Chapter 143: Waiter’s Expense
Sylira ducked behind rubble, wire Ikona sparking, Wire Hack scrambling a turret’s aim, blue shard flaring, her fingers twirling a looted comm, dodging a shard blast, quipping, "Aim worse, Feds!" Her Ikona coiled, hacking a second turret, shots veering, soldiers shouting, "Malfunction!" She flipped through debris, blood streaking her thigh, sly grin sharp, blue shard pulsing, Vardency’s screams echoing, skiffs rocking, combat relentless.
Federation soldiers surged, shard rifles searing, drones buzzing, turrets firing, blasts grazing Torqa’s shoulder, blood dripping, his Stone Crush smashing back, ochre shard pulsing, rubble flying. A soldier’s shard blast seared Nexis’s arm, blood oozing, his Flame Burst roaring, orange shard blazing, flames licking bodies, his laugh wild, "Keep screaming!" Zykra’s Shadow Veil flickered, violet shard dim, cloaking Sylira, her wire Ikona jamming rifles, blue shard sparking, combat a bloody dance, Ikona overwhelming.
The core’s vault loomed, steel doors dented, rubble piling, Vardency’s ash swirling, blood pooling, skiffs smoldering, believer chants pulsing, "New blood rises!" A blast erupted, the vault shattering, a woman—Lyra—stumbling out, wind gusts scattering debris, cyan shard pulsing at her chest, her lithe frame dodging a turret’s blast, wind Ikona swirling, Tempest Rush flaring, slicing a soldier’s arm, blood spraying.
"I heard your video!" Lyra shouted, voice fierce, wind Ikona whipping her dark braid, eyes sharp, "You’re winning—I’m with you!" Roachaline’s knife paused, insect Ikona hissing, red shard sparking, Domination Aura flaring, her attractive scowl piercing, "Prove you’re blood." Lyra’s Tempest Rush surged, wind blades shredding a squad, bodies crumpling, her cyan shard glowing, stance wary, blood flecking her pale skin, Vardency’s screams deafening.
Roachaline stepped close, violet shard humming, knife twirling, aura pressing, "Why ditch the Feds?" Torqa growled, stone Ikona rumbling, ochre shard pulsing, "She’s bait!" Sylira’s wire Ikona sparked, blue shard glowing, quipping, "Talk fast, wind girl." Vexen’s hawk screeched, Signal Trace pinging, green shard pulsing, "Rogue’s here, one klick." Zykra’s Shadow Veil shimmered, violet shard dim, silent, watching. Nexis laughed, flame Ikona crackling, orange shard blazing, "Show us fire!"
Lyra’s wind Ikona flared, Tempest Rush slicing a drone, steel sparking, her voice steady, "Feds caged me, your video promised power." She tossed a looted shard, cyan shard pulsing, "I’m blood, take me." Roachaline’s glare sharpened, Coercive Pulse rippling, "Earn it," her tone biting, knife glinting, hinting a trick, believers roaring, "Rogues join!" rogue signal at one klick, combat pausing, tension thick, Vardency’s dust settling on bloodied rubble.
"You run from cages, but you kneel?" Roachaline snapped, insect Ikona skittering, claws slashing air, red shard sparking, her fierce beauty commanding, aura pressing Lyra’s shoulders. Lyra’s wind Ikona swirled, deflecting a stray blast, cyan shard glowing, "I kneel to power, not chains," her eyes fierce, Tempest Rush humming, slicing a soldier’s rifle, blood dripping. Torqa’s stone Ikona rumbled, "Prove it in blood!" his fist smashing rubble, ochre shard pulsing, believers chanting, "New blood!"