Soul's Requiem: B1 - 20. Fighting The Void (Patreon)

1:  Clover Emberfield

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Clover raced through the hail of water, jumping over buildings and following the map Laurence fed her; red pings popped up around the town as she went, showing enemy positions.

Her holographic display expanded to show two separate illustrations, one a smaller, more centralized image of her desired path and the other a large 3D model.  This one showed the area’s population, abandoned zones, and threat assessments of various Transevil; it seemed Laurence was feeding her earrings military metadata.

A low hum rumbled in Clover’s throat as she dashed around a corner, Viper Blade extending and whipping with her motion to cyclone into a rapid expansion of SF and VF; the screeching Class-0 fiends were torn off their feet and into the vortex to be ripped apart.

The single Class-1 four-legged eyeball leading them was far too weak for its Spirit Armor and natural defenses to repel her fangs, and she absorbed them in passing.  Still, from the looks of the packs of Transevil, they were organizing around leaders.

Hopping on top of a pile of ruined cars to use a light post as a platform to transfer to a nearby two-story roof, she ran across the tiles.  Jumping down to intercept a pack of Class-1 wolves, she found a stronger one guiding them that would cause trouble for the Medical Core’s cleanup crews mobilizing across the town.

However, a sudden spark caused Clover to slow her pace; it was as if a link inside her had snapped, providing an extra boost to her SF and VF.  Like a piece of a puzzle, a new SF skill bloomed in her mind—it was as if she’d practiced it hundreds of times, and Culling Furor’s area of effect and the strength of the vortex increased.

A small smile lifted her full lips as she accelerated again; if she didn’t know better, her movements had become lighter, more fluid.  Jumping over the street, energy gathered around her, keeping her sky-bound to allow her to jump to the next building—midair maneuvering was becoming easier.

Running across the two connecting buildings, Clover leaped high into the air, flipping the Viper Blade into a reverse grip as the pack of ten Class-1 Transevil came into view.  Feeling the rush of new energy, she pulled back her arm, lilac and teal colors illuminating her frame in the storm; she launched the glowing weapon into the thick of the unaware hounds.

It streaked through the downpour, sinking into the middle wolf’s spine—Gleaning Asp activated—a spiked chain shot out of the blade, impaling the beast and causing fangs to shoot out of the glowing metal, lodging into their muscles before drawing the howling creatures into a tight, tumbling ball of fur.

A pulse of hypnotic emotion filled her breast, and it felt like she was falling into a black hole—a cavity needing to be filled—drawing her mind into a haze of flavor as Desire Energy electrified her skin; she was feeding off them and converting it to speed.

Soaring through the air, Clover used her energy to kick into an upside-down spin, Viper’s Blade shimmering and returning to her hand to leave a replica in its place.  Clover wore an almost perverse grin watching the extending chain whip into a whirlwind as Culling Furor became available, creating a twister.

The sharp wind and biting chill of the tempest blowing around her tossed Clover’s bound silver hair across her vision for a moment as the wolves were pulled taut below her by the whirlpool, yet Gleaning Asp kept them chained to the center beast, ripping the throng to bits.

Heeled boot nimbly landing on the wet street, she took the added motion to every twitching muscle and sprinted for her next target.  Each step sprayed water and brought a wall of liquid sliding over her hot skin as she continued her journey.

She passed in front of two SPU vehicles carrying support personnel, entering an alleyway to use the walls like springs to bypass more blockades; she was moving uphill, and upon studying the map in her race, she saw the Transevil all heading to the dam.

Most of the Class-1 and lower could be handled by the agents, judging from the threat level displayed in the current zone, so she bypassed those that would slow her progress.

It didn’t take her long to reach the nearly filled riverway; water gushed over the sides from time to time as the dam released what it could while remaining somewhat safe.  It looked like the creatures had concluded that breaking the barrier would destroy much of the town and were following a single directive.

Clover’s shimmering eyes narrowed as she closed in on an area designated for immediate action for the SPU units; a MASS employee and a hired guard detail were currently under attack in the street.

I really have to doubt Transevil are simple-minded creatures acting on instinct if they’re showing complex behavior like this … hopefully, Laurence will have answers when all this is over.  They’re corralling the MASS mercenaries and blocking escape; it doesn’t even seem as if the Class-0 and Class-1s care if they die or not in the attempt.

The more she analyzed the Transevil attack patterns, and the distribution of SPU units dispatched to handle the beasts, it became apparent the monsters were being controlled, likely by the Class-2 nearing the dam.

Kicking off the edge of a business’ roof to the ground, Clover caught sight of the two MASS mercenaries firing red laser-like beams at the advancing Class-1 wolves; they were being pushed into an alley, the beasts alternating attacks and guarding one another for their Super Armor to rekindle.

A chilling aura enveloping Clover, the rain turned to ice as she thrust the Viper Blade into a forward blitz, blurring into a glide that slid its edge into a blindsided wolf’s skull; freezing, it expanded from the strike, causing it to explode in solid chunks that harmlessly bounced off her protected skin.

Twisting her wrist, the sword split to rip into the ground, arcing through the rain as it created a vacuum, generating a shiny veil of liquid around the flow; the beasts were cut clean through like butter, and in one swift motion, every Transevil was cut in half and vaporized to be pulled into her void.

“H-Help!”  one of the men managed to shout, but Clover was already dashing away.

Her sharp eyes peered through the curtain of rain, yet she didn’t need her eyes to sense the enticing flavor on the wind—three Class-2 Transevil—her targets were close.

Tongue sliding out to sample the taste, she was sure it was the horned Transevil that had escaped her.  Let’s continue where we left off!

Leaping up a truck to transfer to the nearby building, at this point, she could see the hazed colossal structure of the dam in the distance, and a spark of purple electricity lit through the heavens to strike not too far away from the installation, followed by four more.

That’s not ominous…

Her focus was instantly redirected to the main street she was jumping down to; the Class-2 Transevil were there, as if waiting for her, and an eager smirk lit across her full lips when a thought occurred to her.

They lured me in … I’m a target.

The white-furred and violet-gemmed Transevil’s broken horn erupted with light, emitting five unfocused lasers that sought to eradicate her as it roared.

Clover laughed while dancing through the downpour and the rays, hair flipping across her neck as she spun before spotting an opening to hurl her glowing sword at the left advancing Class-2 red-furred Transevil; Gleaning Asp penetrated into its thick fur, spurring her muscles as it fed, and the chains launched out to impale the second.

Unlike the Class-1, the truck-sized beasts were only pulled off-balance, and the white-furred wolf evaded the seeking barbs with surprising agility to jump over the stumbling pair.

Speed increasing as spice touched her tongue and energized her body, Clover bolted forward, hilt returning to her grip in a flash of light; more gleams of purple light radiated around her as her right hand reached out to grasp one of the violet-colored chains linking the two, halting her progress to flip around to stand on the wire.

The restraints attempting to pull the pair of Class-2 lackeys together were eaten through by their leader’s rays, yet Clover only needed the split second for the moisture in the air to freeze and thrust a ghostly, hissing viper at the creature’s underbelly—it couldn’t dodge while in the air—and Gelid Adder connected, frosting over its white coat.

Fire erupted in the wolf’s mouth behind her, and Gleaning Asp faded; Clover used two SF platforms to leap into the air, dodging its lunge.  They were fast but enhanced by their siphoned Desire Force; she was quicker.  Kicking off her energy, Serpent Strike came down on its skull, only penetrating a foot before being stopped by its Super Armor and thick fur.

Expanding ice sought to do more damage, but she was forced to jump away as it tossed its head to the right; still, her target stumbled to the left, trying to recover.

She flipped to land against the side of a car window, and, fearing it would shatter against her heel’s pressure, Clover put more weight on the foot that partially covered the metal door.  The glass cracked but held, and she pivoted her toe to jump away from the recovered second lackey.

She caught sight of the white-furred beast as it hit the ground and slid across the street, Gelid Adder’s prison keeping it locked down.

Chuckling while regaining her balance, the wolf’s flaming teeth took a chunk out of the vehicle she’d been on; Clover hopped back a bit to gain purchase against the street.  “Did you really try to eat my Soul-Spirit to stop me from reuniting with her?  How did you know—are you just a stupid beast, or something more?” she whispered in delight.  “Isngneal also showed up to take me out the moment I exited; something’s not adding up!”

Darting back at the stunned Transevil she’d delivered a head blow to, the Viper Blade flicked forward with her wrist motion to coil around its throat; she used the return function of the weapon to propel herself forward and away from its comrade, attempting to save the wolf, but she phased right through its raking claws.

Heels digging into the red beast’s shoulder, her chain-blade constricted; it caught for a second, having a more challenging time than she expected, given its shields, yet the second the Super Armor was spent, sweet nectar flooded her veins—the blade separated its skull from its body—and the creature collapsed to the muddy asphalt.

Twirling her blade around as the second launched at her, she whipped the weapon into a frenzy, angling Culling Furor to redirect its trajectory—the edge transformed into energy—its semi-corporal form passed like mist over the wolf’s snarling head, microbeams of SF and VF eating away at his defensive shell.

Head angled to the side, her weapon shimmered with royal purple and a hungering blue as she blurred, Serpent Strike sliding through its expansive eye to freeze the beast from the inside out; it gagged as she followed its momentum, claws reaching toward her, yet its soft fur harmlessly passed across her back—life force flowing into her—it fell limp.

Swirling mixed colors gathering around her as she sportingly twirled her sword, Clover’s tongue glazed across her bottom lip while smirking at the white wolf—the only one left as its comrade’s energy condensed into her body—and at last, the leader managed to break out of her much stronger SF attack compared to the previous time it had felt its bite.

“Where were we?”  she asked.

It growled, ears pulling back as shadows frothed near its feet, eyes twitching with hatred.

“Nuh-uh!”  Clover sang, hurling her blade into its chest as it tried to sink into the ground, Gleaning Asp’s chains chewing into the street, buildings, and cars to lock the wolf in place.  “I won’t fall for the same trick twice.”

Its jaws parted to release a loud roar, struggling against the barbs and chains before its teeth closed around the links it could reach, tugging to rip the weapon out—it shook with pain at the attempt—her sword’s extended spikes tearing its insides up.

The Viper Blade returned to her hands in twinkling light, and she sidestepped the lasers the Transevil sent at her, chest heaving, half-sunken into the shadows; Clover saw what she didn’t expect to find in the creature as the chain-sword closed around its neck, fear.

“I enjoyed our time together,” Clover giggled as the heavy rain and thunder came back into focus; the links tightened and severed the wolf’s head.

She stood in the storm in silence for a full minute after its essence was pulled into the black hole inside her chest.  It was as if she were suspended in space and time, water cascading down her burning skin.

Clover lifted the hilt of her weapon up to stare at it.  It turned bland … Why?  I feel empty again…

Her narrowed irises drifted to the holographic display as Laurence called, and she answered; his somber expression and tone hadn’t changed, yet she caught a slight downward tilt to his lips upon seeing her.

“Another problem I need to take care of?”  she asked.  Why am I so frustrated?

He looked up as another spark of purple lightning flashed across the heavens.  “Nice work; we’ve confirmed the Class-2s’ termination … Isngneal appeared on the opposite side of the dam—without warning—a large group of MASS employees was sent to that area … How soon can you reach the dam?”

Not going into more detail about the employees told Clover their fate, and new hope rushed into her veins.  “Not long … Maybe he’ll offer me something more than these pushovers.”

Accelerating in that direction, Clover’s jaw slowly tightened.  It’s like I’m reaching through endless darkness for something to fill this hole in my chest … What am I missing?  My Soul-Spirit helped a bit, but … there’s something more.

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