Going Feet First Ch. 05

When they had disappeared into the tunnel, Dreek gave another order to the rest of her sisters, and at once they came to the stance of attention, their eyes forward as their Commandant finally turned to Galen. "We are to sweep the city and get a grasp on what has happened. Be wary, you're going to see the main Drow population and are likely going be confronted by our kind. Remember what I have said before about dealing with males and females, but if you see red leather, remain at my side."

"Or Red Sisters have their way before you disappear," Keetle added.

"Red Sisters?" the Private repeated, glancing back at Keetle and then to Dreek in confusion.

"The other... 'elite' group of Drow," the Commandant answered, Galen's previous adjective bringing a smile to her face. "Where we serve the Val'sharess upon the surface, they serve her in the underground. They are far less accommodating to your kind than the Sun-Kissed, though they will be of little threat if you remain with me."

Galen's shoulders slumped as he lowered his head and sighed. "Is there any goddamn place in this cave that I could safely go without bein' beside ya?" in a quieter voice he added, "Even with your sisters?..."

Hearing this, Dreek glanced toward Keetle, a frown arching down over her brow before she looked back at Galen. His statement was only a slip of the tongue, but it was not facetious in the slightest. Something had to have happened...

"You weren't protected when you were with Keetle and Jrastra?" she asked, her tone concerning.

It did not slip the Commandant's notice that Galen's knuckles changed shade as his grip tightened around his weapon. The way his brow furrowed and his lower lip stiffened told her of a pained anger brewing within him.

"I wasn't protected against Jrastra's empathy... mind... crap," he growled with a sneer.

Dreek's frown quickly turned to a glower focused directly upon the human in front of her, her growing anger causing the Drow women of her squad to waiver in their stances. "What did she do?"

"Ain't what she did, aside from making me go through an emotional tornado. She tried to get me to... to force myself on Keetle and Felyn, and when that failed she fuckin' looped their minds and..."

Galen paused mid-sentence and took a breath, turning away from Dreek slightly with his head down. Right then he glanced at Keetle, who stared indifferently at him, and then to the Commandant as the other Drow in the squad silently watched and listened.

"Jrastra made us fuck," the aid bluntly explained, making Galen stiffen up in surprise as both he and Dreek looked over to her. "Jrastra's empathy made my body want, and, with much effort from her, made him willing."

"So you finally fucked a surfacer, Keetle," the Commandant stated, her anger fading off as she crossed her arms and turned to Galen. "And our human warrior tasted Drow courtesy?"

The Commandant chuckled under her breath as his head snapped toward her, a confused look about him as he repeated, "Courtesy? Had Jrastra not used her power-"

"Then you would've not have fucked each other and Keetle would still be in the same rut she was in when I made her my aid. I was wondering why she had become less aggressive in your presence," Dreek surmised, leaving Galen speechless.

When the Private appeared to on the verge of formulating a reply, the third Commandant continued, "Aside from the emotional suffering you clearly experienced, I fail to see anything negative of this adventure of yours. From the aftermath I have witnessed, I am sure both my aids enjoyed wonderful sex, and you too seemed quite content when I had entered the room."

Behind Galen there were a few snickers before Dreek continued, "Now what has happened, happened. You may not like our methods, but we use what means necessary to reach our goals. You may dwell on it, or you may come to the conclusion that nothing negative has come of this and drop your anger. It does nothing to help your position with us and it will only hamper your journey back to Celia."

Galen could've broken the stock of his rifle then, his breathing growing more unsteady as Dreek dismissed his "emotional suffering" the same as she would dismiss any physical ailment, but at the mention of the name, Galen's grip on his rifle loosened off.

Celia. His Tree Elf: the one in this new world that he felt closest to, that his heart yearned to meet again, that he swore to protect no matter what. As much as he was beginning to regret it, he needed the Sun-Kissed to keep that promise. He doubted he could escape the underground alive without them, and even if he did, there were people on the surface that were going to kill him if he tried to rescue Celia by himself.

It did not escape his attention now how the Drow were manipulating him, how Dreek twisted his own goal to use him how they would, even to "train" their own warriors in ways he would've never considered before. But the fact didn't change that he couldn't easily get out of this right now. In that respect, Dreek was right.

Giving a deep sigh, Galen completely relaxed his grip on his weapon. As he looked out over the Sun-Kissed compound, he slung the rifle over his shoulder and spotted Jrastra's squad marching through the streets. The first Commandant and her squad were combing through the buildings of their base, the Empathic elder issuing orders to anyone who wasn't already caught up in some other task.

"Just gotta let it go and carry on. Dwellin' on it won't help me none," he said aloud.

"Exactly," Dreek responded before turning to the awaiting members of her squad. "Everyone, move to the stables and find your mounts. Once Felyn, Lualara, and Zyrtwi gather the rest of the squad, we ride on."

..............................

"Feels kinda like Vietnam now..." Galen muttered, shifting in his spot atop the back of Dreek's mount.

"What did you say?" the Commandant asked from her seat.

"Nothing, just talkin' to myself," he responded.

With a shrug Dreek adjusted her grip on the reigns of her riding spider and kept her eyes on the forested path ahead. She and Galen were flanked on all sides by the eighteen members of Siks squad. Some rode upon lizards, armored from head to tail, or spiders considerably smaller than Dreek's tank-sized arachnid but still large enough to support a rider with equipment, or horses that had been brought down from the previous raid upon the surface. Despite having this protection, however, Galen couldn't fight off a bad feeling he had circulating in his gut.

They rode down a stone path through a newly spawned forest, and Galen didn't know if there were Drow bandits of some sort taking advantage of the new cover or if there was any wildlife to come with the new environment. Either way, he kept his rifle at the ready and a close watch on his surroundings. No more surprises.

An increase in the pace of a nearby lizard made Galen turn in his seat toward the approaching rider. The subtle sense of calm that washed over him as he made eye contact told him at once it was Felyn.

When she was riding parallel with the Private, she asked, "I sense your uneasiness. What is wrong?"

As he switched his rifle to safe, the Private gave a shrug and turned his head forward. "This place kinda reminds me of Atzla, and the place I was in before Atzla."

"Hmm," was Felyn's response. "And where were you before Atzla?"

Gritting his teeth Galen breathed out slowly through his nose, thinking back to his first, botched combat jump. He could swear he could hear the flak again... feel the air whip around him as the machineguns had torn into the plane. With these images in his mind he unwittingly looked over to Felyn, who immediately sucked in a harsh breath and turned away from him with her eyes clamped shut.

"Do not answer," she hissed. "And turn away from me!"

Realizing his error, Galen's averted his eyes and turned guiltily back to face the path ahead. Mentally he cursed at himself for forgetting her sensitivity to his emotions, how easily he could do serious damage to both himself and her if he wasn't careful.

He opened his mouth to apologize to her, but remembering Dreek's words from before, on not showing a weak side, made him clamp shut. Even if he was with the Sun-Kissed, people who wanted to keep him for some grand scheme, he couldn't take a chance with falling out of their favor.

Caught between a rock and a hard place... he thought with a sigh.

Not far ahead, a hundred yards at most, the forest came to an end as it joined with the stone streets of the first city district. To Galen's surprise, the floral spawn that had swept across the cavern hadn't intruded upon the urban areas. At least not entirely.

Among the houses and shops made of metal and shaped rock, many of which were inlayed with spectrums of different glowing metals lighting up with a variety of colors. Only a few trees grew in between the stone buildings while some hedges grew in front. Ivy had scaled the faces of several buildings and fruit bearing vines had spawned around others, but aside from these minor growths, nothing else had occurred.

A Drow riding beside Galen suddenly spoke out in her own tongue, and before the soldier knew it, the squad that had been tight-lipped for most of the ride had now broken out into conversation. Still unable to make out even a single word they said, Galen kept watch on their surroundings, especially since the city's population had taken to the streets to investigate the green tide that had washed over their home.

Right away one woman on the edge of the built-up district had spotted the Sun-Kissed entourage and the human that accompanied them. She began speaking with other Drow around her, and slowly the focus of the civilians came to Dreek and her passenger. This didn't faze the Commandant, as she began giving orders to her soldiers. The squad was quickly split up into groups of three, with Dreek, Keetle, Felyn and Galen forming their own team.

They strolled down the most densely populated street, buzzing with dozens if not hundreds of Drow who all had to make way for Dreek's riding spider. From the gap made in the gathered populace by the Commandant, both Felyn and Keetle were able to ride side-by-side behind her and keep close watch on the surroundings.

"Be on your guard, Galen," Dreek ordered.

"What for? Plenty to keep eyes peeled for here," he replied, ignoring a deathly glare he was receiving from one of the Drow women as they rode by.

"Then 'keep eyes peeled' for anything. More than the cavern changed with the crystal's awakening."

The Private raised an eyebrow at the Commandant and flicked off the safety to his rifle. "What do you mean?"

Dreek slowed the pace of her mount as she eyed a second floor window, where a child watched them through the glass. "When that pulse came through, the assistant to our... erhm... blacksmith-"

Her attention shifted to a pair of girls as they ran out from a house and darted into an alleyway where an oak tree had grown. "- who had never been able to cast a spell in her life..."

After passing that alley, Dreek turned her focus back to the road ahead. "After that arcane burst, the smith assistant's hands had suddenly erupted with fire magic. Powerful magic. Along with her, two other women in our compound who had never known magical talent now suddenly have abilities with the arcane. Going off of this occurrence, I can only assume the same has happened elsewhere."

"And this is an issue..." Galen started, thinking on the subject as that bad feeling only grew worse inside him.

Bearing a slightly disappointed look, Dreek turned in her saddle to look back at Galen. "This is an issue because if a person without any comprehension on the power of magic suddenly possesses it and uses it, it will no doubt go out of control-"

A building a half-block up erupted with a blinding flash and the commandant spun back around. A monstrous bolt of electrical power tore a whole wall out of the home while setting the newly grown weeds in the street aflame.

Screams in Drow tongue soon flooded in past the ringing echoing through Galen's ears. With this sudden outcry came also the distinct sound of blades leaving their sheathes; Galen's hand beginning to quake as he heard Keetle and Felyn move their mounts directly onto the Commandant's flanks.

Dreek, however, merely closed her eyes and let out a sigh. "-Just as it has done right behind me."

Sparks were still zapping in the air around the newly carved entryway to the stone building. Both of Galen's eyes widened as a Drow male stepped forth from the rubble, arcs of electricity jumping across the skin on his arms and between his fingers as he stepped away from the home he had destroyed.

With each step, more electricity arced around his body with increasing frequency. The fibers of his ragged cloth pants began to fry against his skin as the white hairs on his head stood on end. Even from his fair distance away Galen could see the fire boiling in his bloodshot eyes, how he forced each breath through a seething jaw. Even with something as obvious as a twenty foot arachnid approaching him from the side, his scowl stayed locked on the body in front of him.

At the feet of the living bug-zapper, lying on her back in the middle of the street was another Drow: a woman in a charred cloak and seared combination of leather and mail armor. The skin on her face had been cracked and split open, her hair singed to her scalp. Her belly had been torched open through her armor, and from the arcing, sunburst formation of her wound, Galen knew it had been caused by a lightning strike.

One of her hands struggled for something on her belt of tools, but the electrified male stomped down on her arm as it crossed over her belly. In a hollow, growling voice, he cursed something to her in Drow and lifted a sparking hand to her face.

"Galen," Dreek said in a calm tone, pulling her reins to bring her spider to a stop. "The male. Down, but alive."

"Yes, Dreek," the Private acknowledged, shouldering his rifle and taking aim. Just as the Drow male swore aloud in Drow, a gunshot thundered through the cavern, followed by his cry of agony.

"Good hit. Now dismount and follow." Dreek climbed off her saddle.

After slinging his rifle over his shoulder, Galen slid off the spider's back and followed the Commandant to the two wounded bodies in the street. Felyn and Keetle moved up on their lizards to form a perimeter around their elder. While one aid guarded the Commandant's mount, the other rode down the street past the ruined building to guard the other direction and keep the watching civilians back.

Seeing her aids take defensive positions, Dreek approached the male who cast the lightning so recklessly and clenched her fist. The cooling magic of her enchanted armor came to life as her skin warmed along her arms and her fingers prickled with magic. For any spell in the Commandant's arsenal that needed to be cast, she was ready.

Coming up on the gunshot Drow, she took in more of the scene he created and the damage done. Several windows in nearby houses had shattered, with one wall bearing an incredible scorch mark where the lightning had struck. Cracks had formed in the street at other points of impact, and not one bit of newly grown flora remained untouched by the intense heat.

Aside from the woman he had electrocuted on purpose, two other Drow women lay unconscious on the street in front of the smoking husk that had been a house. One of them still sizzled as her clothes smoldered.

Pointing to these women, the Commandant looked back at Galen ordered, "Heal them."

"On it," he replied, his hands lighting up in a glow as he slung his rifle over his back.

Dreek gave him a respectful nod and turned her attention to the male. The air around him was still empowered by his magic as each step the Sun-Kissed leader took toward him provoked more hairs on the back of her neck to stand on end. It was fortunate that he was too occupied with trying to crawl away with a hand clamped down over the bloodied spot on his thigh than to turn his attention to her. No doubt a point blank attack would push even her defensive power to its utmost limit and if she could avoid having to exert herself, she would.

Only when the Commandant was standing over his feet did he look back at her. And only then did he finally roll onto his back and hold out his free hand as it arced with lightning.

"DIE YOU-"

What arcs of current that had been sparking over his skin came to an end when Dreek grasped onto his fingers. The spell she cast invoked an immediate and shrill scream from his gaping mouth. In the immediate area around the two Drow, the arcane flow in both the air and stone shifted, enough for even Galen to notice and turn his head to see what was happening. What the human took in from this display was beneath the Commandant's capacity to care as she only continued to sneer at the male below her, squeezing his fingers tighter and tighter.

"You've been given a new gift and instead of proving yourself useful, you squander it and your life in this petty attack."

The male's mouth opened up, though he couldn't even make a sound beyond the words, "can't... breathe."

"Because I am draining your mana. And when I finish..."

Hearing Dreek cut off the end of her remark, the male's eyes widened as his heart began to thunder in his chest. With whatever strength he had he snapped his jaws and attempted to swallow back one single breath to revive his blurring vision. He went as far as to pull his hand off the wound on his thigh to grab onto Dreek's throat, only for her to grin and easily peel it off.

The electrical tingle that had been in his hand completely numbed to the point where he could not even sense a dull buzz. Through fading nerves he sensed every drop of his magic being sapped from his body and feasted upon by the woman standing over him. And he was powerless to stop it. All that was left for him to do was lay his head back and wait for when he would finally suffocate.

Broadening the grin across her face, Dreek relished at the sight of the male accepting his fate. Submitting to what he could not fight. It was only when his eyes began to slide shut that she finally released his hand from her clutches. The breath he sucked in sounded like the howl of a mountain wind before he broke out in violent coughs. Dreek chuckled as he continued to suffocate as his untameable hacking denied him another breath.

Only when some stability returned to his airways did he look to Dreek again. Despite the total vacancy of the electrical feeling he had felt empowering his flesh, the male still managed to bring one more chuckle from Dreek when he lifted his hand and pointed his fingers at the Sun-Kissed leader. In a voice hoarse from his persisting cough, he cursed out in Drow as he called upon his power and focused upon her. But not one spark cast from his fingertips.

"Save your attempts. They're useless."

The Commandant turned her back to the injured male, ignoring his curses as she looked to the his original target, the armored Drow woman that was currently undergoing Galen's healing magic. Though the damage done by the lightning had healed and her skin had almost recovered, she still lacked any hair on her face, and whatever hair she had that wasn't covered by the hood of her cloak was gone.

When the glow in the Human's hands faded, she let out an ear-splitting shriek. Her body writhed beneath his palms as he pressed down on her shoulders to keep her pinned to the ground. Every single one of her nerves screamed out at her as though a rusted blade plunged deep into her navel and tore her open up to her ribs before being seared with fire. This agony, the after-effect of Galen's rapid healing of such monumental damage to her body, dragged on for several seconds and only served to make Galen wince as a sharp ache started to throb in his head.