A silver spear materialized in the air. It was piercing Haze's back. The tip scraped the stage. The long shaft reflected the red light of the tentacles with shimmering menace. Haze wretched again.
The golden ichor was joined by blood. The ichor separated from and rolled along the stage towards the nearby street. The crowd parted for it as Haze continued to gag. The mid-sliver who looked down on him now hesitated, hand on their own spear.
"Now, no one can protect you." Haze gagged out. He fell over still bubbling on his blood and ichor. The long spear clattered against the wood. Cutlery slowly looked up to follow the golden ichor's path. The long line traveled far. One of the slivers stepped forward and grabbed the bile. The golden ichor started up their sleeve.
They were a first sliver youth. They brought up a hand and the long silver spear melted and warped. Haze's corpse slumped. It jumped as a beam of shining liquid to their hand. As it wrapped around them it turned into a platinum cape. The figure stood tall and their features melted away.
"How right Haze! Looks like your little sliver project failed. Ground-up works for me! Now all of you, fear me, for the Temple needs only more." The first sliver said. They had transformed from the small ill-equipped figure into the tall intimidating Platinum Cutlery had seen a few times before.
Several rebels rushed to attack them with blades and magic. They all slammed into a shimmering barrier.
"I command you. Fear." The Platinum said. Their smile fell away and energy shot out from them. Cutlery watched as all the mid to high slivers went rigid, then fell. Golden ichor spilled from their mouths and they lurched about. It was like watching their body get turned inside out by someone reaching down their throat.
Cutlery felt fine. Jake looked like he was wincing. Other fourth and below slivers also looked about confused.
"I always wondered if small little bits of his slivers would be enough!" The Platinum yelled happily. More golden ichor crawled toward them. The remaining rebels were about eighteen in number. The rest had died in the first battle or were groaning somewhere nearby.
"CHARGEEEE!" Tall screamed from the platform's debris pile. They stood in a blast of splinters, looks like they didn't make it out of the collapse. Tall rushed forward axe raised. It worked. A wave of low slivers rushed the Platnium.
Cutlery saw a flash of fear on the Platinum's face. The shimmering barrier around the platinum disappeared in a flash. Their cape billowed outward and snapped into the shape of a pair of lizardlike wings.
-
The Platinum's hands blurred with quick snapping movements. They rushed upward in the air at the same time. Tall hurled a spike of wood at them. The platinum spun out of the way and a high-pitched screeching came from the air around the Platinum.
A beam of radiant light appeared over a portion of the stage where three mages stood. They screeched and were reduced to ash as the beam brightened. It sliced sideways across the platform. Cutlery jumped backward to get out of the way.
Heat rushed by. The air was compressed from the shockwave of energy. The arc of light swung into the sky as the Platinum finished turning their hands sideways. The white arc smashed into one of the Temple's airborne yellow beams of yellow energy. The white beam pulsed and flashed into sparks.
Cutlery was left with ringing ears and the sound of sizzling flesh and wood under that. Haze and Mlions' bodies had been turned to ash, their golden armor left behind, glowing with heat. The fallen eighth sliver was also nowhere to be seen.
"Uh. Uh. UH Temple I give my all to you let me slay my enemies!" Cutlery said. This time she looked at the actual Temple and pleaded. Nothing came. No spark or anything. Well, fuck them, letting their newest member die this fast.
The Platinum above them cackled and put their hands together and let out a large oomph noise. Red light flooded from the tentacles. The buildings they were coming out of erupted. The flesh whips ripped the structure apart. Then they planted in the cobblestones like roots. The tentacles went ridged and pulled.
Huge coral rocks launched out of the buildings like crawling sea urchins. Cutlery's head spun. These events seemed to care less and less about what she was capable of stopping. A large red tentacle swung towards the float and Cutlery ducked. The tentacle smashed into the broken stage. Shoving off the debris and many corpses. The impact rolled across the platform and Cutlery was launched into the air.
Another tentacle swung under her and left a clean and clear float beneath her. She landed in a pushup position and heard a distant voice.
"Cutlery! I can't aim!" Tool yelled across the square. Cutlery looked up with a grin. Tool stood beside the ballista. She was jumping to get her attention.
The coral rocks were going away from the square. They traveled out into Zurkonia to 'get fear' or whatever the Platnium wanted. So Cutlery rushed for Tool.
One beast was left in the square and it was swinging for the remaining slivers. Hopefully, the Platinum had flown off. As Cutlery reached the edge of the float she slid off and rolled into the cobblestone
She broke into a sprint. No fighting, no ducking, jumping, or anything. Just running as hard as she could. The wind rushed over her. How fast could she go? Cutlery grinned wider, she hadn't ever just, ran! So the wind screamed over her as she sprinted for the first time.
-
Tall cried out behind Cutlery. A sigh of relief escaped her panting breathing. Many of her friends were alive, probably. Tool still shivered with anticipation as Cutlery approached the ballista.
"Come on! Come on! The Platinum is leaving!" Tool yelled. Cutlery didn't waste time looking back. Hurdling the ballista platform she rolled under the wide arms of the machine. As she stood she grabbed onto the firing lever. She surveyed the square. The platinum surveyed the Temple as it loomed over the city.
Without complete certainty, Cutlery figured they had a time limit. The Temple's passage over Zurkonia. Haze's tale from her first day in the tower had dropped a hint. The Temple did its work while it was over the city. The details could wait. For now, dead platinum was best.
A single figure in the sky was a small target for such a powerful device. Cutlery tilted it up and pointed towards the platinum. A few flecks of wood fell on her from above.
"Hurry! We don't know if the beast will attack soon!" Tool yelled over the square's cacophony. Now that the Platnium was gone, a dozen or so low slivers were battling the coral beast. Their strikes seemed ineffective.
Anxiety washed over Cutlery. Firing last time entered her mind. This thing wouldn't miss if she aimed it true. The raw speed made sure no wind, falling, or other effects could do anything significant before it covered a huge distance.
No overthinking. She pulled the lever. This time the spray of molten parts was in front of her. Curse Jake for not telling her, it was a largely pleasing spot to be in. The flash of the magics' release and superheated material blinded her for a second. A streak of silver caught her attention.
The platinum cloak plummeted from the sky in a spiraling tumble. Cutlery had only caught the last second of the fall. A loud thud echoed across the square. The coral beast that had stayed in the square shivered in response. It hesitated a second. The rain of blows from slivers surrounding it continued. It shooks and began to oddly move to dodge and escape. Cutlery had hoped the Platinum had been commanding the beasts. Now without the courage of authority, it was without the desire to stay.
The slivers cheered as the beast rushed down a street and towards the bay side of the city. Tool let out a whoop and patted Cutlery's butt with her short reach. Cutlery smiled, all too easy.
