Barnad flew towards the base, looking for Dr. Birchett. He activated <Mending Force> and the bubble of healing started to stabilize Ssteev’s wounds. His build was better suited to damage rather than support, so the shield was merely a stopgap measure. It might be enough to stave off death, but he needed a real doctor if he were to ensure the lad’s survival.


    Barnad spotted a cluster of holographic green plus marks, indicating the use of health packs. Following the light trail he spotted zir anthers over a circle of burly Cy-Org mutants. He was still calculating how to arm himself without injuring Ssteev when the chitinous robots were torn asunder by a wave of psionic force. Barnad made a mental note to stay on the doctor’s good side. He adjusted his flight path and started to descend. He landed gently behind Dr. Birchett, trying not to jostle his passenger.


    Dr. Birchett turned to admonish him, “Shouldn’t you be out there fighting-”


    Kholchek’s face gave he pause, and his gaze flicked down at the Jrrask in his arms. Zir expression went ashen as ze saw Ssteev cradled tenderly in his arms. The Jrrask’s breath rattled in his lungs, his scales pale and flaky. A verdant slurry of blue and yellow blood stained his shredded Biosuit. The young soldier looked at the doctor with unfocused eyes.


    “H-hi m-miss Birchett,” he quavered. “I m-messed up.”


    Dr. Birchett stared for a long second. A breeze started to swirl around zir feet. It quickly turned into a gale, leaves starting to surround the doctor as if appearing from the ether. The wind howled as it started to build to a tornado, lifting Junip slowly off the ground. The phantom foliage coalesced into a humanoid shape, the whirlwind compressing around Junip like a psionic suit of armor that looked like a tremendous Zylvaan warrior.


    The air vibrated from the latent psychic energy in the air, and the Cy-Orgs all around the battlefield rose into the air. The dark robots fought for purchase as they were lifted skyward, leaving the terrified colonists behind to stare in horror at Dr. Birchett. The soldiers shied away from the tempest, but the phantom leaves healed their injuries faster than any health pack.


    Junip’s booming voice ripped across the collective mindscape as ze demanded, Who did this to my boy?


    The hovering Cy-Orgs popped like balloons, the black metallic bodies rent asunder by Dr. Birchett’s telekinesis. The confetti sized bits of metal floated lazily in sphere shaped balls of scrap. Barnad covered Ssteev with his body, the rain of shrapnel pinging harmlessly off his armor. The sheer psionic pressure emanating from the verdant avatar forced him to his knees. He tried to guard his mind from the tendrils of psychic energy probing his mind for answers.


    The pressure released suddenly as Dr. Birchett found what ze was looking for. Burning green eyes turning to face the crater. The Zylvaan shaped cyclone floated toward the crater, floating scraps from the dismantled Cy-Orgs being pulled into orbit around zir.


    Barnad checked Ssteev for injuries and found him fully recovered, but unconscious. He stood and marveled at the Dr. Birchett’s retreating back. “That woman is terrifying! The Sheriff is a lucky man! You!”


    Laser (Who just decided to change his name to Cyclone) flinched back from Barnad’s steely gaze. “M-me?”


    Barnad nodded, “Aye. Bring the lad to the Med Bay and get back here as soon as possible. We have a fight to finish.”


    Cyclone (Definitely Cyclone) rushed to comply, the burly guard scooping the injured rookie out of the Duke’s arms and hustling Ssteev towards the base. Seeing the lad in good hands, and no other Cy-Orgs in range, Barnad fired his jetpack and flew after the enraged doctor. He doubted he could do anything to stop zir rampage but he could run interference if things got heated.


    Junip crested the hill and spotted the thrashing form of Soilfang. Ze paused only a moment to appraise the beast’s condition.


    The terraworm was distressed, a huge hole in his side was gushing blood down his side. Multiple atmosphere bubbles were still scattered over his body, causing cybernetic implants to corrode and catch fire. The hardened carapace around the tattered mouth was cracked and seeping black oil. With a host of smaller wounds from sonic cannonballs and cyworg bites, Soilfang was having a ‘Very Bad Day’. The raid boss was whipping about in a rage and screaming, much like a child throwing a temper tantrum.


    Ze ignored the beast’s distress. Soilfang had harmed a child, and he would suffer for it! The wind avatar glided across the air as if pulled by some invisible force. The black shrapnel weaved through the air and with a mere thought, formed itself into a glossy black scythe. The weapon levitated near Junip, spinning like a windmill.


    There was a warning highlight to her side. The worm with the bite wound burst through the ground, jaws opening toward Junip. With the barest flick of a wrist, the scythe whirled like a buzzsaw and slashed downward toward the oncoming attack. The terraworm hit the scythe face first, splitting around the rotating blade of death like a log at a lumber mill. The two halves curved around the floating amazon, not even the blood and guts coming into contact with the living tornado. The bisected terraworrm sailed past Junip and landed on the lip of the crater. Colonists dodged out of the way as the worm sausages smashed down on the ground, missing the defending citizenry, but crushing some of the last few cyber mutants.


    Ze was not satisfied yet. The one who hurt zir family was still alive. Dr. Birchett’s scythe sailed towards zir and was caught in the avatar’s grip. Turning to face zir true target, Junip glided towards Soilfang like an avatar of death.


    Level Up notifications scrolled across the raid window as everyone in the squad soaked up a massive wave of experience. No one had time to process this, in awe of the grumpy but beloved Doctor’s assault. With the death of just one worm, Phoenix collectively grew stronger.


    Barnad whistled, “Impressive. I shall not be outdone, however. Time to finish what I started.”


    Confident that Dr. Birchett could handle zirself, the crusader noble turned to face his previous opponent. The frost covered worm was still shaking sheets of ice off its body. The creature’s movements were still slowed from Aurora Gorealis’s frozen debuff. Barnad intended to take advantage of that. Reactivating <Indomitable Force>, Barnad flicked his helmet visor back down.


    Barnad taunted, “Let me show you why they call me the Duke of Winter!”


    Without slowing down, Barnad flew directly at the terraworm’s face. He punched clear through the soft flaps of mouth skin, forcing the worm to literally bite its own face. Teeth broke away as the heavy mech armor flew down the slippery throat. Halfway down the slippery gullet, Barnad activated his armor’s special skill <Winter’s Fury>. Icicles pierced through the squishy guts from within, crawling up the body until half it’s body was riddled with puncture holes. The ice was so cold it flash froze organs, causing them to bloat, then burst. The epicenter of the attack splintered and ruptured worm meat. The top half toppling over like a felled tree before shattering like glass on the crater floor below.


    Barnard shook snowflakes off himself as he leveled up. He chuckled with grim satisfaction. “Two down, one to go.”


    The collapsing terraworm drew Soilfang’s attention. The raid boss roared at Barnad, then shrieked as Dr. Birchett’s scythe buried itself in his back. Screeching with dismay, Soilfang turned to glare at the approaching wind avatar. Shaking with fury, Soilfang lunged at the doctor with killing intent. Maw opened wide, the last remaining mouth tentacle grabbed for zir.


    Dr. Birchett’s cold, glowing green eyes watched the approaching worm with disdain. Reaching out, the Avatar''s fist clenched and ripped the undamaged protective carapace off of Soilfang’s face. While Soilfang recoiled in pain, Dr. Birchett used zir psionic power to bury the curved shell into the terraworm’s body. The scythe was pulled out, spun away and then stabbed into the flesh again. Telekinesis started to pull cybernetic implants out of the exposed skin. The mining tank got a few good hits in, and when Soilfang turned to shriek at the offending weapon, Barnad stabbed him in the back with his ice spear.


    Soilfang wrenched his body suddenly, flinging Barnad free. Reeling back, the broken maw opened, a low rumbling burbling out from the tremendous esophagus.


    Xing’s voice shouted over raid chat, “Look out! He’s using his sonar attack!”


    Barnad saw what was happening and flew towards Dr. Birchett to shield zir. The avatar continued to savagely attack Soilfang, tearing entire chunks out of Soilfang’s body. The disfigured face split and a concussive cone of deafening sound erupted from his maw, hitting the Doctor at point blank range.


    For a moment, the cyclone figure shrugged off the damage completely. As the attack continued, the leaves started to be stripped away until the wind armor was completely exposed. Dr. Birchett struggled to retain zir shield but the relentless attack continued. Barnad watched as the excessive use of psionic energy finally took its toll and the shield dropped completely. The Zylvaan took the full brunt of the sonic attack and lost consciousness. Ze tumbled away like a ragdoll, falling towards the valley below.


    Barnad saw this happen and rocketed downwards, flying towards Dr. Birchett’s comatose form. The three techanic vehicles all turned to try and rescue the falling Zylvaan, but Barnad’s rockets gave him an extra boost of speed. He reached her first, performing another daring mid-air rescue.


    Something blotted out the sun. The Duke half turned to see what it was. Soilfang was right above him, mouth open, tentacle grasping. Barnad clenched his jaw and turned to avoid toothy demise. The tentacle was too fast. The fanged mouth at the end of the tendril snapped out, tearing free one of the jetpack’s rockets. Down to one propulsion jet, Barnad’s flight pattern went wild. Unable to steer, he went into a spinning nosedive. Once again he tried to shield his passenger from harm, trying to place himself between Dr. Birchett and the crater floor. The two hit the ground and kicked up a huge cloud of dirt. When the dust cleared, only the spear could be seen slowly sinking below the sand. And then, it too was gone.


    Soilfang watched the fall with satisfaction. But he was not finished. These puny meat things would pay for what they had done to him. To his clutchmates. Soilfang looked over the ridge of the crater and stared at the base. Ever since that building had grown active, things had been bad. The One-Leg’s attack, all the noise and vibrations coming from the base, the sound machine that tried to dig in His Lair! All of them were disturbing the nest. There was never silence anymore, only noise, and confusion, and anger.


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    He would destroy it at its source.


    Soilfang dove. When we surfaced, he was past the lip of the crater. Another dive and he emerged in the courtyard. Soilfang dimly acknowledged the fleeing small meat below him. He felt a dull pain as their feeble attacks try to puncture his thick hide. Soilfang wasn’t interested in them. With a bloody grimace, Soilfang dove a final time.


    He would stop this at the source. Soilfang would have his revenge!


    “Kholchek and Birchett are down! Lost sight of them underground. They’re alive but Birchett’s badly hurt!” Xing’s voice announced over Raid Chat.


    No! Neesya thought to herself. Without meaning to, she empathically projected her worry outward. My poor Barnad!


    The animals started to get their hackles up nervously, being more attuned to the ambient emotions. The non-combat colonists were already worried even without feeling the Astropod’s thoughts. Only Neesya had joined the raid chat to keep updated with the fight. Even if she wasn’t directly involved, it was better to have an idea of what was going on.


    She’d gathered the Phoenix colonists to Floor One of the basement layers. Even with having been expanded, the walls were solid. The upgraded stables provided a quick escape route to the surface. From there it was possible to get to the stairway to the underground city, where they could access the path to the Zoo. The Zoo’s atmosphere dome provided the best possible defense if Phoenix got overrun with Cy-Orgs. For that reason the Zoo was the designated safe zone for the city to fall back to in case of an emergency.


    Neesya hoped it wouldn’t come to that. It went against her nature to fight, but she would if she had to. At least she wasn’t alone. With Aludra, Gemini, the batteram herd, Avin’s raptor, and a kickflipping flairmingo caught by Mink, Neesya had plenty of backup to help defend the citizens. That thought helped lift her gloomy mood, the animals becoming less agitated as a result. Their guard never let up, the beasts forming a protective circle around the worries citizens.


    Xing yelled through the Raid Chat, “Neesya! I lost track of Soilfang but he’s headed right toward the base!”


    The ground shook. The western wall cracked, the mural chipping away as the concrete buckled. Something big was pushing against the reinforced stone walls. The colonists huddled together as Neesya stepped forward to put herself between them and the approaching danger.


    More cracks appeared as two more earth shaking booms rocked the room. With a groan of protest the tormented cement finally gave way. Soilfang’s torn, bloodied face emerged from near the ceiling and whipped his head around hungrily. The mouth opened and a deep resonating thrum filled the room as the terraworm used sonar to scan the room.


    Soilfang’s jaws clamped shut and oriented on the cluster of bodies. The terraworm surged toward the stables, yellow drool dripping from his slathering maw. Neesya’s held out her hands, the tendrils on her head stirring as she gathered her own potent psionic energy. Before she could unleash and attack, Mars ran past her with a honking bleat.


    No! Stay back! Neesya cried out mentally.


    But it was too late. Bolstered by Mars’s bravado, Gemini joined the fray with a brassy battle song blasting over their speakers. The rest of the animals charged after them, from the youngest cyworg pup to the oldest batterewe. The animal friends were all seeking to protect the townspeople of Phoenix. Orion’s warden companions would survive, teleporting to the stables at low health. But the rest of the cattle and beasts wouldn’t be so lucky.


    Neesya started to run after the animals and gestured to the worried colonists. Fall back to the stables. If anything happens to me, escape to the surface and retreat to the zoo!


    Neesya ran towards Soilfang, long legs tearing up the distance. She soon outpaced the animals except for the two quickest critters, Mars and Gemini. The titanic terraworm was slithering closer, thrashing as he moved. His bloodied face bashing against the floor and ceiling, causing more cracks to form. If he didn’t stop soon, he’d break open a hole to the basement below. Or worse, cause a cave-in that would let the toxic air of the surface leak into the basement level. If there was an atmospheric breach, it could kill all the plants and cattle they’d spent so much effort to cultivate. They could lose everything!


    Neesya pulled a traditional Astropod hunting trident out of her weapon wheel. It had been one of the only things she’d had on her when she had been arrested, and she felt a pang of longing for her home colony as she held it. She gripped the haft and looked for an a vulnerable spot to strike.


    As Soilfang got his jaw around a chunk of ceiling, Neesya drew her arm back. Using a burst of psionic energy, she tossed the trident with augmented strength. Trails of water started to pour out from the tip, making the trident spin like a drill. The weapon hit Soilfang on the raw fleshy jaw. The twirling weapon struck the scarred mouth flap like a torpedo, burrowing straight through and coming out the back of his head.


    Soilfang roared with pain, turning its bleeding mouth toward Neesya. The roof of his mouth was torn up further by twin blasts of soundwaves from the Rattilac King. As Soilfang made a move to snap at Gemini, Mars hit him in the throat with a quick thrust of his hammer-like head. The flairmingo flew in and railslided across Soilfang’s back, leaving a trail of electrical destruction in her wake. The cyworgs, batterams and even the flock of microraptors overtook Neesya and latched onto the worm’s green hide.


    No, no, no! Neesya ran forward, summoning the trident back. I know you want to protect people but you’re going to get hurt, babies! Go back to the stables!


    The orders fell on deaf minds. The animals continued to attack Soilfang, the great breast shaking his head to try and dislodge the swarm. Soilfang’s side was peppered by pointy shards of rock, shredding the increasingly damaged skin. Neesya turned to see the battersheep lifting debris with their horns and firing them like bullets.


    They were all going to get killed if Neesya didn’t do something! There was only method she could think of that could be effective. She caught the trident as it flew back to her hand and started to walk forward. Taking a deep breath, Neesya opened her mind. Expanding it outward, she tried to sense the emotions around her.


    She felt the fear and panic of the Phoenix citizens trapped here with her, facing down a great beast unarmed. Above her she felt the terror and rage of the fighting raid members, struggling to fight off the horde of Cy-Orgs. She felt the pain of the injured and the panic of the nurses as they tried to med grave injuries. Expanding out more she felt Xing’s stress and anxiety as she watched the battle, her desperation not to miss anything that could turn the tide of battle. She felt Max’s agony over his missing appendage, the anguish of seeing his ward injured and his lover fall to her doom. She felt Soilfang’s rage and searing pain. She felt all these things and then she took it all away. All those negative thoughts were compressed down inside her, creating a bubbling cauldron of negative emotions that tore at her mind, bringing her to the brink of madness.


    As Neesya absorbed their pain and panic, the citizens of Phoenix collectively felt a wave of calm wash over them. Wounded soldiers stood, gripping their weapons with renewed determination. They would not back down, they would not give in. The same sentiment was on the minds of everyone she touched. This city was their home, and they would not be chased away this time!


    All the fear and hate and pain and loss was suddenly gone from every living soul. The fighters, no longer scared, regrouped and started to push back the invading force. Distantly she saw their fight through their mind’s eye, as if watching the battle from above.


    Mink ran through the chitinous black horde on the back of her stinkhorn, which trampled Cy-Orgs as she administered healing salves to the injured. Avin rode behind her with his rifle drawn, picking off stragglers while his ratascorch tossed fireballs. Cyclone rallied the guards and together they took down a mutant that looked like an Org fused to a giant metal spider. The Jo’Qin baker was tossing pies at the horde, blinding every foe that crossed her path. Even Rusty the Janitor was stuffing a struggling Cy-Org into the Trash Bin, grumbling incoherently. A boxing Cy-Org was furiously attacking Todd, the grinning training dummy inexplicably protecting a dazed guard. Magrath stepped in and beheaded the robot with an over-sized cast iron skillet. Max lay back deliriously, allowing MacTruck the opportunity to finish tourniqueting his stump. Xing stopped hyperventilating and was able to direct the flow of the battle with cold efficiency.


    She could feel their relief. They were winning. But she had to focus on the tumultuous storm of negative emotions she was barely suppressing. It was all too much! She couldn’t hold it all! Soilfang’s rage was like a force of nature. It was like trying to hold back a wildfire with oven mitts. She felt a slimy tendril wrap around her waist and lift her almost lovingly toward Soilfang’s drooling maw. She felt his primitive mind slither across her own.


    Soilfang’s pain and anger dulled. The attacking animals were nothing but a distant nuisance. The only thing left was his insatiable hunger. And here, presented almost as a gift, was the juiciest morsel he’d ever seen. Soilfang would be a fool to turn down such a scrumptious looking meal. Soilfang’s mouth closed over Neesya’s body, completely engulfing her in his slimy gullet.


    Fighting against blacking out, Neesya tried to remember what she had been doing. Why had she pulled all these dark feelings into her? She had to get rid of them! Feverishly, she reached out, her hands blindly brushing against the first thing she came in contact with. As her fingertips touched the slippery walls of Soilfang’s mouth, Neesya used


    .


    All of the negative emotions came flooding into Soilfang, multiplied twofold. Soilfang’s own anger and pain returned, layered with the combined horror and torment of everyone in Phoenix. Soilfang thrashed as he recoiled back, trying to escape the invisible threat. The terrified worm squeezed himself back through the hole in the wall. Rubble and dirt collapsed in the empty space left by the titanic worm, plugging the breach before any external air could seep in.


    Soilfang wrenched himself out of the ground, creating a deep furrow in the earth near the west wall of the base. Flinging his head back, Soilfang screeched with the pure, visceral terror of a wounded animal. Mouth wide, the thrashing mouth tendril unfurled around Neesya’s hips and sent her sailing high above the crater.


    From his crouched position, Mayor Slate caught the movement and looked through the rifle scope. As he looked for a target, he saw a figure tumbling away from Soilfang’s jerking body. He zoomed in to see Neesya falling unconsciously towards the ground.


    “Xing! Neesya’s airborne above the crater!” shouted Slate. “Can you get the cars to help her?”


    There was a dangerously long pause. As Slate watched, Neesya lit up with a red beacon.


    “I have eyes on her. Redirecting the vehicles,” Xing responded.


    As hover cars started to move into position, Soilfang landed on the ground, flopping around like a dying fish. The great worm backflipped into the crater and disappeared under the silty ground. Moments later Soilfang jumped out of the ground with such a high arch the worm was fully exposed for a few brief seconds. Soilfang hit the opposite slope of the crater and vanished toward the west, putting as much distance between him and the base as possible. He was fleeing!


    The immediate threat gone, Slate watched as the station wagon reached Neesya first. The two men in the back grabbed her wrist as she fell, but the large Astropod merely dragged the car down with her. Her fall slowed somewhat, but her weight was too much for the vehicle. The door ripped out of the side. If not for the seat belts, Neesya would have dragged the two men down with her.


    The pickup truck got under her, trying to match her speed. She landed gently and the two gunmen in the back held on tight. Neesya proved to be too much weight again. One of the hover discs sparked, then caught fire as it gave out. The truck went into a spinning dive, the truck bed dipping low. The unconscious Astropod slipped off the back and fell again, still halfway to the ground.


    The flatbed truck had gone low, still searching for the missing colonists. They were able to reposition in time to catch Neesya again. The driver misjudged her speed and the impact caused the entire truck to tilt at a forty-five degree angle. The mechanics held on for dear life, two of them grabbing onto Max to keep him from flying off the side. It wasn’t enough. The truck tipped badly and dropped Neesya down into a sandy pit below. She landed hard, kicking up sediment. When the dust settled she was gone.


    [Mission Complete!: Soilfang’s Revenge.]


    Slate watched the scene with open mouthed horror, “But at what cost?”