The Outskirts: The Sky Raiders (Jace x OC)

Part 22

"Kendal?" Cole said in disbelief.
"Yeah?" I said, still startled. My sword was dripping with red.
"Woah." Mira said. "That looks really bad." She tied a piece of cloth tightly around my leg to try and stop the bleeding.
The Okie Dokie soared away from us and towards Skyport, doing its best to avoid the still shooting fireballs.
"Where's the snake?" I said.
"Snake?" Durny moaned, obviously in a lot of pain.
"Are you alright?" I asked Durny.
"What snake?" He demanded.
"A giant one. Last I saw it was killing Lyrus." I said.
Mira crouched down beside Durny. "Can you get up?"
He shook his head. "I doubt it. Give me a minute." He closed his eyes and began rubbing his torso while muttering inaudibly.
"What's he doing?" I whispered.
"He's trying to heal himself with shaping." Mira said. "Not usually smart. It must be bad."
"The snake is big. And fast. We can't fight it. It could come at us from a roof." Cole said, glancing around warily.
"I won't make it. Use me as bait." Durny said.
"Cole, when it consumes me, strike it from behind. Cut off the head."
"No," Mira said. "If you die, we'll die. They left us, and Kendals hurt."
"They may come back." Durny said.
None of the lifeboats or the Domingo were in sight.
"No." Cole said. "I saw one of the lifeboats go down, and the Domingo was on fire."
Was it really that bad? Were we really all alone?
"You're probably right," Durny said. "We're on our own. But we're to vulnerable here. We have to get indoors. You'll have to drag me."
"Aaaargh." A voice yelled from down the lane.
Lyrus stumbled over to us, his armor scraped and dented. "Who killed Gromar the cyclops?"
"What about the snake?" Cole said.
"I decapitated it." Lyrus said.
"The snake is dead?" Cole said.
"Headless and squirming." Lyrus said proudly.
"Can you shut down the catapults?" Durny asked, wincing in pain.
"They are beyond my control." Said Lyrus.
"You're injured." Cole said, walking over to Lyrus.
"I'm dying." Lyrus said. "I won't last much longer. Who slew him?" He kicked the Cyclopes leg.
"Kendal did." Mira said.
"You?" Lyrus shouted in surprise.
I held up my sword.
"With that tiny blade?" Lyrus said in disbelief.
I nodded, feeling woozy from blood loss.
"I misjudged you." Lyrus said. "I am deeply impressed."
"Come here." Durny said to Lyrus.
"I obey Cole." Lyrus said.
"Do it." Cole said.
Lyrus went and knelt beside Durny. The warrior eyed to the two halves of the tarantula.
"How was this accomplished?" He asked.
"I'm a shaper." Durny explained. "Semblances are somewhat vulnerable to me. With it on top of me, I put everything I had into parting it. It took a lot out of me."
"How badly are you hurt?" Cole asked Durny.
"It landed right on me." Durny said. "It broke my spine. I have some crushed organs. It's also bit me twice. I reshaped the toxins and some of my insides, but the injuries will be fatal, no doubt."
"I won't last much longer myself." Lyrus said.
"Ask him if he plans to directly or indirectly harm you or Mira in any way." Durny said.
"Do you?" Cole said.
"I have no such plans." Lyrus said. "Parona has been defended."
"Give me your hand." Durny said to Lyrus.
Durny closed his eyes, and muttered incoherently.
Lyrus's eyes widen. "What have you done?"
"I quilled the venom and closed some wounds and patched some damaged bones." Durny said.
"What now?" Mira asked.
"The catapults are no longer firing." Durny said.
"That's because there is no target within range."
Lyrus said. "As soon as one of your skycrafts come into range they will fire again."
"How much ammunition do they have?" Cole asked.
"Enough to last until Parona disappears." Lyrus said.
"Is there any chance of captain post trying to rescue us?" Cole asked.
Durny closed his eyes. "Not under these circumstances. Few sky castles resist airborne intruders. This one resists them staunchly. The Sky Raiders don't want to lose their most skilled shaper, but they wouldn't send rescuers against defenses like this, not for anyone, not even for Adam."
I looked at Cole. We're we really doomed? What about the kids that came here with us? What about Jace? He would be losing his two closest friends. I felt defeated.
"There must be something we can do." I said in despair.
"Of course there is." Durny said. "I'm holding onto life for a reason. We must construct our own skycraft. It will require a minimum of five floatstones. Seven would be preferable. And we'll need something to serve as the vessel itself."
"We could use your help." Cole said to Lyrus.
"You'll have it." Lyrus said.
Durny turned to me. "I don't suppose you retrieved any of my tools?"
I shook my head. "They were in one of the lifeboats that got away."
"Which lifeboat didnt make it?" Mira said.
"The Melody got hit by a catapult and blew apart. The men fell." I said.
"Did the debris land on Parona?" Durny asked hopefully.
I shook my head.
Durny frowned. "This mission was our biggest disaster in years."
"I'm so sorry." Cole said. "I really blew it."
"This isn't your fault." I said.
Durny nodded. "You've helped us more than duty demanded. All the Raiders know the risk. I interviewed Lyrus, as did Rowley. We failed to ask the right questions. Your champion hid his intentions well." Durny said.
"I grieve for your losses." Lyrus said. "I was doing my duty."
Durny studied Lyrus. "How well do you know
Parona?"
"Almost as if we were one." Lyrus said.
"Could you help us locate the seven most available floatstones? We need to extract them with the minimum amount of digging, and without bringing a building down on top of us." Durny said.
"We can access some in the catacombs." Lyrus said. "Six for certain, in different areas. The seventh would make things unstable."
"I can manage with five." Durny said. "I'll need to be carried. I'm paralyzed from the waist down, and Mira lacks the know-how to extract floatstones on her own."
Lyrus scooped up Durny. I started to stand, but Cole stopped me. "You're not coming."
"What!" I exclaimed.
"You're injured. You're not coming." Cole said with a total mom look.
I glared at him. "Try and stop me."
He glared back. "Oh, I will."
"No," Durny said. "Kendal, your staying here.
You'll only be making your injuries worse."
"Says the one that's half dead." I grumbled.
"I reshaped myself so I could help you escape, and so you might potentially not have to lose your leg, but I will die. It is inevitable. I could heal your leg, but would only make it worse.
You're staying here."
"But—" I started but Durny cut me off.
"No arguing!" He said with a stern look.
I just glared at him.
"Durny is right Kendal." Mira said quietly. "You should stay here, your leg is really bad."
"Come on, not you too!" I groaned. "I thought we were friends!"
"We are." Mira said slightly smiling. "But I don't want you to lose your leg."
"Jace would be on my side." I grumbled.
"Actually, I don't think so. He doesn't want you to die. He cares about you a lot." Mira said, looking amused.
If I had been fully paying attention, I probably would have asked her what she meant by that, but I was to focused on something else.
"What if we don't make it back?" I said. "We'll never see our friends from home again, We'll never see Jace again."
"Hey," Mira said crouching down next to me.
"We'll make it, positive attitude."
I gave her the fakest smile I could muster. She laughed.
"Take us to the first floatstones." Cole ordered Lyrus.