2022-09-30: The Rear Guard

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  • Cutscene: The Rear Guard
  • Cast:Lily Keil>
  • Where: The Fourth Diablo Pillar - Deku Isles
  • Date: 09-30-2022
  • Summary: Lily Keil stays behind the others at the entrance to the final Diablo Pillar, to buy them time to finish the job inside... after sending Josephine Lovelace in her stead to help.

(Soundtrack: Screams and Whispers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LFhsYwNuvQ )

(Immediately after 2022-09-15: What Hasn't Been Said (Until Now))

"What!?" The second of the soldiers' vanguard stares for an instant at the retreating form of Josephine Lovelace, as he looks to their leader, down on the ground from her bullet. "Traitor! We--"

"Have more to worry about than her," Lily Keil says, as she steps in front of the door. Dressed in black, in armored gear, she stands in their way, her hair down, no weapon in her hands; her ARM and her sword are still at her sides. But there's a hard look in her golden eyes, and the soldiers recognize it as the same that must be in their own. But there are many of them, and one of her.

"Cut her down," the new leader orders.

The bullets start to fly, and Lily extends a hand forward. A shimmering barrier of darkness erupts into being, growing solid for brief instants as the bullets slam into it. But there are too many bullets to deflect them all; one gets through in an instant of weakness, and slams into Lily's shoulder.

Lily grits her teeth. "...Wrong answer." The strange words she intones next make no sense to any of them, in a bizarre language they don't understand. But they recognize when her form starts to ripple.

"What!?" the leader says, "...Get in there! If bullets don't work, use your knives! Stop her--"

The first knife slams into Lily's chest, but by that point she is more shadow than woman. One golden eye shines forth from the darkness that was her face. "...I won't let you through." Lily's tenebrous form pools down into darkness, and there is silence.

"...? She's... gone?" They look around and another says, "...Quick, get to the door--we have to sto--AAAAAAH!"

Flames erupt through him, and he is consumed almost instantly. The next few step back, looking around for the source of the attack. The door, suddenly, seals over in a shining wall of ice. Fire rings the platform in an instant.

"<<Run>>," a voice echoes from everywhere at once.

When the pool of shadow moves to the center of the platform, they start shooting at it immediately, without apparent effect; they shatter holes in the floor, bullets ricocheting upward. But still she rises, up through the flames.

Beams of coruscating energy burst from her palms, impaling two more soldiers outright and leaving bloody holes where they pass, immediately cauterizing each wound. She surges into the next soldier, nuclear fire erupting from her form and roiling off of her in waves that knock more to their feet--though that doesn't stop them firing wildly at her.

A shimmering wave of red light suddenly floats up her form, and the parts where bullets had started to lodge in the sludgy darkness of her form smooth over.

"What--What ARE you!?"

The air fills with explosions as another throws a grenade in panic towards the center, engulfing the platform in shrapnel and concussive flame.

The battle continues. The door holds.