THE BROOD OF CHAOS

A lone figure darted across a ravaged wasteland, a flurry of powerful impacts exploded in its wake. The silhouette leaped over a piece of wreckage and swerved its upper body, using four segmented limbs to level a long weapon at a location just ahead of the last blast. A burst of sharp chromatic light erupted in a needle beam, piercing the air and burning the ground where it landed. The pulse lasted a fraction of a second before the sprinter turned, landed upright and continued their dash. The debris field was getting thicker now, in the distance a hollowed out fuselage towered over the darkened sands like a small mountain. Another series of thumps landed around the runner, tossing the figure off of the ground. Gracefully, they flipped through the air and let loose another blast of light in the direction of the pursuer. The attack stabbed through into the earth, intercepting an unseen shape with a loud sizzle. Instantly there was a metallic grinding sound, something mimicking and animal’s cry of pain, then it was silent. A flurry of invisible blasts blistered the landscape, tossing the runner into the sky again. There was a pause as they hit the top of their arc, then they fell, accelerating towards the wreckage. A series of thundering shock-waves trailed them, ripping apart the air and sending showers of electric sparks down below. The runner made a graceful landing near a large overhang, and then disappeared into the mound of metal and debris. For a moment, the wasteland was silent; Then there was a skittering as the invisible predator rushed inside the cavernous ruin as well. 

The runner maneuvered through the once inhabited corridors of the metal hulk, banking down the labyrinthine halls with a clear sense of direction until they emerged into a large open chamber. It was a dead end. The runner turned and faced down the corridor. A distant explosion shook the derelict, then another one, and another one. Each time, the sound got closer and closer.

The figure leveled their weapon at yawing corridor just as another wave of invisible force ripped the other end of the hallway into shrapnel. Without hesitation a beam of light tore through the space and sizzled against the pursuer. The grinding sound erupted again, an otherworldly howl of agony. Another shot landed, then another and another. Five shots. The weapon emitted a clank, ejecting a spent cartridge. Its wielder hurriedly reached into a belt holster for another, but their enemy was faster. Another explosion threw them against the metal roof and they fell to the ground in a heap. Instantly, a skittering sound ran up to the downed fighter. Standing over its prey, the predator let out a triumphant grinding roar.

Suddenly, a shrill ping shot through the wreckage, then a split second later, a cage of blinding blue light slammed down onto the invisible form. Another screeching howl rang out but was quickly silenced as the energy cage imploded, crushing and tearing through the pursuer’s invisible flesh. A sickening shower of superheated gore and entrails rained down over the prone figure on the ground. Its target liquefied, the trap let out a high pitched whine and dissipated, azure light flickering out leaving nothing but smoke, steam, and an acrid smell drifting into the wreck.

The runner hissed as they stood up, unfolding their segmented limbs and rubbing the back of their carapace. Turning their triangular head to a broken ledge above, they called out.

“It’s dead!” The fighter cried from their mandibles in a voice of clicks and chitters.

“Good work Dawn.” Another similar figure emerged from their own hiding place.

“Thanks, but uh… cutting it pretty close there Commander Tempest.” Dawn, the runner, said as he massaged his joints and checked his carapace for any chips or punctures.

The second individual, Tempest, hoisted a heavy kinetic rifle over his thorax, his antennae twitching sightly.

“The trap did its job, just like its always done.” He reassured. “I had to put it close to your person, to make sure the enemy did not suspect it was being trapped.”

Dawn’s own antennae flicked quickly in acknowledgment. “Makes sense.” He replied. “But, either way, that definitely was a shambler, I didn’t think we would actually find one today.”

“It’s disturbing, but inevitable, I’m afraid. We’ve been losing the battle over the sea basin desert for months now, one of the void-spawn scouts would have eventually made it here sooner or later.” Tempest mused glumly. A soft ring echoed off the walls of the wreck and the commander retrieved a small device from a pouch. After a small pause, he brought a claw up to it and tapped a few times before turning back. “Command picked up our extraction call about an hour ago A transport is already inbound to us .” 

“Well they better hurry,” Dawn chittered, raising a large, bulky scanner to his pair of primary eyes. “Our position isn’t safe, there could be more shamblers out there and we wouldn’t even be able to see the damn things.”

Tempest didn’t reply, instead crouching down to carefully examining the remnants of the trapping device. “Another one spent.” He mumbled, tossing the burnt scrap over his shoulder. “We don’t have enough industry left to keep up with this level of attrition.” 

The communication device beeped softly with a green light. 

“Shuttle is inbound.” Dawn said anxiously. Peering through the broken metal of the wreckage, the two men could barely make out the tell-tale engine burn of a drop-ship screaming through the pre-dawn sky.

“Take one last look around.” Tempest gestured at debris and surrounding wasteland. “Coalition Council has decided to abandon this entire theater, the official front is moving back 500 miles to what used to be the coast line.”

The lookout turned to face his superior, facial plates contorting into an expression of concern.

“They say there’s no point left in holding all this desert.” The commander continued “They reckon a layered defensive battle will be a lot easier on the continental plateau.”

“So, they’re still biding time for their their trump card huh?” Dawn replied incredulously.

“THAT, is a top secret that you shouldn’t know about.” Tempest warned with some humor. “But I wouldn’t be so quick to write our world off just yet.” He continued sanguinely. “That “trump card” is the culmination of all of the efforts we have made in this long war. And I have faith that it can do exactly what they say it can do.”

The lookout mumbled an agreement and stowed away the scanner as the drop ship touched down in the sandy sea besides them. There was a hiss of hydraulics and airtight seals, before the heavy steel ramp dropped into the dust.

“Let’s go.” Tempest urged, clambering out of the ruin and jogging across the sand. “It’s not long now. The war will be over by the month. Either we all perish on this blasted rock, or do the impossible and kill a god.”

With a hum of powerful engines, the sleek, armored aircraft lifted from the dunes and spun its heading towards the East before rocketing off into the fuchsia colored sky. Far in the opposite direction, across the horizon in the West, a dark, writhing mountain slowly lumbered ever closer.

…….………………………………..

The first thing that struck Dawn about the man was his posture. Despite the crowded base camp, the newly arrived solider caught the scout-hunter’s eyes from across the complex. He sat alone, gaze focused on the ground. His carapace was a bleached white, so pale that the dark blue undertone of his organs could be glimpsed through it. Yet his eyes were a midnight black, and the combat scout had almost taken him for a blind man. That was before he saw the deep red pupils periodically darting across the field, carefully studying his surroundings. His uniform was simple, denoting him as a fresh recruit, just out of training, yet he bore several huge weapons across his back, denoting him as a heavy weapons specialist. A strange combination of roles indeed. Dawn suspected that command just needed more bodies to man the defenses for their last stand, and so it was understandable that all the reserves and conscripts were being sent to their location. This base, after all, was in the rear line of the great Fortress Tenebrous. The last spear-point of their people, the Khrathians, against their void spawn enemy and the dark god from the stars.

“Interesting fellow isn’t he” Tempest whispered from Dawn’s left. The scout commander nudged his subordinate with a spiky appendage. “Calm and attentive for fresh meat, already taking in his surroundings well. He would make a good scout.”

“Yeah, if we aren’t all dead by the end of the month, I’ll consider training him myself.” Dawn replied sarcastically. “Besides, if we both think he’s so fascinating, lets stop being voyeurs and introduce ourselves.”

The strange man turned to face the two scouts as they approached, his irises narrowing into pin points of red, the antennae on his head were bowed with anxiety. Still, he was polite enough to sit up straight and extend a claw in greeting.

“Who are you two?” His voice was strangely hollow and his tone was tinged with a hint of sadness.

Dawn quickly introduced the pair as scout-unit infantry before reflecting the question onto the stranger.

“I’m just a volunteer.” He replied, evading the request for his name. “Just looking to do what I can here.” His response was as thoroughly unrevealing. There were thousands of volunteers looking to do their part in this struggle for survival, being one was hardly surprising.

Dawn’s antennae flicked with curiosity. “Well, what should we call you then?” He probed.

The pale man paused, his entire body suddenly became very rigid as he stared forwards. For a second, Dawn worried that they had cause the stranger to seize up with anger.

“You can call me Blossom.” The stranger finally answered in the same monotonous voice as before.

Is that his chosen name? Or is it a given one? Dawn thought. The name hinted at a cheerfulness and joy that seemed wholly incongruous with the saddened, closed off man before them. If it was a name he had taken, surely it wouldn’t have been so….delicate? Dawn thought.

“Tell me Blossom, what unit are you part of?” Tempest interjected.

“Infantry Heavy Weapons.” Blossom replied without missing a beat. “Second division, Scout support.”

Dawn’s antennae stood up in surprise. Scout support, that means that we could get deployed together, but that’s strange, why would a fresh volunteer be assigned to heavy weapons, especially one that was tied to an elite scout unit? Should they be putting these new guys on defense duty in the fortress?

“Hmmm” Tempest replied thoughtfully. “Interesting choice to join up now, considering that this war is going to be over very soon.”

“Yes, so I’ve heard.” Blossom said without looking up. “Back home, where I’m from, my family, all they’re all talking about is doom…The end of things. They’re all terrified. But here at the front, theres a different mood. There is still hope of victory here.”

“Don’t think you can just hunker in the fortress and sit this out ” Tempest warned. “We are hoping for victory, but there is still fighting to be done to secure that victory.”

Blossom was silent for a moment. Then his antennae moved knowingly. His mandibles opened, and a string of words spilled out under his breath. Dawn’s faceplates scrunched up as the strangely painful sound assaulted his ears. The words were not of any language Dawn knew of, yet he was almost subconsciously aware of the meaning just below the surface.

“I’m not afraid of dying in this war.” Blossom continued. “The battlefield won’t shake me, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

To Dawn’s left, Tempest’s body was had grown incredibly tense, The commander was wildly scanning the area as if looking around for an enemy ambush.

Dawn took the cue and quickly finished his conversation.“Well, it was nice meeting you. I hope that we get the opportunity to meet again, and best of luck in the battles to come.” Then he and the commander quickly turned and speed walked away.

“Those words!” Tempest whispered furiously once they were outside of earshot. “I know you heard them too!” He said to Dawn.

“Y-yeah?” The scout-hunter stuttered, taken aback by his commander’s sudden aggression. “What about it?”

“That’s the damned void tongue! I’ve been hearing those insane cultists spew it for years!” Tempest clenched a fist. “I still remember every word from when we put down those traitors in the mid-country!”

“What, so just because he knows the words, you think he works for the void spawn monsters as a spy? That’s… not a solid connection sir, even you know the words yourself!” Dawn hesitantly replied.

“But I don’t speak it! Never! I can’t speak it!” Tempest hissed back. “We Khrathians can’t fully pronounce the words with our throats. It take the touch of one of their demon gods to give a man the capacity to actually make those sounds, and he was speaking the words perfectly!”

“Ok, ok.” Dawn tried to calm Tempest down. “So you think he might be a remnant of one of those cultist cells, and that now he’s here for what? Revenge? Intel?”

“He’s a spy alright, maybe a saboteur as well. He knows that here at the front we still have hope.” Tempest said with hushed exasperation.“That means he’s at least suspecting that we have one last trick to win this war, and I don’t like him even pondering that possibility for a single second.”

“Well, he’s still just a fresh recruit, its not like they’re going to let him anywhere near the center of the fortress, or any secret weapons.” Dawn replied in a hushed whisper.

“I don’t think they should let him near any weapon.” Tempest complained bitterly. “We are so close to actually ending this whole entire war, he’s a risk we cannot abide.”

“Report him to the subversives control board?” Dawn suggested.

Tempest’s antennae moved in disapproval.

“No,” The commander said. “They’re up past their eyes just keeping order in the civilian camps and ensuring security in the fortress, they wouldn’t even investigate a single suspicious volunteer.”

Dawn looked around, surveying the camp for any idea of what to offer.

“Well… we could have him assigned to our unit so we can keep an eye on him. We are missing a heavy weapons man…”

Tempest turned, and for a moment, he looked like he was going to shoot the idea down. Then he lowered his claw thoughtfully. “That may not be the worst idea…” He trailed off. Then he clasped his upper limbs behind his back and stared vacantly into the distance. Dawn followed his gaze.

Out past the bluffs that made up the coast line, was the dried salt-flat remnant of the ocean. Decades ago, before the war, this had been one of the most sought after seaside locales on the entire continent. Home to the powerful, luxurious and lush with all manner of tropical life. Now, it was a windswept desert, the oceans, forests, beaches and cities obliterated by the horrid nightmares that now infested the world.

It will be back someday. Dawn comforted himself with the thought. One day when this is all over, the seas will be re-filled, the trees replanted, and life as our predecessors knew it will come back again. Somehow it has to…

Tempest spoke again without turning around. “We could get him assigned to our unit, keep him in the field, away from any critical infrastructure or intel, until the ace is ready to go.”

Dawn shifted uncomfortably. “Even so…If you’re right, he’s still going to have the heavy weapons…” He let the implication hang in the air.

“And if he dares to betray us in the field, he’ll be a confirmed traitor and killed on sight.” Tempest answered coldly, before turning back to Dawn. “Or are you too scared to put your life on the line for a chance to redeem our entire world?” His antennae jutted forwards accusingly. Dawn pulled himself up taller, segmented plates of his exoskeleton shifted across his body.

“He’s not scared of death.’” He gestured back at the strange man. “Well neither am I.” In his mind, Dawn saw the clear waters and bright sunlight glancing off the pristine ocean again, like he vaguely remembered from when he was still a larvae. “There is no price that is too high for a chance to bring back what we lost.” He said with steely determination.

Tempest leaned back and his face moved in an expression of satisfaction. “Good, we might just make the difference in this war after all old friend.”

Dawn enthusiastically gave a salute, but in his mind, the scout-hunter had begun to contemplate the strange man more closely. Was he really disloyal, some shadowing infiltrator of an ancient cult, a fanatic, ready and waiting to sacrifice their world to his gods? Despite all the evidence Tempest had just presented, some small part of Dawn still doubted. What is Blossom really here for? He thought, staring at the man from across the camp.

As it turned out, the Scouts did not have to wait long for the opportunity to put the plan into action. As night fell, and the orange disk of the first sun began to slip past the great rocky crags, Dawn and Tempest received an order to report to command for their next deployment. Walking past the scattered and haphazardly arranged outer camp, the two soldiers passed through a walled security checkpoint and entered into the heavily guarded inner ground of the fortress.

The sight of the great bastion up close never ceased to amaze Dawn. Although he had been here many times in the past, the stark contrast between its advanced technology and the dirt rallying grounds around it always disorientated him. It was a metropolis of chrome sprouting from a mud-hole. Looking back through the gate the two had just passed through, Dawn could see formidable weapon emplacements fringing the first of multiple walls. Being surrounded by all this fire power pointing outwards gave him a sense of safety, even though Dawn knew in the heart of his hearts, all of this would amount to nothing when that great shambling void-god finally made it to their shores. Entering through several more checkpoints, the two scouts eventually found themselves being directed through a blast door thicker than they were tall, into the atrium of the fortress.

All around them, the air was filled with voices and machinery. Soldiers, officers, and civilian leaders hurried about, rushing from one emergency to the next, all busying themselves within the armor plated hallways painted in dull hues of gray and beige. The scene was almost like one of the ancient nest-castles that Dawn had only seen in history books, the same ones that once served as the strongholds for ancient, bygone nations. Besides him, Tempest quickly straightened his own uniform, adjusting the few he had medals and pulling at his tattered sleeves. Dawn sighed internally. Who was he trying to fool? Everyone can instantly tell at a glance that we’re front-line troops! None of these desk jockeys have a speck of dirt anywhere near them.

Thankfully, they didn’t need help finding the briefing room. The scouts units were lucky enough to have their own permanent facilities, even during a crisis like this. Turning the familiar corner, they saw the poorly lit chamber already filled with their comrades. At the front, a high ranking officer stood next to a projection display. Tempest’s antenna twitched with irritation and he made a small sound of indignation. Dawn instinctively followed his gaze and saw in the crowd, the same pale man they had met in the outer camp earlier. He was sat, turned away from them this time, but with the same hunched posture, separated from the other troops by a large distance.

The desk officer, a stout man of middling height with a mottled carapace called for silence in a refined voice. In contrast to the front-line troops, his uniform bore many marks of rank and was nearly immaculate. Still, deep scars ran across his rust colored exoskeleton, reminders of a more chaotic time, when the war was still fought with mass infantry formations against the unending nightmares.

Tempest and Dawn quickly took empty seats. Behind them, the rest of the scout unit filed in. Dawn glanced at the clock. They were all still several minutes early. That’s something at least. He thought. There’s at least enough discipline left in our unit to be on time. The speaker gave no pleasantries, upon seeing that all the soldiers had arrived, he unceremoniously turned to the board and begun speaking.

“New intelligence from our remaining sensors has shown hints of a large enemy presence within the sky-cut pass, just beyond the range of detailed discernment and far beyond our massed attack capabilities. But from what information we do have, it strongly reassembles the appearance of an enemy artillery growth.” The projector hummed and a blurry, satellite photograph was plastered onto the screen. There, nestled safety behind stony peaks that stood several hundred miles to the north, was a large black and magenta blotch.

Dawn was well aware of these so called “artillery growths”. The void spawn made no use of conventional technology. Instead, their weapons and fortifications were all molded from a darkly tinted substance that seemed to grow like living flesh, and was as hard as metal armor. Despite three decades of intense study, the material’s true nature still eluded the best scientists. What was known however, was that any tumor like growths would inevitably become an enemy hard point if left uncontested, and so the doctrine was to eradicate them as quickly as possible before they became an issue. Comparing the splotches of unnatural color with the rock peaks around it, Dawn could feel his pulse quicken. This site was already several standard miles across, and constituted a major threat. Even if it couldn’t be reached by a large ground attack, they should have had every aircraft and counter battery obliterating those mountains a week ago.

“That brings us to why the attack on this thing has been held off.” The officer continued. “High command believes that it is not just an artillery position those slimy bastards are putting up, but that there’s something else they have in those mountains. We all know the void spawn tactics by now, surround our positions simultaneously with multiple heavy emplacements and massed attacks. Seeing that this is the only attempt they've made at setting up a base in the surrounding several hundred miles, we have good reason to suspect something more is going on here. This volunteer mission will be for a small insertion team to gather intelligence on the ground, and really figure out what they have going on in their backlines.”

The image changed to another map, far more zoomed out.

“You will be granted one full day after your drop off at the location, afterwards, the long distance strikes will begin with or without you. Survival is possible, likely even, but the chance that you will be killed in the bombardment from our own guns considerable. The extraction location is here, some distance removed from the enemy position. Rendezvous there after reporting in.”

His upper claws deftly folded the pointer and stowed it in a pocket before continuing.

“I know how all of this sounds. However, the outcome of our defense at the Fortress Tenebrous may depend on what you find in there.”

The room was silent for a moment, the soldiers each processing what they had just heard and what had just been asked of them. At the far end of the room, a pale arm shot up into the air. A realization crashed over Dawn’s and he looked to Tempest who emoted confidently. It was now or never. Instantly, two more clawed hands shot up from the silent audience. Seeing this display, the presenter seemed to brighten up, although Dawn couldn’t quite decide if it was pride in his unit, or relief that someone else was gladly putting their necks on the line for a far-fetched plan. With three arms raised, a few more claws slowly went up around the room, until they numbered around twenty in total. The desk jockey seemed to slump his thorax in relief, letting out a held in breath.

“It looks like we have a sufficient amount of volunteers for this mission.” He said quickly, before turning off the presentation. “Given the time sensitive nature of this operation, the rest of the information will be provided on the flight over, assemble at the aerodrome ten standard hours for deployment. The coalition is ever grateful for your sacrifice.” He gave a curt coalition salute before vanishing out of the door.

Dawn slowly lowered his claw, his eyes turning back from the exiting officer towards Tempest.

“Well, we did it.” He whispered glumly “Now “Blossom” is on this suicide mission and we’re going down with him.”

“Its not over yet.” Tempest replied. “And we are not dying out there with him.” He eyed the stranger suspiciously, who had returned to methodically surveying the room. “We’re not going to die, because we know exactly who we’re dealing with.” Tempest was now staring at Blossom with an intense look of malice. “And we are prepared for the likes of him.”

…….………………………………..

A sleek, black drop-ship screamed across the early morning sky. Its matte surface blending in with the dark blue firmament that still hung above most of the land. Four engines on its fixed wings burned a ferocious blue, propelling the lone craft towards the jagged peaks in the distance, hidden beneath the retreating night sky.

Deep inside the armored hull of the craft, Dawn and Tempest stood among their comrades, gripping tightly onto the hand holds as turbulence would intermittently jostle the entire ship. Heavy packs of gear and weapons were now strapped to their bodies and Dawn could barely make out the faces of the other scouts admits the sea of heaving equipment and darkened lights. Yet, one figure was still identifiable in the gloom. Blossom stood alone at the rear of the drop ship, his pale carapace and extra-bulky weaponry singling him out.

“I can barely see him…” Dawn whispered to Tempest, voice too low for the rest of the unit to hear him.

“No, me neither.” Tempest growled in frustration. “Get right next to him immediately after we land and don’t let him out of your sight, if he tries to pull anything, don’t hesitate to shoot him on the spot.”

Dawn agreed, but internally, some part of him wondered whether they were doing the right thing, or if the two of them had gone mad with paranoia, accusing an innocent of treason, and dreaming up imaginary scenarios.

Something about him is off…But it doesn’t feel like treason, he almost seems…completely detached from what’s going on. Dawn thought to himself silently.

Across the darkened interior, the man deftly retrieved a hulking missile launcher from his back and inspected the aim on it. He absent mindedly flipped the metal piece up and down a few times, as if his thoughts were focused on something completely different than the upcoming battle.

He’s definitely hiding something. Dawn was certain of it now. The only question that remained was if that secret was mundane, or a threat.

As the first rays of sunrise illuminated the peaks and valleys, the ship turned onto its side and began a steep dive towards a canyon below. Swooping down into the trench, the agile aircraft banked between the stony walls for several miles before breaching upwards into a shallow basin between snow-capped peaks. Up ahead of it was the target, a vast field of knotted, twisted matter, that pulsed like living flesh and undulated across the barren rock. The craft wasted no time. Coming down steeply, it dove under a rocky outcrop and landed, unseen by the enemies scanning the sky. There was a soft hiss, the rear door sprung open, and the scout unit quickly poured out and formed up in rows.

Dawn brought an arm up to shield his lens eyes, their apertures still adjusting to the bright sun beams coming from the east. Through his smaller, compound eyes, he could see the other scouts forming up into a standard infiltration formation. Scanning the formation, he picked out Blossom amidst the chaos and quickly sprinted to hi side. The heavy weapons specialist was slouched over at the rear of the formation, several of his anti armor ordinance already loaded. Dawn formed up behind him, his own claw gripping the trigger of his weapon tightly.

Up at the front of the group, Tempest stepped up and raised a hand sign. The entire unit stood to attention in the snowy ground.

“Listen up.” He said in a hushed voice. “We’re going to make this quick. We need to infiltrate as deeply as possible into the occupied zone and find out what they are hiding in all that.” Behind them, the drop ship reactivated its engines, lifting up and charting a low trajectory below the enemy defenses and dove back into the canyon. Tempest waited until the roar of the engines had disappeared before continuing.

“We will have under a day to get this done and get out of this hell-hole, so lets move fast and stay sharp.” Then, he gave a particular glance at Dawn and lead the formation into the open.

The ghastly sight opened up in front of Dawn as he followed the rest of the unit discretely down the slope. He had never been this close to a void spawn entrenchment before, and he doubted anyone in the scouts unit had been either. It was a long established truism that distance was the coalition’s friend in this war. Infantry were rarely sent this close to enemy strong points, and gazing up at the towering spikes that twitched with aberrant life, Dawn understood why.

The unit crouched behind a large boulder before Tempest gave the signal again and led them into the open in a swift column. Now they had reached the bottom of the slope and spread out before them was the border of the affected area. Dawn hesitantly stepped across the threshold, shivering at the hard, but tacky sensation he felt under his claw-boot. The very ground seemed to stagger his movement, sporadically pulling at his feet as if in an attempt to slow him down or to trip him up. There were no enemy combatants visible yet, but Dawn knew that it was only a matter of time before whatever inscrutable mind that commanded this outpost turned its surveying eyes to the ground. When that happened, a horde of shamblers, screecher, and all manner of other void-born monstrosities would be on them in an instant.

The scouts advanced quietly and slowly, weapons trained at any potential lookouts, ready to pick them off in a heartbeat. All the soldiers were on edge, except one. To Dawn’s direct front, Blossom maintained the same low hung posture as he always had. He’s not totally out of it, but he’s also completely unbothered. Dawn thought, before taking a long look at the volunteer’s weapon. The large missile tubes were still strapped neatly across his back, with no sign that he planned to use them unduly. He, like the rest of the unit was surveying the environment, yet unlike the other soldiers, the way he held himself showed far less fear.

Up ahead the column stopped, and Tempest gave the signal for “cover”. The entire unit reacted almost instantly, throwing themselves behind the nearest enemy structure. Dawn reached out a claw as he ducked, grabbing Blossom’s uniform and pulling both of them flush against the base of a wriggling spire. Dawn suppressed the urge to invert his first stomach as his back pressed against the shifting, sticky wall. Minute tendrils of the darkly colored matter wriggled up and began to pull at his body. Taking a deep breath, Dawn peaked his head out from behind the wall. All around the narrow path, he saw the other scouts of their unit, each of them pressed into the sickening material of the enemy emplacement, their eyes nervously darting around.

Dawn’s gaze quickly found Tempest. The raid commander was by himself, crouching at the base of freshly sprouted artillery piece. The long spiral horns of the void-spawn cannon were just beginning to jut out from the rest of the undifferentiated mass, clearly pointed southeast at the fortress. Tempest met Dawn’s eyes and made another gesture leftwards. Slowly, Dawn traced his gaze to the left until his eyes landed on something big.

At the end of the narrow, alley like path, was an enemy. It was huge, multiple times larger than any Khrathian, and made entirely out of the same dark substance as the ground and structures. It’s head resembled the bleached skulls of endoskeletal animals, and around its upper thorax was a ring of blade like limbs that it used to walk. Where its abdomen should have been, there was only a whip like appendage that swiveled fiercely, clicking as it did so.

Dawn tried very hard to breath quietly as his hearts thumped. The monstrosity turned its head slightly in each direction, before it opened his mouth and let out a low chittering sound. Dawn’s blood ran cold and the cilia on his body stood on end. The sound was so close to intelligible language, but at the same time it was impossible to make out even a single word. It was nonsense, but nonsense that could have been mistaken for the words of a person when heard from afar. It’s luring us. Dawn thought as he pulled behind the cover.

Then he heard the creature take its first footstep forwards. There was a noise like blade piercing flesh as the void spawn monstrosity planted a long limb into the ground. Pulling up the legs behind it, the enemy shifted its bulk forwards, methodically advancing down the narrow choke. Dawn risked another peak before pulling himself behind cover. It was definitely heading towards their hiding spot. Panicking, the scout scanned the surroundings, looking for another passage out. There was nothing, they were boxed in a dead end. From the other side of the living wall, the void spawn “spoke” again, letting out a much louder, almost inviting sound.

There’s no other choice! I have to stand my ground!” Feeling his instincts kick in, Dawn gripped the stock and trigger of his weapon, readying himself to fight for his life. Right besides his head, there was a loud chittering sound before a huge black shadow rushed out towards him. Dawn swung around, already knowing that he had been slow on the draw. Through all of his eyes, he saw the hideous bone like texture of a gargantuan head and the enormous bladed arm carving through the air towards him.

There was a bright flash, and in an instant, the horrific visage vanished in a puff of dark smoke. Another explosion quickly followed, and the blade-arm shattered as well. Dawn stumbled backwards as the body of the monstrosity slumped into the tacky ground, harmless and dead. The scout wheeled around, searching what had saved him, and saw Blossom. The new recruit was leaning against the wall, all of his upper limbs cradling a long energy rifle, one arm pulled back the bolt, ejecting a spent cartridge as a dim glow faded from within the barrel

Dawn gazed at the new recruit in awe. The speed at which he had done that was almost impossible to believe. Blossom had fired, reloaded, and fired again with a large anti-armor weapon within a fraction of a second. Dawn wasn’t even sure if the rifle itself was designed to do that. Seeing the carnage, the rest of the unit slowly left their hiding spots to inspect the downed enemy. Already, its viscous flesh was being absorbed back into the larger whole that was the ground on which they stood. Several of the scouts cautiously pushed their weapons into the mass which let out a hissing sound as it contacted the metal.

Behind all of them Tempest appeared. Surveying the situation, he locked eyes on Blossom who still stood with the large rifle pointed into the air and then back to Dawn. He made a strange face towards the scout-hunter, a look halfway between surprise and frustration. Then he turned towards the rest of the unit and gave the silent signal to move out. Pulling himself out of the muck, Dawn checked his weapon before trudging along after the regrouping column. As he did so, he took a longer look at Blossom who had fallen in line ahead of him. Just as before, the new recruit assumed a slumped posture, the large rifle already stowed, and no sign of the lightning fast reactions coiled within. Dawn gritted his mandibles nervously.

Progress through the rest of the nightmare labyrinth was slow and methodical. The deeper they went, the denser the enemy formations. Soon, it became impossible to move more than a few meters without encountering a sentinel. Each time, the entire column had to stop advancing, and post a single marksman who would neutralize the look out before they could continue. Despite the racket and commotion of each weapon blast, the void spawn around them didn’t seem to react to the sound. When the eyes of a particular section were taken out, the entire zone seemed to become blind, allowing the raiding party to carefully walk through unseen. Slowly the towers grew taller around them, and the organic shapes of the weapon emplacements became larger and more ossified. To Dawn, it now felt like they were walking in a dense forest with hundreds of meters of canopy above. He tried not to think too hard about what creatures could be moving through the tangled matter, unseen to troops marching below.

Yet Blossom’s behavior stayed the same. Whenever he wasn’t in combat, his mind seemed to a million miles away, preoccupied with some distant anxiety. To Dawn, Tempest’s rhetoric about suspected treason began to feel hollow, and Dawn found himself regretful of his ulterior motives for “escorting” their fire support.

It took several hours, but by the time the sun had crossed the zenith of the sky and had begun its long, slow descent, the infiltration unit finally arrived at the central section of the enemy infection. Thorough the dense under-story of faintly glowing and ever shifting vines, they could see a cluster of great spires that rose up like a small hill at the very center of the blighted area. Darkness pervaded the gaps between the needle like towers, and Dawn’s mind ran wild with the potential dangers that would meet them within. Still, this was the core of the void-spawn infestation and whatever secrets they had been sent to uncover no doubt lay in there.

Approaching the outskirts of the imposing thicket, the unit paused to reorganized for tight corridors before they pressed onwards. Soon, total darkness fell over the soldiers. The spires converged overhead and all light from the midday sun was completely blocked out. Their movement became sluggish, the density of the tall protrusions prevented any drastic manurers. Individual soldiers tried to keep within earshot of each other, carefully surveying their surroundings with thermal sights to ensure they were safe.

But not all of the void spawn give off heat... The insidious thought hammered on Dawn’s mind over and over again, each time causing him to tighten his hold on his weapon.

Ahead of him, Blossom seemed to naturally meld into the darkness, disappearing in and out of the gloom like a wavering phantom. Far from his pale carapace standing out, the unique translucency of his exoskeleton caused what little light there was to be diffused and absorbed by his flesh and organs. Several times, the scout hunter had feared that he had lost sight of the new recruit altogether, but he always reappeared, carrying himself in the same slumped posture as always.

With each tiny sound, Dawn held his breath and prepared for the inevitable ambush that would consume them from all sides, but it never came. The mind shredding anxiety dragged on from minutes to hours, the darkness only becoming more cloying and impenetrable leaving Dawn’s nerves to slowly tie themselves into jittery knots. Finally after he had long lost count of time, the slow movement of the unit came to halt. They had arrived at the center.

The first thing the Dawn noticed was the clearing. Just ahead, the needle-spires ceased growing abruptly, leaving a massive open area, larger than a city square. Overhead, the converging spines bent inwards, forming a tented structure above, securing this sanctum from any prying eyes or falling bombs. But it was not the emptiness of the area that everyone else was looking at. Following their gaze, Dawn looked to the center of the clearing and locked eyes on a gargantuan hole burrowed into the ground. Like everything else in this twisted place, there was nothing marking it out as special, no guards, no defenses, just a yawning chasm that ran straight into the ground. The entire unit stood back, unsure of what to do.

Then, quietly, Blossom pushed himself to the front of the unit and strode towards the hole. There was shuffling, some complaints and a yelp. Tempest wheeled around, hissing for the heavy weapons operator to get back in formation, or for Dawn to seize him. But no one moved to heed the orders. Instead, as the rest of the unit stood paralyzed, still nervously checking every direction for potential attackers. Blossom strode up to the edge of the abyss and craned his head over the ledge. The entire scout unit held their breath. Seconds passed, then minutes. Finally, Blossom pulled his neck up and turned back towards his comrades.

“It goes very deep.” He said plainly. “There’s a tunnel, it looks like it heads Eastwards or Southeast, probably under the canyon and out of the mountains. I can see a lot of movement down there.” A chill instantly raced down Dawn’s body. A sneak attack route, going underneath the mountains, they would be safe from any reconnaissance or bombardment. Thats why there were so few void-spawn on the surface!

“What.” Tempest coughed out the words in a shocked crackle. The rest of the soldiers all turned towards the commander. Without any hesitation, the squad leader sprinted his way to the edge of the chasm and peered inwards, his suspicion about the new recruit all but forgotten. He too stood still for a long time, and when he turned back, his face was a mask of shock.

“They’re mobilizing under the mountains.” He half whispered. “There’s thousands, millions of void-spawn down there.” A wave of murmurs rose up in the unit. The soldiers looked at each other with near panicked glances, feet shuffled in anticipation.

“Quiet!” Tempest hissed, as he raised a hand. “Keep it together, all of you! Finding this is out is exactly why we came here! We can consider this mission halfway accomplished. Now our priorities are to get this information back to the fortress and get out of here!”

The comms operator gave the affirmative, before unpacking their hefty radio set and placing into the tack like ground. Turning the dials, they pressed a speaker up to their thorax-ear and waited. An agonizing few seconds crept by with nothing but static and the ambient creak of the void-spawn structures around them.

“No signal.” He finally said after a moment. Tempest cursed and stamped the ground.

“We’ll have to make it back out into the open.” He considered carefully. Then he turned to Dawn.

“What was the rearguard like?” He shot out the question quickly. “Any trailing enemies that could have seen us come in?”

“I didn’t see any.” Dawn replied, “The entire place was pretty much empty behind us.”

Tempest paused and contemplated for a moment, before a thought seemed to pop up in his head.

“Very well.” He announced. “Take as many photos and as much evidence as we need right now, we will head back out in ten minutes. Then we will contact base camp and make our way to the extraction zone.” Then he pivoted towards Blossom who had been standing motionless by the mouth of the giant pit, looking straight forwards. Tempest grabbed his shoulders and spun him around to face their exit.

“Since our heavy weapons operator has proved himself to be so fearless in enemy territory, I’ll let him do the honors of leading us out of here.”

…….………………………………..

The extraction started smoothly enough. Finding their way out of the dense maze of towering spines meant walking towards increasing light, and sure enough the thistles grew more and more sparse. Dawn breathed deeply in relief as the sky began to peak through between the needle towers, we’re almost out of here! Just a few more-

In an instant, the silence was shattered by a deafening crack of a kinetic rifle shot. Dawn froze, every cilia on his body stood on end. For a single, silent moment he desperately prayed that it was just another oblivious sentinel that had been picked off. But then he heard the chorus of howls in the distance, hundreds of void-born screaming out in unison. A second later, the entire front-line disappeared into a haze of smoke and energy flashes. Dawn instinctively dove to the side in an attempt to survive the opening volley. A wave of powerful explosions erupted just above head height, spine-towers snapped and blasted apart by the invisible attacks of a dozen shamblers. Dawn groaned, feeling small piece of the solid, yet tacky material rain down on his body. Desperate to not get buried alive, the scout crawled madly to the edge of the thicket.

Sliding under a huge fallen spine, Dawn paused for a moment to check his surroundings before peeking above the cover. His breath caught in his lungs. As far as the eye could see, blanketing the entire mountain basin, standing on every twisted structure protruding from the ground, was a void-spawn creature hungry for blood. Every shape and size of monstrosity imaginable was out there, jumping down from their perches, biting and clawing at the desperate front line. From where Dawn sat, the enemies looked like a never ending tide. Remembering the mission, he willed himself to take another breath and leveled his weapon at a stationary beast sprouting a hundred tendrils from its head. He fired. A quick burst of light lanced across a hundred meters and caught the unwary void creature in center mass. The thing didn’t even cry out as it instantly tumbled from its perch, a bubbling hole burned through its chest. Dawn’s weapon hissed, venting its spent fuel. The scout hunter chambered another round and prepared to fire again.

Then, close to the center of the chaos, there was the bright, prolonged flash of a missile firing. A white trail arced across the battlefield, striking a teetering piece of enemy artillery and sending it toppling to the ground. A chorus of almost-voices erupted from the site of impact as a dozen more void-born were reduced to the undifferentiated matter of their nest.

Blossom’s still alive, and he’s still on our side… Dawn mentally noted with a degree of relief. At least we can still count on the heavy weapons working.

Like clockwork, from the same dust cloud, several smaller rockets shot forth. The cluster munition screamed over the smoke and smashed into a particularly large enemy. The hundred limbed monstrosity staggered, but continued forwards. A moment later, the first strike was followed by another large missile. There was a flash when it impacted, cratering a gigantic hole into the mass of the living armor. The void spawn giant teetered for a second and finally fell, its inorganic flesh already boiling away before it sank into the hungry ground.

Suddenly there was movement to Dawn’s right, and the scout turned to see the needle spines parting. He peered closely, focusing on the disturbance. The tall towers jittered as if something was pushing through them, but the movement revealed nothing but empty air. Suddenly there was a earth shattering blast and Dawn saw a cloud of dirt and gore shoot up into sky. A cacophony of agonized cries filled the air which were suddenly cut short by another explosion. Dawn’s blood ran cold as he remembered yesterday’s hunt in the desert.

Without thinking, Dawn yelled a warning to scatter in general direction of the carnage, and lobed a grenade. The air was suddenly filled with a ear piercing ping, and a bright light engulfed the entire battlefield. Dawn winced, seeing the telltale bolts of blue energy blasting into alien flesh like steel shrapnel. Then it was dark again, There was no more movement in that flank, and he could see the dismembered limbs of the shamblers littering the ground.

“Watch the flank!” He shouted at the other scouts next to him. “Shamblers will keep trying to surround us!” There was an affirmative response for several of the riflemen and Dawn turned back to face the bulk of the fighting.

In the center, the action was more ferocious then before. From all across the entire encampment, new creatures, freshly birthed, were crawling from the mire and assuming their position in the combat line. Gun fire continued to pour out from the central formation, high caliber kinetics, lances of light, and rockets ravaged the exponentially growing horde. In between shots at the closest targets, Dawn began scanning the surroundings for any avenue of escape. His eyes darting over embankments and gullies trying to find a ditch or some narrow opening that was not choked with voidspawn.

“BACK INTO COVER!” Tempest shouted from the center of the swirling dust. “WE NEED TO GET IN A DEFENSIBLE POSITION !” the ragged ranks of scout infantry seemed to hear the order above the raucous of combat and some began to move back into the needle forest. Dawn was just about to stand and follow when a stifled scream caught his attention. Wrenching his thorax around. the scout hunter came face to face with a gigantic void-born creature. The huge monster had pushed halfway through the gloom between to stands of needles, and in its grotesquely bony maw was the remains of a arm. The monstrosity swallowed what was left of it, planting another taloned foot onto a bloody smear that had once been a soldier and faced Dawn. The Scout hunter scrambled, firing his weapon for all the ammunition he had and scuttling out from the thicket.

“THE TUNNELS! THEY’RE COMING OUT FROM THE TUNNELS!” He shouted, dodging the pulverizing charge of the monster as it smashed through a stand of the needles. The entire scene fell into pure chaos, darkness and light mixed together as Dawn found himself tumbling head over heels out of the needle forest completely. Still rolling, Dawn felt his enemy’s jaws snap mere inches from his head, sending a powerful shock wave through his entire body. Then he was over again, earth and sky churning together before he slammed his back against one of the hardened enemy structures. Dawn coughed, trying to fill his body with air. The battle raged around him, the other soldiers were position in a wide arc, facing away and oblivious to the new threat behind them. Through the haze, Dawn saw the monster crouch down onto five legs, seemingly ignoring all of the other targets around it. It lowered the massive eye-less head at the scout hunter, seizing him up.

It held still for a moment. From its deep chest came a single click, ringing above the din of battle. Then it pounced. Dawn’s limbs were moving before he even realized, pushing his body from the base of the structure. The void spawn could not turn as fast and plowed into the artillery growth with a dull thud. Dawn wasted no time, whipping around he let off another sustained burst into the beast’s hind quarters.

The monstrosity roared, pulling itself free and shaking debris from its head. All around them, the other scouts turned, realizing in horror that there were enemies in their back-lines as well. Dawn dove away from the creature as a hail of gunfire poured into the ravaging monster a moment later. The beast shrieked in pain, smashing into its surroundings and unveiling its whip tail. Too late, Dawn put up his arm to shield himself and felt the force of a motor vehicle slam across his thorax. Now it was his turn to feel the impact of smashing into the environment. Shock and pain exploded across his back and the air was forced from his lungs. Dawn sat stunned for a second, his entire body trying to compensate for the trauma it had just felt. And in that second, the monstrosity was on him.

Enormous talons wrapped around his middle pair of limbs, threatening to snap them clean off. Another set clamped down around his legs. The huge jaws lowered, opening wide, falling towards his face. Dawn lashed out desperately with his only free pair of arms, scrapping the beast’s eyeless face with the calcified spines on his forelimbs. The void-born creature winced, momentarily shaking his head, trying to snap off the irritating nuisance. In that moment, Dawn’s other free hand darted to his sidearm, raised it up and fired half a dozen shots into the creature’s mouth.

The roar of pain was deafeningly painful to the scout hunter, the beast rearing up and letting go of its prey. Dawn instantly wriggled away like a larvae, sneaking under fallen needle spires and fired several more shots into its head. Now more of his comrades had turned back, and seeing the huge threat in their midst, resumed their attack, shredding the monstrosity’s unarmored hindquarters. Above, another burst of rockets arced up from somewhere up ahead, blasting apart the next wave of enemies that sought to exploit the momentary opening.

With its flank torn wide open, the void-spawn creature staggered and finally collapsed into the shifting ground. Dawn quickly put another few shots into its twitching skull, silencing it for good. The scout painfully propped himself up and took a few deep heaving breaths. The battle raged around him and Dawn tried to tune it out. He needed to recover before he could renter the fray. Another distant blast signaled that somehow, despite all that chaos, Blossom was still alive and fighting.

Dawn heaved and straining against the pain, began hobbling. The dust rose around him and gunfire became deafening. He feverishly scanned the area, hoping to see their commander in the haze. Then, a shape burst out of the haze, firing wildly into the enemy mass.

“Tempest!” Dawn sputtered, catching the reeling raid commander. The scout leader swung his head around, focusing on the winded hunter with wild eyes and frantic antennae.

“We need to leave!” Dawn shouted. “I saw a way to the edge of the basin! Then we can make a break for the canyon mouth!”

Tempest paused his shooting for a second and followed Dawn’s gaze to the winding gap in the enemy lines. Dawn saw the bony plates shift on Tempest’s face in calculation before he turned back to the rapidly deteriorating front line.

“PULL BACK!” He bellowed at the top of his lungs. “WE HAVE A WAY OUT!” Across the entire front, all of the scouting party seemed to hear the call and began to break their positions. Clenching his mandibles, Dawn sucked in a sharp breath and continued his hobble away from the center of the fight. Soon the trickle of retreat became a rapid stream of soldiers leaving their position and disappearing into the narrow gap between the void spawn structures.

Dawn, slowed by his injuries, had just made it into the narrow alley when the last of the rear guard squeezed passed him, Blossom nowhere in sight. Dawn looked back at scene of the firefight and for a single moment, there was nothing but a sea of gnashing teeth. Then from out of total chaos, Blossom seemed to materialize, leaping to safety, temporarily out of reach of the ravening horrors beyond.

The heavy weapons man took a moment to straighten himself up, and upon seeing Dawn’s precarious state, and the ranks of enemies already sniffing out their exit point, ran up to the scout hunter, effortlessly lifted him onto his back, and full sprinted towards the rest of their comrades.

They met little resistance on the way out. Dodging through the various tight squeezes and overhangs of dripping void matter, the exhausted and beaten raid unit finally stepped off of the tacky substance and back onto snow covered rock. Yet still, they didn’t stop, there was an unspoken certainty that to turn around was to invite death, and so in silence and with lowered heads, all three dozen of the men dashed through the snow until making it behind a large outcrop, beneath the shadow of the looming cliffs above.

Dawn felt himself gracefully off loaded from his rescuer’s shoulders and placed onto the earth alongside the other injured. All around him, his comrades collapsed into the snow, gasping for breath, frantically searching for the last few rounds of ammunition to load their weapons with.

Tempest leaned against a large boulder and remained standing. Despite how close he had been to the center of the action, it seemed like the commander had got away with only a few scratches. Yet, while his body was un-hurt, Dawn recognized the pained, humiliated expression of his posture and face.

“Looks like most of us made it out.” Dawn groaned quietly, examining his body for any injuries.

“The fortress still has no idea whats about to hit them.” Tempest brooded, aggressively scratching his own antennae. Turning to a standing soldier he pointed at the heap of electronic equipment laying in the snow. “Does the radio still work?” He barked. “Can anyone still operate it?”

To Dawn’s surprise, amidst the heap of wounded men and haphazardly discarded weapons, Blossom stepped forwards and slowly raised a limb. “I’m unharmed, I can operate it.”

Tempest’s posture immediate became suspicious, standing further upright and antennae angling forwards.

“I remembered the frequencies that command will be receiving on.” Blossom continued, kneeling down into the snow and starting up the bulky device, seemingly oblivious to the bitter disapproval of their commander. The fire support soldier slowly turned a few dials, the air crackling with static for a few seconds. Then through the buzz, there was a voice.

“-the fortress Tenebrous, identify yourself on this frequency.”

Upon hearing the voice at the other end of the radio come through clearly, Tempest bolted from his resting spot and over to the radio. Snatching the microphone from Blossom’s hand, the commander held it to his mandibles and rattled off his personal identification and the mission code before pausing for breath.

Silence hung in the air, palpable and heavy. Dawn knew that operating on a long distance frequency made them the subject of extra scrutiny. Security policies against enemy interference or espionage meant that if their commander had gotten even one of those number wrong, then this transmitter would be permanently blocked as compromised hardware. One mistake would mean this entire mission would have been for naught.

Finally, the voice crackled back over the receiver. “Credentials confirmed, transferring the line to high command.” Dawn slumped over in relief. They had done it, they could get the word back and then book it to the extraction site.

“This is high command receiver. Commander, we are receiving you loud and clear please proceeded.” The radio spoke with crackling static.

“Confirmed,” Tempest repeated. “We have extracted ourselves from the center of the enemy stronghold, I can report that at the center of the enemy encampment is a tunnel entrance leading to a massive network deep inside the mountain. We believe their could be millions of enemy units staging underground. We cannot know for certain but its likely they have a flanking route.”

The other side of was quite for a moment, probably as the receiver processed the words in shock.

“Confirm that you have observed mass enemy movements numbering in the millions within underground tunnels systems?”

“Yes! Confirm!” Tempest nearly shouted. “Enemy likely has a flanking route to the fortress, advise mass defensive operation and leveling of this enemy position!”

In the distance, a single rattling groan pierced the air, it was quickly followed by another, then another, and another.

“They’ve triangulated our signal!” One of the wounded radio operations cried. Blossom immediately readied his weapon and clambered on top of the large rock for a better vantage point. All around Dawn, soldiers scrambled for their weapons, equipment, or wounded comrades.

Tempest cured loudly. “We’ve been located!” He reported into the radio, “We need pick up at the designated point now, and barrage this position as soon as you can!” Then he cut the power and heaved the machine onto his back. “We move towards the canyon!” He shouted. “There’s a few above ground caves that should lead us out of this gorge and into the next one!” With noticeably less energy, the entire unit began to trek along the steep cliff wall, and towards the canyon. Behind them, Dawn could hear the sounds of the void spawn getting louder. Each hiss, click and chatter sounded closer and closer. As he hobbled forwards, trying to keep up with the column, Dawn could swear that they were right over his shoulder.

Yet, every so often, in response to the alien battle-cries of the enemy, there would be a burst of gun fire, or a rocket exploding against something large, a reminder that Blossom was still holding the rearguard and keeping the horrors off of their tails. After what felt like years to his exhausted and battered body, Dawn clambered over one final rock and collapsed into the snow. Ahead was a sheer drop, a cliff that fell into the forested canyon below, and to his left, was a small cave opening. Tempest was already standing guard, ushering the last of their unit into it

“Dawn!” He yelled. “Get up! I’m going to seal the entrance behind us!” Dawn picked his head from the soft packed snow, and through the twisting tunnel of stone, he could see daylight at the far end of the passage way.

The wounded scout hunter staggered to his feet and craned his head back. The sounds of the chase were right around the granite bend, powerful weapons blasts seemed to explode right over their heads.

“Blossom’s almost here!” Dawn gasped, pulling himself towards the cave entrance, “We need to cover him!” He began to reach for his sidearm, but Tempest’s claw closed around his arm and jerked the weapon from his hands.

“Forget about him!” Tempest’s voice was filled with venom. “All the better, if he’s late, we won’t have a spy following us back to base!” The commander pulled again, trying to bring Dawn into the cave, but the wounded soldier pulled back, digging his claw boots into the snowy gravel, the unanticipated resistance unbalanced Tempest, sending him crashing into Dawn and both men sprawling into the snow.

“Snap out of it!” Tempest cried, brushing the snow from his face with a sweep of the antennae. “That thing is not our ally! We have good men who are wounded, I won’t have you endangering their lives over some infiltrator!” Dawn felt the commander grip his arm again, he tried to protest, but the throbbing pain of internal injuries took his breath away, and as he was pulled to his feet, it happened.

The moments were a blur, but Dawn saw the lithe body of Blossom finally rounding the corner rapidly pursued by a dark shape multiple times his size. He heard several shots and the monstrosity jerk with the impact. He saw the commander’s face suddenly change as he processed the unfolding scene, a calculation whizzing through his mind at a million miles an hour. Still holding up Dawn’s slumping form, he turned to the cave, bellowed a single order to take cover, before aiming the sidearm at the entrance and firing a single shot.

The shock of demolition charges threw Dawn off his feet once more. Tons of stone and ice fell down, smothering the small entrance. Above them, there was a low rumble followed by a incredible rush. Dawn barely had time to pull his face off the ground before the avalanche smashed into his body. The torrent of snow was impossible to resist, and in an instant, it effortlessly carried him, Tempest, Blossom, and the disintegrating void-born corpse off the ledge, towards the canyon floor hundreds of meters below. Dawn closed his eyes as the forest canopy rushed up and prayed that his end would be painless.

…….………………………………..

Dawn was wrong, his landing was not painless, but also, to his surprise, it had not been his end. Halfway down, he felt his speed suddenly slow, before painfully crashing through the branches and landing in several meters of lightly packed snow, his fall cushioned. Yet even so, the pain he felt was immense. His previous internal injury screamed a pounding agony, and all his joints cried out in white hot pain. He had definitely lost a limb or two,. Those would take months, if not years to fully regrow, and who knew what other cracks and tears he had endured, maybe he would bleed out right here in the snow.

The world around him was completely white, and through the agony, he tried to remember the order of events. Did I lose consciousness on impact? How long have I been lying here… Dawn had no idea. The avalanche had completely smothered whatever crater he had made on impact, leaving him with disoriented with no way to tell which side was up. Maybe I’m going to die here after all…

There was a sound above, a rustling like snow being shifted. Then the crushing weight was gone and Dawn could see the sky again. He heaved in a shaking breath as the cold air touched his wounded body. High above, he saw Blossom’s face peering over the side of what was a very deep hole. How had he moved all of that snow? Dawn tried to shift his limbs, but found them still pinned under meters of snow. Blossom saw his comrade struggling and immediately jumped into the pit. There was another feeling of weight being lifted and finally, Dawn raised his limbs into the air.

Sickness and nausea washed over Dawn as a broken, bleeding stump was raised into view. He let out a weak clattering sound from his mandibles and winced, the pain fully registering in his dazed brain. Without any delay, Blossom quickly pulled Dawn’s stunned body from the snow and onto his back. Then the wounded scout felt his rescuer jump and suddenly they were on flat ground again, amidst the trees of the forest floor.

“Can you stand?” The uninjured man ask, sliding Dawn from his back.

“I-I think so.” Dawn replied weakly as he checked his weight bearing limbs to make sure none of them were missing. Then he gingerly placed his feet into snow and steadied himself against Blossom’s body.

“Please stay here, I’m going to gather the commander.” The heavy weapons soldier replied in his characteristic melancholy before setting Dawn against a tree and disappearing into a white haze.

Alone again, Dawn shuddered and cradled his severed limb. The bitter cold, which he had previously been able to shrug off, now chilled through his blood soaked coat, cracked and chipped exoskeleton, and down into his flesh and organs. Taking several deep breaths to clear his head, Dawn’s training kicked in, and he reached into his pocket to find a small medical kit. He needed to stem his bleeding or else he would be done for no matter what. Tearing the package open with his jaws and remaining hands, he found the vials of first aid resin and quickly cracked their contents onto his wounds.

A minute passed, and the clear mix rapidly set into a hard smooth patch in between the breaks and wounds of his carapace. Dawn leaned his head back and let his body go numb. I’m going to make it... I have to make it. He reminded himself. They were so close to winning the war, they had delivered all of the information that command needed. Once the fortress repulsed this attack, it would be their turn to unveil the trump card and end the void-god for good. A fierce shiver ran through his body again.

There was a crunching sound in the distance and Dawn looked back down to see two men emerging through the woods. To the left, Blossom maintained his neutral but powerful gait, and slinking away from him, limping along, was Tempest. The commander was clearly worse for wear, a large open wound bled from his right thorax and his legs were not quite moving correctly. Yet even then, he kept his distance and seemed to eye his rescuer with a distrustful gaze.

“All three of us are here.” Blossom declared flatly as they arrived at the base of the tree. “We should tend to our wounds first.”

Tempest didn’t respond. Silently, he produced his own medical kit and wandered behind a tall tree several paces away. Blossom looked down at Dawn.

“What’s your condition?” He asked.

“I-….I’ll live I think.” Dawn replied tentatively “Maybe some internal injuries, I’ve patched myself up, but still, I probably want to see a medic soon.”

Blossom’s antenna flexed slowly, like he understood the words, but was still working out the implications.

“You look great though.” Dawn bantered back. “How did you make it without a scratch?”

“Because he’s not natural.” Tempest’s accusatory voice cut through the air like a blade. Painfully, Dawn looked back to see the commander emerge from behind the tree, side arm drawn and pointed directly Blossom’s head.

The fresh recruit was not startled, instead he slowly stood and faced the commander, arms calmly hanging at his side.

“The game is up, this is over.” Tempest spat, advancing on Blossom.

“Stop!” Dawn tried to yell, but is voice came out small and strained. “We can figure this out once we get back to base!”

“NO!” Tempest bellowed. “I’m doing this precisely because we CANNOT let this thing come back to base with us! Remember why we even volunteered for this expedition in the first place?!”

“Blossom…he hasn’t betrayed us though!” Dawn replied. “He helped us escape! He might not be an enemy.”

Tempest let out a click of indignation. “Why don’t we ask him, ourselves.” He replied slyly. Turning to face the other man, he gestured the weapon for him to speak. “What do you think?” Tempested goaded. “Would you say you’re just an ordinary Khrathian? We saw those impossible stunts, getting out of the avalanche without a scratch, vaulting over void monsters ten times your size, perfectly aiming ten shot at the same time, would you say that’s…normal?”

Blossom was silent for a moment. “No.” He finally said. “I’m not Khrathian.”

Tempest reacted with a vindicated gesture at Dawn. “He doesn’t even think he’s the same species as us! How can we trust him in this war for our survival?!”

“I preserved both of your lives in the fall from the cliff.” Blossom replied. Tempest paused mid rant, freezing as his brain ran for an answer. But his paralysis lasted only a moment. Dawn saw as the anger and spite seized his body again.

“You saved yourself.” He leveled the weapon at Blossom once more. “What did those monsters promise you? Power? Survival? A place in their new twisted world?”

“Nothing.” Blossom replied with something approaching anger in his voice. “I was never offered anything from those things.” Dawn did a double take. This was the first time Blossom’s tone had changed from anxious and regretful. What had Tempest touched on to trigger that reaction?

The commander didn’t seem to notice the drastic effect is words had had on the other man. Shaking his head, Tempest’s face contorted in disbelief. “They offered you nothing, but you joined them anyways! We are so close to defeating that abomination! You’re old enough to have seen what those cultists did years ago! You called that ambush down on us! How could you join them after they burned every coastal city, after they slaughtered thousands?!”

“I had no part in starting the skirmish, believe me.” Blossom replied. “I promise you that I am not a servant of the star machine.”

“SAVE IT!” Tempest roared in return. “Every single enthralled bastard I’ve ever fought, screamed about a different idol in their damned pantheon. If it wasn’t The Dreamer Beyond Mind, then it was The Bane from the Stars, or The Great Profanity, I’ve heard all of the stupid abominable demons that they killed for!” He locked eyes with Blossom’s. “You might have fooled everyone else, but I know what the void tongue sounds like, and you were never going to get past me.”

Then Tempest fired.

Dawn watched, unable to look away as the muzzle of the kinetic pistol flashed, Blossom’s head exploded in a burst of gore, and… the decapitated body remained standing.

The wounded scout rubbed his eyes in disbelief. Tempest also stood dumbstruck, his weapon now hanging down by his abdomen, and he stared with unbelieving eyes at what was unfolding. The shattered chitin and calcified bone hung in the air around what had formerly been Blossom’s face, defying gravity. The spray of black and blue viscera was frozen as a cone behind the destroyed skull, and within the heart of the gore was a pitch black circle, buzzing ferociously, bending the space and matter around it into an unrecognizable ring of distorted reality.

“That won’t help you.” The impossible object spoke in a grinding, screeching noise with an after-echo that howled for many seconds after. “I’m sorry, you shouldn’t have done that.” Dawn cringed in pain, trying to cover the ears on his thorax with his remaining arms. It was awful, the “voice” bore down into his very core and each note felt like a needle stabbing into his organs. His entire body was resonated with the impossible, immutable sound.

Tempest likewise recoiled at the noise, falling to the snow, fruitlessly trying to keep his weapon aimed at the impossible thing that was nestled inside of Blossom’s corpse. Straining his eyes, Dawn watched the dark sphere suddenly shoot out a thread-thin tendril of the same pitch black non-matter, anchoring onto a piece of floating viscera and reeling it back into place. Then it happened again, and again and again with accelerating speed until, in matter of seconds, the man’s entire face had been completely re-assembled like a puzzle. Two of Blossom’s arms raised up to the pieced-together-head, and in one smooth motion, passed their claws around the entire surface.

Dawn’s disbelief only grew as the broken exoskeleton was sealed instantly before his eyes. Cracks vanished, shrapnel holes disappeared, and ruptured eyes reformed in their entirety. Letting his arms drop down to his sides again, the reformed head took a deep breath, opening and closing its jaws, letting out a fine mist in the cold mountain air.

Tempest had just managed to right himself again and upon seeing the resurrected adversary, wasted no time aiming his weapon and firing off several more shots. Deafening bangs tore through the quite forest, but unlike before, Blossom remained unharmed, the bullets dematerializing mid-flight. The revived figure took a step forwards. Seeing his opponent advance, Tempest responded in kind, raising his weapon for an overhead strike. Then, faster than thought, Blossom’s hand shot out, claws clasping around Tempest’s face.

The commander’s body instantly went limp, the sidearm falling harmlessly into the snow. His form slumped forwards directly into Blossom’s embrace. In one swift motion, he hauled the unconscious body onto his shoulders and turned to Dawn.

“I’m not going to hurt you.” He said apologetically. “The commander is just knocked out.” Striding over to Dawn, he stuck out a hand. “Let’s get out of here, and get you some help.” Dawn hesitated for a single second. But shivering and cold from blood-loss, a small part of Dawn’s mind knew that this impossible, inconceivable figure was his only hope of making it out of the mountains alive. Reaching up, he took Blossom’s hand and stood, pausing for a second to catch his breath, before limping into the snow together.

The pair walked on in silence for a time. Steadying himself with a long branch, Dawn found that he was able to limp on without too much pain flaring up in his side. Still, the treacherous terrain buried under the snow took its toll, and they routinely had to stop for the injured scout to catch his breath.

And every-time they paused, Dawn found himself staring into the eyes of his companion, those pitch black voids that obscured whatever thoughts were happening in that impossible skull. Finally, as they set off into the snow once more, Dawn worked up the courage to speak.

“What…What happened back there?” He asked in a voice strained with exertion.

“The commander overreacted.” Blossom replied. “ I had to subdue him.”

“But your head…” Dawn trailed off. How can I even start asking about it? His inner void yelled with frustration. What can I say to witnessing something so impossible happen in front of my own eyes?

“I am not Khrathian.” Blossom said.

“But you’re not a void-born either?” Dawn pressed.

Blossom paused. “No…I’m not…one of the things you are fighting.” He said slowly.

Dawn’s antennae twitched. The other man was implying something, something that Dawn didn’t quite grasp yet.

“What…what are you, really?” Dawn insisted.

“I don’t know what you would call me, actually.” Blossom responded. “You could say… that I’m a part of the cosmos, the part outside of space and time.”

Dawn remained silent.

“That’s why I thought it was interesting that you called those creatures ‘void-born’.” Blossom continued. “Because I don’t have anything to do with them. ”

“Are you one of the void spawn’s gods? Are you one of the names the commander was yelling about?” Dawn didn’t have any other reference for what Blossom was talking about.

“I didn’t come here to be worshiped.” Was the flat reply. “And…no I’m also not like the thing that’s destroying your planet, that thing is just a machine, with a broken purpose.”

Dawn’s mouth-parts chittered in confusion. “I don’t even know where to begin.” He confessed. “You’re some sort of cosmically powerful thing. You say you have no stake in in the war, but you clearly came to this planet and disguised yourself as a regular soldier for some reason. Help me understand what you want. Can you help my people survive this war? Is there anything I can offer to get you to help us?”

Blossom’s antennae flicked up and down as if in deep thought.

“I think its best if we start at the beginning.” He said at last. Reaching a clearing, the pale man gently eased Dawn onto a soft patch of snow-less ground beneath a tree before securing the commander’s unconscious body to the tree with a thick rope. Then he finally set himself down opposite of Dawn.

“I don’t know how you understand the beginning of time, but my experience of the world started in chaos.” Blossom began. “I had two siblings. The three of us were the first things to gain awareness in the chaos. We called that chaos our mother, and we were something like crystallized aspects of it. My brother was the eldest, my sister was the second, and I was the youngest, a manifestation of the void and nothingness.

Dawn’s mandibles shifted in his mouth. The story being told by Blossom evoked some faint memory from the back of his head. Ancient mythologies had garnered much greater attention ever since the beginning of the extinction war. With the revelation that all manner of ancient mythical nightmares were real, came the frantic drive to comb through every single relic to find any potential insight on stopping them. Dawn recalled reading something similar far in the distant past, but he could not put a name on it.

“You- I’ve heard this story befo-” Dawn began to say before a quiet, clattering laugh interrupted him from behind.

“The three spawns of chaos.” Tempest choked out, his voice hoarse. Shaking his lethargic body, the commander looked down at the ropes binding his limbs and let out a defeated groan. “Saw that myth in some damn cultist prayer book ten years ago. I know the story. You’re claiming to be the god of the outer void?” He let out a pained sarcastic laugh. “Unbelievable….”

“Yes, I am the youngest child of Chaos.” Blossom bluntly. He didn’t seem bothered by the fact that the commander had awoken. “But, I’m afraid that the stories you’ve heard don’t tell the whole truth about me.” His voice was tinged with melancholy. “I was scared of rebelling against our mother in the beginning, but my siblings went on ahead anyways. My brother picked a role for me in their uprising: the prison warden, and I followed along dutifully. But when we finally succeeded in overthrowing our mother, I found out that I would have to stay dormant to keep Chaos subdued with me. My brother…didn’t care, my sister… kept her thoughts to herself, but they both left for their new universes, and I was left outside.”

Dawn sat still and breathed out a large plume of mist. He looked up and really studied the man before him. Was this, average looking figure, really some primordial deity that predated all of time and space? In this moment, he could hardly believe it. But Dawn had peeked behind the mask himself and seen a singularity that swallowed realities sitting within Blossom’s skull. Whatever his true nature was, Dawn knew it was far beyond the ken of this world.

“Outside of time and space, existing in a death-dream, I didn’t have an awareness of the eons passing, but then sometime later, my brother returned and woke up a piece of me. He was all to happy to boast about his many accomplishments in the intervening ages. He said that he was now a king and he ruled over countless subjects.” Blossom leaned in. “Back then, I thought my siblings and I were the only thinking minds in existence. And so I didn’t understand what he meant. That was when he revealed everything.”

Picking up a stick, Blossom scratched a rough imprint into the snow. Dawn’s hearts raced as he recognized the telltale outline of the mountain sized abomination terrorizing their world.

“He spoke of machines our sister fashioned to build and repair worlds, machines that he now ruled over as vassals. He spoke of even smaller beings, mortals like you, with minds and could comprehend and praise his glory. And he spoke of how it all of it danced perfectly to his word and his word alone, a cosmic order that moved to his will.” Blossom continued. “I immediately wanted to see everything for myself. All of the worlds and realities, each of them as wonderful and intricate as he described them. But he denied it. And when I asked again, he exploded at me.”

Dawn considered the words silently. Blossom was sounding like someone who understood what it was like to be victimized and threatened. A spark of hope ignited inside of Dawn. If he could get Blossom to sympathize with their situation, then perhaps this primordial deity would agree to help. It was a long shot, but he already saved their squad from a void-spawn ambush, maybe he could be convinced to help some more.

Blossom continued his tale. “My brother denied me, told me I couldn’t leave. My job was too vital, I was being selfish for trying to shirk my duty, and that even if I could accompany him, I was too incompetent, too weak willed and I would just get in his way.” Blossom paused, letting the bad memory work its way out of his mind. “Despite all that, he really was right about me being not able to leave. I had to do my job. I had to keep Chaos at bay. ”

“Then…” Dawn thought over the question carefully. “How are you here right now? If you need to be out there doing your job, how can you be here?”

“Because I…failed.” Blossom replied with uneven breath. “I grew restless in the death-sleep, distracted by the wonders my bother had told me. The more I dreamed, the more my mother became aware in her imprisonment, and when I realized what was happening, it was too late. Now the end is coming in every world, in every universe. My siblings are trying to find me to fix this mess. They’ve both gone back outside of creation to try and find me, but I won’t be there.”

Dawn’s antennae raised at the revelation. “You- you’re running away.” Blossom didn’t immediately reply.

“I don’t want to have demands pressed on me. I don’t want to be used for someone else’s purpose and then abandoned.” Blossom finally said after a lengthy pause. “I don’t want it to happen again. I know I can’t stop my siblings from finding me forever. But right now, in this moment, I just wanted to see what was denied to me for so long. I wanted just see their creation, just once before the lights went out.”

“And how are you finding it?” Dawn probed carefully. “Do…do you think our universe was lives up to the story you heard?”

“Your world is…more tragic than I anticipated.” Blossom responded with a despondent tone. “But, there are no stars in the void. No mountains, no snow covered forests, no-one to confide in. All I could do was die and sleep away eternity. Seeing your worlds through eyes like yours, I do think…I do think these worlds are valuable. I wouldn’t want to see them end.”

“Then fix it.” Tempest said bitterly from behind the conversing pair. “If you’re really this primordial god of gods, and you love our world so much, wave your hands and make those abominations disappear into thin air!”

“I can’t, my siblings would instantly know where I was.” Blossom said quickly.

Tempest tilted his head back and howled that same pained, bitter laugh. “Damn coward…” He spat. “Out of all the things I thought you void “god” bastards would say to me, I could never have imagined that you’d be scared of your own shadow! Your neglect is causing the end of reality and you turn tail to hide in your own mess! Whats the point of you being here if its all going to end anyways?! Just here to look around, see the sights, play pretend in someone else’s war and then run off when someone your own size shows up?!” The commander ranted.

“You sound exactly like my brother.” Blossom said coldly in reply. The woods fell silent for a single drawn out breath.

“Then he was right!” Tempest yelled. “All the power in the cosmos and you won’t even lift a finger if you’re slightly inconvenienced! You’re pathetic!”

Dawn gritted his mandibles. I have keep Blossom focused on the issue facing the planet! All this antagonizing isn’t helping!

“Forget about your family, and the end of everything.” Dawn said quickly, trying to divert Blossom’s attention. “On this world right now, is there anything you’re willing to trade to help my people survive? Name a price, I’ll try to match it as best I can.”

“I-“ Blossom’s voice caught mid sentence, the first time Dawn had noticed him at a loss for words. “I don’t know if its anything you can provide.”

“You said it yourself, you can’t run forever. So what’s something that will make this escapade worthwhile to you?” Dawn pleaded. Blossom was silent for a moment.

“Maybe something like this. Talking, but without the interrogation.” He finally said.

Dawn looked down. The answer was cryptic and uncertain, he wanted to ask Blossom if that meant he would help or not, but Dawn had the feeling that Blossom hadn’t quite made up his mind about that.

In the distance, there came a deep boom and several rumbles.

“The barrage is starting.” Tempest said bitterly. “If you won’t help us, then at the very least untie me so I don’t get blown up by a stray shell.”

Blossom looked up at the cliff and then slowly stood up before walking to Tempest. Wordlessly, he undid the ropes around the commander’s legs but kept the bindings on his arms. Then, returning to Dawn, hoisted the injured man to his feet and once again begun trekking away into the snow.

Darkness fell soon after and in the distance the sounds of bombardment only increased in intensity. In silence, the trio eventually ducked into a small alcove cave to shelter. Dawn rubbed his broken carapace tenderly. A fire was blazing softly in the center of the small cave. To the other side, Tempest had fallen completely silent, and Dawn wasn’t sure if he was still awake. Blossom however, had his back to the fire, gazing out into the blowing snow.

Quietly, Dawn moved himself closer to the alien being.

“I can take the next watch.” He offered in a friendly tone.

“There’s no need.” Blossom replied. “I just woke up after eons and eons of nothingness. I’m not too keen to go back to sleep right now.” Despite the same sadness in his voice, Dawn detected a hint humor in the words. There was a particularly loud blast in the distance and the trees right outside the cave shook, dropping a shower of snow onto the forest floor.

“Earlier, you said that everything was going to end because of chaos.” Dawn inquired slowly. “What doe that mean, what’s actually happening out there?”

Blossom let out a deep breath. “Chaos is a force beyond your universe that is slowly imposing itself onto reality.” He said quietly. “First, the stars in your sky will go out. Then matter will be dissolved, and finally, space and time will be erased, only Chaos will remain.”

Dawn shuddered at the unimaginable notion of complete universal annihilation. Hearing that it was imminent placed a cold pit in his hearts.

“At this point, my siblings have probably figured out that this is all my fault.” Blossom continued. “I think they want me to put things back the way it was before, as if none of it ever happened. But I don’t know if that’s possible.” He paused. “I don’t know if that’s desirable. I don’t want things to continue like they have in the past, and I don’t want to be locked outside your reality.”

“Yeah, that sounds pretty grim. I wouldn't want to be forced to re-live that either.” Dawn tried to empathize.

“Mmmmmm.” Blossom replied cryptically and continued staring into the dark night outside.

“But, running from your siblings isn’t going to change anything.” Dawn said carefully. “You said it yourself that you’ll never outrun them. When they find you, you’re going to have to face whatever happens next anyways. Delaying the inevitable won’t change anything, but you can change what happens if you face them. The way I see it, the only reliable way to make sure you get a better deal this time, is to fight for it yourself.”

“It’s not quite that simple.” Blossom replied slowly “But… that idea does make a certain amount of sense.”

“I know that all these choices are still very new to you.” Dawn said. “But in this world at least, we have to stomach what we must, in order to get what we want. Sometimes there’s no shortcut, you just have to go through the pain and emerge on the other side.” He gestured at Tempest who was definitely asleep at this point, limbs relaxed, head leaning against the back wall. “The commander chose to stay here in the cave tonight in spite of everything he believes about you. He knows that this our situation the only way to stay alive is to endure what he hates.” It was getting cold and Dawn turned back to the fire.

“To tell the truth, I think don’t think the commander or your brother were right about you... But please.” He said to Blossom who was now facing the other direction. “We desperately need any help we can get. You showed me today that you have the power to deliver us, and that you want to preserve our world. In that situation, if you decide to do nothing because you’re afraid of something that’s going to happen anyway…it’s going to look…well...” Dawn’s voice trailed off, letting the implication hang in the air.

The cave was silent save for the crackling of the flame. Then, wordlessly, Blossom stood and walked to the cave entrance.

“You’ve given me a lot to think about.” He said with a hint of gratitude on his voice. “I’ll be just patrolling the opening, you’ll be safe for the night.” Then he was gone.

Dawn’s mouth parts twisted and fidgeted. Those words were all he could say to make this cosmic being understand. With uncertainty in his hearts, he laid his head against the wall and slipped into slumber.

…….………………………………..

The night passed instantly. At some point, Dawn found himself drifting to sleep in the warm ambiance of the cave. Then a moment later he was awake again. The fire had long died into cold ashes, and now, bright yellow sunlight was filtering into the cave through the distant entrance. Dawn was disorientated for a moment. Unsure of what, if anything, had just happened. Sitting up straighter, he was careful to avoid aggregating the injuries that were still on his mind. Did the entire night pass that quickly!? It was like there had been no time at all. Did I really go to sleep?

But there was no denying that morning had come. Dawn groggily wiped his eyes with his antennae. Opposite of him, Tempest was not yet stirring, still soundly asleep. By the entrance, Blossom still faced outwards into the blinding snow. It was as if he hadn’t moved an inch for the entire night.

“The barrage has stopped.” Blossom said flatly without turning around. “But your enemies are moving very quickly underground, I can see them gathering.” Dawn’s face twisted in concern and anticipation. “If it’s any consolation, the others made it to the extraction site last night.” He continued.

“Then we’re the only ones still out here.” Dawn replied grimly.

“Theres something else.” Blossom replied. “Listen.” He pointed a finger up towards the ceiling of the cave. Dawn sat for a second straining his senses to their limits, trying to perceive anything beyond the ordinary sounds of nature. Then he heard it. It passed effortlessly through the stone of the cave and instantly filled the enclosed space with reverberating echoes. It was a low din, something that sounded like an earthquake, or perhaps the engine of an enormous warship. Mixed into this bone grinding noise, was also a high pitched, metallic whine that pierced straight into his brain. Dawn squirmed, trying to keep the sound at a tolerable level before it finally died down.

He took a deep, shaking breath. He recognized that noise. It was the same sound he had heard all the way in the great desert sea, the same one that had pierced his ears as the great shape had come looming over the horizon. But now it sounded closer. Much, much closer.

“The machine is on the move.” Blossom said. Across the cave, the monumental noise had shaken the commander awake. Tempest sat bolt up, scanning the cave frantically, before freezing as he realized what he was hearing.

“No…” He whispered, words full of trepidation. “Thats not possible- its too soon for-.” His eyes shifted to Dawn, then to Blossom. A second passed and his visage quickly hardened. Slowly, with all the wild panic suddenly drained from him, Tempest leaned back and rested his head against the smooth stone.

“Well, here we are.” His voice was still full of venom and spite. “Several too early, the trump card won’t be ready.” Tempest said in an exasperated tone. “That’s it, its over. Our last hope dashed against the rocks.” He rolled his head on his neck in an exaggerate expression of frustration. “That’s our world then, to be burnt to cinders because there was NOTHING ANYONE COULD DO TO STOP IT!” He spat the last words in the direction of Blossom, his voice straining to a peak for maximum effect.

“I’m not going to sit around.” Blossom replied with a measure of determination in his voice for the first time. “Not today.” Standing from his position, he strode over and set a hand on Tempest’s bindings. His claws closed around the ropes and an instant later, they laid snapped and broken on the cave floor. Tempest heaved in a deep breath and flexed all his arms, rolling them in great circles about his body, before quickly standing up himself.

“Now, if you would be so kind as to give me back my weapon…” The commander held out his hand.

“Your sidearm won’t help you against the star machine.” Blossom replied bluntly. Tempest withdrew his claw into a clenched fist in response. The emotion on his face was frustration, trying to make out if Blossom was testing him.

“I will take us to the battlefield now.” Blossom suddenly announced. Bringing a claw up in front of his face, he waved it slowly through the air.

Dawn felt a bout of vertigo come overtake him. The cave blurred and faded to black for a split second before the world recrystallized again. Dawn wobbled and took a step back, his foot now finding purchase in soft sand. The wind buffeted his body, and the full strength of the wasteland sun beat down on him overhead.

Dawn gasped in a breath and scanned his environment. The three of them were now standing atop a high sandstone bluff. Down below was flat desert and in the distance, standing proudly on a high plateau, was the fortress Tenebrous. Dawn’s hearts leaped at the sight, part of him yearning to be back home to safety. However, the more observant part of his mind instantly knew something was wrong.

An ominous plume of black smoke hung over the walls and bastions of the fortress, thin streaks of it rising from fires roaring in the distance. All around the base of the butte and pouring from the Northern hills, was a sea of heaving dark shapes.

“They made it through the tunnels already.” Blossom said with a tone that approached remorse. “But the fortress is still holding on right now.” He pointed to a particular tower in the complex walls. Dawn focused his vision on it, and as he watched, a mechanical monster belched a stream lighting fast shot into the waves of void spawn below. Beside it, the a second tower spewed a massive gout of flame, incinerating hundreds more. All along the perimeter, the citadel’s heavy weaponry unleashed a salvo, some at distant enemies, some at closer ones, opening up massive gashes and holes in the sea of shadowy shapes.

“We don’t need your help with the small beasts!” Tempest looked around the desert frantically. “The void god abomination?!”

In response, Blossom shifted is arm, moving it from the fortress, towards the open desert before coming to a stop on a seemingly empty patch of sky. Dawn and Tempest both craned their necks forwards, looking for any dark shape or speck that blemished the sky. Suddenly, an impossibly huge area of the heavens seemed to shift and distort. It was as if something behind it had moved, like a gargantuan shape pulled from under a painted canvas. Dawn stumbled back in shock. The swathe of sky shimmered, bulged, then contoured like a cloth draped over a statue as the enormous monstrosity materialized into the world.

A gargantuan thump passed through Dawn’s body as the dark god’s appendages cracked the desert’s stone. The living mountain lurched forwards, sending more earthquakes rumbling across the sand. Even in the distance, the fortress quaked like a bell struck with a mallet. Dawn couldn’t even make out a cohesive shape across body of the vast abomination. Its silhouette was a mess, shifting and bubbling and bleeding into the air around it. The closest comparison Dawn could manage was with a jagged piece of coral. The shape before him was like seeing a writhing, melting, mountain of coral through dark and murky water. He tore his gaze away to find a solid foothold as another seismic shock pierced the sandstone bluff they were standing on.

Tempest dropped to the ground and covered his head. Massive boulders tumbled to the desert below. Blossom remained motionless, swaying with the rocking ground without shifting a single muscle. After a moment the rumbling subsided. Dawn dared to peak up, seeing the top of the monstrosity’s head reaching far into the blue heavens. The mountain sized abomination swayed slightly, as if centering its balance for the next step, before it was suddenly hit with a massive force. The world around Dawn heaved with a single cataclysmic motion and a perfect, spherical hole was blasted into the body of the void god by an invisible force.

The weapon was finally ready! Dawn’s mind soared with anxiety and hope. The name he had heard for the dread armament was the god-eater, and now it’s awesome title was being put to the test.

The enormous form staggered, several more voids cratering the huge body. Its upper half bent backwards, teetering into a fall, threatening to collapse into the earth. But the hideous mountain did not crumble. Its bent and wounded posture held for only a moment before it pulled forwards and heaved its body into the sky.

“NO!” Tempest screamed up the monstrosity’s healing body. “IT’S NOT FINISHED! THOSE IDIOTS! THEY CAN’T FIRE AT TEN PERCENT POWER!”

As if on cue, the bombardments against the void god abruptly stopped. The titan paused for a second, letting every single wound on its body seal shut, and then it began moving again.

Dawn rolled under an overhang as the colossus took its next step. From his new location, he could see the weapon on top of the fortress in the distance. The enormous, esoteric device was powering down, the lights across its surface dimming until they went out entirely. Then the void god took another step and eclipsed the sun. Its vast shadow was thrown across the entire plateau and its looming bulk threatened to crush the entire bluff with its next move. Dawn’s gaze darted to Blossom who was still turned towards the creature. Seeing the shadow, the man simply raised his arm and waved again. The entire world darkened once more, and when it cleared. Dawn found the three of them now on the desert floor, distant from the battle, backs to the sun.

Shakily, Dawn stood as the immediate danger vanished. Tempest was already up and stalking over to Blossom with anger craved into his features.

Blossom didn’t turn to face him.

“I’ll do it.” Blossom announced bluntly. “I’ll get rid of my brother’s minion. Whatever happens next…” He took in deep breath that was not entirely performative. “I will have to face it.”

Then, without any hesitation, Blossom reached out all four of his arms as if embracing someone, and closed them around his own body.

Dawn felt a slight pop in the air around him, like he had just broken the surface of a placid lake, or just woken from a deep dream. His vision did alter, but in front of his eyes, the massive shambling mountain of a monstrosity simply vanished into thin air. One moment it was there, and the next it was gone. Dawn stood, shell shocked for a moment in utter disbelief, before he slumped onto the ground and let out a rattling, quavering breath.

Relief, true relief washed over him like a cleansing wave. It’s over! It’s finally over! There’s going to be a home to go back to tonight… The life of perpetual warfare and struggle Dawn had always known were taken away in a single instant, like a nightmare vanishing with the first rays of the sun.

Tempest likewise sat down calmly in the sands and leaned back on his arms. He kept some of his composure, his high strung instincts prevented him from relaxing completely, but the feeling of freedom and liberation was clearly visible across his features.

Blossom in contrast, still stood stiffly, letting his arms awkwardly hang at his side.

“All of the so-called void spawn have been removed from your world too.” He declared in his trademark monotone. “The machine that menaced you is gone for good.” Then, he too brought himself down to the sand in a seated position. For a moment there was silence between them, only the hot desert wind murmured across the sky.

“But…be prepared, still.” Blossom finally said. “This is just a short intermission. The cataclysm at the end of time is still looming, and I can’t guarantee what will happen to your world next.”

Tempest let out a disagreeing huff and turned himself to face a different direction in the sand. Dawn momentarily felt a somber expression crawl over his face before banishing it.

“You did the right thing.” He said, still laying in the sand. “You have my gratitude and the gratitude of the whole world, even if most them have no idea about what happened here.”

“Yes, I suppose.” Blossom replied. Then his expression turned from bittersweetness to dread. “My siblings, they have already found me.”

Dawn’s antennae flickered in concern and he sat up from the hot sand. Scanning the horizon, he felt his gaze unnaturally pulled in one direction before coming to rest on two small figures in the distance. Concern suddenly grew again in his chest, and he hurriedly stood to face the new arrivals.

As the pair drew closer Dawn slowly began to make out the appearance of the strangers. To the left, and striding forwards with a haughty posture was a very tall, slender man of dark complexion. Across his smooth exoskeleton was draped an immaculate outfit of wealth and authority. His eyes burned like two suns transplanted into a midnight sky.

To the right, was a substantially shorter woman dressed in a matronly style. Despite the heat of the desert, her many thick layers were pulled tightly around her body. Her posture was more reserved than the man’s, yet she too carried herself with some degree of purpose and dignity. Her carapace was almost iridescent, its mirror like qualities combing with her wavering gray clothes to give the appearance of her silhouette to melting into the background.

Without great haste, the new strangers covered the remaining distance to the trio. Compared to their finery, Dawn, who was still wearing his torn and filthy combat uniform, suddenly felt massively diminished. Accordingly, the new arrivals walked straight past Dawn without even giving him a glance. The man’s haughty stride took him to where Blossom was still seated on the sand before bending down menacingly.

“Brother! It’s been far too long hasn’t it?” He said with a voice that burrowed its way into Dawn’s joints and wounds. “We were very concerned when we couldn’t find you! As you doubtlessly know, we have some rather important things to discuss.”

Dawn shivered. This man’s voice held none of the insecurities or caution that Blossom’s did. This brother of his spoke with all the arrogance that his appearance could afford, and then some. Vindictive sarcasm dripped from his words.

Blossom slowly looked up and locked eyes with his brother but remained silent. The newcomer’s jaws clattered with annoyance before turning to look at the empty space where the mountain sized monstrosity had been moments before.

“You destroyed it. You killed my servant…” Blossom’s brother said coldly.

“It was just a machine.” Blossom replied under his breath. “Our sister’s over there. She could make another one.”

“I had plans for this world.” The newcomer retorted. Dawn heard a dangerous spike of anger in his words. “And now you’ve gone and ruined them.”

“The machine was already under mother’s influence. It would’ve blown up your plans anyways.” Blossom said.

His brother didn’t say anything in return, only replying with a scoffing clack of his jaws before suddenly swiveled his attention to Dawn.

“I never thought that I would find my brother here of all place.” He said in a tone that Dawn took to be mock gratitude. “Regardless, it is nice to meet you, I am Jubilation and this is my sister Contemplative.” The tall man stuck out a claw. Cautiously, Dawn grasped the stranger’s limb in a gesture of greeting.

“Now, I must say that my brother’s choice to hide out your world was rather troublesome, and has delayed me for quite some time.” He continued. “Given the state of the multiverse as a whole, wasting all this effort to stamp out a spark in the midst of a wildfire seems rather unproductive.”

Tempest scowled and took a step towards Jubilation.

“What are you saying about us void scum?!” He shot accusingly.

The mask of politeness on Jubilation’s face dropped instantly. The boiling desert heat seemed to chill by several degrees, and even the sun appeared to dim in the cloudless sky. The piercing, fire like eyes of Jubilation locked onto Tempest, and as he turned to face the ragged commander, Dawn perceived the stranger towering over the soldier with an immense presence.

“What is it with you mortals these days?” Jubilation’s voice was completely empty of any pretense of goodwill. “I show one of you, the slightest hint of favor, ask for a single piece of advice, and suddenly everywhere I go, you think you can speak to ME with insults and accusations?!” He let out a hollow, indignant laugh that filled the desert with a reverberating din.

“Do you even know the significance of delaying ME?” His voice boomed, unnaturally loud. “Do you even have the slightest inkling of who I am?! Do you even KNOW the scale of the cataclysm we are dealing with?! I have half a mind to turn your charred sand-ball inside out anywa-“ Jubilation began to reach out a claw when it was suddenly slapped away.

The stranger’s eyes flared like a nuclear inferno, his gaze snapping to Blossom’s outstretched arm. A moment later, Jubilation’s own arm shot out, wrapped around his brother’s wrist and hauled him to his feet. Shockingly, for the first time, Dawn registered an expression of pain on the volunteer’s face.

“Their defiance, it’s gotten into you too huh?” Jubilation laughed in disbelief. “Maybe it really is just a symptom of this hell-bound world! Now I REALLY think I would be being doing all of creation a favor if I just disposed of it.” The dread claw was raised again, this time surrounded by a crackling halo of dangerous energy.

The air was pierced by the sudden crack of a weapon and Jubilation’s hand was blasted apart. Bits of blood and bone splattered onto Blossom’s face and coated the pristine sand. Jubilation didn’t even flinch at Tempest’s attack, simply raising another arm without missing a beat.

“ENOUGH!” Contemplative’s voice shook the ground and silenced the air. Jubilation’s hand, halfway down, paused mid-fall. Throwing back the outer layer of her heavy cloak, the woman walked up to the two brothers and pried them apart.

“Now look at who’s wasting our time and effort!” She scolded Jubilation. “Some mortal lashes out at you, big deal! I also have many questions for our brother, but this is not the time nor place! Get a hold of yourself and get a move on!”

Jubilation slowly raised his head, looked around at the strange group of figures he found himself at the center of, and dropped Blossom. Straightening his back, he readjusted his intricate clothing, before flicking the stump of his wrist. Carapace and flesh quivered and flowed like water, rapidly congealing into a new claw. His eyes still burned with suppressed fury, but he said nothing more.

Picking himself up from the sand again, Blossom dusted off his uniform before also joining his siblings.

“I’ve kept the gate open for an already unreasonable amount of time.” Contemplative grumbled at her brothers and pulled them in line. Then, she turned to the two soldiers. “I hope that the two of you will never see, or think of us again.” She said cordially.

“I doubt that.” Blossom whispered in interjection, but before Dawn could react, the three of them were gone, vanished into thin air.

The mood at the fortress that night was one of tentative celebrations. Spirits were high, and more people slept soundly than anytime in the last decade. Yet, despite the festivities, alert remained high. The sudden disappearance of every single enemy from the face of the planet was basically the only contingency that high command had never planned for. With an enemy as enigmatic as the void-born, vigilance was still required, least they be lured into false security.

This mood of fearful relief was reflected perfectly by Dawn who’s own inner voice told him to relax, while knowing he couldn’t fully commit. The universe, all universes, were dying. This peace was nothing but a small reprieve from potentially even greater nightmares lurking just beyond tomorrow. Somewhere and sometime, beyond both space and time, he knew that decisions were being made that would shape everything to come, and all of it was entirely out of his control… or was it?

As Dawn laid awake in hospital cot at night with his injuries tended to and savoring the silence from cannons and missiles, the final words said by Blossom remained in his mind: “I doubt that”. Blossom, for some reason, still expected to see Dawn again. Did he mean after this was all finished, that he would revisit their world? Or did the a lowly scout hunter still have another part to play in the cosmic drama? He didn’t know, and the surrounding darkness of the cavernous hospital ward remained didn’t answer back.