Quinn could only stare dumbly at the new arrival, her entire body trembling as she realized she was no longer about to die. It might've been ESC. But at that moment, all Quinn could do was be happy she was still alive.

Speaking of, the sudden [i]jerk[/i] of pain reminded her of that fact as [color=black]she[/color] let the barrier fall greatly in intensity. She gasped and nearly doubled over as all of her aches and injuries ripped through her and she realized just how injured she really was. If [i]Firebrand[/i] hadn't arrived, she would be...No. That's not a good thing to think about. Don't think about it. Because alongside the pain came something that was far more welcome. Her eye [i]ignited[/i] with blazing white light, and she [i]ripped[/i] the cannon from the aether with a savage roar, ichor-black spittle flying from her shredded jaws. She could feel its heart beat alongside her own alien [i]thing,[/i] and the fire sweltered, swelled, and [i]roared[/i] in her hands.

She started off. And though it was at first halting, eventually she adapted to the pain, and she regained a measure of her speed. Strafing left, she gritted her enormous maw. Her trigger finger was gone. How was she...?

But then...She breathed deep. She [i]felt[/i] the cannon. She was linked to it, even deeper than the Savior. It was [i]hers.[/i] Her own, despite how terrifying it might be. It was as much as part of her as her own hands and feet.

Using the trigger was [i]stupid.[/i]

There. The rifleman. Trained on [i]Firebrand,[/i] not paying attention to her at all. And with the impulse of a thought...

[i]THOOM[/i]

Her phase-empowered cannon [i]roared[/i] in her claws and the blast cut a massive flaming hole through the already wrecked wheat, and despite the sun above, it cast [i]shadows[/i] against it with a horrifying and magnificent light that rampaged through the field.

When the light was gone, so was the rifleman.

[i][b][color=ffe63d]...Three.[/color][/b][/i]