Kanushin (Starweaver's Tapestry #1)

Chapter 20: Collision

Diah's head whipped toward the others, unsure of what to do. They had the advantage from a numbers standpoint, but Diah knew numbers alone didn't mean anything without a good understanding of the enemy to back it up. They had no idea what the two Kunar's abilities were, let alone the obvious problem of Rhug's size. They were in a battle they were doomed to lose. She could tell that Imi was trying her best to analyze the situation, but the look on her face meant she must have reached the same conclusion. Kirrik and Zaius both seemed frozen in place by Areshia's sudden appearance.

'Zaius, I understand,' Diah thought. 'I saw how she treated him firsthand. What did she do to Kirrik to get the same reaction?'

Before she could ponder the question further, Rhug rushed forward into the group with big, silver eyes that radiated malice. Diah felt a hand grab her by the neck of her top and yank her backwards, the force slightly lifting her off of her feet. Zaius had changed spots with her, standing next to Kirrik as Rhug clotheslined them both with his extended, meaty arms. The three carried with the momentum and crashed through a wall directly ahead.

Rhessian laughed and jumped from the walkway toward Imi, rolling like a ball as he hit the ground. Imi fired four shots at him but couldn't land a single one, the blasts kicking up puffs of dirt with muted thunks. The Kunar leapt over a small barricade toward the exposed lower floor of the factory chambers and snagged a chain in mid-air. Imi ran forward and jumped over the same barricade, disappearing from view.

Diah looked up and waited for Areshia to make her move. The arrogant Ixr looked over her sharp-tipped neon orange nails instead. Diah hesitated and wondered if it was some sort of trick.

"I'm not wasting my energy just to come down there, princess," Areshia announced. "You'll meet me up here."

"And why would I do that?" Diah snapped.

"Because killing you is the best kind of revenge I can get on Zaius for destroying so much of my hard work," She replied in annoyance. "But if you don't feel like fighting, I'll gladly ignore you and skip straight to ripping out your little boy toy's lungs myself."

Diah felt an intense heat rise off the back of her neck. Her heart started to pound hard against her chest, a mixture of anger and adrenaline. She summoned her Kanushin into five long purple daggers and launched them into the wall as a makeshift set of stairs. She jumped from one to another until she landed on the walkway just a few steps from Areshia. Her daggers dissipated and the Kanutic particles whipped upward to reassemble into a single rapier in her right hand. Diah swept it across the floor in show, leaving behind a thin scorch mark emblazoned into the walkway. She placed her left foot behind her right and braced herself for the fight.

"Oh, that's so cute," Areshia mocked. White Kanutic energy fluctuated around her body and swarmed into two sharpened blades that ran the length of her forearm and extended into talon-like tips past her hands. She let out another devilish giggle. "Let's make this quick, princess. I have better places to be."

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The hard stone and metal of the factory's wall cracked against Zaius's shoulder as sheer force smashed him through. He flew back, slamming his elbow and head against hard ground before tumbling along the floor. His vision blurred into two spinning worlds. Kirrik coughed just a few feet away.

"Rhug destroy pests," the ridiculously large Kunar grunted as he smashed his fists together. The resulting wave of force caused a slight dust cloud to form.

Zaius looked around at their surroundings. They have been thrown into a giant gray dome with eight pillars placed evenly against the walls throughout. A large slit ran along the ceiling, most likely some sort of opening for ships to arrive through. The floor below him was a hard, white circle with markings embedded throughout. He realized it was a landing pad for a surprisingly empty docking bay.