“Hold on!” I heard yelled before I noticed a black furred hand grab one of the beast’s wings and snap it. The monster and I hit the ground and I wheezed in pain while the beast dug its claws into my biceps. The monster leaned its head down, but I kicked up and into its chest area while Gypsy quickly moved around the monster and grabbed its wings.
She tried to pull it off, but the beast’s claws were dug in deep and I yelped in pain as they dragged down my arms. I gritted my teeth and braced my foot against its chest before pushing up. It snarled and I kicked it with my free foot while Gypsy pulled back on it.
“Get it off!” I yelled again.
“Wait!” Gypsy yelled before something white hit the side of the monster’s head. It fell off of me and scrambled to the side while I rolled over and to my feet. I quickly ran over to a tree and spun around, watching as the monster slowly rolled to its feet before shaking its head. It lowered its head before moving forward slowly and growling.
Something slammed into its side and the two things rolled a bit before the large mass pinned it. I was shocked to see that it was Gypsy, who was snarling and tightening her hand around the monsters neck area. I sucked in a quick breathe of shocked, rushing over and tugging her back a bit.
“Don’t kill it,” I said before I could help myself. She snarled and looked to me with anger in her eyes and her teeth bared, but I held her gaze. She growled before shoving the beast back and moving off of it aggressively. I quickly looked to the beast and found it was now on its belly, growling weakly at me.
I felt kind of bad for it so I kneeled and stopped when I heard a larger growl from Gypsy. “I think it’s disoriented,” I said lowly before examining it more closely. Its black wings fluttered and it growled again before laying its head down and shifting its face around. I listened before looking up, stiffening when I noticed something just up ahead, something human looking.
“ROSIE?!” Someone yelled. I looked up and noticed something large was circling over us, but the monster growled and slowly stood. I quickly moved back when the monster timidly stood on all fours and turned, running off into the forest. I took a moment to calm down before slowly standing and looking back up into the sky.
The mass passed over our spot again and I sighed before looking to Gypsy. She looked mildly irritated and I looked to Lollipop, who was helping Silver up. I walked over and helped them before looking to Gypsy, who was sniffing the air. After a short moment, she turned in a direction and pointed.
“I smell something,” she mumbled before sniffing again and perking up a bit. “It smells like smoke and metal. We’re close,” she said with a bit of excitement. I perked up myself and we all moved together before heading after Gypsy. She continues to lead us through the trees and I grimaced as Lollipop prodded the wounds on my biceps.
“Gypsy! Let’s stop so I can take care of her arms!” she called. Gypsy stopped and nodded before walking over while Lollipop urged me to sit. I did so and she kneeled in front of me, placing her pack down before opening it and pulling out a clear bottle. She opened it and grabbed a white rag before dousing it with a liberal amount of liquid and frowning at me.
“I need you to take your shirt off,” she said in a deadpanned voice. I awkwardly shifted in place before pulling my arm from my split and wincing. I made to remove my shirt, but I realized I was a little too impeded and looked to Silver for help. She gave me a small smile before helping me and I grimaced as Lollipop began to clean the gashes on my arms.
“ROSIE!” something yelled. I looked up then winced and glared at Lollipop, who was still cleaning my wounds. It took a moment before she began to wrap my arms and I relaxed when she finished. Silver helped me back into my shirt and I fixed my sling before we began our trek again. I looked up and found that the mass was now flying off to another part of the area and I frowned deeply.
I had the sinking suspicion that the mass was Gabrielle. I shook my head before looking forward and watching as Gypsy shoved a mostly destroyed tree out of our way. I moved over it with her help before pausing when my head began to throb a bit. I frowned and rubbed it before looking around and frowning deeply when I realized the area was going silent again.
“Something’s here,” I said softly. The others paused and I grunted in pain when another stab when through my head. “What the hell?” I mumbled in confusion before stiffening when I saw a man in front of us. “Oh no,” I whispered.
“Hello child!” the man called before running towards us.
“It’s Hector!” I yelled. Silver quickly shoved me to the side before running forward and right at him. He ducked around her, but hooked his arm in hers before lifting her a bit and slamming her into the ground. His hand went to the back of her throat and she suddenly went still.
He moved away from her before running right at me again while yelling some kind of phrase out. The ground began to shudder and I stumbled slightly before looking to the woods around me, gasping when I saw two large robots run out and towards us. “Run!” I yelled before Hector slammed into me. We hit the ground hard and he placed his forearm against my throat, grinning in glee.
“Hello again little one. You don’t know just how happy I am to see you here,” he said with a dark smile.
“Aren’t you going to kill me?” I said, trying to kick him off. He chuckled before grabbing the front of my shirt and standing, pulling me up with him.
“Yes, but first I have to cut the link that makes you a Neutral Navigator,” he said before turning his head and grinning. I looked to the side as well and froze when I found the robots had grabbed Gypsy and Lollipop, who were struggling. “Follow me!” he ordered the robots while turning me and twisting my good arm behind my back. I grimaced in pain and grunted as he marched me in the opposite direction of where Gypsy was leading us. I frowned in worry before deciding it was easier to just bide my time until he made a mistake.
Chapter 19
Resurrection
We walked for about three hours with minimal talking, Gypsy and Lollipop grumbling in irritation. The robots didn’t offer much conversation and Hector only gave an odd giggle every once in a while. I frowned at him, but he seemed more interested in looking forward. We were led to some kind of ritualistic looking clearing before the robots led Gypsy and Lollipop to a large metal cage off to the side of the circle.
Hector pulled me across from them and shoved me into a stone chair, humming softly under his breath. I glared up at him before sitting and watching as he walked over to a large black box. “Do you know how the Elysians gained immortality?” he asked suddenly while opening the box. I frowned, but put some thought into the question before frowning.
“They contacted some sort of Demi-God like creature,” I said lowly. He chuckled softly before nodding and pulling out three red colored bottles.
“That is true. You see, the Elysians got to the end of their advancement and decided to see if parallel universes existed. They were not disappointed when they established contact with a being beyond their comprehension. The being only gave a few of them immortality while the rest fell to a darker beast appearance,” he said before pulling out five brushes. I frowned in confusion before remembering the monster with black wings.
“The black winged monster?” I said in confusion.
“The Fallen. You know…….If I didn’t need to kill you, I’d take you on as a protégée,” he said with a frown before shaking his head. “Oh well,” he mumbled. I glared at him before looking to where Gypsy and Lollipop were. I needed to save them. I was about to move, but he stepped in front of me and motioned to my shirt. “Take that off,” he ordered. I glared up at him while Gypsy snarled from her cage.
“I’m not taking my shirt off you disgusting-,” I began, but he snorted before pulling out a thick knife and waving it idly.
“Don’t flatter yourself. I’m gay honey,” he snorted before cutting my shirt off and cutting my right hand back open. I hissed in pain while he tossed the knife behind him and grabbed one of his
brushes. “I suggest you keep perfectly still,” he warned before dipping the brush into one of his bottles and beginning to draw on my chest. I glared at him, but decided to follow his instructions since this was the calmest I had seen him.
Plus I didn’t feel like getting hurt any more than I already was. He gently drew several runes on my chest before moving up to my neck and drawing something on it. His brush went up to my face and he grinned before running the brush bristles up the side of my jaw to my temple. He frowned and pulled the bandages from my head before finishing part of his design on my forehead. He repeated the process on the other side of my jaw and finished before moving back and beaming. “Perfect, now we get to the summoning,” he said.
“Summoning?” I echoed, reluctantly standing when he pulled me to my feet by my bra strap.
“Of course. I need to sever the bond between you and your ancestors. What better way than by summoning their spirits from yours and tearing them out?” he said with a dark smile. I froze in horror and he shoved me into the circle. White hot pain lanced up my back and chest, knocking the wind from me and I fell to my knees, listening to Gypsy and Lollipop scream. I lifted my head slightly and gasped when I noticed the glowing red lights around me. A face appeared in the lights and I recoiled a bit, trying to stand, but my legs were too weak. The face rushed right towards me and I flinched as the pain intensified.
I slowly opened my eyes, looking through the light to Gypsy and Lollipop, who were screaming and struggling. I slowly stood and gagged as pain caused me stomach to roll. I stumbled forward through the haze, trying to get to the others side, but everything was spinning. I fell to my knees again then collapsed forward as a heavy pressure came to my chest. It was getting hard to breathe and I wheezed, my eyes shutting as everything became too much.
I felt my breathing beginning to slow and tried to force my eyes open, grunting when I managed it. I lifted my head a bit and looked through the haze. Gypsy seemed to be in some type of frenzy, tugging and clawing at the cage while Lollipop was screaming something. She was crying and I gritted my teeth, pushing myself to my feet before looking up. The face was above me and it smiled before rushing down. I ground my teeth and kept still, waiting for more pain, but it never came.
The face passed through me before rushing forward and stopping. It slowly lifted before brightening and forcing me to shut my eyes. When the light dimmed from behind my eyelids, I opened my eyes and stared when I realized a man was in front of me. He had large wings and white hair as well as white eyes.
He was dressed in nothing, but lower body robes and his wings were spread out. “Navigator,” he said, his voice booming. I grunted and he eyed me for a moment before waving his hand. My back felt like it was on fire and I cried out before falling to my knees, grinding my teeth to keep from crying out again.
Something grabbed my shoulder before it felt like someone was pulling from my back. I looked up and at the man, who was looking down at me. The pulling sensation lasted for a long moment before it finally stopped and I gasped lightly. I was reluctant to look away from the man, but I turned my head and froze when I found four people behind me. One was holding a child and I slowly stood, moving back a bit to look at them. They all looked like me and gazed down at me with confusion on their faces.
“Where are we?” one of them said, an older woman with deep brown hair containing a white streak and light grey eyes. They were wearing similar pants to me and the women had black bandages on their chests covering their breasts. They all had the same patterns drawn on their skin as well. The woman was tall and muscular with several scars on her chest area while the man at her side was missing his left eye and he glared down at me before turning and glaring out of the circle. The other two women were awkwardly milling off to my right and the child was cheerfully squealing in one of the woman’s arms.
“We’re alive again mother,” the man spat before looking back to me. I swallowed and looked to the woman, who was glaring at him.
“No need to be so testy Sylvester,” she growled before looking to me. Her frown softened and she moved over, gently placing a hand on my shoulder. “What’s going on?” she asked gently. I opened my mouth to speak, but Hector began to laugh and they looked to him in shock.
“Hector!” the man snarled before moving towards the end of the barrier.
“Calm down Sylvester!” the woman snapped before looking to the woman holding the child. “Brenda,” she said harshly since the woman was trembling and the child was crying.
“He drove me mad…..” the woman, Brenda, whispered softly, slowly slipping to her knees. The woman looked to the white winged man then back towards Hector.
“What have you done? Why are we here?” she demanded. Hector chuckled a few times before moving forward and waving an arm.
“For my queen, I’m going to end the Neutral Navigator line,” he said before looking to the winged man. “I demand that you sever their bond! They’re here and no longer within her soul,” he said with a smile.
“You really think your demands will be met?” the woman laughed before shaking her head. “You must be seriously deluded,” she said.
“He is,” Brenda mumbled softly. The white winged man seemed to examine us for a moment before looking to me.
“You have a choice child. You can allow me to separate them from you, you can keep them all within or choose one to split away and take two of the souls,” he offered. I stared up at him in shock before looking to the others, who looked surprised as well.
“Bring me back!” Sylvester ordered. I recoiled a bit and looked to Brenda, who shook her head. The other woman did the same, a gentle smile on her face as she said, “My curtain closed a long time ago.”
“Bring me back. I’m the original after all,” the other woman said, glaring at Sylvester, who looked at her in anger.
“You can’t handle him like I can!” Sylvester roared in anger. The woman shook her head before looking to me with seriousness on her face. I swallowed before nodding to the woman quickly.
“Bring her back,” I said before grunting when pain lanced through my back.
“You little bitch!” Hector roared in anger.
“Screw you!” I snapped back. Hector looked ready to tear me apart, but the barrier kept him from us and I watched as he looked passed us.
“I’ll deal with you later,” he grumbled before snapping twice. The robots made some kind of whirling sound and I looked to them before gasping in horror. They were moving towards the cages and I rushed to the edge of the barrier.
“I cannot release you from my barrier unless you give me part of your flesh and bone,” the white winged man said when I slammed into the barrier. I looked back at him with wide eyes before looking around and running a hand through my hair. Biting my lip, I looked to my broken arm before pulling it out of my sling.
“Take what you need from my arm, I need to stop those robots!” I said frantically. The man nodded and pain spiked through my arm before I fell through the barrier and hit the ground hard. I wheezed before moving to push myself up, freezing when I realized he had taken most of my arm. From my upper bicep down, the arm was completely gone, but it was sealed shut with a scar running along the bottom. I stiffened before forcing the thought from my head and pushing myself to my feet. I rushed over and slammed into the robot, knocking it off balance and to the ground. It flailed a bit and I grabbed its arm before forcing its laser pistol up to aim at the other robot. The bot on the ground fired into the other bot’s chest and it stumbled back before falling over while I was tossed off of the bot on the ground.
I lifted my head then grunted in pain when Hector kicked me in the mouth before grabbing the gun from the broken bot and pointed it at my face. “I should have just killed you,” he snapped. For a tense moment we gazed at one another before a red beam of light hit him in the shoulder and caused him to fall back. He roared in pain before hitting the ground and lifting his own gun. I looked to the side and found that the woman was n
ow out of the barrier and pointing another gun at him.
“Leave the kid alone,” she growled. Like me, she was missing her left arm, but she didn’t seem that bothered by it, glaring hatefully at Hector. Her eyes were rapidly darkening and I looked to Hector, who was glaring at her in anger.
“Damn it,” he hissed. I took that moment to knock his gun out of his hand before moving away and rolling to my feet. Hector scrambled back, but another red beam of light went into his leg and he yelled out.
“Stay still!” the woman snapped. She fired another blast, but it missed and Hector rolled over, scrambling towards the forest. I didn’t think about going after him when another shot almost got me and I looked to the woman.
“Whoa! Stop!” I called, running over and watching as she squinted before scowling.
“Well this sucks, my eyesight is still crappy,” she grumbled before looking down at me and grinning a bit. “Hey kiddo. Are you okay?” she asked. I nodded then grabbed her gun and shot the remaining robot in the head. It sparked and hit the ground while I sighed and looked back to the white haired man.
“My time here is short. I need the two of you to return to the circle and take these souls back,” he said. I nodded and led the woman back, both of us shuddering when we returned to the circle. Sylvester glared at the woman before moving over to me and inside, the feeling like water being thrown on me. The other woman moved into me as well while Brenda headed over to the woman. She paused before looking at me and hiking the child higher in her arms.
“My son…..Brian. You are his daughter yes?” she asked. I nodded and a small smile appeared on her face before she laughed. “Is he well?” she asked. I didn’t have the heart to tell her the truth so I nodded and she smiled wider. “Thank you,” she said before moving into the woman, who grimaced.
“Wowzers. That feels terrible,” she said before the man disappeared and the lights around us died down. I sighed tiredly before looking to where Gypsy and Lollipop were still struggling.
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