Interplanar Spectrum of Tales

[tari-stories]

Beginning

Hello! I’m Soup or any of the many other names I like. I’m the author of Treading Across Rainbows Interplanar, Interplanar Tool Of Stars, The World of Fernweh, and many other stories I plan to post here! You can find my main blog at @redtailedsoup where I mostly just reblog stuff but will be also reblogging the stories I post here in there.

The universe most of my stories take place in I call the TARI (Treading Across Rainbows Interplanar) “Universe.” As TARI is the flagship story. A brief introduction to the setting is that by 2063 AD humanity developed cosmetic and practical genetic modification and a permanent settlement on the moon with space elevators on Earth and some bases on Mars. In 2064 AD a period known as the Unveling began where hybrids between humans and creatures of folklore and myth, those creatures themselves and magick, then finally Gods and Deities were revealed. The Unveiling ended in 2091 when Gods and Deities of most beliefs revealed themselves and introduced interplanar travel to the solar system.

TARI takes place in 2325, the interplanar system is the group of planes of existence that the stories take place in, each habitable plane is named after the thing(s) that are most notable about them. Earth lies in the Nuclear/Magick Plane. I.R.I.S. (Interplanar Reconnaissance and Imports Service) is an organization started by the Greek goddess Iris and numerous other messenger/travel gods/deities to aid in Interplanar movement.

Tag list:

#ISoT #ISoT Announcements #TARI #TARI Chapter #ITOS #ITOS Chapter #Cool ITOS stuff people made #TWoF #TWoF Chapter #Burning Gold #Burning Gold Chapter #Rotten Ivory #TARI-Oneir #TARI-Astari #TARI-Hermese #TARI-Peigi #ITOS-Monoma'ch #ITOS-Laraca #ITOS-CommanderErane #ITOS-Novi'cle #ITOS-Wick #ITOS-Styli #BG-Parastin #BG-Peiskos #BG-Viscer #RI-Tala

[tari-stories]

Treading Across Rainbows Interplanar

Prologue. Part 2: Lunar Shift

Hermese weaves among the stalls and shops of the Silver Leaf Market, appraising a wealth of eclectic and esoteric ingredients. Oneir on the other hand burrows into their hood, annoyingly similar to Hermese’s. The two walk their usual path, slicing through the signature lunar silk while Hermese ransacks any haggle-friendly establishment… which to him was every one.

“Oi, there’s some really good lapis infernalis over here! Despite being called lunar caustic most of the silver needed is harvested from Earth, but the best quality distillations occur here on Luna…” Hermese’s voice radiated in the air like an overheating freighter.

“...Silver nitrate?”

“Yeah, that’s the scientific name.”

“I see—” The scramble of talons and boots interrupts Oneir, though not as much as the pigeon feathers and boy crashing into them. 

To their side Hermese twirls to the ground like a ribbon with a growl as Peigi tumbles into him. A column of sorries march from the angel as she tries to help the dragon up.

Numerous marketgoers glance at the four though, once they all seem alright, turn away.

“Oi, stop that.” Hermese puts a finger over Peigi’s mouth to halt the army of apologies as he pushes himself back into the air. “You apologized once, don’t waste oxygen on more.”

“S—okay…” She clambers back up after a bit, looking like a bird whose flock migrated right into a typhoon. “Ah! I need to—the Storm—”

Hermese puts a hand over her mouth, staring down at Oneir and Astari recovering from their own fall a few paces away. “Do not mention the fucking Storm out loud. What the hells is going on?” His voice low, bitter, and interrogating.

Peigi points at Hermese’s hand, which he quickly moves.

“There’s an Imitation Event coming, I know it. We need to alert the city.” She quiets her voice

“...Okay, but no mention to Onei—”

Breathing heavier than a black hole cuts the dragon’s voice, Oneir’s chest heaving like waves.

Astari offers a hand which the moth person takes. “H-hey, Oneir? Listen—”

“Gods. Did you tell them!?” Hermese snarls at Astari, physically held back by Peigi. More people glance at the commotion.

“Oneir, it’s going to be okay… I have a ship, we can leave when it hits, okay? We just need to warn people.” Astari doesn’t look at Hermese.

Oneir shakingly nods, squeezing Astari’s hand.

“We need to go, Now.” Peigi doesn’t bother to dust herself off. “Do you know where we can warn the city?”

Oneir pulls themself up with Astari’s help, shaking. “The Central Alert Structure. Quickly.”

⁂

Arriving at Astari's ship: Astari begins undocking and initiating the main functions; Hermese procures a blend of chemicals and elements which spurs the engines faster than usual; Peigi heaves and ties numerous ropes, her larger stature assisting quite a bit and she does appear to not be entirely inexperienced around a vessel; and Oneir plots a series of trajectories, shuddering.

As the four scramble around the deck the craft lurches over the city, whirling in front of the structure spiked in antennae. A tower runs through the top of the dome from the building and grasps at the sky with its earth watching over the moon. The Central Alert Structure of the city of Abot-tanaw Orientale.

Inside staff dash from door to door, the front desk air trembling as the public operators peck the buttons and murmur among themselves. 

Peigi clambers to the desk, panting. “Listen, there’s an Imitation Event coming. I promise, I didn’t divine it but I’m not craz-”

“We know, we know. Please ma’am calm down, it’s probably just a false divination.” The operator doesn’t look up at her, their regard focused on their post.

Oneir surveys the tensed air of the building, nudging Astari.

“What?”

Oneir points at Peigi arguing with the operator.

“...I mean I can’t do muc—”

“Cmon fancy boy, you have a name to use.” Hermese pushes Astari towards the front desk, grinning despite the air.

“Wh—fine!” Astari hops a bit for stability before walking up to the desk. “Please, we need to get through… Iris’ order.”

The operator scoffs. “We aren’t under Iris, and this is a governmental building. Please leav—”

“I’ll handle them, Keratin.” A higher-ranking operator enters from the back with a walking staff, seemingly one of the fae. Her eyes are each surrounded by three triangular tattoos, one on both sides of her eyes and one below. A sort of cloak covers a missing right arm. “Come with me, I have something for you all.”

Astari and Peigi look at each other, and the operator at the desk shrugs. The four follow.

They enter a dimly lit room, a cylindrical device with a flower petal-like base and flickering lines of glowing rainbow cushioned in the wall.

“I’ve been waiting.” The operator puts a hand on the device, her staff hanging onto her arm through a silk loop.

“Divination?” Hermese tilts his head, analyzing the scene.

“Yes. I’ll have our systems alert the city… if you wish there’s a shelter not too far from here.”

Oneir’s eyes shoot into the size of ashen pricks, breath falling into a heavy rhythm as they shake their head frantically. Peigi puts a soft hand on their shoulder, gently rubbing it as they lean into her hand.

Astari shakes their head too, sighing. “I don’t think that’s an option… but thanks.”

The operator nods, grabbing a handle on the device and twisting it, breaking the airtight seal and pulling it from the wall to roughly land on the floor. “If you may, this is a sensor. It detects the Storm and Imitation Planes, as you can see here.” They tap on one of the flickering rainbow veins. “There’s some of the fabric of the planes here, it shrinks deeper into the device when the storm arrives. I request that when the Imitation Event hits you all fly through it with this, it should be able to gather vital information.”

Peigi and Oneir study the sensor, before the former grabs it.

“W-we’ll consider it…” Oneir traces a finger along the rainbow veins.

“Good, go now.” The operator bows as the four leave, sighing with seemingly a weight removed.

⁂

“We can’t! I’ll die, you’ll die, we’ll all die! It’s fucking stupid!” Oneir, head hidden under their hood, desperately grips onto the sensor as Peigi attempts to find an opening to grab it.

“Please, I promise we won’t, you can stay behind—”

“Where!? Stars for all we know, it could devour Luna!”

Hermese snaps their jaws, slicing the air. “The moon is far too big for just an Imitation Event to cover. But still, I don’t believe we can go through with this, considering our captain appears to be avoiding the topic better than an absent father.”

Astari, tugging on the many metal ropes of the ship, stares at Hermese for a brief second.

Peigi shoots out a hand for the sensor but Oneir twists out of the way, meeting the bulwark with their wings—letting out a small yelp.

“Shit! I’m so sorry Oneir—” A veil of mist splashes down between her and Oneir, cracking on the ship floor.

“Stop. You both will end up hurt arguing like this and I’m sick of it.” Hermese drags his claws along one of the empty boxes on the deck. “Just, calm dow—”

The sky spatters into an irrational system of cracks, the greenery of the city nearly entirely falling to sedimentary rock and depleted radioactive isotope mockeries of Earthen and Lunar life. Oneir’s eyes widen and their pupils become pitiful grains of sand as a scream fails to leave their lungs.

That among the air around the city not yet cracked by the event swirls—swirls into spirals incomprehensible. The radiation sensors on the ship holler as the Kvuk shield above the city glows almost as bright as the sun would if it were up. The movement of an unfortunate many stutters as if on a broken video, bits of their body amputated and dissected by the lag.

The Imitation Event, the Storm, has arrived.

[tari-stories]

Treading Across Rainbows Interplanar

Prologue. Interlude 1: Silver Berth

Astari heaves the Oht alloy rope, the metal muscle contracting to assist the courier, turning the tiller starboard and swinging their modest vessel into port. Biomechanical arms gently take hold of the ship, avoiding the interplanar sails folded nearly down on all four sides.

Talons digging into the metallic floor, Astari clambers to drag their cargo onto the wharf. Martian alchemistic supplies; fish from Tchao, a planet in the Ohtari plane of reality; and seeds from Earth.

“You! You! Please, I need to get to the intercomms!”

He turns to spot a large winged celtic lady running towards him, human aside from the wings. They could be an angel, but they’re not exactly glowing.

“Uh—are you okay?” He pivots, holding out arms to blunt the incoming trample.

Before the angel could trample Astari, she slams her foot down and shoots to skitter across the ground to the side of Astari—who promptly rushes to her side.

“Who are you, what’s going on!?” He looks over her wings, no damage.

“Peigi—Imitation Event—we need to find the intercomms—”

Astari’s head tilts, grasping for why it sounded so familiar.

Had Iris mentioned those…? The Storm?

[tari-stories]

Treading Across Rainbows Interplanar

Prologue. Part 1: Positive Phototaxis

A small floating orb of light dimly lights the room, reflecting off of the braced metallic walls and sinking into the swirling tinted windows. On a liquid-like beanbag Oneir curls up, their moth antennae flicking idly as their eyes study a book through long strands of hair. History of the Unveiling, Revised Edition for the 24th Century. Their fuzzy wings keep them warm, although the long clothing they wore also helps.

In the corner of the room, curls up the only other source of light, Hermese. The snake-like dragon, not terribly larger than a human, glows with a lava lamp-like substance floating from and around the separation between both parts of his body. 

The room itself assists in the composition of a wave-like apartment complex, low to the ground and above coated in lunar sand as strands of filtered water run through it. The visible outside walls cycle artwork and graffiti as erosion erases the old to procure canvases for the new. Structural beams swerve through the edges, almost looking like bone. The dome above keeps the city from the sharp lunar dust and majority of the radiation, swirling orange with kvuk particles—which gather radiation around them.

A knock echoes across the door, Oneir shuts the book and Hermese rapidly unfurls out from their spring-like form.

“It’s the “Interplanar Imports and Reconnaissance Services! I’ve got a public service package and a parcel from the Martian Alchemistic Cooperative! For Mx. Oneir and Mr. Hermes respectively,” the sprightly speaker appears to jump around a bit as they speak, “Oh! And another package for Mx. Oneir from… unknown!”

With a groan and stretch, Hermese twirls his way to the door and opens it with a flaring grin. Behind the doorframe a half-pidgeon boy stops his idle hopping, giving a small bow to the dragon and looking over at the eyes curled up in fluffy wings and cloth with their own albino sights. The boy dons baggy and ruffled pants, though constructed from a sturdy canvas. Their shirt consists of very long tails at the bottom with draping half-sleeves on his arms and a vest slightly of Far Eastern Earthen design.

“Are you Mx. Oneir?”

Hermese frees a small laugh, “Hermese,” before roughly gesturing at the half-moth boy peering through the room with aquamarine eyes, “Oneir’s lurking back there.”

“Alrighty! I’ve got your packages here… just need signatures! At least one from an adult.”

As the boy pulls out the form he appears to incidentally catch the purple astayric scroll on their courier bag, the non-neutonian structure protecting the silk form from metal bits on the bag. They quickly scramble to not tear the scroll and eventually get it out for the two.

Hermese glides around them, inspecting their posture and body language. “Say… a mortal would usually be at least a bit surprised to meet a dragon–why aren’t you, little bird?”

The boy shuffles as Hermese lifts one of his wings. “Well, Ms. Iris does meet with quite a few for official business—!”

“Oneir! We’ve got another fancy one here!” Hermese grin widens, tail flicking in amusement as he turns to snicker at Oneir.

They freeze, stopping their hand’s unconscious fidgeting with their wings. “Wh—Hermese why are you like this!?” Their eyes glower at the dragon, flaring up a bit in magickal light.

“If I’m stuck with you then I get to tease! Now go sign this pigeon's scroll before they tear it to shreds.” Hermese grabs a quill from a shelf signs in the “guardian” section, feather etching through the astayric cover and ink painting the form.

Sighing—Oneir begins to clamber up, shaking off their stillness and grabbing their umbrella. Their white hair and fur almost glowing in the dim lights, their flowing dark greenish-cyan vest and venus grey robes shifting under the city lights piercing through the window.

Oneir inspects the boy as they tap up to him with their moth legs, hand darting for the quill. Hermese—of course-–pulled it away and glided up out of reach. 

“I believe we might be out of ink! Let me go get some.” His grin could swallow stars as he floats to the back of the apartment.

Groaning, Oneir turns to the pigeon boy. “You’re… not from Luna, are you?” They run their hands through their hair, attempting to form it into somewhat of a presentable shape.

“Nope! Iris says I’m from Gaia actually!” The boy taps their talons a bit, standing up straighter.

“Iris… the greek goddess? You know her?”

“I mean… she raised me so I’d hope so!”

Oneir blinks, before nodding and looking back where Hermese left, the dragon twirling through the air towards the two with a jar of ink.

As they sign the form Hermese receives the packages from the boy and places them at the back of the room. Oneir’s eyes trace the boy’s figure, their clothing high quality yet not quite elaborate.

“Who are you exactly?”

“Astari! Courier for I.R.I.S. and raised by lady Iris herself.”

Oneir nods, continuing to analyze the pigeon boy…

Astari’s red eyes flit around, never seeming to settle on a satisfying intrigue; they seem to shift and dodge the air, talons tapping the ground as if on sol itself; his chest heaves with energy barely caged by their ribs; his eyes, curling the dim glow of the room around its vivid hues.

“Well, I’ll be stationed on Luna for a week or so… I’ll see you around, Oneir?”

Oneir shakes a bit and bows, Astari returning it before hopping down the hall.

Hermese smiles at Oneir, teasing on their tongue as he delves through the rectangular container with the red planet and a cucurbit on it.

“Why?” Oneir stares spears into the dragon, sighing.

“Because you’re making friendssssss.” 

Oneir promptly pushes his snout away, groaning and spinning around; catching sight of the newspapers frustratingly accompanying the package. New wave of couriers set sail from I.R.I.S. after their recent losses in interplanar settlement…Latest terran bio editing operations have been cleared for public use, options include…The Interplanar Storm contin- Oneir tears their gaze away and reaches for their abandoned book.

“Hey, Oneir, we should go shopping. I’m running low on llevite and could do with some sulfur.”

They turn to Hermese, pausing a bit for their gaze to sink into the dragon’s scales.

“Origin or exo?...”

“Origin!? We might as well by an interplanar ship alongside some Origin llevite!” Hermese waves his arms in the air, shaking the sarcasm around the air.

Oneir brings a weary hand to their eyebrows. “Just… give me a moment.”

[tari-stories]

TARI Prologue Part 1 Coming Soon to a Blog Right Here!

Hello!!! In roughly... a few days, at most a week? Or less. Depends on when I'm ready to post it. The first part of the TARI prologue will be out!!!! There will be three parts and 1-3 interludes!

[tari-stories]

Oneir

Here's the ref for Oneir (they/them)! One of the main four characters of Treading Across Rainbows Interplanar!

Bio ripped from Toyhouse (Toyhouse Link) and edited: A melancholy, traumatized, and aloof half-moth from a formerly influential family. Has been sent to live on Luna with the guardianship of Hermese during the events of TARI. Has knowledge of minor magick specifically in the areas of illusion and elemental. They're a mix of Southeast Asian heritages!

[tari-stories]

Character Showcase: Viscer Dasig

Say hello to Viscer! (They/them)

They’re the main character of my upcoming prologue/short story Rotten Ivory and one of the three main characters in my also upcoming story Burning Gold!

They’re from the island of Bohol in the Philippines, living during the Unveiling (born 2065, 19 by Rotten Ivory and 24 by Burning Gold).

Overall a very sanguine (all definitions) and slightly manic but well meaning person. Generally polite but prone to violence, though for the time being not too much! (despite their ref being covered in blood)

They also have a permanently injured leg that means they have to use a walking stick of some sort (usually a swordstick) most of the time.

[tari-stories]

I livee

we got 1 prologue short story for the story Burning Gold! I’ll post it soon, just gotta polish it. Burning Gold is set in a dystopian-ish Philippines during the unveiling but before the gods appear and before interplanar travel. An organization called NUIO (Nonhuman and Unknown Investigation Organization) was hijacked by a group of wealthy individuals who seek to use it to oppress and ultimately get rid of any sapient species that’s not human from the earth. The short story follows Viscer in their last days trapped in a manor where the rich hunt the “nonhumans.”

Alongside that I also am working on the prologue to Treading Across Rainbows Interplanar itself!! The flagship of the TARI Universe (I mean it’s in the name).

Finally the first chapter of ITOS will be out after the previous two mentioned.

I got a lot more stories and I can’t wait to show them!! (Inbetween stories I will post art and such)

[tari-stories]

Art Fight

An art gifting game

THIS IS SUCH GOOD ARTFIGHT ART OF MONOMA'CH MADE BY tinythefrogking on Artfight (https://artfight.net/~tinythefrogking) / wilohwisp on Bluesky!!!!!!!!!!

[mistermeowwwww]

monoma'ch from @tari-stories stimboard for my friend!

credits-

x x x | x x x | x x x

[tari-stories]

Interplanar Tool of Stars Prologue

Prologue

With a thunderclap the glittering building above them topples into another but luckily rests, arrows of material swinging down from the heavens into the street below, crushing a nearby evac train and causing it to explode in red like a fruit drink, lives cut short in an instant.

An anthro corvid and cat, Maren and her wife Loret, dash through the burning metropolis. Feather and fur hid and ran through twisted metal. They just need to get to one of the evacs.

“Holy shit! How far are we!?” Maren slams the broken multitool into a building door, its various mechanisms whining at the barbaric use.

“Uh- I believe two kilometers!? Though, a beast seems to be that direction” Loret peers through the floating looking-glass as she manipulates a map with her hands, a small scroll containing the screen. The beast surely there, considering the mass destruction and buildings toppling, although their flesh was not visible on this plane the chaos was.

“Alright, we’ll go through the buildings, any trains still active?” Maren breaks open the door, bringing up a flashlight to reveal the hastily abandoned jewelry store. “...Want a ring?”

Loret filed in after Maren, looking around with an amused smile. “Maren, dear, you’ve already gotten me five since the Flickering Beasts arrived on-planet.”

“Another wouldn’t hurt! You can show the kiddos when they arrive after this hell’s frozen!”

“Fine.” Loret laughed at her wife’s grim antics, maybe this mini-apocalypse wasn’t too bad with Maren.

#

The fighter rockets through the buildings as Styli tunes the multi-planar radar system desperately hoping to get a reading from one of the radar towers nearby, the half-satyr half-harpy pilot’s first actual deployment just had to be a complete disaster. Over the last five hours seven city-sectors were devastated, an entire pack of Flickering Beasts had found their way into Ring’s Landing and downtown was already eviscerated. Most of them were giant-sized though, so radar pings were relatively common… the issue was hitting the godsforsaken beasts.

- Planar disruption located at sector J9K2. Size: giant - 

They found one

Escaping to the top of the city, Styli gazes out at the burning surroundings. Familiar streets and buildings wrecked, countless kith and kin gone. The evac shuttles were just barely hanging on, evac trains going offline one after another.

- Evac train I-3, its here! Requesting cove!—

- Does anyone have a visual on any secure routes!? We’re stuck on the east edge of downtown with half a tank of energy left for our train. -

- This is a message requesting immediate assistance at Farnan’s Bank, we’ve got twelve survivors holed up with us in the vault and!—

- Has anyone seen a blue and orange personal shuttle!? Please my partners are in there! -

- I don’t know where to go I don’t know where to go I don’t knowwheretogoIdon’tknowwhereto–-

- Where the fuck are they!? My radio malfunctioned and I’m flying through these streets blin—

- Do we have any reinforcements!? Commander Erane, please tell me there’s more fucking people coming. -

- Argent-9, I’m attempting to route additional squadrons but- the situation is fucked- I can’t I can’t. How many do we have evacuated!? -

It was a mistake to keep long range communications on… but Styli feels like they have to, flying over the inferno of a home they need to hear its last words… maybe it could be saved, if they could just kill those fucking beasts.

Finally finding the trail of the beast, Styli dives down and opens fire on the imperceivable monster. Lead and plasma sink into the invisible horror and briefly show the vivid skin of the beast at the impact points, a shrieking cry echoing from it. The Flickering Beast takes down another building as it seemingly turns on the jet, yet Styli already pulled up and prepared for another attack.

#

Monoma’ch jumps off the roof, spinning the meteor hammer and chanting incantations. The end of the weapon glimmers to life and fire as they bring the meteor around them then into an elbow shot. True to its name the meteor hammer slammed down upon the Flickering Beast’s head below, Monoma’ch’s interplanar eye piercing its veils and seeing the beast for what it is in another plane. With a crack the rope goes taut, the Flickering Beast’s cranium careening down into the alley below. Monoma’ch pulls back the meteor then kicks it down again into the monster’s skull, shattering it into a normally unseeable mush.

They land on another roof, feeling it destabilize so quickly running to the next.

“One down! For your second true outing, five beasts slain isn’t that bad Mono, the air corps have only gotten seven so far. Say, why don’t we beat them out in this competition?” Their tail, Ach, flicked, scanning the surroundings for more prey.

“Ach, please don’t make this a damn game. Real people are dying–” Mono caught sight of another beast, barreling towards the evac ships “Shit!”

Ach swings around to look at the scene, letting out a hiss. “Ough, that’s going to be a fucking mess.”

Monoma’ch launched towards the horror, chasing after it like the rope of their meteor followed it.

Eventually overtaking the massacrer, Monoma’ch spins the meteor hammer around its neck, arm, and finally elbow. The meteor rebounding around and punching the beast in the side on Monoma’ch’s behalf, the beast turning like a bull to the left.

“Civvies heading to the shuttles from that way Mon! Ready to give them a good fucking show!?” Ach flicked again, helping to stabilize Monoma mid-air.

#

Loret hears the beast heading to them first, having gotten a small hoverbike she and Maren had lurched down towards the evac shuttles. “Maren, beast on its way here!”

“Oh shit! Turn turn turn! Maren grabs Loret’s waist, holding on as her beloved swings into an alleyway.

A crack resounds through the streets as a small figure whips the invisible creature just before they enter the alley, its terrible chaos turning away from the couple. Loret spins around back onto a road, weaving the bike through ruins as the two look up towards the lithe being above. It hops from roof to roof, seemingly felling the beast after a few more swings.

“Who the fuck is that!?” Loret turns back to the street, focusing on the rapidly approaching shuttles.

“Maybe that Monothingy!? The one on the news last week?”

“Hopefully, that person’s a fucking beast with that meteor!-” Loret nearly spins out trying to avoid a fallen sign. “Gods, Maren, we may need to go back on foot.”

“Alright, let’s hurry though, the beasts are getting awfully close to the shuttles.”

#

Styli pants, having pulled five strafes their ammo was running low, they need to kill it on this one.

- Sector R4 is gone! I repeat it’s all just fucking gone! -

The plane spun around, Styli feeling its movement like a limb. They refocused the guns’ targeting on the beast’s last location and pulled the trigger. Every lead and plasma projectile spun towards the horror with the cries of the entire city. No. An entire planet, Styli channels the grief from watching their planet crumble into the package, desperately hoping to buy time for reinforcements to help bring back the situation.

- More evac shuttles have landed! They’re in sector A2, please direct civilians there and guard them! Avoid T3 and Y6 as there are Flickering Beasts located there! -

The bullets hit their mark, tearing the imperceptible creature’s hide and causing it to apparently crash onto the floor, the revealed spots from the impacts not hiding again. As Styli pulled up they sighed, it was dead.

- Did Centaur-5 just kill a beast on their own!? Bloody good job Centaur-5! -

Looking upon the city, Styli realizes just how much was gone, and there were still thirteen beasts in the city according to the radars... they needed to save their home.

- I… I’m calling a retreat, we can’t manage this, we’ve lost all the helicopters I sent; ground troops are in shambles; and the beasts are getting closer to the evacs… All units and evacs retreat, please- I- I can’t. -

What?... No no nonono

#

Monoma’ch wraps the meteor hammer around the beast's neck and tugs, they couldn’t suffocate the creature but star could…

Crack

Snap the neck.

Mono looks around, spotting the corvin and felin couple running to the evacs, they were alright… good.

As Mono pulls back the rope Ach stares down at the creature, sneering. “Pitiful thing, I mean really they only have the fact that they’re not visible on regular planes going for them.”

- Monoma’ch, this is a direct order from Commander Erane and the planetary governance council. Retreat. I repeat. Retreat. -

The voice echoes through both their heads, causing body and tail alike to wince a bit.

“Buzzkills.” Ach sighs and begins to scan for a route out. “Let’s get going Mon, no use disobeying.”

“...” Mono turns and begins hopping from building to building, taking a look around at the city they just failed.

#

The shuttles are meters away, Maren hears the frantic directions of the crew as they appear to be all leaving. Plasma and lead shot up into the sky at an unknown threat behind a row of buildings.

“Why are they leaving so soon!? Wasn’t there two hours left on the evac schedule!?” Loret tugs on her wife’s arm, speeding up to catch the evacs.

“Is the situation that bad?”

“Must be–”

With a thunderclap an invisible creature falls upon the evacs. Metal, bone, and flesh melding together under an unseeable horror as at least  hundreds of sparks of life go out. Blood sprays out in an unnatural pattern, being courted around the body of the beast as it squeezed out the liquid of life from the evacs.

Maren looks on at the scene, pupils as small as the stars in the sky as she puts a hand on her mouth.

“Love, we need to go, we need to go.” Loret shakingly grabs her wife and begins to scramble to some sort of shelter, anything as the air raid sirens begin to sing a song of atomic fire.

#

Styli flies over the city, comms screaming. Their hands felt frigid, looking over their home as it is condemned to evisceration.

- What the fuck!? Why is there a nuclear warning!? -

- Commander Erane! Commander Erane!! Please tell us what’s going on! -

- Gods, please, does anyone know where the warhead is going!? -

- We’re in the subway, I’ve got thirty civilians with me, please does anyone know what to do!? Please we have elderly and children! -

- I-, gods. Where is the commander!? Uh- everyone try to get as far from the center of the city as possible, just run! -

Faint sobs echo from the radio. The commander’s.

Styli contributes their voice to the chaos, the small green rectangle confirming outward broadcasting. “Fuck… no no no nononono. What the fuck!?”

They see a distant yellow stream over the horizon line, death incarnate. Pulling on the stick and willing the plane to move they begin to veer away from the center of Ring’s Landing. Looking down at the ruined shops and apartments, occasionally seeing the small shapes of people running for their lives.

Tears fall down the hybrid’s face, metaphorical arms of the dead and condemned tugging them back but the seat refuses to let Styli be dragged out of the plane. The pain thrashes through their heart as if their pockets are filled with stones in the seas of Europa.