The Dream Shifter

Chapter 282

The wolf granted her only a moment of time to react, leaving her to fall over pinned down by its massive paws. Roaring so close to her face left her bones rattling from the deep savage tone. Her eyes widened in shock, while her mind tried to understand how she missed one. 'I got them all! How is it?' She did not have any more time. Its mouth lowered down to take a bite out of her flesh.

A thin beam ran across her face knocking the animal off her. It fell over on its side, unmoving. Ligeia found her breathing heavier than she expected. The image of the wolf over her replayed a few times. She learned her heart sped up to a heavy thumping in her chest. Sweat beaded up on her skin, making her clothes uncomfortable.

It felt strange.

Back on her feet, Ligeia stared over at the beast. A hole from her beam pierced its nose and mouth leaving a disgusting, yet clean image for her. However, she found movement in the animal. Its legs began to twitch and its body shifted. 'What's going on? Are they immune to damage?' Ligeia watched it stand back up with the mouth hanging in an unsightly manner. It made her eyes turn away for a moment, but when she looked back, the damage was gone. Her eyes shrank a little as she began to doubt her sight. Adding to her doubt, her eyes found the other five wolves standing around her, waiting almost like toying with its prey.

Gritting her teeth together, she understood the position she found herself. 'Surrounded…back at the start, but…' Ligeia pulled her bits back in to have them float around her. Sliding her eyes into the distance beyond Haruo, she watched for a moment Vangelis and Yuki's fight rage on. 'What am I doing here?'

Everything was routine for Ligeia. Life on the border ran in a cycle. Each day like the day before, nothing changing. 'The consistency was safe, normal. Yet it was…' She found comfort. Expectations were the same. She only needed to do enough.

"Hey, Ligeia! We've got orders," called a soldier in black cloths. He motioned to her to get off her cot. A long travel pack already rested on his back.

She slowly glanced at him barely even noticing him. Her mind got used to the emptiness of the squad barracks. The rest of her squad usually ran exercises or activities outside of the room leaving her in peace. Once the wheels in her mind started to turn, she realized it was her squad member and saw the pack. "What are the orders?" Though she asked, she already figured it out. It was always the same, not that the travel pack did not give it away.

"Patrol! It's our turn. Squad 45 just got back." He left the room, having felt he delivered the message.

It took her another minute before she felt like rising from her cot. Glancing down, she felt her uniform a little out of order. She casually pulled up the loose strap back up to her right shoulder. "I see, same as always." Ligeia strode out of the barracks, her squad waiting on her arrival near one of the several gates of the South Gate Headquarters.

Another squad prepared to leave alongside them, though in the opposite direction. A standard patrol of the barrier sent out squads of soldiers at two hour intervals during the entire twenty-four hour period. It allowed for fast response time when an incident occurred.

Their march began shortly at the command of the squad leader. Ligeia followed in the rear of the group maintaining the same pace as the others. After an hour, they passed another squad marching in the direction back to base. All four gates sent out patrols, which when they met in the middle turned around, allowing for some overlap. They frequently would pass squads during the patrol.

Two days passed before the end of their patrol. "Nothing," she commented to herself. Glancing around at the rest of the squad, everyone looked fatigued. Their patrols did not allow for many breaks and no sleeping. A near constant pace kept for two days. It was normal. Still, it exhausted everyone, as they fell onto their cots without a second thought.

Ligeia, like the rest of her team, fell back into her cot. Her mind felt more tired than her body. It left her staring up at the stone ceiling. 'Is there any…' Releasing her field, her metal strip projectors materialized. She stretched up her hand towards the ceiling, the projectors dancing around her arm. It was a necessary exercise to keep her powers in shape. 'I've never used these since assigned out here. The last time I actually did anything with them was in the academy. I'm doing nothing here.'

Mental exercises ended for her after twenty minutes. It thoroughly exhausted the remains of her energy. Everything in her body went limp against the cot. 'Always the same, every day. Not that I really mind, but is there anything else to do?'

'Another patrol, another day,' Ligeia thought, back on another patrol. Nothing changed.

The squad leader tilted his head back at Ligeia. "It's time, Second Lieutenant."

"Yes, sir!" Activating her field, she connected with the military communication lines that ran along the entire border. They had to make regular reports to check in and learn if the headquarters discovered any changes in the barrier. Everyone was a little more on edge with the death of the King. The moment she linked with the lines she got an earful of a general broadcast.

"Repeat, South Gate Headquarters to all patrol teams, return to base! Orders from Captain Simonides! New orders will be given upon return! Repeat, South—"

"Squad Leader!" shouted Ligeia, a strange bit of excited jumped into her voice. "We have new orders from Captain Simonides! We are to return to base immediately for new orders!"

"What?!" The news sent everyone in the squad into disarray. It threw off their marching, bringing them to a halt. The Squad Leader took several minutes before getting his squad back in order. They quickly turned around, but the tension, confusion and excitement never disappeared.

However, she found nothing again. The new camp set up bustled with activity, but she had nothing. 'Put on standby…' Those were her only orders along with the rest of her team. Wait. Sit. Do nothing. Ligeia felt strange for having thought something different might happen. She settled into her normal routine until the tent flap opened. In stepped a man with a reputation, Vangelis, however she did not know what he wanted. She only watched waiting to see what he did.

Vangelis stood before her, staring down with hollow eyes. "Come with me, it's an order."

She accepted his mission, though it still felt like he forced it on her. 'Why am I out here?' she thought, staring at Haruo again, rather than Vangelis in the distance. 'I'm used to the routine, just keep going. I know that I'll die doing the same thing on the border without end. I'll die…' A stiffer stance in her back changed Ligeia's presence. It made her think a little more. 'I was excited, for the first time that I can remember since joining the military… I guess it was curiosity.'

Ligeia narrowed her eyes. She lowered her hand down to her mid section. Dozens more of projectors appeared bringing her groups to the count of ten. 'I guess I am…I really just want to see what it's like…I've never gotten to really use my abilities for anything.' Five sets formed up around her head shaping into pyramids with a defensive shield protecting her. 'I can actually do something meaningful here!'

The animals wanted no more delaying. They appeared only held back by the whims of Haruo. Their savage looks told Ligeia everything she needed, worse there seemed a light of intelligence behind their eyes.

Testing out the wolves, Ligeia knew she needed to understand her opponent better. She fired off quick beams. Unlike the last time, the wolves evaded the beams leaving the metal plating scorched. 'They're faster than before…' Another few rounds of beams went off making the wolves dance around the area dodging her attacks. She kept it up as she watched, reading them. 'It's like they're learning…'

Amongst the assault, Ligeia realized she lost sight of one of the wolves. Only five appeared in her vision. 'Where's the sixth? It has to be here!' She heard the low growl of the sixth wolf behind her. Her mind acted faster than her body, moving a shield to block the wolf. Ligeia turned part way to see how her shield managed. 'Good, the increased power held it back!' A beep went off from her arm alerting her of a new danger. It spun her head back around. 'A distraction!'

Unfocused, the beams no longer had the wolves busy. Another came straight for Ligeia. She did not have enough time for the shield, as it was already inside her defenses. Knocked back, it looked like she would fall back into the same position before. However, she suddenly disappeared from underneath the wolf, caught a little surprised by the lack of a prey beneath its claws.

Ligeia stood up opposite of the wolf. Redirecting one of her free sets, a thin beam pierced the wolf through the hindquarters and stomach. Enough force and shock in the attack sent the beast tumbling to the ground. Downing a beast, she gained herself a moment of pause. Soreness poked in her joints. 'Damn, I'm out of practice and not as young. My body really didn't like that maneuver…'

Focusing back on the wolf, she watched it stand back up. The hole through its body disappeared quickly, recovering from the injury she gave it. A bit of surprise washed over her along with understanding. 'So that's what's going on! Minor injuries can be quickly healed!' Unfortunately, she quickly realized how much trouble it left on her. 'This is going to be even more complicated…'

Fully recovered, the pack launched a new round of attacks on Ligeia. Using her shields and beams in concert, she kept them at bay. However, it did not last for long before they were beyond her control again. Three of the wolves broke from the group and closed inside her defense once more.

Better prepared, she converted a set to fire small beams to push them off course while she extended her shield out. Leaning against the thin strip of the shield arched from the ground into the air, her hand pulled at her body along with her feet. Almost like riding an escalator, she rode the shield safely out of reach of the wolves and turning around. At the end, she stood atop the shield two meters off the ground.

Ligeia quickly redirected her shield projectors to surround the three wolves. Trapping them, three sets constructed a larger pyramid in an elaborate design, clearly strengthening the coming attack. Not hesitating, a wide beam shot down from above. The beasts disappeared from sight with no signs of recovery. 'I've got them this time…'

Turning her gaze over to Haruo, she slid down the shield by her hand to land back on the ground. 'Three remaining…' All ten of the sets spread out over the field and broke down into even smaller sets, doubling their numbers. Mini-beams began firing across the field, but unlike before they remain constant. The wolves kept up with the pace, but had trouble adapting in time as the beams moved faster.

Before long, one wolf had its leg cut off from a beam. It limped away only to be sliced up quickly by several more beams. Particles of it vaporized into the air until it disappeared. Left with only two, the remaining pack charged for Ligeia, rather than continuing at her pace.

Utilizing her shield, she directed them away from her, but noticed a cut in her shield. 'It managed to get through at this power?!' Ligeia did not have long to act as one wolf charged the small opening to burst through directly at her. Spreading out a shield under her feet, she slid out of range of the wolf, but it countered with the second. She forced herself to change directions sliding on the shield to dodge free from the wolf.

Skipping to another shield to slide out of reach, she chased them with her beams, even while they struck out for her. A deadly dance broke out between them with both parties barely keeping ahead of the other.

It could not last forever. Sliding around on the shield, Ligeia suddenly changed her movement revealing an already firing beam behind her. The opening she gave it destroyed the lead wolf and continued through to obliterate the back half of the wolf. It collapsed twitching on the ground.

Ligeia immediately turned her eyes up to Haruo. Two pyramids flanked her sides firing at him. Their heavily charged beams sped towards him. The distance gave him enough time to side step her attacks. He looked on at her ready to continue, when suddenly a light from behind him eclipsed his body. Haruo disappeared from sight in a massive beam of light.