ic Quarrel in the Quarry

[Gizmo]

Winifred couldn't hear anything around her over the sound of blood pounding in her ears, the muscles in her back and shoulders spasming against the unyielding rock and a cord standing out on her neck. She tasted copper on her lips and wasn't sure if it was from the impact or if she'd bitten her own tongue. Primal fear surged through her as her vision focused enough to register the golden creature looming over her, poised to attack again but instead of feeling a chill she was burning up, sweating through her blouse.

 

Desperately, forcing her hands to move despite the involuntary twitching as her body tried to tear itself apart, she grabbed at another glass container and smashed it at the monster's feet. The adhesive splattered across the rough ground and the misshapen limbs, strong as steel. She scrambled away from her cover, fingers grabbing at loose stones as she nearly tripped. Risking a glance over her shoulder she watched at the creature simply discarded the trapped pieces of itself, roiled like a landslide and formed new limbs, not inconvenienced in the slightest.

 

She looked about for Riley but the edges of her vision her turning dark, eyeballs feeling as if they were about to burst from her skull. "Smith!" she shouted, panicky. "You have to get away! Just go!"

[Avenger Assembled]

The monster chasing Fred didn't seem to realize in how much danger it was in - a golden mass about the size of her fist flew past her torso and hit the rocks nearby. She was scientist enough even now to see the way the gravel it hit was partially transformed into gold, the internal matrix of transformation suggesting that a particular compound was being transmuted into gold rather than matter proper in a way that would have been fascinating if not for the galloping in her head. 

 

The golden rock monster that had been chasing Reagent now went for Woodsman, charging at him with a great blubbery speed that belied its bulk. But Woodsman proved faster, dropping to one knee and rolling, the breeze from the near-miss passing over his head so close he could feel it over his scalp. Jumping back up to his feet, he came up with his hatchet in his left hand, his eyes hard as he stared into the empty sockets of the gold monster he was facing. The air was cold against his partially exposed skin, Fred was screaming in a dangerous terror, and he was mad as hell. Something in his gaze seemed to reach the golden monster, and it took a step back - too late! He brought his hatchet down where he'd struck the first one, driving it beneath upper limb and into torso. This close he could feel how thick and heavy the golden mass was so he hit it again, this time with both hands as he brought the hatchet around from the other direction, cutting deep into what would have been ribs and belly on a human, goldenrod fluid leaking down freely from where he'd hit. 

 

I know that won't kill you sonsofbitches but it hurts like Hell! He could be killing it easily enough. That same strike to the thing's neck would have taken its life - he knew that as surely as he knew how to kill a Feral. But the things weren't trying to kill _them_ - yet. 

 

Sure enough, the badly wounded creature shoved him aside and ran for the flooded pool that had produced it, bleeding 'gold' behind it just as its fellow had. Now there was only one left - and Fred. Oh yes, there was Fred. And the other thing. 

 

 

[Gizmo]

"Damnation!" Winifred hissed through clenched teeth, scrambling across the uneven ground and trying to figure out where Riley was without taking her eyes off of the golden creature stalking her. Her vision swam in and out of focus and she couldn't tell which of her flasks her fumbling fingers were brushing against as she rummaged through her bag. Deciding to apply straightforward physics in lieu of a more elegant solution she redoubled her grip on her walking stick and lashed out, the length of chemically treated wood flashing with a speed and sureness that did credit to the physical training to which she'd been subjected at the Academy. The heavy tip cracked against the stones where a human's ankle would have been, jarring it loose. The monster stumbled and she took the opportunity to put more distance between them!

[Avenger Assembled]

Kick its ass! thought Riley exuberantly, his lips curving into a hard grin. He wasn't letting himself think they'd beaten the damn thing, not by a long shot, but it was good to see Fred standing up to monstrous bullies from under the earth. When the thing kept going for her he sighted quickly, realized it was too far for a hatchet throw, and brought around his crossbow for one last shot. He had to make it fast, those great golden fingers were reaching for all-too-human flesh, and Fred was a lot more breakable than most people! He fired a shot from the hip, the bolt straight and true as it whizzed past Fred's ear and buried itself in the heart of the monster. 

 

The Aurans Riley had targeted before had been able to handle the hand-grenade-sized explosions he'd detonated under their skins, but what he'd thought was simply a biological reality turned out to be something else entirely. His shot entered the chest of the last Auran and exploded there with great force, bubbling golden skin erupting from its torso and spraying an unlucky Winifred Wei directly in the face! The hot, ill-smelling fluid, half golden quicksilver and half-blood, was in her hair, her eyes, her mouth - she was blind and could hear only the howling of the monster!

[Gizmo]

A choked off scream turned into desperate retching as the scalding liquid slid down Winifred's throat, cutting off her air even as it blinded and burnt her face. Doubled over she clawed at her eyes with one hand while the other dug into the dirt and loose rocks, fingers convulsing as her whole body spasmed violently from far more than mere pain. Her tiny frame reared back as the scream became a bellow that didn't quite manage to drown out the sickening crack of bone as her body tore itself apart.

 

In uneven spurts twisted grey muscle exploded down her limbs while her torso caves in then erupted to several times its original size, reducing most of her clothes to loose shreds and her white coat to tatters. The beast that staggered to its feet in her place mere seconds later towered over the injured rock creature even with its hunch, viscous liquid gold still dripping from milky white eyes and from between uneven teeth. The Alkahest's nostrils flared, its ghastly visage contorted as it identified the target of its raw rage. With a roar that shook the trees around the quarry and churned the water from which the aurans had emerged it surged forward and enveloped the creature's head and shoulder in one massive hand.

 

Lifting it into the air the Alkahest grabbed its legs with its other hand and with a single motion tore the auran in two, smaller stones scattering like spilled entrails. The upper half was tossed unceremoniously into the water while the lower pieces were sent in the other direction. Seeming only more furious for the ease with which its enemy had been dispatched the misshaped titan threw back its head.  "RAAARGH!" 

[Avenger Assembled]

Woodsman stared at Alkahest. He felt guilt for the part he'd played in Fred's transformation and for what might have been the death of the golden monster - fear for what Alkahest might do to him, and what might happen if killing that creature would turn out to have dire consequences. Anger at himself, at his stupid self, that he hadn't brought the loadout he'd have used if he'd been planning to fight the apex predator of Claremont Academy. Embarrassment, as he wondered if the surviving Aurans were watching them and laughing at their self-inflicted predicament. But feelings didn't matter now. 

 

It was close to twice his size and faster at a sprint than he could match. It was strong enough to tear him limb from limb, screams tearing at his throat as he felt the ultimate agony of bone and flesh being torn apart, then the primal violation of being eaten alive. 

 

Running teaches it that you're prey. Don't run. 

 

Instead he went perfectly still for a moment, then started walking backwards until his outline was partially obscured by the nearby tree that he'd been using for shelter a few minutes earlier. The abandoned quarry shed behind him was cover, not protection against the Alkahest, but it was cover nonetheless. He inhaled, he exhaled, and he walked backwards - and then he did it again. 

 

[Gizmo]

The Alkahest cast about for the next target for its roiling fury and failing to find one immediately seemed only to stoke those fires. It gripped the rocky outcropping Winifred had been using for cover and with a grunt tore it from the earth, leaving a hole the size of a bathtub.  "Hnnhh-- NRRRAH!" The twisted ogre hurled the rock into the pool of water. The geyser from its impact sprayed outward and the Alkahest bellowed back at it in directionless aggression. Grabbing at smaller stones it hurled them about like a child throwing a tantrum with its toy box, though most tantrums didn't result in trees splintering in half with resounding cracks when an errant boulder crashed through its trunk. Eyes wide and taking deep, ragged breaths it turned one way then the other in violent starts, searching.

[Avenger Assembled]

Woodsman watched the monster's nostrils flare, remembering a half-dozen conversations with Fred about the thing inside her and its terrible powers. A predator's cunning. A predator's scent. He took a chance and reached down to his belt, tapping the distress beacon that would send an emergency signal not to Claremont but to Midnight Manor, the faint, nearly-inaudible click ringing loud in his ears. It was important that someone else know what was happening here. It was important that he not die alone. He calculated quickly. The thing before him might go down into the water and find more of the golden creatures under the quarry. If they were sentient, it could start a war and put more lives on Fred's conscience - if they weren't, transforming back would put Fred in the depths of flooded caverns beneath the city and kill her upon her return. It might exit the quarry entirely and fall upon the people of the nearby settlements - and the blood would pool up to his boots. No-win scenario. You let it go, people die. You fight it, you die. 

 

When he did the math that way, there really wasn't any choice. He took a breath and did something he hardly ever did in the field - he shouted at the top of his lungs. "Hey, YOU!" Woodsman raised his bow and fired a snap shot directly at the ground beneath his own feet - then ran. It was a new bolt, one that worked very well - smoke poured out, and the shrieking sound of noisemakers like those in firecrackers, and the stink of burning piss, and a thousand other things that made it almost impossible to ignore but would kill the senses of anything inside it. The abandoned shack still rested on concrete blocks, he spotted, so he dived underneath it, feeling dirt and rocks dig into his skin as he pulled himself completely underneath the old building. It smelled bad under here - of rain and mold and old dog crap, and it was full of bugs, but that was okay. For now.

 

From his position under the shack, Woodsman could watch clearly as the divided golden masses thrown aside by the Alkahest began to ooze slowly towards the water...

[Gizmo]

The Alkahest spun its whole body about at the sudden shout, shoulder down and one hand clawing a trough through the rocky earth to propel it. As the rapidly expanding cloud of smoke washed over it the behemoth reared back with an angry bellow, trashing at the confusing sounds and scents. As Riley dashed for cover he could hear a crack of splitting stone, another splintering tree and an impact of something against the water at the bottom of the pit, all interspersed with sounds of inarticulate rage from massive lungs. The crashing cacophony slowly headed toward the spot where he'd detonated his distraction, blind stomping seeking to crush the irritant underfoot.

[Avenger Assembled]

It wasn't that the next little while was dull, really. 

 

Down underneath in his shelter underneath the abandoned aluminum hut, Woodsman watched as the Alkahest roared and raged, hurling boulders about and otherwise venting its rage on an invisible foe. His guess that the debris underneath the hut would cover him from its strong senses seemed to be paying off, so he lay perfectly still, breathing slow and level. Insects were crawling on him and dust was in his nostrils, and harsh grit seemed to be working its way into every cut and bruise. He really wished those damn creatures hadn't turned his shirt into gold. He wished for a lot of things. Midnight and Wander would be there soon - depending on where they were in the world, and if they'd even gotten his signal. There were a lot of things wrong with today. But he was a Woodsman and so he lay there, level and still, not moving a muscle. 

 

It was at that moment, all of a sudden, that a golden monster erupted out of the flooded bottom of the quarry. Towering a good six feet or more above the height of the rampaging Alkahest and broad as a garage door, it opened a great gobby mouth and gave a great and terrible roar as it came staggering its way out of the water, giant fists raised and ready for battle! This wasn't just bigger than the other monsters, its golden body seemed to hiss and spark with some new and unpromising energies as it threw a mighty blow at the Alkahest! 

[Avenger Assembled]

The blow hit the Alkahest square in its midsection, a mighty hammerfist blow that knocked the creature backwards and began doing _things_ - yellowish metal secreted itself into every fold and crease of the Alkahest's tough hide, burning away at super-tough flesh even as it began to transform said flesh into more of the golden stuff! As the mass dropped away, the Alkahest's flesh was torn and bleeding, albeit superficially - enough to provoke a soft exhalation from Woodsman. Taking a chance, he fired into the melee, a hissing flare of an arrow that wooshed right past the golden creature's head and disappeared into the water. He didn't say the curse out loud - but he certainly thought it. At least the giant Auran seemed suitably distracted by the bolt, its head turning to follow it, before throwing another punch at Alkahest. This one was cock-eyed, though - and slammed right into the Alkahest's fist! 

[Gizmo]

A low growl reverberated through the Alkahest's barrel chest as its fingers clenched around the gold creature's captured fist. Flakes of transmuted flesh fell to the muddy earth as the jagged veins of unnatural ore closed up, knotted muscle growing in unsettling spurts to effectively heal the injury. The Alkahest looked up at its towering attacker with narrowed eyes and flaring nostrils, sizing up the threat... and apparently finding it wanting. Tossing the attempted attack away it threw its arms back and bellowed in enraged defiance, loud enough for its breath to be felt across the thing's stoney maw.  "HHHRAAAAGH!" 

[Avenger Assembled]

Sorry, Fred thought Woodsman as he reloaded with the tightly compacted alchemist's fire/dioxygen difluoride compound that he and Fred had actually prepared together earlier that month. But Alkahest can take some fire to the face - and the last thing I want is it healthy and ready for round 3 after this fight is over. He fired again as the pair of monsters wrestled on the shores of the lake, and once again the surprisingly nimble golden giant evaded being hit by his shot. But this time it didn't matter - halfway between the Auran and the Alkahest's face, the arrow exploded with a fiery concussion and devastating noise that had Riley burying his face in the sand and covering his ears! When he looked up, the blinding actinide flash was receding, but the sizzling scorch marks it had left on the face of the Auran were obvious. Okay, he thought as he reloaded, let's see what you make of that! 

[Gizmo]

The explosion sent the rocky creature back on its heels and through the flames the Alkahest surged, completely undaunted by Woodsman's attack now that it had focused on its true target. Spittle flying from its misshapen mouth and scorch marks visible sealing shut across its face the alchemical monster roared with boneshaking volume.   "GRAAARGH!"  With reckless abandon the Alkahest pummelled the Auran with both fists, forcing it to first stagger forward then collapse to one knee before an uppercut powered by pure unthinking aggression crashed into the larger mass and sent it tumbling end over end in a mess of limbs to crack with sickening force against one of the old rusted out vehicles abandoned in the quarry. Pallid grey knuckles cracked as even the brief contact attempted to transmute flesh to stone but the Alkahest simply clenched and unclenched its fists until black ichor oozed through the quickly healing wounds.

[Avenger Assembled]

The golden monster slowly dissolved again, breaking up into three golden masses of metal that gradually made their way back into the quarry's lake, seemingly too small or too inhuman to draw the notice of the Alkahest. Woodman watched them for a while, keeping his crossbow pointed past Alkahest at the lake. Were they going to come back three times as big this time, or perhaps with a stronger transmuting agent? His back itched. His chest itched. The Alkahest seemed to be studying the lake, considering whether or not to go inside it. Okay. Time to get its attention. He worked the slide on his crossbow, sliding a new bolt into place, and began tightening the external crank. 

 

---

 

When Fred woke up, she was with Riley. "Hey Fred. How's it goin'?" She was propped up against a metal shed in the quarry, labcoat and somebody's dark jacket wrapped around her body. Riley was looking dressed himself - his formerly-transmogrified poncho and shirt now back on, albeit looking considerably the worse for wear. His crossbow was still on the ground next to him, and they'd been joined by a new face - a woman in an armored, golden costume with white cape, wearing an elaborately carved blue and white facemask. Fred thought she recognized the costume slightly from her lessons about the current state of global politics? 

The scene around them had changed too - the quarry was much more torn up than Fred remembered, surrounded by craters and smashed buildings, and the lake seemed to be missing. "You all better?" 

[Gizmo]

It took Winifred a few moments to get her bearings and focus on Riley's words, bone deep weariness written across her face. Guilt and shame joined exhaustion as she recalled enough of the initial fight with the golden creatures to realize what had happened. "I tried to hold it back..." she muttered in a small voice, rubbing her face across the sleeve of the jacket wrapped around her. Tattered garments and unfamiliar replacements could only phase her so much any more. "I thought I was going to make it but then it was in my mouth and--" She gagged reflexively and had to focus on her breathing for a moment before she could meet her friend's eyes again. "I didn't hurt you?"

[Avenger Assembled]

"We gave you something else to fight," said their companion, her voice slightly resonant from the mask she wore. "You'd be surprised how good the Liberty League can be at grabbing someone's attention. I'm Monsoon, by the way," she added. "Your friend called us in about an hour ago." 

 

"That was my bad," said Riley, honest apology in his voice. "I wanted to take those things down before they got you - but I got you instead." He looked away, scratching the back of his head. "Sorry, Fred."

 

"On the plus side, maybe they'll name the battle after the two of you," Monsoon offered consolingly - maybe. "Luckily for you, it sounds like the Aurans respect strength in other species. If they weren't made of metal, I'd be down there myself." 

 

 

[Gizmo]

Winifred allowed herself a quiet groan at the thought of some team of adult heroes having to subdue her alter-ego, trying to remember if she had heard of the 'Liberty League' before. Without the benefit of historical context the names tended to run together somewhat. "Charmed, miss. I apologize for the... inconvenience. I realize this was not the best first impression I might have made." That was obviously an exercise in dramatic understatement but her dignity required at least the thin veneer of reason that her reality so often lacked.

 

Turning weakly to Riley she added, "As a rule, Smith, were a hostile creature to be looming over me I should rather expect you to shoot it. You couldn't have known the specifics of its biology." She glanced back at Monsoon before returning to her friend. "How much trouble do you suppose we're in?"

[Avenger Assembled]

"Dunno," Riley admitted. "Not used to monsters havin' kingdoms and armies and such. But I think the Liberty League's on it. They've, uh, got some good people." Terrifying people when he contemplated what most of them must be like on his own world - if they were like anything at all. But there was no use dwelling on that now, not when there were other, much more immediately concerning things to wrestle with. 

 

"It'll be fine," said Monsoon cheerfully, sounding very much like her husband to Riley's ears even though he'd only met the man a few times. "We'll tell your headmaster you had a run-in with the Aurans when they attacked the surface, and then the Liberty League went down there and defeated their king. It doesn't matter how you do something, so long as you succeed in doing it." 

 

"...not sure that's right, but ok." said Riley, not wanting to kill the goose that lay the golden egg but feeling a little more talkative than usual. "Should we give her a call, or-" 

 

"Oh, she's on her way here," Monsoon added. "By motorcycle, I believe. The vibrations must have triggered some sensors elsewhere in the city..."