The entire chamber fell silent as the gearborn filed into the room. They paused for a moment at the fallen body of the pirate with speed powers. The lead gearborn glanced across the room at the other body. Finally, he looked up at where she stood. Unharmed except for the sweat beading down her forehead.
The gearborn snorted, his voice came out hollow and echoed across the chamber, "I told them we shouldn't have trusted these creatures. Look at the mess they made of their mission."
He turned to the remaining pirates, "All of you on your knees."
The Pirates tensed and slowly did as they were instructed. Zara remained standing. Her blade seemed to feel heavier in her grip despite the gearborn not having joined the fray yet. She was currently stuck between two visions. One of the surrounding chambers, and one of Red, joining the fight against the Pirate King.
She silently summoned Iris. The purple creature formed behind her, all but invisible to the gearborn. Zara didn't need to speak to tell her what to do. Iris listened and zipped out of the chamber, passed the gearborn.
She was heading towards the fort. It would take her a minute to arrive. The distance would be far, but the fort was right above, so Zara hoped they'd still be able to connect with each other. She needed to still be able to connect to Zara..
Zara silently prayed to the Guardian for aid. Valencia was his domain after all. If anyone could ensure that she wouldn't lose the connection, it would be him. With a sigh, she released the mark she had on Silas as she watched the Pirate King stumble away in surprise as his blade bounced off Red's shield. Hopefully, they could survive until Iris arrived.
The gearborn turned to her. The creature was nearly eight feet tall and wore simple white clothes. He was shaped roughly like a human, and Zara could make out the features of eyes, a nose, and a mouth on the face plate. This was a strong one. The stronger the Gearborn were, the more closely they resembled humans.
"They were ordered to have the fort captured by the time we arrived, you know. What did we find upon our arrival? Failure after failure. The only thing that cockroach has succeeded at is bringing us the leader of this place… unless of course that isn't you?"
Zara narrowed her eyes.
One of the gearborn stepped forward. The hulking creature had to duck to fit in the cavern. Its glowing red eyes narrowed slightly as it let out a long creak.
"He asked you a question. Answer it!"
"You know my father fought in the first wars. He was one of the most crucial players in the battles that eventually led to you taking your sorry asses and retreating with your tails tucked between your legs. Growing up, I remember constantly being told about the defeat of those wretched monsters. I never imagined then that I'd one day be facing those same monsters in my home, but the world has a strange way of progressing, does it not?"
"You were told to answer the question…"
The leader raised its hand and cocked its head slightly, "The world is an interesting place indeed. I was one of the last models created before the first war ended. I never got the chance to experience your wretched kind in all of your glory. I am lucky that I was sent on this mission and get to meet a true leader of your kind."
Zara pushed her messy hair back allowing the long mess to flutter around manically and mix with her sweat.
If she were to face these creatures in battle, she couldn't afford to be distracted. Reaching up with her blade, she slashed it off just above her shoulders.
"So, are you here to subdue me then?" She asked, slowly allowing her muscles to return to a battle stance.
Her vision split between all the remaining pirates in the room, allowing her to get a full view of her surroundings. They were all staring at the floor, but not low enough to be unhelpful. Zara had yet to fully decide on her next course of action.
"Well, perhaps I could indulge myself. We were left out of the fighting to complete this mission. I will take it upon myself to destroy you, human," The gearborn began, casually walking towards her.
The rest of the gearborn fully entered the room. There were about a dozen of them in all. They came in all shapes and sizes. Zara knew most of their designs and what they were best at, but a few were unknown. The creature in front of her, though… It was the most dangerous. It had been designed to contend with every aspect of a human.
The gearborn dashed towards her. Two long swords slide from its wrists. Even with every view in the room, Zara struggled to react to the sudden arrival of the monster. She rolled to the side to avoid one strike and barely managed to block another. The force of the blow sent her staggering. This creature was not only faster than the speedster pirate, but he was also far stronger than she was.
Another blow nearly took her head off. She had sensed the tension in the gearborn clothes a moment before he lunged. That had saved her life and allowed her to send a counterattack. His sword fell away from hand as he caught her wrist. Zara gasped at the sudden strength as she was unceremoniously tossed across the room.
It took all of her skill to land upright and not on her face. She spun and raised her sword despite the aching bones. The gearborn turned slowly. Both weapons back in his hands, he seemed to sigh sadly.
"I thought you would be more impressive than this."
Zara didn't respond, for her vision split again. She saw Iris arrive above the fort, and what she saw made her blood run cold. Her soldiers still had yet to arrive. She watched them start running across the fort towards the distant fight, but they wouldn't be fast enough. Silas and Derrin were both down and badly injured.
The Pirate King approached Red with a nonchalance that made her grit her teeth. There wouldn't be time to stop him. By the time reinforcements arrived in the next couple of minutes, the Pirate King would have already finished off Red, Silas, and Derrin. They were doomed. There was nothing they could do to stop him.
The only way they had a chance of survival was if she did something. There was one thing she could do. She could take control of the Pirate King's vision. It would drain nearly all of her remaining mist, but it could be the distraction they needed to survive. However, that would leave her with not enough to defend against the gearborn or escape.
The creature had already shown its speed and strength. Even if she ran now with most of her mist, she doubted it would be enough. In the end, she had to make a choice. It was either her or them. Zara closed her eyes for a brief moment and took a long breath.
She was already doomed. No matter how she did in the upcoming fight. It was set in stone. She was going to die or get captured today. Either way, she was now out of the fight. That meant it was up to her remaining men and the others to continue the fight. If they were defeated now…
Zara made her decision even as the gearborn lunged at her again.