Hell naw

By the time they got to the Village Proper, Nero was a mess, jittering, eyes darting, deep anxiety stirring through his chest. Griffin and Fiore were speaking to him, saying hurried and worried words, but he couldn't hear them, all He could hear was his own thoughts racing in rampant terror.

"No more home.... no more Home.... no more home...."

He walked and walked and walked, barely able to see, everything kept slitting off in his mind, he kept thinking that He was back in Brixton, longing to run on the rooftops, but all he was doing was stumbling blindly through the village, the many Litchen coming to him in worry, but He merely stumbled along trying to soldier through it, his eyes flickering brain buzzing until He could barely see anything clear, his body twitching and writhing widely, bubbled spittle spilling from his lips, his eyes forcing themselves into the back of his head.

Nero's legs spasmed so much that they gave way and he fell momentarily before being caught in strong-arm "Sweet wolf? Nero!? Get Taku-Sila now! The Wolf is not well!"

To say that He was blacked out wouldn't quite be correct, He was conscious though fragmented and confused. Figures surrounded him, blurring into unrecognizable shapes, Voices were overwhelmed by the constant buzzing in his ears.

"Help Him, Griff-Griff!" A Tone cried.

Soft hands touched his writhing face, a spark. Something was rooting in his head momentarily before lashing back at the uncontrollable storm of disorientation "I can't!? He's losing it, it's like... His mind is rejecting... rejecting everything!!"

"Taku-Silameku?" He knew that voice, it was Ulsa, speaking in... English? no.... no, No he didn't know what language that was, he didn't know where he was. for a time He drifted, lost in the void that overshadowed his mind, drifting like a leaf on a dark pond.

"We do not have time for this, Great Cheif, a Storm is coming, it will be upon us in days-"

"Silence. Ulsa will not sacrifice the Wolf that mounts the world over a Silly Storm, Make preparations. Sila?"

"He is plagued Cheif Ulsa, I sense horrible torment and fear?"

"Piss on your senses!? He's having a damn Seizure, We need a doctor-WILL YOU JUST.... give him some room." A Face loomed over him, consumed with terror "Nero!? Nero please, you have to breathe, please breathe for me... We can't lose you.... I can't lose you. We haven't even started yet... don't you want to stay? we're partners, remember?"

Her voice was gentle and hurt, something that lassoed him and helped to pull him partially back into reality. Air flooded into his lungs and though still in a daze, his body allowed itself to rest and fall into a kind of fever dream, where He was shrouded in nothing but red.

Do not falter, do not stop
Shed the blood to its very last drop
The right of your blood, is the right to cease
The World is locked, but you have the keys
Do not falter, do not die
You are not welcome in the sky
Walk where no man has walked before
You the Wolf, My son of War.

*GASP* "Ugh!" Nero flew up, huffing and breath, his face vibrating, head throbbing... his seizure had not passed.

"Hey, shhh, shhh, Sweet Wolf, You must rest." A Motherly face stared down at him, her mane of Ivory and red hair rested on her shoulders.

His eyes darted around the room, thinks crackled like a disconnected Television screen, but was stable enough for him to stay present. He grunted in pain as the skin on his face, his shoulder and his chest burned "WhAt.... HaPpEnEd... tO Me?" He didn't know what language he was speaking in, they were all blurred, but a familiar tone answered.

"I'm sorry...."

Nero's eyes turned to the end of the bed, where Griffin sat grimly, her smile gone "I told Fiore it was just tribal nonsense but... I wanted to try something. anything."

Shifting up shakily into a sitting position, Nero looked uncertainly at the patches of skin that ached. On the left side of chest and the right side of his arm where swirling tattoos of dark brown, swirling and connecting, almost like Henna, and over the space on his heart, was left a circular space where His Mysterian Heart tattoo would appear.

"WhAt..... grr" He tried to speak in Litch-Tongue, it required great effort "What Are... These?" The Tattoos were tender and stung, they were definitely tattoos, not to mention that he felt burning on his face... meaning He probably had some on his face too.

That is when the sisters came into his limited view, Fiore falling immediately by his side, and Baj giving him a worried smile as she stared with her one eye. Fiore's soft straight Ivory hair brushed Nero's side as she gave him a gentle smile "Marks of the sky." She said in her gentle tone "Fiore, and the Litch speaks of the Whirling Crimson sky, where there was once clouds that spat unto Marte, and filled it with life, and when the sky had been cloudless and empty, the Litch-folk still only hatchlings, etched the clouds into their skin to bring back the favour of the water in the sky."

"Stupid stories aren't going to help him, Fiore, He needs medical attention!" Griffin growled.

"War... wolf needs... Blood of the Warrior..." Baj's Latin was still pretty bad, but Griff merely sighed.

"Great, more Litchen nonsense-"

"Blood of the warrior?" Nero accidentally said in Litchen.

Ulsa's eyes narrowed "Do not be a fool." She Growled "No Litch-folk survives the Great Tree. it brings only madness."

Baj interjected, touching her mother's shoulder "Bajarineh knows, the Great Cheif fears that Nero will meet the fate of Shaman Ghila. but... the Great Warrior is the Sovereign's kin, to taste of his blood is his by Right, it may restore his mighty soul."

Ulsa frowned, rubbing her chin and brushing back her mane. and then the chamber shook violently, vibrations flowing and making all around it writhe, almost like a light tremor "This storm is too violent Great Cheif, it's been going for days-"

"D-Days?" Nero said, "How long have I been asleep?"

Fiore stroked his curled mane "Eight days and seven nights, Love. Fiore thought... that You would not come back."

Nero gave a twitchy frown "I-If this... Blood... of the warrior, will fix.... this... Then... ugh... tell me where I need to go."

Ulsa touched him tenderly "You do not understand, sweet wolf, the Sap of the Heart tree, it brings madness, not sanity, Ulsa cannot allow it, she cannot lose you as she lost Ghila."

The Room shook again but more violently this time. and Griffin's ears pricked up, Nero could see goosebumps forming on her red skin as she stood up and sniffed at the air, listening keenly.

"When will this storm end!? It will crush our Valley!" Fiore said in a panic.

But Griffin's face became fierce as her eyes opened wide. She moved over to the side and grasped her helmet, quickly putting it on and growling "That is not the Rust Storm... Fiore, tell Your mother to prepare for a fight if that's what I think it is, then the entire Hoard in danger!" She cried.

Fiore translated as Griff moved to Nero's side "I'm sorry, I know you aren't well, but we need to move. Now."

"W-What is it?" He asked, looking at the lenses of her helmet.

She helped him out of bed and held him up on her shoulder "God help us... but I think... I think it's an Imperial Frigate."

Ulsa was storming through the tunnels, calling Okku hunters and Killik Warriors alike to arms, ushering the smaller weaker Taku Gatherers back into their rooms as She shouted: "ARM YOURSELVES, THE RED DEVILS HAVE COME, DEFEND THE HAORD, YOUR CHEIF COMMANDS IT!!!" Ulsa turned to Bajarineh who gripped her weapon tightly "The Griff-Griff woman has heard a ****-flyer coming this way-"

Baherineh looked terrified "But... Great Cheif that is impossible!? How did they find us!? how did our seer's not see it coming?"

Fiore piped up "It's the storm... they must have come under cover of the rust, Great Cheif!"

"No!? Not even a ****-flyer can make it through the Storms-" Baj protested but Ulsa grabbed her.

"Not a time for confusion Killik Bajarineh. Time for protection. The Fallgrim is the Last Great Hoard, and it cannot befallen. Now gather your Warriors and go. I will gather the Sphinka for the Warwolf and get them away." She said to her daughter.

Bajarineh nodded, "To the sky. Cheif Ulsa."

"To the Sky, My Brave Bajarineh." She smiled.

Baj went to leave, but... she turned and moved over to Nero. Her hand touched his, as she kissed his cheek "Good luck. Sweet Wolf." She smiled.

He frowned as she quickly rushed away "Baj? Baj!? ugh." Nero's head writhed and Griff had to hold him tighter as He quaked.

"Fiore we have to go, Now! if they capture him then it's all over!" Griff pressed.

"Chief Ulsa will lead us to safety! come quickly!" Fiore rushed them to follow Ulsa, The group rushing as fast as they can along with the many bodies that staggered towards the exit.

When they emerged out into the Valley, Nero's eyes widened as He looked up at the opening above.

The Sky was blotted out, it wasn't red, but a vicious brown, the colour of congealed blood or furious rust. At level ground above was the Storm, it wasn't like rain or even a hurricane, it was the hateful whipping gale that Nero had ever seen, clouds of dark Brown shards cut into the air, tiny little shards of jagged rusted metal that stained everything it touched and looked like it could rip a man to shreds. The Sky cracked with angry red bolts of lightning that whipped the Rust, sending waves of momentary light into everything it touched, and thunder came crashing soon after.

Fallgrim, being protected naturally deep in it's Valley was safe from the above Storm, but... from what He saw up there, broke his mind even further and warranted the many hundreds and hundreds of Litchen that poured out of their Hive.

When the lightning Cracked, Nero saw the Body of a Huge, floating thing, that moved slowly and heavily through the air, he could not make it out in its entirety, but He made out the Bow, and the Ram, with the dual masts on each of its vast body like great crimson wings. Nero saw the underside, that was fitted with many gigantic culminations of glowing yellow stone, that pulsated with life at the sound of deep almost undetectable horns who's vibration shook the sky. and as His brain shook with terror, He knew why the Litch called it, a ****-flyer.

"WE NEED TO MOVE NOW!" Griffin cried over the deafening noise, Ulsa gesturing them on as she and Fiore drew their rifle-spears.

They moved down the path as fast as they could down the path, Nero trying his hardest to stay focused to move and not stop, but that's when a Great Horn from the Imperial frigate above sound, and with that bodies began to fall from it, many flew down on cords attached to the ship, hundreds of them coming down at once... but it was not them that caught Nero's eye.

Three dark forms plummeted to the ground from the ship, falling through the Valley and smashing deep into the Village. Griffin paused "Fuck...." She whispered.

"W-What are they?" He asked, his voice shaky.

Griffin shook her helmeted head "Acolytes." She turned to Fiore "You need to tell the Cheif, to evacuate."

"What?" Fiore said.

"Now, Fiore," Griff demanded

She did so, as the Small Army landed in the Valley and the sounds of the Battle began below.

Ulsa Grimaced "Litch-folk will not abandon our home."

"Th-They... can't leave, Griff. They have to... fight." Nero stammered.

"One of those Things can kill 20 trained soldiers on their own. the Litchen don't stand a chance-" Griff was caught off as Nero gripped her wrist.

"Help them. D-Destroy them, Destroy that thing...." He pointed up at the Frigate "I know you can... I've seen you fight...."

Griffin shook her head and growled "I'm not at full strength yet, Ulsa sapped too much away, I can't-"

"Will you shut up, and l-listen. The Valley, it's a straight... ugh... line, the Litchen can cut them off on both s-sides, and you... can kill whatever's down there, then Destroy that thing up there." He gestured weakly as his head writhed in chaos.

Her lenses stared at him "I'm not strong enough to take them all right now, not on my own, My Mysteria is drained I-Ah!"

Nero closed his eyes and saw the cords of light within him, He grasped at them. Additio seared on his skin, rattling his already damaged nerves, but he pushed on, grasping at the heart of his instinct, a great flaming ball of power, and with all of his strength, He pushed it deep into Griffin.

She gasped, tensing as that portion of his strength shot into her, and Griff trembled for a moment, before Nero slumped down into her arms, heavily breathing and barely conscious. She stood a little stronger, a little taller, a little more powerful "You shouldn't have done that... you sweet idiot." She whispered to him in a sweet voice.

Nero smiled "S-Shut up, and Get down there, I'll meet Y-You, at Karzkja."

She sighed and nodded "Okay... Okay." Griffin led Nero over to Fiore and put him in her arms "You take care of him, you understand? and if I don't meet you are Karzkja, you leave without me, Swear it."

Fiore stammered "What!? B-But-"

"Swear it, Fiore." She commanded.

Fiore hesitated, but nodded slowly "I swear it on the sovereign."

Griffin tapped her shoulder "Good. Now go!"