throat, sickening
and final. I know I’m dead. I know it.
“ KID!!! ” Straker screams. From where I’m
sprawled, weak and broken and useless, I see her fly down into the
rest of them, see her do what I couldn’t: Hack and hack and fly, so
fast. Her Blade cleaves them like nothing, just like my Nagamaki
would. If I only had my Nagamaki. Or even my Sixgun… I’d…
There’s a flash of bright light. Flares. Lots of
flares. They light up the forest, let me see my kills. Let me see
the rest running, retreating. They’re still cowards. That hasn’t
changed. I see a few taken by the skinny natives’ arrows. That
makes me happy…
Sorry, kid…
Voice in my head. Maybe. But I can tell it’s not
sorry, not at all. Neither am I. Except that I didn’t finish
it.
I can’t get any air into my lungs. It feels like
they’ve been crushed and set on fire. My mask is full of blood.
Then I feel the wave, washing over top of me. It
surges. I see it catch one of the Katar, up in the rocks, watch it
strip his armor off of him, crumbling it to dust along with his
weapons.
The fucker would do the same thing to his flesh if he
could figure out how to break the safeties on the thing…
The vulnerable Katar gets shot in the chest and
head.
He’s here.
What…?
Someone is coming, walking towards us out of
the forest, casual like there isn’t a battle going on, like he’s
not stepping over dead men.
He never cared about them. The animals are still too
stupid to see it.
My vision is blurring, spotting over as I go into
shock, but I can see him: Wearing a long black robe, carrying a
bright white staff. Thin. Dark skin over a face as sharp-boned as a
skull. Short stubble of frosted hair cleaved by scars. I know him.
How do I know him?
He has a funny name.
His eyes glow like Straker’s, only golden. On the top
of his staff is a ball, shiny metal, the size of a… Sphere .
He has a Jinn Sphere.
Arrows fly at him, but dissolve in midair before they
get within a meter.
Straker steps in his way, sword ready.
Idiot. Why is she just standing there? She needs to
cut him down now. Cut him down NOW!
“And what are we ?” the dark scarred man sings.
“Are we like me ?”
He points his staff at her, and she seems to engage
it, even from a distance of several meters, struggling.
“First Lieutenant Jak Straker, City of Industry Peace
Keepers,” she declares herself, holding her ground. The dark man
grins like this is amusing.
“She’s one of yours,” he calls back over his
shoulder. “Distant cousin, anyway. Sister in arms. You should throw
her a party.” He looks at Straker with his glowing eyes, seems to
be able to push her with his staff. “Me, I don’t care who you are.
It’s what you have that interests me. Where did you get
yours, girl?”
“You have a Companion,” she decides. “How do you have
a Companion?”
“I do. And I didn’t actually know what they were
called, so thank you for that. But I did ask my question first, so
I should get my answer first. And I have more than a
Companion.”
He pushes. I see her uniform ripple, as if under a
strong wind, but it doesn’t dissolve. This seems to impress
him.
“It’s changed more of you than just your body and
mind,” he declares. “You’ll have to teach me the trick. If you are Peace Keeper, we’re on the same side. I’m sure we can do
amazing things together.”
“I’m here to warn Eureka!” she ignores his offer,
calling past him to the Keepers who are holding back to the
shadows. “Asmodeus, the immortal: he’s a monster! He’s infected at
least one of your people already, Sergeant Forbusco, with something
that ate his brain and took his body! He’s…”
Straker gets slammed backwards. The ground under her
comes apart, and she falls into the resulting hole, sand swallowing
her up to her knees, slowing her down.
The dark man lets out a theatrical sigh.
“Ah, so you’re one of those … We were warned
about you. A benefit of our
and final. I know I’m dead. I know it.
“ KID!!! ” Straker screams. From where I’m
sprawled, weak and broken and useless, I see her fly down into the
rest of them, see her do what I couldn’t: Hack and hack and fly, so
fast. Her Blade cleaves them like nothing, just like my Nagamaki
would. If I only had my Nagamaki. Or even my Sixgun… I’d…
There’s a flash of bright light. Flares. Lots of
flares. They light up the forest, let me see my kills. Let me see
the rest running, retreating. They’re still cowards. That hasn’t
changed. I see a few taken by the skinny natives’ arrows. That
makes me happy…
Sorry, kid…
Voice in my head. Maybe. But I can tell it’s not
sorry, not at all. Neither am I. Except that I didn’t finish
it.
I can’t get any air into my lungs. It feels like
they’ve been crushed and set on fire. My mask is full of blood.
Then I feel the wave, washing over top of me. It
surges. I see it catch one of the Katar, up in the rocks, watch it
strip his armor off of him, crumbling it to dust along with his
weapons.
The fucker would do the same thing to his flesh if he
could figure out how to break the safeties on the thing…
The vulnerable Katar gets shot in the chest and
head.
He’s here.
What…?
Someone is coming, walking towards us out of
the forest, casual like there isn’t a battle going on, like he’s
not stepping over dead men.
He never cared about them. The animals are still too
stupid to see it.
My vision is blurring, spotting over as I go into
shock, but I can see him: Wearing a long black robe, carrying a
bright white staff. Thin. Dark skin over a face as sharp-boned as a
skull. Short stubble of frosted hair cleaved by scars. I know him.
How do I know him?
He has a funny name.
His eyes glow like Straker’s, only golden. On the top
of his staff is a ball, shiny metal, the size of a… Sphere .
He has a Jinn Sphere.
Arrows fly at him, but dissolve in midair before they
get within a meter.
Straker steps in his way, sword ready.
Idiot. Why is she just standing there? She needs to
cut him down now. Cut him down NOW!
“And what are we ?” the dark scarred man sings.
“Are we like me ?”
He points his staff at her, and she seems to engage
it, even from a distance of several meters, struggling.
“First Lieutenant Jak Straker, City of Industry Peace
Keepers,” she declares herself, holding her ground. The dark man
grins like this is amusing.
“She’s one of yours,” he calls back over his
shoulder. “Distant cousin, anyway. Sister in arms. You should throw
her a party.” He looks at Straker with his glowing eyes, seems to
be able to push her with his staff. “Me, I don’t care who you are.
It’s what you have that interests me. Where did you get
yours, girl?”
“You have a Companion,” she decides. “How do you have
a Companion?”
“I do. And I didn’t actually know what they were
called, so thank you for that. But I did ask my question first, so
I should get my answer first. And I have more than a
Companion.”
He pushes. I see her uniform ripple, as if under a
strong wind, but it doesn’t dissolve. This seems to impress
him.
“It’s changed more of you than just your body and
mind,” he declares. “You’ll have to teach me the trick. If you are Peace Keeper, we’re on the same side. I’m sure we can do
amazing things together.”
“I’m here to warn Eureka!” she ignores his offer,
calling past him to the Keepers who are holding back to the
shadows. “Asmodeus, the immortal: he’s a monster! He’s infected at
least one of your people already, Sergeant Forbusco, with something
that ate his brain and took his body! He’s…”
Straker gets slammed backwards. The ground under her
comes apart, and she falls into the resulting hole, sand swallowing
her up to her knees, slowing her down.
The dark man lets out a theatrical sigh.
“Ah, so you’re one of those … We were warned
about you. A benefit of our
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