[Ashia's View]
My stomach dropped at what I already had assumed was the case, and Miasma's cry for us to stop killing was just the confirmation. The only problem was that it did not change the fact that they were all trying to kill us, whether by choice or not.
The big one was moving closer but taking her time; I think she was waiting for me to get tired or see if I would get overrun. That wasn't going to happen, but I had to make more deliberate strikes with the Angle Divide lance.
"Hilda, I am not going to be able to fight the big one and the others at the same time. There has to be something that we can do about them!" I called into my mic as I windmilled the lance and batted the charging Predators away.
"Working on it. Xani has stopped shooting and collected some Lichtar samples to analyze. Use the Wax Prisons; Jeff is making more right now, but they should work because they are only focused on us and not helping each other," Hilda said as she buzzed around the Predators that I was knocking back.
That was right; too many things going on, and I had forgotten about the Hive Prison Wax-Nades. I spun in the circle and launched a stream of the grenades that ballooned as soon as they hit a Predator.
The effect worked almost precisely as Hilda had said, but it turned out to be more effective. They were catching more than one at a time, and almost instantly, the tide was almost cut in half.
"LITTLE QUEEN!" The giant Predator roared as she rushed me, but I held no punches with this one and released a stream of Honey Cluster Buster's.
As they hit, the Honey Cluster Buster's burst and then covered the white and red robe. The Predator was five steps from me when the chain reaction started.
It was like the monster was being shot with explosive rounds from every direction. The Predator was knocked off her feet, but I was already spinning into her.
I whirled the lance and caught her in the stomach, and drove her into the air. The Predator was still being riddled with small explosions, and it looked like I was winning.
I reversed directions, letting my grip slide down on the Angle Divide, and hit a gray and black-covered body. I connected, putting my all into the home-run swing, and sent the Predator flying, but I rushed again; there was no way…
I tried to bring the Angle Divide down before she could get up, but almost faster than I could react, the Predator struck out at me. I was just able to change the trajectory of my strike and use it to block, but I was still smashed back.
How did she still have that much in her after that? I had pulled no punches and attacked to kill, but now the massive form stood up full and then tore her tattered robe off.
I gasped at what I saw; this was some Venom and Carnage Symbiotic bull shit. The creature was an Elephant Folk, and she even had the long trunk of a nose, but her eyes were clouded grey.
Half of the Elephant's face and body were covered in the black oil slick Lichtar. So this was the way that the Leader of the Predator was controlling them.
"You have changed," The Elephant woman said to me but then turned her head to spit out blood.
"Why? Because I wasn't forced to use my own people to protect me from a pathetic little dirty trick that you pulled! If I would have had the power that I have now, there is no way that I would have needed to do that!" I shouted in my droning voice.
"I DID NOT ASK FOR THIS! I do what I must, and now you are here to end it. I do not cry in fear like the others. I deserve this death, and you will give it to me, or I will take your life like the countless other lives that I have destroyed! PREPARE YOURSELF, LITTLE QUEEN!" The Predator screamed as she charged with blinding speed at me.
[View of Tag]
Fury boiled within Tag, and the rest of the world was outside of this current world. Dropping his shield as the Predator rushed him, but Tag was ready this time.
The Predator was hammered to the ground with Tags two gripped black gauntleted fists. The impact cracked the ground, and Tag heard bones crack, but then the body spun and kicked Tag's feet out from under him.
Tag caught himself with a one-handed spring and flipped back to his feet, but she was there. A fist drove into Tag's face, but his Breakout Meter was already at forty-five percent, and it was like a child had hit him, and he backhanded her away.
The Predator bounced off the ground but got back up right away, but something was rough with her arm. It was bent wrong, but none of this seemed to register to mindless Predator.
Tag advanced, but the fire wasn't there in him now; this wasn't right, and he knew it. The Predator rushed him, but this time Tag grabbed her by the cloak and tore it off her body.
The Fox was almost wholly covered in Lichtar, and her arm was most definitely broken. As she jumped back and then prepared to rush Tag again, something inside of him snapped.
There were too many bad things that happened in the world without any help, and this was more than Tag would allow himself to stand for. From the same place that had just broken within him, something new began to bloom.
Tag caught the Predator by the shoulders, and the creature fought against him, but Tag refused to let go. This was evil, and from this day forward, Tag would strive to remove it from this world.
"I am going to save you. I don't know how, but I…." Tag's voice trailed off as he noticed someone that was running to him and should not be on the battlefield, but that distraction was all the Fox Folk needed, and she broke away from Tag and started to run at Serria.
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