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The 13th Loop [A Progression, GameLit, Sci-Fi Adventure]

Lykanthropy

Interlude IV

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Interlude IV

"Now that we are alone. Why don't you tell me what you have been up to?" Dr. Charleston asked, though his words were more of a command more than anything.

Melissa, now enlisted as a War Mage Cadet, sat in the comfortable chair, and closed her eyes as she began to speak. "Things are going as planned. Integration has gone as expected. I am pretending to slowly gain awareness of my abilities with magical theories, as has been documented."

A slightly annoyed raising of the eyebrow was the only sign Dr. Charleston gave at this slow recollection. "And in regard to social interactions?"

With that there was a slight pause as the being playing Mel visibly shuddered at the thought of something. But that wave of emotion was quickly overcome as she opened her eyes and began her retelling.

"It is going as expected. The brother has noticed the Endarian videos, the fact that I am a billionaire, and the subject of his little brother's desires. While not as interested in me as he no doubt would, if his brother was here, I have made enough points that he is keeping in close contact. He is pretending to be a good friend."

"Pretending?"

"Yes, he has already tried mental manipulation and memory alterations."

A raised quizzical eyebrow was Dr. Charleston's only visible reaction.

"They of course were not successful on the real me, but on my brain construct I created they did a real number. He is quite skilled. You sure we can't use him as well?"

Shaking his head Dr. Charleston sighs. "Unfortunately, no. The brother is and always has been a coward. Never rising to use his powers in any meaningful way, other than his own sick hedonistic pleasures."

Hearing this Melissa nods her head in understanding. "So, what are your plans?" She asks.

"Do as you see fit. Personally, I don't think this brother relationship is worth noting. Though I think you will likely feel better by using that as an easy out of the relationship."

"What does that mean?" Melissa asks, suddenly sitting up and staring directly at Dr. Charleston.

Seeing the obvious reaction out of his patient, the good doctor chuckled to himself for a moment, before continuing. "I think your outburst here proves it, but I will spell it out for you. You seem to have grown exceptionally attached to the subject. Even now being away from the subject has caused you much ire."

Hearing this Melissa visibly shook with agitation, before realizing this was likely what the doctor wanted from his provocation. With visible strain Melissa collected herself and leaned back.

"I have more. It seems that the brother has big plans for later. I believe he will make his move then."

"What do you intend to do?"

With a strained shrug, Melissa stared off into a space that was off in the distance. "Whatever I have to do, I guess."

Hearing that Dr. Charleston paused, before changing the subject. "You have heard he has pair bonded?"

With that Melissa visibly shrank in a micro-fraction, a detail that would be nearly impossible to notice by anyone other than someone as observant as Dr. Charleston.

"I know." Her words came out, somehow sounding hollow.

With that Dr. Charleston again nodded to himself. "I think I know at least one of the players over in the alternate universe."

Melissa nodded, "the General."

"She is but the most obvious one."

"That is a key piece. To take out a general, that is a big step."

"One that has already paid dividends, in that it has led to the pairing of our Kyle with their Rayquel."

"Doesn't that mean that she would likely come with him, if he came back?"

"That is a big question, if he would come back."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean," Dr. Charleston began as he centered his gaze right on Melissa. "You are playing a dangerous game. One that has very little immediate benefits and does little but serve a carnal need to be close to the actual brother you want."

Hearing that Melissa's face turned red in indignation. "I, I don't…"

"Save it. Just know that if this move backfires, and this universe is left without its Kyle, you will have to make up the difference."

"But I can't interact. We know the accords."

"Right, which is why I am telling you now, not to do anything stupid."

Hearing this Melissa leaned back dejectedly. Then after a pause she said more to herself than Dr. Charleston "I could create a portal and pull him back here."

"Yes, you could." He paused before continuing this train of thought. "You've been awakened as a War Mage for what? Two months now. I'm certain it would make perfect sense for you to be able to rip open a portal across dimensions to different planets, and miraculously save Kyle."

"The spell isn't that complex." Melissa argued.

"You are right, the spell itself is not that complex. But being able to rip holes through dimensions is one thing. Then to do so on planets is another problem entirely. The human mind can't truly contemplate the exact spin and rotation of each planet in alignment to each other, the way we can."

Melissa opened her mouth like she was about to argue, but Dr. Charleston cut her off.

"Yes, they have the systems mapped out, along with their rotations and anomalies, but the human mind still cannot quantify those changes. At least not in any meaningful way. Even the Scourge must play by this rule. That is why they found the cheat of creating rifts in orbit around planets they wish to conquer."

Hearing that Melissa paused. It was clear in all ways that Melissa was new to this stage and that while likely being an asset later, she still needed to be developed. At least that was the way Dr. Charleston approached her.

Finally, after a minute of silence, Melissa paused as her mind latched onto something the doctor said earlier. "You said there were two? I know of the one, but who is the second one?"

Hearing that Dr. Charleston just shook his head. "We are truly up against experts. We were so worried about keeping the board sterile, to have all the variables that we created these fresh avatars. The others, they took out one of the main problems immediately."

"You mean…" Melissa trailed off.

"Yes. A piece that seems both obvious and at the same time unnecessary."

Hearing that Melissa slumped back in her chair. "So can we win this?"

Hearing that Dr. Charleston just shrugged. "I thought we had a chance with our Kyle being so overpowered as he is. But that has now been chalked up as a resource to the alternate universe."

"So, what should I do, about the brother?"

"Not much you can do, right now. To change your current trajectory would likely cause problems. Remember us being found out is worse than just mere meddling." Dr. Charleston said.

"So again, what should I do if, or rather when he makes his move?" Melissa asked.

"Not much you can do. Just try to make it blatant what he is doing. That was the goal from the start of this? To take him out of the picture before he causes problems." Dr. Charleston asked.

Hearing that Melissa nodded. "Very well. I will see you next week and tell you of my progress then."

With that declaration, Melissa, or the being playing Melissa, stood up and headed out the door.

***

MEANWHILE, in a different universe, on the same exact human planet, a war council was formed.

"So, does anyone want to tell me exactly what happened with the cadet we sent over?" General Sharma asked.

"Which one ma'am, there were a hundred cadets that were exchanged?" The assistant asked.

"No, there were one hundred cadets, and one war prisoner. What happened to the prisoner?"

"Um, we have here that he was officially promoted to the Endarian Rank of Lieutenant, which apparently means blind…"

"I know what it means!" Sharma snarled, as she cut off the attendant. "What I am asking here is, why am I just now finding out about two important facts. First why am I just now hearing about the promotion of one of our soldiers? And second, why am I just hearing about his being a fully functioning Mage Breaker? Wouldn't this have been good information to have before the exchange?"

"We…well you see." The logistical expert began, though he was clearly flustered by the rapid-fire questions and the fiery nature of the normally stoic general. "We never evaluated Cadet Goldman-X's mage breaking abilities. We had the status, but it was never something that we felt needed to be tested."

"You didn't think that a ninety-nine plus percent in a field needed to be tested? Especially after he showed so many different signs of being exceptional with Psionic advantages?"

"Well, that was what led to us having a hard time getting the prisoner to open up to us. By the time we got around to testing his capabilities with Magic, he was less than cooperative."

"Less than cooperative? Less than cooperative?" She began, "you kept him as a prisoner, locked up in a cell for what killing monsters. Then run him through a whole set of trials, even going so far as to allow his own brother to try to mind rape him. Yet you still treat him as the aggressor?"

"Well, there were a lot more variables than that. He was an unknown quantity from an unknown portion of space. From what we understand, such events should not be possible."

"Variables? Should not be possible?" Sharma all but screamed. "Do you hear yourself? You treat this as some type of math problem to be solved. Which it clearly is a problem that needs to be solved, but by someone who understands the parameters better!"

"Parameters?"

"Yes, this is a person. A scary as hell looking person, one with knowledge and histories that are far beyond our own. But a person. At the end of the day, you need to understand that humans are petty and small beings that react first and think second."

"So, what does that mean?"

Sharma paused as if finally realizing just how incompetent this person truly was. "It means, that as a logistical expert, you are lucky this human didn't squash you for being overly aggressive. You realize he could have left our holding cells at any time, right?"

Hearing that the logistical expert squirmed slightly, "he could?"

"Yes, that was why he felt so confident in being here. He knew that regardless of what happened, if he wanted to, he could have left at any time. His power levels are off the charts, and you treated him like he was a criminal."

The logistical expert opened his mouth to defend himself, but after seeing the anger in the general's gaze he wisely closed his mouth.

Seeing that General Sharma nodded.

"Now I've also heard rumors that he, and two of our cadets have pair bonded. I need all documentation on what exactly this is, and what it means."

"Um, general. I can answer that." An Endarian liaison said, coming from the corner of the room.

Seeing her General Sharma almost jumped in shock. It took a second for her to realize that she had just spoken about highly classified information right in front of an alien liaison, one who would no doubt parlay all this information up to her Endarian handlers.

Seeing this, the Endarian shook his head. "Do not worry. I have signed the NDAs, and my honor as an Endarian is too important to waste over such minor details that will likely be revealed later. Most of the things discussed here were already briefed to me by my senior leadership." He said, as he looked around the room. His eyes locking onto the logistical officer. "One might even say someone is a little loose with whom they share their information with."

Then his eyes turned away from the logistical officer and rested back on the general. "Back to your original query. The pair bond is a sacred and spiritual connection between two warriors. Often enacted by soldiers, it is a way to confirm that you know where your partner is always, along with how they are doing and what their general feelings are at any particular moment. This soldier pair bonding can be improved upon, each increase creates a deeper and more spiritual connection between pairs. The fifth and final tier of the pair bond is often called the marriage bond, as it is a connection so deep that unless performed with your spouse or someone wishing to remain your spouse, it will cause…" He trailed off as he tried to think of the correct words to say in English. "Complications at the very least."

Hearing that General Sharma nodded, her eyes never swaying too far away from the logistical expert who somehow managed to look both shocked and mortified at the same time.

"What does it mean to break a pair bonding?"

Hearing that, the liaison shuddered slightly, "such an act is not advised. Often the only way to truly sever such a bond is by death. This often leads to depression and ultimately worsening physical results for the surviving party."

Hearing that, General Sharma nodded in understanding. "So, we were out played." She said to the room. Then sat down at her chair. "What does this mean for us?" She asked her officers that were gathered around for information.

"General, if I may?" The Liaison asked, while gingerly holding up a finger. It was clear he was trying to mimic a human gesture, one that showed submissive intent, but was failing slightly.

"Go on."

"I don't think you should think of this as being out played, per say. From my understanding the one resource was always off limits. Instead, all we did was make sure the potentially devastating resource was not set loose upon you, while also allowing for a pair bonding of two of your most talented cadets. This should be touted as a win. With your first paired soldiers, you should see drastic improvements. The two pairings are also likely being looked on favorably by Endarian senior leadership, as they show that your species is more than capable of first pair bonding. And more importantly you can pair bond with us as well. This is not something to be overlooked. It is believed that the soul of people who can form a pair bond must be exceptional souls, as throughout our history every pair who has created such a bond has gone on to do amazing things. So, the fact that you have shown three candidates who are capable of creating such bonds from such a small sample size is quite impressive. That is seen as just under three percent, to put this in perspective that is almost ten times higher than Endarians can generally have."

Hearing this General Sharma nodded, this was a lot to take in but her face denoted understanding.

With that, the liaison continued. "We have often…"

A NOTE FROM LYKANTHROPY

As promised. For this story having over one THOUSAND followers, here is the eighth of ten chapters that will be released this week.

Thank you all so much, and lets hope we can keep this story growing to two-thousand.

SUPPORT "THE 13TH LOOP [A PROGRESSION, GAMELIT, SCI-FI ADVENTURE]"

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The 13th Loop [A Progression, GameLit, Sci-Fi Adventure]

Lykanthropy

Chapter 36 Portals and Temples

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Chapter 36

Portals and Temples

"You are here to learn about Portals, their creation, their execution, and how we can learn to create one." Professor Astria said, floating in a cloud.

Me being the translator, I of course parroted everything she said in Endarian back into English.

She still had that mysterious aura to her, but she was a lot more normal? No, normal wasn't quite the word I was looking for. Toned down, maybe? I don't know, all I do know is that she seems a lot calmer than she did when I first met her. No hauling me off to underground fight clubs, no making me grab her tightly as she sped wildly through city streets. It was somewhat sad, in a way. I had grown to appreciate the professor Astria from my universe. She taught me so much by doing, versus just telling me.

"Portal theory is advanced and complicated. There are two main ways to create a portal. The first and easiest is with the line-of-sight approach." She began and I translated.

"This is the simplest, as it is the one that our minds can cast on a moving planet in space. The reason we can do this, is because we see the spot and our mind automatically compensates for the rotation, spin, and alignment of the planet we are on as it is feeling those exact motions and creates a rift in space that in fact rotates and spins through space at the same exact speed and rate as the one you create. Thus, a one for one effect is created, meaning no additional math or compensating controls are needed by the portal creator."

She pauses as she lets this idea sink in. For me even my translations are having a hard time expressing this, as there are so many nuances in her words and structure that I feel she is almost testing me as a translator as well. When I finish my translation she nods, almost as if she approves of my retelling of her idea.

"This of course brings me to the second and most complex form of creating a portal. I call this method the blind casting. This is the equivalent of playing darts blindfolded and trying to hit the bullseye while the floor you are on rotates, and the dart board itself begins flowing away at a different direction entirely."

"This second form of portal creation is more of portal theory than anything. This portion requires so much focus, concentration, and the ability to account for rotational speeds that it at first seems impossible. Well, I am here to tell you now that such things are not impossible. Instead, they are just improbable." Astria says as she pulls up a three-dimensional rendering of the universe with two planets highlighted.

"Here is the universe as it currently exists, with all the moving parts. This is a standard living star chart, one that is meant to show you the rotations and movements of planets as they are currently. With this map we can do many things. But for a portal creator at the peak of their profession, this is invaluable. With this we can map out courses and portals to different planets." She speaks.

I repeat, but even I have an incredulous look to my face. But the look only lasts for a second, as I remember how we were able to pull the Scourge through rift pockets into the facility. Once I remembered that piece of technology from my universe, this demonstration suddenly seemed much more realistic, if absurdly complex.

"This is where we are currently. You can see that we are located on part of the planet that is facing the sun." She says, pointing to a blue-green planet that is circling a giant golden star.

"Now over here, you can see your planet." She says pointing out Wizard Kyle, who is the only human student here. "I want to point out the fact that your planet's temple, the one object visible from space is on the dark side of the planet. Meaning it is currently nighttime at the temple. That will make this trickier to show, but please pay attention while I perform this."

She pauses as she stands up from her cloud, stretches slightly, then walks forward to where she is in between herself and the seven or so students of this class. In all there are seven students, the previously mentioned Wizard Kyle, and six Endarians. Well both Rayquel and I are also here, but that is to be expected.

She focuses for a second, then draws forth an exceptional amount of mana from her body. Then with the wave of her hand creates a small window sized rift in space that clearly shows the Temple in all its glory. Lit by the different nighttime lights that are designed to both accentuate the temple, while alerting of anyone trying to gain unauthorized access. We can even see the guards moving at the temple. One seems to notice the portal window and points it out, at this Professor Astria quickly kills the energy to the portal. Then just as quickly as it had begun, the portal was closed, and Astria looked visibly put out by such an act.

"There. Now you can see the true majesty of portals. The only thing that limits what you can do is your own imagination. Well imagination, ability to perform complex mathematical equations in your head and adjust your variables constantly. Simple, really."

With that she sagged slightly, as the amount of power required to have performed such a feat was beyond impressive. She had literally shown that with portals one could move anywhere in the universe in a second.

"That is all I have for portals class today. Those of you that are not pair bonded may leave. Those of you that are pair bonded need to stay. Don't worry your pair bonds have already been instructed to come here." The professor states as she conjures another cloud and begins using it to lounge upon.

Looking at her, I must admit that her level of power and control are amazing. Even when exhausted she still manages to look both graceful and comfortable.

With the dismissal, Wizard Kyle stays, along with two of the other Endarian students. Rayquel and I both stay as well. We were told that this would be our official training spot for the day as well. Though when I asked what we would be doing, Rayquel looked a little crestfallen.

In fact, she had been entirely off her game since I asked if she had ever been committed to someone. She had, that much was obvious, both from her physical reactions, and from the pain I felt in our bond. I could tell that such a topic would cause her a lot of strain, so I offered to drop the subject. That was when she noted, "there is another way. Rather than tell you, I could show you."

Hearing this I was intrigued. My appearance and pheromones likely gave me away as she continued.

"Our bonding, we can strengthen it. The next step, of our pair bonding is Acceptance. This is likely the most important building block step for a pairing. This is the one where you let your partner enter your mind, and fully merge with what it is like to be the partner. With this there will be no secrets, no lost moments, just pure acceptance. This is also the most dangerous, as it is often the stage from which most pair bonds never recover or are able to move on from." Rayquel said, as she looked deeply into my eyes.

At that, I had no answer. I was a one hundred- and fifty-three-year-old being living in an eighteen-year-old body. Though I kept making the same stupid mistakes, then I remembered that I wasn't one hundred and fifty-three, not technically. Instead, all I could do was pull from the memory of other lives. Lives where I was betrayed and died horrible deaths repeatedly. Could I subject her to those memories? Would she be okay after having relived some of the most excruciating deaths I had ever encountered? Also, there was another matter to contend with. The fact that in the first few lives we were bitter rivals. She was the cause of my first death, and two of my first three. Then I managed to learn her weak points, I would strike at her with malicious fury.

It wasn't until the scourge came that we were no longer ordered to fight and kill each other. But even then, the animosity between us was fierce. In fact, this was my first time getting to know the Iron Butterfly. I had been so lost in knowing her by her code name, that I forgot she was a real person. A person with a code-name. A code-name, I have found, is an easy way to dehumanize a person. It is a lot easier to say that Monster X did such and such. Then with this revelation I realize why my own humans had likely given me the same distinction with my own name. Goldman-X, was likely their way of saying it was okay to kill me. That was a little easier to stomach than saying, kill Kyle. At least that was my revelation about the whole thing.

"Are you okay?" Soft words float into my ear and send a shiver down my spine. Her words now tingle in a way that is both calming and alluring. I focus my mind on not committing myself to feeling attraction to her, not until I work things out with Mel.

It is so odd, at this point I have been away from her for the exact time we were together. Still, it hurts thinking that I could be considered the one to be unfaithful. I have never been that type of person, and I swore I would never let myself become that person.

I had lingering fears. The first and most important one was, how was she doing? She had literally changed her whole life around to be with me. Then in one monumental moment of stupidity, I made it so we could no longer be together. Then there was the whole point of her now being in the military, which meant her odds of running into my brother had increased dramatically. Before when she was just a civilian the odds of their paths crossing were astronomically small. But now, I didn't know. At the same time, I've been getting these feelings like something was wrong. Something was spiraling out of control and that Mel was in danger. Yet, despite all of this I was stuck here. Worse, I had likely betrayed some form of trust, with my pair bond with Rayquel.

The most frustrating thing was that I didn't even know how to feel about everything. A part of me wished the doctor was here, he had a way of providing a new and unique perspective at life that I felt was lacking at this moment.

"Hmm?" A purr in the form of a question brought my mind back from its million-mile race. Finally taking a deep breath, I calmed myself. I was about to answer with a lie, but then realized such a comment would be a waste of time with Rayquel who could literally smell my lies. Realizing it was just easier to tell the truth than not, I shrugged.

"No."

"Anything I can help with?" She asked, still close enough that her breath caused my skin to tingle.

I turn to lock eyes with her, she stares back. Her eyes never wavering even for a moment. Not for the first time I wonder what life would have been like if I could have met her earlier. Then I immediately feel guilty for such thoughts, again I needed to talk to Mel. To see where she stood on things, to see if she had moved on. Before I could go down that rabbit hole again, or even reply to Rayquel, my thoughts were interrupted by a new speaker.

"Good you are all here." General Fellina, I mean General Tigran, said as she made her way forward. A quick glance around showed that there were now ten of us, including the General and Professor Astria.

"Today, you will all begin your training for a prestigious run at the famed Gemini Temple." Tigran continued.

At those words several past lives came to mind. Ones where I had seen, laid eyes on and in one case conquered the territory surrounding the great temple. In each case we thought the temple was merely closed or lost its power like so many other temples had over the millennium. But had this one managed to survive somehow? Was this universe so odd, that this temple had managed to survive.

"The temple's name might be a dead give-away, but I will spell it out for those of you who are slow on the uptake. The Gemini Temple is one only for those of you who have managed to successfully pair bond with another. Each stage of your bond allows you access to a minimum of ten levels of the temple. Until level forty. There are supposedly levels beyond forty, but those levels are said to be so dangerous and fraught with peril that no one has dared go beyond." With that Tigran gave a pointed look to Rayquel.

Rayquel for her part turned her head away and looked at the ground in shame. There was something there, but I didn't want to pry. Instead, I turned back to the Endarian General who was still explaining what would happen.

"As you may or may not be aware, we open access to the different temples with each year's end of service to the Endarian Military. This is a way of promoting those who serve, while also ushering in the new year with pride."

From the wording it is clear she means the calendar year, or the Endarian equivalent of a calendar year, as opposed to an actual year's worth of military service. This means that we only have just under four months' time before the temples would become open to us.

"Also, it should be noted that certain factors will be placed on when and which temples you can enter. The more temples you clear, the higher your overall ranking should be to get into one of the prestigious temples." She says the part about clearing temples to me and Wizard Kyle. This gesture is no doubt made to let us realize we have a slight advantage by having already completed the human temple and its amazing fifty floors.

"But I wanted you all to be aware that since you all have pair bonded, you have a unique opportunity to run not one, but two temples in the same year. As pair bonded, you can enter the Gemini Temple, in addition to a second temple of your individual choosing."

This was often the case; most temples were for individual runs. The fact that a Gemini temple existed at all was wholly unique. Though looking back, the name should have explained why no human had ever managed to make the cut.

"…Let us know now, if you and your bonded partner wish to train for a sacred spot within the Gemini Temple. Remember, that you can only enter as a bonded pair once." The General said, again this last time she seemed to be directing her full attention towards Rayquel.

Rayquel for her part just nodded slightly.

With that the final meeting of the day was over.

I could hear the different groups of bonded pairs talking. Well, I could only hear Jess and Wizard Kyle talking, the others I guess were communicating through pheromones.

I locked eyes with Rayquel, who looked flustered by the sudden attention. Wanting to cut it off before this could get awkward, I waved a dismissive hand.

"Look, I don't care. I just want to know if you are in or out?"

She just turned slightly red at the comment.

"What? Do you want to do it, or not?" I asked.

Hearing that she got even redder in the face and then began laughing uncontrollably.

I looked at her confused for a second, but then my mind caught up to what she was laughing about. "You are laughing at innuendo?" I ask, somewhat flustered by the whole situation.

"I'm sorry, my mind was somewhere else." She began, and I could almost see her trying to hold back. Then just before my faith in Endarians not being complete perverts was restored, she went and asked her next question. "Can you start over from the in and out part?"

I roll my eyes and turn away disgustedly. I honestly don't know what to think about her at this point. This whole thing seemed so out of place for her.

"Look wait, sorry." She says, reaching out and grabbing my arm. I turn back to her. "It is just that this has been a really long day. We just got bonded, which means I am more in touch with your emotional state now. Also, I am more aware of your pheromones than ever, and let's just say it makes it hard to concentrate."

Suddenly looking at her, I can see that she is squirming slightly. I knew that she had said something about my pheromones being intense before, but I didn't realize that the pair bond had made them worse.

"Am I distracting you?" I ask, suddenly feeling somewhat guilty.

"No." A pulse of guilt flows through our bond. I look at her and realize she is lying. As soon as she realizes I felt the pang she lets out a slight sigh, before continuing. "Well, yes, but I am trying to deal with it."

"Should I give you some space?" I ask, but I almost feel my own form of spiritual pain from that as well. It would be like losing a part of myself.

"No, we can't, at least not at first. This is the part where the bond is most unstable. The part where our entire personalities could be changed if we sought to damage the connection. No, we…I just need to learn to deal with this. Honestly, I didn't think I would be granted such a chance again, and I don't want to ruin this. So, whatever we need to do, to make this work, I am for it. No intimacy, fine. No touching, okay. I just can't let this opportunity go. So, you say it, I will do it."

Hearing that I felt a lot of emotions come through our bond. I also noticed some of the words she chose.

"This isn't your first pairing?"

She shakes her head, "no."

Hearing that I nod in understanding. I figured there was something like that with the way the General glanced at her with the comment of floors beyond level forty. I also knew her response if I asked to know more. Or at least I knew the answer she gave me earlier. The next step of the bond, mind merging. But that was a big commitment from both of us. I still wasn't ready for such a commitment from someone that wasn't Mel. Heck, at this point I would likely need a few days of talking to Mel again before I would consider something like that with her.

"Okay, so what would you like to do?" I finally ask, realizing that my own soul chose her. This meant, well I didn't really know what it meant, other than my spirit knew something I didn't. That or my spirit felt it could grow by forming a partnership with Rayquel. In a way, the more I thought about it we were similar, or at least we had similarities. We both had breakups that were too painful to talk about even now. I knew she was aware of my feelings for Jess, but now I wondered if she too had previous feelings for someone else.

Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes for a moment. Then a second later she opened her eyes and tries to force out a real answer. Only after I feel the level of resolve coming from her soul not to say what she was truly thinking, did I realize what I had done to her again. I had given her another childish open-ended question that could have been interpreted in many ways.

"I would like to prepare for another Gemini temple run…"

A NOTE FROM LYKANTHROPY

As promised. For this story having over one THOUSAND followers, here is the ninth of ten chapters that will be released this week.

Thank you all so much, and lets hope we can keep this story growing to two-thousand.

SUPPORT "THE 13TH LOOP [A PROGRESSION, GAMELIT, SCI-FI ADVENTURE]"

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The 13th Loop [A Progression, GameLit, Sci-Fi Adventure]

Lykanthropy

Chapter 37 Shoddy Work and Rapid Deployments

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Chapter 37

Shoddy Work and Rapid Deployments

You ever have a group project? One where there are three of you. You have to do one thing, one fucking minor thing, the same exact way three times. Well really just once, but for this instance three times. You do it twice. Two of you even team up to make sure the task is done correctly. Then you try to team up with the third person, but they just don't want to work with you. So, you trust the third person that they did the assignment, the one very important assignment correctly. Only to find out two weeks later that not only did they half-ass the assignment, but they also ended up destroying the core of their planet completely?

No? No planetary death by failure to do an assignment to satisfactory conditions? No genocide level events caused by complete ineptitude of the third member of the team? Well, aren't you just lucky? Either you had good teammates, or your assignments weren't that important.

I know what I'm thinking right about now. Why didn't I go to community college? Am I right?

Well in case you haven't guessed by now the Dwenvarian, or space dwarfs as they are commonly referred to, fucked up. Not going to sugar coat it and say that Rayquel and I were ready to help a week ago when we were already out on a mission. Not going to say I told you so, again mainly due to translation errors. If you thought the translation of that idiom to Endarian was bad, the Dwenvarian version is far worse. In Dwenvarian the idiom I told you so translates to "use the hammer and forge like your father taught you." Again, idioms especially across space faring races should be avoided at all costs.

If the translation didn't already inform you, let me make it blatantly obvious. Dwenvarians don't exactly call themselves space dwarfs, that is the term we came up for them, when we first began integrating ourselves with them. Their culture is odd to say the least. While humans and Endarians have gone to the spaceship form of space travel. The Dwenvarians have gone to a mechanoid approach, yep, space mechs. Small space mechs that have large weapons to compensate for nothing.

They say you can tell a Dwenvarian's worth by the size of their beard. The Dwenvarian space mechs are no different. A piece of scrap metal from every enemy killed will be melted down and forged into a unique piece of beard to be worn by the mechanoid. Thus, it is not uncommon to see a prolific mechanoid combatant with multiple colors and lengths of beard. The beard serves a dual purpose of providing both extra armor and protection for the driver of the mechanioid, while also serving as a supposed deterrent for combat.

As for me, personally I never found the beards all that intimidating. The minds of the mechanoid pilots were never protected by the metal beards, nor did a longer beard imply the pilot would have greater mental resistances. In the end most mechanoid pilots were easy target practice for Mind Renders like me. Then again with Psionic capabilities expanding by a thousand-fold in space, it is little wonder why the Endarians were seen as the dominant force in space. While the Dwenvarians began conquering planets from the inside out. It wasn't until we humans came along that the delicate balance of power was thrown off.

At first, we were welcomed by the Dwenvarians as we were seen as a natural rival to the Endarians. Only to then find out that we too liked the minerals and resources of planets, especially after the Dwenvarians shared many of their processes with us. The end result was, we were ultimately hated by both until recently.

I have the honor of being the only human in this converging fleet coming from Endarian space. The humans are amassing their own reserve force, but logistics dictate that they will be later as it will take not one but two hops from human space to reach the Dwenvarian's home world, Fjorid.

As for us, Rayquel and I will be the poster children for the joint operation. We already have a camera set up with her in the front and me in the back. The only problem is that, while I am in the co-pilot seat, I am the one in primary control. The reason for this is simple and can be summed up in one word, politics. Yes, I am in an Endarian ship, joining in on an Endarian mission. Thus, I will need to take the back seat to the true Endarian noble, Rayquel. Fortunately, I have monitors set up that allow me to see what is in front of the ship. Also, additional crystalline compensators have been added to help increase my Psionic range even more.

Why am I still the pilot, even though I should be performing the role of overwatch? Simple, I'm the better pilot. My Piloting skill is at 77% overall, now it should be pointed out that this considers all forms of piloting, from piloting freighters, to piloting large scale transport vessels, to piloting mechanoid pieces of garbage. If you name it, and it flies my piloting skill will tell how I rank in relationship to flying any of those other pieces of trash. My love, my true reason for learning to fly in the first place is the fighter plane. I have a main specialty with human fighter pilot that has me at ninety-nine plus percent, making me one of the top aces. What isn't listed is my secondary specialty of Endarain fighter pilot, which has a respectable ninety-nine percent. Note the fact that I am missing the plus? That is literally the only difference in the numbers, one of the Endarian pilots is slightly better than me.

"Thank you again." Rayquel says, her voice low. The voice feed is still off from our broadcast and our lips are likely being blurred out. But we still have a live feed of us in our respective seats. The angles of the cameras are at such an angle to make our hands and arms appear off screen. This is done for a reason, as this will make it easier to sell the fact that we are in the correct roles.

See humans only send up one pilot and prefer to send up psionics at that. The idea being the psionic will be better able to move and fight as an individual. The Endarians believe that two minds are better than one. While the Psionic, or more often the case, the Psychic minded Endarian plays the role of the gunner. The Mage will be the one to pilot the ship. In Rayquel's case, this piloting is not possible. First, she is not a mage. Secondly there is something about the magical resonance of her wings makes it so the crystals she would normally use to control the ship go haywire and cause immediate problems. This is standard for most truly gifted Psychics when dealing with the finicky crystalline matrices of the cockpit. I am somehow able to negate this problem due to my dual class situation. Also, the previously mentioned amplification crystals under me also help to feed off any residual psychic phenomena that could interfere with the instrument panel and direct it elsewhere. Still, it would look unseemly for a human to spearhead the entire operation. Thus, the modified cockpit with Rayquel, the Iron Butterfly leading the way. Her wings up and fully exposed. This too is by design. First her having to fold her wings is apparently quite painful. Secondly her wings serve as both a calling card denoting who she is and helps further hide me from the cameras that are set up in the cockpit.

Apparently, her last partner was a double-classer like me. Or someone who fulfilled both the role of pilot and the role of Mage. Well apparently, the other person was way more qualified than a Support Mage, like me, but it was determined that Rayquel would be more than enough to make up for our differences. At least that is the way the media is spinning this joint operation. I come across as someone basking in Rayquel's shadow, as opposed to being the one driving the vehicle, providing the fire power, and being the strategic level asset with in-depth knowledge of the alien foe.

Apparently, my skill affinities were part of why General Tigran, there I got it right the first time, paired both Rayquel and me up. Our pair bonding was just a glorious benefit. I personally didn't mind, as it meant I was officially an Endarian citizen, and thus any attempts by the human governments to lock me up again would be seen as a war crime. So, I filed the paperwork almost immediately declaring myself a full Endarian citizen and emancipating myself from the humans of this universe.

The paperwork is still being processed. I find it funny how currents and stores of data can travel at faster than light speed, but everything dealing with bureaucracy still needs to seemingly have a human sacrificed to grease the wheels of efficiency. Not that I am contemplating murder, just saying people might feel more motivated if certain conditions were met. Though I guess this couldn't be a joint human and Endarian operation if I was a full Endarian subject. I have a feeling that my swaying of racial denominations will be used as a political trump card later, but that is a battle for another time.

"Not a problem, we are a team." I say, after I feel the slight pulse of emotions from our bond letting me know she is worried about my response. I still find the whole thing odd, how I can feel her uncertainty within me.

"Still, I know I couldn't do this without you."

"Stop that, you know you would be fine." I say, not liking the uncertainty that was building within her. I have a question that is forming on my mind, one that I think would answer why she feels so vulnerable right now. One that I think would provide insight into why she lost her first pairing. I am about to ask the question, if nothing else than to fill the lull in time before we are set to start.

For anyone not familiar with a major military operation, the idiom hurry up and wait are the four best words to describe the whole ordeal. We have been prepped and loaded for hours, especially as the Thessia Academy was labeled as the official congregation point for this joint operation. Why Thessia Academy? The answer is simple and can be summed up in one word, Astria.

Simply put, Astria is the leading expert on Portal creation. Since she was already here at the Academy, along with both Rayquel and me it was made into a big promotional opportunity. The freaky human joining forces with the Endarian beauty who had the wings of regalia adorning her back. The new power couple who recently pair bonded, a sign that the Endarians and Humans had a lot in common. Yep, I was being used in an act of war against the Scourge as a sign for how peace could be achieved between Endarians and Humans alike. I was okay with this, even when I went back, the humans and Endarians would need to keep peaceful relations if they wanted to deal with the Prolaxian menace.

"Hmm." A pain filled reverberation filled our bond, at the same time Rayquel let out a pain filled humming sound. I was about to ask what but was cut off.

"All right, this is a standard spear thrust formation. Astria will open the portal, then you will dash through as quickly as possible. Once through break right, left, up, down in that order. This way you should manage to clear the initial entry point without problem. Remember we have a short time window before Astria will be forced to shut down the portal."

Thinking back on her classroom lecture from the other day, us performing this operation in space made the most sense. While she could clearly contemplate the vast intricacies and mathematics of creating portals on two planets that were rotating in opposite directions, why bother. Instead, she would just effectively punch a hole in between two areas of space and let us travel through. We were packed tightly in a diamond formation; this was believed to be the largest that Astria was able to create a dimensional rift in space to cover such a vast distance. To help prepare we were already set up in formation and waiting for her to create the portal.

Rayquel and I were at the front of the line, it wouldn't work to have the two stars of the operation to not be able to join the operation. So we were at the very tip, the second group to go through. This was also done to ensure our safety, sometimes the rifts were not fully formed when ships tried to go through. So being second in was often seen as a spot of the most chances to succeed. This all sounded like superstition and statistics to me, but who was I to argue with orders.

I first felt the surge of energy before I saw the portal get created. In space a giant green arc appeared in front of us. The readout and instruments before me of course said nothing, but my magical senses told me that great swaths of power were being called forth and mobilized to this one point.

"Go, go, go!" The commander called out before the rift in space had fully formed. This was part of the plan, as we would hopefully be going through the portal at the exact second the portal connection fully stabilized. I was already moving the second I felt the first craft in front of me lurch forward.

Then just before the ship in front of me would have either flown through the non-existent hole, thus missing it entirely, or reached a hole that was not fully stabilized. A miracle happened, the ovular rift in space opened and swallowed the first row of ships completely. Instantly minds that had been right within my range suddenly blinked out. Just as I was contemplating this odd experience it was our turn to enter the tunnel.

Space whipped by in a blur for a second, then we were through and immediately thrown into a fight. Banking a hard right, I turned and immediately began to engage the enemy. Scourge as dark as space flew like an unending curtain of death straight towards us.

"Evasive maneuvers!" I shouted, as I began turning about. The first row of ships was already captured in the wall of cascading darkness. Not even having a chance to see or even react to the black insects that were splattering against their crafts.

"AHH! Clink, clank, clunk." Came over the airwaves as the first row of ships were already being engulfed and extinguished by the space cockroaches.

As for me I was already making plans on falling back. "Fall back." That was until the next wave of ships came through, apparently the portal either didn't allow for communications to proceed back, or we were already too committed to this process to turn back now. Realizing we couldn't go back; I did the only thing I could.

I amplified my Mind Rend, using the amplifying crystals below me and projected it out in a wave of death before me. I was little better than having your windshield wiper on during a hurricane, but I tried. At the very least I would carve a path forward for those who came later to follow. At least that was the goal. I definitely wasn't retreating in a forward direction; such actions are not possible given military procedures. Even if that was in essence what I was doing. I couldn't turn back, as I would likely crash into the next waves of ships coming forward, and I couldn't stay by the entry way as that was where the curtain of death awaited us. The only way to move, with even a slight chance of living was forward.

So that's what we did, we retreated forward, through the enemy lines. I felt like a knight trying to charge at a dragon. In this case my lance would be my Mind Rend, which I used to kill each mind indiscriminately before me. This was also a reason why I couldn't retreat back; with such indiscriminate use of power, I would rend friend and foe alike. Thus, my need to lead the charge.

Darkness engulfed us, as for a moment it looked like we were lost in our own pocket dimension of hell. One where there was no sight, no sound, only pure emptiness. Emptiness and falling alien bodies.

Clump. Clump. Clump.

The bodies of the dead softball sized creatures clattered against our vessel before veering off harmlessly into space.

"Eeep!" Rayquel squealed up ahead, I could tell she was cowering in fear. I couldn't really blame her I would be too if I was in her shoes. She was in all essence powerless to do anything about this. She could neither drive the vessel, nor direct her attacks. She was little more than a glorified figurehead at this point.

Then finally, I felt the surge of minds before us start to dwindle, then die out entirely. One second, we were surrounded in a sea of complete darkness. Then the next we were blasting free from the curtain of death and looking down on the remains of the wasted Dwenvarian home world of Fjorid.

The signs of orbital bombardment were clearly evident to see, but orbital bombardment only went so far when so many different Dwenvarian settlements went so deep underground. In the end, looking at the planet it was clear that such countermeasures would not have been enough to take care of the scourge. At least not against the Dwenvarian settlements.

A quick glance around showed the remains of the Dwenvarian orbital fleet of mechanoid infantry. Ships and armored constructs depicting different Dwenvarians floated listlessly in space. Looking at the scene it was something out of a horror movie. Then closing my eyes, I performed a quick flip of the vessel, so that we were now facing back towards the path I had just carved.

The path that was even now being filled in by more and more monsters.

A NOTE FROM LYKANTHROPY

As promised. For this story having over one THOUSAND followers, here is the tenth of ten chapters that were released this week.

Thank you all so much, and lets hope we can keep this story growing to two-thousand followers.

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Chapter 38 Talking Correctly While Acting Stupidly

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Chapter 38

Talking Correctly While Acting Stupidly

"We have broken containment. Sector Sigma One Alpha Nine. Thanks to a lancer movement made possible by my Psionic spear, we have breached a line in the enemy formation. Turning back around now to give supporting fire and administer cluster charges with extreme prejudice!" Rayquel states clearly in a tone that stirs something deep inside me.

"Love it when you talk all dirty." I say, as I do what she suggests. I begin lining up the cluster barrages to fire out at large intervals around our exit point. The enemy is still surging forward, seemingly oblivious to the fact that we broke containment. That or these versions are the un-evolved destroyers that just go ever forward until they either burn out or find a new target to feed off.

Seeing my commands coming to life, she states clearly and concisely what I am doing. "Administering high impact telekinetic rounds now."

WHOOSH! The sound of the bombs leaving the tubes is the only indication we have that anything has happened. Once the rounds enter space, the death and destruction unleashed is oddly silent.

I fire every barrel of every weapon we have, all while administering the depth charges like grandpa taught me to use grenades to fish properly as a child. I didn't quite understand the way the grenades could explode underwater, something about the initial explosion being contained within the grenade itself. With that same form of logic defying physics, these cluster charges went off, releasing crystallized shrapnel. Why crystallized shrapnel? Simple this is a space elf plane, which means we couldn't do anything without their magic glittering crystals.

In this case I am very thankful for the odd eccentricities of the Endarians, as their crystalline shrapnel bombs expand ever outward away from us. Theoretically we just fired directly at our comrades who were coming from the other end of the portal created by Astria, but they are so far away and separated by so many alien bodies that there is little way to believe these bombs pose any immediate threat to friendly forces.

"Initial salvo released. Got another run in you, partner?" She asks me, as she turns her head back and lowers her wings slightly as if to try to talk to me face to face. This is all for show of course, the viewers at home will of course think the display is disingenuous, unless we physically move and talk to each other. With that I nod.

"Let's do it." I say, as I begin to guide us back into the back lines of the enemy. Once again, I am using the enhanced clarity that being on so many foci crystal affords me. Within seconds I feel the minds of thousands of tiny minds and manage to blink them out of existence in seconds.

"Heading Omega, Two Alpha Eight." She calls out loudly. This is for both me and the rest of the team. Again, I can't distinguish a mind at this current moment. Instead, all I can do is carve huge swaths in the endless swarm before us. Just like last time I charge forward, knowing from previous experience that if we are going to survive in an Endarian ship, we will need to clear all the way through to an ambient source of light. That was part of my initial reason for charging straight through the enemy lines earlier. If we had stopped even for a second, we could have been cut off from power sources, meaning our ability to get consumed whole by the endless waves of monster would be nearly quadrupled. Especially if the beasts were able to do more than bounce off lifelessly from our vessel.

Crackle.

Out of the corner of my eye I see and hear the crackling of a windshield. In a moment of panic, I look up.

Badump.

My heart races at the sudden surge of fear before we charge forward. I slam on the brakes just before we enter, but the crack I had just seen a moment ago is gone.

"What is it?" Rayquel asks.

"Nothing. I just thought I saw something."

"Saw what?"

"Nothing.

"WHAT did you see?" She demands. I feel a sudden spike from our bond and realize she likely felt my sudden surge of fear from my bond to her as well.

"Look I thought I saw a crack form in the windshield." I admit, as I am about to go forward with the path she chose.

"Wait, changing destination, now heading southeast, Epsilon One Alpha Eight."

"Okay?" I shrug, as I change the course slightly again. This time I feel it, a deep pounding in my chest like my heart is trying to escape while it still can.

"Correction. I have found the enemy main force. All units direct your fire towards Epsilon One Alpha Eight." Rayquel says.

Badump.

My heart is still racing. I can feel sweat pouring on my face, but it is suddenly less than it was before.

"Firing the last of our rounds towards the anomaly." Rayquel says. Then a ping on my map shows the intended spot where she is talking about. I fire the last of our kinetic rounds at the area she indicates. Shortly after the missiles are away, my heart comes to a normal rest and is able to stop pounding.

Flash.

There is a white-hot light that temporarily blinds our screens for a moment. Then after a second the dark waves of monsters that had been serving as a sort of visible protection from the Prolaxian's hive mind suddenly becomes seen.

As soon as I see it, my mind becomes awake with memories of being so close to defeating a few of these fleet commanders that I pause for a second.

"We have visual on a hive mind." Rayquel states clearly.

For a second, I am at a loss, how did she know what this creature was?

I remember her saying something about ancient records from when they first encountered the Prolaxians, but did that mean they recorded all evolutionary forms of the great creatures? Also, if they had records, why didn't they share with the other space faring races? Or maybe they had, and it hadn't trickled down to my level? That much is possible, then again, they might have thought informing me was a minor point, as I already knew about the dangers of these extra planar beings.

"I can't sense its mind." We were close enough that I should be able to sense something that massive. Looking at it, it was likely like the psychic hunter I fought on the Endarian home world. The one that could shield its mind from mental assaults.

"Prepare contained breathing apparatuses. We are going in." She declares.

I feel hesitation on our end, but since she is giving the order, I can't help but obey. She is after all my path forger. Part of the bond is that she leads the way, while I watch her back. Even if she is telling me to charge head long into death, she is the one leading the way. Feeling confident that she wouldn't want to commit suicide or something else as stupid, I follow her lead.

With a few clicks of levers my tubes are sealed and any attachments to the cockpit are removed. With only my seatbelt in place I head forward, knowing that Rayquel will have more time than me to prepare.

We are charging froward, from the other end I see bright flashing lights. A sign that concentrated fire is being directed at the spot in question from the rest of the Endarian wing. The only problem is, is that we are now separated by one large monster who is believed to be capable of controlling and directing billions of these tiny terrors through space.

As we get closer, I see what looks to be a giant round world, with long tentacles that come out from the giant sphere in the way flagella would move around a particularly large amoeba. In this case there are hundreds if not thousands of giant flagella whipping around wildly. Each shake gives impulses and sends fort electrical currents that guide and direct the millions of tiny monstrous beings forward.

"Lasers are useless against this creature. Intel states that only Magical and Psionic attacks will work on this creature. Its mind is completely concealed through its veiling technique, meaning you can't Mind Rend it. Since this is space, Pyrokinesis also won't work."

She is right, I do need oxygen to keep a fire going. As such Pyrokinesis is a no go. Mentally I wonder about creating air to then immediately burn before it goes off into space, but quickly dismiss that idea. Such an idea is not worth testing during the heart of battle.

"Well, I guess I can't Precognitive it to death either, meaning I only have one course of action." I state resolutely. Don't get me wrong, it is a powerful attack. It was particularly effective before it got its new evolved form when I was able to progress my class's rarity to Omega. Now this will be my first time truly using the new and evolved version of my power since I got it. A part of me is tingling with anticipation at the use of such a devastating power. Especially one that is amplified by focus crystals. For a moment I imagine myself sitting on a keg of gunpowder, while trying to light a tiny cigar. I quickly dismiss the image as I focus on my next step.

I aim us, so we are going in a straight line towards the monster. Then I kill the energy to the thrusters, while I set us on a locked course.

Manual Controls relinquished.

The command pops up on both my and Rayquel's console. "Okay?" She asks, but I am already closing my eyes as I am reaching out with everything I have. The giant monster is in range, well more than in range at this point.

Thunk, thunk, thunk.

Dead softball sized monster corpses crash against our ship. Any deviation of course is automatically corrected by the on-board computer that is now locked in on the giant monster.

"You sure you got this?" Rayquel asks.

Grunt.

I hear her and instantly dismiss the thought as I need everything I have to focus. Reaching out with my Telekinesis-X tendrils I grab hold of the massive creature and begin to squeeze.

"SCCCRRREEEECCCCHHHH!!" A mind shaking cry of pain lashes out.

Crackle.

The windshield cracks just as I imagined it had earlier. Still, I focus away from that, from all the warning signs that are going off. From the beeping alarms of decreased hull integrity. Instead, I focus on my mission, knowing that Rayquel either will or will not jettison us off into space. So, we avoid explosive decompression as we are sucked through the openings created in our vessel as air is sucked out into space.

My body is floating, but I can't tell anything. Instead, all I do is keep my death grip on the creature with even more fervor than before. I've lost the power amplifier, but we are close enough now that such an assist is unnecessary. Instead, I squeeze and twist.

"SCRRRRREEEE!" The creature lets out another pitiful burst of psionic energy.

I feel and smell the sweet tang of blood. Fluid is pouring out my ear drums, but I am focused. I know it is either me or it. Also, I see the effect the scream is already having on her minions that are near us. Minions that if fully functional would be able to easily swarm and devour Rayquel and me. But we are safe, as the minds of billions of tiny creatures slowly die off, killed by the defensive cry of pain by the giant hive mind.

Realizing she, and yes something that is this much of a queen to all her kind, must be female. At least in my mind she must be. I also realize she is hurting her own forces more than she is hurting our own.

"HAHAHA!"

I laugh at the thought of the monster put in charge of these creatures somehow being the one to cause more death and destruction of her own kind that me. It is somewhat sad when I think about it. For a second, I almost feel jealous at such wanton destruction, but then realize that as the cause of her pain and distress I am the ultimate cause for the deaths of billions of scourge, I redouble my efforts.

Focusing one last time. My mind is mush, no longer aided by the crystals, and with so much reverberating backlash in my mind I can barely focus. I cast a Heal on both myself and Rayquel. Our bond letting me know exactly where she is, even though she is floating off listlessly away.

Then I breath in one deep breath, as I focus on my next task. I have never let go of my Telekinetic-X grip on her, on the queen bitch. Focusing my mind I ready myself for the next part.

Using my hands as foci, I begin channeling more and more tension into my Telekinetic grip, then before she can build up a resistance scream, I pull.

"DIE YOU BITCH!" I scream, as every fiber of my being is invested in this one attack.

I pull my hands apart, again my mind, body, and soul acting in perfect unison as all three perform the act together.

My mind is so connected with my body and soul that I feel the squishing sensation. I feel the moment the space resilient membrane gets pulled away and peeled back, allowing the fluid sac on the inside to explode forth.

Whoom.

My mind blinks. At least that is the best way to describe such static feedback. I lost consciousness for half a second, long enough for my telekinetic hold on the beast to lapse. In a panic I look around, trying to find the creature, only to see that it is still just lost chunks and particles in space.

At that realization, I realize just how close I came to losing entirely. The beast had nearly mounted its counterattack, an attack that even when mostly dissolved caused my mind to shut down entirely. The fact that I had killed her before she could unleash her final attack, is the only reason why I am still alive. Then I feel the strong connection from the other end of my pair bond. In that instant, I realize, that is the only reason we are still alive.

Nodding to myself, I realize there is still one more important thing to do. My eyes scanning, I search for something. Then finally my eyes land upon it, a giant floating sac that is easily the size of a small space craft. Seeing the large object, this is the fail-safe. The zombie sac. I am not certain if that is the correct scientific term, but it is the term the humans used to describe the sac's purpose and it is as good of a name as any.

With the sac destroyed, and the main source of competency for the scourge reduced to space pulp I relax. No minds are around me. Well one mind is near me, but I am having a hard time focusing on it now. My mind recognizes the mind and soul as belonging to Rayquel. With that, I cast one more round of heals on the two of us. Then I let darkness take me as my mind finally relaxes.

My last thought, at least if I die due to scourge, I won't be awake to feel them bursting to life from my insides.

With that one comforting thought, I let my mind give way fully to darkness.

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