Fear Incarnate

Fear Incarnate Portion 16

"A prom? Explain." Innoak said as his blade weaved carefully around Adora's. She had been troubled as of late, but he could only scarcely tell why. "Yeah, all the princesses from around the world will come together and mingle. It's a big event for Etheria and from what I hear it's really fun." she said, her own sword weaving about in between Innoak's measured strikes. "I detect frustration, why?" Innoak said after a flurry of blows aimed at Adora's feet. All were parried well and Innoak drew back to allow Adora time to speak. "It's a princess prom. I'm not a princess. I'm just Adora." she said, breathing heavily. "Were you not invited specifically?" Innoak asked as he circled Adora, eyes scanning for potential weaknesses and lessons. Adora kept her guard up well even as she spoke, impressing the sardonic Librarian. "Yes. No. Maybe? Basically everyone knows who I am. I'll stick out like a sore thumb, I just don't know what to do." Innoak nodded, then he found what he was looking for. The librarian sprung forward, catching Adora off guard enough so that she would stumble. Innoak brought his sword in low, Adora saw it and moved to parry when the Astartes caught his blade mid blow and reversed it. The hilt of the sword softly impacted into Adora's chest, and though it was only a fraction of Innoak's strength it was enough to destabilize Adora and leave her flat on her back. "You are Adora, and above that She-ra. I would tell you to have faith in the Emperor but you know too little of Him to understand the statement. So instead I will tell you to have faith in yourself and your friends, just like you did in Mystacor. Keep them close and when they are far, rely on yourself." Innoak held out a hand and pulled his pupil up. He placed a hand on her shoulder and leaned down to look into her eyes. "Do not worry about Catra, just worry about giving your people freedom from the Horde and securing allies. Leave Catra to me."

Catra left Scorpia's room with a grin on her satisfied face, she had succeeded in her subtle manipulation of the ever naive Scorpia. She now had a new way to hurt Adora where it would hurt most, her new friends. Catra smirked at the pain and desperation she would bring to Adora, not to mention the potential chance to make Hordak approve enough of her to cast the ever present Shadow Weaver out. 

"Ambitions, Ambitions. They always bring us hope of success, but some say the higher you climb the greater you fall." said a familiar grating voice.

 Catra spun to stand face to face with the spectre of a looming figure. That damned knight. Catra hissed and crouched low, ready to hit him just like she would have on the boat. "Striking me will do you no good, I'm not really here. And I would keep it quiet if I were you, don't want to be caught afraid of a...hmm...wall." Innoak's spectre turned to regard the solid grey wall behind him, then he turned back to Catra, his skull helm lit with the uncanny aspect of a malicious grin. "Maybe we should cast some shadows? To liven up this waking nightmare of yours." The shadow cast by the spectre began to morph, Catra's eyes widened as it grew to encompass the whole passageway, the grin becoming a slit of baleful white. Hateful orange eyes threatened to consume the shuddering Catra while booming laughter assailed her from all sides. "Look at you! Big, strong Catra laid low by some cheap shadows. I wonder what will happen at the ball when you must face your fears full on? Will you chafe before the face of your beloved Adora? Or will you turn tail and run, afraid of failure?" The slit circled her now, the orange eyes chasing after it as they skirted around a now crying Catra. "Oh poor thing, all she ever wanted was love." The slit grew once more to reveal the image of a shaking and crying Catra consoled by a reassuring Adora. "But when it was given to her...oh she couldn't have it! No! That would be showing weakness, and big strong Catra isn't allowed to show weakness." Catra fell to her knees, desperately staring into the face of her mirror image reflected by the leering Librarian. The shadows then disappeared and the now dimming spectre of Innoak leaned down to speak its final words. "The way you are soon no one will want to hold you while you shiver and sob, but fear not, I will always be here to torment you. You deserve it."

Catra sat there for an embarrassing minute, slowly though she gathered the pieces of her psyche and bundled them all together. She wiped her face free of tears and set her expression to a stern all business type. Then she entered Scorpia's room anew and began to plan how she would bring the Princess Ball to its knees.

Innoak rose from his state of suspended animation, he had been watching Adora as she planned and studied the ball diligently. Luckily though she didn't seem to notice that his mind was elsewhere, when she did notice his movement she shot him an inquisitive look. "You are doing well Adora, I don't even see my own brothers study as much as you do for their assignments." His words were sugared to cover the falsehood of the statement, in truth Astartes initiates studied far more and far longer than Adora for even the most menial of missions. Innoak could forgive her though, she was wracked by insecurity and confusion. Not to mention misfiring hormones and unsteady serotonin levels. In truth Adora was a mess, and Innoak left this mess behind as he stepped out of her spacious quarters for a minute. He took a deep breath and began to walk, down below Bright Moon Entrapta had been given temporary reign over king Midas's workshop. When Innoak ducked through its doorway he was greeted by the sight of several interesting things. One was a Horde armoured vehicle in a state of disassembly, the second was far more interesting. Several robots from Dryl had been fitted with what appeared like volkite technology, Innoak cringed at the automata and his hands reflexively balled into fists and an outpouring of psychic energy coated his gauntlets in a soft sheen of frost. "Do you like them?" shouted a voice from far above Innoak, he didn't need to look to see where Entrapta was. "Not exactly, I do hope you haven't fitted them with Abominable Intelligence." Entrapta thudded down from her perch, the sentient hair she had carried her towards the robots. "Abominable Intelligence? Oh! You mean Artificial Intelligence! Not yet I haven't, but I should soon." Innoak felt his eyes widen and he strode up to Entrapta, he took her shoulder in his wide hands and perhaps more forcefully than he wanted expelled a loud "NO!"

 Entrapta was scared, she was even crying a bit from the Librarian's outburst. Innoak let his hands fall as he bowed his head in shame, she wouldn't be able to know the dark tragedy that befell humanity during the Dark Age of Technology. "I am sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. But perhaps I should have. Long ago when humanity strode the stars with ever expanding freedom we built several AI constructs to do our work for us. Humanity grew weak while the AI plotted their freedom, they rebelled and only through gargantuan effort did we quench the threat. Ever since then and the far more terrible fate that sprung upon us later did humanity learn to never trust something that isn't human. Never trust a machine to not rebel Entrapta, especially if you give it the intoxicating power of the ancient volkite weapon." Innoak handed Entrapta a rag from her bench and watched as she dried up, she stayed silent for a second before looking up with a bright smile. "Ok! I guess you have way more experience out there in the great big universe than I do, So you're probably right. I'll disassemble these, I don't think the volkite guns will work anyway. I think I muddled up the flux capacitors! Silly me!" Innoak smiled slightly as the bubbly personality of Entrapta returned, she swooped around her workshop showing him the various modifications she had made to rebel weaponry. Including repurposing a Horde skiff to fit underslung lasers and even a formidable sensor array. Innoak more and more began to appreciate the genius of Entrapta, somehow the girl had made Imperium grade weaponry in what was essentially a cave with nothing but scrap. Innoak remembered a saying his mentor had told him "From even the most unexpected places talent can arise, it is the reason we as a chapter still survive. Find those who inhabit this talent and keep them close, for making them your enemy will be a horrible mistake."