NOVEL NEXT Chapter 20: Plan B
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Vera: Vengeance is the human default. Common misconception: being capable of self-control obviates the basic urges which make it necessary.
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Sol 489 FY 26, 15:35 Mars Time, Ghostlands, World's End Server, Sharcliffe (11,741 viewing)
The storm raged on, hail hammering against the conjured stone and the wind howling like a living thing. The kraken's massive bulk loomed closer now, its tentacles slithering up the fortress walls with unsettling precision, slamming against the battlements as if testing the structure's strength.
"We need to take the fight somewhere else," Mars said suddenly, his voice cutting through the chaos like a blade. He stood firm, his hand resting on the railing as another tremor shook the platform. "If we stay here, we'll lose the whole damn fortress—and everyone still in it."
Marie shot him a sharp look, water streaming down her face. "You're volunteering for that, huh?"
He grinned faintly, unbothered by the cold rain soaking his hair. "I'm bigger and louder than you. It'll notice me first." His tone lightened just a fraction. "But lucky for you, I'll need a partner to make some noise. You game?"
Marie huffed, a nervous laugh escaping her throat despite herself. "Oh, I'm game. Let's see how it likes some ice in its diet."
Mars's hand clapped her shoulder briefly before he turned toward the far side of the fortress. "Then let's go. Time to make it angry."
They took off together, boots pounding against the rain-slicked stone as they skirted past the workers scrambling to reinforce barricades and brace the remaining towers. The geomancers shouted warnings as they passed, but Marie didn't stop. Her fingers found the frost potions in her pack, their glass surfaces cold even through her wet gloves, and she yanked one free as they reached the edge of the upper platform.
The kraken roared, the sound reverberating through the stone like the toll of a massive bell. Below, its tentacles churned the waves into a violent froth, turning the dark water into a churning, seething chaos. The sight made Marie's stomach twist, but she forced herself to focus.
Mars leaned over the edge, already uncorking a bottle. "On three!" he called. "One… two…!"
Marie hurled her potion on two, the glass arcing through the rain before it struck the water below. It shattered with a sharp crack, and a sphere of ice erupted outward, freezing part of the frothing waves in jagged, crystalline veins. Mars's potion followed a heartbeat later, the twin explosions of frost overlapping into a larger, rapidly growing patch of frozen sea.
The kraken reacted instantly. One of its massive tentacles lashed upward, slamming into the fortress wall just a few feet away from them. The impact sent Marie stumbling back, her boots skidding on the slick stone.
"Keep throwing!" Mars bellowed, uncorking another potion and flinging it downward with practiced ease.
Marie didn't hesitate. She pulled bottle after bottle from her pack, her movements frantic but controlled. Each throw found its mark, adding to the frozen patch below. The ice spread in chaotic patterns, snaring parts of the kraken's tentacles as they flailed against the growing chill.
For a moment, Marie thought they might actually be gaining the upper hand. But then the kraken shifted tactics.
A tentacle, far longer and thicker than the others, rose high into the air. Its spiked surface gleamed in the stormlight, rain dripping from the backward-facing spines as it arced toward them with terrifying speed.
"Move!" Mars shouted, grabbing her arm and yanking her out of the way just as the tentacle slammed down. It struck the stone platform where they'd been standing, cracking the surface and sending shards of conjured stone flying in every direction.
Marie hit the ground hard, her knees bruising against the unyielding surface, but she scrambled to her feet without hesitation. Another tentacle whipped across the platform, forcing her to dive to the side as it tore through a stack of crates.
From the sky, the counterpoint began. The Bounty, nimble and expertly piloted by Jaz, swooped in. A bolt of lightning, summoned by Jillian, lanced down and struck one of the kraken's eyes. It wasn't a killing blow, but it was agonizing. The creature roared, shaking its head and giving Marie and Mars precious seconds to retreat along the battlements.
The kraken, enraged by the stinging annoyance in the sky, lashed out at the airship. But Jaz was a master of her craft, using the storm's own updrafts to bank and weave, keeping the Bounty just out of the monster's clumsy grasp. Another lightning bolt struck, this time at the base of a climbing tentacle, causing it to lose its grip.
The kraken's fury turned back to the ground. A tentacle, far longer and thicker than the others, arced toward Marie and Mars with terrifying speed.
"Move!" Mars shouted, yanking her out of the way just as the tentacle slammed down, shattering the platform where they'd been standing. Another whipped across the walkway, forcing them to dive for cover.
"Over here!" Mars shouted, already running toward the upper level. "It's gonna smash through this whole floor if we stay!"
A perfectly timed lightning strike from the Bounty hit the kraken's main body, making it recoil and buying them the time to sprint up the narrow staircase. But as they reached the upper platform, one of the tentacles, thrashing wildly, struck the base of the staircase with a sickening crunch. It collapsed into a heap of twisted metal.
"No going back that way," Marie muttered, panting.
"How many potions you got left?" Mars asked, his voice tight as he checked his own supplies.
"Three," she replied, pulling one free. Her hands were trembling now, the cold and adrenaline making her fingers clumsy.
Mars nodded, his face grim. "We make these count. Keep it distracted, buy everyone else time to get to the bridge."
Marie didn't respond, but she hurled her next potion with all the strength she had left. It struck one of the kraken's climbing tentacles, the ice spreading rapidly and locking part of the limb against the wall. The creature roared in frustration, its bulk shuddering as it tried to break free.
Stolen story; please report.
Mars followed suit, his throw precise and deliberate. The potion hit the base of another tentacle, freezing it in place for a brief, glorious moment.
But the kraken's strength was overwhelming. Already, the ice was beginning to crack under the strain, shards falling away as the creature thrashed against its bonds.
Marie's hand closed around her final potion. She glanced at Mars, who was doing the same, his jaw set in determination.
"Together?" she asked.
"Together," he agreed.
They hurled their last potions simultaneously, the glass shattering against the kraken's tentacles in twin bursts of ice. The freezing magic spread outward, buying them a few precious seconds as the creature paused to wrestle with its bonds.
Marie's breath came in ragged gasps as she turned to Mars. "That's it. We're out."
Mars nodded, his expression unreadable. "We did what we could. Time to go."
The kraken roared again, its remaining tentacles lashing against the walls with renewed fury. The platform beneath them shuddered ominously, cracks spreading through the stone like spiderwebs.
"This way!" Mars shouted, grabbing her arm and pulling her toward the far edge of the platform.
Marie followed without hesitation, her heart pounding as they sprinted toward the bridge. The only path left was a treacherous series of narrow beams and half-collapsed walkways, the gaps between them wide enough to make her stomach lurch.
Mars jumped first, his heavy boots slamming onto the next platform. He turned, holding out a hand to steady her as she leapt after him. They moved in tandem, crossing the precarious spans with desperate speed. Behind them, the kraken's tentacles were closing in, smashing through the platforms one by one.
"Slide down here!" Mars barked, pointing to a slope of broken stone leading to the middle level. Marie didn't think—she just moved, throwing herself onto the slope and skidding down with a burst of adrenaline-fueled momentum.
She saw the towing feeder lash out. The Bounty dove, and a bolt of lightning struck the tentacle mid-arc, causing it to spasm and miss its primary target on the bridge. But it was too fast, too massive. The tentacle doubled back, aiming for Marie.
Mars hit her from behind in a tackle. She was in mid-air for a moment: then they hit the middle floor hard, their boots slamming onto solid ground. Ahead, the bridge loomed, glowing faintly in the stormlight.
"There!" Marie shouted, already running.
The kraken's roar echoed behind them, but the creature didn't follow. Its tentacles writhed against the ice and the damaged walls, too slow to stop them now.
They reached the bridge together, their boots pounding against the conjured stone as they sprinted toward the safety of the far side.
Marie's lungs burned as she sprinted across the bridge, her boots slipping on the slick, rain-slicked stone. The wind screamed in her ears, and the crack of the kraken's tentacles against the fortress was deafening. She didn't dare look back—if she did, she wasn't sure she'd have the strength to keep running.
The others were ahead of her, their figures silhouetted against the faint glow of the cliffside. She was almost there. Almost.
"Mars!" she shouted, her voice hoarse. "Come on!"
"I'm right behind you!" he called, his voice carrying over the storm.
The kraken's towing feeder lashed out, slicing through the rain like a whip. Marie stumbled as Mars' hand slammed between her shoulder blades, shoving her out of range before the tentacle struck.
She turned, still stumbling forward, to see the tentacle which had aimed for her doubling back.
Mars dodged the first strike, his boots skidding on the stone, but the second caught him around the waist. The spikes bit deep, and Marie saw his body jolt as the kraken began to pull him back.
"No!" she screamed, her voice breaking. "Damn you, you're not taking him!"
Her witch's time shield sprang into existence, a ghostly pale glowing membrane of perfect, impassible, time-frozen air. The massive tentacle slammed into it like the vengeful fist of a god, and shattered. Kraken gore splattered all around them, unstoppable force having come out slightly behind the immovable object, this time. Mars huddled at the far end of her spell effect and shot her a worried frown. "Thanks—but I know enough to know it's not going to give up now. You've got its attention."
Her spell flickered, warning her of its impending failure. 9… 8… 7… she counted down, mentally. "Just be ready to run," she told him.
"Can you cast it again?" he asked her instead.
"Maybe," she told him. It depended on how much she had to modify the spell, on what situation they were in. Maybe.
2… 1… "Run!" she shouted. Mars was in full sprint, and so was she. Long strides ate up the bridge's length, taking them closer, closer, and closer still to their goal.
"Watch out!" Mars shouted. The towering tentacle burst up beside her, arching along the top of the bridge to sweep both of them off. Her spell couldn't cover both of them, so she cast it on the tentacle itself, catching it within the spherical effect. It was moving too fast, and was too heavy. It simply tore free of the last quarter-length with a squelching sound and a torrent of blue ichor.
"I'm out of spells!" she yelled. She still had slow time, but it wouldn't affect something this monstrous anyway.
They were past the halfway point. So close.
Mars was no longer running beside her. She turned, and saw his figure, paused in flight a few feet behind her, apparently breathing hard. "Heart isn't what it was," he told her. He hefted one of the potions she'd given him lightly. "I'll take rearguard."
A flicker of motion caught Marie's attention. "No!" she screamed in denial. His swift-thrown potion splashed, coating it with crackling ice and discoloration. It grabbed him anyway, the tentacle coiling around his waist like a monstrous serpent, its backward-facing spines tearing into him as it yanked him off his feet.
"Mars!" she screamed again.
Mars turned his head toward her even as he fell out of sight. "Live well!" he bellowed, his voice scarcely audible above the wind and rain—and then he was gone, swallowed by the seething chaos below.
Marie stood rooted in place for a heartbeat too long. The wind whipped her hair into her eyes, the rain lashed against her cheeks, and somewhere deep in her chest, a knot of anger coiled tighter and tighter.
Mars was an NPC. She knew that. Just lines of code wrapped in a well-written personality, a bundle of scripted actions tied to some good voice acting and clever AI.
But he had been her NPC.
And this wasn't supposed to happen. Not to him. Not now.
Marie clenched her jaw, her fists tightening at her sides. The kraken's roar rattled the bridge beneath her feet, but she didn't flinch. "You bastard," she muttered, low and venomous, her voice swallowed by the storm. "I'll make you pay for that."
Her chat flickered to life in the corner of her vision.
She swiped the chat into view without meaning to, her fingers twitching as her UI responded to the motion.
> Neopets30: HOLY CRAP MARS IS DEAD.
> Randoon_the_wizard: The kraken just one-hitted your dad!
> xX_snakes_Xx: Wait, what??? Mars was her dad???
> Stormbringer777: Firstborn of Mars, avenge your father. THIS IS YOUR DESTINY, MARIE.
Marie let out a dry, humorless laugh, even as her jaw clenched tighter. "Not my dad, you idiots."
> Neopets30: VENGEANCE ARC INCOMING LET'S GOOOOO
> Randoon_the_wizard: You HAVE to kill the kraken now. FOR MARS.
> xX_snakes_Xx: She's from Mars. It's literally canon now.
The messages kept coming, piling on faster than she could read. She swiped the overlay away with a flick of her wrist, glaring out at the fortress—and the massive shape of the kraken still battering itself against the cliffside.
High above, the Bounty circled, a silent, furious witness. Marie knew what Jaz would vote.
"For Mars," Marie muttered.