Altiris Knights:The Fall

Chapter 6:A Lost Friend

Raelin's eyes snapped open, and he shielded them with his hand.

"What the- "Quiet. You must listen to me. The uriaks are approaching your position. There are too many. You must flee to a safer location", Judeor's spirit said. "We can not abandon the mission", Kyma protested. "This mission was over the moment it began. Your mission now is to survive", the spirit said, its tone filled with urgency. "There is no time. I shall delay them. Go."

Reluctantly, Raelin, Heogarma, Kyma, Merela, Durian, Kelven, Garcel, Pyros, Deila and Exaera stood up, and rushed to the ships.

Suddenly, a huge vine burst through the Helkaites ship, and crushed it to the ground. The vine split in dozens of smaller vines, all of which attacked the group. Green lightning discharged from Raelin's fingertips, and blue lightning, fire and light reinforced it, creating a massive blast. The energy burned the surrounding uriaks alive.

Deila, Exaera and Heogarma added air and earth into the mix. More vines burst through the ground, entangling Kyma and Merela. Durian spun and swung, his dao coated with fire, burning through a few vines. Exaera manipulated the earth, choking the life out of the rest. She killed a few uriaks with metal disks. Deila burned through a greater uriak, and, together with Heogarma, sent the crushed Helkaites ship at a group of the creatures, flattening them.

Garcel and Kelven were attacked by a few greater uriaks, and collapsed, their bodies shredded. As Raelin and Durian attacked them with fire and lightning, one of the creatures launched a vine out of its maw, and wrapped around Durian, and pulled him in.  Raelin electrocuted the creature with a torrent of lightning, but its paw hurled him to the ground, dislodging his left shoulder blade, where another vine entangled him, and headed in the direction of his mouth. Raelin struggled to free himself, but his strength, great though it was, was barely enough to slow the vine down.

Pyros sprinted to his side and cut the vine in two with an overhead cleave. He seized the vine with his hand and tore it away, handling the rest with his sword. He helped Raelin to his feet, and snapped his shoulder blade back in place. "Thank you", Raelin said, groaning in pain. "We can not stay here any longer", Pyros said.

Raelin gathered his energy, and released a storm of lightning, separating them from the uriaks. They sprinted to the Alliance ship, and boarded it. Raelin and Heogarma took the cockpit, and directed the ship upwards, away from the creatures. They could still hear their screeches, though.

Then, as the ship neared the atmosphere, a tentacle of a huge beast struck it, sending it tumbling back down to the ground.

"The hit damaged our hyper drive! We can't jump!" announced Heogarma. "And there are more of these creatures coming straight for us!" Raelin added.

"We are on it!" Pyros called back, and he, Kyma and Merela headed to the ship's turrets. Deila and Exaera jumped on one creature's back, and sliced it with their energy blades. The creature screeched and twisted in the air, but they held on, and Exaera decapitated the monster with a metal blade.

Golden plasma bolts tore into the nearest beasts, killing them. This seemed to have discouraged them somewhat, and after several more fell, the rest retreated, screeching in indignation. Exaera and Deila returned to the ship, and it flew further away, landing on a distant ridge.