Empyrean Iris Story Collection Vol. 4

Painted Snow

The creature pulled itself from the ground in a shower of snow and ice sending a shockwave across the clifftop to disturb the hard packed crystal. Snow pelted his helmet and a chunk of ice slammed into his chest before shattering and falling to the ground in a shower of crystals. For its part, the snow crab didn't take time to inspect the interlopers, instead it took the offensive straight out of the gate.

It screamed, and the entire team covered their ears in pain. The noise was incredibly high pitched, so loud he thought his eardrums were going to rupture, but the sound continued to heighten, until he could no longer hear it. At his back, however, Krill could still hear the sound, all four hemispheres of his brain ringing in confusion. For a moment, it caused Adam to waver in confusion, but then the screaming cut off and the ground began to rumble as the creature charged towards them, its legs slamming into the snow and ice for purchase as it barreled towards them.

Adam and Sunny went one way and the others dove to the other side just as the creature came barreling through. Its legs churned as it attempted to turn towards them, but its vast weight and momentum carried it further down the hill before it was able to slow down.

The three of them were able to regroup.

Etim, for his part, took the safe route, mounting the back of his gun like a small pony, and kicking off the ground to float twenty feet into the air, and hopefully out of range of the crab. Adam could have deployed his jetpack, but with the others on the ground he didn't want to leave them, especially not sunny.

Before his minds eyes he imagined the crab rushing forward, barreling into her and throwing her bodily off the side of the cliff onto spikes of ice below, where her and their unborn child would expire in the cold. Unconsciously he placed himself in front of her weapon raised.

He was well aware of Sunny's confused thought process as he did so.

That wasn't his normal move, and she had to adjust her stance to match him, which took away precious time for her to ready herself.

The crab charged at them again.

The sucker was fast, faster than Adam anticipated, and any thought he might have had for a proper attack fled his mind. Instead he turned to Sunny and tackled her out of the way just as the creature went past. Ramirez and Maverick shouted waving at the creature to come back around.

Sunny pushed up from the snow as the crab ran towards Maverick and Ramirez.

The two of them did not run but linked arms and fell backwards as the crab charged towards them, falling under its belly just inside its churning legs and fired up into its soft undershell.

The creature screamed.

Sunny snarled and pushed him off, "The Hell Adam. WHat are you doing!"

He frowned, "Trying not to let you get squished."

The crab had reached the base of the hill now, and was turning around ponderously as orange Icor spilled out of its belly and onto the snow from where it had been hit.

"You are behaving strangely!" She shouted, and in her head he got the full picture.

Usually as her battle partner she knew what he was going to do before he did it and vise versa, but today she had no idea what he was going to do, and every time she set herself up for something he got in her way.

"I can't let you get killed!"

She gave him an incredulous look as the crab began its charge, "You never worried about that before!"

She stood and planted her feet stubbornly.

He gritted his teeth, "Well before I wasn't worrying about two of you."