3.11|Creepy-crawlies on the sunkiss

 

3.11|Creepy-crawlies on the sunkiss

 

Mika ran through the streets. There was a panicked commotion unlike anything she'd ever seen. Her school had swiftly closed its dorms and sent the campus home. Citizenry were rioting. She'd seen small skirmishes of the lowly sort, kaleidomancers and Hexists brawling like brutes, but this was not the usual ideological dispute. No one gave her an explanation for this. Dark shadows began to cloak above the city overhead, she ran desperately up into Mannerly Manor. Miss Mannerly was standing, staunchly perched on the front steps, a look of lingering sadness.

"Mom!" Mika yelled.

"Mika." Mannerly looked away and turned the house. "Come with me. There isn't but a moment to lose upon the end of ages I'm afraid." She lead her inside and locked the door.

The two ran downstairs into the basement, Mannerly pulling a brick and sliding an entire hidden passage further in. "Mom?" Mika always knew her mother kept secrets, but in a time like this she held on tight for her to provide anything to ease her worries. "What's, going on?"

"Follow me." Mannerly lit a torch and walked along the tunnels. After minutes of walking they came across a hex-shaped device, made of a combination of mechanical parts, cobblestone painted with runes and candles arranged in a ritualistic fashion. Mannerly put two fingers in her mouth and bit down until she bled. She started to paint the air with magical symbols, then pressed them with her palm. They quickly shot into the runes on the walls and started to activate the device. The Hex-Shape held up, started to turn into a warp through spaces beyond.

"I made this in case I ever wanted to pursue my own foolish, forbidden desires." She said.

"Forbidden desires?" Mika asked.

"Yes dear. Forbidden. I wanted to visit the Tower."

There was a long uncomfortable silence. "This, leads to the Tower then?!"

Mannerly shook her head. "I'm afraid not. I never achieved the right formulation. The land beyond this is known as the Interposatory. It is, a storage realm between realities. Stagnant but safe."

Outside, Glitterkiss's monitoring stations watched as the Vexia Seed came lumbering forth towards their vaunted moon. "Object approaching at 822 KM/H, begin thruster repulsions to maintain distance!" Several operators said. "Use our full EnBrightener arsenal, spray away at safe range from Feyslayer."

By a console watching, Protlyn, Mercy and Sway watched. The Rainboyal Queen had the honor of witnessing the asteroid approaching from her throne, a holographic screen dimly flickering over in front of her.

The queen spoke out on the air. "Time for the Khepri to get their revenge! I do

declare.. Barrage!" 

Large spires rose out of the ground of Feyslayer and started to charge up pink beams, achieving their highest resonance and blasting ahead. The multitude of heart-shaped beams traveled thousands of kilometers and crashed into the Vexia Seed's surface. "A direct hit! Success!" The operator cheered, every monitor an overcast of pastel pink thermonuclear residue.

When the light finally began to subside, Protlyn grew unnerved.

"Look!" Mercy yelled. The Astroid still intact had gigantic prongs out.

"They, shielded it?!" She yelled.

Sway shook her head. "Worssh." She scraped her nails against the wall.

"Dey 'borbed et."

Slowly the Vexia Seed's center began to open up like a peeled orange, a purple toxin shooting out and cutting through the surface of the moon. All of Solar Society and Glitter kiss began to choke up, people found their insides boiling and their bodies paralyzed and rapidly falling apart. They all knew they were about to die. The core of the astroid's opening started to rotate.

"Sensors detecting High energy outputs, 1500 megatons! It's, getting ready to fi-" The tentacles from the Asteroid began to flail, wiping out command stations and the firing spires. From out of its small holes and cavities, swarms of figures began to emerge like a plague of locusts. The endless sounds of buzzing and clicking could be heard throughout the entire lunar body.

"Dey're 'ere.." Sway started to walk towards the exit.

"Sway wait!" Mercy chased after.

The Zes-Lethiska clouded in the air above Glitterkiss's dome. Inside the compound, everyone stared up, not moving as they listened to the rumbling of the asteroid from behind the glass. The Queen of Feyslayer spoke out on the air, the sound of static in her voice.

"They're getting ready to emerge. We must make it out of this. Prepare your

weapons and armor."

Like a hungry cloud of death, millions of Zes-Lethiska began to fly out and

rapidly swarm every defensive formation.

"Grand Meister Unit #289 is overrun, reporting  to base, requesting

evacuation status!"

"Request denied, stand by." A Cutemannder ordered.

"This is Unit #356, Units 177-215# were all wiped out."

"They're chewing the barrier! Requesting Pulsar missile support!"

"Pulsar artillery unit, has been eliminated."

Battalions of Grand Meisters went flying like spilt feather weights, mulched against jawed mouths, claws and bladed tails. "No reports from Squadrons A-F,"

"Zes-Lethiska spotted in the underground! tearing into my defenses like...

like...."

"Spades District barrier destroyed. Requesting evacuation!"

"Request denied, they're coming over the defense ramp."

"Request denied. Request denied. Request denied, they're everyw-"

Airships, cannons, infantry and Meisters were falling like the rain with barely a dent of resistance in the swarm.

"We have to hold out, don't we?" The Queen yelled. "Where is your courage, your glitter spirit! You pathetic rubes." She grabbed her wand and started to float out the palace, flying towards the massive endless swarm ahead. Queen Momutie fired off a blue bolt, and it passed right through the swarm. She fired a mass of sweeping beams, taking out her foes by the dozen.

The Queen of Glitter kiss flew down, over them and towards her moon, the Zes-Lethiska barely slowing the queen's advance. The swarms on the surface were eating into the defensive structure. The cloud around the Queen got quicker. "Send backup my way, immediately!" she ordered.

"All.. squadrons and Grand Meisters have been eliminated. Structural

organization remains nil."

"W-what? That's ridiculous! You worthless sugar shits! Send IN-" She

coughed a burst of red and all went dark.

Mercy and Sway looked outside the command station.

The Rainboyal Queen's body we covered in blood, an entire arm stabbed through it. "Sammi.." Sway said, looking at her sister. Even of one of millions, she'd never forget a face. Samurath-kway stood graceful and floating above. She snapped her arms and cracked Momutie's body in half, pulling the head off like a turkey leg and scarfing it down her mouth. "Ayyy.. Khihihihihikiiii if et ain't the runt uv da hive. Kekekkissssssshssss!" She laughed.

With a furious rampage Sway grew out her wings and tackled Samurath into the sky. Tens of thousands of others started to dogpile her. Mercy floated up and tried to fly forward to help, a massive SCREEEEEEEEEEEECCCCCCCCCCCCH from the Asteroid splitting her head and causing her to scream. Her forehead began to bleed, she coughed several times from the toxins in the air, unable to see or hear straight even with the cacophony in every direction. A Zes-Lethiska grabbed her, and was splattered with a single punch. Three followed, then ten, and after a hundred. For everyone destroyed, their numbers buried the two like a tidal wave. Samurath-kway ripped off Sway's arm, bit off her leg clean, and with a horrifying shriek, sent a fiery beam towards her. Sway attempted to fire her own back, barely holding it for a second before the breath charred her below and destroyed the entire command station and surrounding area.

Protlyn started to ascend up. The Ephemeral Empress knew it was now or never, shadowy allies of hers appearing behind her. A purple orb of energy appeared in her hand, spinning discs funneling around it.

Mercy lay bleeding on the ground, injured and weary. Sway laid unconscious, half her torso crispy. "Take her.. go. Now." She was going to go down taking out as many of these things as she could. "I will not run from this.. m-mom." Mercy said.

"Tssk." Protlyn ascended, Samurath-kway charging back at the flicker and

engaging her.

Every section, each town, all corners of the Solar Society were overwhelmed by the mob. The core of the Asteroid’s mouth-like center began to emit a heated beam that began drilling into the core of the moon, the heat spreading rapidly.

Mannerly held Mika, guiding her through the end of tunnel. "I'm sorry it has to be this way. You are more dear to me than anything in this world. I can't bear the thought of losing you, but I will do what I must to ensure you survive."

"You're going to die? You cannot just… die."

Mika raised her arms as the beam continued to drill through the lunar body.

"I've given my life to you, and I simply want you to live.." Mannerly yelled.

"Fairwell, Mika. Never forget your propriety."

She was gently pushed through the gate and sucked away, while Mannerly walked the opposite direction solemnly. The Lunar body finally ruptured like a boiled egg and cracked, burning plasma wiping the surface.