Interlude 15
Story by JBukharin on SoFurry
Part of: Among Stars (Prequel to 'The Golden Month')
The story of how a crew of misfits shattered the dominance of the Empire's tyranny.
Their victories, their losses, and their ultimate fate. An odyssey across the endless frontier that is space!
Las Lindas Web Comic Spin-Off, OC-Insert
The characters in this story (Except the OC-Insert) are © chalodillo
Interlude 15
Beta-Reader: Ant0nius
The battle in the Amazon Forest had been intense.
I figured that Darcy would have gone through great lengths to secure her advantage, but I underestimated how powerful she would become in such a short timeframe. I was aware that she had been deemed the second strongest chaos sorceress, but the way she managed to hold out against all of us felt absurd to say the least. The battle had started in our side’s favor. We had the numbers and the time to plan a competent defense. The only thing that caused the lines to falter a bit was the orbital bombardment that took a while to bring down. The ferocious brawl between Narakhans and Primes, with Humans supporting the latter the best way they could: through their own equipment.
It was vicious- the Narakhans fought relentlessly as they knew they had a slim chance of victory. And even with all types of advantage the Royal cause relied on, the intense skirmish between Crests and Darcy was without possible comparison. Yes, it was just a small group of Crests, Addie, and myself facing her, but the outpacing we were all subjected to was unexpected. Darcy’s power had been heightened, something that I heard was possible while talking with some of the Narakhans that were helping our side. We fought with all we had, yet the end result almost ended in our defeat.
I could still remember the cold and unforgiving chokehold that came close to snapping my neck, or just depriving me from enough oxygen to remain conscious. Both options were on the table, but neither was approached as a bullet coming from a sniper managed to surprise Darcy and force her to let me go. I didn’t get the chance to see the sniper until later, but the wound he sustained matched with the sight of the sorceress throwing the lead-made projectile back to the sender. It was also ironic how Pulsar looked quite miffed to see Ambar coyly teasing the poor young human that was introduced as ‘Recluta’. It was clear she was playing around, but the way the Ice Crest looked upset just added to the notion he was completely sold to try his best to conquer the Bear Prime’s affections.
Still, a distraction was a distraction, and through sheer will alone I managed to overcome Chaos with… my own brand of Chaos. It had been something that had been workshopping since I saw how Adela had been hurt earlier in that skirmish, with my anger rising up to match the ever-increasing intensity of the clash. This let me overwhelm Darcy, to the point that she ‘eagerly’ left the battlefield and declared a retreat. Then, I just ‘snapped’ and my sword managed to carry an extra layer of elemental magic, something that ‘thankfully’ mixed well with the rest of the Crests’ magic; I had several questions.
Darcy was repelled, the invasion had been beaten back, and as the wounded were taken care of, I used this chance to look back on what had happened and why it made little sense. Chaos and Order- those two elements felt as if they weren’t meant to be so easy to combine together. And even as I asked the Narakhans on our side, I learned of nothing useful which could match the current situation. As soon as I was done checking on Addie as she recovered in the infirmary bay, promising her to give her a special night later on if she didn’t stress her wounds too much and allowed the magic to heal her up, I went back to my room and… contacted Archie. I required answers and I knew there was a single individual which could provide them now. I was confident that she was going to tell me the truth regardless of how heavy that was going to be.
“Yes boss? Something on your mind?” The Nanozell Spirit inquired fast, concerned and yet ready to make his presence worthwhile.
Archie had… ‘grown’. He was taller, slightly bulkier, and his defensive cannon had grown twice its original size. He already told me that spirits like him were meant to evolve the more the person they were bound to matured. I just didn’t expect it to be so… radical. He looked a bit older than the standard little brother. The development just made me feel somewhat ‘older’ than I was meant to.
A nod, “Can you please bring Apogeo here too? I have… questions to ask her.”
The floating spirit nodded, waiting a moment and then looking to the side as a figure emerged from a brief beam of light. A smile adorned Apogeo’s face, but I could tell she was already perceiving the atmosphere of the room was far from jovial and fairly serious.
“How may I help you, Theo?”
I sighed. “I know I’m not meant to ask because this kind of knowledge is bad to spread around, but when I fought Darcy I ended up mixing Chaos and other magic unconsciously and… it worked well. I thought that wasn’t possible.”
Sadness flashed from her expression. “I’m afraid that sort of knowledge is not… within my permission to spread.”
“Why not? I would prefer to know if I’m doing something bad rather than wait for long enough and be forced to rely on that only to then be accused of being a traitor.”
“It’s…” Archie tried to think of something, but Apogeo decided to be honest about it.
“They do work well together. But the issue is the corrupting aspect of Chaos on some individuals,” The higher spirit remarked. “Yes, you have less chances to do so due to your expanded magic and your connection to Order and… Chaos to a degree. However the problem is what this could lead to if people start to investigate Chaos more in an effort to gain power against the Emperor. Would the humans restrain themselves from tapping into that power once the truth about its might is revealed to them?”
“No,” I admitted and Apogeo offered a kind look.
“I understand you are legitimately frustrated about this situation, Matt. But you can’t let the need to be at your best overrule the morals you have. You are a good person, and I doubt you will fall to the tricks of chaos like many have.”
“Why?”
She chuckled. “Because you wouldn’t let Adela get hurt.”
…
I lowered my gaze. “I suppose that makes… sense.”
The conversation ended and it sure answered many questions… but I decided to rest a bit and soon I was in a familiar dreamscape.
Pandora gave me a quiet look, a small smile resting on her face.
“_ What do you need to know, Theo?” _
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AN
Many questions, many answers, and many lies.