January 20, 2112
Airra
Tremendous rumbles shook the ground! The battle going on outside the safe house must've been extraordinary. Airra stumbled against the wall of the hallway as another ground-shaking tremor swept by. Still weakened from her battle with Sunfire, her body was stiff and low on energy. She was vulnerable and hated the feeling.
Wondering through the halls of the safe house, she found her way inside the hangar, only to find the ship she arrived in was a steaming pile of smoke. She wasn't going anywhere in that garbage fire.
"Oh, damn. Were you going to use that to escape?" A voice came from the corner. Airra looked to see an omelic. "Sorry. That's… that's on me." The omelic chuckled, with both hands touching his chest. Based on his mannerisms, he had not a care in the world.
"A ruddy irritable one, aren't you?" Airra growled. Last thing she needed right now was a fight.
"I believe you misspoke. Charming, right? That's what you meant to say," He laughed at his own jokes. "But you, lovely, can call me Castle. Nice to meet you, by the way, but it's even better for you to meet me." Castle cackled.
"You must have a death wish to disable my ship and wait for me alone?"
"Wait for you alone - how kinky. I admire your feisty attitude. But that is just about all I admire." Castle gestured to the entirety of Airra's body. "I mean, it's like I thought I knew the word 'ugly.' But seeing you up close, I realized I never truly understood the word until just now."
"Can't count how many times someone has called me ugly, and that was before my skin turned to bark. Insults no longer bother me."
"You took the whole thick skin metaphor literally." He laughed. "Good on you. Let those naysayers know."
Half a smile found her face. "You sure talk a lot."
His laughing hadn't subsided. "One of my best qualities."
Airra joined in. "I do admit. You do make me laugh."
"So the ladies tell me."
Still smiling, she asked, "So while I've got you in a favorable mood, you wouldn't mind just letting me leave? Or is that too much to ask?"
Castle shrugged. "Well… here's the thing. I know… there's always a thing, and I'm afraid this one you won't like. See, with Sunfire and Kaizerious having their battle of the millennium, I was kind of feeling a bit left out. Maybe we can help each other out there. What do you say?"
Airra maintained her smile, even allowing it to spread. Even though she was weakened, she had appearances to maintain. "You'll regret picking a fight with me."
Castle stood tall with confidence. "Let me tell you something about me. Battle is a bit of a hobby of mine, and I specialize in sticking it straight up the ass. I don't care who my opponent is or how many of them there are. I go in there regardless, bend them over, and spread their cheeks real wide. I get a nice view of the colon, prostate, and the coccyx, and I knuckle-frak them all the way up to the palm till they feel a burning sensation deep in the ass. Conquering my enemies until they are shells of their former selves is a way of life for me, and I take pride in my work. I never accept surrender, frak you. If at any point you wish to withdraw from the fight, I kindly suggest that you go frak yourself. I follow absolutely no mercy rules or laws of war. All I know how to do is get shivf on my dick from sticking it straight up the ass… metaphorically, of course. Have I made your situation clear?"
Airra chuckled. "You do know your little intimidation speech was riddled with anatomical inaccuracies, right? Dytirc anatomy is not the same as omelic anatomy."
He laughed. "I thought it gave it more flair. Did it work?"
"It's funny. Creative, too. It might even work on others, but not me. Still, I enjoyed listening to it. But I can tell you're faking it. I can tell because I'm the real deal. I'm the one who's hooked on the drug of war. I've always loved the feeling of a battle. Indiscernibly really - that feeling in the middle of a fight - it's like I can suddenly see for miles. Of the thousands I've fought with, I've met less than five who truly share this thirst… this… desire with me. You're out of your league coming here to face me."
Airra didn't give the talkative omelic a chance to respond; she was going for the kill while his guard was down. He was only a few meters away, and she reached him in little time. Her fingers sharpened into thorns, and she thrust right at his heart. Castle didn't move.
Airra was stopped short of her mark, but how? She then noticed some sort of field of energy around him. What was it? A shield generator?
"Oh. Did I stop your big moment?" Castle laughed at her. "If that's the best the ever-so-great Airra is capable of--"
Airra interrupted, with a hiss, "Dearie-dearie… we've just begun."
She unleashed a few piercing vines at him, and all were deflected around the same energy. She then tried to wrap a few vines around him, but it was still there. Somehow, he seemed to be covered by it. Nothing annoyed Airra more than not being able to harm her opponents. It was like having a drug placed in a glass container that can't be broken.
Airra growled at Castle, "Stop hiding!"
"Who's hiding? I'm right in front of you, or did your fight with Sunfire earlier leave you simple?"
How did he know about that? Unless-- He must be with the brotherhood. Of course, how could she be so stupid? He was that omelic with Ghost that one time, following that mission on Xan'Ohmo the Brotherhood of Relics agreed to accept for some dumb crystal-things. She should've recognized him earlier.
"I know you," Airra said.
"I was wondering if you'd ever remember." Castle laughed, as if she had told him a joke.
His defense was strong. Basic attacks weren't going to work. Time to grow. And so she did. Airra's bark skin layered over itself over and over until she was twice as tall. She concentrated her growth in her hands and turned them into drills half a meter thick and spun them toward Castle.
"Oh… this fight may actually give me some entertainment." Castle pulled out two throwing knives.
Airra attacked with her spinning drills, but Castle leaped back, avoiding it altogether. As he did, he tossed out the knives, but they hardly pierced her skin. She then felt a shove; it was that same energy from earlier, only this time Castle used it offensively. She slid back just a bit from it and was blinded as two explosions originated from those knives he had thrown earlier.
Damnit. Airra shook her head from the daze.
"I brought those bad boys just for you, Airra. Not something I do for just anyone, so you'd better feel special," Castle teased.
In spite, she lashed out some thorns, followed by a swipe of a few vines. Using that same energy, Castle blocked the thorns while simultaneously flipping over the vines. His agility and athleticism had clearly been improved with training. But there was a way to stop that.
Airra used much of her remaining strength to build a wall and roof to surround Castle. Made of vines, they interlocked and penetrated into the hangar wall he was near. Now the only escape was past her.
Castle gazed around at his surroundings. "Smart plan," he praised her.
Airra gave him no time to think. She powered forward and charged into him. His field protected him as he took the hit, but she carried him into the wall. The field stopped that impact as well, but Airra grinned as she noticed a tiny crack form. Her eyes gleamed at Castle as she now realized she could get through.
Even still, Castle showed no worry. "It's been sometime since someone was able to crack my aura field."
Aura field,so that's what it's called. Airra wondered if that was some ace ability of his.
Castle continued. "You truly are strong. I'll give you the praise you desire, but I'm afraid you did get one thing wrong about me when we talked earlier."
"And what's that, dearie?" she growled.
"I'm not alone."
A sudden blast of air knocked her straight to the floor and away from Castle. Airra landed and pushed herself up in an instant. She turned, but he was already there!
"Ghost! It's you!" Airra shouted.
Ghost came in strong, with a flurry of strikes. Airra took them with little effort, her bark skin serving as a strong armor. She retaliated with multiple vines as sharps as needles straight at him. He jumped above her, and just then something smashed into her feet, sending her falling. It was Castle's annoying aura. Above her, Ghost used his gauntlets to blast air above himself, speeding him right into her. Airra smashed to the ground. That instant, Ghost unleashed multiple blades from his gauntlets into Airra's neck - her weakest spot!
He pulled them back with magnetic technology and repeated his attack.
"Get off!" Airra pulled the walls and ceiling of vines back into her body and unleashed a massive growth spurt. That knocked Ghost off.
Quickly, she spun like a tornado and released a barrage of thorns in all directions.
Ghost blasted himself towards Castle, who shielded them both with his aura.
Airra relented the attack and gazed at them. As strong as she was, if she kept going at this pace, especially after her run-in with Sunfire, she'd deplete herself dry. Then she'd be helpless against these two, who looked to kill her. To cut off the head of the legion, so to speak. She needed to escape, and fast.
Airra spat. "Your ability is that of a coward, Castle."
He laughed. "You're joking, right? You… who hides under a suit of bark armor."
Airra ignored his words. She split into two bodies and covered each side of Ghost and Castle, surrounding them. Right now, two bodies were about all she could handle.
"It appears she aims to split us up," Ghost told Castle.
Castle grinned. "You know what to do."
Ghost nodded and jumped to the wall behind them, boots attaching to it. Castle dispersed his aura up into small spots spread around the room. Ghost burst from the wall into one of the spots, then to another and another. He was fast, especially with the aid of Castle's ability. Airra maneuvered her two bodies back to back to cover herself better.
This wasn't going to be an easy fight. To put it mildly, these two knew how to fight alongside each other. Moreover, they covered each other's weakness quite well. Castle lacked powerful offense, which Ghost brought, and Castle supplied him with defensive capabilities he otherwise wouldn't have. This two-on-one scenario she was in could easily be the end of her if she didn't play things perfectly.
She had a sudden idea. To have the best chance for success, she needed to single them out. Fighting both at the same time would be exponentially more difficult. And since Castle had that aura spread throughout the room, he was vulnerable. That was her target.
Quickly, Airra went straight for Castle.
He smirked. "You poor, ignorant thing. You fell for it."
Just then, his aura returned to his body. From above, Ghost was attached to the ceiling of the hangar, high in the air. He tossed out multiple devices that exploded on the ground. Waves of liquid splashed out near her. That instant, it reached both her bodies and started to dissolve her outer layer of skin. It was some form of acid! Castle, of course, was unaffected due to the shielding of his aura.
Quickly, Airra used one body to raise the other one above the acid, stalling the process. She launched a few vines to the ceiling, but Ghost cut them with throwing knives.
Frustration began to blossom. The feeling was back - the feeling of utter helplessness. She swore she would never feel that way again, yet she had twice today.
"Give up, Airra. You cannot hope to defeat us both," Ghost said callously.
The acid continued to dissolve the body below her. She had little time left. Just then, another monstrous tremor ruptured throughout the entire building. Ghost fell, Castle tripped, and Airra barely managed to latch herself to the top of the broken starship in the hangar.
The shaking didn't stop, and the building started to rip apart. Cracks formed, sections of the ceiling fell. The shaking was so violent, it felt like the entire planet was being pulled apart.
"Ghost! We need to leave now!" she heard Castle shout.
"We cannot leave Airra alive," he responded.
"Forget her, and check your video feed!"
The fear in his voice was nothing to be taken lightly. Airra couldn't afford to pay attention to them anymore. She used this opportunity to slip herself behind some of the mechanical parts in the corner of the room. Luck had it, the acid was blocked by the parts. She slid away a panel in the wall and slipped into a tunnel. She was glad Maliv had suggested the idea of installing secret escape tunnels when this safe house was under construction. He was always a careful man, and it was paying off for her.
Soon, Airra found her way to her stepfather's starship. Hopefully, he didn't mind her borrowing it. She rushed in and made her escape off the collapsing planet.