The Battle of Death Mountain: Gamma

[Miranda Frost]

The battle raged on, the dragon army unable to break through the wall the Primes presented them. The mission had proved to be a tedious one. Miranda knew her job, but she aspired to accomplish more. They were to hold back the enemy so that Volvagia could be slain unhindered by her brood. Miranda would accomplish more. She, with her band, would crush the enemy rather than delay.

Even if they were on the same team however, it left a sour, nearly metallic taste in her mouth when the soldier, Conner, took her kill. Her remaining eye lowered upon him wordlessly. She took note of his mess, as if he were holding back a completely bestial side from the rest of them. This was a battle, where the truth of truths made themselves known. Attempted to defy this rule was a fool's errand. She watched, ignoring his shallow words, as he moved on to his next victim. When the fighting was over she'd have to speak with him.

The shepherd of fire's eye moved from her comrade to the final wave bounding towards the tiring primes. She couldn't hold her current form for much longer and fatigue began to hold its place in her chest. One could see her halo and wings flicker, and the crimson radiance in her eye start to fade. She would need to hold on for just a little longer. For what she saw that moment she could tell that they would either achieve victory or defeat at this moment. This time the group seemed to have many of Volvagia's eldest of offspring. Perhaps the battle with their younger brethren called to them, rousing them from slumber.

In either case it was either kill or be killed. At this point in the battle her coat had warded off most blows, but now it would do nothing but slow her down. She needed to help end this quickly, so shedding her armor would give her the boost she needed.

She  brought her hand up to the -ipper that held her coat together and pulled it down. The weight of the coat did the rest, shedding down from her form as she did so. From her short memory, she couldn't remember a time she ever freed herself from that prison. The feeling it gave her was one of weightlessness. Unhindered, her prosthetic arms and legs could perform at maximum efficiency.

Under the coat, one could find her wearing something a soldier would wear to battle in a more modern age. She wore tattered BDU pants with weathered black boots with an olive green shirt that at one time had not been sleeveless. The open mechanics of her arms had eaten into the clothing she wore beneath her protective coat. Any more injury to her body would surely force her to become more machine than human, though one could surely mistake her as something mechanical in nature.

She sighed and placed her hand on her chest as she walked toward the coming tide of fire and scale. Her form was about to expire, and even disappeared for a few moments.

Within her mind, words whispered to her "Call for us, the power in all of us", she spoke those words aloud, energy sparking from her hand into her chest to stir up the power within her anew. Her wing returned and her halo blinked to  life once more.

She crouched low and charged.

What happened then wouldn't be remembered. Her mind and memory had already been damaged and even now she was pushing it to their limits. The only thing she would be able to recall were flashes of red, the heat of fire washing over her, and the feeling and sound of scales cracking beneath her fevered fists. Her movements were a flurry, driven by pure instinct rather than skill. She could hear the voices in her ear: Her comrades, her enemies, the pulsating hum within her body.

When her mind returned to a working state she found herself upon her back bathed in the blood that could have either been hers or her enemies or perhaps both. Her body wracked in dull pain, but she could discern the injuries that had been dealt to her. Win or lose, she was spent. Her red eyes met the dark crimson of the sky above her. She found it odd that this world of fire and chaos would feel so peaceful. If it weren't for the pain in her chest and sides, it would have been relaxing.

"If any of you are still around... I may need assistance getting on my feet", she spoke softly into her coms. As embarrassing as it was, she would need them to help her get mobile.