Charm 2023 - Part 3

Having joined Destiny at the top of the ridge, I found my excitement rising at the view in front of us. Without a doubt, this enemy was connected to the Supreme Leader. For one, pillars with balls of purple flame at the tops surrounded the fortress, much like I’d seen the enemy harness—those known as the Nihilists. The structure of the buildings was further evidence, with jutting edges and jagged metal that stuck out erratically—a telltale sign, based on what I’d come across so far.

A grin spread across my face as I thought of taking these bastards down. I’d been holding back before, considering all of the new power I’d received along with my ninth tail. By most accounts, I had become Tier 1, or above—since I was, after all, not from the Oram system, I could think of herself as being in god-mode. Being superpowered beyond most Tier 1 supers meant there weren’t many that could go up against me. Not that I was letting my newfound power get to my head.

“So, when will the rest arrive?” Destiny asked, staring my way with large, hopeful eyes.

I wanted to reply, “Bitch, I already told you I have no idea what you’re talking about,” but instead I put a hand on her shoulder, gave her a comforting look, and said, “Don’t worry, I’ll fuck ‘em up for you. Every last one.”

Destiny shook her head as if trying to make sense of my words. “The Kitsune Planet really doesn’t know about our situation?”

I ran a hand over one of my furry ears in thought. “Honestly, I haven’t been back there recently. But I’d like to think they would have reached out to me about something like this.”

“Haven’t gone back… But if you don’t live there, then where?”

“I’m originally from the Kitsune Planet, yes, but lately live on Earth in the Milky Way galaxy. Sometimes on the Citadel.”

The woman blinked, clearly not sure if she should believe me. “I thought the Citadel was a myth. And Earth gone, long ago.”

“Nope to both.”

Judging by the woman’s wide eyes, she was clearly mind-blown. My attention was on the enemy base.

“Don’t worry, I’ll investigate, gather intel, then find you,” I said, and took a step forward before the woman took my hand and spun me to face her.

“I’ll come with,” she said, eyes beseeching me through the holes of her fox mask.

“You’d get in the way.”

She pursed her lips in thought, then shook her head. “Really, I’d just like to see you in action. It’d be a dream come true.”

Arching a brow, I gave her a once over. “You want to see me in action, I’ll demonstrate for you after. Your own private show—just you and me.”

Silence followed, during which I wondered if she was blushing under that mask. Finally she nodded, then knelt down and said, “I’ll wait right here.”

“I won’t be long.” Taking a step and about to go, I paused. “Wait—anything I need to know about them or their powers before I enter?”

“Powers?” she laughed. “They don’t have powers. They take powers.”

That sent a chill through me. This wasn’t the first time I had come across an enemy with the ability to steal powers. Memories of a creepy pyramid came to mind, and I did a doubletake to assess this building and wonder if this was some other version of that place.

“I… think I’ll be all right,” I said, and then took off into the night.

Would I be lying if I told you that my mind wasn’t reeling with thoughts of what would happen if I was taken and thrust into the strange, coffin-like boxes that were used to keep a super in place while their powers were cultivated? Mostly, yeah. The idea was terrifying.

An would I be lying if I pretended not to be imagining my man holding me tight, cradling my head and telling me it was all going to be okay? You bet. And more than that—I started imagining his body pressed to mine, the warmth of his nude flesh reminding me I was alive. At least one last time before I was trapped.

Except, then I pushed all those thoughts aside and flung myself into the air. My tails caught in the wind and I glided along until I came upon a tall tree branch. There I perched to scout out the enemy compound.

The entire fortress was surrounded by a shimmering, translucent force field, which protected it from any external threats. From my vantage point I could see over the outer wall and, fluctuating as the image appeared through the force field, at least the grounds of this place were visible. I was awestruck by its towering pillars and glowing balls of purple light. The light pulsed with a rhythmic intensity, almost hypnotizing in its effect. The pillars themselves were sleek and metallic, and they seemed almost alive with energy.

Perhaps the purple light on those pillars kept the force field in place, which meant I simply had to disrupt them to gain access.

Moving my hands along my body, I was reminded of my blaster pistol, a wrist device and accompanying earpiece for communications with my team when within range, and a not much else. A sudden urge to relieve my bladder came over me and I had to laugh at the timing, but if anything that made me want to hurry and get inside even faster.

Using my comms device, I went on a hunch that this planet would operate on entirely different frequencies and if I tweaked it just right… Sure enough, the signal went out and, at least momentarily, the closest part of the energy field fizzled, then was down! I took a step toward it and paused, throwing myself back as the field returned. A curse escaped my lips and I glanced around, preparing myself. Once again I activated my device, this time ready to move with all of the speed at my disposal. To anyone watching I must have appeared to be no more than a blur of pink.

Then I was in! Staggering to a stop and turning to see the energy field back in place behind me. My breath came short and strained, giving me reason to wonder if something about this world or maybe the purple energy was affecting me. Regardless, I was there to gather intel, so continued toward the tall fortress.

Pillars rose up on either side of me, strange balls of purple like sacks on a field to my right, the fortress rising up ahead to block out the night sky. Pointed stone jutted out from the ground. A golden light covered the base of the fortress, emitting from natural glow stones.

I started toward the doors, only to see three robed figures moving along the wall toward that exact spot. Best to avoid detection at this point, so I cloaked briefly and instead turned to the nearest pillar. My claws helped me climb it, and then I was up and moving, better angled to enter through one of the upper windows. Sure enough, only a slight burst of energy was necessary to reach the outer wall, and then I was up and looing at an inner courtyard on one side, parapets and an entrance on the other. From here though, I was able to make out more golden light through a point between two towers, so leaped over and found a perch. A sprawling city glowed there beneath the watchful gaze of this fortress, and past it were dark, purple hills and more fortresses. What the hell had I stumbled upon?

No time like the present to duck inside and find out, I figured. Using my claws to cut glass, soon I was in a dark room that led to stairs. I descended to find a hall, and there came upon a series of doors. One was a closet, and to my relief, the closet was filled with dark robes the like of which I had seen the otherworldly villains known as Nihilists wear. I grabbed one, and ducked back into the hall.

As much as I knew this wasn’t the time or place, I couldn’t exactly hold my bladder any longer and wasn’t about to go in my suit. While the Citadel insisted the suits were capable of taking waste and repurposing it, that was beyond my level of comfort. So instead I ducked into the first dark corner I came across, slipped out of my pink and white spandex, and squatted.

Damn, that felt good. The slight chill in the air caused my skin to pull tight and I looked forward to putting my clothes back on, but footsteps echoed, drawing close. Best not to move, or I’d risk alerting this enemy to my location.

A man walked by in a long, dark cloak, gray arms visible for a brief second as he walked. They were covered with dark marks similar to tattoos. I squatted there, quickly cloaking and hoping he hadn’t heard my tinkling… and for a beat noted his head turning and even saw the violet glow of eyes within that dark hood. To my relief, a mumbling sounded to his front and he looked straight ahead, then continued on past my field of vision. I let out a sight, wiped with the robe, then discarded it and continued to dress.

Once I was covered again, a thought hit me—I didn’t need to only use the robes as a substitute for toilet paper, but could grab a new one and go under cover! Maybe that should have been my first thought when seeing the robes, but come on, I reallllly had to tinkle.

Ducking back and going for the robes, I then donned one and grinned. Sure, I could stay cloaked for a bit, but as much as I liked others to think I was all powerful and almost invincible, that was hardly the truth. Staying cloaked too long became draining and made using my other powers more difficult.

Hood on, I advanced toward the slowly growing sound of humming and an occasional clanging. Whatever was causing that sound would likely be what I had come here for.

---

* Didn't read the 8-book series yet? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HPGWQYF
* Not in my FB group yet? (1) Jamie Hawke's Super Secret Awesome Reader Group | Facebook