Mature Content Warning: A bit of language and a little team combat.

Author's Notes: In this chapter segment we have a short battle scene showcasing a bit of tactics and other things. enjoy, if you so wish. :)

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Chapter: 24.2 Dust Storm

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Shaia put down the binoculars then nodded. The oncoming storm was definitely caused by more Hawkline Crystallim. “Seems like they really are using the dust as a cover to attack that farm.”

Scott placed his hand over his eyes to shade them from the sun. The Dade farm was one of the places on his to-do list. The mayor of Mesa-III had given him many opportunities to help out in the area for extra income.

Ankar Dade, the owner of the farm, was an older man in his late two hundreds. Given his highly advanced age for a commoner he was probably not long for this world. He was too old and too tired to deal with busty hawk-lion Crystallim raiding his farm. A hundred years ago he might have run out to meet them butt-naked while carrying copious amounts of alcohol, but he had long-since left those sorts of shenanigans behind.

“So, what shall we do master?” asked Pirouette. She smiled at Scott then bit her lower lip. The excitement in her eyes spoke volumes about her desires in the matter.

Scott grinned at her. If there was one thing he loved about Pirouette, it was the fact that she was up for anything. “Well, a storm that size means that there are a good number of Crystallim involved. A direct attack would be a bad idea.”

“I think I saw about twenty of them.” said Shaia helpfully. Her tail flapped in the breeze for a moment then she leaned forward once more. Her heavy, yet perky, breasts pressed firmly against the back of Scott’s head.

Scott smiled at her helpful enthusiasm. She had been a wreck the other day after awakening from her night of drinking and revealing her lustful secrets. It had been quite the adorable scene to Scott when the feisty fish-girl had hissed at the morning sun and begged it to go away.

“Yeah!” Shaia bounced up and down a little, jiggling her breasts against her master all the while. “Definitely at least twenty, maybe a few more.”

“Good job, Shaia.” said Scott.

“Thanks!” she said in a perky fashion. A moment later she blushed and looked away. Ever since the night that must never be spoken of again, she had found it a little easier to be around her master. The sensation of his head against her breasts would have normally caused her to freak out a little. But since she had awoken with a massive headache yesterday morning, she had felt a lot more comfortable with him.

Scott looked to the gathering dust storm then glanced over to the farm roughly two miles away. There was no time to waste. This was a battle that would require everyone to participate. He called out Flora and Tara.

“Master?” asked Flora.

Tara blinked then opened up her parasol. The sun was a bit bright for eyes that were accustomed to darkness. Also, she really liked the visual effect presented when she held it up. A girl needed to attend to her priorities after all.

“Girls, we need to act quickly. I have a plan to deal with our current job, but I’ll need everyone to work on It.” he said.

The girls nodded. Even though Flora and Tara had not been manifested in their dream forms, they were still aware of much of what was going on due to the fact that they were physically present on Scott’s arm.

He filled the girls in on his plan then everyone began to do their parts. Tara raced off toward the storm cloud of whirling dust while everyone else moved to a nearby section of rocks.

While Scott directed the other girls on what he wanted done, Tara raced onward and after a brief few minutes she easily caught up with the outskirts of the Hawkline created dust cloud. As the fastest of the girls in the harem, she was the only one who had even a chance of outrunning a flying Crystallim.

Tara shot out a web-line and snatched one of the stragglers out of the sky. Her task was to snatch and wrap as many of them as she could before they took notice. Afterward, she had to run to the rocks as quickly as she could so that she could rejoin the girls.

The black widow managed to snag and wrap two more of the quick-flying girls before the rest of the group discovered her presence. With a loud screech the mass of busty kitty-hawk hybrids swirled around to chase after the one who dared to capture their sisters.

Tara did not even attempt to make a valiant last stand. Her darling soon-to-be-deceased lover, (how tragic!), had urged her to fulfill his final request in this world. As a proper heroine and love interest it was her duty to fulfill his dying wishes, though her beautiful heart and mighty bosom would suffer ever so much.

As she raced toward her destiny, Tara’s mind was filled with memories of their brief but passionate love. If only he was not destined to die today... If only they’d had just a little more time. Such a tragedy!

A Hawkline dived down at a speed so swift that she became a blur then unleashed a wind hammer strike that slammed into the space just behind Tara. She had narrowly avoided the attack due to her running speed, but it hit close enough that she was launched into the air. She managed to turn it into an awkwardly performed hard leap, but in mid-air she cried out, “Forgive me beloved!”

She crashed down awkwardly and wobbled a little before she was able to right herself and continue on. In the meantime she was bombarded by several more wind hammer strikes that slammed down hard on her glossy black carapace. Tara managed to break out of the danger zone, but despite her higher level and durability she was starting to weaken.

Thankfully, she was able to reach the location Scott had designated. She leapt into the air to avoid the trap he and the other girls has set then vanished in a flash of light.

The Hawkline continued to fly forward. They were confused by the sudden disappearance of their prey and thought that she had tricked them. As it turned out, they were right.

The moment the first Hawkline crossed the spot beyond where Tara disappeared noisy, yet unilluminated explosions rocked the Hawkline. Nets were launched from hidden launchers, and canisters of sleeping gas erupted throughout the area. Most of the attacking Crystallim were knocked from the sky and either fell unconscious to the group or were captured in the fast moving nets.

Despite the perfect trap several of the cat-bird hybrids near the back managed to avoid being caught up in the madness. Scott called for the attack to begin. He and the girls raced forward from the rocks.

Flora ran to the side and then forward in order to try and move around the oncoming pack. Her task was different than the other girls.

Although the girls were outnumbered Six to four, it was a fair fight due to the fact that two members of the team were actually higher level than the remaining enemy threat. Ranged attacks were fired first.

Scott had done all he could legally at the moment, so he was relegated to being Shaia’s mobile platform. Her water spear was weak due to the fact that the only water source was a mud hole near the rocks, but it was still effective. Pirouette’s shadow bolt, however, was far more potent. Both attacks were fired at almost the same time and due to Scott’s earlier directions they both aimed at the same opponent.

Six flying Hawkline became five, and after another assault their numbers dropped to four. The battle reached closer range then, and Tara stepped in with a web-line shot that ripped another girl out of the sky.

Flora was not idle during this time. While the three girls with ranged attack abilities pressed the assault against the mobile members of the force, she had been sent ahead to attack the girls who had been ensnared in the nets. She whipped them mercilessly until they began to succumb, one-by one. She lacked ranged attacks, so it had seemed to be the best use of her talents.

Soon, all of the still active opponents had been downed, and the girls set about the brutal task of finishing them off. The plan had gone off with few hitches. Tara was a bit battered, but not badly injured, and they had ended a constant threat to the area. Scott’s group could safely scratch one thing off their to-do list after the events of the day came to an end.

He doubted that the bonus for ending the threat would even cover the items he had been forced to use for the battle, but it did not matter. The captured Crystallim would no doubt make up for it, and probably net a profit overall.