Chapter 28: CHAPTER XVI – The Thin Line Between Victory and Defeat

The gate to Demihome was coming into view, but they were still a ways off. Sphaere had been watching the storm, and the rain had intensified, as did the streams that poured off the face of the barrier. Cekell was still curled up in her arms and hadn’t made so much as a peep, but he never dropped his barrier.

The nagging thoughts of being watched pricked at the back of her mind. Sphaere had been trying to ignore them, it’s not as if she could do much about it anyway, she couldn’t even find her observer. She decided worrying about it was pointless, and did her best to relax; but try as she might, she just couldn’t get completely comfortable on her leisurely return flight. 

Sphaere had a nice view of the storm, which did slightly help ease her tension, as a nourishing rain soothed her spirit. She wished she could hear it, as she loved the sound of the rain, but was denied by the barrier that separated them. It was strange to her that she could hear the thunder, but not the calming pitter patter of the rain drumming on whatever surface caught it. 

The grip of her fears started to ease as they drew close to the gate. The lookout posted there, an Aves, waved up to her, and when Sphaere shifted to wave back, Cekell squeaked up at her softly. “Didn’ mean ta wake ya, but we’re almost back.” She informed him.

Having been driving, Cekell knew exactly where they were. Instead of telling her that, he rose up to stretch and wrung a groan out of his tiny body before curling back into a ball, but laying on his other side. 

“Seems silly ta be worried while yer nappin’ without a care in the world. Be warned, if somethin’ does rear its ugly head, I’m probably gonna throw ya at it, yer kind o’ handy like that.” Sphaere explained.

Cekell’s only response was to rest his probe on her shoulder.

“Ahh, dunno what I’m worried ‘bout anyway. Yer the scariest thing out here. The second scariest thing out here, well ya can fry that up in seconds. Hell, the scaleheads even turned ‘em inta a snack!” Sphaere stated with a laugh.

Her laughter shook Cekell, who opened his eyes and let out a chirp.

“Yer right, there could be scary things here that we jus’ ain’t ran inta yet. That bein’ said, o’ all things it could be, it’ll more than likely be ‘llergic ta lightnin’ bolts. Come ta think o’ it, ya didn’ even bother blastin’ them bugs earlier. Don’ really need ta be flashy when ya can squish ‘em without even steppin’ on ‘em. If fer some reason that don’ work, I guess ya can jus’ conjure up a magic carpet fer us ta fly away on.” Sphaere tried sorting her concerns out with her words.

Cekell replied with his usual chirp of affirmation.

“What’s that? Ya think Rhystea’d be shocked at my use o’ the word conjure? I dunno, it does sound funny, but it ain’t exactly a big word. I think if anythang, she’d comment on yer barrier not being a magic carpet, but actually an… invisible… barriercade…” Sphaere trailed off and her face scrunched up slightly to a puzzled look as any suitable words escaped her. Losing interest, she finished with her rebuttal against such an argument, “It’s really jus’ a big ol’ wall o’ nope.”

Cekell offered up his two cents in the form of a chirp.

“Yer right.” Sphaere agreed and squeezed a happy squeal out of him as they glided over the top of the gate. “I’m overthinkin’ it. ‘Sides, we’re back!” And indeed they were. Their magic carpet ride came to a gentle stop… still far above the ground.

Peering over the edge of what was left of the hive, Sphaere could see many of her cave compatriots gawking up at her. A familiar young girl with feline features started jumping up and down as she waved with excitement. Sphaere waved back before turning her attention to Cekell and asking, “We jus’ gonna stay up here?”

Cekell ignored her and pretended to have fallen asleep.

“Playin’ oppossum, eh?” Sphaere inquired before shaking him to no response. Laughing, she squeezed down on him and shook harder. Still nothing. “Aww, do ya wanna keep me all ta yerself?”

Dedicated to his act, Cekell didn’t so much as twitch.

“What ‘bout Rhystea? I think I see ‘er down there holdin’ that puppy, I don’ think she’s even noticed us up here! What if ‘e takes ‘er away from ya?!” Sphaere burst into laughter when she finally got a reaction in the form of Cekell’s probe diving over the edge to see for himself as he instantly hopped up on all fours, eyes wide awake. 

“Now that I got yer full attention, how ‘bout we head down an’ show ‘em all this treasure ya plundered fer us?” Sphaere asked with a smile.

Cekell’s eyes lit up.

“No…” Sphaere realized her mistake too late.

Cekell squealed in delight and clapped his hands together. The moment his hands collided, his barrier was expunged, and gravity reclaimed the hive out from under them, as well as Sphaere, who latched onto Cekell as though her life depended on it. 

Gritting her teeth, Sphaere’s thoughts raced in circles, (Don’t scream, don’t scream, don’t scream!) With gravity restored, she was yanked out of the sky. Had she a moment, Sphaere would have placed Cekell in something of a headlock; she did not have that moment, though Cekell’s response would probably have been the same either way.

Sphaere squealed through her clenched jaw, Cekell squealed for joy; and together, they all but screamed through the air as they plummeted to the ground below. A moment later, she had her feet on the firm ground between the cave and the gate, and when her feet made contact, her body tensed up so hard that she nearly jumped.

“I swear I’ll lock ya in a ‘frigerator fer that, ya li’l shit!” Sphaere growled before gasping for breath. 

Cekell chirped back in affirmation.

F120 came charging up to her side bursting with question, “Wow! You can fly?! What’s it like up there?!! Will you take me flying sometime?!!! Please, please, please; PLEASE?!!!!”

Sphaere gingerly reached out and rest her hand on the young girls head before telling her, “‘E’s not a very good pilot an’ really needs ta work on obeyin’ the speed limit, but maybe once ‘e gets it figured out.”

A timid garm pup slowly made it’s way to F120, cautious of what had appeared out of nowhere, and hid behind the girls feet. He groaned uncomfortably when he looked up and saw Cekell giving him the stink eye.

“Would ya mind fetchin’ Rhystea fer me? I’m gonna head up ta the top o’ the gate an’ keep an eye out fer the scale squad, they oughtta be back shortly, but if they ain’t, I’ll go lookin’ fer ‘em.” Sphaere requested before rubbing her hand around on the girl’s head to ruffle her hair. “Oh, an’ also let R010 know ‘is order has arrived! Please an’ thank ya!”

Shaking her head violently to fix her hair, F120 replied, “Can do!” Before darting off and into the cave, an uncomfortable pup trailing close behind her with it’s worried gaze fixated on Cekell, who had seemingly already forgotten about him.

Sphaere turned to the gate and pointed out, “Ever’thang’s been goin’ a bit too smoothly, ain’t it? It's got ta be ‘bout time fer somethin’ crazy ta happen.” As if to echo her sentiments or perhaps mock her, the storm above answered back with consecutive bolts of lightning that reached across the sky. A sharp boom followed by a dull rumbling prompted her attention skyward. “Wouldn’ know it from in here, but it’s really comin’ down!”

Even being back behind the walls, Sphaere was anxious and antsy. With everything that had happened, she had plenty to be concerned about. From monsters trying to eat her, to animal people trying to get her to eat monsters, so many unsettling situations, one after another; and only one was on her mind: something yet to reveal itself had been watching her. Observing her. Intently. Well, it had been earlier, anyway, not that she herself was aware that it had been busy, or that it approached, bearing something of a gift.

Her concern quickened her steps, and it wasn’t long before she was climbing the stairs to the gate. It was almost anticlimactic, looking out into the jungle and only seeing trees. Sphaere had hoped that seeing everything in order with nothing amiss would ease her mind. Looking between the trees and through the leaves, she dug at the unknown, determined to find what was hidden there.

Frantically searching for something that did not yet want to be found, her eyes jumped from leaf to leaf. It wasn’t strong, but there was a constant wind coming from the same direction as the storm. Sphaere started to wonder if the barrier allowed the wind to pass, but shook her head and pushed it from her mind, concentrating on waiting with all her might, she kept looking for… something. If not what had been spying on her, then for her friends who should be strolling up to the gates at any moment.

Sphaere spent a few minutes tracing the tree line with her eyes, and each second she didn’t find anything, her tension grew. Entranced with the task she had set her mind to, she never noticed Rhystea ascend the stairs to the upper level of the gate.

Upon reaching the top of the gate, Rhystea called out to Sphaere, “I hear you had-” And was cut short by surprise when Sphaere whipped around.

Sphaere’s concentration was shattered as her attention snapped to Rhystea. Her heart skipped a beat and Cekell’s tendril shot up to full attention to peer over her shoulder. “Don’tchu sneak up on me!” Sphaere blurted out, almost angrily.

Rhystea’s face scrunched up in confused concern, “Everything alright? You seem rather… tense.”

Turning back to continue scanning the tree line, Sphaere informed her that, “Scales-fer-brains an’ bird boy should o’ been back by now, an’ I’m gettin’ impatient.”

“What are the chances he just got side tracked? His attention span is rather comparable to Cekell’s.” Rhystea responded. Hearing his name, Cekell pointed his tendril away from the storm and towards Rhystea.

“Valid.” Sphaere stated almost uncomfortably as she was still unable to tear her attention away from her search.

“Any reason to believe something went wrong? You’re making me nervous.” Rhystea admitted.

Sphaere took a deep breath and exhaled slowly before confessing, “I think somethin’s been watchin’ me.”

“Well you do have a tendency to cause a spectacle. Are you telling me you don’t do it for the attention?” Rhystea fired back.

Ignoring Rhystea’s remarks, Sphaere kept searching. Deciding to take a different approach, Rhystea made her way over next to Sphaere and stared off into the trees.

Sphaere took a deep breath and held it for a moment as she closed her eyes and exhaled slowly. Rhystea replied with a dramatic sigh of her own. “What’re ya doin’?” Sphaere asked pointedly.

“Two sets of eyes are better than one!” Rhystea insisted.

“Do ya even know what’cher lookin’ fer?” Sphaere asked aggravatedly.

“Something looking back at me?” Rhystea answered with a question of her own.

“Ya really want ta help me out?” Sphaere asked after a moment’s thought.

“Maybe it doesn’t seem like it, but yes, that is my current objective.” Rhystea stated matter-of-factly.

“I tell ya what. Take Ceke, have ‘im lift ya up high, an’ have yerself a nice look-see from in the sky. Perfect fer bein’ a spotter, an’ a great view o’ the storm ta boot. If somethin’ is indeed watchin’ us, maybe it’ll react, that’ll be my best chance ta find it.” Sphaere explained with bright eyes that belied her coy smile.

“Woah!” Rhystea cried out in surprise, “I had no idea it was storming. I mean sure I heard the thunder, but this is the quietest rain ever!”

“Yer not the most observant, are ya?” Sphaere pointed out.

Rhystea held her arms out to receive the warborn before declaring, “Let’s find out. If I find your secret admirer before you do, you have to take that back.”

Sphaere’s smile widened to devious proportions as she turned to Rhystea and offered over Cekell, who didn’t know what was going on, but only offered up a puzzled chirp in opposition. “Hug ‘im tight an’ say the inclination, ‘Up!’”

“Incantation!” Rhystea corrected as she accepted Cekell, “Sigil commands are NOT incantations! I’m not a witch casting a spell!”

Sphaere threw her arms up in surrender, “Apologies m’lady, I didn’ mean ta offend!”

Rhystea gave her the stink eye and asked, “Do you want my help or not?”

“Abso-tively!” Sphaere’s smile twisted mischievously as she reiterated, “It’d be a huge help if ya could take a look from up there. An’ sure, if ya crack the case first, I’ll take back what I said ‘bout yer observatory skills, ‘r lack thereof. Deal?”

“Deal!” Rhystea agreed, happy to be of service. Turning her attention to Cekell, she squeezed him tightly and commanded, “Up!” Cekell chirped deviously, and Rhystea went literally screaming into the air.

“Thanks guys, I feel better already!” Sphaere declared without holding back her laughter.

Everyone within earshot craned their necks to look up and see what was going on, including an inbound Devose. Sphaere had only commented about her observer reacting to Rhystea as a ploy to make her story sound more plausible, but in truth never even intended on using it to find anything. Devose was close, and he wasn’t the only one to take notice.

Sphaere had only begun to calm down from her laughing fit when a highly aggravated Rhystea touched down next to her. The anger written plain across Rhystea's face sent Sphaere back into hysterics. Rhystea’s hair was ruffled and her glasses were noticeably missing. Not a word was said until a small barrier containing Rhystea’s missing eyewear floated up next to her and vanished, dropping her specs into her waiting hand so she could put them in their rightful place. The fury in her eyes quelled as she grit her teeth, breathed in deeply, and sighed softly. Doing her best to douse her inner dissension, with an uncomfortably forced calm, Rhystea waited for Sphaere to regain her composure before asking, “Did you find it?”

“Find what?” Sphaere played coy as she forced back a smile and stared vacantly at the trees.

Cekell’s probe was fixated on Rhystea’s chest, specifically her heart, which was beating like a war drum. Struggling to keep her own composure, Rhystea stepped up to the wooden railing Sphaere was leaned up against as she looked out past the gate. A very long moment of silence passed as Rhystea wrestled with her anger. 

Sphaere would be the one to break the silence as she was the first to notice the approach of the scale train as they emerged from the trees. She was surprised to see it before hearing it, but it was clear that R208 was focused on towing the fragment of hive that was behind him, along with numerous other scalekin that were pushing in tandem. The part of the hive they were using as a sled was piled high with squirming wasp larva on top of a mound of eggs that would hatch more.

“‘Bout time they got back!” Sphaere declared with a mixture of relief and aggravation. “Thoughtcha were gonna be right behind me!” She raised her voice and called out loudly.

R208 lost all steam when saw the two girls standing on top of the gate, unharmed. He wore a look of surprise as he peered at them curiously; and like a deer caught in the headlights, he was promptly mowed down by the trailer he had been pulling. His brethren lost no momentum as they pushed their makeshift sled right over the stunned scalekin. 

Sphaere’s side seared with a splitting pain from all the laughter, and even Rhystea could not stay mad in front of such a spectacle.

In the moments it took R208 to recover and right himself, A212 glided past him and quickly dashed to the gate. “Everything alright?” The featherfolk called up, “We heard a blood curdling scream and thought something was wrong.”

This set Sphaere off again, who was less laughing and more hyperventilating as she gasped for breath. Rhystea shook her head in disbelief before grumbling, “Everything’s fine.”

“What happened?” A212 inquired with a puzzled look.

Rhystea sighed and Sphaere blurted out, “Ceke took ‘er fer a ride an’ she weren’ ready!”

Sphaere had to take a moment to breath before she could repeat herself when R208 came jogging up to ask as his feathered friend did before him, “What happened?” To which he got the same story.

Rhystea fumed in silence as her aggravation turned into embarrassment. As if to throw fuel onto the fire, A212 pointed out, “You change colors, too?”

Rhystea sighed melodramatically, closed her eyes and gently massaged her temple with her free hand a moment before noticing Sphaere had clammed up, prompting the realization that A212 had used the adverb, ‘too.’ Before she had a chance to comment, an Aves came sprinting past the Reptilia and their makeshift sled as they had casually resumed their approach to the gate. 

“Something’s coming!” The flustered Aves called out, voice heavy with concern. A resounding clap of thunder seemed to emphasize his unease. Everyone turned to him in silence, save the scale squad, who quickened their pace as they hauled their load through the gate and continued on to where Cekell had left their plundered nectar trove, which was already being pillaged by their fellow cavern dwellers.

Cekell chirped curiously up at Rhystea, who had cycled from curiosity, to concern, to embarrassed, to angry, and finally to frightened in record time. She responded by wrapping her other arm around him and squeezing him tightly. 

“What kind of something?” A212 squawked at him.

“It looked like a…” The Aves hesitated as he fumbled with his words, “Giant booger.”

“Sounds like something the Reptilia would enjoy.” A212 replied as he turned his back on his fellow feather folk to jab R208 playfully in the shoulder. “If you eat the whole thing yourself, maybe you, too, could amount to a giant booger.” Then casually headed in through the gate after gesturing for his scout to follow him.

Tensions spiked when the Aves continued on with, “Everything it touched, it… liquified. Almost instantly.” After giving a quick summary, he sped to his Eminent to give a more detailed report as they headed to the group surrounding their plundered treasure.

“Interesting.” Rhystea noted.

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Sphaere turned to her, aghast, and accused her of having, “Peculiar taste…”

“Well, think about everything we’ve seen since we got here. I would reasonably expect a fire breathing dragon that also cooks your food long before a…” Rhystea reached up to fidget with her glasses before finishing, “Giant booger that turns everything it touches into snot.”

Sphaere’s face scrunched up, “Yer right, it is disappointin’ compared ta ever’thang else we’ve seen. Maybe it’s meant ta clean up the messes that ain’t no one else gonna touch?”

“So what, it’s headed this way for latrine duty?” Rhystea questioned with a look somewhere between contemplation and concern.

“Impressive.” Sphaere detailed, cracking a smile. “Wouldn’ o’ thoughtcha’d be able ta say ‘latrine duty’ with a straight face.”

Rhystea inhaled deeply and sighed slowly with slight irritation. Before she could say anything, her eyes were drawn to a small silver mass that darted out of the trees and made a beeline for the front gate. Sphaere noticed her attention had been piqued, which was quickly traced to an inbound warborn.

“Devose?” Rhystea called out to him as he made his approach. Without so much as acknowledging her, Devose quickly charged the gate. When he got close, he used his dark cloud to make steps which he used to climb to the top of the gate and stand before them on a black plate that hovered a short distance before them.

There was a pause as both girls peered at him curiously, wondering what would happen next. Neither of them had responded with fear, so Cekell stayed curled up contently listening to Rhystea’s hearbeat, but otherwise ignored the sudden appearance of his brother. No one else seemed to notice, as the guard detail had been repositioned to the Iron Hoof carcass, and everyone outside of the gate was focused on quickly carving up the Iron Hoof, and everyone within the gate was prioritizing the raiding party’s plunder. A212 and R208 had passed on directives to their respective Series and were on their way back to the gate, not yet aware of the Devose’s visit.

Sphaere and Rhystea waited with bated breath as Devose eyed one girl, then the other. Humbling himself, he bowed slighty and apologized, “I’m sorry I threatened you. My sole intent was to goad that monster, but it was a low and underhanded tactic. I regret stooping to such means, and apologize for my shameful actions.”

Only stunned for a moment, Sphaere leaned forward as soon as Devose fell silent, snatched him up by his tendril, shook him violently and reeled him in before chewing him out through clenched teeth, “’E ain’t a monster, ya li’l turd!”

Devose, shocked for a moment himself, started to resist, but it was an act of futility. Before he could get a word in edgewise, Sphaere clamped down hard on him and continued, “Oh no ya don’! Yea, ‘e’s a li’l turd, too, but that ain’t an excuse! Now yer in time out!”

This got the attention of Cekell’s probe, as he did not like Sphaere holding anyone else. Rhystea picked up on this and quickly reeled in Cekell’s tendril and wrenched down on him, noticeably not receiving his chirp of approval, but at least keeping him tied up.

Submitting to Sphaere’s punitive embrace, Devose ceased his struggle, but was quick to insist, “You should be aware, I come bearing a gift from Verakry. It will arrive shortly, and will be attracted to any barriers that matricidal mongrel erects. You two should keep your distance, as needing to be protected, you will only complicate things.”

Before anything else could be said, Sphaere’s mind flashed to the ‘giant booger,’ and with keen insight, unwrapped an arm from Devose, lifted her hand to her mouth, and let out an ear splitting whistle, commanding attention from everyone on both sides of the gate. Following up with a booming voice, she added, “Oi! That giant booger is headin’ this way, an’ it ain’t comin’ ta make nice!” Then quickly turned to Rhystea and advised, “Ya should probably take him ta engage it away from the gate, it sounds like we don’ want anyone getting’ caught in the crossfire!”

Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to face Sphaere. Not getting the immediate reaction she wanted, Sphaere blared out, “NOW, PEOPLE!”

R208 and A212 shifted into full sprint, with the more agile Aves making it to the gate first. The demi’s primarily only obeyed orders from their own eminents and wrote off Sphaere’s demands, instead opting to return to the task at hand, harvesting the bounty they had recently attained.

Rhystea, not used to thinking on her feet beyond a quiz, only managed to panic, setting Cekell on edge but was otherwise unsure of what to do with him. Intensity rising, Sphaere stomped her foot to try and rouse her from her stupor, “Oi! Ya want that thing ta melt the gate? Git yer rear in gear an’ get down there, ‘r give ‘im ta me an’ I’ll do it!”

Adrenaline taking over, Rhystea set Cekell up on her shoulders as she had seen Sphaere do before her, and shakily climbed to the highest part of the gate and fearfully flung herself off, trusting Cekell to catch her – who wasn’t about to give her a reason to doubt him.

A212 made it to the top of the gate just in time to catch Rhystea hop over with Cekell on her shoulders, and did not miss a second warborn in Sphaere’s arms. Quick to realize this situation was neither joke nor drill, he belted out, “Get your tails behind this gate, or get locked out!” Then turned to Sphaere, and with equal intensity demanded an explanation of, “What is he doing here?!”

This got a reaction from those carving up the carcass of the Iron Hoof, who reluctantly stopped what they were doing, grabbed what they could, and grumbled to each other as they started heading slowly towards the gate.

Devose, having attacked the Aves that now stood before him glaring daggers, would not meet his gaze. Before Devose could say anything, Sphaere interjected, “’E came ta ‘pologize, by way o’ warnin’ us ‘bout that giant booger. Rhystea’s gonna have Ceke engage it away from the gate, maybe we can get outta this unscathed.”

“And you trusted that little monster? You realize he lacks any of the compassion you’ve instilled in Cekell, don’t you?!” A212 growled through grit teeth in attempt to not scream in her face.

Devose flinched at the comparison to his brother, but had no words to say. He had insisted that his brother was the monster, but here, the shoe was clearly on the other foot, precisely because of his own actions. R208 had made his way up to the top of the gate, but was still assessing the situation, somehow in silence.

There was a fire in Sphaere’s eyes as she once again stomped her foot and stared down A212, insisting, “An’ ‘e’ll keep actin’ like one if ya keep treatin’ like one! Fer now, let’s just focus on the comin’ threat, an’ right now, that’s not this li’l guy!” She took out her frustration on Devose by clamping down, her words causing his heart to waver, but this would not be enough to move it.

Slipping out of Sphaere’s grip, Devose popped up on top of the gate, and with head hanging low, admitted, “He’s right. I have no place here.”

With quicker reflexes than anticipated, Sphaere latched back on to him and growled, “Not if I got a say in the matter! I know whatcha are, an’ I know what yer purpose is. Ya don’ hafta be a tool meant fer the spillin’ o’ blood! Instead, ya can be a shield that protects!” And angrily wrenched down on him, knowing full well that if he were anything like Cekell, he would enjoy it as opposed to receive it as a punishment, but what better way to discipline a troubled child than to hug them until it hurts?

Both A212 and Devose were speechless and discontent. R208 marched up next to them, turned to face whatever it was that was coming, and stated, “You heard the big tiny. We can argue all you want later, for now, let’s just see what we can do to help.”

 

In a daze, Rhystea hit the ground, intending on running, but not being used to near weightless travel, only managed to bound back into the air, but at least in the direction she wanted, albeit with less speed than she meant. Cekell was torn between focusing on his new rival for Sphaere’s warmth, and Rhystea’s frightened heart. Not able to go back, and yet, unable to abandon his keeper, he hugged Rhystea’s head and squeaked gently at her.

Cekell could hear their irate argument behind him, but kept his gaze forward in preparation of what was coming. Rhystea ran towards where she had first noticed Devose exit the trees, but stopped when she saw clashing foliage. Whatever it was, it was close, and prompted those heading to the gate to do so with due urgency.

The last tree between them toppled and revealed the Acid Amoeba, which paused to take stock of the situation. Cekell quickly shuffled off of his perch and in front of Rhystea, and without turning, enveloped her in a barrier. Devose’s warning was not lost to him, and he quickly returned her to the top of the gate.

If she wasn’t already shaken by panic, Rhystea would have screamed as she was launched through the air. Before she could gasp for air, the barrier that had carried her was dispelled, and dropped her an inch to the platform, right next to Sphaere. Somehow holding in her scream, Rhystea squealed in surprise. The only one that reacted was the amoeba, who hungered for the energy of the barrier, and pressed onwards towards Cekell.

Not content with giving up ground, Cekell raced to his opponent, stopping at close proximity to hit it hard with gravity intended to crush it. Being nothing more than a boneless blob of acid, the amoeba was simply squished down, spreading out, dissolving all it came into contact with aside from the dirt itself as it slowly reached towards Cekell.

Verakry, viewing from above, sighed in dejection, “No, no, no, that’s not going to contain anything, that’s just going to press it down. Given the opponent, this is ill advised!” But eagerly kept watching.

Cekell cursed his foe with a sharp chirp. Without releasing his gravity, he rushed to the side of the amoeba. Oblivious to is corrosive properties, even as it consumed the flora it came into contact with, Cekell thrust his hand at the slime with the intention of syphoning off it’s heat. He shrieked in pain as he came in contact with the acid, and to his surprised, the amoeba latched onto his arm as it slowly attempted to pull him in.

Through the anguish of a caustic contact that was trying to pull him in, Cekell’s mind sharpened. So far his attempts had only gone from bad to worse, and if he didn’t do something soon, worse may come to worst. This realization set in and prompted him to focus on drawing in heat with an emphasis on urgency.

The acid amoeba was also quick to react as it sensed it’s body heat being leached away, and quickly broke off contact, spreading thin and parting where it had been holding onto Cekell’s hand. This did not halt it’s advance though, which was still hampered by Cekell’s gravity, even as Cekell jumped back to put some distance between them.

Unsure of what to do, Cekell erected a barrier wall between them that was both tall and wide. This only seemed to spur the amoeba on as it hungerly reached for the barrier, and slowly started to engulf it. Cekell hadn’t yet attempted to move his gravity field, but decided now would be as good a time as any as he attempted to stop the amoeba from crawling up the side of his barrier. This still only served to slow the pace of the Amoeba’s progression, but as it was spreading out to cover the barrier regardless, the effect was minimal.

Focusing on his gravity field, Cekell reduced the area and centered it where the bulk of the Amoeba was climbing his barrier. Channeling as much energy as he could, he increased the effect to it’s limits. Reminiscent of trying to pull lighting out of the sky with the umbral point, and only succeeding in tearing down a fragment of ice, he was sure that wouldn’t be enough to freeze the amoeba, not after having stuck his hand in the thing for almost no effect.

Straining to further increase his gravity, he recalled his fight with the pack of garms. Maybe it was a lack of desperation, maybe it was due to not having bled mana and cast it off in the immediate vicinity, but all he succeeded in was thinning out the part of the amoeba that was directly above his shrunken gravity field.

It just kept coming. Despite all his efforts to pin it down, to freeze it in place, to wall it off; the Amoeba just continued to advance forward. Cekell’s mind raced as he thought about the situation. He’d never had much trouble with an opponent before. Should he return and retrieve the Astral point in place of the Umbral? There was no guarantee that a bolt of lighting would smite this foe.

Cursing his enemy with another shrill chirp, Cekell tensed up and poured his everything into his gravity field. This didn’t last long, as he started to panic as he realized he was only managing to exhaust himself, seemingly at the same speed the Amoeba was engulfing his barrier. His heart started to sink as he realized the barrier was starting to dissolve.

For the briefest of moments, Cekell was thankful for his brother’s warning. If he had haphazardly faced off against this foe with one of his sparks, he might well have lost them. The thought of losing what was precious struck a cord with him, and reverberated throughout his entire being. He was hesitant to give up ground, but knew a change of tactics was in order.

Retreating back to the gate, he curled up into a ball and planned his next move. His barrier wouldn’t occupy the amoeba for much longer, and it wouldn’t take it long to reach him thereafter. He decided he would calm himself, focus his gravity field as small as he could make it, and hammer it as hard as he could, all at once, after taking some time to prepare himself. He wasn’t desperate, not yet, but he did have his back against a wall. If this didn’t work, it may well come down to an all or nothing assault.

By now, the upper platform of the gate was lined with as many as it could hold, even the stairs leading to the top were packed, as well as the area around the gate. Everyone was worried, but only some were in a position to lay eyes on the events unfolding before them. Rhystea was trying not to panic, but had inadvertently crowded Sphaere, who was trying her best not to notice how her personal space was no longer reserved for her alone.

“Oi! No nappin’ on the job!” Sphaere called down to him, not so much to be antagonistic as she was just trying to get a read on his plans.

Devose chuckled in her arms, “He may as well take a nap, nothing else he has will work either.”

Ignoring him, Sphaere looked up at the silent storm quietly raging above the barrier that caged her. Lighting flashed and thunder roared, prodding her to yell, “It’s like the sky’s howlin’ atcha ta bring it ta bear, didja ferget that ya could shoot lightin’ an’ fry that thang?!”

Rhystea had hardly made a peep since Cekell had returned her to the gate, but she quickly produced a small black pyramid from her pocked and announced, “I think it’s because he doesn’t have this, the Astral Point. This is what allows him to manipulate energy, at least on the scale that allows him to fling bolts of lightning. He could alter gravity before he had the Umbral point, but after acquiring that, his abilities focused around gravity control.”

“Hmmm…” Sphaere grumbled in response. “That would explain why he stopped fryin’ bugs and resorted ta crunchin’ ‘em. Maybe toss that Astral thingamabob down at ‘im?”

It was those words that had Rhystea recall all the times Cekell had defended them from threats that, until recently, had wholly stood outside of her comprehension; and it was this recollection that had her realize that her heart was waving, even as Cekell kept himself between her and that which threatened her. “No.” She stated with an almost angry confidence, upset with herself for not believing in the shield she said she would raise him into. “He knows where it is. If he needed it, he’d come get it.”

“He could have both points and it would make a difference, not against that acid amoeba.” Devose declared with a laugh.

“Acid amoeba, huh? Better than giant booger. What do you call those monstrous insects?” Rhystea asked.

“I’ll assume you mean the arachnophages. Viciously creatures, aren’t they? And yet, they have nothing on that monster!” Devose answered as he glared down at Cekell.

Sphaere wrenched down on Devose and Rhystea poignantly explained to him that, “You should have seen Verakry intervene the moment Cekell got his hands on both points, letting him know he almost accidentally leveled this entire area. Just because you are unable to draw out their potential, don’t you dare apply your limitations to our Cekell.”

Devose wasn’t laughing when he replied with, “We shall see.”

“Indeed we shall, little one. The Writhing Shadow himself watches this battle with all the fervor he had when he personally tested Cekell. I don’t think we’ll be disappointed.” R010 stated with a snort.

Devose turned his gaze skyward to the dark figure floating above and inquired, “Verakry personally tested Cekell, huh? How do none of you see what kind of a monster he is. Sure seems nice, having others take up for you.”

“Ya could have that, too, ya know.” Sphaere shuddered as she imagined what Devose had been through. Squeezing down on him, almost affectionately, she advised, “Ya just need ta learn how ta carry more than a grudge.”

“If father wanted me to carry more than a grudge, then he would give me more than a grudge to carry.” Devose insisted.

“Sounds like father of the year.” Rhystea said sarcastically.

“I’m shore ‘e tells ya that ‘e loves ya everyday, right ‘fore ‘e tells ya ta kill yer brother.” Sphaere added.

There was a slight pause before Devose’s words struck left them thunderstruck, “What’s love?” He asked in earnest.

Both Rhystea and Sphaere looked down at him, and in unison, asked, “What?”

Adopting a puzzled look, Devose repeated himself. “What’s love?”

“It’s a father’s duty to love his son…” Rhystea replied, unsure of what all to add.

“We’re gonna come back ta this conversation, fer now, let’s jus’ focus on what’s goin’ on down there.” Sphaere finished, subconsciously pulling Devose in tightly against her heart.

They all waited with bated breath as the last of Cekell’s barrier wall had diminished into nothing, and the acid amoeba resumed it’s approach.

Cekell had been bracing himself for what was to come, honing his gravity field down to as miniscule a point as he could make it, whittling it down smaller and smaller, not unlike how the amoeba had been turning his barrier into fodder. Now the amoeba came for him, and Cekell was as ready as he could be.

Calm. Focused. Sharp. Taut. Poised to strike. Tension was rising as the amoeba slowly made it’s way to Cekell. He could hear both Sphaere and Rhystea’s heartrate increasing as the Amoeba progressed towards him. His whole world shrunk down to nothing more than the beating of those two hearts. He threaded a needle with his gravity field. All that was left was to waylay his oncoming… prey? Who was the predator in this scenario?

The amoeba seemed to speed up as it closed in on Cekell. It’s target had not so much as twitched for some time now. A delectable morsal craving to be devoured. Almost to him, the amoeba pooled it’s body, coiling up as it moved to strike. The amoeba lurched forward, throwing it’s full mass into a dive, putting all it’s weight behind it’s attack.

As the amoeba reached up in order to lash down upon him, Cekell sprang to life, rising a short distance into the air as he snapped his everything in place. The amoeba hesitated, strained, and collapsed in upon itself. It wasn’t just locked in place, it was converging into a singular point, restrained, restricted and bound by Cekell’s gravity field, it struggled in vain as it buckled in on itself.

Verakry sighed in dejection once again, “Well, it was a decent effort, but I sincerely doubt that you will be able to hold out for long, and an attack of that magnitude won’t be enough to decide this battle.”

And then, the unthinkable happened. A distraught aves intending to seize the moment launched a rocksplosive at the bound amoeba. Sphaere saw him rear back in her peripherals, and time seemed to slow down as she realized he was throwing something; and then the stone left his hand, almost hanging in the air as she turned and screamed, “WHAT THE @#$%’RE YA DOIN’?!!!”

The aves whipped around, caught by surprise; but it was to late, the stone was cast. It sailed through the air and, less struck the amoeba, more sunk into it. The shrunken amoeba swelled, ruptured, and lashed out to the side, as it’s body was stretched and spread out sideways. Recuperating rapidly, it overtook Cekell, who barely managed to erect a barrier around himself as he, too, was bowled over by the ensuing explosion, shrapnel digging into his small body along with a splash of acid to salt his wounds.

Bits of the amoeba were torn apart by the rocksplosive and sprayed along the wall as well. Not wasting the momentum, the amoeba continued to stretch and spread as it aimed to make itself whole, simultaneously lurching up the gate as well as over Cekell’s barrier. It spread out like sinister bubblegum.

Sphaere pressed herself through the crowd as she rushed the aves, but stopped when she heard Cekell let out a dull squeak. She turned to and locked eyes with Cekell as he climbed to his feet, his tendril coiling around his shoulders as he gripped his right arm with his left. He smiled weakly at her before turning to Rhystea, who raised her hands to her mouth in attempt to hold in a gasp.

Having seen the stakes, having confirmed there was no where to run; Cekell turned his focus back to his foe, who was devouring the gate at an incredible rate. Rhystea’s sigil enhancements did nothing to hamper this kind of assault, as the acid swathed through the timbers like hot piss through snow.

The amoeba spread itself thin, surging up the gate and reaching for those on top of it – most of which were currently fleeing – as it continued to engulf Cekell’s barrier. Only Sphaere, Rhystea, R010, R208 and A212 remained stationary. Even Devose crawled up to Sphaere’s shoulder with due concern.

As everyone else sought to egress from the upper platform of the gate, only these individuals watched on as Cekell defiantly continued his struggle. They could hear the acid hissing as it quickly corroded the gate, but were unable to pull their eyes away from the scene.

Devose recalled the searing pain of caustic clot that had tried to devour him. Reluctant to stay, yet unable to turn away, he had to know if his brother could turn this situation around. So many questions poured through his mind, wanting to know more about Verakry personally administering a test to his brother, how capable Cekell was with the Umbral point that he had not had for long, what love was and whether or not it was what fueled Cekell’s strength.

All the eyes fixated upon him somehow managed to widen even further as Cekell dispelled his melting barrier and threw himself at the amoeba in a last ditch, desperate effort. Latching on to the incarnation of lamentation that he intended to spare those he cared about from the clutches of, he drank deeply of it’s heat.

The amoeba recoiled, spitting Cekell out as it coalesced back into a blob, bringing several half dissolved timbers that formed the gate down with it. Cekell clapped his hands together as his back hit the ground, attempting to imprison the amoeba once again with as much gravity as he could muster. To spent to stand, he quickly reached out with his left hand and seemingly grasped at something that wasn’t there, as he enveloped those remaining atop the gate in a large barrier and delivering them far from the reach of the amoeba, launching them near to the carcass of the Iron Hoof. His eyes went wide.

Cekell threw himself up to his last legs, and with his remaining dregs of power, he simultaneously released his gravity field and enveloped the amoeba in a tightly fitting barrier; and strained himself as he launched it upwards, right past Verakry, straight through the larger barrier, beyond the storm clouds and out towards the stars.

Verakry groaned in annoyance. “Threat… neutralized. Anticlimactic, yet effective. I don’t know that I would call this a victory, but it’s certainly not a defeat. Perhaps I am being overzealous in my haste.” Turning to Devose, Verakry smiled wryly as he took note of the warborn’s frustrated look. “Maybe now you can see the value in adaptation, and will cease your reliance on simple brute force.” Without another word, the shadow clad figure disappeared to prepare the next assessment.

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