[Diyem] Eye of the Storm

[Shiny Phantump]

It... was over.

It seemed like everyone was safe. Her mother was fine, and... Huh, apparently she didn't just get the nuzzling from her time acting like a Ninetales. Nip had been closer to the blast then Celeste, and he was alive, which meant Celeste should be fine, too. He just needed a ride back.

She dove back through the portal and made her way past the damage towards where she'd left Celeste. It would be some time before she got back, though.

 

[Ambyssin]

Bahamut looked where Owen was pointing and snarled. He managed to stop his tail from lashing at the air. "I sincerely hope no one here is about to suggest we try an emotional appeal or friendship plea with that idiot. I've played along with everyone's wishes until now, but I'm drawing a line here." Red and purple lines cycled across both eyes. "He is... too far gone. Someone who has no qualms with vaporizing a planet like that cannot be reasoned with. And I speak from experience on that front."

He crossed his wings over his chest spikes. "Even if his soul is bursting at the seems with parasites, I see no benefit to trying to temper his madness... because I believe all we'll leave behind is someone completely and utterly broken."

 

[Dragonfree]

Dave looked at Bahamut. “Great. Yeah, we were all waiting for your expert opinion. Local genocide god murder advocate has opinions on the sanity of a guy he’s never fucking talked to. What could go wrong.”

 

[Flyg0n]

Koa withheld a snort at the comment, though his gaze remained grim. He didn't agree with Bahamut. But even thinking about Soda caused a strange twist in his chest. He hated him-

Do you?

He flinched in surprise at the mental question from Echo. His starter cast him a look of concern that Koa couldn't meet.

"Well... you haven't been right yet Bahamut," he growled. "I... agree with Dave. Even if we're prepared to defeat him, we still need to try to save him." That much he believed. Right?

 

[Ambyssin]

"I didn't say kill him," Bahamut growled. "I said don't reason with him. I don't think words of encouragement and blacklight siphoning can fix him. With that amount of power flowing through him, what could go wrong is, well..." Bahamut frowned. He needed an analogy a human could understand. "He could convert you to his cause. Or erase you from existence entirely. Not to mention... one slight misstep trying to salvage his soul when its surrounded by such extraordinary power and Soda could wind up with the spiritual equivalent of brain death. A vegetable for all eternity."

Polaris popped out of Bahamut's bag. "Maybe Mom or Dad could, like, make a really big godly spatula and we could pry Soda off the moon? And away from the unown?" He paused. "Actually, wait, we can't even address Soda until we address how to make sure those of you with lungs can breathe on the moon."

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

"Are you... of Didi's--er, Diyem's team?"

Luz grinned. "Guess so. Ain't one of the souls he summoned t'Cibus, though. The talk is that I and the other 'mon resemblin' me are yer offspring. Spent the last few months inside one of yer eggs."

She took a deep breath, and this time it was a real one, even if she didn't need it for respiration. No, she needed it for dramatic effect.

"I'm yer daughter."

 

[Dragonfree]

"I didn't say kill him," Bahamut growled. "I said don't reason with him. I don't think words of encouragement and blacklight siphoning can fix him. With that amount of power flowing through him, what could go wrong is, well..." Bahamut frowned. He needed an analogy a human could understand. "He could convert you to his cause. Or erase you from existence entirely. Not to mention... one slight misstep trying to salvage his soul when its surrounded by such extraordinary power and Soda could wind up with the spiritual equivalent of brain death. A vegetable for all eternity."

"Yeah, I fucking know we're not going to magically fix him with friendship and hope," Dave snapped.

He was back to staring at the sky, at the pieces of the moon rearranging themselves. Soda had the power to just do that. No big deal. Did he have to rebuild the cannon, or would that be back too, ready for another shot, as soon as he'd pieced it together again? His paws clenched on the ground.

 

[Namohysip]

"My... my daughter." Eien stared at Luz, looking her over, poking her skeletal face against Luz's side. Like she was checking for something. There didn't seem to be an immediate connection. There was no hug nor cooing nor adoration for her child; perhaps Eternatus did not have maternal instincts.

Still, Eien appeared to possess a kindness that was universal, and her white eyes flickered. "How much you've grown in such a short time," she said. "It's good to meet you. I'm... sorry for all the trouble I've caused."

"I didn't say kill him," Bahamut growled. "I said don't reason with him. I don't think words of encouragement and blacklight siphoning can fix him. With that amount of power flowing through him, what could go wrong is, well..."

Amid the talking and the chatter, Owen was healing himself of his injuries, waving off anyone who asked to heal him instead. There were others in greater need, and he tended to recover on his own when trying to heal others. This was fine.

"...Bahamut's right," Owen admitted, frowning. "This time, I don't think calling out to Soda when we fight him is going to help. I think it's going to be a total battle to submission. If that means killing him, then... it's better than leaving him the way he is. I know some of you aren't happy with that, with having to kill, but he's... Look at him." Owen gestured at the moon. "We have to at least subdue him. When he can't fight back, we can try to peel away at his power. And then... We'll see. We don't really know, do we?"

"We do not." Maple surveyed the team. Exhausted, scarred, battered, bloodied, but alive and stable. "We need to go. We will have another meeting to discuss our state of affairs, but the rest of you should rest. I suspect Soda will not be able to do anything until the moon is repaired; we will watch it closely, and then determine a way to get there to fight him."

"Yes, but be sure to rest!" Joule said, the crystal portions of half his face still missing. Despite this, he grinned all the same. "You've all done wonderful work here. I have full confidence that we will be able to save Soda, one way or another!"

Joule seemed to evade the fact that 'or another' could mean less than ideal outcomes.

But it was time to go.

 

[Dragonfree]

Dave was silent, a taste of bile in his mouth. He glanced at his badge for a response for the umpteenth time, but there was nothing.

Whatever Chip had by now back at the lab had better be good. He was going to fucking strangle him if this turned out to be another waste of time.

 

[IFBench]

Saltriv trotted over towards Dave, and gave him a small smile, while releasing a soothing aroma from their petals.

"It...it'll be ok. We'll find a way to save him without killing him. I'm sure we can," they said, attempting to comfort him.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

"How much you've grown in such a short time," she said. "It's good to meet you. I'm... sorry for all the trouble I've caused."

Luz shrugged. "That don't bother me none, Ma'am. There'll be some folks feelin' all kindsa ways about you after all this, I promise ya, but I'm sure there ain't many who'll really hold it against ya."

The zeraora-shade gestured around vaguely at her throng of teammates and associates.

"A few of my nominal siblings're gonna be callin' you Mommy an' stuff like that," she said, making a mock grimace. "I don't see the sense in that, but I'm still interested in you. By all accounts, yer quite the remarkable entity."

She glanced at Diyem, in orb form. "That fella right there has put himself through quite the gauntlet fer yer sake, Ma'am. Hope he's doin' okay."

 

[Dragonfree]

Saltriv trotted over towards Dave, and gave him a small smile, while releasing a soothing aroma from their petals.

"It...it'll be ok. We'll find a way to save him without killing him. I'm sure we can," they said, attempting to comfort him.

"Oh, cool, you're sure. Of course you are." A cloying scent sent an unnatural feeling of calm through him, and Dave struggled against its pull. He wanted to tell them they were fucking naïve. But what else to expect? They were a literal goddamn kid. "Look, stay away from him when we go up there, for the love of God."

He turned a glare toward Joule instead. "You got a portal to Destiny Village coming or what?"

 

[Namohysip]

"Yes, yes! Certainly!" Joule conjured one quickly, after making sure everything was clear. Maple and a few others made some glances skyward. The moon was slowly piecing back together, but it looked like it would be some time yet before it would be properly whole. To attack before or after that happened...?

Soon, the portal formed, and the chilly winds of Destiny Village blew through.

Eien, meanwhile, looked at Luz with what might have been an attempt at a smile, and then turned her attention back to Diyem's reduced form. They definitely needed a lot of time to rest...

 

[Ambyssin]

Bahamut was motionless and stoic. Owen had... agreed with him. Though whether or not he said that because he felt sorry for Bahamut was open to interpretation. In some ways it was like a backhanded compliment. The powers that be once again pointing out to him he was so pathetic that the only person willing to give him the time of day was the guy who tried to get along with everyone. This despite the fact that Bahamut had helped purify Joule. And found the parasite in Owen, then called for backup. And got through to Eien so all of this could even be attempted in the first place.

Apparently that hadn't gotten him any benefit of the doubt. Delightful. He glanced at Eien. Plenty of people attending to her. Polaris pet one of Bahamut's crystal toes. "Sorry nobody likes your ideas, Unc."

"... it's fine." Bahamut floated into the portal.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Luz smiled lopsidedly at the odd couple.

"Well... Be seein' you, Ma'am. The two of ya take care, now."

Somewhere else, Brisa was glad to find Astrid and Starr safe and sound, and their shades too. The wounded were healing. A portal beckoned.

 

[Flyg0n]

Koa watched Bahamut and the others leave, lingering for a moment. Bahamut... sort of had a point. At the very least the regular sort of reasoning wouldn't get through to him. And he wasn't entirely opposed to... destroying him if necessary. Maybe. With a heavy sigh, he cast one last look at the moon, then trudged through the portal.

 

[Fusion]

The fight was over, finally. Things got chaotic for everyone it seemed, a lot of the familiar looked different or held themselves differently... and Eien was saved. Drake was happy about that, or he should have been. He wasn't upset, but he didn't really know how he was feeling. Maybe the adrenaline was still kicking and he'd have to wait for that to get out of his system.

As everything settled, Drake noticed Vix, back to normal, just staring at the moon. Was she listening to everything Bahamut said about Soda... and Owen flat out admitting that they might have to kill him? Drake knew from experience that he was right, and that Vix knew as well... but whether or not Vix was alright with that truth, Drake couldn't tell. It wasn't like he could read her mind, or there was anything left to read.

The Scrafty shade let Vix stay there a bit longer, possibly longer than everyone else, before nudging her through the portal.