Runt of the Litter - Tales from Alirast

They arrived at the Beast Scar in just under a week. Honos hadn't moved nearly as fast as she had during the trip from Kadessa to the dwarven mountains.

Despite that, as everyone crawled off of the dragon's back on the outskirts of their destination, the group was still exhausted.

"Set up camp. That means you as well, Stas. I want everyone fresh and ready tomorrow. Honos can get Trillia and I to the entrance in an hour or so. After that, we will be splitting up and handling the things we need to handle. I realize you're competent, Stas, but I'd still ask you to keep an extra cautious eye on Layla and Honos." Alliyah seemed distracted as she laid out the battle plan to the others.

Her eyes kept wandering up into the air. Trillia didn't see what she was looking at.

"Something I should be worried about?" Stas said as he followed Alliyah's gaze up into the air.

"Remember the first time Zymeth sent one of his immortals after us? During the early days of the Beast Wars?"

Stas nodded and continued to look up.

"I have that same sinking feeling. Like something big is watching us and waiting to pounce, I'm not going to lie, I think the three of you should leave. Trillia and I can make our way there on foot. If it's just her and I, I should be able to pull us through the Aether to safety."

"Is this your normal worrying and mothering? Or is this the... Is this your old title warning us?" Trillia and Layla both perked up at the wording of his last question.

Alliyah didn't respond, instead, she slowly walked away from the group with her eyes cast upward. "Who would attack us, Stas? Who'd risk pissing Dawn off even more by sending an immortal? We haven't done enough damage to warrant that sort of firepower."

The little goblin skittered over to the two orcs and put a hand on either of their shoulders. Trillia felt the pull of mana from the surrounding area.

"If something attacks us, the two of you need to get on Honos. Honos, you get these girls to the other Generals, do you understand me?"

"You'd ask me to abandon Alliyah? Is that a joke?" The dragon scoffed. Despite her bravado, she sent a worrying gaze to Alliyah.

"I'd ask you not to get in our way. If we don't have to worry about collateral damage, Alliyah and I stand a very good chance against anything that's not a deity."

That seemed like it actually hurt the dragon's feelings, but she dipped her head low. "I'll see them to safety, General Stas."

"Trillia. Join me in the Aether." Alliyah still seemed distracted, Trillia realized the Queen was probably straddling the line between the Aether and the physical. With a nod, Trillia laid down and threw herself into the Aether.

Immediately she felt the same gaze lingering on them, her eyes snapped up trying to find its source. "What is that? I've been around a lot of deities. This is...different. All I see are stars."

"It is, yes. I've only ever felt it once before."

"The immortal you spoke of? Why did Lord Zymeth send it after you?"

"We slaughtered one of his churches. They had fallen to the temptation of the [Primordials], and we didn't have the time or patience to try to pull them away. In our zeal to wipe them out before they killed any more innocent people, we killed one of his High Priests."

"So...what's different about this feeling?" Trillia moved herself closer to the Queen.

"With that immortal, there was a certain...rage. Like its intent was personal as if we had killed one of its kind. This doesn't have the same feeling to it."

"Well. Who have you and Uncle Stas pissed off in the last few months?"

Alliyah froze and extended a hand, Trillia immediately paused as well, no doubt those left in the physical realm had also heeded her warning.

The Queen snapped her fingers. Trillia only had enough time to slightly widen her eyes as a veritable sea of brilliant white mana flooded the area. Trillia found herself staring up at the sky, back in the physical realm.

"Lay burden at the feet of the Almighty, spear in one hand, soul in the other, heed my call and strike true! [Gungnir]!"

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Trillia had to brace herself not to get pulled forward by the vacuum of power that was sucked out of the area around them. A lance of the same brilliant white mana shot forth into the air.

Within seconds, Trillia could feel more power gathering from a multitude of directions. "Take cover! Honos, lift your wings!" Once more, before Trillia could process what was happening, Stas grabbed her by the leg and yanked her across the opening, under the dragon's spreading wings. Alliyah stood out in the open with her arms spread, words falling from her lips as ever-growing pools of mana formed around her.

Then the rain started. As each droplet fell, it sizzled against the ground, charring the dirt, turning sand to glass, and setting the trees ablaze. Honos hissed in anger but kept her wings up.

"Blood of my blood, flesh of my flesh, may your burdens become mine! [Damage Siphon]!" Trillia felt a pulse of mana crash against the waves from Alliyah as Stas cast his own spell. Dozens of burns appeared all across his body, healing almost as quickly as they were forming.

"Knit flesh with body and soul. [Bestow Regeneration]." Layla sliced open a hand, swinging it at both Stas and Honos. Stas' wounds began to close just a little faster.

"Give me a target!" Trillia shouted at the Queen.

"Born of a sacred union between Celestia and Infernus. Grant me shelter from the divine! [Divine Barrier]!"

A dome of translucent energy surrounded all of them. Alliyah's face stayed staring up into the skies. "Fuck. It's Exardescere! You two! Pray! Ask Ora'sys and Arlyss for help!"

Layla dropped her mace and immediately hit her knees, crossing her hands. Trillia kneeled next to her. There was genuine panic and fear in the Queen's voice.

The sky darkened as a form descended. It was like someone had shut off the sun.

As Trillia looked into the sky, she saw the exact same stars she had in the Aether. Then...in the center of them, she saw a small bead of light forming.

"Grant me grace and protection, shield me from all injustice! [Mighty Barrier]!" Alliyah spoke quickly, the staff she was often seen with appeared in her hand as she spoke, another barrier formed above the first.

"May the scales of the divine bolster me, shield me from all evil! [Bestow Resistance]!" Honos words rumbled the ground and the two barriers took on a slightly scaled pattern.

"May the blood of the divine shelter me, may my soul serve as the foundation! [Sphere of Invulnerability]!" As Stas spoke, a dozen cuts popped open, spraying his blood all around them, and another barrier formed.

The three had spoken in almost perfect unison. All three had a sense of fear and dread in their voices as they cast their spells.

Trillia had never seen such precise use of so much mana before. The bead of light had grown in size.

Alliyah reached a hand out to the group hiding under the wings. It looked as if she was speaking, but Trillia couldn't hear any sound. She watched as the Queen sliced one of her arms open, and her blood began to mingle with the pools of mana.

The earth groaned under them. The air itself seemed to quiver in fear.

Trillia heard the voice high above them as if all other sound had been cowed into silence.

"May the folly of mortals be felt for all eternity. Break spirit and soul, banish to the Aether. Scorch this pitiful realm and all those who oppose me. [Oblivion]!" The surrounding area turned into naught but white light.

Thinking quickly, Trillia smacked a hand over Layla's wide-open eyes and snapped her own shut.

It didn't matter.

She could feel her skin bubbling and peeling off in the heat. She was sure she was screaming in agony but couldn't hear it. All she could hear was a dull thrum of sound originating from where Alliyah had been standing.

Then, she was flying through the air. A sudden stop threatened to shatter her bones.

Her health and mana were both racing to zero. On instinct, she toggled the bracers on and summoned her armor.

She felt another impact.

She must have hit the ground. Her mana had slowed its rapid descent, but her health hit zero, and darkness took her.

-=====-

Something sharp dug at her face. The gasp of air she took hurt.

Her eyes snapped open just in time to see another health potion shattered against her face, thrown by Stas.

Then, true terror struck her.

She saw Exardescere.

It was like staring into an eternity of flames. Every scale was large enough that Trillia could have laid down on it comfortably. His size didn't make sense to her. It seemed as wrong as the Eldritch did like she was looking at space that had been ignited. Specks of inferno sat on an ever-shifting black scale. If his mere presence wasn't so terrifying, it would look like she could reach out and grab a handful of stars.

But there were no notifications. There were no debuffs. Despite the terror, despite knowing she'd die. Trillia threw herself into her instincts. She slapped a hand on the body next to her that looked vaguely like Layla. "[Greater Heal]! [Mend]!" The next potion that was hurled at her, she grabbed and tipped it up into Layla's mouth before darting away towards Honos, who was lying in a blood heap a hundred feet away.

Her eyes scanned the surroundings, trying to find Dire's body. Ialu was respawning in the artifact. Her heart fell as she didn't see her other companion.

It still felt like she was still breathing flames in. She could feel the heat from the burns covering her body. Whatever was left of her armor was tatters at best. The new bracers her friends had crafted for her were barely hanging on. As she ran, she glanced over at the massive body of Exardescere. Despite his lustrous scales and impossible size, there were dozens of puncture wounds on him.

Then she saw another figure. It felt familiar...but not. A woman clad in crystalline armor hovered above the battlefield, she could have easily scooped Trillia up in one hand and tossed her. A winged helmet sat atop flowing locks of platinum blonde hair, four massive feathred wings slowly beat up and down, keeping the woman in the air.

The spear...she knew that spear. The winged figure held the spear firmly despite it dripping with blood, her other hand held a shield that looked similiar to a lion's face...that face looked familiar to her as well...why?

"I will not go quietly to the hereafter, lizard. Make no mistake, neither of us can ascend. Do you really think you can stand up to me?" The voice caused Trillia to stumble briefly in her run to Honos.

In all her battle glory, Queen Alliyah hovered in front of the face of the mighty dragon.