The Crow Mother

[Kressara Thryn]

The heat of the vibroblade left a sizzling line across the glit-biter's tongue that went ignored. Anger, or was it anger? It was something powerful inside of her, spitting, growing, sparking, catching onto every part of her it touched like an oil fire. It brought the trembling husk of a woman back to life in spite of herself. Kressara's soaked boots plunged into fresh snow, carving her way towards Slade. Knees bent and then propelled the addict into a twisting spin, her leg shooting straight at the last minute for maximum power behind the kick that sent the appearance of her master skidding backwards. Flaps of wet fabric twirled around her like a dancer's garb, and then Kressara dropped to her knee with the sword to steady her landing. Steam rose from the tip of the vibroblade piercing the blanketed ground and formed a small vat of melting ice beside her. She held the blade there as Slade righted himself and hastily reloaded his stunners, collecting water in the pit which the heat of her weapon rapidly brought to a boil.

It wasn't exactly a vision, but it wasn't just a regular thought either...Kressara heard the triggers craning, felt his fingertips pressing against them before the guns fired, before his aim actually found her again. He hadn't done any of these things yet, however. Glitterstim was a powerful drug, one that often gave the user psychic inclinations. These effects weren't permanent of course, but while under the influence Kressara had a sharpened sixth sense. Instead of rushing him again, she was biding her time with that sword kept firmly dug into the bubbling crevice. Her premonition caught up to reality and by the time Slade fired his guns in the present, Kressara had a plan of retaliation. Stun bolts raced from his pistols and whirred through the air while simultaneously Kressara ripped her blade from the snow in a flinging motion, dipping her free hand into the scalding hot liquid in turn. It seeped through her gloves, ate at her skin, seared nerves and sunk into scabs, but the feeling hadn't mattered. Shimmering teeth grit as she burned herself again to cast her diversion skyward. Roiling water hit the freezing air and reformed into a cloud of ice crystals mid fall, creating a smoke screen of frost between them that carried in the wind to cover Slade's vision.

Metal clinked against metal. One of the prongs bounced off of her weapon's yet incomplete arc, but the second hit it's mark even with her efforts. Prongs punctured her clothing and bit flesh over her solar plexus. Her next breath didn't make it out of her lungs. It hung there, eyes widening, mouth open. A scream beyond the man made flurry shook her vocal cords raw. Pulse after pulse expanded veins and shrunk them again, exciting nerves and scrambling thoughts. Pain in her bones shorted out the otherwise impervious glit-biter apprentice as her jaw locked up tight enough to crack teeth were they any weaker than they ought to be. The makeshift smoke screen cleared, dragged away on the arctic breath with the last of Kressara's resistance.

Her crumpled body lay convulsing in the drifts, vibroblade steaming and sinking as it lay longways beside her, out of hand. For now the woman was disabled and would remain still even after the currents were cut to the stun gun's attachments.

A baleful sob escaped the snow where her face was planted.

"T-Take me to...t-to hhhhhhim! It doesn't matter anymore...I l-l-lost the ssstar I tried to keep him from extinguishing-g! The sun is gone! It's blotted out...by snow clou-cloudds...and I can't make it light up th-this darkness again!"

The world around them was ghostly still save for the softhail, but she was shaking like a woman caught in an earthquake, and crying twice as loudly.

"N-Nothing-g...will e-ever shine again...no light...no hope...is sssssstr-rong enough…" Her octave dropped, her woeful moans twisting into a hateful declaration. "A-and the monster I-I...I want to kill for it all...is hiding beneath your skin...b-but he isn't you."

[Slade Xandir]

He rubbed his aching jaw, finger beginning to chill even under thick leather gloves. Arkania's permafrost existence was no joke. Perhaps that's what led him to have a connection with the planet or something. That, and memories. Frakk, his jaw hurt. "You've got a pair of legs, I'll give you that."he winced, watching her writhe and seize on the floor of this frigid world. But after her scream, what came after had paused his momentum. Star? Light?...Tried to? Darkness? "What?" his baritones demanded sense out of her ramblings, sense he didn't expect to get from her. Atleast not like this. His mind however, nagged that something completely horrid was locked in those words, and he tried to shut up the voice that whispered this to him. Taking a deep breath, he went to pull force-lock cuffs from his satch, but her next admittance became a bit more clear to the Hunter. Wearing his skin?..."Bl-" He stopped it there. He wouldn't be saying that creatins name. He didn't deserve it. "Trust me, lady - I hate him just as much as your ass, alright? He's not exactly a bestie in my book." His face melded into a much more grim set, almost a seething anger that burned low on a stove. Something marinated behind those fires, and this chick had no idea. "You don't know what I've been through." He immediately put pep in his step, snapping on those cuffs with an aim that allowed her no wriggle room, he kicked away the shoddy blade and let it rot away on this planet. "Up. Let's move." His Infiltrator was already on it's way, and soon enough arrived for the pair to begin their departure. Now, he took that time to brace himself against the reality of the situation.

To face Tormentous, and get the location of the Prince.