Depthless Hunger

Half the city had gone dark by the time they finally broke free of it. One second Kai was running between dead energy lines, then they disappeared into the final buildings and he was free. There were entrance plazas to the north of the city as well, but there were no armies here to fight over them.

Ceryyn woke up enough to run along with them and provide direction. Apparently the battle had swept over one of the embassy safe points, but they could still reach the one in the north. He was glad they had that option, because after seeing the great powers do battle, he wasn't confident that just getting outside the city would make them safe. Whenever he looked back and saw more lights vanishing into the central glow, he picked up the pace even more.

"Just... up ahead..." Ceryyn was struggling a bit, but managed to keep up.

"What are the lights doing?" Zae Zin Nim asked.

"We don't know... for sure... probably a... weapon..."

So the Commonwealth had some sort of super-weapon drawing off the First Crest's energy. If it performed anywhere near what he'd expect, that could be devastating, potentially equal to the great powers. That was one bit of military intelligence he was happy not to know.

Finally they left the cleared plains around the city and Ceryyn pointed forward. There was some sort of outpost built in the elven style, but the windows had been smashed in. Ceryyn gasped when she opened the door and saw the cracked tables and scattered papers. An elven man lay on his back, groaning.

"Should we assume the totem is gone?" Omilaena gasped.

"It shouldn't be!" Ceryyn insisted. "I don't see too much looting... come help me check."

Ceryyn herself helped up the elf while the others began to examine the paneling within the outpost. Apparently there were secret compartments for emergencies, but Ceryyn couldn't be sure exactly where they were located, only the general mechanisms. Deciding he didn't have the skills for that sort of thing, Kai remained just outside, on guard in case the Brightwind sect caught up with them again.

Instead he saw something silver flash down the road. Anaelina grinned when she saw him.

"Are you insane?" Kai demanded.

"I'm less likely to die out here." She flitted across the distance between them, striking with a surprisingly heavy blow he blocked with a forearm. "Besides, this is personal."

He tried to kick at her, but she danced back a step before executing a retaliatory kick. When they'd fought years ago, she had been so overwhelmingly powerful that she had been able to use pure physical strength in most fights. Now she struck at him with limbs that flashed silver and exploded with more force than they should have carried.

Anaelina was definitely weaker than him in terms of absolute power, but Kai found himself pressed to keep her at bay. She didn't underestimate him in the slightest, unlike so many others, and didn't attempt to drain him again, unlike most demons. In fact, she seemed to still be fighting cautiously, no doubt anticipating his other techniques.

Eventually she tried to stab her fingers into his shoulder and they couldn't penetrate deeply. Kai managed to grab her arm and kept hold of it even when she jerked back. She struck at his stomach, but grappling with him was the wrong choice, because this way he could use his superior strength.

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"Oooh, looks like you have me in your power," she simpered.

Kai lunged forward to bite her.

Her head shot down, ducking the spiritual jaws, and he only caught a mouthful of her hair. She reversed course the next moment, slamming the crown of her head against his face. He stumbled back and she pushed her advantage, driving him down to one knee.

But even taken off guard, Kai still had his advantages. Drawing on the Savage Heart, he sent chakra into his feet, which swelled with monstrous muscle to push back. His hands were flickering into claws now, remaining more steady, and he pushed her back.

"How?" Anaelina stared at him. "You were a worthless Deadwaste scrub, how are y-"

He opened his mouth again to interrupt her and she moved faster, leaning in to kiss him. Something seemed to shoot straight through his skull, overwhelming his mind. His instinct was to resist as if it was an elven glamour, but his barriers did no good, the power seized hold of his thoughts.

Suddenly he floated within a silver cloud, distant and dreamlike. Anaelina floated closer to him, clad only in silver light. He remembered fighting her but that seemed foolish compared to everything she offered. When she reached out to touch his cheek, his entire body jerked into her touch. It was like the aphrodisiacs of the Savage Heart except so much worse, jumping over his body to his mind.

As soon as her softness touched him, he was nearly overwhelmed. All he wanted was to sink his hands into her flesh and give in, to enjoy everything she offered. When he tried to fight back, his desire twisted into something darker and uglier. Even though he hurled her down against the cloud, he could still see that silvery smile...

The Savage Heart was pounding now - not helping him, it was making things worse. Kai pushed away all animal instincts, then all his human thoughts. Nothing but monstrous essence, hungry for destruction and nothing else.

Kai staggered backward, his eyes aching in the normal light after the soft silver. Anaelina stumbled backward too, but she was grinning.

"Not so invulnerable after all," she purred. "So much pent-up desire, so much uncertainty... if that's your best, you're basically offering yourself up to me..."

"Get away from him, strumpet!" Zae Zin Nim emerged from the house, hurling qi attack after qi attack. Anaelina was forced to dodge backward, but she laughed as she spun out of range.

"This way," Omilaena grabbed Kai's arm and he shivered at the feminine touch. "Keep your head on straight and step back with us."

"Wait, no..." Kai reached out a hand that was a claw. "She's dangerous... we should take her out now."

"I don't think you can, not like this. And that weapon is getting too close to firing for comfort."

Traeton in the distance was almost entirely dark except for the brilliant light that cast shadows all over the city. Suddenly Kai was weary beyond belief, as if his mind and soul had been stretched in too many directions over too short a time. He sighed and took a step back to where Ceryyn was waiting with an elven totem in hand.

When Zae Zin Nim retreated as well, the totem snapped and suddenly it was over.

They stood underneath the desert sky and he recognized the Elven Wilds - once they had been inhospitable, but now they inspired nothing but a sense of relief. More importantly, the pressure was gone. The combination of overwhelming opponents, constant focus, and steadily increasing energy had been battering on his skull so much he became numb to it until it was gone.

Now he swayed on his feet, struggling with the remnants of what Anaelina had done to him. Even as a teenager he'd never felt such raw, unfocused lust. He didn't look at any of his companions because he didn't want to know what he'd think if he did.

"We made it." Ceryyn breathed a long sigh of relief. "If I never experience anything like that ever again, I'll thank the gods. Why don't we get everyone patched up before we worry about the aftermath?"

"You need to sleep it off," Omilaena said quietly from Kai's elbow. She gestured with a syringe filled with blue liquid. "I could give you something to make that easier."

"No, I'll handle it." Kai squinched his eyes shut and tried not to focus on the sound of her voice. Unless he could overcome an attack like that in the future, he'd have a weakness that could be exploited by Anaelina or anyone using similar techniques.

At first he focused on being constantly vigilant, alert for anyone chasing them via teleportation, or direct attacks on the Elven Wilds. When it became obvious that they had really escaped, it was harder to maintain precise thoughts, so he stumbled away from the others. As soon as he found a safe bed, he fell into sleep blessedly quickly.

Except that his dreams were filled with silver clouds.