Ivy's hand had healed since her encounter with the Infestare. It was the last line of defense she had against Anya's prying eyes. But the princess's curiosity could not be contained for long.
"Would you like me to help you see?" She leaned back in her chair before crossing her legs.
"Uhm," Ivy squinted.
She was reasonably skeptical, given her experience with Lunae. One might even say Ivy was biased towards those with tails. But she was still willing to amuse the princess.
For Lila.
"Hm," Anya rolled her eyes. "Nothing debaucherous, don't worry. I'll just need your hand."
Ivy tried not to let the words escape her lips.
Boy lover.
"Fine," the heiress sighed. "I knew I wasn't going to just snack all day."
"Weren't they good?" Anya smiled as she reached over the table.
Ivy offered up her pale hand, its flesh having miraculously laced itself over her mechanical parts. "I must admit they were."
"My father is good with food. Only lets me eat what he has personally approved."
Ivy felt a tinge of jealousy. She wished her emperor of a father took that sort of care with her. Instead, he had given up even pretending to waste a thought on such frivolities as food and drink.
"That must be nice."
The heiress observed with great suspicion as a serpentine tail slithered up the table's edge and onto her hand. It felt eerily cold. In fact, the princess herself seemed rather meek.
"I should hop in the bath after this," she yawned. "Wait for Auntie Yrix to come back from her game."
"Shouldn't take long," Ivy winced, trying to ignore the sting of the cold tail as it nipped at her skin. "Sonera will win."
The princess's tail had a feather-like tip, with notches running along its surface that almost looked like eye-slits. Its mere presence contained a Psionic pull, gently grasping at Ivy's mind as if asking for her consent. Ivy had no choice but to oblige.
"You place a lot of confidence in your family." Anya fiddled with her own fingers, looking away from the heiress.
She had already gleaned that much.
"Hope you keep that confidence when the past reveals itself to you."
Ivy tried to argue. But before she could even raise her other hand, a pull, strong as Lunae's, shoved her into a deep abyss. Anya stared with curiosity in her eyes as the heiress went limp.
"Interesting…that's never happened before."
"Perhaps it's a failsafe. Someone doesn't want her to know. I don't care. I will know. Both mine and yours. The story of creation."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"You can control this?" Venrith crossed her arms, looking down at the battlefield with a skeptical gaze. "Your student looks rabid."
"As were many who first joined the Consortium," Yrix replied calmly.
"As are many who are in the Consortium," the Praetorian snorted. "But as long as they aren't vermin like the Infestare, my mind is open."
Lunae had been hiding her tail. Still, a frigid wind traveled down her spine. She had never before been afraid of those who hated her people. Yet there she stood like a frozen twig, pretending she wasn't the fabled monster Venrith had spoken of.
For once, Lunae was grateful for her mother's grand manipulations. Only through her deception could the princess go unseen. Yrix would gladly keep that secret. It was no business of the Consortium to know what Lunae really was.
"So you will take another Psychopath," Yrix nearly laughed.
"If she follows your orders, perhaps the Emperor can have another freak squad."
Lunae raised an eyebrow. She had never seen Yrix turn so suddenly.
"You shouldn't speak of the Princess like that." The Arch-Flayer fiddled with the air, her sharp nails sending a clear message.
Venrith didn't budge. "As far as I'm concerned, she's one of them. The tail is a mark. A power the Emperor shouldn't trifle with, unless one means to bring fire and ash."
"Our empire is changing, whether you like it or not."
"Of course, the Arch-Flayer, friend to the Emperor, would spout such a thing. At least your agenda could yield fruit," Venrith sighed. "It's been a long time since a new race joined the empire."
Her eyes flashed with pride.
"That is assuming your student can beat my champion."
Yrix cocked her head to the side. She was familiar with the Daregen's primordial spirit and the rare power that came with it for those chosen by their ancestors. But in all her calculations, the Arch-Flayer never imagined Venrith would bring a Primeth, whose station was so ill-occupied that squandering one on Sonera's bloodied edge felt unlikely at best.
"I must say you surprise me," Yrix responded with a hint of condensation. "Did the Emperor say something you didn't want to hear?"
"He has lost confidence in his own people."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
A visible aura had enveloped Sonera's body, flickering like candlelight as she called forth her signature blade. The Primeth, whom she understood to be more than a simple captain, preferred to use his hands alone. And while the beast was no Psion, he held mastery over a fiery power all the same.
The crimson flames billowed around his palms, and somewhere in the distance of her mind, Sonera could hear the toll of a bell. It came with a strange calling. And before she realized her own intent, Sonera had already charged forward.
The Primeth roared like a more distinguished, ancient beast, his voice traveling through the helmet more clearly, like it were his real mouth. Indeed, the ornate mask gave the impression of an uncanny face, its shape and expression conveying the visage of a tormented creature clad in gold.
A bear, as far as Sonera could interpret.
Some twisted gesture towards their history as a war-like race.
Back when they had only their own fauna to contend with.
Flying higher into the air, the Primeth summoned a spiral of crimson flame, its heat and smell distinct from Sonera's Psionic power. After her previous rampage, she was surprised at the difficulty she faced upon coming into contact with the inferno. For the briefest of moments, it seemed even her Psionic Ambience would dissipate.
She didn't stick around for long, sliding across the ground as if she were on ice. Her new legs, as Yrix would boast, came with more than brute strength. Something in them was propelling her forward whenever she made a particular movement, such as a low-to-ground dash.
A halo of Psionic blades was already orbiting over Sonera's head by then, waiting patiently for an appropriate time to attack. She had realized by then how careful she'd have to be even with her new power. Being overly confident was a lesson Sonera learned years ago.
"Play the underdog. Even if you're winning. Ego will just get in the way."
Sonera recited to herself the words she used that day. "I can beat them."
"Your peers yea. But not those six-foot-tall muscle freaks you'll be up against on your next assignment."
"Hmm."
"Treat every fight like it's your last, and you won't be surprised when it's rough."
"Is this how you became team leader?"
Sonera remembered taking pride in the little ballerina gown she wore that night, hoping he'd take notice.
"Getting my ass beat? Yeah…well that and bouncing back. Grandmother took notice."
"Thank you," Sonera smiled. "I'll remember."
That lesson was lost on her when it came to Yrix. And in the end, Sonera couldn't even tell who was talking to her.
Five, or the memory of him.
She had a bad habit of letting her mind wander during a fight.
Why is it working?
Her still-flexible limbs allowed limber movement under a stream of red flame. One of the reasons to enjoy a minimal figure, no doubt. And with a kick of her heels, she was back in the air, just in time for a rolling sheet of metal that cascaded towards her.
It can't be that strong.
Must be another ability.
Sonera stood still for a moment, sparks erupting from her feet due to her sudden stop. She wanted the Primus to attack again. And with a huff of steam from its visor, the large Daregen obliged, landing on the ground before effortlessly calling upon another gust of flame.
She had always been fearless. But never drastically so. Something had changed; her eyes were dull and empty as she stared at the oncoming cyclone of red flame. With a flash of radiant sparks, the girl disappeared momentarily, reappearing a mere few inches in front of the Primus before kicking with all her might.
Sonera had positioned herself so that her leg would sweep up behind her, and with a loud grunt like a bull, she managed to kick the Primus back into the air. Before it could reach the apex of its sudden ascent, the assassin appeared from above in a flash of smoke, descending with her heel in a crushing blow. Her heels made a rather pleasant sound once she gracefully landed, staring down at the hole in the Mountain Shaper where the Primus had fallen through.
Doubtful, it was dead.
Good.