Epics of Noche 2, DeathTech

EON CH 15

NOCHE VS. A GENERAL.

1774, NOVEMBER 27th, SUNDAY 10:40 pm.

Noche stared at General Dreg – her eyes trailed down to Moon Moon. The dog was still wagging his tail with excitement.

"DREG! Gee golly gosh, I thought you were fighting the Birds of Death," Shaylin said. "Did you defeat them?"

"No."

Dreg appeared before Boots in an instant; no one was fast enough to react.

"You escaped Cross once," he said. "It won't happen again."

The general grabbed Boots by the shoulder and held tight.

"Everyone — come back and report," Dreg said.

Noche turned towards the heart of the castle. A surge of energy filled her core — anxiety overwhelmed her.

"Dreg... This place... It's connected to my past," Noche said. "Let me explore it a bit."

He turned to Noche. His hard expression seemed softer. If that was possible.

"I understand the importance of this to you," he began. "But there is a war going on. We need everyone's help."

"BUT-"

"-There is more at stake than recovering your past," Dreg glanced at the group. "Soldiers make sacrifices."

Noche was silent; Dreg stared at her – his eyes flickered towards her group and back at the blonde.

"We all have to make sacrifices," he said in a soft voice.

"But the only reason I joined Cross was for this moment," she thought.

A bead of sweat dripped down Noche's face. Her hand rose to wipe it away only to find she was drenched. Her lungs filled with hot air and Noche's eyes widened as the temperature increased.

"Nine circles of the first flame... Level four, release," Vida grinned. "Brimstone."

The Castle began to melt. Stone and DriveMetal began to slump, bend, and waver like plastic put into an ocean. Patches of rock turned a bright red and began to liquefy – turning into lava.

Noche gasped for breath, but the air was too hot; she couldn't breathe. Smoke rose from her burning shoes and her skin would ignite at any moment. Metal began to make deep, warping sounds as it bent behind the brick walls. Fires began to spring up from all directions – even on that which normally could not burn.

The blonde reacted fast. Prismatic energy became a dome of water around Noche and the group. Tak ran up to Noche and raised his hand. Another layer of prismatic energy became a coating of ice over the water dome. Even within the chilled barrier, it felt like the center of an oven, but at least now everyone could breathe.

Vida's laughter echoed throughout the magma castle.

"Strong opponents wait below. People strong enough to kill me."

The blind girl walked towards Dreg; with each step, the floor stuck to her bare feet like red chewing gum and a puddle of lava was left in her wake. Beyond them, a wall began to melt away – revealing the secret passage behind it.

"I'm going down into DeathTech," she turned towards Noche and grinned. "You should come. It'll be fuuuuun."

"I won't let that happen," Dreg said. "You are critical-"

The general blocked a punch in the nick of time – the momentum pushed him and Boots twenty feet away. Vida stood up straight and cracked her fist.

"The strong don't have to obey the weak," she grinned. "Better hurry, Noche. What if this is your last chance?"