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Two became one.

Her senses were on fire.
Her pupils were dilated, the strobing light from a million gun muzzles straining them to their limit. The outside world passed by in a blur of hazy shapes, smoke and bright flashes.
Her ears rang, barely capable of registering the sound of guns, pistons and engines all around her. Whatever shrieks the enemy were bellowing, none of them were even audible over the deafening din of battle.
The air was filled with a chocking mélange of cordite, smoke and the ashes of burning world.
She tasted blood. Whether it was her own or from a slain enemy, she did not know. She could not remember.
Every muscle ached, every joint felt inflamed. Every motion was torment.
Yet her body was flooded to the brim with synthetic endorphins, allowing her to ignore the pain and keep moving. Without those, she’d have been reduced to a quivering wreck, unable to function under the strain of agony.
She felt the heat on her skin, and a prickling sensation as tiny specks of dirt and debris showered her shoulders. Her left leg was injured where a shell had managed to pierce her armour. The damage was superficial and did not impede her ability to fight, but she was acutely aware this breach could be exploited by the enemy.

A shape loomed out of the smoke ahead. She broke into a run, her feet breaking the earth beneath her. She brought her right arm up, the weapon in it humming to life. She unloaded a barrage of fire from its twin barrels, catching the enemy in the chest and leg. The multi-legged creature shrieked in agony.
Closer now, she could make out more detail. The creature’s bulk was supported by two thick, hooved legs that connected to a forward swept body bent underneath a thick armoured carapace. Two of the alien’s four arms were fused into a grotesque amalgamation of organ tissue and bone that almost seemed a parody of a gun. The other two arms were jointed upwards, topped with long blades clearly meant for stabbing. The creature’s low slung head had a wide maw filled with serrated teeth, and two prominent tusks jutting upwards and outwards. It’s long tongue lolled, trailing saliva everywhere.
In twenty years of warfare, she had never seen an opponent as disgusting as this. As she charged the abomination, her heart swelled with hatred, and a litany came to her lips. As they clashed, she sang.

The creature’s weapon undulated as it was leveled at her, discharging a storm of bone projectiles that glittered with what could only be virulent toxins. She sidestepped, avoiding most of the barrage. The remaining shards were consumed by the shield that sprang to life in front of her, its energy vaporizing the flechettes.
Having broken her charge momentarily, the beast bellowed and stormed at her, it’s cry ululating upwards in pitch. As it’s shriek went beyond hearing, its maw seemed to light up with a purple glow. Running, the beast made a gagging motion, and spat a luminescent glob at her. It slammed into and through her ion shield, smashing into her weapon. Where the purple substance met metal it hissed and steaming, melting it to slag.
Before the beast could crash into her, she swung out with her other arm, chainsword at the ready. It managed to dip low, letting the chainsword bounce off its back carapace. In passing, it lashed out at her leg but only scoring a mark across her greave armour.
She spun backwards, blade falling in a downward motion, hoping to catch the creature as it turned, but it was faster than its low and bulky profile implied. The chainsword dug into the ground, scoring a furrow.
As she attempted to bring her weapon up again, the creature launched itself at her. Though less tall, the creature had sufficient mass and speed to crash into her, almost knocking her over. Its bladed arms stabbed at her, one attack even punching through her chest armour.

With the chant still on her lips, she ignored the stabbing pain in her chest, and brought the sword around again. This time the creature had overextended, and was not able to avoid the blade. The beast shrieked as the chained teeth ate into its carapace and tore off its top left blade-arm in a shower of gore. She blocked the monster’s frenzied counter attack with her now defunct thermal cannon, letting it vent its rage on it. As it wailed at her, she slammed the tip of the chainsword into the breach on her opponent’s carapace. The sword roared in tune with her song, burrowing into the filthy alien’s body, crushing bone and rending organs. As she tore her weapon from it, the alien fell sideways, coiling intestines and gore spilling out. It turned its blood-soaked head upwards. Their eyes locked, it’s tiny eyes reflected in her lenses.

Then she slammed her foot down.

And one became two.

-----

Some of you might have noticed that this story is reprinted from my post on the P&M showcase, and the further details about the inspiration and model that accompanies this story can be found there. The story was a late addition, a scene that popped into my head while walking home one day and thinking about continuing to paint the Lady.

I hope you enjoyed it.