Die. Respawn. Repeat.

Chapter 124: Book 2: Loop 15.1 (3)

Anhar's connection to his spear is a weak one—unlike Trialgoers, he doesn't have any Interface-assisted version of Firmament Control. His ability to stay connected to his spear is a part of the skill he's just used, but given it isn't his own to begin with, it's not going to be difficult for me to override. I can feel how easy it would be to reach out and just... take over.

But he'll be ready for that. The fact that he's got countermeasures against Trialgoers at all means I should assume he'll be prepared for common skills like Firmament Control. I can't ignore the fact that he's got seven more skills, either, by Vahrkos's estimation. At least they seem to be one-use only.

Worst-case scenario, I'll have to force him to wear out all of them—but it'd be better if I could stop him from using them at all.

First things first. Step one.

Intrinsic Lightning.

I haven't forgotten what Tarin taught me when I was watching him fight in the Arena. It might be my first time using the skill in combat, but I'm pretty sure I was able to get the hang of it while I was watching him. Sparks of Firmament begin to rush through my body, multiplying as they go, sensitive to even the slightest change in the Firmament around me.

Step two. Anhar needs to target me, not Vahrkos. I begin building up Concentrated Power in my fist. Right now, Anhar thinks he'll have the advantage if he can get rid of us one by one; I need to make sure he realizes he doesn't have the time or the luxury to focus on just one of us.

Above me, Ahkelios flashes a quick signal to Vahrkos, and I feel some power drain from me as he uses one of my skills. Hopefully Vahrkos will understand what to do.

Step three. I begin sprinting toward Anhar.

I don't use Accelerate or any of my speed skills this time. I let the arm that's building power hang a little low, like the strength I'm accumulating is too heavy for me to carry. I let it seem like the strain on my system is so much that I can't use my normal skills alongside it. Anhar's gaze flickers toward me, and the Premonition I have about the fight changes.

He isn't targeting Vahrkos anymore. Good.

Instead, the spear whips toward me so quickly I can barely spot it even with Quicken Mind accelerating my thoughts; it's a good thing Tarin's little trick works, because I stumble out of the way without even consciously registering the movement. The change in Firmament translates directly into signals along my nervous system, forcing an instinctive sidestep even as the spear smashes a crater into the ground beneath me with explosive power.

It whips around with no regard to the laws of physics, going in again for a second strike, and then a third; I grit my teeth as I feel my body straining to keep up. Second Wind does a lot of work here, replacing the scratches and wounds I do take with a seal of Firmament. Automatically dodging the spear itself is one thing—every time it strikes the ground, shards of rock fly out with enough force to gouge tears into my skin.

It's fine. The pain is minimal, suppressed both by my experiences within this Trial and the nature of Second Wind itself. I'm sure I must be quite the sight by this point—I catch glimpses of myself through my link with Ahkelios. There are so many scratches on my legs I practically look like I'm glowing.

If nothing else, it does a good job making me look intimidating. Anhar's focus is nearly entirely on me, now.

Which creates the perfect opportunity for Vahrkos.

Hueshift is a poor replacement for an actual camoflaging skill, but in the heat of battle and with the amount of dust being tossed around by our fight, it's just enough to keep Vahrkos obscured. It's not that Anhar doesn't notice the other morphling—it's just that the Hueshift-tinted Barrier in front of Vahrkos keeps him just obscured enough that he doesn't register as a threat.

Anhar is focused on me. The biggest threat right now is my fist. I'm still pouring Concentrated Power into it, and the amount of Firmament it contains is only growing. He's been hit by me once before, and that's enough to make him wary of taking another one.

Several things happen in quick succession.

I Warpstep, putting me directly beside Anhar, my fist just inches away from his right side—the same spot I punched before. Anhar jolts in surprise and reacts, pushing every last fragment of Firmament he can into defense. It's entirely instinctive. Even if he's been able to heal back from it, he still remembers the impact, the pain.

In that instant, Anhar's entire focus is locked into defending against me. Ahkelios and Vahrkos both take advantage of that instant. Vahrkos leaps into the air, toward the spear. Ahkelios reaches out with my Firmament Control, snipping the connection Anhar has with the spear and allowing Vahrkos to grab it.

Ahkelios places a Barrier directly beneath Vahrkos's feet, and the instant he makes contact, Vahrkos uses it to land, spin, and whip the spear forward using the weight and momentum of his entire body.

Anhar's focus is still on me. The spear is positioned behind me, blocking Anhar's view of it.

Phaseslip. I let my blow slide through Anhar unimpeded. His eyes widen—he doesn't understand what I'm doing, doesn't know why his defenses apparently failed or why he doesn't feel any pain from what by all accounts seem to be a successful punch. It's enough to throw him off and disrupt his focus on defending himself.

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Unintended side effect: The mass of Firmament moving through him with Phaseslip disrupts his control over his own Firmament. Not actually part of the plan, but I'll take it.

It helps with the part where the spear goes straight through my Phaseslipped body and into Anhar's chest.

There isn't even any resistance. The spear slides through him the same way it slides through me, though the effect is certainly a lot more explosive; I grimace as carapace shatters outward and wait a long moment before deactivating Phaseslip.

Intangible or not, I'm not exactly enthusiastic about having bug parts tear through me. Or about Anhar's now-mutilated body, strewn in two distinct parts on the ground. I grimace as a mental image of the broken bodies of those frog-people drifts through my mind, and dismiss the notification of his death. I'll look at that later.

Footsteps sound behind me, and I turn away with some relief. Vahrkos is staring at the corpse, his expression distant and hard to read. "You knew him?" I ask.

"Once," Vahrkos replies shortly. He kneels down beside the corpse, then sighs. "Not much left of him."

I frown even as Ahkelios flies back up to me and lands on my shoulder. "I feel like I'm not going to like the answer, but..."

"I'm not talking about the corpse," Vahrkos says dryly.

"I did notice he didn't... talk. Not that I expect most people to talk while they're trying to kill someone, but I thought he'd at least ask a question, or make a sound, or something."

Vahrkos is silent for a moment. "It is something that can happen with morphlings," he says after a moment. "The balance between our aspects is delicate. Sometimes, those aspects can... collapse. Become something new."

"Weird," Ahkelios remarks. I flick him. "Ow!"

Vahrkos snorts a little, looking up at the mantis. "It is viewed as an abnormality," he agrees. "Frowned upon by many. It can results in individuals like Anhar—morphlings with more power than sense, capable of following orders and instructions, but not..." He hesitates, searching for the words. "Anhar was not incapable of thinking for himself, but he did not want to."

There's a long pause. "I don't know what to say to that," I admit after a moment. It's not a state of mind I can imagine.

"It can be easier sometimes," Vahrkos says, his gaze still distant. I notice he's begun to dig a hole in the ground—a grave of some sort—and without thinking twice about it, I begin to help. It's easier to dig with a few shaped Barriers than with bare hands alone. Vahrkos accepts the help with a quiet grace, gratitude written into his features. "Not having to make the harder decisions. Not needing to worry about being wrong."

"I guess I can see that." It's still foreign to me, but the thought is at least something I can relate to. "Seems like a bad idea to put a guy like that in charge of your military, though."

Vahrkos snorts. "Terrible," he agrees. "But this is Whisper we're talking about. Someone like Anhar is perfect for her needs."

"Can't argue with that." I put up a quick Barrier as Vahrkos gathers up Anhar's body and drops it rather unceremoniously into the grave; blood and gore splatter outward. He doesn't seem to care.

"Aren't the others still in danger?" he asks. "Why are you helping me with this?"

"They're..." I hesitate. I don't have a good answer for him—not an answer that he'll like, at least. In this loop, Wanders and Tarin are already dead; I'll have to trigger Once More Into the Fray if I want any chance at saving them, which means I need to use the rest of this loop to recover some Firmament and to gather information about how the raid is meant to progress. "I can't help them right now."

Vahrkos snorts. "You are not a good liar."

"It's not a lie," I protest, because it technically isn't. He just looks at me, and I sigh. "...The Integrators messed with the loop. Right now, anyone that dies dies permanently."

Vahrkos's gaze goes to Anhar's makeshift grave. There's an immediate spark of worry in his eyes—fear for his friends, no doubt. His voice, when he speaks, is cautious; I can hear the panic, carefully withheld. "I see. But there is a catch, I take it."

"Kind of." I rub my temples; this is going to be a nightmare to explain. "The permanent deaths are tied to the end of the raid."

"Raid?"

"It's a Trial mechanic that's more or less an invasion." Right on cue, the walls of the base begin to crack; I grimace and glance around, pulling Vahrkos back and away from said walls. "A test, of sorts. If I fend off the raid, I win. If I fail... the Integrators erase the city."

"They do what?" A flare of justified anger from Vahrkos.

"Erase it. It'll be gone permanently from the loops." I glance away. "And so will everyone in the city."

Vahrkos's voice is tight. "What's the failure condition?"

I glance at the notification again. "Either my own death or the death of everyone in the city," I say. "But like I said, those deaths are only permanent when the raid ends. I have a skill that will let me rewind time back to the start of the raid."

"You can rewind time?" Vahrkos sounds incredulous, and I don't blame him.

"It's not a skill I got for free and I'm not going to be able to use it much." I feel a pang of worry even as I say the words—Gheraa's paid the price to give me that skill, and I don't know what state he's in at the moment. "That's not important. What's important is that I'll have a few tries to get things right. Next loop around, I'll send a copy of myself here to fight with you, and I'll go save Wanders."

There's a long pause as Vahrkos processes what I've said. The walls around us are crumbling. For the first time, he can see the living meteorite-creatures that have invaded the city. From the way he narrows his eyes, I think he knows how strong they are, too. But I see him trying to control an emotion that's separate from all of that. "He's already dead, isn't he?"

"In this iteration," I admit reluctantly. That's what Guardian of Fate tells me, anyway.

Vahrkos takes a deep breath. His fists clench and unclench—he's trembling, and it takes a moment before he speaks again. "...Alright," he says. "Then I should help you keep Isthanok safe for the rest of this loop. We cannot let all the people of Isthanok die."

I hesitate. Vahrkos's assistance would... help, I have to admit. I've been so focused on the idea of saving the rebels that I haven't even considered that I'm going to have to clear away all of these meteorites before the raid can be considered over, and that means having to protect the civilians of Isthanok in that time.

"Say yes," Ahkelios says, smacking the back of my head.

"Ow," I grumble. "...Yes. I'd appreciate the help, Vahrkos. Just don't get yourself killed."

Vahrkos snorts. "I am not that easy to kill," he says. "Anhar is probably one of the few that could have done it. But you must keep my friends safe."

"I'll do my best," I promise. Vahrkos narrows his eyes, studying me.

"I will hold you to it," he says.