The flames had dissipated, leaving Vatra in a disorientated and fuzzy state of mind. Her limbs stretched out around her. They were heavy and numb. She looked down at her right hand and wiggled her fingers. At least her right arm was healed, now.
Her vision was unfocused on the atrium around her. Aside from the subsiding fire on the bodies of what she could only imagine were the eight creatures, everything else was a blob of indiscernible gray. The stench of burning flesh made her cough.
Someone ran up behind Vatra, fighting through the heat with little regard to their own safety. It was Hisato.
Of course.
Hisato held out Vatra's jumpsuit and godkiller to her and crouched down behind her. "Are you all right?"
"Just fine," Vatra grumbled. She took the jumpsuit and dagger from him and stood, grateful that Hisato was there to steady her as she wobbled on her feet.
"You were able to get all of them, we didn't even have to finish a single one off," Hisato explained. He sounded impressed.
"I just hope this is the last time I have to use this type of plan. It worked back on the transport ship, too, but it isn't my favorite tactic," Vatra said. She finished zipping up her jumpsuit and turned to face Hisato.
There was a bleeding wound on his collarbone, ripped down through his flight suit. Vatra reached forward and prodded near the cut, noting how deep it was. He definitely needed medical attention for it.
Hisato grimaced and pulled away. "It's nothing."
"It's not nothing," Vatra scowled, sheathing her godkiller at her back. "Let's get back to the Agkistrodon. Once we've made sure the rest of these things are gone, we can get everyone who's injured to the medical bay. This time, I'll make sure Ares doesn't have anyone drugged."
They both started for the others who were grouped at the edge of the atrium. Vatra walked with robotic movements. Her joints ached and her head throbbed. All she wanted to do was lay down and fall asleep for an entire day. But, there were still creatures they needed to take care of.
"That was impressive. I didn't know you had the nerve in you," Ares mused.
Vatra couldn't help but sense the patronizing tone layering his words like a
poisonous icing. She eyed the god as she passed him, but didn't acknowledge him any further. Just before her gaze flickered away, Vatra noted the remnants of his smile fade away instantly.
Ares was hiding something. There wasn't time to figure out what it was. Not when Hisato was injured, and not when the fate of the others was unknown.
The further they walked, the more life returned to Vatra's bones. She felt revitalized with every step. Her strength returned, and she walked more upright and confidently. The aches and pains of falling to her death turned to a distant memory. Vatra squared her shoulders and hastened her pace.
She passed Geb and Nat, both of whom had been leading the front. They watched her pass with curious looks, but didn't address her. She just wanted the nightmare to be over already.
Turning the last corner to the docking bay where the Agkistrodon was, Vatra noticed the music was turned off. There were also nearly half a dozen beasts all shot to hell on the deck leading up to the ship. It was complete carnage.
The boarding ramp was lowered, but it was quiet. Spyro wasn't outside the ship to greet them, nor were any of the others.
"Creepy," Geb muttered. He used the toe of his boot to prod the detached foot of a beast that had been ripped apart by the ship's railgun.
"Where are the others?" Hisato asked.
"That's what I'd like to know," Vatra said. She withdrew her godkiller and headed for the boarding ramp. "Keep watch out here. There's no point in all of us crowding inside the ship."
Everyone gave small nods of agreement, and Vatra approached the Agkistrodon with caution. Her heart was pounding.
She entered the vessel with her blade at the ready. The interior was quiet. Aside from the usual beeping of electronics, there weren't any suspicious sounds. She almost would have preferred to hear something. It wasn't like Spyro to abandon his assignment.
Vatra cleared the upper level and the cockpit of the ship. There wasn't anything out of place. It didn't look like any of the beasts made it on board, either. There surely would have been damage to the ship considering their size.
Where the hell are you, Spy?
Descending the ladder to the sleeping quarters, Vatra immediately discovered why Spyro hadn't been out to greet them. He was unconscious in the middle of the hall, a small gash on the back of his head.
She rushed over to make sure he was still alive, biting her tongue to keep from shouting out his name. Vatra crouched over his body and looked around. Then, she heard something rustling in one of the rooms.
Vatra stood up, slowly, and neared the door the sound was coming from. She realized it was from her own room. Preparing all possible scenarios for what was on the other side of the door, Vatra steeled her composure as much as she could before opening the door. She certainly didn't expect to see Enyalius and Revna on the other side.
Both of them turned, expressions of shock and guilt tugging at their faces. Clutched in Enyalius' hands was the tank that held Aspi.
As she looked at them, Vatra pieced together what was going on. Enyalius was trying to take back his godkiller. After his conversation with Ares, he knew what would happen if Vatra used his godkiller against him. He would die. And, looking at the god, watching the tears well up at the corners of his eyes, she saw someone who didn't want to die.
How ironic.
"What the actual fu-" Vatra started, but Enyalius cut her off.
"I can't let you kill me, Vatra!" Enyalius shouted. He had the tank in his arms like he was cradling a baby.
Vatra's eyes widened, her mouth agape. "Have you actually lost your mind? Who the hell told you I wanted to kill you? We could have talked about this like rational people, you know."
Enyalius and Revna exchanged a look of confusion. "You had a plan-" Enyalius started.
"A plan?" Vatra laughed, anger boiling in her veins. "Shit, I never have a plan. Someone knew my plan before me?"
The god relaxed his death grip on the tank. "This wasn't the intended distraction, but I need my godkiller. Once we heard about the loophole, I couldn't let you have it," Enyalius said.
"All right." Vatra lowered her dagger. "Why didn't you talk to me about this before?"
"We heard about your plan," Enyalius paused, "and I didn't know if I could trust you."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Vatra questioned.
Both Enyalius and Revna looked past Vatra at the same time, their faces darkening. They looked like they'd pieced together their own deception.
Vatra turned, her heart erratic. She met gazes with Ares, towering above her just on the other side of the still open doorway. He held up Spyro by his left hand, holding him by the collar like he were holding up no more than a cat by the scruff of his neck. Though in his right hand was a heart, bloody and beating, ripped callously from the chest of Spyro's unconscious body before he even had a chance to fight back.
"You know what's nice about these new godkillers of mine?" Ares dropped Spyro's body, but held on to the heart. "I can punch through solid bone so easily now."
Raising her dagger, Vatra plunged it into Ares' chest. She held her grip on to the hilt of the godkiller, screaming as she forced the blade as far as it would go. Tears streamed down her face, blurring her vision to the point she couldn't even tell that her godkiller had barely missed Ares' heart.
The war god wrapped his hand around the dagger's hilt and withdrew it. He swung the blade out, cutting into Vatra's artery, and kicked her back all in one motion. With an added insult, Ares discarded the godkiller like a piece of trash at his feet.
Vatra fell back, clutching at her throat, watching with blurred vision as the last moments around her processed in her senses.
"Now that you have your godkiller, let's go," Ares demanded. He addressed Enyalius, who hadn't moved from the bedside with Revna since Ares entered the room.
Silence.
"Now!" Ares shouted.
"Get the hell out of here!" Enyalius shouted. Glass shattered. He'd dropped Aspi's tank, and rushed over to Vatra.