The Voidbreak Crisis

21. Firestorm

The sun seemed to rise slowly that morning. It's warm, radiant light painting the scenery around the tower a deep red as they filtered through the dense smoke that rose from the cities around them. There was a long line of burnt out ruins that had once been cities, and the scorched landscape around them revealed a definite path that was heading straight for Zavoyevatel's tower. The forests, once grand and green, spanning the distance between the cities were now ashen wastelands. Tornadoes of flames spun out of control across their barren ground, sucking the smoke high into the sky. The roads and highways had melted into pools of lava, and filled the air around them with a horrible, acrid stench. Nichole, Micheal, Pulse and Prism were positioned outside of Zavoyevatel's tower, alongside a regiment of the God-King's soldiers.

"What do you think it is?" Prism asked, watching the smoke pour into the sky in the distance.
"I have no idea." Pulse said softly, watching bolts of lightning arc through the clouds of ash.
"It's probably the humans." One of Zavoyevatel's soldiers said, dragging her claws across the vambraces they wore, sharpening them.
"What makes you think that?" Micheal asked as the thunder rolled past them.
"They know these towers belong to the God-King, and they hate us for some reason. They seem to fear what they do not understand, and from fear comes hate, and from hate comes violence. QED." She said, popping her neck.
"What's with all the smoke then?" Nichole asked. She could feel something wicked on the wind. Something powerful.
"They're probably looting everything as they pass through. Greed seems rampant in these creatures." Another of the soldiers said. There was a sudden crash far in front of them, as a tank rolled over a concrete barrier, reducing it to pebbles beneath it's treads. Human soldiers leapt over the barriers around it, each of them running ahead towards the God-King's tower. Nichole focused her power, her mechanical limbs emitting a high-pitched whine as they stored kinetic energy. Micheal tightened his fists as they began to softly glow, emitting a soft hum. Pulse adjusted his hat and spread his hands out as his palms glowed softly. Prism held out her hands as pinpoints of light appeared at the tips of her fingers. Zavoyevatel's soldiers drew their weapons and assumed their battles stances, ready for blood.

But even with this display of potential violence in front of them, the soldiers did not slow down or change directions. Some of them even dropped their guns as they ran, even as their commanding officers ordered them to keep them with them. The tank's top half turned around and fired a shell into the city as it's bottom half continued forwards. More tanks drove out of the city, accompanied by military and civilian vehicles, all of them moving at high speed towards the God-King's tower. They didn't seem to care about the fifty-soldier force that was between them and the walled city, they only seemed concerned about whatever it was behind them. Nichole relaxed as the soldiers ran towards them, the rest of her detachment following suit.
"What's going on?" Prism asked as the first of the soldiers ran up to them, out of breath and covered in ash and sweat.
"P-please, you've got to help us." He panted, holding his chest.
"What's going on?" Micheal demanded as he walked up the man.
"Please, you guys have powers or some shit, right!?" He asked as other soldiers ran up behind him, equally out of breath and terrified.
"Depends entirely on what you say next." Nichole said as Zavoyevatel's soldiers walked up to see what the commotion was.
"There's some kind of, I don't know, demon or some shit headed this way! We hit it with everything short of a nuclear warhead, and it won't stop coming!" Another of the humans panted as the tanks rolled across the highway between them and the other city.
"Please, you've got to help us." The first soldier panted.
"My king, one of these humans says there's a demon headed this way." One of Zavoyevatel's soldiers said over his headset.
"Take it down. The portal is almost ready to fire." Zavoyevatel responded.

"Are you ready?" Zavoyevatel asked as Zoe laid down inside of the metal box. It looked less like a coffin from the inside, which was reassuring. But just barely. Siren laid down in the other box and took several deep breaths to calm her pounding heart. She wished Pulse and Prism were here. It would make things a little easier, but not by much.
"As ready as I'll ever be." Zoe said, taking a long, deep breath through her nose, and exhaling through her mouth as she focused.
"Siren, are you ready?" Zavoyevatel asked as his aides attached cables to the various clamps on her body.
"Not really, but I think I can do this." Siren said as they placed the clamps on her wrists.
"Remember Zoe, this will be an incredible amount of energy. Likely more energy than you have ever transmuted." Zavoyevatel said.
"I got this." Zoe scoffed as they placed her clamps on and tightened the cables onto them.
"Siren, this is an honorable thing you are doing, my child." Zavoyevatel said, checking her clamps himself to assure everything would operate smoothly.
"So I keep it open, and we all go home?" Siren asked, laying her head back and focusing.
"Yes. Zoe, you understand what you're to do?" Zavoyevatel asked, stepping back and placing his hands on the focuses in front of the portal.
"I got this, old man." Zoe said, adjusting herself and getting comfortable.
"Let us begin then." Zavoyevatel said, pressing a button on the focus.