Headed by a Snake

Zashleigh Yates grit her teeth. She didn't want to answer.

However, Dessi continued to glare at her intently. It looked like she wasn't going to let her off so easily.

"Like... I get it," Dessi said in a softer voice. "Things are pretty bad. We've lost some loved ones-- and they're not coming back. But, Zash, we *have* to focus on surviving."

"I know," Zash said, shaking her head... "I know."

Dessi was right.

It was... an odd realization, but Dessi's personality fit the squad leader role more than Zashleigh's.

She genuinely cared for all the girls in Zeta Squad.

The Sapphire Tower promoted based on test scores. Zashleigh was the best of the best. Heartsong was the best of her generation.

Based on Dessi's academic performance, the best she could hope for was a promotion from Senior Witch to Senior Citizen.

Zash thought, though... that maybe... if everyone survived, the functionality of that system would have to be re-evaluated.

Zash took a moment to gather her thoughts... during which time, Dessi sat beside her, waiting patiently.

"I was hoping," Zash began, "that analyzing the dragonfire would give me a clue on that Formation we saw-- y'know? So we could complete our mission?"

"And did it?" Asked a very judgmental Decemberleigh.

Zash did learn something from the ordeal. The glimpse of dragon magic she saw, she was confident in replicating-- and using the same script she saw at the pottery shop.

That meant the problem wasn't the encryption... nor was it in her initial analysis.

The problem remained with her.

She couldn't read the script. She couldn't comprehend even a single sequence.

"I didn't get shite," Zash admitted.

"Alright," Dessi frowned. "New plan, then."

She clapped her fist against her open palm, "If we can't do it the sneaky way, let's do it the Evocs way."

Zash narrowed her eyes, "'Cast first, ask questions later' doesn't work if everyone on the field is a smoking corpse-- including us."

"Trust me," Dessi grinned, "I've seen what the newbie can do. She's, like, ridiculously strong-- like, if I didn't know any better, I'd think she was a Veteran Witch."

Zash felt a shiver go down her spine. According to her official documentation, Heartsong was young, especially for an elf; she was younger than half of the girls in the squad. Yet... her unflappable nature had shown forth throughout the entirety of the mission.

If it wasn't *just* an elf thing... what had that girl been through?

Still, Zash shook her head.

"No, let's not."

"Wh-what? But why?" Dessi argued, "Is it because this sounds like a Lane plan?"

Zash pursed her lips, "It's because I can barely walk, much less triple-cast a ⌈Shield⌋ strong enough to stop mythical beastie breath."

"Then we just have to *dodge* it!" Dessi suggested.

"You're on drugs, girl. That's the stupidest, f*cking--"

"We can totally do it!" Dessi insisted, "Come on, we're fighting like-- a baby dragon? Maybe? It's got some power, yeah-- but its breath weapon doesn't even burn properly!!"

Doesn't even burn properly? What did that *mean*?

"So what I'm hearing is that you want to burn to death like a *proper* witch?" Zash groaned.

⊰ he's here ⊱

What the...?

Zash narrowed her eyes, having sensed something.

It was unfamiliar... yet it was also... comfortably warm?

It told her... that something had arrived? Or was present?

--and that it was a man?

"W...whoa," Dessi said in a soft voice. "Zash, did you... feel that just now?"

And Dessi felt it too? That meant Zash didn't just imagine it.

But before she could further process that information, a loud explosion rang in her ears-- its source, uncomfortably close.

Heartsong?

Zash spun about to face the elf.

She was holding her right arm up to the heavens, fingers splayed. Above her, a bright beam of light lit pin-pointed their location.

"B... burst Flare?" Dessi muttered.

⌈Burst Flare⌋? It was a mid-level utility Spell developed for ground teams to signal their location to a rescue flight.

But... the three of them were still in the middle of an active combat zone. Rescue forces couldn't land unless the LZ was clear?

And... how did she even cast a Third-Circle Spell unaided?

Zashleigh's eyes shot open in realization.

While she was arguing with Dessi, Heartsong had spent her time drawing a series of expansive Spell Circles.

All that time... Heartsong was engineering their demise!

Zash staggered over to the elf, grabbing her by the collar of her robes.

"Girl... what... have you done?"

Her ⌈Burst Flare⌋ nullified any advantage Dessi's ⌈Stealth Bubble⌋ had granted. The signal was impossible to miss!

Even if the rest of Zeta Squad converged on their position, so would *countless* more enemies...

AND.

THEIR.

DRA-GONS!

"Whoa, whoa, whooooaaaa!" Dessi said, waving her hands. "Zash, let's not go overboard, here!"

"I sent up an emergency signal," Heartsong answered, completely serious, "per standard protocol."

"Yeah, Zash," Dessi laughed nervously. "We're totally in a state of emergency, in case you weren't aware."

"An emergency signal?!" Zash heaved, "Why?! Why would you think that was a good idea, when we are ACTIVELY being hunted by the armed forces of the most arcano-technologically advanced city in the Realm!!!"

Suddenly, several cracks of thunder rang in Zash's ears. A short distance nearby, several armed and armored humans began emerging from freshly-smoking craters.

"Alright, aaaalright!!" Their leader exclaimed, "Party's over, girls. Put your hands up, will ya? Let's not make ourselves a scene!"

He was holding a crossbow loaded with a glowing bolt.

...It was the disgusting bastard that injured Selvie.

"Wait, what the f-- No!" Dessi screamed.

"Huh?" The enemy squad leader furrowed his brows, "Whaddya mean 'no'?"

"One does not simply... WALK through my Stealth Bubble!!" Dessi stRoNgly insisted.

"Actually, yes, they can," Zash groaned. "Because Junior Witch *Heartsong* here just sent out an eMERgency signal!"

Heartsong shook her head, "Again, Squad Leader, according to standard operating procedure, our situation qualifies as an emergency."

Dessi held her palm out, "Wait, hold on. It takes at least a Third-Circle Illumination Spell to counteract the effects of my Stealth Bubble. Are you telling me--"

"While, yes, that's true--" Zash countered, "If an intelligent enough squad leader were to spot the signal and were to calculate its--"

"GIRLS!! Hey!" The man from Making shouted, "I've got a lethal f*cking weapon pointed at youse! And the safety's off! Put your f*cking hands up, for f*ck's sake!"

"Oh, come the f*ck on, Squad Leader Yates," Dessi groaned, "Look at that guy. He's like a f*cking monkey wearing chainmail."

"The f*ck?" The leader cursed, before turning to one of his lackeys, "Hey. You. Can you hear me? Am I under a Silence Spell or some sh*t?"

"Uh, I dunno, Sarge. I hear you just fine," They replied.

"Yeah, s'what I thought," The Sergeant said. "Alright, girls, last chance! Surrender peacefully or we're gonna--"

"Oh, shut the hells up!" Zash shouted back. "We're not f*cking scared of you, you disgusting pig!"

"Yeah!" Dessi yelled, "F*cking pig! We could turn all you limp-dicked dragon-f*ckers into frogs with a wave of our wands!"

It was about that time that a giant, all-too-familiar ball of mana descended through the smoky haze.

It was the red dragon from earlier, landing gracefully behind the enemy squad, but with deep booms in respect to its weight.

The Sergeant grinned, putting down his crossbow to point at the beast with his thumb.

"So, tell me, Witch... does your frog magic work on one o' these bad boys?"

Zash turned back to Heartsong. She literally trembling with anger, "Do you see that, Newbie!?"

Heartsong sucked in air through her teeth, "I see it, Squad Leader."

"*Now* do you see why I'm upset?"

"I do, Squad Leader."

"I... really thought you were smarter than this, Heartsong. But, because of YOUR actions, you have summoned a f*cking DRAGON who is now going to KILL US!! Maybe even TWOOO dragons!! RE-SPOND!!!!"

"I know, Squad Leader."

"We don't need a gods-damned rescue team," Zash snarled. "We need an aerial F*CKING BOMBARDMENT!!!"

...

Coraline Heartsong glanced up at the dusky, wartorn sky.

She couldn't see him, but Beatrice said he was there.

That meant he was.

It was weird that Squad Leader Yates didn't notice the overlarge offensive magic formation being written against the backdrop of smoke.

Coraline understood a bit, though-- a lot of crazy things had happened in the past few bells. Then, the deaths of Lane and Whisperwind would be felt long after the sun ended.

Still, she wouldn't apologize for casting ⌈Burst Flare⌋.

She trusted that person.

Or... she wanted to believe in him, maybe? Or maybe her bias made her spurn rationale for dumb, elf-brain optimism.

Maybe it was unlike her-- unlike the type of girl she wanted to be to trust a guy who claimed to be from Sol Invictus.

[REA-DY!!!!]

Coraline felt her ears twitch.

That was strange. Her body reflexively responded to the mental communication, as if the actual sound vibrations existed.

Her companions didn't seem to hear it? --but the message was weak and distorted, likely due to the distance.

[CHAN-NELLL!!!!!!]

Coraline dropped to a knee, slamming both palms onto the road. The jagged cobblestones cut deep into her skin-- but that wasn't important. Her ⌈Bombardment Shell⌋ Formation was complete and mana-tight, it just needed power.

[Execute.]

",