may not have the best gatherers, but we have the most! And of course we hunt all the strongest prey! Not only are you our guests, you have helped protect our home! Now you must feast with us! Anything your stomach desires, we will prepare for you!” 

That last part stuck with them, and they desired a lot of things. They’d kill for a sandwich. They desired anything from various home cooked delights to a fast food burger and fries. They harbored no such delusions that they would get to dine on any of what they desired. 

Truly, they only hoped for something edible. Hunger compelled them to follow the scalekin, but trepidation kept their questions to a minimum. Knowing what the strongest prey tasted like was something they tried to look forward to, but they just weren’t brave enough to ask about cooking lest they find out that strong prey is best eaten raw. 

They followed along, mostly listening quietly to the lizardmen’s epic of what happened on their end; with a few questions they dodged about how they turned one into charcoal without burning anything else. Eventually they were led to a large room full of different foods that they were pleasantly surprised were intended to be skewered and cooked right in front of them. While they both missed salt, the natural flavor of the food wasn’t all that bad, and hunger truly is the best spice. 

“Ahh, a full belly is a happy belly!” R208 bellowed with belch. Normally, it would be time to bask, and when night fell, WE WOULD HUNT!!!” He shouted the last part at the top of his lungs, and his brethren, some still choking down food, yelled back in response. “Unfortunately, we know too little about those things out there and would be at a huge disadvantage in the dark. Just in case, we prepare for tonight; then, TOMORROW WE HUNT!!!” Prompting another chorus of loud and choking replies.

“Do you think they’ll come back tonight?” Rhystea asked, trying not to show concern.

“That is when I would make my move.” A212 responded, entering the feedlot from behind them, freshly patched up from the wounds he received earlier. “We don’t know their numbers, and even a single one is fast, strong, and rather fearless - even when vastly outnumbered.”

“The hunting party tomorrow will be BIG!” R208 almost squealed that last word as though he were every bit of the child who’s grin he was wearing. No amount of scales would hide his excitement, even his carnivorous teeth had an extra gleam to them and his eyes welled up for the duration of the word.

“A scouting party wouldn’t hurt either. We would do well to watch each other’s backs until we learn more about our new enemy.” A212 added.

“Ahh, will you be joining us?” R208 said loudly.

“Even though you just got hurt?” Sphaere added

“Don’t write me off yet, even with a hurt leg, I’m still faster than any of you claw dragging Reptilia Series.” A212 responded confidently, “Besides, if there is anything scarier than a herd of these tail-for-brained tree punchers, I would learn of it with my own eyes.”

“Tree…  punchers?” Rhystea inquired.

“It toughens the scales of our fists!” R208 said with a snort. “I have HARD fists!” he bellowed as he held them up for all to see, still clenched around a half finished skewer.

“You’re not a scalehead, you’re a muscle head!” Rhystea said with a laugh.

“This is true! My father always told me to use my head, and my head punches are just as hard as my fist punches!” R208 bellowed with a laugh before finishing his skewer and grabbing another from a plate he had filled with a veritable mountain of them.

“Do you always yell like this?” Rhystea asked without hiding her aggravation.

“YES!” R208 answered, somehow even louder.

“Is there a reason you are always yelling?” Rhystea expanded her question.

“So I am always heard!” R208 bellowed with an earnest smile. 

Rhystea was at a loss. Sphaere attempted to sneer her laugh in order to not spit out the bite she had just taken. Cekell took advantage of the moment to escape his handlers unnoticed.

“I’ve no doubt that your head punches are both a sight to behold and a force to be reckoned with, I look forward to seeing them in action sometime!”  Rhystea said with a smirk.

Bellowing through a mouth full of food without retaining all of it, R208 was excited to find that, “You’ll be joining us then? That's great! I’m even more excited to see that fire that burned your foe and nothing else! Do you think it is something that I could learn?!” His eyes were brimming with excitement as he resumed chewing what was left of his bite.

Before Rhystea or Sphaere could decline, A212 interjected with his question of, “Fire?”

“Yes! They have some special ability that let them CHAR THEIR FOE, without burning anything else! I didn’t see the fire, but I saw the still SMOLDERING REMAINS of what was left, and I was amazed to find that only their foe had been razed. Maybe I missed it but none of the surrounding area showed signs of fire.” R208 explained, his eyes lighting up every time he yelled.

“Hmmm.” A212 paused before looking them up and down and then adding, “You appear to be nothing more than scrawny and hairless, except on your head; and while I see no talons, large muscles, or even weapons - there’s clearly something special you’re hiding.”

It was at this moment that Cekell returned, towing a rather large, flat piece of metal that looked as though it had been recently cooking something as a crude skillet. This is because there were still a couple sizzling skewers stuck to it, but Cekell was carrying it bare handed and there wasn’t exactly a handle on it.

Everyone fell silent as they watched him quickly lug it over and set it down behind where Rhystea and Sphaere were sitting, then proceeded to climb on top of and curl up with a still spattering skewer. Jaws dropped, and some of the open mouths had food fall from of them.

“‘E gets cold sometimes.” Sphaere answered nonchalantly before ripping a dramatic bite of meat off of her skewer.

“I get cold sometimes.” R208 answered, somehow calmly, “But even my kind couldn’t do something like that.”

Rhystea had been silent for a bit now, but had finally come to a decision. “Look, it’s going to come out eventually, but he’s the strong one. Us ‘hairheads’ are rather frail.”

“Hey, why'dja go an’ tip our hand like that?” Sphaere started.

“I don’t like hiding my cards when I’m not playing a game.” Rhystea insisted. “They’ve helped us, and we’ve helped them, and I see no reason a mutually beneficial relationship can’t be established here, and I don’t want to try starting it without being forthcoming.” She was confident in the conviction of her words.

Sphaere threw her hands up in annoyance, but otherwise let it go. Rhystea continued on with, “My kind’s greatest weapon has always been our minds. That’s why we don’t have claws and fangs. We take what we do know and we sharpen it, refine it, combine it and make the absolute most out of it that we can, improving with each step we take. Her and I, we’re no fighters.”

“Speak for yourself.” Sphaere grumbled.

“Well we sure couldn’t do much about one of those things, let alone a group of them, now could we?” Rhystea retorted.

“I remember walkin’ away jus’ fine.” Sphaere shot back.

“Thanks to him!” Rhystea replied with growing excitement as she stabbed her pointer finger in Cekell’s direction.

Noticing the rising tension and not the finger thrust in his direction, Cekell let out a dull chirp as if to tell them to settle down. The whole room fell silent, and the Reptilia Series didn’t know what to do with themselves. 

With short deliberation on tall thoughts, R208 broke the silence with, “Well you’ve been nothing short of a friend since we’ve met you, I would like to remain as such!”

“In a gesture of goodwill, please let me know what I can do to help prepare for tonight’s defenses.” Rhystea replied earnestly.

“Er-” R208 was caught off guard. “You can… gather wood for fires? We will need much to ensure lighting throughout the night. This would be a GREAT help!”

“You want fire? You can get your own sticks, meathead. You want light? Get me a flat piece of metal I can write on.” Rhystea said with determination.

“Ride on?” R208 inquired after a moment of pondering.

“WriTe on.” Rhystea articulated with intent, emphasized by holding her hand out and motioned as if to write on an invisible sheet of paper. R208 just stared at her, perplexed. After sighing dejectedly, she renewed her attempts, “Flat piece of metal you can hold in your hand and carry with you.” 

R208 produced a knife, though when he passed it to Rhystea, it looked more like a sword in her hands. She paused in disappointment for not thinking of just asking for a blade, it would be, “Perfect!” for her intentions, and she said so with a smile.

Picking up a two pronged fork, at least that was what Rhystea had assumed it was; she set the blade down on the table she had been sitting at and set to work etching a sigil into the blade. With curious silence and almost uncomfortable anticipation, everyone waited with bated breath for her to finally set down the fork, position her hand over the sigil’ and commanding, “Illuminate!” The blade answered by glowing softly red, then brighter white, and finally emitting a rapidly pulsing arc flash that stabilized into a bright light which was hard to look directly at. “Got your sticks right here.” She insisted, pleased with herself as she handed the blade back.

Unsure of what to do or even what he had just witnessed, R208 received the blade as though it had been blessed by a holy entity; holding it high, he bellowed out in a way that made it seem almost as if he were singing. His brethren joined in, a choir of loud cries that carried an almost reverent chorus of incoherent noises.

“It’s archaic, but it gets the job done. Swinging it in their face might even overwhelm their sense of sight and give you an edge.” Rhystea bragged, pleased with her work.

“Will you speak with my father? I would waste your potential, but he’ll see to it that you are not held back.” R208 asked with excitement, still holding the blade high.

“You’ve my word that I’ll do all I can to help.” Rhystea replied with a smile. She turned to Sphaere, who had been quiet for a while now, and upon meeting her gaze opened her mouth to say something, but was promptly cut off.

“Sounds like yer set fer a good while,” Sphaere said, standing up and turning to Cekell, she motioned to him, finishing with, “Me an’ the li’l one’re gonna go get some fresh air.” She started to lean down to scoop him up, but he impatiently leapt up into her arms with an excited chirp. “Oh now ya’d better not’ve gotten me all greasy, ya hear me?!” 

Cekell chirped happily in response, completely ignorant of what she was saying. “You may be a li’l shit, but at least yer a good li’l shit, eh?” Sphaere said as she walked out of the feedlot, leaving Rhystea to fend off a barrage of questions on her own. She passed by a curious turtle leaning in the doorway on her way out, who just eye her suspiciously as she left.

Wrapping Cekell up in her arms, she carried him out of the caves and towards the entrance to Demihome, as Sphaere would dub it. “Well, while Rhystea is making a show of it, I guess I oughta do my part too. You’ll help me, wontcha, li’l guy?” Cekell chirped happily in response, to which Sphaere took as agreement. 

“We ain’t got too long ‘fore the sun starts goin’ down, let’s see what we can see.” Sphaere stated as she pressed on past the gates, she could feel herself reel Cekell in just a little tighter. He noticed, and responded by wrapping his tendril around her neck and resting his probe on her shoulder.

Heading to the highest point she could find, she meant to find a place she could observe the area and get her bearings. Maybe she’d see something, and maybe it would even be something she wanted to see. She tried to remain optimistic in spite of her doubt.

Coming to the base of a large tree, she looked it up and down from all sides. There were no low limbs, so it wouldn’t be an easy climb, but it was big enough that the bark made for good anchor points from which she could climb up. Intending to set Cekell down so she could climb easier, she leaned forward, and much to her surprise he chirped shrilly, yanked his tendril from around her and used it to push back against the tree, stopping her from putting him down.

“Oh c’mon, it’s only fer a minute!” Sphaere insisted and once again attempted to lean forward and set him down, only to get the same response of him pushing back against the tree and chirping in protest.

“Well then how am I gonna get up there?” Sphaere asked argumentatively, to which Cekell replied with a defiant chirp. “I dunno if settin’ ya on my shoulders is a good idea li’l buddy.”

There was a pause as Cekell investigated with his tendril, as if looking the tree up and down, then turning to look at Sphaere, meeting her gaze with his probe, then turning back to the tree. There was another pause and Cekell pressed himself tightly against her and wrapped his tendril around her neck and shoulder. Before Sphaere could say anything in disagreement, she felt her body get lighter. She froze up for a second, it was an unexpected experience and she wasn’t sure what to do about it. 

At first she curiously lifted a foot, then meant to extend her other foot to stand tip-toe, but unexpectedly propelled herself a short distance into the air. “Woah!” She half shrieked, extending both her arms as if to catch herself, but hung in the air a moment before slowly drifting down. Her eyes lit up as she exclaimed, “Wooooah!”

She took her time and felt her situation out. She estimated she was easily hopping about twice her own height into the air with minimal effort. She was almost afraid to really try and jump. After a few attempts, she got comfortable with her near weightlessness. Charging the tree, she jumped hard, which she guessed was nearly 30 feet, easily making it to the lower limbs she could now reach and propel herself further off of. 

As fast as she could, she raced to the top of the tree that was at least a hundred feet taller than she was, and she didn’t stop there. Using the last decent limb she was sure would hold her new weight, she launched herself as high as she could.

The branch she leapt from was young and supple, and only helped spring her up higher. Sphaere must have been at least twice as high as the tree into the air before pausing, and gently starting to float down, like a bubble on a calm day. She was still nowhere near the steam cloud residing at the ceiling of the barrier that the area was contained in, but she still had a bird’s eye view of the area below.

Knowing where the cave system she came from was, Sphaere retraced her path from the hot springs, then to the wreckage she woke up at earlier that day. She noticed several other small springs at the bottom of a plume of steam, as well as numerous animals that inhabited the area.

There were a lot of trees, and they were staggered out almost in rows where plenty of sun made it to the underbrush. While it didn’t look like the turtle dragons mowed the area, the undergrowth was clearly kept in check by something. Everything looked controlled; as if it were less natural, but more of a human impacted environment. It didn’t stick out like a sore thumb, but she could easily find their transport, even without retracing her steps.

Sphaere had never seen so much greenery or wildlife. Some of it was familiar, some of it was beyond her scope. Fruits, vegetables and flowers of varying sizes added other colors, and almost every plant had something growing on it. Even the fruitless trees that were the tallest must have had something to offer, and their sturdiness was evident in the lack of broken limbs and a bark that had an almost metallic sheen to it, with few but gargantuan acorns that looked like small knots of iron. It amazed her that the stem connecting acorn to limb could support its weight. 

She saw a giant domed wasp nest and it gave her the chills. There was so much wildlife here, and while she recognized some things from massive bison to stags and rams with odd horns. There were numerous creatures that she didn’t recognize, like birds with an extra set of wings and butterflies with wings larger than dinner plates.

Not seeing what she was looking for, she slowly floated back down to the trees, and made her way towards their transport. It wasn’t far, not with her new speed. She got there rather quickly, and launched herself back up as high as she could to get another good look at the area.

Sphaere had flown over so much she didn’t recognize, and wanted nothing more than to go and investigate, but she had something she needed to do. Her adventurous smile faded when she caught the glare off of something black and almost metallic, and found something that made her heart sink like a stone in stark contrast to how she herself fell like a feather. There were at least a dozen of them, and they were swarming over a large bison like ants on a cookie; except for the biggest one there, which appeared to stand there and observe. “Oh shit!” She surmised. 

Fear clenched her heart, and she began to feel imprisoned in the sky. She needed to get down and warn her friends. For a moment it was such a joy, but now it was keeping her from doing something she needed to do.

Cekell wriggled against her, and reached his probe to meet her gaze. “We gotta hurry!” was all Sphaere could respond with. After a chirp and a short pause, their descent began to accelerate. Perhaps embodying the word hurry just a bit too much, Spheres eyes went wide as the ground reached up to claim her. 

She clenched her eyes shut just in time to feel her fall decelerate just before her feet hit the ground. Her body reacted on it’s own, springing into a dead run. Whatever Cekell had done to make her lighter was back, and she had never ran so fast in all of her life.

“Maybe I cain’t make shinin’ swords o’ light, but I can do some recon. Cain’t get comfortable in that cramped cave, neither. Mind as well do what I can, an’ with yer help, I’m bettin’ we can learn a thing ‘r two! What I refuse ta do, is be dead weight!” Sphaere reaffirmed her resolve as she pressed on into the unknown, Cekell amplifying her courage.

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