Yrix squinted, uncertain of what to feel.
From what she last saw, Sonera had leaped towards her foe with the Arch-Flayer's blessing, blades in tow. What followed was an explosion of energy, resulting in the complete obscuration of the battlefield. Still, she could feel her student's mind, its moddled surface still beating like a heart.
The Arch-Flayer approached carefully, her spindly fingers prepared for anything.
Relief.
She wasn't proud of that revelation - how she really felt. The concept of pride and dissapointment was familiar to Yrix when dealing with students. But to feel sheer respite upon confirming Sonera's success was, in many ways, quite alarming to her.
"Well done." Yrix would have smiled if she could.
There Sonera was, lying on the ground like a shriveled up weed, surrounded and caked in the ash of what was once her enemy. In no universe could she have accomplished such a feat alone; her shattered ambience held together only by Yrix's blessing. But for all her flaws, she did it.
Sonera had won.
Yrix scraped her off the floor with a Psionic grasp, making sure to brush aside any fleshy remainders of the Infestare. There was no trace of the white seed within the ash, its power having seemingly dissapeared upon the defeat of its host. The Arch-Flayer had little time to worry about the details, however.
She still had a battle to win.
Using the slim pad on her wrist, she typed a simple command.
"Calling all nearby ground units, converge on my beacon."
Holding Sonera in a suspended state, Yrix began to calmly walk back towards the Aerie, seemingly undisturbed by the sheer damage caused to its grounds. In no time at all, a few Daragen appeared from beyond the rubble, their armor blackened by their efforts. Despite their state of survival, however, they seemed none too happy to find Yrix.
"Their leader is dead. Re-establish a perimeter around the Aerie. My students need safety." Yrix ordered.
One brave Daregen stood tall, pointing a finger towards the flaming streak across the horizon. "But our losses-. Surely this installation is not worth the entire-."
Yrix clenched her fist, squishing the Daregen's skull like a grape. She didn't particularly care about his rank or the validity of his words. Under no circumstances would a warrior put under her command talk back to the Arch-Flayer in any way.
"Status." Yrix leisurely turned towards the sky above, reaching out to her Executor.
"Tenable," Premus replied. "We have lost two-thirds of the fleet. Their's is in tatters."
"Quite so." The Arch-Flayer nodded to herself. "A cleanup game, then. Send what you can to the Aerie."
"It will be done."
The remaining ground troops put aside their grievances, staring at their massacred comrades for only a moment. Yrix, on the other hand, wandered about like a hyena, unwilling to put Sonera down. She was more worried than she had anticipated.
A lot more.
The Cosnortium dug in just as she had commanded, keeping the traces of Infestare presenced from entering the Aerie. Yet still there was a risk that her exhausted students could encounter the enemy, and perhaps be slain by a single Incipent. Without their Psionic Ambience, they were just girls, afterall.
"Where are you?" Yrix reached out with her Psionic gaze.
Something was interfering.
- - - - - - - - - - -
"Lila?"
"Lila!"
Ivy felt her own body return to her as she scrambled through the dirt and dust. The last thing she remembered was making it to the surface, thanks to the successful gambit with Lila's speed and a bit of mimicry. Though now it had become clear that even with Lunae's blessing, the girls had reached their limit.
"She's alright," Lunae spoke softly, guiding Ivy towards her partner with a gentle hand.
Ivy looked down to see the Earthling bracing herself up against a peice of rubble, panting like an animal.
"I uh-." Lila lifted a single finger in an attempt to make a joke.
"Save it." Ivy hissed, grabbing Lila by her wrist. "We are getting you someplace safe."
Lunae tilted her head in disapproval. "Where?"
The heiress didn't respond. She was far too fed up for that. Instead, she merely began dragging Lila into the Aerie, where the roof seemed more intact. They would have made quick work of it, too, if not for The Earthling's condition. With every step, she seemed to slow.
"Ivy..." Lunae tried to speak reason.
"I'm not letting her die. Do what you want." The heiress snapped as she sped along.
It wasn't long then before they breezed past the bedchambers, half expecting Infestare to be there already. Not trusting such an open space, Ivy pushed through to Yrix's office, locking the door behind her, nearly forgetting Lunae in her frantic effort.
"She'll look for us here, I know it."
Lunae frowned. "Yrix?"
"Yes." Ivy nodded. "She'll have Sonera. And we'll be safe."
"We trust her now?"
"Do we have a choice!"
Lunae's markings flickered with agitation. Her share of violence had emboldened her typically pacifist mindset, leading to an entirely different mindset. From her point of view, there was nothing to do but search for Sonera.
"Keep her safe. I'll ward them away as much as I can." Lunae muttered before opening the door.
Ivy watched the Infestare Princess leave with a look of disbelief, not hesitating for a moment to lock the entrance behind her. It was almost ironic that, after a moment of understanding, it would be the human side of Lunae that would cause such division. Though as Ivy reflected on the moment, she could understand the girl's motivations.
Lunae had something to prove.
"Kuh." Ivy exhaled loudly, her arms trembling with fright.
Finding her way into Yrix's back-cubby workshop, she set Lila down on the floor, keeping as quiet as she could so as not to draw attention. There she lay like a frightened pup, holding Lila in her arms as if praying to the corner of the wall for salvation. It was only then that Lila began to stir.
"Are you...okay?" Lila lifted her head, placing a hand onto Ivy's quivering shoulder. "Is your body giving out?"
Ivy growled, shifting her position so that Lila could rise to her level. "You still don't get it."
"Huh?"
"If you die-."
"I'm fine, Ivy I-."
"Your heart almost gave out just a moment ago. Before then, a single scrape could have ended you. Lila, you may be a Psion, but you're more fragile than you think!" The heiress fumed, keeping her voice down in an almost pitiful way.
Ivy's tounge scraped against the back of her throat, creating a sgraggly tone. Lila had never heard it before, causing her to physically recoil.
"I can't lose you, Lila. You...I simply won't be here without you."
"Well...I'm pretty scared for you, too, you know." Lila tried to smile, gripping Ivy's exposed fingers with her small, fleshy, meaty claws. "My cute robot girlfriend."
Ivy audibly gasped, releasing a sensual expression mixed with relief and pain. She knew exactly why she felt that way about those words. Yet somehow hearing them only made her feel more vulnerable.
She was aware of her strength.
And more naked for it all the same.
"This wretched place." She complained, gritting her teeth. "All things foul converge on its...filth. First, the Consortium, and now these insects! Everything is trying to kill you!"
"And yet we still found eachother." Lila beamed, rubbing her cheek up against Ivy's face. "Can't be that bad."
Ivy groaned audibly, her heels sliding across the floor.
"Lila-."
"You're pretty when you're upset."
The Earthling rose above the heiress, ridding her legs as she bent down, cradling her face before placing a deliberate kiss on Ivy's pale lips.
"Ah-." Ivy moaned. "You-."
"Got you back." Lila snickered. "Your Highness."
"I'd rather you call me a doll."
"Well...if you're into that."
"I'm not sure you even know what I'm into."
"So is this the equivalent of you calling me a monkey? Was that flirting this whole time?"
Ivy moved on, seemingly unmoved by Lila's words.
"In fact," she huffed. "I'm rather certain you don't even get what I'm attracted to."
"Is this uhh...the best time for this convo?"
"I know what you and Sonera really are." Ivy hissed, visible disdain in her voice. "You wouldn't say no to Lunae or I if we were men-."
"I mean, yeah, boys are hot. We like both. Not that I ever had any success-."
"Yet I, during all my laborious years, have upheld a fascination with women."
"Wait...what does this have to do with-."
Ivy shook her head before burying her head into Lila's flat chest. She hugged her tightly, her muffled voice barely coming through.
"I'm not a real girl, Lila. But I do like it when you treat me like one."
"Yea well...you are a hot doll. Well made." Lila teased. "Good ample frame. Nice and squishy."
Ivy giggled. She didn't frequently laugh for any reason. Even Lila was taken aback by it.
"Just hold me." Ivy sighed. "While you still can. We won't have forever."
"What do you mean? We've got this. We just survived a clusterfuck of insect monsters."
"You still don't get it. And that's...okay. I always liked your stupidity."