Sweet Venom Arc

I think this has to be the stupidest thing I've ever done in my entire god-damn life and it's not even close.

Her stomach shifted uncomfortably; although the journey so far had been one of the smoothest she'd ever experienced, her stomach was a fickle thing, and it was a constant battle to keep her breakfast down. They were moving, and had been for some time now, but it was impossible to ascertain more than that - except that the ship was relentlessly powerful, the incredible speeds they were moving at, the way it bit and pulled its way through space.

Why did I agree to this?!

"Can I take this damn blindfold off yet?!"

"Ksk-ksk-ksk. Soon! I am just landing."

I've let a damn Azuri kidnap me and drag me out into the middle of nowhere, all on the vague promise of 'fun'. What is wrong with me.

The rumble of atmospheric entry briefly shook her seat, but only a few seconds later the shaking subsided, and the vessel clunked softly on landing.

"Have we landed...? T-That was quick." Leech stuttered, with both her and her stomach in shock over how painless the entire thing was. Atmospheric entry was usually a several minute hell-ride.

"I can go again if you like." Navarta giggled, her voices approaching the Controller as Leech felt the dragoness's gaze tingle her skin.

Led up from her seat with a single hand, Leech felt a lightweight belt grace her waist, clicking softly as it fastened around her.

"A gift for you. Dun vlin - Protection."

"That better not colour clash with my outfit."

"Ksk-ksk-ksk-ksk! Never!" Navarta burst out laughing, leading Leech by the hand once again. There was a sudden rush of cold, fresh air as the ship's door opened and the two stepped out into the unknown.

She was greeted with the sound of distant hustle and bustle, conversations and vehicles as Leech's feet touched down on soft and squishy ground. A static tingle briefly ran down her back as Navarta gently removed the blindfold. Behind her, the vessel was nowhere to be seen.

The pair had dressed in their own respective ways, with Navarta rocking a ripped up tank top and pair of denim booty shorts, leaving much of her purple mauve scales and patterns on display. Leech had opted for a similar approach for her top half, also rocking a tank top but hers was jet black, with a few punk belts and latches attached to it sparsely. Her lower half was clad in a tight fitting pair of similarly coloured trousers, clinging to her long legs and showing every curve she had packed down there. Complimenting her attire, she'd also decided to wear some shiny onyx-black lipstick, to 'gothify' herself further. Finally, her intimidating height was boosted by a pair of thick-soled goth boots, ensuring the already towering Controller towered over everyone.

"Okay, where the hell are we... Is this... Is this UC territory?" Leech asked, squinting into the sudden daytime light.

She wasn't exactly sure what she'd been expecting, but it absolutely was not this. Navarta had taken her to a Universal Council mega-city! Skyscrapers covered in neon-advertising boards, queues of flying pods between them and squads of stationary security zeppelins stretched on for as far as the eye could see, towering well above the pair and far, far above the perimeter wall. It was a thriving mega-metropolis, as grand and terrifying as it was profitable. But the pair hadn't landed within it, instead very deliberately just outside the cliff-built perimeter wall. Jutting out from the solid wall of rock was an enormous sewer pipe, easily several stories tall and just as many wide.

And Navarta was heading directly for it.

The muddy ground below their feet sloped towards the pipe's entrance, This venerable piece of utility infrastructure had appeared to have been substantially repurposed. It was completely surrounded with handmade shacks and market stalls, leading right up to and heading inside the oversized pipe. A variety of goods were on sale outside, where wooden planks had been laid down to form makeshift pathways from the water-logged ground, already trampled with a thousand feet's worth of mud from just that morning. It was a far shot from the steel and glass city looming above, but the people here seemed well enough despite that; there was weight within their clothing, and every stall had a heat lamp warming its venders with a soft orange glow. The cabling delivering the required electricity to keep this community thriving seemed to come through the sewer system, and there was no shortage of people coming in and out of the pipe.

"You've brought me to a cold sewer system outside a mega-city... I'm... speechless."

"Shush, Vik-Leech! Follow me! Keep the belt on! Brain off, fun on!" The dragoness nodded, snatching Leech's hand and charging straight for the pipe.

The Controller felt a barrage of stares sweep over her as the pair thundered down the muddy slope and went straight for the mouth of the sewer system, quickly skipping over the markets and muddied fire barrels and landing straight on the cold, dark stonework. Several bewildered buskers ceased their hollers mid-call as the more than unusual pair all but ignored their colourful fruit displays.

Within the pipe, the ramshackle slum was denser and even more stubborn, with shacks not just running down the flame-lit length of the pipe, but completely encasing its walls and even hanging from the ceiling. Large rope hammocks hung from the ceiling-mounted shacks, holding small groups of people either lounging, or working on handcraft projects. The air was humid with the warmth of too many bodies crammed into a space clearly not meant for living. The slum-terraced shacks were only broken up by the occasional large metal door built into the pipes stonework, with the doors having been given a generous clearance to open and close, but all of them looked like they hadn't been used in quite some time, given the cobweb covered handles and rusting frames.

For such a massive pipe however, there was only a modest trickle of water running down its centre, barely more than a single tap's worth of water. Even more mystifying, it was clean too. But Navarta was seemingly not here to show Leech the sewer grind and instead was taking her deeper and deeper into the pipe, where the gargantuan sewer only opened up more and more, with further mega-pipes interconnecting and joined by smaller ones into a relatively dry and inhabited network. As they rushed past the sub-terrain communities, the shanties thinned until the pipes were nought but bare stonework once again, the echoing sound of civilization now firmly against their backs as Navarta kept pushing deeper and deeper into the tunnels.

What am I doing?! I swear this is safety 1-0-1, don't let weird strangers take you into oversized sewers!

A turn in the pipework revealed a thick metal blockade suddenly cutting access off, spanning the entire diameter of the pipe. In its centre, however, was a chain-locked metal door, covered with numerous colourful plastic tabs. A date was printed on every single one.

Navarta pressed one of her ears against the metal with a curious squint, drumming her claws against the metal until she confirmed what she was looking for with an excited flick of her tail, and turned back to Leech. Her face lit up with a deeply mischievous grin, likely the most cheeky one Leech had seen yet, before the dragoness pointed at the shield module she'd given her.

"Keep that on. It will keep you safe."

"IT'S YELLOW!" Leech hissed, lurching in disgust. Previously preoccupied with her surroundings, she hadn't noticed the belt's obnoxious radioactive hue before now.

"Sks-sks! Keep up and do not get zarfanden - surrounded!" She cackled, her tail flicking up before slicing down in one smooth motion, cutting straight through the chain and plastic tabs like a guillotine.

"What the fuck are you getting me into?!"

"Ksk-ksk-ksk. Fun!" Navarta laughed, before throwing the door open with a stone-grinding squeal and charging through.

Leech's senses were immediately met with the sharp sting of gunpowder, as she lunged through the door to keep up with her insane tour guide.

Beyond the door, the sewer led even deeper into the earth as it led to another enormous sewer tunnel that was seemingly split territory. Specifically, split gang territory.

Each side was lined with gang members, one side dressed in sharp red accents and gas masks, along with vibrant splashes of crimson tribal paint and numerous spikes on their outfits. Dangling belts of paint-tinged orb grenades adorned their outfits, with many of the members toying with the explosives in a threatening manner. The opposing crew was dressed in deep pine green tailored suits, with silver armoured plating at stylistic locations.All of them carried a sword strapped to their waists and an oversized machinegun strapped to their back, even the critter-sized members - who clearly had some trouble lugging the weaponry around.

The tunnel carried an unmistakable, overbearing tension; the water running between either raised side was seemingly the only thing preventing these two gangs from tearing each-other to pieces. Hundreds of people lined the length of the tunnel, standing on guard, resting on makeshift tables, casting cards across the rotting wood. The red side of the sewer had sprawling crimson artwork splashed over the curving stone walls, resembling flowers, petals and stars. The opposite green side was more formal and regimental, with pine green banners dotting their walls. The tension in the air was so thick that despite the awful stone grind that echoed out from the doorway, their gazes only briefly flickered over to the pair before darting straight back. Each of their eyes were locked onto the hands of the closest opposing gang members, watching their every movement for any possible sign of initiation.

Leech swallowed loudly as her eyes surveyed the situation. The possibly thousands of gang members that sprawled its heat-lamp-lit dank tunnels were a hair's breath away from all out war...

"CAVALIERS' DOOM APPROACHES! RED SUMMER WILL REIGN!" The dragoness suddenly shrieked at the top of her lungs, her voice tearing through the sewer like a freight train.

Leech almost jumped out of her skin. Holy shit! What the fuck is she doing?!

Navarta charged up the tunnel and lashed her claws straight through one of the closest pine green gang members, shredding him apart in one clean, vicious swipe. With a mighty bellow, she flung his split corpse up the tunnel like an organic signal flare. Those close enough to witness the sudden assault shuddered at their posts and hands sprung for weapons, cascading down the tunnel in slow motion as adrenaline surged through Leech's veins.

The tunnel erupted into absolute chaos. Red dye explosions rippled up and down like a fireworks display as swords were drawn and machine-gun fire hammered with thunderous applause against armour, flesh and stone. Right in the middle of it all, Navarta surged up the tunnel like a bat out of hell, lashing her claws and tail back and forth with a dual-tone cackle as her natural weapons made short work of any Cavalier caught in her warpath. Bullets bounced off her scales as she carved her way through anything and anyone in her way.

Leech stood in both shock and awe, watching as the violence in the tunnel only continued to swell as more and more gang members threw themselves into the mix. The once clean water flowing down the tunnel middle was now thick with blood, washing over the stones as more and more bodies collapsed into it and bled into the cold stone.

But the Controller was not left alone for long, as a pair of eyes landed on her from her side. A Red Summer armourer threw himself into the tunnel, carrying far more grenades than was possibly reasonable or safe. He seemed initially cautious, squinting for a few moments before shuffling over to Leech and handing her several belts of rattling orb-grenades.

"Get chuckin' love. Them Cavaliers ain't gonna soup themselves!" He sprouted with a thick, gravelly voice, before marching up the tunnel in Navarta's wake, handing out more grenades to his kin.

Leech pulled one of the grenades from the belt and rolled it around in her palm, leaving red smudges from the colourful paint adorning it. They were impact activated and roughly the size of a nectarine, with a good amount of weight to their metal frames, perfect for throwing at someone's head should you want them dead.

Suddenly, more eyes landed on her. A curtain hanging over a doorway on the Cavalier side parted and revealed a handful of seriously pissed gang members, touting their silver machine guns with a steaming attitude. Their expressions also fell into confusion as they laid eyes on Leech, turning to one-another for support.

"She's coloured green, but she's holding red grenades?" One of them asked, turning to the closest member for support.

"Maybe she colourblind! I hate the colourblind!" A smaller male replied, pushing his rifle forward.

"FUCK OFF TOLEBURT! ANYONE NOT WEARING A SWORD GETS RIDDLED WITH LEAD!" The pissed off leader yelled, racking his machine gun and swinging the barrel towards Leech. "TAKE HER TO THE CLEANERS!"

But before the squad could open fire, an orb smashed right into the leader's teeth, punching straight into his throat before exploding in a shower of red goop, sending the other members tumbling to the floor as Leech prepared to throw another grenade.

"I have no idea what the fuck I'm doing!" Leech half-screeched, half-laughed, both from fear and from the sheer insanity of the situation. "But I'm not letting you cunts just shoot me!"

Undeterred by the violent deaths, the other gang members quickly rose to their feet, only to be met by another orb-grenade, this one slamming straight into the first member's chest, knocking him into the wall with an audible, echoing thud before blowing his chest apart a split second later.

The last gang member, Toleburt, ditched his machine gun and drew his sword instead, charging at Leech with a wobbling warcry that felt completely reasonable given the situation.

"FUCK THE COLOURBLIND!"

What the fuck is his problem? "I'LL MAKE YOU COLOURBLIND!"

He threw himself at the Controller, who was easily twice his height, splashing through blood and running down the tunnel and whipping the blade of his sword at her stomach. While he seemed to carry some skill with the sword, the sheer physical size difference made the attack fruitless. Leech leaned over and slapped him across the face, sending him flying straight into the blood gutter with a pathetic squeal.

But there was no time to rest. A singular bright light cut through the tunnel and Leech caught sight of Navarta's frame, riding on top of some kind of scrap hoverbike and hurtling straight towards her, skidding it to a stop right on top of Toleburt.

"You armed yourself? Excellent! We will make short work of the Cavaliers guarding the entrance!" The dragoness chattered excitedly, offering Leech a hand to climb up the rust covered, rickety piece of machinery. But Leech hesitated. The hoverbike came with a sidecar specifically designed for a gunner - which would have been a squeeze for Leech to fit her magnificent strider-sized ass into regardless, except that it was also currently occupied by a headless Cavalier. "You can have his seat. He will not mind." Navarta gestured, twiddling a single finger carelessly at him as she revved the engine loudly.

"Entrance to what..?! I am not getting cosy with Headless Nick here. I might get stuck! I'm getting on the back instead."

"Suit yourself!" Navarta replied cheerily as Leech straddled the back of the creaking vessel.

" Wait, there's no seatbelts! There's nothing to hold onto back here, Nav! My stomach is gonna - hooOOOOOOO-"

The hoverbike suddenly lurched forward and spun 180 degrees, before rocketing up the tunnel at a less than safe speed. Leech lurched back, then desperately scrabbled forward, throwing her arms tightly around Navarta's waist as the dragoness leaned back and forth, guiding the rusting rocket to her intended destination.

Leech only caught fleeting glances of the escalating hyper violence that had now completely taken over the sewer system. Cavalier bodies tumbled beneath the hoverbike with each passing thump that played out in succession, bullets pinging off the rusting metal as Navarta took another sharp corner with a rising cackle and revved the accelerator once again. With a tap of her foot, the hoverbike roared down the tunnel with predatory ferocity, like a hungry lion ripping at the savana grass with its sprint.

Leech's stomach churned, threatening to make her pay for her obscene transgressions as more Cavaliers tumbled over guard rails around her and Navarta only accelerated faster. Her fingers gripped Navarta's hips as she desperately tried to stop herself from vomiting over the dragoness's shoulder.

"YOU MUST USE THE GRENADES!" Navarta cackled, pointing at a fresh group of Cavaliers ahead of them, aiming their rifles at the craft's engines. "OR THEY WILL KILL THE SPEED!"

Well we wouldn't want that now, would we?! Bombs away!

An acid burp throttled Leech's throat as she shakily unhooked one of her arms, pulled a grenade free and lobbed it at the group, its velocity only aided by their speed as they rocketed past the gang members. The explosion blew apart the impacted target, with the others collapsing to the floor, their silver armour splashed in the blood of their fellow member.

"MORE! YES! KSK-KSK-KSK-KSK!" Navarta chattered excitedly as more gang members arrived ahead of them, barreling into the tunnel with their weapons drawn.

A burp followed every throw and an explosion followed every burp, making for an exceedingly bewildering soundboard. But despite that, Leech indeed landed every hit perfectly, sending more and more cavaliers to the ground as they rocketed past, their hair whipping wildly behind them. Leech cast a panicked glance over at the gunner seat. Its passenger had apparently vacated his seat some time ago. It was no more appealing for being empty.

I guess the sidecar doesn't have a seatbelt either.

"WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?" Navarta shout-asked, battling with the roar of the hovercraft and sewer wind. "YOU WILL GET US ARRESTED! DRINK HOVER-DRIVING!"

"SHUT YOUR MOUTH YOU CRAZY BITCH! THAT IS EASILY THE MOST MINOR OFFENCE HERE!" Leech screamed in response, hiccuping as she tossed a belt's-worth of grenades behind her.

"WOW! FOUL MOUTH!" Navarta cackled once again, spinning the steering wheel for another sharp turn. "AHA! FOUND THE PLACE!"

The hovercraft careened into an opening in the tunnels, a dead-end in the sewers that was Cavalier owned, aborned with the same banners as before. Bullets continued to ping and pang off the chassis of the craft, and Navarta herself, as they slammed into the resting water with a heavy splash. Orb grenades sailed over the carnage, hurled at each group with skull shattering precision, until the Cavelier defenders were firmly levelled and reduced to chunky paste amongst their rickety wooden walkways and barriers. Splinters and fingers floated on the surface of the water, whilst swords and guns littered the sewer basin, shining in the murk.

"YES! Ksk-ksk-ksk! You are a good thrower! Like a young Azuri slinger! You will handle the thermal charge." Her excited words were followed up with two loud claps, and a quick flash of the 'V sign' over her tits.

"The what? Thermal charge...?" Leech's train of thought was still about half a mile back down the tunnel, she could barely keep up with the carnage as it was. A pint-sized explosive was gleefully thrust into her hands as Navarta pulled more belts of larger explosives from within a compartment on the hoverbike, different to the orbs Leech had been hurling. Before long, the Azuri's shoulders were piled up with enough rattling belts to level an entire city block, and she pointed at a bolted, chained door right at the back of the dead end.