WincumCestalot

I'm not dead, just super busy. Also, my PC died. That was fun. Also, also, sometimes I get distracted and start writing other stories.

...Chapter 14, Water Powered...

As I glance over at Mr Clarkson's door, barely fifteen minutes after we've arrived, I can hear a scratching sound follow the growl. A second later, Mr Clarkson is moving towards the door, a handgun I didn't see held tightly. He glances through the eyehole and then without taking more than a second, he presses the handgun against the door and pulls the trigger. As soon as the first shot echoes through his house, he slams the door open, following up his first with three more.

Sawyer and I are right behind him, but the raptor’s already lying across his front steps, it's limbs jerking softly.

Mr Clarkson opens his shirt, holstering his pistol as he retrieves the rifle he left leaning against the front porch when we brought the others inside. "Shouldn'ta left it out here," he mumbles as he looks out across the street. Then he turns to us. "You kids should get home. Bunker up. That message said there were gonna be more of these things."

I nod, looking down at the dead raptor. They're not that dangerous. Not when they're by themselves and one of my sisters is nearby. But he's right, we should get home. Grabbing his shoulder, I squeeze it, "Take care of yourself Mr Clarkson. And if you need to... come over to our place. It's a lot sturdier than here."

Mr Clarkson stares at me for a second, then chuckles, "Call me Peter, Darren. And... I might just take you up on that... in fact."

His face droops slightly as he glances around, his eyes drifting up the stairs. "Maybe you could take my kids? Not sure I want them around when everyone starts waking up."

"Uhm, sure?" I say, a little surprised at the request.

"Thanks. You know where their rooms are," he says, his eyes going back to the street.

Grabbing Sawyer and Bethany, we head up the stairs. At the top, Bethany grabs my shoulder and spins me around. "What are you doing Darren? Offering to let him stay with us?"

"What? We're the most fortified place-"

"What about us?" Bethany hisses out, barely audible. "You think it's not already complicated enough without bringing in people who'll judge us?"

"I..." I try to defend myself, but I didn't think about that. I was more worried about Mr Clarkson's safety. About all their safety. And even as I think about it, I still am. "It's the right thing to do, Bethany. So, it's a little inconvenient, and we might have to wait. Just means it's more important that we get those points to claim the settlement. Then we don't have to shelter anyone, right?"

Sawyer squeezes my hand while Bethany stares at me. Then she slumps, a smile creeping across her face. "You're such a goddamn, heroic, idiot. But you're right. We just need more points."

"Then?" I ask, gesturing up the stairs. She nods, and I move to Jon's room, pointing out Julie's room to my sisters. I knock on his door, before poking my head inside. But he's still unconscious.

I put him over my shoulder, struggling to keep him balanced. Might only be fourteen, but the kid's had one hell of a growth spurt since the last time I saw him. He's gotta be near as tall as I am by now. I only bump his elbow on the door twice as I maneuver him out of his room. My sisters are already waiting at the bottom of the stairs with the older, but much shorter, Julie slung between them.

The stairs are less of an obstacle than the bedroom door was, and I’m soon in the entrance lobby. Mr Clarkson is still standing at the front door, keeping watch. He nods at us as we move past with his kids. We're on the front lawn when the ground starts rumbling.

"Shit, more of them. Back inside kids," Mr Clarkson shouts, his rifle sounding off even as he speaks. Looking over my shoulder, I spot at least a dozen of the raptors charging in our direction. I sprint inside with Jon still over my shoulder. Instead of carrying him upstairs, I deposit him next to his mom. It'll be a bit cramped when they wake up, but-

My thought is interrupted as my sisters drop Julie at my feet, right overtop of the other Clarksons. Then Bethany pulls me out of the crowded room to the door with Mr Clarkson.

The horde of raptors is audible as I steal a glance outside. They're not stampeding, so much as leaping and lurching forward, some of them jumping between roofs. Amongst the rest, there are a pair of raptors with darker scales and spiked crests running down their backs who stick out. Over their heads float the words "Armored Omniraptor."

I mention them to the others as I pull back. Even as I'm stepping aside, Bethany places a barrier into the door, made entirely of light. It has a pair of slots left open, and Mr Clarkson sets his rifle in one of them and takes aim at the approaching horde. His shot smashes into one of the unarmored raptors. Then my vision is blocked as Sawyer moves to the other gap. Looking over her shoulder, I realize I can make out the vague shapes of the raptors through Bethany’s barrier, though it’s not completely transparent.

It's enough to see the raptors moving outside as most of them dash into the front yard.

And most of them don't make it. Between Mr Clarkson and Sawyer, I can tell that dozens of raptors are dying in seconds. But one blurry form manages to slam into the barricade despite their success.

"Fuck," Sawyer screams out, falling away from the door. "Next glowing light-wall needs spikes Bethany!"

"I'll keep it in mind," Bethany grunts, stabbing through the now clear opening with a spear of hardened light. "Maybe you'd like to... ugh!"

I catch Bethany as she bounces off the barrier, the armored raptor on the other side having wrenched her spear through. But she injured it. Even as it smashes against the barrier, I can see it's blood leaking down. Mr Clarkson has abandoned the barrier and is taking pot-shots through his boarded over porch window with the handgun. But they're not doing much.

He doesn't have a good angle to hit the wound. But I do. And I've got the sawed off.

Not stopping to consider how Bethany's barrier shakes with every movement of the raptor, I step forward, shoving the shotgun through the hole. Thanks to the angle, I'm forced to fight to even pull the trigger. But then the sound of the shotgun going off fills the space. Outside, the armored raptor collapses, still snarling at us even as it curls up on the porch. I turn back to my sisters, relieved at the danger passing when I catch a glimpse of movement down the hallway.

Unwilling to risk my sisters, I pull them to the side as I hear splintering wood from where the back door once stood. Bethany doesn't share my plan, stepping out of my grasp as she creates a sword and shield of light before charging down the hall with a roar. Sawyer and I go down hard, my balance thrown off by Bethany's unexpected charge.

"Sorry Soi," I mutter as I attempt to stand, stumbling over the party goers we dumped in the living room.

"Help Bethany first, apologize later," Sawyer states, lifting us both to our feet in a bubble of water. Then she's down the hall where Bethany just charged. And I'm only a step behind her. During our brief stumble, Bethany has somehow managed to get on the back of the Raptor, a new blade held tightly in her hands as she saws at it's neck, safely out of reach of it's claws. It almost gets its head around to bite her leg, but Sawyer hits it in the face with a blast of water. Which is enough of a distraction that Beth has time to get a better grip on her blade.

The sudden ease with which the blade passes through the raptor's neck leaves Bethany tumbling backwards. I'm there just before she can hit the ground, holding her up by her bloodstained hoodie, pulling her back inside the doorway. I activate Rejuvenation and Purify while pulling her close and looking out the shattered door. There's another raptor creeping up, but a single water bullet from Sawyer drops it.

And as the raptor falls, a new notification pops up.

"Settlement area ready to be claimed by party 'The 4Ds'. Travel to the Settlement Control Node to-"

"Settlement Claimed by party 'The 4Ds'. Settlement name set to 'Token’s Lost District'."

"Hope that means the others can turn off the raptors," Sawyer says as she kicks the armored raptor. Which is apparently a bad idea, because she hops back rubbing her ankle while cursing out the dead raptor.

"Looks like it," Bethany notes as another notification pops up.

"Omniraptors designation changed from 'Hostile' to 'Settlement Defence'. Event concluded."

Even as I breath a sigh of relief, the sound of Mr Clarkson's rifle firing prompts us to move to the front of the house. When we get there, Mr Clarkson is kneeling next to the other armored raptor. He looks up at us, then out at the lawn where there are three raptors just... standing there.

"They stopped when the last message came through. I'd shoot em, but... kinda feels cruel," Mr Clarkson looks away, as though he's embarrassed.

"It's fine," I say, leaning down to inspect the dead armored raptor. I can't help but wonder what kind of essence it might have. Bethany seems to have a similar idea, a conjured blade in hand as she stabs into the dead raptor.

As I kneel down to help Bethany, Sawyer calls out, "I'll get the other one!" Then she starts jogging towards the back door.

"Stay safe," I call at Sawyer. Then I decide that Bethany can handle the extraction herself. Squeezing her shoulder, I step back so I can keep them both in easy sight. And so I can get to them quickly. While I'm waiting, I take an extra shell from my pocket and reload the sawed off.

Bethany soon has a new essence in hand. It's dark, nearly black with stripes of grey running through the jagged oval. "Essence Core - Armored - Mortal Grade."

Reading it out to Bethany, we both stare at it for a moment before she conjures a box made of light then drops the Essence Core inside. When we check on Sawyer's progress, we find her glaring at the other armored raptor where there's a hole bored straight through it.

"Uhm, Sawyer?" I ask, pulling her into a sidehug while letting Purify wash over her. "What happened?"

"I... may have absorbed the essence."

"Oh. Are you feeling okay?" I ask, though I'm not getting any hints of distress over Family Unit. In fact, the only thing I'm getting is a little bit of embarrassment tinged with excitement.

"It's fine. I just blasted it too hard. Or I was too close. I'm not exactly sure. But it was either absorb it or let it get destroyed, so I figured, why not?"

"Cause it could've left you unconscious!" Bethany snaps, then pulls Sawyer into a full hug. "Didn't you learn anything from my mistake?"

Bethany's question is harsh, but the way she's hugging Sawyer is enough for me to know how much she's worried. I don't need my ability for that.

"Eh. I've got you guys to watch my back," Sawyer says, patting Bethany. "Sides, it was totally worth it. Check this out."

Bethany steps back as Sawyer squirms out of the hug. Then Sawyer holds both hands out in frond of her, covering them in water. A second later, the water shoots up her arms, wrapping her entirely. Then it... hardens. At least, it looks more solid.

When Sawyer holds her arm out, her grin is easy to see through the water covering her face. Bethany and I each take an arm as we poke and prod the now very solid water.

"I'm Armored Up," Sawyer practically squees at us. "I have armor now."

"That's..." The grinding of Bethany's teeth makes me stop as I look at her. The grinding stops as she sighs instead. "We have a second core," I suggest to Bethany, who looks over at me with a half smile.

"It'll be fine. I'm pretty sure I'll be able to get my light armor working. Using an essence for something I'm going to get anyway would be a waste. Especially if we can use it for you."

Looking at the box where the essence rests, I shrug. "It doesn't feel wrong, like the other cores did. But it doesn't feel right for me either."

"Same," Bethany says, shaking her head. "Nothing like the Solar core."

"What did you even get from that?" Sawyer asks.

Before Bethany can respond, a groan from one of the nearby people reminds us of where we are.

Out in the open with Sawyer covered in armor while Bethany is levitating a glowing box next to her.

Before we have to field any questions, I pull my sisters inside. Only to come face to face with a fully awake, and thoroughly pissed, Mrs Clarkson.

At least, I’m guessing she’s angry, since she’s pointing a shotgun at my chest.