The Cloud Roost (Jekua Book 5), page 25
Interestingly, the Bobbol seemed completely apathetic to what they were doing, and all of a sudden they discovered why.
Another Jekua came crashing down in front of them, landing squarely behind the Bobbol. It was a Yissoon, an enormous rodent the size of a car and with a long, slender body ending in a rattling tail. The creature opened its maw and chomped down on the Bobbol, tearing its body in half. Bits of exoskeleton littered the trail as blood and pale organs seeped out from the Bobbol’s front half. The Yissoon swallowed greedily and then leapt forward to consume the rest of the other Jekua.
“Well, shit,” Niona muttered, her voice muffled but actually audible again. Sound was slowly returning to her ears, which meant that she could now hear the sound of the Yissoon gnashing the poor Bobbol with its small but sharp teeth.
Picking off a Bobbol would have been incredibly easy. Easier than trimming one’s toenails, really. But a Yissoon was a much more dangerous animal, especially a hungry one. Typically they did not go after humans, but this one looked pissed off, probably thinking that they were imposing on its meal.
Balt and Wasaaru were done summoning by now, and they had chosen their Puffolin and Eclipse Werewolf, respectively. They were good choices, considering that if Wasaaru had summoned his Rindstone, they would’ve all been pushed off the mountainside by the Jekua’s massive form. Something that Niona did not want to happen.
The three of them all kept their Jekuas still, waiting to see if the Yissoon intended to attack or if it would simply scurry up the mountainside again now that it had caught the Bobbol. In truth, Niona was itching for a fight, but there were less precarious places to engage in combat than on the side of a mountain.
They soon got their answer. The Yissoon hissed loudly, its mouth dripping with blood and viscera. Its eyes narrowed to slits, then a powerful arc of crimson blood shot out from each eye socket.
A stream of blood struck Dipper in the face, while the other missed slightly and hit the Eclipse Werewolf’s broad chest, staining his jet-black fur. Wasaaru was unaffected, but Balt would have difficulties controlling Dipper for the next minute or so.
Well, that was that.
Niona sent Celeste running forward, sliding her own body off the Raptor’s back and down the tail at the same time. She stumbled momentarily but steadied herself, eyeing her own Jekua and the Yissoon carefully.
Celeste was opening her mouth to unleash a Plasma Beam as she ran at the gigantic rodent, but in a flash, the Yissoon’s body elasticized and its backside swung around the mountain trail like a whip, knocking into Celeste. She went flying sideways, over the edge of the cliff.
No use trying to salvage that. Even before Celeste was out of sight, Niona was withdrawing her. Come on come on come on, she urged her soulclay, going back and forth between watching the Yissoon and watching the bright pink substance slithering through the air. She couldn’t summon anything else until it was all back in her kayet.
The Yissoon’s tail was swinging back around to its normal position, but was on track to whack Dipper in the process. Despite the bloodspray limiting Balt’s grasp on her, she quickly rooted herself to the ground and also put up her flower shield for good measure. A solid thunk! rang out as the Yissoon’s back-end hit the reinforced petals, but judging by Balt’s reaction, his Jekua seemed unharmed.
Wasaaru’s Eclipse Werewolf was dashing toward the Yissoon on his black, muscular legs. He sprang forward, claws outreached and body suddenly wreathed in flame. He latched onto the Yissoon’s face and the creature screamed madly, thrashing back and forth to dislodge its attacker while its golden fur burned away.
Unable to remove the Werewolf from itself, the Yissoon charged to the left and rammed into the mountainside, crushing the Werewolf’s body against solid rock. The Werewolf immediately let go, slumping into a heap on the ground as the Yissoon shook off the remaining embers.
Niona was now finally able to re-summon her Lightbloom Raptor. She pushed mana into her kayet as fast as possible, and a few moments later, Celeste was back on the battlefield. Ahead of her, the Yissoon was sizing up its prey. Alani and Aeiko had retreated behind Brine, who was staying out of the proceedings for the moment but ready to defend the two of them. Balt and Wasaaru had also moved back to where Niona stood, letting their Jekuas take center stage.
The Eclipse Werewolf stood up and brushed himself off, taking a few steps to join Celeste and Dipper in staring down the Yissoon. The wild animal was starting to look frightened, perhaps realizing it had bitten off more than it could chew.
It was three against one. Niona could live with those odds.
Maybe it was pride, or maybe it was just animal instinct, or maybe those were the same thing, but regardless the Yissoon barreled forward, hissing once again to perhaps scare them away.
Unfortunately for it, that didn’t work.
Dipper fired a barrage of sharpened petals at it while the Eclipse Werewolf sent slashes of Radiant energy its way. Its stretchy body curved to easily avoid the Radiant slashes, but the petals were too small and too voluminous to dodge. They lacerated its flesh, tearing off more patches of fur and bloodying the rest.
The beast did not stop, however. It headbutted the Eclipse Werewolf again, pinning Wasaaru’s Jekua to the side of the mountain, before chomping down on his torso and flinging him upward. As the Werewolf sailed through the air, the Yissoon elasticized the back half of its body again and reached for the Werewolf, wrapping its furry form around him. It then slammed him hard on the ground, smashing his snout into the earth and instantly shattering it, before coiling its body tight and going rigid. Wasaaru struggled to free his Jekua from the Yissoon’s grasp, but the Werewolf could barely move an inch.
Balt assailed it with more petals, but the Yissoon’s body was hardened and its defense was way higher. They had little to no effect. Next he tried a Seed Missile, but the shrapnel from its explosion did more damage to Wasaaru’s Jekua than the Yissoon.
Celeste swung her tail as she ran, aiming solar-powered slashes at the Yissoon in an effort to get its guard down. Then she leapt onto its back, digging her claws in, but they could barely penetrate its flesh. The Yissoon continued squeezing the Werewolf tighter, and Niona could swear she heard his bones snapping.
That had to have taken out a massive chunk of Wasaaru’s mana. “Just withdraw it!” Niona shouted to him. What was the point of keeping it summoned? He could simply withdraw it, getting it away from the Yissoon, and then summon it again. Hell, get his Rindstone out here after all and ram its horn into the damnable rodent.
“I’m trying something,” Wasaaru said, gritting his teeth.
“Whatever you’re tryin’, it ain’t workin’,” she said, but left him to his own devices. He could waste his mana however he wanted to, she supposed.
Meanwhile, Balt continued peppering the Yissoon with explosive seeds and flower petals, but he was hardly making a dent in its defenses. None of the other Jekuas he currently had equipped packed more of a punch than Dipper; if he could summon Pistachio, at least the Mosstopus could possibly pick up the Yissoon and toss it over the edge of the cliff. Let whoever was down there deal with the mess.
Niona was ready to end this. She made Celeste clamber up the wriggling Yissoon’s back and grabbed at its mouth. If nothing could break through its hardened skin, then she would send a Plasma Beam down its gullet instead. With great effort, she pried the thing’s mouth open and positioned Celeste’s mouth over it, as if they were about to passionately make out. She was still building up the Plasma energy, though, when a glob of spit shot out of the Yissoon’s mouth and splattered on Celeste’s scaly face and neck.
The effects were instantaneous.
Evidently, the spit was imbued with Elastic magic, because it caused Celeste’s neck to go rubbery the moment it impacted. In addition, the force with which the glob hit her flung her head backward, curving all the way with her elasticized neck so that her head touched her own back, just as the Plasma Beam was ready. The white-hot energy shot out of Celeste’s mouth and blasted the Eclipse Werewolf in his right shoulder.
Wasaaru let out a scream of rage and pain while Niona cursed, then apologized profusely. His Werewolf’s shoulder was an utter mess, to put it delicately, and now Celeste was fumbling across the Yissoon’s coiled body with her head swinging around wildly at the end of her limp neck.
Their three-against-one odds were working out less favorably than she had predicted.
Celeste’s head bumped against the Yissoon’s face, then she fell off the side of it and crashed onto the ground. With her weight thrown off now by her head swinging around, Niona was having trouble controlling her. She decided to cut her losses and withdraw Celeste rather than wait for the spit’s effects to wear off.
“What the hell are we supposed to do?” Balt asked. There was no way around the Jekua, as it was blocking the entire path ahead.
“Shoulda gone with the guide, I guess,” Niona joked impulsively, though no one was in the mood to laugh.
The other Jekuas she had loaded onto her kayet were Pops, Boombox, and Mish. The Gantagora’s lava might be able to seep through the Yissoon’s defenses, since clearly her idea of blasting Plasma into its mouth was a non-starter. She decided to switch things up and began channeling mana toward Mish’s memory card while waiting for her soulclay to return.
“I’m almost there,” Wasaaru grunted. “I was closer, but—”
“I already said sorry!” Niona shouted.
“Well, maybe you—”
Wasaaru cut himself off when his Eclipse Werewolf started blackening. The white smoke emanating from his eyes turned dark, as did the blood pouring from the gaping wound in his shoulder. A few seconds later, the Werewolf looked like nothing more than a mass of black smoke.
The Werewolf and the Yissoon both vanished into thin air, leaving an opening in the pathway. It was a bizarre sight, since the Yissoon’s enormous shadow was still visible on the ground, but the creature itself was nowhere to be seen.
“Mana’s already low, don’t know how long I can hold it,” Wasaaru gasped, clearly strained.
Without hesitation, Balt yelled, “Go!”
Niona stopped channeling mana into her kayet. He didn’t have to tell her twice.
She raced forward, leaping over the Yissoon’s shadow out of some weird sense of superstition. She didn’t want to touch it. Balt quickly surpassed her, while Brine and his wards trailed closely behind. Niona shot a brief look behind her to see that Wasaaru was making his way up the trail, but it was slow going.
“Dammit,” she whispered, immediately stopping and running back to him. The others were already too far ahead and were unaware of how handicapped he was. With how rapidly his mana was draining, he had to be close to soulsickness.
“What’re you doing?” he asked her with a confused expression.
“Shut up and come on,” she said hurriedly. He draped his arm over her shoulder and she helped him along, only mildly regretting adding his weight to her.
The rest of the group had disappeared around a corner, hidden by the mountainside. If they could just get out of the Yissoon’s eyesight, Niona didn’t think the Jekua had any reason to pursue them. In all likelihood, it would flee up the mountain to rest after its meal and all the excitement.
“Not far to go,” Niona said.
“About to run out,” Wasaaru said in reply.
Niona risked a glance behind them. “Let go,” she told him. “Don’t make yourself sick.” She thought they were far enough away by now to escape. That was her hope, anyway.
Wasaaru said nothing, but Niona could hear the Yissoon popping back into existence a ways behind them. It was hissing and yipping, likely trying to determine what had happened to it and where all its enemies had gone.
Soulclay returned to Wasaaru’s kayet as Balt suddenly came rushing back down the trail toward them. “Are you alright?” he cried, seeing what rough shape Wasaaru was in.
“Fine,” his cousin nodded. “Just a little—”
“Can you take him?” Niona interrupted. Balt nodded, and they shifted Wasaaru over to him.
Together they hurried up the trail, and thankfully the Yissoon did not give chase. Niona wasn’t exactly sure where it had run off to, but as long as it was nowhere near them, she could give a shit.
Wasaaru’s breaths were haggard as Balt gently helped him onto the ground to lean against the rock wall. “Thanks,” he sighed. “To both of you.”
Balt still looked concerned. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Mhmm,” Wasaaru mumbled, nodding. “Just tired, is all. Very, very tired. Thought I was gonna collapse back there.”
Between the damage his Werewolf had endured (some of which was from her) and the incredible amount of mana expended with that last move, Niona couldn’t believe the guy was still conscious. If it were her, she’d already be down for a long, deep nap.
She stepped away from Wasaaru and took a moment to examine their surroundings. Across from them were three picnic tables, some assorted benches, and a shabby-looking restroom.
“Hey, look at that,” she said cheerily. “The rest area was right here all along! Ain’t that convenient.”
Nobody seemed to be in the mood to laugh yet.
26
Remisti Vana Time
The rest stop was not abundant with amenities. Besides the bathroom, which was merely a porta-potty that they could all smell even from this distance, there was nothing else of note. Not even a pretty view to look upon during their downtime.
Alani wasn’t sure what she expected there to be at these rest areas, considering the logistical nightmare it probably was to lug anything of value up the mountain and get it functioning. It wasn’t like Royal Ascension could plug a vending machine into the side of the mountain.
All of a sudden, she found herself craving a soda. She so rarely drank soda. The heart always wanted what it couldn’t have.
She glanced over at Aeiko, who was crouched next to Wasaaru. Balt was there too and noticed her watching. He stood and approached, grinning slyly.
“I see what you’re doin’,” he said cheekily.
“No you don’t.”
“They’re lookin’ cute, huh? Even after a day of hiking. You like ’em all sweaty and dirty, huh?”
“Oh, shut up,” Alani said, glaring at him before breaking into a laugh. She would never in a million years admit that he had hit it right on the money. She asked, “How’s he doing?”
Balt turned to look at his cousin. “He’s alright,” he replied. “He will be soon, anyway.”
“Is he soulsick?” If he was, it didn’t seem as intense as any of the times Balt had pushed himself too far and drained all of his mana reserves. All those times, there had been much more vomit and whining involved.
“Nah, it’s not that bad,” Balt said. “He got pretty damn close, though. Nah, the fight just took a lot out of him. I think his soulclay’s extra sensitive, kinda like mine. Not as extreme, but the same concept. I think the Yissoon crushing his Werewolf hurt his own body more than he’d care to admit.”
“Is that some sort of Vana family trait?” Alani asked him.
He shrugged. “Don’t know. Maybe. Our grandma never mentioned it, if she felt it too.”
“Maybe you can ask about it in a few weeks.”
Balt didn’t say anything to that. Alani imagined it was still hard for him to conceive of a reality in which his grandparents were still alive. He’d been grappling with that loss for eight years now, and he couldn’t let himself hope. If he lost himself to hope and it turned out to be false, she wasn’t sure how he’d recover. At least he had Wasaaru again, whichever way things went.
“Should we go back over there?” Alani suggested. She’d gone to the bathroom then stood apart from the group, looking over the edge of the small plateau. The view was only of more mountain trail, just lots of brown with random patches of greenery. Nothing extraordinary. Nothing noteworthy.
Balt nodded, and the two of them returned to the others. Aeiko had transitioned from crouching to sitting, and Niona was rummaging through her bag nearby. Brine, as ever, was standing stationary about ten or fifteen feet away, watching the trail to make sure no Jekuas were drawing near. Niona was the least concerned of them all, which was typical of her. In her opinion, the Yissoon attack was just a fluke. It wanted the Bobbol, not them, and they were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Alani was mostly convinced by her argument, considering this trail would likely not be open to the public if there were too-frequent Jekua appearances. Most strenuous trail or no, the company surely did not want that liability on their hands.
She and Balt sat down in a circle with the others. Aeiko flashed her a smile as she sat, sending butterflies fluttering through her stomach. She smiled back at them, then addressed Wasaaru. “How’re you feeling?”
“Fine,” he croaked, sitting up straight. Both his hands rested on his belly. “Just a bit sore, is all. And hungry.”
“Getting some food in you will probably help,” Aeiko said.
“Got dinner comin’ right up,” Niona announced, still shifting through the pack.
It seemed a touch early for dinner, with the sun barely having begun to set, but he was hungry and there was nothing else to do. They might as well eat.
Finally, Niona slowly toddled over on her knees with her arms full of less-than-appealing morsels. There was some beef jerky, salmon jerky, apples, and cashews. She placed everything in the center of their circle, on top of a plain white towel that was already somewhat covered in dirt. When she leaned back, Alani caught her keeping a small, colorful foil bag for herself.
“What’s that?” Alani asked, pointing.
Balt perked up and followed Alani’s finger, eyeing the bright baggie. “Hey, wait, yeah,” he said. “You holdin’ out on us?”
Niona scowled. “Dammit, Temel,” she grumbled. “Yeah, of course I’m holdin’ out on you! I bought these for myself, not for your ass.” Now that her secret was out there, she loudly tore open the yellow foil bag, streaked with silver and primary colors.
