Toni frowned.How in the hell was she going to do that?
A moan from Azazel escaped his chapped lips. His eyelids fluttered before they slid open. His dark-brown eyes locked onto hers. Although he didn’t speak, his face turned ashen as beads of sweat glistened on his forehead.
“Hang on,” Toni whispered, taking another step closer. Sensos tightened its protection around her. “We’re trying to come up with a way to get you out.”
Azazel’s lips moved, but no sound came out. Instead, his voice resonated inside her mind, faint and strained.
Toni... run!
“Observation and opinion,” JR14 announced from her shoulder. “Azazel is uninformed of the invisible status Sensos has given you and thus is unaware the Krystalii cannot detect you.”
It was hard for Toni to pay attention to the bot. She was too busy panicking as Azazel squirmed, struggling to get loose.
He pursed his lips in a hard line while the tendons in his neck stood out.
Rushing to him with her hands outstretched, she reached the edge of his crystalline cage and put both gloved palms close to the surface without touching it. She shook her head and mouthed, “It’s okay,” over and over.
“Caution.” The bot continued. “If the male becomes overly emotional, it will trigger the encasement he is in and will render him unconscious. Advice: urge him to become still while we continue with our plan to release him.”
As Azazel continued to struggle, Toni became desperate. She turned to the spider-android that flew off her shoulder and buzzed over the surface of the clear cage. “How are we going to tell him that without alerting the Krystalii?”
“Feasible solution is about to present itself.” JR14 announced as he faced Azazel and hovered in one place. “Suggestion: be on guard. An Elite sentry is about to enter. Back away from the cage to ensure negative detection. Once Azazel is aware the Krystalii cannot detect you, he should become calm.”
Right. Just because the Krystalii couldn’t sense her, it didn’t mean she should stand in the way and allow herself to get tromped by one. She jumped back just as a crystal giant entered the room.
JR14 fluttered and landed on her shoulder. “Observation: interesting development. Instead of clear common crystal, it appears this one is made of danburite material, which will allow the Krystalii to have a higher component of psychic abilities. Advice: stay still and keep your mind as blank as possible. Sensos, if capable, tighten Toni’s protection.”
Already accomplished.Sensos replied.However, I would do as JR14 suggests and remain still and calm.
Toni’s breath hitched as she watched the Elite guard.
The thing stomped into the room like a cartoon villain. Its crystalline form caught and fractured in the dim light, creating dazzling shards of brilliance. Composed of pale pink and white danburite crystals, its towering frame glinted with an almost ethereal beauty—one that belied the menace in every deliberate step it took. Each movement was precise, sharp, and silent, as though it glided on air rather than walked.
Its crystal joints ground together with faint, melodic chimes that set her teeth on edge.
The angular planes of its face were alien in their lack of soft curves. All it bore were sharp edges and jutting facets, with two piercing eyes embedded deep within the crystalline structure. Though featureless in the human sense, its face exuded an air of haughty disdain, as if the very sight of Azazel’s caged form was beneath it.
Toni couldn’t tell if its expression was one of curiosity or contempt. Probably both.
The subtle tilt of its head as it observed Azazel seemed almost thoughtful, but the stillness of its gaze unnerved her. It was like watching a predator assess its prey.
The hands were long and claw-like, hanging at its sides as the tips glowed with an inner light, pulsating like a heartbeat. It stopped just short of the cage, its crystalline limbs bending in a motion that was mechanical and oddly graceful.
Toni shivered as she noticed the faint ripple of energy emanating from the creature’s core, like heat waves off asphalt, distorting the surrounding air.
The creature opened its mouth and spoke—if the sound could be called speech. The sound was a mix of grinding stone and chiming bells, a language that seemed as ancient and unyielding as the being itself. The menace in its voice cut sharp and clear—a bully’s taunt aimed at Azazel, the way cowards torment a captive who can’t strike back.
She clenched her fists, her heart pounding against her ribs as she fought to keep her breaths shallow but steady. The sight of Azazel’s face, sweaty and flushed, made her ache to reassure him.
The guard tilted its head again, as if hearing her. Its faceted eyes shifted in her direction for the briefest moment. Their depths caught and held her gaze with an unnatural intensity.
Holding her breath, Toni didn’t dare move. She remained still. Every muscle locked in place as the Elite guard straightened to its full, towering height.
The multi-compound lenses turned its focus to Azazel, as if memorizing every detail of the man encased in the serrated crystal cage. Then, with a faint hum of energy rippling through its form, the guard turned with mechanized precision, the motion smooth for something so angular and rigid.
Not daring to blink, she focused on the Krystalii as it headed to the exit. She sucked in her breath and watched as its feet didn’t appear to touch the ground.Darn thing gave an effortless illusion of gliding.
Chime-like sounds of shifting crystals resonated with each step and sent faint echoes through the cavernous room. The low-watt light from its core dimmed the more it moved and cast longer shadows against the crystalline walls.
