19:05 IST, Twentieth day, Fourth month, 3079 PV | City Stelarum / Command Center

  “If you wish to save your Queen. Prepare to Burn.”

  My vision goes red.

  Burn they say? I'll show them what it means to burn.

  I make it take off into the air, but before I can launch, Rigar grabs me around the waist.

  “Rigar lemme go!”

  “You're our commander, if you rush off and get yourself in trouble, then we would be in a very awkward situation indeed.” They say, in a calm voice indicative of a long-time war veteran. Well, too bad, I'm an impulsive, inexperienced guy with an ocean of pent up rage.

  “Rigar let me go” With no choice but to obey my skier command, Rigar releases me. I see them move to press a button on their waistband and a siren quickly goes out across the camp.

  I'm already in the air.

  The message came from the east. That could only mean that whoever sent it is hiding out in the plains to the east. Which are currently on fire, people have started calling them the Ignis Plains.

  Well, I'll show them the true meaning of burning.

  I head to the limited armory that we have to grab a few things. I'm not a complete rage-blind idiot. I do recognize that just rushing out there with no equipment wont do much good.

  I grab a deflector shield and some high explosives and some other stuff. Just in case I need to break through any bunkers or anything to get to my queen.

  Thankfully, I have been practicing my pure inae skills. So I've gotten pretty good at making some basic armor and spears.

  As I exit the armory, I encounter many soldiers just heading in. Likely responding to the siren that is still blaring.

  I push past them, ignoring all their questions.

  I take off once again. This time I fly several kilometers up. After all, the higher you are the less air resistance, right?

  From the reports I have read the ignis plains start about five hundred kilometers to the east. I can only presume that whatever enemy that I need to face is located even further in.

  It's been ten minutes since I received the message. Too slow. I must be faster.

  I set off like a bullet to the east. Quickly accelerating to 500m/s, which is my top speed as far as I know. I leave a sonic boom behind, probably scaring the daylights out of anyone on the ground.

  I absolutely demolish several flying animals on my way.

  Sorry buddies, I'm in a hurry. I'll be sure to construct some sort of preserve for them in the future.

  I tear through the sky, a veritable missile as I propel myself by means of Inae. This whole space wizard thing sure comes in useful.

  How could I be so stupid? It's not like she is a pushover, but letting her go out drinking, alone. Full well knowing that there is some organization that is out for our heads.

  Not to mention the strange burning fields in the east. I should've pushed harder for that operation to happen sooner.

  Now our entire colony is compromised. Who knows what types of things have been going on in the shadows.

  My queen was stolen. What a joke I am.

  Several minutes of silent flight pass.

  I get my first glimpse of the smoke rising from the plains. Then they come into view. Still several hundred kilometers off.

  But I can see the horror.

  It looks like a wave of fire, one side is green and lush, the other black as death.

  Coming towards me, herds of Kelin and other creatures rush to escape the fire. There must be millions of them. Many get trampled by their own friends in the panic to escape the fires.

  I hover over the threshold. Smoke rising in gigantic columns all around me.

  If I'm allowed to do so, I'd like to think I look like some demon that has appeared out of the raging inferno.

  I deployed two of the camera drones I brought. Little flying eyes basically. The three of myself split up and canvass the plains.

  I will find her, no matter what must be destroyed.

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  In one of my drone-eyes I spot a strange box-like structure. It is definitely not natural. Moments later, I see a flash of energy and my drone goes offline.

  They shot my drone. Now, all thoughts of mercy are off the table. Not that there were any thoughts in the first place.

  I head to the area where the drone was shot down.

  I stop about three kilometers away. My bubble of inae is shimmering its brilliant dark-glow around me. I bet from a distance to those who can see inae, I look like some demon straight out of the pits of hell.

  Which is good. Because to whoever dared to touch her, I will be the devil incarnate.

  The bunker building looks very out of place.

  It is a square of gray metal. Which sticks out in contrast to the surrounding field of blackened grass. They aren't even trying to hide.

  I thicken my inae barrier and lower myself closer to the ground.

  I start to move closer to the structure, the world is silent around me. Creepily so.

  It is now that I form my armor and spear. A pretty simple bit of pure inae coating my body. Not too thick. But due to the properties of the infused pure inae and how I imbued it. It's stronger than several meters of solid steel.

  I also deploy the explosives that I brought with me. Levitating them around me with inae. Really nasty things these are. A single one the size of my head has the equivalent force of several dozen tonnes of TNT. Alien weaponry sure is powerful.

  I brandish my spear point towards the bunker structure, my shield in my other hand.

  I call out, “You dared to summon me out here? What fools, you shall soon know what a foolish move that was. Now burn.”

  I throw several of the bombs near what appears to be a door.

  They quickly fall and detonate on contact.

  The blast resounds across the barren and lifeless Ignis plains.

  I land a few hundred meters away from the bunker and start to walk closer.

  Once the smoke has cleared I am about two hundred meters from the gaping hole I have created in the doorframe.

  I get a strange feeling. Almost as though I have just awakened something that I shouldn't have.

  Moments later, two figures appear in the doorframe. They are like no species I have seen yet – must be hybrids bred for war.

  They calmly walk into the open field. They are wearing a uniform that is split into black and golden stripes.

  I burst out into a fit of laughter. “What, the heck is that outfit? *laugh* You look like a pair of bumblebees. *laugh* Well then, I can only presume you have something to say, so bring it on.”

  I calm my laughter and regain my battle composure. Not a moment too soon.

  The two beings transform.

  One moment they are just standing there near the entrance. Next thing I know they are both several feet taller, covered in yellow/black striped metal armor and wielding some very not nice looking rifles.

  Hmm, maybe I shouldn't have insulted their outfits. They look decently strong.

  One of them fires their rifle, I quickly raise my shield to deflect it.

  The impact hits like a freight train. I get knocked back several dozen meters.

  I look in my hand to find the shield has a pretty large crack in it. It also seems to have broken the deflection function. I toss the worthless shield to the side.

  Great, guess I gotta play a game of dodge the supersonic bullets.

  Instead, I charge in with my full speed.

  I appear behind one of them and move to stab my spear into its jugular.

  Just as I am about to make contact, it doges out of the way and brings its arm, which now holds a pretty painful looking sword instead of a rifle.

  We meet blades, but I quickly move off to the side to dodge a bullet from the other one.

  “Well, this is a right pain. Guess I gotta put in a smidge of effort. “

  I form another spear to replace the shield I lost.

  Man, this sure is fun. Nothing quite like some actual risk to the combat.

  Simulators and sparring is all nice, but knowing that the enemy is aiming to kill just adds a whole different thrill to it, as you probably know.

  The sword-being, lets call this one A and the other B, moves to stab at me. As I try to parry it with the haft of my spear, it redirects and slices my exposed flank.

  I feel a sharp jolt of pain, man these things hit hard. But thankfully I avoid injury due to my armor. Though I'll have a pretty bad bruise later on I suspect.

  I am able to use my other spear to score a pretty nice poke into A’s leg.

  My spear sinks several centimeters before I pull it out, covered in a bit of blood.

  “My My, it appears you can bleed. Well then, let's see some more of that spill out of you, shall we?”

  B appears next to me, this time with a spear and shield, similar to my original setup.

  Two-on-one melee combat isn't my speciality. But I'm always in for a good challenge.

  I dodge B’s thrust only to nick A’s calf in the same movement.

  A moves to slice at my neck, but I duck under it and poke my spear right through their chest. I meet a bit more resistance than expected but I manage to make it deep enough to hit where the heart would be on a human.

  Unfortunately, these beings are definitely not humans. I see why armies often use hybrids, opponents won't be able to study up on common weak points.

  As I look up at the metallic mask of A, who is towering over me. B manages to circle around behind me.

  Exactly as I planned.

  The moment B moves to thrust into my exposed backside, I pull out my spear and propel myself into the air using Inae.

  I gracefully do a backflip just as the momentum of B’s strike carries the spear right into A’s gut. Ouch.

  “Heh, you obviously don't know who you're fighting. Did your boss not inform you of what tactics I'd use? Guess you two are just the cannon fodder.”

  I reform my spears into a large two-handed battle axe and decapitate both beings in one grand swing. They are helpless to dodge due to my grand trap.

  The moment their heads leave their bodies, I jump back as they explode into flames.

  The strange yellow-ish fire burns through everything that the beings were. Until they are clouds of ash that float away on the light breeze of the Ignis Plains.

  “Well, thanks for the good fight, those who were not named, may you rest in many pieces.”

  I clean off my axe and turn it back into a singular spear. Then I dust myself off and apply a healing shot to help my injured side recover a bit.

  It does hurt a bit. But I've had much worse in Initae’s inane training program. Though, it definitely worked. I guess I owe her a thanks when I next see her for training me so well.

  Just as I am about to enter the bunker, I hear a loud rumbling that is indicative of a ship engine.

  I look up into the sky to see a transport shuttle bearing our colors.

  Looks like the backup has arrived. Not that I need it. I'm sure I could wipe this place all by myself. But, arrogance does get people killed, so I guess ill accept the help whenever they manage to catch up.

  Whatever comes next, I shall rescue my queen. After all, we must be together if we are to overcome what is yet to come. You can't have a duo with just one person, can ya? So, bring it on.

  End of Chapter 62

  Next: Chapter 63 | Fool.