Lost Bloodlines Ch. 04

That was a hell of a lot bigger than a rifle's round.

I turned, and saw down the rows of flickering camp lights that a tank was slowly advancing into the camp, its massive barrel trained on the kitsune. My eyes widened at the sight, and then the terrible realization that they were likely reloading for the next shot on the wounded fox.

Without thought and with unearthly speed, I shot forward, hurtling my body between the tank and the fox. She growled at me as I approached her but did nothing else, whimpering under the continued small-arms fire directed against her.

"Monster, leave this area immediately or you will be counted as a hostile combatant!" The voice boomed again, this time obviously directed at me. I gritted my teeth and stood my ground, wings outstretched to block out as much of the fox as possible from the tank's view.

This was really going to hurt if they called my bluff.

"She's just scared!" I screamed, but no one was listening.

Several soldiers turned their weapons on me, but just like in the morgue, they were merely irritating against my toughened skin.

After what felt like an eternity, I saw the turret of the tank shift slightly downwards, its barrel pointed directly at me. The tank rocked back on its treads as it fired another massive round.

I shut my eyes and waited for the pain. Could I withstand the equivalent of an artillery round? Probably not, but this woman wasn't going to die when I could do something to stop it.

In my final moments, I had a darkly humorous thought. Never figured that I'd go out with such a boom, but it was quite a way to go. Just wish this body could've been equipped with ablative tank armor.

I felt oddly heavy for a moment before the world erupted in fire around me and I felt a massive object impact my stomach.

I blinked. Fuck, that hurt. I could feel a deep pain in my ribs, and as I shifted my body cried out in protest. I could barely see anything through the dark smoke that surrounded me, but as I waved away the noxious fumes around me, I froze as my arm came into view. It was covered, from finger to shoulder, in a set of bronzed metal scales, each over-lapping the other to make a seamless skin of metal that covered the entirety of my arm. I admired the dull brass sheen of the scales before looking downwards towards the source of my pain.

My tan clothes were gone, either disintegrated or disappeared entirely, and the entirety of my body was covered in a skin-tight set of scaled armor. It had no adornments or plates, no separate pauldrons, greaves, or sabatons. Only tightly linked bronze scales, covering me from neck to ankle, hugging each breast like a latex bodysuit and forming a conspicuous bulge over my groin. There was a large blacked mark just below my breasts and over my ribs.

I turned my head, and even the top membranes of my wings were armored in brass, the talons at their tips shining metallically. I raised a hand, and as my talons extended, they were covered in the same bronze sheen, with wickedly sharp edges.

So, I guess this body does come with armor.

I raised my head, and the dozens of soldiers were staring at me in shock as the smoke of the explosion cleared, guns lowered and disbelief on their faces. The brief battlefield had gone eerily silent.

I turned around and faced the wounded kitsune. She growled at me again, tails still burning brightly as if she was preparing to launch another deadly salvo. Enough of this.

With a powerful surge of willpower, I exploded the pink aura in every direction, but tightened a thick lash of the vapor around the wounded fox. Soldiers fell to their knees in a circle around me and struggled to maintain their composure as their eyes flickered between resistance and adoration.

The fox whimpered, but the violent fire died in her eyes, replaced by a desperate longing. I stalked forward, each armored step eliciting a chorus of moans as the guards admired the scaled bodysuit doing nothing to conceal the curves of my rear. I reached up and placed a hand on the snout of the massive kitsune, and she closed her eyes. With another whimper, the fox disappeared, replaced by the same small woman I had found crying in the stall. Her leg was a blackened mess, and tears ran down her face as she looked up at me pleadingly.

I bent forward and gathered the woman in my arms, lifting her up and shielding her naked body with curled wings around us. As she settled, frightened and shivering in my arms, I dispelled the lustful aura, tightening my hold on her in case she freaked out again. The kitsune stayed quiet, however, just holding onto me desperately. I looked around, watching the soldiers get to their feet in a confused mass, obviously unsure whether they were supposed to engage again now that the fox had been pacified.

From the direction of the idling tank, I saw a cluster of suited individuals appear, each jogging forward to my position. Now that the cavalry had arrived, I simply waited as flames still burned sullenly in the grass around me.

When the leader of the government stooges arrived, I immediately felt my lip curl. Agent Riley, looking particularly harried, led the delegation of actual authority as the soldiers idled around me.

Without letting her open her mouth and immediately make me angry enough to do something stupid, I stepped forward to meet them. "This woman needs immediate medical attention." Luckily the group of agents had been thoughtful enough to bring along a crew of paramedics, and they rushed forward and set up a stretcher. I gently laid down the woman between the waiting medical team, but she clutched at my neck as if she didn't want me to let go.

I kissed her arm. "They won't hurt you anymore. I'll come visit you as soon as I can, okay?" She stared at me for a moment and then nodded, letting her arms drop and collapsing on the stretcher. The paramedics rushed her away in the direction of the infirmary.

I locked eyes with Riley. "If you fucks lay another finger on that poor woman to do anything but heal her, I will rip off that tank's turret and personally shove it up your ass. Do you understand me?" I didn't know if I could actually manage something like that but damn, I was willing to try right now.

My threat seemed to land, however, as Riley looked distinctly rattled as she nodded her agreement. "We'll get her fixed up, Mr. Finch. We only put down monsters when we absolutely have to protect our own."

"It's Lilith!" I growled, and Riley shrunk back further. "And clearly it was not absolutely necessary to kill that woman! Maybe if you idiots tried actually helping us rather than keeping us locked up like prisoners, you wouldn't be 'forced' to kill any more monsters." I got face to face with the agent. "And last time I checked, I was supposed to never see you again."

Something in my accusatory tone made Riley find a backbone and she straightened, her face hardening. "Based on your recent discoveries with Dr. Campbell, Lilith, I think you might need to rethink who really assaulted whom in that office." She scoffed. "We're doing the best we can with the information we have available. Do you really think we're locking you all up to punish you? We're trying to protect you!"

"Great job you're doing so far," I muttered. I sighed and let my posture relax. Immediately, the brass armor covering my body disappeared in a flash of black flame, and my tan uniform reappeared. The agents looked on in interest and more than a little curiosity at the rapid transformation. Its not a party trick, folks, move along. I don't even know how it works.

"I'm also going to need a trip to the infirmary," I said, wincing as the pain in my ribs returned with a vengeance. "I think your tank cracked a rib or two."

Riley raised an eyebrow. "Oh, is that all? Poor thing only survived a tank shell with some cracked ribs, my heart bleeds for you."

"Oh, go fuck yourself, Riley," I muttered, and then staggered my way after the paramedics. Apparently, I didn't merit a stretcher.

I made it a few dozen feet before Agent Riley called out behind me, "Thank you for your assistance in this...incident, Lilith." I turned back around and Riley stood not far away, with something approaching honesty in her shifty eyes. "I'm glad we didn't have to kill that woman."

I stared at the agent for a long moment before deciding to accept her at her word. "Happy to help."

I staggered forward again, looking in vain for where my two paramours might have fled. I realize that I told them to run, but I didn't expect them to get quite so far away. I could've used a hand or two. Perhaps they were still a little too stuck in "obey the Mistress" sex mode. The thought put a little reminiscent smile on my face as I limped towards the infirmary. Maybe I could get the two to play nurse.

-00000-

Wake up.

The room was dark as I jerked awake, lodged between two warm sleeping bodies. Victoria's arm curled around my hip from behind as Aqua nestled close to my breasts with her arms tucked against my stomach. She was practically falling off of the small bed, but the siren had insisted on joining us to sleep.

When I had arrived at the infirmary, the doctors there had taken one look before dismissing me with a light wrapping around my ribs. Apparently, I was low-risk and the infirmary was at maximum capacity. Given the quickly fading pain in my mid-section I couldn't be too upset, either the ribs weren't as bad as I feared or succubi healed quickly.

I had returned to the barracks and found the two distraught monsters waiting, much kissing and worrying had ensued as I related what had happened with the kitsune. I had received appreciative coos of admiration as I showed off the newfound armor for Victoria and Aqua, but the events of the day had wiped us all out, and we passed out not long after.

I shifted uncomfortably in the bed, my heart beating unnaturally fast and my mind alert for no discernable reason. I tried to close my eyes and settle back in, but my body refused to relax. Had I heard something in the room? What was going on?

Get up. Danger.

My eyes shot back open and I immediately sat up in bed. That was loud and clear. Victoria grumbled in her sleep and turned to face the wall. I scanned the room in the low light, but nothing was out of the ordinary. Same bare concrete walls and small sink and mirror. There was no one else here.

I tried to reenter the mental space of the crimson sea, but I couldn't concentrate, my body was primed for action and it felt like I was hyped on adrenaline. What the hell was the succubus trying to tell me? What danger? Where?

I tried to carefully extricate myself from the bed without waking the others, but inevitably I caught a leg on Aqua and went crashing to the floor in an ungainly heap. I heard rustling from the bed, and as I righted myself, Aqua's luminous eyes were blinking at me in confusion. I put a finger to my lips to shush her.

"Just need to get some air." I whispered. I had hoped she'd make like Victoria and go back to sleep, but she sleepily shook her head and pushed herself up, resting her scaled feet on the ground.

"I'll go with you. It's still curfew." She whispered back. I mentally shrugged. Might as well bring someone with me to see if anything is going on.

I pulled on a shirt as Aqua did the same, peeking out into the barracks hallway. The hall was quiet, red emergency lighting dully providing enough light to show that the hall was completely empty. Nodding my head to Aqua, I walked out into the hall, heading for the main common area. I heard the soft patter of her feet as she followed quietly, only her soft yawn breaking the silence of the barrack. The common area was equally deserted.

I looked back towards Aqua. She was rubbing her eyes and swaying on her feet, but apparently determined to stay with me on my little excursion outside. Her elfin face gave a little tired smile as I looked back at her. Hopefully I was just hallucinating and we could head back to the warm comfort of the bed.

Of course, I couldn't be that lucky.

I slowly opened the door to the rest of the camp, wary of being seen by any overzealous guards, but the area immediately outside the barrack door was empty. No patrols, no sneaking monsters, no boogeymen coming to attack us. Just a dimly lit and muddy camp.

I stepped fully outside, Aqua grabbing the door behind me and stretching. I looked around more, but nothing stuck out to me. Perhaps the lack of guards was notable, but that happened fairly often. Patrols wandered widely. I wanted to put the odd warning aside and head back inside, but my heart refused to settle and stop pounding in my chest. I sighed. One way to know for sure.

Eyeing the roof of the barrack, I unfurled my wings. With a powerful jump and a helpful flap, I landed on the roof, Aqua exclaiming in protest beneath me. From the superior vantage point, I looked around the entirety of the camp, and my heart sunk as I saw it.

A hazy, flickering dome covered a small section of the camp nearest to one of the border fences. Wasn't that where Barrack 1 was supposed to be? I had absolutely no idea what to make of the sight, but from within I could see bright flashes, some in rapid succession like a rifle going off. And yet there was no sound, the camp utterly silent. I needed a second set of eyes.

I dropped back to the ground and scooped up Aqua. She let out a shriek as I took off back into the sky, holding her aloft as I brought us into a hover a few dozen feet off of the ground. "Can you tell what that is?" I called.

"What what is?" She responded, looking about the camp and clinging desperately to me.

"The dome?"

"I'm sorry Lilith, but I really don't see anything. Why are we up here? I thought you just wanted a breather." Had I finally lost it? Was I making shit up entirely? I lowered us back to the ground. I set my hands on Aqua's shoulders and placed a light kiss on her lips. She blinked owlishly at me.

"I need to go check something out. Meet me at Barrack 2, something tells me you won't be stopped by any guards."

"But..."

"Just trust me, Aqua." I kissed her again, this time putting more feeling into it. When I pulled back she was still confused, but nodded her agreement. I took off back into the sky.

My flight was still somewhat unsteady, but I managed to make my way to where the dome was situated in the camp. I circled it twice, being sure to avoid the border fence in case the AA was still tacking flight above the camp. No matter how hard I looked, I couldn't see into the dome, only the mysterious flashing indicating something other than swirling grey mists. With a final curious pass, I switched directions and dove down to the nearby guard tower, a few hundred feet from where the edge of the dome started.

I landed talon first against the railing, and heaved myself over the side as I folded my wings. I had thought to notify the guards or at least see if anyone else had noticed the dome, but the tower was dark and quiet. No soldiers walked the outer gantry. I pushed open the door to the interior. "Hello?" I called out. "Please don't shoot me."

No response. I searched the room, but it was completely empty of soldiers. Where the hell had all of the guards disappeared to? As I looked around, an odd smell tickled my nose. It smelled like a fireplace in here.

I sneezed, and dust swirled around the room. I flicked on the interior light and furrowed my brow at what I found. Mounds of ash dotted the room, each a few feet long and half a foot thick. I looked around in confusion, kicking at one of the mounds, and I yelped as my shoe hit something solid within. I rooted around within the ash, and withdrew the object. It was a rifle, melted and twisted, as if exposed to extreme heat, its scope cracked and warped.

The weapon clattered to the floor and I staggered back out of the ash as I realized its origin with growing horror. Several mounds were placed around a table, with food left unattended, each with suspicious metallic objects poking out from the ash.

The guards hadn't vanished. They had been incinerated where they stood. My stomach heaved, and I clutched at a wall as I swallowed down rising bile. I was right. Well, the voice was right. The camp was under attack. I eyed the piles. What could have done that?

That kitsune from earlier could have. Was this prisoner-led? Were monsters from the outside breaking in to free us?

Questions swirled within my head, but I knew where the answers inevitably lay. I walked from the guard post and leapt from the railing, my wings catching the wind and allowing me to glide down to the barrack nearest the dome. Barrack 2. I saw Aqua waiting near its door, nervously wringing her hands as she looked around the dark camp.

I landed not far from her and started talking as soon as I hit the ground. "The guards in the tower are dead. There's some sort of invisible dome near the camp wall, and I think people are trying to break in or out of the camp from within it."

Aqua stared with her mouth open. "Lilith, what are you talking about?"

I grabbed her thin arms. "You need to get back to our barracks. Wake up Victoria and as many monsters as you can, bring them back here. See if any of them can see the dome too. I don't know what's going on, but I need to find out. I'm going in there, and I'd appreciate the backup. If this is a break-out, maybe we can actually escape without anyone chasing us. If this is an attack...maybe we can help. I don't know. Either way I can't just go back to sleep."

The siren looked confused with the overload of information, but as I mentioned the possibility of escape, her mouth set into a determined line. She jerked her head in affirmation, and then latched onto me with a hug far stronger than her wiry frame would suggest possible. "I'll bring help," she said. She pressed a kiss to my lips and smiled wryly. "Keep yourself safe, Lilith, I just got a hot new fuckbuddy, and I'm not planning on looking for a new one."

I smirked and slapped her ass as she turned to run back to the barrack. These women will be the death of me, I swear.

I turned back towards the dome and breathed in deeply. I focused my mind, trying to bring back that same defensive urge as had manifested earlier, and suddenly I felt my skin clothed in flexible metal scales. The blackened mark on my abdomen was conspicuously absent, and the bronzed metal appeared as bright as before. I unsheathed my talons. As prepared as I was going to be, I ran towards the mysterious grey mist at the edge of the dome.

As I approached it, the flashes from within became brighter, and I thought I could make out some sounds emerging, as if from a small speaker at a distance. There was no tangible border, merely an abrupt beginning where the hazy mist swirled above the grass, occluding any sight within the dome. I pressed a talon against the mist, and incredibly, I felt resistance as if from a gale-force wind, pushing my hand out. I gritted my teeth and lunged against the pressure, but found myself sprawling forward as the force suddenly gave way. I was inside.

Immediately my senses were assaulted by a barrage of sounds and smells, briefly stunning me completely. The air was filled with rapid gunfire, screams, and shouted orders, and the bitter smell of smoke and gunpowder filled my nose, along with the acrid stench I now recognized to be burning flesh.

The dome was visible from the inside, lit from within by a flare shot into the air and seemingly suspended against the dome's apex. In the harsh artificial light, I took in the sight of carnage and mayhem around me.

Immediately before me was the remains of a patrol of government soldiers, wearing the standard black uniforms of the secretive branch or service that had served as our jailors. They were taking cover behind the tattered remains of an administrative pre-fab, several soldiers leaning out from cover to deliver rapid bursts of fire before ducking back. Huddled against the concrete wall was a medic rapidly administering aid to a trio of wounded men, one unconscious and covered in terrible burns, the others screaming in pain and clutching at gaping holes in their chests.