Archive of Our Own ^beta

Traveling through Vadrok’s lair was already dangerous enough. But Jirina felt her heart sink as she heard the screams of the Drannith survivors and turned to see a Phyrexian beast looming over her. It was easily twenty feet tall and covered in metal spikes. Its metal plates shifted over its body, moving to protect its patchwork flesh from her as she raised her sword.

This is it, she realized. This is how we all die.

Beside her, Vivien raised her Arkbow, a mystical green arrow nocked and ready. Both women knew that it wouldn’t be enough, not against a Phyrexian of this size.

“It’s an honor fighting with you,” Vivien muttered.

“As to you,” Jirina whispered back.

Before the beast could lunge, a series of discordant voices screamed. “GET AWAY FROM MY FIANCÉ!”

Faster than the two women could turn to see what it was, another Phyrexian lunged from the mountainous terrain and tackled the first Phyrexian to the ground, sending both rolling. The second Phyrexian, much smaller than the first, started ripping metal plates from the hide of its enemy.

No, Jirina realized, not the second Phyrexian. The person embedded in it. Even compleated, even turned into one of them , she knew who it was. Lukka.

“He’s helping us,” Vivien breathed in disbelief. “...Hurry. Let’s get the survivors further in. Before we end up as the next target.”

Jirina turned back to the survivors, who were already up and ready to keep limping at a faster speed while the two monsters duked it out. Jirina trailed after them, protecting the flank, when another monster descended from the sky to join the fight. Vadrok.

The Thunder-Raptor descended on the two Phyrexians just as the larger one overpowered Lukka, tearing away some of the surrounding biomass. Vadrok’s mouth glowed white before white flames burst forth, blasting the larger Phyrexian’s unprotected back. The scream that erupted from it would forever haunt Jirina’s nightmares. It whipped around just in time to get another blast of fire to its metal-plated face, which gave Lukka enough time to attack and tear into its back when the metal plates moved. He ripped flesh and metal and oil from its body using his own metal claws.

Jirina’s head spun as she kept following the survivors, glancing back to watch the fight. He had just sacked Drannith, screaming about perfection and compleation. But he then saved them from another Phyrexian, completely different from the howling madness that had overtaken him before. Was he still in there? He had to be. Somewhere. Why else would he have saved them? Saved her?

Jirina stopped running. Vivien did too, turning to watch as Vadrok let out one last blast of fire. One that also caught Lukka. Jirina’s throat closed up. “No...”

Vadrok watched the flames for a moment, then turned to face the survivors. It stepped aside, almost like it was presenting the flames behind it as they burned out. The only thing left of the fight...was a figure on the ground, seemingly unharmed by the flames.

“Lukka...” Jirina breathed. She took a step towards him, then remembered that Vadrok was watching her. She kept her gaze locked on the apex as she skirted around it and got to Lukka’s side. Once she did, Jirina took a chance to look down at his unconscious form.

He was in bad shape. Lines up and down his body marked where the metal had been. But he was flesh and blood again, not corrupted by the oil. He had a pulse when she checked for one. He would have to regrow some hair, but that was fine, all that would take was time.

Vadrok lowered its head to the two, keeping its maw closed. Jirina hesitantly reached up and pressed a hand to the apex’s snout. “Thank you,” she whispered, her voice cracking. “I don’t know what you did, but thank you.”

Vadrok nodded at her. Nodded . Such a human motion, why would Vadrok know it or understand it? It then raised itself up and let out a roar, flying off to go fight more Phyrexians.

“That...went better than I had hoped,” Vivien admitted as she walked over and helped Jirina pick up Lukka. She took most of the weight of the unconscious man. “...Are you alright?”

“Yes.” Jirina looked at her fiancé again, feeling some tentative hope bubble up from within her. “Better than alright. Let’s go, we’ve got a lot of ground to cover to get to Lavabrink.”