Jade drove the ramdart between the buildings, past the scorcher corpse and down the runway.

Klaus had strapped herself to Jade’s chest with a harness. The dart now had a metal cage around the seat and a curved V-shaped, bladed, ram on the front. Klaus was reading a screen and pressing buttons as they went. The rear of the dart sank as a large cube appeared attached to the back.

“This is awesome!” Jade shouted.

“Stop cheering and focus. We can’t power this, so we only have the power in the batteries. If we get stuck, the Anterra will chew through this box and eat us. We have enough charge for two passes in and out. That should break them up enough to secure the line.”

Jade nodded. A display with a path hovered in front of her. It traced a line through a gap in the dirt wall the treants had built up. She held her speed as she lined up with the gap.

“Watch out Kytheras, ramdart incoming.” Klaus shouted.

“Affirmative.” Came Kytheras’ voice through a speaker.

The dart shot through the gap and into a mass of anterra.

Jade was hit with the sight, smell and noise of an anterra swarm. Her stomach knotted as her body went numb.

“FASTER!” Klaus grabbed her hand and gunned the dart.

Jade blinked as the swarm of anterra was turned into a high speed art project. The grey goo they have for blood sprayed all over the dart and the slats of the cage. Some inevitably got inside as they drove through the heart of the swarm. The goo hit her mouth. It tasted even worse than she remembered. She must have really been starving when she was in the Deep Dark.

Then came the realization that anterra were screaming and dying by the dozens. She was getting sweet revenge on them. Jade’s heart raced. She nodded and stiffened her hold. “I got it! I’m good!” She followed the path Klaus had set.

Klaus pressed a button and the cube fell off the back of the dart. Mouse deployed and boomed, “MOUSE CAN PLAY!” like a multi-ton toddler that had found his favorite toy.

A massive ball of anterra body parts raced alongside of them smashing everything in its path. It was cackling with laughter.

“Go Kytheras!” Klaus’ little voice cheered. “This will make such good soil!”

Jade laughed at the little dryad as they swung wide and turned to make a return pass through the densest section.

Klaus screamed and snatched the handlebar as the ground opened up in front of them. They barely avoided the hole and the massive scorcher head that came out of it. The ramdart was hit with a chunk of falling soil and was knocked sideways. Light and dark traded places repeatedly as they rolled and rolled.

Jade blinked as the sound of anterra increased. She was hanging upside down on the seat with Klaus still stuck to her chest. “Owe.” She groaned.

Klaus’ little voice shouted. “Ramdart down. Scorcher active. Ramdart down. Scorcher active.”

“Sending support to Klaus,” came a distorted voice.

Jade checked her limbs for movement and wounds. She had learned something useful from all the flight simulators. “I can move. Can you?”

“Yes but the cage is jammed. The power is out. And that thing is turning around.”

“I got the cage. Watch your head.” Jade used her arcane to cut the straps holding them to the ramdart. Then she squirmed to get them upright inside the metal box.

The screech of the scorcher shook the cage as a torrent of fire raced towards them.

“I got this!” Klaus grabbed the cage and sent out traces. A thin wall of her flames went up and over them making a dome. She screamed as the flames of the bug washed over it.

Jade focused on cutting a way out on the opposite side while she had a moment. The lock and hinges popped then the side of the cage fell off behind her.

The dome of flames dissipated revealing a burning landscape of charred and popping anterra corpses. “Get us away. There is a delay.” Klaus gasped then she passed out and hung limp in the harness on her chest.

At least the flames had cooked any anterra nearby. Jade stepped out of the cage and stood to see another scorcher spraying flames at her. “Cunt.” She went to arcane jump… somewhere.

But the ball of anterra rolled at her, split open and rolled on top of her. She crouched quickly to fit in the tiny space that reeked of anterra blood and guts.

A bug head twitched.

She punched it in the eye and it squished, covering her hand in gore. She slung off the clumps and ignored the rest. It didn’t matter, she was coated. The goo was dripping down everywhere. She sighed to herself as the smell of roasted anterra was coming through clearly. The increasing temperature was more concerning.

The mass of bug bodies fell into a circle around her, creating a buffer from the flames. The air was still smoky and broiling.

Kytheras, now only a chest sized orb, flew to the newest scorcher wrapping its head with his long red tendril. It burned into the carapace as the bug struggled to get free.

Jade glanced over to see the other bug readying to blast again. Purple traces ran up all of its legs. The thick joints popped apart in quick succession. It rolled sideways as it sprayed fire.

A wall of green glowing vines appeared deflecting the blast towards more anterra.

Jade looked for a path to escape but everything she could see past the flames and smoke was bugs. Lilithana landed on the legless scorcher, near its rear. “Stay there.” Lilithana glowed harshly as she stuck her scythe deep into its eye. She jumped off and used her body as leverage to pull the head down. The purple wards seeped into its neck and severed its head.

Lilithana jumped over and decapitated the other scorcher as Kytheras seemed to be trying to pull its skull off its face.

“I love you Lili!” Jade shouted.

Kytheras hovered over Jade and killed anything that he could reach with his red tendril.

The scorchers had accidently made a firewall. Now only a trickle of anterra was getting through to the breach.

Lilithana landed beside the dart. With one hand she shoved it back upright. In a few seconds she had it back hovering. She collected the severed door into her storage. “Drive it back. We will guard you.” Lilithana said.

Jade hopped in and drove. The dart moved, barely.

Lilithana walked in front of them cutting a wide path of death with practiced swings of her massive scythe.

Kytheras hovered, swore and laughed at the swarms failed attempts to reach them.

Mouse stopped smashing bugs long enough to wave as they passed. His bottom half and fists were painted yellow-grey in guts.

Jade smiled and waved back. No matter how many simulations she had been through it was amazing watching the Mecromancers in a real battle.

The hornets and scorchers were dead. The anterra swarm had thinned. The treants now held a solid line and smashed each as they climbed the dirt embankment.

Once Jade passed through the gap in the dirt wall, Kytheras turned back into a spiked ball and cackled as he rolled into the fray again.

The ground rose up behind them and the treants closed ranks.

Klaus, still tied to her chest, woke up and groaned. “What did I miss?”

“There were two scorchers out there. Now we owe Kytheras for saving us.”

“Don’t worry about it. Kytheras doesn’t care about you owing him. If he saved you, that means he thinks you are worth saving.”

“Maybe he saved you, and I got lucky.”

“Nope, I know he doesn’t like me. He’s let me die, at least twice. He’s actually killed me once. And that one was my first, so he didn’t know I could regenerate.”

Jade laughed, “What did you do to piss him off?”

“I tried to disable him and figure out how he works. He is a marvel of a golem but I can’t find any blueprints. I just wanted to run a few scans and he strangled me for it.” The little dryad huffed. “Asshole.”

“What were you born as?”

“I was a blue infernal. We are the physically weakest infernal, but we are intelligent.”

“It must be strange being reborn again and again.”

“It’s a delicate balance. I like each new host to have their own mind, if possible. Some are not suited for power, and it goes to their head.”

“I see.” Jade nodded. She followed Lilithana to the edge of the runway. Azona, Rezu susneran Karimere were there.

Klaus helped her set the dart down safely.

Jade got out.

Klaus despawned her harness and dropped to the ground.

Rezu looked emaciated and was wearing the thick leathers from the start of the mission.

Jade bowed to him. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it.” He laughed. “You were under the control of a Worldtree. Azona and the dryads are a fun bunch.”

Jade straightened up. “Oh, no. I’m not sorry about that at all. I had my organs harvested. You can share in that madness just as much as Klaus.” She gestured. “I was talking about your ramdart.”

“Oh.” He laughed harder and gave a flippant wave. “That is a machine of war. I built it to fight swarms along the walls. It did its job.”

Azona stood beside Rezu and held his hand. “I thank everyone for coming today. This has been a marvelous birthday. You have all shown me so many amazing things.” She kissed Rezu on the cheek. “Especially you.”

He smiled. “I promise, next time will be better.”

Azona giggled then bowed to everyone. “You honor me with your bravery and skill. The worst of the swarm seems to be over. The treefolk will hold this location and rebuild the wall.”

Karimere bowed to Azona. “My people have been returned safely and we have reforged our alliance with the blood of our enemies. You fought with fury and honor. I will fight beside you any day, Worldmother.”

Jade stretched and groaned. “I’m tired of fighting. I just want a bath, a massage, and to sleep for a week.” She spawned a healing unit and worked and removing the bug goo.

Azona laughed.

Karimere nodded. “There is a temporary tele-pad setup in that old hanger. Everyone can head back home and get some rest. We will send help if there is need.”

Rezu recalled his dart and Klaus collected Mouse, as everyone headed for the hanger. The sounds of anterra and treants faded in the distance.

At least thirty dryads were waiting near the hanger.

Jade giggled to herself as she walked past.

Every, single, one of them, was kissing Rezu and thanking him for his seed.

Jade walked into the hanger and to the circle.