7 - The Halls of Montazuma
”Your world is ours. We will return.”
- The Whispers of Demons, as reported by all psykers who peer into the void
Vinyl Scratch - Day 1
The Dark Fortress - Wieav
“They’re too late,” NaN cried in warning. “Close the doors!”
Sky started to pull the lever, but there was no time. The Dark Fortress did not shake as the warheads struck home. It fell.
The entire island plunged dowards a full meter, throwing Sky, Chem and Vinyl into the air as if the fortress itself yanked the floor out from under them. The lights flashed and flickered. The ancient machines bellow screamed in mechanical agony. The equally ancient magicks above crackled and crumpled under the bombardment’s terrifying might.
The bare steel room began to shimmer and ripple as intense heat scorched everything within the shields. The firestorm outside could not be held back, not in its entirety. Not by this shield.
The ancient generator screeched as the impossible power outside pushed against it, forcing but the tiniest fraction of itself through. The generators electric cry deafening the three as they lay in a heap upon the floor.
Throughout it all, NaN remained standing, her face twisted in sympathetic pain as she stared down through the floor towards the slowly melting shield generator.
“I’m sorry little guy. I know… I’d help you if she wouldn’t kill me. You can do it, come on,” she encouraged in the voice one might use to encourage a puppy to climb atop a chair.
But her voice was lost amid the chaos. Smoke billowed up from the depths, thick, black, and inky. It filled the fortress’s ceilings, leaking up through the open blast doors into the stone part of the keep, where paint cracked and peeled under the impossible sun’s deadly heat.
Then, as soon as the hell on earth began, it stopped.
Vinyl moaned and slowly sat up, wincing as her armor brushed against her skin. The chain links felt like a pan which had only just recently been pulled out of an oven. Not quite hot enough to burn, but certainly hot enough to make you worry about being burned.
She blinked, wincing as her eyes and mouth tingled in the dry air, as the fortress greedily sucked up all the moisture it could.
Chem and Sky slowly sat up as well. The Old One looked especially staggered as he used the wall to pull himself up to his feet, stumbling awkwardly.
“It feels like the room is spinning,” he groaned. “Is this what it feels like to be knocked silly? I need a time machine. And apology gift baskets.”
Vinyl nodded once. “Yeah. It is,” she said before looking over at Sky. “So, Sky. This is why you never let Luna see what nukes do. Good call.”
“Nnn,” Sky moaned, holding his head with both hands as he remained sitting on the floor.
“Concussed?” Chem guessed.
“Feels like it,” Sky mumbled. “Hope not. And yeah, Vi. This is why.”
NaN smiled as she saw everyone getting up. “Whew! I thought the rads would cook you guys. Don’t worry, as soon as you can get to any town near the railroad, you can get a healing potion and fix any radiation sickness right up.”
“And we will do that, how exactly?” Chem asked, still leaning against the wall. “We’re no match for that submarine if it fires again, nor do we have any boat… Unless… Sky? Think we can commit piracy?”
Sky smirked but said nothing. He didn’t need to.
NaN smiled like the dork she was and patted the room’s side. “I fixed everything I could in this old girl. Including the Magitek interface. The Fort’s float units are controlled form the top of the keep. You can fly her right on out of here. Uh, if the float units are okay. We seem to be spinning a bit.”
Vi snickered and managed to stand up completely. “Oh. I thought that was just me,” she said bitterly. “W-what are the odds that Lyra’s okay?”
NaN frowned. “Low… Not zero, but low. With the doors open… She’ll be hotter longer than we are. Stone oven vs metal oven. But…”
Vinyl looked down, closing her eyes tightly. “It’s alright. If we die here, we’re not dead for good.”
Lyra… I’m sorry. If we lose, you’ll die for good. Without you… Our team’s down a trained soldier. It’s my fault. Bucking- ARGH! I shouldn’t have let you try that stupid Nightmare plan in the first place! She cursed to herself.
“No more mistakes.” Vinyl said as she opened her eyes and turned towards The Engineer. “Not. One. More. Mistake. NaN, you said you’d work on a game plan for us. What do you have?”
“Lyra will be fine, Vinyl,” Chem promised. “If we fail at this game I swear to you I will do everything in my power to save you. There’s always time for another last minute.”
NaN nodded and pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes. “You won't fail. I’ve got a plan. Not a whole plan, but what I have will give you a fighting chance,” she informed, reaching into the front pocket of her coveralls and removing a spiral bound notebook. “Our world has faced extra-dimensional threats before. I don't personally have the power to sense their presence, but I can make a machine that can! These are the plans.”
“What, like, an Eldritch Radar?” Sky and Chem asked in unison. Sky out of technical curiosity, Chem out of simple amusement.
“More like sonar, only with Other Space instead of wat- Uh, this would get super technical. I don't have time. Sis will have heard that boom,” NaN corrected quickly, her eyes flashing with an urgent light. “This fortress’s secondary systems can be scavenged to make most of what’s needed. There’s a parts list in here because I can’t keep helping you guys. I will do what I can though, I mean it when I say I won't let a world die.
“There’s three critical components you won't be able to make. You MIGHT get the Dragons to trade with ou for them, but I doubt it. More likely you’ll have to find them. My sister’s temples will have some, I don't recommend going to them. Call that a last resort.
“You MIGHT be able to scavenge them from some of Wieve’s ancient ruins. You can get one for certain, specifically the subspace ionizer. You’ll find one in the back of Arrex’s eyes, his tomb is in Wieve’s north. But adventuring for these components is a REALLY bad idea. Weave isn’t the safest place on-”
“NaN!” A woman’s voice bellowed seemingly from everywhere at once. “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!”
NaN’s terrified look returned. “I didn’t do anything wrong! I just fixed things like I’m allowed to-”
“I KNOW YOU CHARGED THE DARK FORTRESS’S SHIELDS WITH MAGIC! I SENSE YOUR AVATAR THERE. DISARM THE HELL GATE YOU HAVE PRIMED OR I SWEAR YOU’LL NEVER FORGET WHAT I’LL DO TO YOU!” Null shrieked with a mixture of fear and fury unlike anything Vinyl had heard before or sence.
NaN’s terrified expression shifted up a gear. “I- I didn’t-”
”JUST BECAUSE HE NEARLY KILLED YOU DOESN'T GIVE YOU LICENCE TO ENDANGER MY WORLD. DO YOU WANT THEM TO COME BACK?! DISARM IT. NOW.” Null demanded, her voice starting to drip with venom.
“I can’t! I didn’t do it! I’ll just set it off without knowing how it was-”
All across the world, NaN’s faces twisted into a soundless scream. Her forms flickered, fragmented, and dissolved into static, leaving behind a ghostly gray outline of a collapsing woman, wracked with agony before fading away entirely.
Her tortured expression was witnessed by millions. Tools clattered to the ground in workshops, on street corners, in bedrooms, and offices as children's bicycles remained broken, countless projects ground to a halt, and young couples no longer had help hanging their new bedroom door. The world over, frightened children ran to their parents with questions, and the Engineer’s Guild ordered their first strike in five hundred years.
Vinyl, Sky, and Chem stared in horror at the spot where NaN had stood a second before, her notebook falling to the ground with a heavy thud.
The three stood stock still, waiting for a divine bolt from the blue to strike them down, but none came.
“We’re-never-going-anywhere-near-any-temple,” Vinyl babbled, her eyes wide with horror as she slowly stepped forwards and picked up the dropped notebook.
“Hahaha! Yeah, FUUUUUCK that!” Sky agreed. “Did you see that- Of course you saw that. The flicker!”
“SHHH! It may still be listening,” Chem hushed urgently. “We’re in a crippled fortress, nuclear subs out there, evil gods in here, and presumably crippled power. She said this thing is mobile. We’re out of here.”
Vinyl nodded in agreement and held the book out to Sky. “So out of here! Sky, take the book. Read it. You can make the thing, right?”
Sky nodded and took the book from her, tucking it into a jacket pocket.
“Yeah. Yeah I can,” he said absently, filing away what he had just seen. “This tech is close to the Pheonix’s. It may take a bit, but I’ll pull it off.
Vinyl nodded, grateful for the slight break lady luck had given them. “Okay. In that case, Chem, what do we do?”
Chem blinked in surprise. “Uh, why are you asking me?”
“Because I’ve made too many mistakes. I can’t lead us. I’m way too used to a very different group,” Vinyl admitted, looking down at the ground in shame.
“You’re not-” Chem began, only for Vinyl to cut him off with a raised hand.
“I let Hatty get away. If Lyra’s dead, it’s because of me. I made the wrong decisions and endangered us all. I’m not fit for command,” she adamantly insisted, clenching her hand tightly enough for her claws to draw blood.
Chem raised an eyebrow. “Uh, sis? I’ve been sort of just following your lead for a very good reason… I ALWAYS LOSE! I’ve never played the hero! I’m the bad guy! If I plan something I plan to fail. I plan to make it super hard, but I plan to fail. That’s- It’s… Sky should lead us.”
Sky sighed and shook his head in disagreement. “Someone has to lead us, but it shouldn’t be me. Sure, I’m a leader, but like… I don't have any of my tools! Sure I can pull off some serious shit but that’s when I have a whole starship worth of supplies that I know like the back of my hoof.
“Vi, you’re the only actual military officer here. You’re the only one of us with experience at small unit tactics behind enemy lines with like, no supplies. This is YOUR job. Just don't fuck up again.”
Vi took a deep breath. “Fine. Then as leader, Chem, you’re in charge of everything involving this fort. Now, what do we do?!” She ordered.
“Get out of here, find a safe harbor, and build a skull on the side of the island portion,” Chem answered without hesitation.
Sky tilted his head at Chem. “A… Skull?”
“Yes! This place isn’t nearly cool enough to-” Chem trailed off then reached up and rubbed his eyes slowly. “That’s why I shouldn't be in charge. I’d wind up installing a self destruct on this place that’s accessible after you beat five guardian monsters and acquire the crystal key.”
Well, if we survive this, at least Chem has a promising future as a game designer… Vi mumbled to herself.
“We should get the hell out of here though,” Sky agreed, holding in a laugh at Chem’s blunt honesty.
Chem nodded. “Yes. If Hatty designed this place to mimic me, then I think I know how this place is flown. There will be a throne in the flightdeck, and control will be mental. We climb up top, fly out of here heading, say, east by north east and we’ll make landfall at a small town.”
Vinyl raised an eyebrow. “Do you remember the map downstairs that well?” She asked.
Chem nodded. “Yes. From that town we can fly inland about a hundred kilometers to a place referred to as ‘Safeton’. Perhaps fleeing to a place called ‘Safe Town’ is a bit cliche, but Hatty’s notes state he was unable to attack it for the entire fifty years he was in operation. We will be safe from him, and presumably anyone else, if we can gain sanctuary there.”
“But how can we do that? They know who “we” are,” Vi asked with a sad sigh, air quoting the word we.
Chem grinned. “Nooo, they know who I am. It’s been two hundred years. They won't remember “my” minions. Or at least, they won't recognise you right away. You can simply ask for refuge for us, and I will hone my magic until I can disguise myself. It’s… A poor plan, but it’s something we can try, right?”
Sky nodded. “It’s better than nothing. Was there any reason why the town is Old One proof in the report?”
“The report said something about a dragon living there,” Chem answered with a shrug. “Given they are a much much more advanced race, and apparently not under the Goddess’s dominion, I assume the town is protected by an insurmountable techgap.”
Vinyl laughed, shaking her head back and forth slowly.
“What?” Chem asked with a confused frown.
“You just pulled a great plan right out of your plot but think you’re not suited to lead us,” she said with a smirk.
“Well, no. I’ve been thinking about it since I read that report fifteen minutes ago,” Chem admitted.
“Who cares? Let’s go! Oh, and keep an eye out for Lyra. We can look for her more thoroughly once we’re underway,” Sky said, gently grabbing Chem and Vi by their shoulders and starting to march them forwards. “Odds are good that Sub has another volley of nukes. If they gave it twenty, why not fifty? It’s what I’d do if I was making a “Make the World Glow Again” boat.”
Vi nodded, her face pulling into a mostly blank serious expression. “That makes sense. Alright, let’s move,” she said.
The three turned and left the basement’s entrance behind. Heading into the still sweltering stone keep above.
Sky Trigger - Day 1
The Dark Fortress - Wieav
Okay, Sky. You’ll be out of danger soon. The moment you are, we’re going to work out exactly what this place is and how to exploit it, Sky thought to himself as he, Chem, and Vi walked up the stairs leading from the keep’s dungeon to the first floor.
NaN insisted she wasn’t a god, and pretty heavily implied her sister wasn’t. And with how she was… Taken away, it makes her true nature very obvious. Leading to a very poignant question. What does god need with a hologram?
The three emerged from the stairwell into the hall. Despite the still blistering heat, the Keep seemed to be in fairly good shape. The walls were cracked. The paint peeled back. Some spots blackened. But over all the shields did their job fairly well. Nothing here couldn’t be salvaged with a little work and things found in your typical Equestrian hardware store.
They had a short walk ahead of them. The stairwell to the keep’s bridge was positioned at the opposite end of the keep. After all, no one wanted escaped prisoners having a quick route to the throne room.
Yog said divine magic came from the gods, Sky continued monologuing to himself, as he always did when he planned. And if I am right about NaN as well as her sister, then their magic is something I can exploit with my tools and just a little bit of time spent tinkering. I’ll need a book on divine magic or something else to get me started. I’ll reverse engineer the hell out of-
Sky’s thoughts were interrupted as Vinyl unsheathed her sword. With a rustle of metal on leather, the gleaming blade flew into a low guard as it wielder’s eyes narrowed, trying to pierce the darkness.
“Who's there?” Vinyl demanded. “Lyra? If that’s you, say something.”
Sky wasted no time. Sheila was shouldered in a flash, trained down the long stone hallway ahead.
“What was it?” Sky asked with uncertainty.
Vinyl continued squinting down the hallway. “There’s a shimmer,” she replied.
“Well, the air was just superheated,” Chem remarked.
“No, not like that. It had a biped’s general shape too…” Vinyl trailed off as her eyes finally found what she had been looking for. “There!”
Vinyl pointed with the tip of her blade at one patch of wall a good distance ahead of them and to the left. Sky’s eyes followed her blade’s point, following them to what was distinctly not a heat shimmer.
A large shape. Vaguely human, but massive. Twice the size one would expect, one which fit inside the keep’s halls only thanks to their high ceilings. Pressed firmly against the wall exactly in the way someone would try to hide when they saw someone coming down a hallway they were sneaking down.
it’s got to be a soldier. A scout sent to make sure they killed us. Meaning there’s holes in the shield. I hope Lyra didn’t get roasted, Sky thought to himself worriedly. Man he’s huge!
“We see you!” Sky said as he trained his rifle on the figure. “This isn’t what you think it is. Come out and let’s talk!”
The figure slowly pulled away from the wall, footfalls echoing off the silent stone walls like thunderclaps. It seemed to warp and shimmer as the figure tore off an active camouflage cloak, revealing a twelve foot tall athletic built humanoid clad from head to toe in an exosuit sheathed in glowing dull green ectoplasm. The very slight extra bulk on the exosuit’s breastplate suggested the soldier was female.
The Marine’s helmet was not only featureless but lacked eye holes. A brass badge in the form of an eagle perching atop a planet with an anchor in the background decorated her breastplate above her heart. Five stripes decorated each shoulder, two pointing down, three pointing up.
She held a gun in her free hand. At first it seemed to be a standard sized rifle. Some sort of twin barreled, large drum magazines, open sight, auto rifle. A terrifying enough weapon, but when you her sheer size...
Oh, she’s got a twenty millimeter autocannon, Sky noted calmly. Then a heartbeat passed. OH SHIT! She’s got a twenty millimeter autocannon!
The Marine spoke, her voice distinctly female, but rolling, thunderous, as if a supernova pressed against each word she said, held back by her will alone.
Like all Marines, Francine could feel no fear. The emotion long since stripped away during basic training leaving only cold logic behind that favored duty over self preservation. A boon. A bane.
Stealth had failed, her death was inevitable and she knew it was so. The honorable thing to do was to go down swinging. This was the reality Francine calmly accepted.
“You’ve gotten a lot further than you should have, but then again you haven't met Francine Horrigan either. Your return is over, Dark Lord. Time to die,” she said solemnly, without a hint of fear despite slowly advancing upon the greatest threat her nation ever knew.
“U-Uh, who?” Vi asked, her voice quivering as she eyed the massive gun and became acutely aware of the fact that she was wearing chainmail.
“Me,” Francine asked, sweeping her twin-linked cannon up to take aim directly at Chem’s center mass. “Numerica sends her regards.”
“Wait!” Sky begged really not wanting to see if his armor could withstand a hit from that cannon. “Can’t we please talk about this?!”
“We just did,” Francine said.
The Marine took another step towards the three terrified heros, violet psychokinetic flames swirling around her like frogs snapping at a swarm of flies. Sky fired a round at her in desperation. Sheila's energy bolt warped mid air, sliding off target like water sliding across an umbrella as it struck an invisible shield.
“I- I’m useless?” Sheila sniffled, sending a wave of depression down her stock into Sky’s mind.
A thunderclap suddenly shook the heavens, light around the marine dimmed, only the bright flames and her silhouette stood out from the darkened hallway. A dramatic chorus began to verbally intone a simple vocal chant. The melody timed to the marine's steps.
Vinyl grabbed Chem by the belt and pulling on him, desperately trying to get him to move back towards the dungeons. The chorus stopped quickly as it came.
"Sorry! Reflex!" Chem apologised sheepishly.
"RUN, YOU IDIOT!" Vi shouted at the top of her lungs.
The Marine fired.
Her cannon roared, two high explosive incendiary shells lanced forth, psychic energy sheathing each shell as they left the barrels, telling them exactly when to explode. Chem threw himself to the side, allowing his body to fall flat. The shells exploded over his head in a flash of white hot fire.
Still holding her weapon in one hand despite firing the massive cannon, the Marine extended her free hand as if reaching out to grab something.
Sky started to squeeze Sheila’s trigger, seeking to return fire, only to find his hand paralyzed, held in a rock solid telekelenetic grip. Sky couldn’t even look down, his eyes also frozen, his entire body encased in a pale purple glow.
Vinyl found herself similarly paralyzed. But unlike Sky, she was only suffering a single form of psychic attack.
Shit shit shit shit! NOT GOOD! Sky screamed inside his head as he felt Francine’s mind probing at his own, seeking any crack or crevice to slip into, seeking to pry him open like a locked library door.
“You… Dodged it?” Francine asked Chem, sounding genuinely surprised.
“I did!” Chem laughed nervously. “How did I manage that?”
“You, the Scourge of Sandu, dodged an attack your most weak wards could negate?” Francine continued, taking a few more steps forward. “Well, what do you know. It looks like trying to kill you isn’t suicide. Bad luck for…”
The Marine trailed off, her towering figure stopping dead in her advancing tracks as her mental probe began to break through Sky’s will.
“You’re NOT the Dark Lord!” Francine exclaimed as the first little trickle of Sky’s memories entered her grasp. “I- w- what?! You’re each only as powerful as a highschool senior- YOU LITERALLY THINK THIS IS A GAME!?”
A visible pulse of violet light slammed against the walls, floor, and ceiling around the Marine, cracking the stone work and sending a ripple of blind fury through the three heroes.
“Is this your idea of a graduation prank!?” Francine roared. “You thought it would be a laugh to slip through a joint military blockade, trick a dying commando team with those costumes, and-”
Chem winced, and held up his hands defensively. “Wait! It’s not what you think! Please keep reading whoever's mind you’re-”
Francine dropped her weapon, letting it swing into position on her back via her telekinesis. The colossal Marine, laced her fingers, cracked her knuckles, followed by her neck, and curled her hands into fists.
“You’re in the deepest possible shit, kiddos. I’m going to beat you till you piss blood!” Francine growled, her eye twitching behind her helmet.
The telekinetic grips holding Vinyl and Sky in place vanished. Vi and Chem immediately resumed their headlong sprint for the starwell, seeking any form of cover from the deadly weapon trained on them.
“Run,” Francine commanded.
Sky looked into the glowing green faceplate where the Marine’s eyes would be. She’s able to deflect energy weapons. She can read minds. She can pin me in one place effortlessly. She’s wearing an exosuit armored with her own mental power. Nope. Not doing this. Not today.
Sky shifted Sheila’s barrel up and fired into the cracked ceiling. The stone overhead cracked and groaned as the ceiling caved in, showering the marine with several tons of rubble as a truly massive chunk of the ceiling collapsed.
Shards of stone skipped off Francine’s shield at first, but her simple barrier was no match for the avalanche, and they collapsed. Stone after stone smashed against her armor, driving her to a knee, and then flat against the ground.
Sky jogged backwards, keeping his weapon aimed at the pile of rubble. Ready for the marine to rise, shrinking off the shower of stone.
“Huh,” Sky said to himself in surprise. I thought I’d have to take the floor out too.
“That actually stopped her?” Chem called from down the hall.
“Seems to,” Sky confirmed heastently. “I smell a trap thou-”
Sky’s question was cut off as his feet were ripped out from under him, his entire body slamming spine first into the stone floor as if he’d been tied to the end of a whip. Stars exploded in his eyes. His lungs gasped for air. Stone scraped against stone as the marine stood back up.
“Alright, you’re not that stupid. Good to know,” she said coldly, holding out one hand which bled violet energy as she pulled her victim towards her.
Sky slid across the ground, too winded to act as he was hoisted up until Francine had him by the throat, her hand only just barely fitting in the space between his jaw and shoulders.
If she weren't levitating me still, this would really hurt, Sky observed in his daze.
“So, a Marksman huh?” She asked as she stared into Sky’s eyes. “Your friends get to go to court, but you? You’re a traitor, soldier. You’re going to die here.”
“Not… Soldier,” Sky gasped, his body twisting, muscles sliding under his skin but otherwise refusing to move even as he did his best to try and wriggle free.
“You can’t fool me. You’re almost perfectly human. Like me. I used to wear scout armor too. I know what your deal is,” she said, shaking her head sadly. “Is that why you helped them with this? Failed some stage of Basic, got routed into the Scouts, harbored a grudge?”
“Not… A soldier,” Sky croaked again. Can’t break free! No one else can build the radar. If I die we’re screwed! Gotta-
The Marine sighed, her grip on Sky’s throat tightening, seemingly content to simply choke him to death. “It was psionics, wasn’t it? You’re pretty shit with them. Either you can’t form any kind of barrier at all, or one so weak I didn’t notice it while in my full kit operating on ESP only.
“So, you for sure got chosen to be a Marine because of your pure genes, figure it’s your birthright to be one of us, but it turns out your psychology important so you’re washed out into the Marksmen Core. Is that it? Do I have you all figured out?”
“No!” Sky gasped “You’re… Mistake…”
Sky’s vision began to turn gray at the edges. I’m blacking out. Like on the centrifuge at Flight Camp. Ayna better not laugh at me this time.
“Am I? Seems like the kind of motivation the kind of traitor who would help punks pull this kind of stunt would have. Why don’t I check?” Francine asked mockingly.
For the first time in his life, Sky was completely fine with the idea of someone reading his mind.
“Yes! Check!” He pleaded.
The marine paused. She couldn’t see the fear in his eyes, but she could feel it in his heart. There was the desperate churning terror of someone about to die, but beneath that was something more. The creeping despair of failing to protect something far bigger than one’s self.
“Kay,” Francine said uncertainty, taken aback by that second deeper fear.
Relaxing her grip slightly, she forced a mental probe into the deepest recesses of Sky’s mind. A probe which Sky grabbed hold of, desperately throwing every last memory which came to mind down that passage, each one hopefully more than enough to prove he wasn’t from her world and what she thought was happening was not at all the truth.
A torrent of memories flashed through the mental link, decades of memories shown as fragmented images, bursts of sound, and pulses of emotion.
“The fuck is this!?” Francine demanded, dropping Sky to the ground in surprise at the torrent of memory fragments, never before having been unable to extract a prefect picture of what she was looking for.
“The fuck is that?” She asked, her eyes widening in surprise as Sky’s memory of the first Sonic Rainboom played back within her mind.
Then, like a bolt from the blue, the Marine found her mind completely consumed by countless memories of adorable pastel equines doing adorable pastel equine things.
“The fuck are those?!” The poor completely confused psyker pleaded.
Then, everything became clear. In one moment the nature of the game being played, it’s steaks, it’s rules, and the world at risk crystallized within her mind.
“Ohhh…” Francine said slowly, her face melting into the very image of regret and sorrow before twisting back into an enraged snarl. “So. Just to make me a pawn and do his dirty work for him, Hatty hops back in time and fucks a half a continent six ways to Sunday. Gotta admit, good plan. Really good plan. Too good.”
Francine waved her hand as if lifting an apple from atop a table, gently picking Sky up and setting him on his feet.
“Sorry,” she apologized, scratching the back of her head awkwardly. “I uh… You need to understand. Half of the continent I live on is covered in a meter thick layer of living flesh that births monsters all day every day. He did that. So well, you know. We nuke you, I am completely happy to die trying to stomp you all into salsa. Guess he didn’t know we read our enemies minds to outmaneuver them… I should have finished earlier instead of just. Getting mad. You okay, Sky? Throat working? I’ve got a few heal pots on me.”
Sky reached up and rubbed his throat, taking a few painful breaths before shaking his head. “No. Not okay.”
“I can’t undo what I did. I’d say I’m completely justified given the situation- Oh, you mean your throat isn’t fine. Here,” Francine said with an embarrassed cough, then reached into a pouch on her belt, taking out a small green test tube and handing it down to Sky. “Drink that. You’ll be fine.”
Sky hesitated for a moment, staring at the tube apprehensively. If she wanted me dead, she’s have kept choking me, he decided after a moment, then took the vial, popped it open, and drank down the contents.
“LUNA’S TITS!” Sky screeched the second the liquid touched his tongue. “What is this?! Liquid ass mixed with evil and old feet?!”
Francine laughed and shrugged. “Could be. Alchemy is… I don't ask about ingredients. Worked though, didn’t it?”
Sky opened his mouth to argue, and suddenly realized the pulsing pain was gone. “Uh, well, yeah. But holy shit that is the WORST!”
“It’s that or “cherry” flavor, apparently,” the marine said with a shrug. “Personally, cherry is worse. And also totally not cherry flavor.”
Sky shuddered, unwilling to comprehend how bad this world’s cherry medicine flavoring must be when the “better” tasting flavor was a thousand times worse than the not-cherry he was used to.
A short awkward silence followed Sky’s shiver, broken eventually by Francine asking. “Oh um, so I sorta know all about your phobia against having your mind read. I can’t delete what I know, but I promise I won't do it again. You’re not the enemy, it’s not moral. You’re species is… How did it evolve? Is cuteness a defense on your planet, somehow?”
“How much do you know about me?” Sky asked slowly.
“Basically everything about you,” she admitted, quickly holding up her hand to shush Sky’s objection so she could continue. “I’ll make it fair and give you all of mine later if you wish, and I won't act against you. You’re a Chief Engineer on a human vessel. I respect that. Furthermore, as a Marine, I have a duty to find a certain smug buisnessfuck and RIP HIS FUCKING SPINE OUT HIS ASSHOLE!”
Sky jumped as the massive woman exploded into a rage. “I- uh, calm down? Please? He’s not here right now.”
“I know. It’s just, you see, I swore this oath, which includes protecting the innocent and assisting the enemy of my enemies,” she explained.
“Annnd you almost killed me,” Sky said slowly with an understanding nod.
“Mmmmhm, which would have screwed your whole team,” she replied rhetorical before looking down the hall and calling. “Hey, Chem? Vinyl? Finished reading Sky’s mind. Sorry! I’m up to speed now.”
Sky’s ears perked as a thought occurred to him. With her on our side…
“Soooo how about you call your friends up and tell them they can, you know, not nuke us again?” He asked hopefully.
Francine sighed and shook her head. “Not a chance. Lord Zen... Uh Hatty, was a master of mental domination. They won't believe me. They won't allow another marine to fact check. They’ll open fire and kill all of us. I’m in your boat now, because the only other option for me is to open the gate I came here to open…”
“And you’re not okay with dooming a world,” Sky said with a relieved nod. “Well, at least that’s the immediate problem solved.”
“Especially not a world of-” Francine trailed off for a moment only to clear her throat. “Your wife is god damn adorable! But at least I’ve got her out pinked in terms of hair.”
The fuck you do! Sky thought, narrowing his eyes into a critical glare.
“Hey? Sky? Is she for real?” Vinyl’s voice called from down the hall.
“Yeah! Once again, being adorable saved ponykind,” Sky yelled back down the hall.
“How do we know she cant meat puppet you?” Chem called worriedly.
“I wish I could do that! That would make dealing with bureaucrats WAY easier,” Francine shouted down the hallway. “If I was still trying to kill you, you’d know. Marines are not subtle after we’re spotted.”
Chem poked his head around the corner, looking out from the stairwell. Spotting Sky and Francine standing relatively calmly in the hallway atop the rubble, he nodded once and vanished back down the stairwell, emerging a moment later with Vinyl at his side.
Vi still had her sword drawn, and was advancing slowly, purposely keeping her eyes locked onto the Marine, ready to strike if needed.
“Vi, seriously, I can just smash you into the ceiling till the twitching stops if I want to,” Francine sighed as she noticed the drawn sword. “I don’t want to kill you. You’re fine. I’m up to speed. The only person I want to kill is the puppetmaster that put us all here. Also my ex-fiance.”
“Still… Edgy,” Vinyl said slowly, her blade lowering just slightly.
“Hey, I get it. I’m scary. I was in full rage mode a moment ago. I’m sorry about that. We’ve all been played for chumps and I’m just as pissed about it as you,” Francine growled, crossing her arms over her chest. “ESPECIALLY because my carrier is FUBAR now. If I report back to tell them you’re all meter tall members of the species Equus Adorablus who are playing a round of LARP against an Old One to save your homeworld, I’ll be shot under the assumption I’ve been mind slaved.
“If I finish my mission and let my squad in here, they’ll kill you all and I’ll have been the tool of an immoral genocide-”
“As opposed to all those moral genocides?” Sky snorted, his lips pulling back in disgust.
Francine paused, then with a small application of her will sent each of the hero's one of her own memories.
The creature’s skeleton was on its outside. The slender white bones were not like those of an insect. This creature was like any other mammal, except turned inside out. Bone lay atop muscles, organs and skin beneath that.
The monster was bipedal, but nothing like any creature outside of nightmares. It had four arms, each ending in clawed pincers. It’s face was that of a bird of prey and a wolf with eyes like something from the deepest recesses of the sea.
In its talons it held four children, their skulls cracked open, their brains staining the creature’s fangs.
It looked directly at Francine, its twisted mind radiating delight, joy, and total contentment as it found yet another thing to kill, partially consume, and then mutilate.
“That’s a blightspawn. Absolutely all of them need to die. It’s a moral imperative. There is therefore one and only one moral genocide,” the marine said matter of factly.
“I uh… I wouldn’t call that genocide,” Chem said, more than a little taken aback. “I mean I agree, it’s just… Who would do that to a REAL place?!”
“Hatty, apparently,” Francine said with a shrug.
Vinyl looked up at her incredulously. “Y- you show us he’s unleashed that kind of horror on- That monster was actually HAPPY devouring children’s brains and you’re nonchalant about it?!” She stammered.
“Well, yeah. That’s just another day at the office. Or it was till my Ex moved me off active duty and onto that stupid sub because god forbid we just break up and go about our- Look, I want to join you on your quest. Dibs on first blood. I’ve lived through his hell for sixty years,” Francine said as she took a knee to get as low as she could, which wasn’t anywhere near Vi’s eye level.
The Marine held out her hand. “I know you don’t want to lead this group. How about I help whip your team into shape? I’ve been a drill instructor before. Deal?” She asked.
Vi frowned, looking up at her friends uncertainty. “We JUST got fooled by Hatty. How can we trust her?”
Sky frowned. “Mmm, good point. He did play us all for fools with the whole Twilight thing.”
“Recycling a plan like that is something he’d do,” Chem added. “But he doesn't lie. He said he was giving us one last chance to just give up. If she were Hatty, she’d be killing us.”
“He also said he’d hang back and watch as we killed you guys for him,” Francine pointed out. “If he really doesn't lie, then I can’t be him. I hope I’m not. Then I’d have to rip my own ass out through my navel.”
Vinyl bit her lip in thought, then sighed. “I trust you, Chem. Okay. She’s not Hatty. Probably. But-”
Francine jerked her thumb at Sky. “You need me. He’s got no idea Marksmen are minor psykers.”
“... I can’t help but feel that Yog should have snuck us a Class Guide Book or something,” Sky grumbled irritably.
“I can teach him. And if Lyra is just unconscious, not dead, I’ve got a spare gun she can use,” the Marine added. “I know I attacked you. I was tricked just like you. The whole world is still fooled, it’s us against it and him. Let me atone by doing the right thing.”
Vi nodded, understanding the other’s motive at last. “Alright… Wait, unconscious? You know where Lyra is?”
“Yeah. She’s laying on a landing two floors up next to a pile of dead fae. She’s burned pretty bad. I was sneaking in so I didn’t check her vitals or finish her off. But she’s got a Kobold’s body right now. You guys are pretty heat resistant,” France elaborated as she stood back up.
“Francine was it?” Chem asked.
She nodded. “That’s right. We can do proper introductions later. Right now, you should fly this keep out of here. You’ll be slower than the dragon and airships outside, but you can out climb them. Take us up twelve kilometers and we’ll be out of their flight range and sight. Except for the Dragon but he was a REALLY slow one, this old thing should out run him. Safeton is a great plan. No one fucks with Safeton. Let’s roll.”
Sky frowned worriedly. “So uh… If you know about our plans, then you really DO know everything about us… You’ll keep everything I don't want other people to know quiet, right?”
“Of course I will! ALL Marines are telepaths. We all know everything about everyone we ever go near if they happen to be loud thinkers. You don't talk about people’s thoughts. Now let’s get going before they decide to send a few more in after me.”
Sky shook his head firmly. “That’s not good enough. Delete them.”
Francine frowned. “Sorry. I can’t forget anything. Not that I won’t, I can’t. Not capable. But you have my word that I will die before I betray anything you want to stay hidden. You’re not the enemy, the mind is sacred. You haven’t forfeited your right to privacy, and I have my vows of honor.”
Sky frowned, picking apart her words, tone, and emotions as best he could. “Okay… I’ll trust you for now. It’s not like Hatty couldn’t have got the same info if he wanted to. And it’s also not like you could do anything with my launch codes, passwords, or anything.”
She nodded. “Exactly. And like I said, I’ll make things square by giving you all of mine later. For now, how about you and I retrieve Lyra while they get us out of here?” The Marine proposed.
Chem nodded in agreement. “We can sort everything out properly once we’re no longer in danger. Oh, and Sky? I’m pretty sure I can wipe our memories from her once this game’s all wrapped up. Come on sis. Let’s get out of here before they accidentally open a hellgate like the God was worried about.”
The Dark Fortress - Day 1
Stonerake Island - Wieve
“It’s been nearly fifteen minutes,” Jago said worriedly as he and Zorgoth continued to circle the sky above the wounded fortress.
“So it has,” the dragon agreed. “We should give her another five minutes. There’s been no noise. Not one shot, no screams. It hasn’t been too long for the delay to be something as simple as a locked door, or-”
The dead island trembled and the air beneath the fortress warped amid crystalline shrieks as the ancient fortress ripped free of it’s arcane anchor and began to float upwards.
“Frack!” The two swore together.
Jago’s hand plunged into his bag, retrieving his radio. “Jago to Captain Harrel, Jago to Captain Harrel! The fortress is underway!”
“We see it too, Rider,” the captain replied immediately. “Can your men hold a Hellgate until reinforcements arrive?”
The silver ring on Jago’s left hand glowed brightly as the voice of his second in command filled the air. “Sir, we need orders. Are we risking demons or tracking the fortress?”
Jago closed his eyes in thought, trying to discern the best course of action. Which threat would lead to less suffering if they failed to stop it?
The fortress began to pick up speed, a metallic groan splitting the air was its float units began to shake off the dust of ages, mana beginning to flow freely through their ancient coils.
“At its present speed, they can out run our airships,” Zorgoth noted. “We haven't much time to decide. I believe we should track them. It’s only logical they will lower the shield themselves soon. After all, they too risk rupturing it.”
“What did your partner say, Rider?” The Captain asked.
“He thinks we should track the fortress, wait for it to lower its shields, then attack. He’s right about them needing to take those shields down, but-”
“But nothing. That’s an excellent point. They can’t shoot back with their shields in that state, and not even the Dark Lord could control Demons. I’m with him on this,” the Captain agreed.
Jago hummed in thought. He didn’t know too much about tech based shields, but he did know they took quite some time to repair. However…
“My airships can’t keep up with it. I don’t know how much time it will take for them to arrive once they stop for repairs,” Jago warned.
“Better that risk than breaching the veil,” the Captain said firmly. “Is Wieav mobilizing her armies?”
“Yes, I sent the warning before we left,” Jago answered. “But our orders are to stop them as soon as possible.”
“No one wants demons. Can your partner keep up with the fortress? If we can engage them later it will be safer for everyone. After all, if we attack now we could wind up having to face demons and the Dark Lord at the same time,” the Captain warned.
“Can you?” Jago asked Zorgoth after a short moment.
“I can do my best,” the dragon answered.
Jago gave it one more moment’s thought, then nodded. “We’ll track them. Keep an ear out, I’ll update you with their course every few minutes. That way if we lose sight of them we can guess where they are headed,” Jago said before brushing his hand across his ring. “All forces: Stand down and prepare to follow the Sea Dragon. We’re going to follow the Fortress and blast her to dust the second they lower those shields for repairs.”
The Dark fortress ascended into the heavens, slipping free of danger for the moment, completely unaware of the small black dragon tailing along behind.
Stats
Page generated in 0.032 seconds
Total duration
940 users online
526,770 hits today, 2,054,621 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Imagine is she was right and this was all a prank. An entire region bathed in nuclear fire for a graduation prank. Not cool.
But hey, they got a higher level character out of it!
And being adorable is an OP defense option. Most likely why they don't have hands, too much points into floof.
I once drank something I'd classify just as so. Not something I want to repeat, ever.
Hey, what if Francine's ex is actually a Twilight sent back in time, putting her into position just so she can help her friends? Or worse, he's Hatty!
So, what's with Safetown? They must have quite the plot protection to be that safe.
I had a feeling Francine was going to end up on their side. 'Course, didn't realize she was a psyker. She kind of reminds me of a 40k Marine, just with mental capabilities in addition to everything else a 40k Marine is capable of. I also really felt bad for Sheila when her round failed to do much of anything. Especially for a poltergeist inside a gun. Her entire existence revolves around being this rifle, and then they encounter a potential enemy she cannot harm. Now my only question that remains unanswered is where Twilight is. I almost feel like Twilight is somehow Francine's Ex; the throwaway comment about the Ex ordering Francine to be put onto the Sea Dragon instead of just breaking up normally sounds kind of like something Twilight would do.
8660501
Yeah I'm pretty certain that at the point where your"prank" results in the destruction of a significant landmass and global nuclear fallout that you've earned a beating.
Was it this shit? - https://www.walmart.com/ip/ReliOn-Lemon-Lime-Glucose-Drink-2-fl-oz/10804584
That stuff is the worst thing Iv'e ever tasted. I wound up instinctivly licking the carpet before my brain kicked in and was like "Hey, this is a suptid idea." That's right, that stuff is so gross it overrides your entire thought process with "OH GOD! GET IT OFF YOUR TONGUE NOW!"
It's Safeton, and you'll learn next chapter.
8660841Hey! You changed your avatar.
Whiel the feel may be a bit simmular, oh god no! Are you very knowledgeable about 40k? A Space Marine isn't just a tall human in power armor, hell you cant realy classify them as human. They've got three lungs, two hearts, can spit acid, they don't have ribs they have a bone breastplate kinda thing THAT'S BULLETPROOF!, they can't sexually reproduce, have wolverine healing (minus limb repair) at a slightly slower rate, they have this gland that lets them somehow sleep and be awake at the same time (meaning they can be up for 2 weeks strait before fatigue sets in and need only 4 hours a day normally), they have a somehow non-phychic ability to gain memories of the dead by eating them, they see in the dark just as well as the light and have vision that's hawk-like, their kidneys get a friend which is so efficient at filtering they are immune to all non-magic poisons, they are literally stronger than a grizzly bear, their sweat is somehow able to help them survive in a vacuum, extreme heat, and extreme cold, and they have special nerve endings for the express purpose of mind controlling their power armor and vehicles as if those things were their own body.
This is ignoring their mental training and psycoconditioning which quote "These mental powers are, if anything, more extraordinary than even the physical powers described above." and also from the Codes Marine comes this quote, "After all of these implantations and alterations to the human body, there is a serious debate whether or not Space Marines are human. While they indubitably serve humanity, they are at least two meters tall, can breathe poison and eat through metal." Yeah. They can EAT metal.
Your standard space marine is so inanely OP if taken out of their universe that nothing should be able to beat them without a super high powered rifle with AP rounds (their skulls are bullet proof. In the books Marines have been stabled through the heart, lost an arm, and blown up via grenade, and KEPT FIGHTING almost completely unhindered) or really really potent magic.
Let me put it this way, Darth Vader could maybe take on three Space Marines and win If he used the force for every attack and was facing normal Marines. If they were not thee generic normal marines described above but some form of eliets like Librarians (phyckers), Terminators, Champions... TO say nothing of a Primarch, Custodies, or Primus Marine... Or even a basic Chaos Marine...
Space Marines are kinda well NOTHING in terms of the pecking order in 40K. Most things in that universe can one shot them. Hell even Space Marines out OP Space Marines in many instances. 40K, the only fictional universe where everything was turned up to 11, then the dile was broken so it could be turned all the way around to 11 again! We're talking about a univerce where Orks are humanoid fungus people which are so tough the orgin story for the greatest Ork leader is "One day, my brain got blown out of my skull. I got better and can now hear the gods."
By comparison, Numerica's Marines are in a phrase "Lesser Jedi who have been given a Captain America Serum which has gigantism as a side effect." Meaning if you avoided detection, you could still kill one with a normal weapon. I think of them more like X-Com's phykers, but huger.
Well that's not good. Everyone is going to think the Dark Lord did it.
Well, I suppose that depends on who the Engineer’s Guild is attacking. Seems like there's a small chance they're going after NaN's sister.
Being beaten bloody by this terrifying magic Space Marine would certainly be better then being killed by her. The world gaining the knowledge that this isn't the real Dark Lord they fear because the first person they encounter is psychic is a little too easy. I wonder how this is going to go wrong.
WAY TOO EASY
Ahh, there we go.
I vote for Jago and Zorgoth to be the next set of accidental party members.
8661049 Yup. I saw this image on Derpi and I'm all like, this is totally my avatar for everything now.
And to be honest, I'm not super knowledgeable about 40k lore (most of what I do know come from fics that feature ponies and elements from that world-- The God Empress of Ponykind is one that comes to mind in particular). Honestly, that universe is so huge I've also never really bothered with trying to dig too deep into that particular lore. Its not like Warcraft (which also has an insane amount of lore) that I've been playing since I was like 7 before the lore for that universe blew up into this huge thing. I can keep up with Warcraft lore mainly because I grew up with Warcraft, so every time new lore was introduced I could learn about it. For 40k, a lot of the lore was already established before I even knew 40k was a thing, and trying to find a good entry point and studying up on it is simply a daunting task-- probably too daunting for even my standards, and that's saying something. I just made the 40k comment based upon my rather limited knowledge of that universe
8661819 If you know nothing about the 40K verse, and want to know a bit about it, and also laugh your ass off... Here's
Universal History with Professor Emperor
Emperor's Excellent Autobiography
. The best part is that in this fan series, the Emperor's personalty is actually pretty much the same as cannon XD
Couldn't resist:
8662648 Bah! What's with the 2007+ version of the Hymn? All subdued and slow. If it dosn't sound like it's being blared over a dozen loudspeakers at 0600, it aint the Hymn.
https://soundcloud.com/meep-the-changeling/the-halls-of-montazuma
8662755
Hey! It's what I could find on YouTube using my phone.
8661819
I got into 40k because of the Dawn of War games. The lore of the universe is fascinating, even if in general it is one of the most horrible settings to live in, bar none. It's really saying something when the combat-crazed fungus guys who only really care about finding a good fight are very nearly the closest you can get to a 'good guys' faction in the entire setting...
Though that is changing since one of the recent-ish changes had a couple of the Space Marine Primarchs finally turn back up, take one look at what the Inquisition has turned the Terran Empire into, and basically start shouting "WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU!??"
8663487 Didn't mean that in a mean way :c sorry.
8664169 I'd argue that the Tau are the only actual good guys of the setting. Yes, they sterilize many individuals within their empire... As a punitive measure. Yes they have a caste system which makes non-Tau in their empire effectively slaves. Howeaver, they are safe, most individuals within their Empire are happy, they are advancing in the sciences rapidly, and they actually took over the human worlds they hold through diplomacy.
But if you want the only faction that has quite literally done absolutely nothing wrong... Well that's the Tyranids. What do they do? Eat everything. Why? Because they are hungry and they eat meat based prey. What's prey to them? Things made of meat. But they eat people! So do tigers, and that tiger has about the same level of sentience as the Tyranid hive mind. Can't really call them evil. Can't call them good either. I don't think they can comprehend good and evil. All of their lore indicates they can only understand "AM hungers, where noms? There noms. Noms protected. How get noms? This how get noms. Noms got! Yum <3"
8664797
Sorry I took it that way. After rereading it I see that now.
8664949 I'm jsut an airforce brat who hates the new version of the Hymn that's all :P
8664986
I can understand that, I work for the Navy and they sometimes have a habit of blaring all the different hymms.
8665145 I thank you for choosing to protect me from danger, sailor. I wish I could join you, but sadly I am disqualified.
8665149
You misunderstand I'm not in the military, I too was disqualified though mine is scoliosis and bad heart. I just work for them.
8664810
How many retcons have the Tau gone through now that completely changed their lore, though? At least two.
Not saying they're bad by any stretch, usually.
Regardless, we're getting rather far afield of Jedi (blech) with Captain America serum.
Speaking of nukes, I have a scientific bone to pick, there WILL be a nuclear winter, whoever authorized 20 nukes on one spot is an idiot, so don’t brush the nuclear winter off, you’d have to have more power than (probably) any religious being to eliminate it
9142478
No, not really. Considering they are low yeild, kiloton range tactical nukes, yeah no. We (us humans) have detonated much larger fission bombs than those combined. 500 kiloton actually. If each of those was 25 kilotons, which they wern't, they would do equal amounts of fallout. The fact that they were dropped over water means even lest dust to cause a "nuclear winter". Granted there will be fallout, and the local area will be irradiated for many years, but no, it will not cause a global nuclear winter.
8664810
I don't think Orks are all that evil either. Aggressive, yes, but evil? They're the ones having the most fun in any case