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5. And Steam on Flesh

  “We’ll be spotted regardless of where we move. The goal is to consistently have cover, even when we aren’t behind it…” Harize spoke fluently, her talons scratching a diagram into the dirt before Armony without even looking at it.

  What Armony looked at? Was literally just a smiley face, his eyelids flapping up and down with disbelief, before peering up, past Harize, towards the field of stones they had to weave through. It was further than comfort, especially with the high walls that lay beyond it. Approaching from this angle simply wasn’t possible by any perch he could see from. Armony cracked his neck, and then opened his mouth to speak, but before he could even begin, his jaw- still agape- dropped…

  An ear-bursting wail came from the town in front of them, one that would make anyone’s blood boil. Literally. A light gray steam seeped from Armony and Harize’s veins! For the boy, it was far more visible, with an energy known as Sabsesc dancing on his skin like misty fire trails. Harize, on the other hand, had steam licked all across her feathers, which was swiftly curling and coiling into a wreath around their shoulders.

  “Something's in there, Armony. Something’s trapped,” Harize spoke up, but again- the wail only grew louder.

  With pained gazes, they both wiped their arms of the Sabsesc reaction, Armony’s hand moving to Harize’s shoulder to stop her before moving forward.

  “It’s either a Wha’Tea or a Wha’Poa. We’d be able to see anything bigger from here.” His brows furrowed before pulling Harize back a bit to take the lead. “We need to hurry, before the smoke turns to flame.”

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  Harize nodded silently before following his lead! Inhaling sharply, Armony’s gaze peered through the thicket before piercing through. Harize was slow to react but quick to catch up. Moving behind him in single file, they B-lined it to the nearest rock.

  BOOM!

  Two shots of light, and yet another wail from the town- this time much more intense.

  Out from its holster on their backs, Armony and Harize pulled out their Sol-Flutes, the Sabsesc mist from before returning, this time from their mouths as they play a calm melody. It took them a moment, but once they harmonized, the rock behind them began to blur, shifting like a reflection on water! By the time it turned semi-translucent and two more shots were fired, they moved. Separating this time, Harize moved to the right, with Armony on the left, yet no light was shot to catch them. Instead, the creature behind the walls wailed once more, the intensity falling off with a bit of a whimper.

  The two exchanged glances in that moment, nodding to one another before once more harmonizing and turning the stones translucent! Once more, the bait was bitten, allowing the two to push forward even more. By now, they were fairly separated, thus the two raised their hands to communicate.

  “We can’t get stuck together at that wall. We’ll need to get in as fast as we can,” Harize signed.

  “I’ll find the entrance, and take care of whatever is shooting at us so you can go airborne. Deal?” Armony replied, Harize nodding in understanding before once more… they moved.

  They’d repeat the process they had been using to gain more ground. However- the closer they got? The more the creature's cries reacted with their blood. The flame which burns in all beings of the Atoll being stoked by the monster’s agony, or anger. Or perhaps both. Leaving Armony and Harize to consistently try and suppress the output of steam.

  While this may have been tedious, it was ultimately necessary for them to focus on applying their Sabsesc to their advance. Whether they were using it to manipulate the shape of the rocks or to boost their own physique, Sabsesc is the lifeblood of these lands, and all who inhabit it are interconnected through it.

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