My Shard Bearer System - Elias's Legacy
Chapter 143: Waiter’s Expense

Chapter 143: Waiter’s Expense

Sylira ducked behind rubble, wire Ikona sparking, Wire Hack scrambling a turret’s aim, blue shard flaring, her fingers twirling a looted comm, dodging a shard blast, quipping, "Aim worse, Feds!" Her Ikona coiled, hacking a second turret, shots veering, soldiers shouting, "Malfunction!" She flipped through debris, blood streaking her thigh, sly grin sharp, blue shard pulsing, Vardency’s screams echoing, skiffs rocking, combat relentless.

Federation soldiers surged, shard rifles searing, drones buzzing, turrets firing, blasts grazing Torqa’s shoulder, blood dripping, his Stone Crush smashing back, ochre shard pulsing, rubble flying. A soldier’s shard blast seared Nexis’s arm, blood oozing, his Flame Burst roaring, orange shard blazing, flames licking bodies, his laugh wild, "Keep screaming!" Zykra’s Shadow Veil flickered, violet shard dim, cloaking Sylira, her wire Ikona jamming rifles, blue shard sparking, combat a bloody dance, Ikona overwhelming.

The core’s vault loomed, steel doors dented, rubble piling, Vardency’s ash swirling, blood pooling, skiffs smoldering, believer chants pulsing, "New blood rises!" A blast erupted, the vault shattering, a woman—Lyra—stumbling out, wind gusts scattering debris, cyan shard pulsing at her chest, her lithe frame dodging a turret’s blast, wind Ikona swirling, Tempest Rush flaring, slicing a soldier’s arm, blood spraying.

"I heard your video!" Lyra shouted, voice fierce, wind Ikona whipping her dark braid, eyes sharp, "You’re winning—I’m with you!" Roachaline’s knife paused, insect Ikona hissing, red shard sparking, Domination Aura flaring, her attractive scowl piercing, "Prove you’re blood." Lyra’s Tempest Rush surged, wind blades shredding a squad, bodies crumpling, her cyan shard glowing, stance wary, blood flecking her pale skin, Vardency’s screams deafening.

Roachaline stepped close, violet shard humming, knife twirling, aura pressing, "Why ditch the Feds?" Torqa growled, stone Ikona rumbling, ochre shard pulsing, "She’s bait!" Sylira’s wire Ikona sparked, blue shard glowing, quipping, "Talk fast, wind girl." Vexen’s hawk screeched, Signal Trace pinging, green shard pulsing, "Rogue’s here, one klick." Zykra’s Shadow Veil shimmered, violet shard dim, silent, watching. Nexis laughed, flame Ikona crackling, orange shard blazing, "Show us fire!"

Lyra’s wind Ikona flared, Tempest Rush slicing a drone, steel sparking, her voice steady, "Feds caged me, your video promised power." She tossed a looted shard, cyan shard pulsing, "I’m blood, take me." Roachaline’s glare sharpened, Coercive Pulse rippling, "Earn it," her tone biting, knife glinting, hinting a trick, believers roaring, "Rogues join!" rogue signal at one klick, combat pausing, tension thick, Vardency’s dust settling on bloodied rubble.

"You run from cages, but you kneel?" Roachaline snapped, insect Ikona skittering, claws slashing air, red shard sparking, her fierce beauty commanding, aura pressing Lyra’s shoulders. Lyra’s wind Ikona swirled, deflecting a stray blast, cyan shard glowing, "I kneel to power, not chains," her eyes fierce, Tempest Rush humming, slicing a soldier’s rifle, blood dripping. Torqa’s stone Ikona rumbled, "Prove it in blood!" his fist smashing rubble, ochre shard pulsing, believers chanting, "New blood!"

Sylira’s wire Ikona sparked, hacking a comm, blue shard flaring, her sly grin sharp, "Cute words, prove the shard." Vexen’s hawk circled, Signal Trace steady, green shard glowing, muttering, "She’s clean, but shaky." Nexis’s flame Ikona flared, orange shard pulsing, tossing a burning crate, "Fight or burn!" Zykra’s shadow Ikona cloaked, violet shard dim, her silent nod wary, Lyra’s wind Ikona steady, "I fight," she said, combat surging, believers roaring, "Video binds!"

The core plaza erupted, rubble strewn, turrets dead, armory collapsed, Vardency’s blood-soaked plains shrouded in ash clouds, red Epics flags high, screams fading. A roar split the air, Commander Varkis—the Federation’s ace—emerging, his shard-enhanced exosuit gleaming, nano-blades whirring, antimatter grenades pulsing, force-field gauntlets crackling. He slashed a skiff, nano-blades shredding steel, an antimatter blast searing Zykra’s leg, blood gushing, her Shadow Veil flickering, violet shard dim, collapsing, ash coating her face.

Roachaline’s Domination Aura flared, soldiers dropping, insect Ikona’s Swarm Strike shredding nano-blades, claws tearing circuits, red shard screaming, violet shard humming. A nano-blade grazed her arm, blood dripping, pain igniting a masochistic high, her laugh wild, aura surging, soldiers collapsing, their screams choking, "Bow!" Her knife slashed Varkis’s gauntlet, sparks flying, her fierce beauty radiant, shards pulsing, Ikona’s claws slashing, ash and blood swirling, Vardency’s plains trembling.

Torqa’s Stone Crush smashed rubble, ochre shard pulsing, blocking an antimatter grenade, his arm bleeding, roaring, "Crush!" Nexis’s Flame Burst countered, orange shard blazing, tossing a burning rifle, flames licking Varkis’s suit, his burns oozing, grin fierce. Vexen’s hawk screeched, Signal Trace targeting, green shard glowing, her rifle cracking, piercing the suit’s joint, sparks spraying. Sylira’s wire Ikona hacked the suit’s comms, blue shard sparking, quipping, "Sing, tin man!" her fingers dancing, ash coating her thigh.

Zykra’s Shadow Veil cloaked Vexen, violet shard dim, crawling, blood dripping, her Ikona shimmering, silent. Lyra’s wind Ikona flared, Tempest Rush deflecting a nano-blade, cyan shard pulsing, wind blades slicing soldiers, blood spraying, her shout fierce, "I’m blood!" Roachaline’s aura crushed Varkis’s will, insect Ikona tearing his suit, circuits sparking, blood pooling, her masochistic high peaking, laugh echoing.

Roachaline Vaslix stood in the Federation command post’s core plaza, her chest burning where a gash wept blood. The pain seared, sharp and alive, and she bared her teeth, a wild grin splitting her face. "More pain!" she shouted, her voice raw, scraping her throat as it echoed over the rubble. Vardency’s plains stretched beyond the shattered walls, soaked in blood, the air heavy with smoke and the sour tang of scorched flesh. The shard reactor loomed ahead, its molten conduits pulsing, their crimson glow casting long shadows across broken concrete. Her heart pounded, each beat a drum of exhilaration, the masochistic high flooding her veins.

She shifted her weight, boots sinking into the gore-slick dust. The crunch of debris beneath her soles sent a shiver up her spine, grounding her in the slaughter’s reality. Her insect Ikona skittered at her side, its claws twitching, catching the reactor’s light. The red shard at her chest flared, its heat biting her skin, while the violet shard hummed, a steady pulse that matched her ragged breaths.

Roachaline gripped her knife, its handle slick with blood, and felt the weight of it, solid and certain. She glanced at Commander Varkis, his exosuit staggering, nano-blades sparking weakly, circuits whining from her last Swarm Strike. Her ribs throbbed, pain sparking with each breath, and she leaned into it, her grin widening, the taste of blood lingering on her lips.