Side Two Hundred And Sixty-Six – Fenrir’s Operation 4 – Aliyah James

“You going to keep playing with that hunk of metal, Aliyah? You’re getting some funny looks from the flight attendant.”

Trey’s voice snapped Aliyah out of her thoughts for a moment. Indeed, she had the bluesteel cylinder in her hand, staring at it, lips pursed. Frowning, she shrugged, leaning back in the rather nice seats of the business class section of their flight. Perks of being the boss. Just me and Trey up here when a couple of relatively cheap upgrades became available. Luciana’s slumming it in cattle class with the rest of Fenrir, not that she minds. Shit, we ain’t no strangers to flying in discomfort…

“Maybe she just fancies me?” she retorted, only to frown at Trey’s disbelieving chuckle.

“Sure, Aliyah. Sure. Keep telling yourself that. Come on, you’re messing with a blunt weapon which shouldn’t even be on this flight. You’re lucky there doesn’t seem to be an air marshal on this one, else you’d be held at gunpoint.”

“Ha. Ha. Ha.” Aliyah faked a deadpan, monotone laugh. “Very funny, Trey. You know all we’d have to do is flash our Ministry passport, with all its diplomatic immunities, and we’d be left alone. Besides, I ain’t causing no trouble here. I’m just… considering it.”

“As long as that’s all you do.” Trey chided her, and Aliyah rolled her blue eyes at him, shaking her head, beads clinking rhythmically. I’ve got a damn fortune in my hair, not even counting my hidden spatial storage. How the world has changed over these last few months. I ain’t complaining, not now, but…

“Don’t shit yourself, Trey. I’m not trying to tame the wind on the plane. If I start throwing up blood here, it’ll just get us diverted, which would be a fucking pain.” Aliyah was simply trying to grasp the wind, in relation to its opposite, earth. Shit, almost makes me wish I had a better education, to understand more about things like this. But I ain’t one to give up, now more than ever.

“I see. Might be best to wait for the twins to be free. We’ve got a basic grounding in Ether Healing, but it’s more for self-recovery, though with our Eyes we can certainly do a bit of first aid.” As Trey lectured her, Aliyah held in a sour snort. She then raised an eyebrow, as Trey paused, sounding a little unsure for once. “Hey, Aliyah… do you think we’re doing the right thing? For America, I mean?”

“That’s what you’re worried about. This ain’t like you, Trey.” Aliyah stopped paying attention to her bluesteel cylinder for a moment, looking across at her brother. “What’s brought this on… oh, I guess it’s Chris, ain’t it? The Director of the damn FBI bowing down to Akio for a favour, ignoring what we’re doing, like the Ring Gates.”

At her brother’s nod, Aliyah continued her grumbling. “Ain’t no point thinking about it. We made our choice. We’re dogs who bark and bite for Akio now. Shit, we were fucked when we picked the mission to capture that slimy fucker from Vegas. I wonder what happened to him? Doesn’t matter. His ability’s just like Beth’s, so it ain’t like anyone needs him, is it? Where was I…? Oh, yeah. My point is, and I know you know it too, Trey, we sold out for our own sake. But who the fuck cares? You think anyone else in our position wouldn’t have done the same?”

“I know, sis. I know. Calm down.” Trey placated her, and now she did let out her rip-roaring snort of derision.

“Calm? I am calm, Trey. Look at it this way, believe it or not, we are helping out our shitty homeland. Which never did shit for us, did it? Not growing up, not as mercs… sorry, Private Contractors. They sent us into the lion’s den no end of times for pay that was barely adequate to throw away our lives. Even so, it ain’t like it wasn’t our home. And I’m as patriotic as anyone. But… times have changed.” As Trey nodded, Aliyah considered it seriously and came up with the answer.

“Trey, what’s the biggest thing that keeps a culture together, and prevents others from appreciating it?”

“That’s quite the question from you.” Trey chuckled, irking her a little, but after a moment, he responded. “Language, right?”

“Exactly.” Aliyah nodded. “You know, I ain’t sure why you are so shit at them, Trey. I mean, you ain’t an idiot, sometimes I think you might be smarter than I am, before I remember what a dumbass you can be sometimes…” Trey smiled at her casual insult, which they both knew she didn’t mean. “…but when it comes to learning languages, you’re just shit. Your Russian is an affront to whatever Gods exist, and as for your Chinese… fuck.” Aliyah swore with feeling. A tonal language like Mandarin was like a weapon of mass destruction in Trey’s hands. Completely unintelligible.

“You’re my brother, yet how can we be so different?” Aliyah grumbled, and Trey shrugged.

“Siblings often are. Look at Bethany and Zachary. Or even Akio and Aiko. But there’s plenty of similarities too. Just like we’re similar, Aliyah.”

“Shit, don’t remind me.” Aliyah grumbled. “Anyway, your shocking lack of talent aside, you’re right. How can we appreciate Japanese, Chinese, Russian, Chilean, any culture, without understanding the native tongue? It’s the biggest barrier. And one that ain’t going to be an issue soon.”

“The devices, huh? From what I understand, they’re not easy to make, not at all.”

“Maybe so, Trey, maybe so. But you ain’t paying attention if you haven’t watched how things have progressed. Sure, maybe each device is made with great effort, and given to someone close to Akio who needs it, but…” She tapped her strand of beads which made up her own storage. “…just like these were rare, now damn near everyone in Fenrir and Adamant has one, even if most of them ain’t as good as ours.” Aliyah couldn’t help feeling a bit proud at that. Shit, one thing Akio does have going for him is, he knows talent when he sees it, and so long as you ain’t killed anyone he cares about, he can forgive… mostly.

“It’s like the guns and other shit we carry too. At the start, it was just crude imitations of medieval guns, remember? Now there are sniper rifles, assault rifles, RPGs, your prototype big fucker, and shit, by the time we get back from our round-the-world jaunt, I ain’t going to be shocked if there are fucking tanks and shit.”

Trey nodded. “So you’re saying the language devices will be mass produced.”

“Exactly. Hinata, that greedy little cutie, ain’t going to let that market slip through her fingers. Sure, it may only be something you can sell once, but everybody in the world will want one. Sell it for a modest profit eight billion times, and that’s a fuckload of money. Even if you assume only two billion can afford it, and she makes ten dollars of profit on each one, that would still be enough alone to make her top twenty richest people in the world, just with that!”

“I see. So you’re saying that the cultural impact of Akio taking over will be mitigated by everyone being able to understand each other?” Trey pressed.

“Yeah. Exactly. It’s easy to stir shit up, say ‘they ain’t like us’, or ‘they want to destroy our way of life’ when we’re too ignorant to understand them, too lazy or scared to try. If anything, Akio’s plans ain’t much different to the American dream. Just look at his Territory, and their new currency. The difference is, he doesn’t believe you should need money to live, only to have fun. I can get behind that.”

“I know. Don’t get me wrong…” Trey sighed now. “…I know we chose our side, and America was hardly a paradise, even so, it’s still my homeland, the place where we were born…”

“Into the shit. Fuck me, Trey, sometimes you sound like Christina. Anyway, don’t sweat it. If Chris is prepared to be in Akio’s debt, then why should we worry? Besides…” her smirk was wicked now as she ran her hands over the cold, smooth surface of her metal battery, the faint prickling of the jade energies on her fingertips somehow soothing. “…it’ll give me a good laugh, all the corrupt politicians and rich bastards having to fall in line. Unless they want to kneel and kiss Akio’s ass, they’re done. And he ain’t going to put up with their greasy shit, he’s many things, but he ain’t wicked. They’ll end up with nothing, serves them right.”

“Unless…” Trey added, a tired smile on his face. “…they’ve got an eligible daughter.”

“Fuck me…” Aliyah smacked her thigh, laughter bursting free. When she brought her chuckles under control, she wheezed out agreement. “You’re right there, Trey. You’re damn right. If they’ve got a hot, willing daughter, they might just make it…”

Nah, we’re mostly joking. Mostly. From what I’ve seen, while Akio might go easy on the family of one of his girlies, he won’t let them get away with being wicked bastards… Glancing out of the window, Aliyah’s reflection smirked back at her. Anyway, I ain’t sure why Trey’s worrying. America was fucked the minute it failed to capture Akio. We failed, I guess, but shit, it just ain’t fair, giving us a red notice mission to go up against him. Though I guess it all worked out…

***

After landing, the cool winter evening air of the Mojave desert was quite soothing. Aliyah stowed her cylinder, and everyone gathered in a secluded spot, carrying small cases and holdalls with disposable clothes and daily necessities, to disguise the fact they were carrying weapons and other contraband in their storage. Once everyone had arrived, Trey spoke up.

“All right then. We’ll head to the hotel, get settled in, and then we’ve got a few hours to enjoy ourselves. No drinking to excess though, soon as the clocks turn midnight, we’re back in our rooms, and diving in.”

“Like fucking Cinderella.” Aliyah added, earning chuckles from the men, and a wry headshake from Luciana. “Only you fuckers best not leave behind any glass slippers. Anyway, we ain’t much for noble speeches. You’re not kids, you ain’t needing Trey or me to hold your hands…”

“I think you’d make a great mother, though, with those…” one of Fenrir spoke up jovially, only to fall silent, gasping and wheezing, doubled over, as Manx slammed an elbow into his ribs. There was more laughter at the downed man’s expense, and Aliyah snorted.

“Dream on, jackass. Ain’t no way you’ll ever know what these tits feel like. No man ever will… uh… never mind that.” Aliyah squeezed her arms together. She hated being ogled, but for the sake of morale, she could take a ribald joke or two. Shit, being one of a mere handful of women, surrounded by a load of sweaty, barely literate thugs and dipshits, it ain’t no wonder. Bah… I’m just on edge after last time in Vegas. Still, it’s probably for the best Beth and Zack didn’t try and help me beat Shaeula to get my revenge. I ain’t going to win against her, am I? And who knows what the fuck she’d have me do if I lost again? Last time was shameful enough. I ain’t bending over and spreading…

“Anyway…” She distracted herself from her thoughts by continuing the briefing. “Those of you on standby, protecting our sleeping bodies, there ain’t likely to be any trouble, but we’re professionals, the barking God-slaying wolves of Fenrir.” Luciana nodded beside her, the diamond pin of Adamant reflecting the light from the surrounding airport. “So we take no chances. If we do get attacked, try and capture them alive, but if you come up against Chosen…” She glanced at Trey, who drew a finger across his neck.

“It would be great to capture one alive if they attack us, but we can’t risk it unless you can be sure they’re neutralised. If in doubt, kill them before they kill us. Still, it shouldn’t happen.” Trey shrugged, muscles rippling under his tight t-shirt. “Almost all of the US Chosen have been identified and are either under government surveillance or are directly drafted. We have the data.”

Aliyah nodded. Trey had a tablet with a copy of the relevant Vermillion List files, just for America. The corpulent fucker they’d renditioned last visit wasn’t the only Chosen in Vegas, of course not, in a city of more than two million, if you counted the surrounds, you’d expect more, but down by the strip, there was only him. Whether he’d killed the others, or the deserts had, was up for debate. It ain’t a bad starting location, Akio says. Room to breathe, enemies to battle, opportunities to find. But it’s also dangerous. Rapey hyena-men… Gnolls, he called them… big fuckass scorpions and sandworms, elementals… yeah, easy to get caught out and killed, I suppose.

“It’s not impossible one of the handful of Chosen might have expanded out this way, if so… we’ll try and keep a low profile, so long as they don’t interfere with the mission. You all know your targets. Search for suitable earth or water elements in the designated zones. Then we’ll decide where to situate our Ring Gate.”

The members of Fenrir nodded. “As for us…” Trey smirked at Aliyah and Luciana. “…we three have the real fun.”

“That we do. Got to say, I’m quite curious as to what a Thunderbird looks like…” Aliyah nodded. “So, all you fuckers are dismissed. If you lose all your money at the tables, it ain’t no use coming crying to us though. I won big last time I was here, remember?”

“But was that not because Akio helped you win, Aliyah?” Luciana added, and she felt her face heat up.

“Maybe, but I still won, and ain’t it that which counts? All right, enough chatter. I need a stiff drink…”

And with that they quickly boarded one of the nearby buses to the Las Vegas strip, and their destination…

***

“Your Fortune stat’s only three, remember?” Trey was saying, and Aliyah rolled her eyes.

“I remember, don’t be such a nag. Still, that gives me a point two percent edge on a fifty-fifty on this double zero table.” Aliyah nodded at the roulette wheel. “It may not sound like much, but the odds are in my favour. It’s even a bit higher than that with my League. Luciana though… she’s got over fifty-one percent a chance.”

“Fine.” Trey conceded. “Just… don’t lose all our money, okay?”

“Have a little more faith in me, Trey. I ain’t a fool.” Aliyah insisted, and Luciana coughed.

“I fear that is the phrase most often said by tontas, Aliyah. Still, if you go crawling to Akio, I am sure he will prevent you from starving.”

“Oh, shut it, you’re the one in Adamant. What else are we going to do but gamble? Watch the fountains outside?” The Bellagio fountains were quite spectacular, but she’d seen them before. And I ain’t in the mood. We’ve got combat coming up, almost certainly, so I need something to get my blood boiling.

“It is your funeral.” Luciana turned away, and she placed her own bets, tossing several hundred dollars of chips on red. Nearby, other gamblers glanced at her with disdain, though the men with rather more heat, as even in jeans and a t-shirt, Luciana cut an attractive figure. Aliyah was drawing gazes too, and with a snort, she matched Luciana’s bet. I’m not an idiot. I’ll just ride Luciana’s higher Fortune!

“No more bets, please…” the dealer called, and as the ball spun around the wheel, Aliyah felt the anticipation of a result building.

It ain’t even about the money. Hinata keeps a tight grip on the finances, but she’s also extremely generous to those who do good work. This is just a bit of fun.

“Thirty. Red.” The dealer declared, and Aliyah nodded at Luciana, as they both made three hundred dollars in an instant.

“Small change.” Aliyah smirked, tossing the chips in her hands, as those around them who lost were envious, and their fellow winners elated. “Last time I was here I was third place in a major poker tournament…” She couldn’t help but brag.

“Yes, and our employer, he was second, and as for…” Luciana wisely didn’t say Shaeula’s name. They won again, as it was red, and then a third time. They then lost, and that was accompanied by some grumbled complaints by those who had started following their bets, but Aliyah merely glowered at them.

“It’s all luck, ain’t it? Sure, Luciana here’s a fortunate woman, but if she could win all the time, she’d be in the high-roller room, don’t you think?” Or she’d be Shaeula. I think she and Akio are still banned from most of the casinos on the strip, though I bet some would take a hefty loss just to have the prestige of them gambling there now.

“A fair point…” a man agreed. “Can I buy you two ladies a drink?”

“You can, but bear in mind we’ve got places to be, so ain’t lingering.” Aliyah humoured him for a free glass of whiskey, and she and Luciana spent the next few hours chatting, gambling and drinking. Their wins weren’t spectacular, not like Akio’s and Shaeula’s win streak had been, but then… We ain’t got the fortunate winds, or even half the Fortune they had. Still, we’ve got just enough of an edge…

It hadn’t been wildly profitable, but they were both up around seven thousand dollars, which wasn’t bad for killing time. Excusing themselves, much to the disappointment of the man who’d been trying and failing to flirt with them, the two exchanged their chips. Trey had retired before them, but on returning to their suite, they discovered he’d won two and a half thousand as well.

“I’m shocked you didn’t lose, Aliyah.” Trey cheekily tased her. “Maybe you’ve shed your losing ways?”

“Oh, shut it.” She shot back, getting on top of her bed, not even taking off her heavy boots, in case they had to wake up and act quickly. “What I won last time was more than I’ve lost in my entire life gambling, so to call me a loser just ain’t fair. Anyway…” She smirked at him, as Luciana took the other bed in her part of the suite, equally as dressed and ready for anything. “…when we finish up here, we can take a day to relax. Spend our winnings.”

“Sure. Rest and relaxation are key to keeping readiness for combat at its peak.” Trey’s pious words made her chuckle. “Anyway, I’ll see you in a minute.” Trey slipped out, heading across the suite to the other bedroom.

“Your brother is right. La prudencia, Aliyah. Always la prudencia.”

“I told you to stop doing that.” she grumbled, her eyelids squeezing shut, as within herself she roused her aether. As Luciana only sniffed softly, Aliyah considered the cylinder in her storage. Yeah, I want to drink, gamble and ogle women to my heart’s content tomorrow, but… I also want to master wind. I… want to be a Chosen too...

***

“Quite a sight.” Trey was saying, as he gazed out across the red, sandstone desert, rocky pillars soaring high into the aurora-streaked skies like thickets of blades thrust into the crimson sands.

“No kidding.” Aliyah tossed her head, before grimacing at the varicoloured blood splattered across her Brigandine. Akio had already warned them the hotels would be crawling with monsters, and it had been true, so they’d fought their way out. Individually, some had been quite nasty, like a three-headed millepede with metal legs, but with their weapons and group combat skills, they’d subdued and slaughtered it, only a couple of Fenrir taking wounds which were quickly Healed.

“I like it outside a lot more. I ain’t built for enclosed spaces full of shitty spiders, centipedes, bats and other creepy fuckers.”

“How very girly of you.” Trey agreed, and Aliyah rolled her eyes scornfully.

“I am a girl, and don’t you dare fucking say it, Trey. I ain’t old enough that I can’t call myself a girl. Got it?”

“Sure, sure.” he agreed. “Anyway, Luciana, Aliyah, you’ve noticed too, haven’t you?”

“Yeah. It’s hard to spot out here in this desert, but we’ve seen a few of them.” Aliyah pointed to the north, where a faint shimmer of light, coupled with an odd absence of it, in a smooth, wall-like line, was barely visible. “That’s a Territory barrier. Looks like you were right. One has expanded out this way. Based on the files we have…”

Luciana glanced at the tablet, which was modified with one of Ixitt’s batteries, so it functioned just fine here, though obviously it couldn’t connect to the non-existent internet. Though this tablet doesn’t even have that function. We ain’t getting hacked or this classified data scoped by someone…

“…either Matthew Dillinger, or Brandon Walker. They are the two most likely to be able to reach down here. Both are Violet and Indigo. Not a major threat to other Chosen, but…”

“I was going to say to us they could be a pain, but I forgot. I’m with two genuine fucking Chosen, aren’t I?” Aliyah sneered, cracking her knuckles. “So, Trey, what’s the play? You stealth us up and we go investigate? It ain’t looking like he’s taken the area we have to check out, But it’s too close for comfort.”

Luciana had taken out another device, resembling a walkie talkie or combat radio. Pressing a few buttons, she sent out a series of morse code dots and dashes, which would alert the rest of Fenrir to their findings. They shouldn’t run into any danger, as they were heading out away from populated areas on their search, but better safe than sorry.

It’s crazy how Ixitt and all his rats and weasels are cracking out so many inventions. But then, I suppose they do have a near unlimited budget, and ain’t reinventing the wheel…

“Matthew is listed as a telekinetic, whereas Brandon is a physical enhancement type, though not on the level of Titan. Their codenames in the files are Mindknife and Punchout.” Luciana reported.

“Mindknife. Shit, that’s fucking lame.” Aliyah chuckled. “Still, he’ll be a nuisance. Punchout would be easier to knock out, if he gives us any shit.”

“Ideally, we can avoid that.” Trey warned. “We’re not here to start fights or hamstring America further. Anyway, let’s get moving. These two have been visited by the FBI and the NSA so should know to keep infighting to the minimum and maintain a low profile. Much good that’ll do the country.”

“Yeah, we’re so far behind.” Aliyah agreed, as they raced across the ruddy stone of the Boundary, careful not to slip on the sands. “Which is why, if you think about it, we’re still patriots. The more we do for Akio and the others, the more he’ll do us a solid if we just ask. Ain’t we wonderful?”

Trey smirked at her sarcastic words. “Sure, sure. If you were that serious…” At his tone, Aliyah could tell her brother was about to annoy her, so she turned around, running backwards, gazing at him fiercely, but as he was used to her moods, he didn’t stop. “…how about laying down your body for your country, and joining Christina? Hey, no need to be rude, just a suggestion…”

Aliyah had flipped him off, both middle fingers sticking up at him. “I’d say go do it yourself, but Eri will cut your fucking dick off if you go anywhere near him with that intent.”

“Please. Mind your language, Aliyah. Always with la vulgaridad.”

“And you’re always with the damn Spanish.” she retorted, but the aim of their banter had succeeded, as they were all relaxed, the inevitable tension of a mission dissipating, leaving the calm focus they were used to. “Anyway, I ain’t seen no birds yet. If she’s dead, Akio ain’t going to be happy.”

“Maybe so, but it’s not like he could do much about it from over there in Japan.” Trey pointed out. As they approached the rocky pillars, they noticed a lack of enemies. A few scattered wolf-like beings gazed at them from a distance, but quickly fled, which was at odds with Akio’s and Shaeula’s reports of their time here.

“I don’t know if it’s the same for spiritual beasts, but if they were real hyenas, I’d say they are used to being spooked.” Trey suggested, as the three of them watched the beasts retreat. “Maybe they’re scared of big Thunderbirds, or…”

“Over there.” Aliyah changed course, her eyes having picked out something interesting. At the base of one of the sandstone pillars, they found a pile of shattered rubble, mixed in with what seemed to be broken fragments of various weapons such as spears and swords, as well as armour of bone and metal. There were also a few large feathers mixed in, each the size of Aliyah’s arm, and as she lifted one up, admiring the rich golden-green colouration, as if it was a precious gem.

“The top of the spire, it is broken.” Luciana observed, glancing upwards.

“There are burns too. Here.” Trey pointed at the pillar base, where some of the sandstone had vitrified, turning to glass. His Eyes glimmered with ether for a second, and then he nodded. “Lingering elemental energies, but I don’t have enough experience to say which one. But I can guess…”

“Lightning. Our Thunderbird.” Aliyah agreed. “You don’t think…?”

She left it unsaid, but Trey shook his head. “No. look around us.”

Luciana noticed “Indeed. There are toppled pillars, and more with similar burns and piles of wreckage. All appear to be… of different ages.” She jogged the several hundred metres to a nearby outcrop, before bringing back some heavy metal scraps, seeming to be armour plates. “See? They fade away. Desaparecer. Vanish. Become ether…”

“Yeah, makes sense.” Aliyah agreed. The metal in her hands was starting to dissipate at the edges, breaking down to minute traces of ether. “If I ain’t mistaken, this gear ain’t stuff like Bjarki and Ixitt make. Armoury shit?”

“I would say so.” Luciana agreed. “So, judging by the state of things, there have been at least three battles which have taken place here. The pillars without such wreckage also number more than a few. This has been a running series of battles, I believe.”

“See? I knew you could speak without lapsing into Spanish.” Aliyah smirked, and Luciana immediately corrected herself.

“Nos están observando. Somebody is watching us.”

“Yeah.” Aliyah agreed. “You just had to prove a point, huh?” Her smirk relaxed, her face now calm and expressionless. “On our six, and nine. You see them, Trey?”

“Yeah. A bit late to go stealthy now, but… we might as well ask some questions. It’ll be quicker than us poking around here. We’re not combat trackers, are we?”

“No shit. Though with these Eyes we can see more than others can imagine.” Aliyah was the one using hers now, and her vision sharpened. “More of those big wolves, no, hyenas, I guess. Armoured too. Who the fuck armours up pony-sized dogs? One of those runs into us, it ain’t going to be pretty. Plenty of Gnolls too. The gear quality has gone up a lot since Akio was last here.”

“No kidding.” Trey agreed quietly, as they pretended not to have spotted their quarry as the Gnolls closed in, using fallen rock pillars as cover. “Heavy plate, halberds, greatswords, crossbows and more. If this was the real Mojave desert, not the Boundary, which doesn’t really have weather, they’d cook alive in those tin cans.”

“It is not just them. We have a human visitor.” Luciana added. “Punchout.”

“Well, that’s a fucking relief. We can still fill the fucker full of holes without worrying about having our heads twisted off by invisible forces” Aliyah snorted. “Still, best make nice. Like you say, Trey, we ain’t here to fuck America over or cause trouble. We promised Chris we’d be low key.”

“Indeed.” Luciana agreed. “Shall I do the honores?”

“Only if you speak fucking English.” Aliyah laughed, and Luciana shrugged, before raising her voice, a little wind element making it boom across the desert.

“Greetings, our fellow guest. Brandon Walker, no?” Most of his body was shrouded in heavy steel plate, and he carried a massive morning star, the head the size of a basketball. That fucker would do some damage if it hits us, Chosen or not. His face was visible within his helmet though, visor up, enough for Luciana to make a determination, based on the images of the Vermillion List.

The man paused, before grinning, though there was no humour in it. His blue eyes hardened, and he raised one hand, and hundreds of Gnolls, heavily equipped, and around a quarter having hyena-like dogs on leashes, flooded out. Worse, behind him came crashing three massive, rocky figures.

Trolls, huh? No, not quite. They seem like the earth elementals Akio talked about. Just way, way fucking bigger.

Indeed, they had legs as thick as some of the smaller pillars, like tree trunks, and they towered some eight to ten metres tall. Their bodies were made of the same red stone as the desert, and sand leaked from the crude joints and from what passed for mouths on their featureless faces, dripping down like saliva. A single golden-yellow flame burned in the centre of each of the heads, perhaps an eye, and as they walked, grains of sand around them jumped and shivered, the land shaking.

“You know me, then? If so, why the hell are you trespassing here? This is my land. I’ve agreements with Dillinger and the others, and the government says we’re not to fight. I don’t know you three. Where the hell are you from?”

“Polite fucker, ain’t you?” Aliyah shouted. “We ain’t here to fight, so chill the fuck down.”

“Of course you’d say that. Even if you outnumber me three to one, I’ve my heroic sand giants here, and my Gnoll host. And I’ve not been idle. Look at them all! Armed with the finest of armour and weapons my Territory can provide. Yes, you’d cause a lot of deaths, but…” He shut his mouth, glancing at several more impressive, larger Gnolls near him, and Aliya’s lips curled.

Probably going to say they’re all expendable, since you’ve got some Barracks and shit. Which might be true, but your boys ain’t going to want to hear that, are they?

“There’s no need for unpleasantness.” Trey tried to be reasonable. “We’re not interested in you and yours, we only came to set up a small, humble Territory, a few hundred metres across, which in this desert is nothing. Oh, and… we came to ask about a Thunderbird.”

At Trey’s words, the Gnolls started howling and barking. Their accents were thick and unintelligible, for the most part, full of yapping and growls, but Aliyah did pick up a few phrases, such as… harbinger of the reaping winds and flames, huh? And storm from above. Yeah, that sounds like our bird.

“That pest has been a thorn in my side.” Brandon grimaced. “I tried asking it nicely to submit, but…” He shook his head, armour creaking. “…it’s none of your concern. What is a concern is who you are, though? This is my playground, and there’s no room for you here. Go back where you came from. As for the Thunderbird, sooner or later it’ll regret blocking my path.”

“Sorry, but we can’t allow that.” Trey insisted, and Brandon scoffed.

“And who are you to tell me what to do?”

Out of patience, Aliyah clapped her hands. “We’re the fucking USFWS, militant division. That Thunderbird’s an endangered species, and we’re here to tell you to back the fuck off it and its chicks, else we’ll have to take you in.”

There was a sudden silence, even Trey and Luciana seeming a little embarrassed by her outburst, but she simply stood tall, cycling aether to trigger her spatial storage at a moment’s notice. Then the silence expired, Brandon guffawing loudly.

“At least you’re funny, woman. There isn’t a government out here. I’d know. They asked me all sorts of questions when I was picked up. I didn’t think the FBI were going to let me go. Fisheries and wildlife indeed… in respect for your humour, I’m willing to let you go. If you don’t come back. Or else… you’re not supposed to be here, you’re either unregistered, or causing trouble, so if I defend myself… I wonder how much stronger I’d get, killing three like me?”

“Sorry to disappoint you, but I ain’t.” Aliyah added. “So, you ain’t going to be reasonable? We ain’t asking a lot. Leave the bird alone, and don’t disturb whatever spot we claim. The rest of this desert, the whole fucking thing if you can do it, will be yours. Hell, ask us nicely and we might even be prepared to grease the wheels with a bit of a bribe.”

As Trey blinked at that, Aliyah shrugged. Ain’t no need to fight if a little money or knowledge can soothe matters. Might even make a new ally. See, I do think things through, Trey.

“Tempting, but… you know what, I’m not in the mood for this. I lost a ton of money at poker the other day, so… taking out my anger on some idiots will do me good.”

“Can’t say I didn’t give it a try?” Aliyah grumbled, and as Trey and Luciana nodded, she sneered.

“Your Fortune stat must be dogshit. But your Foresight must be fucking negative, man. If you ain’t getting those prickles down your back…” With a howling series of war cries, the Gnolls charged, releasing their hounds, which began to cover the several hundred metres between the two groups at a rapid pace.

“…then you should be, as we ain’t here to party.” Her assault rifle, loaded with a magazine of rounds filled with powdered red and orange Etherites, mixed in with bluesteel flakes charged with wind and flame, sprang into her hands. Luciana had popped out hers too, while Trey was lugging a multi-barreled minigun prototype. That big bastard ain’t much use in a protracted firefight. Overheats too quickly, but…

The sound of a buzzsaw cut through the howling, and empty casings began to rain down around Trey as he opened fire. Without any care for the Hague or St Petersburg declarations and treaties, hollow-point and explosive projectiles poured out, and the charging hyenas, even with their heavy armour, had bloody flowers in red and silver bloom, as the front row was cut down, Explosions flared as the bullets burst, and the second line exploded.

“This is surely great experience…” Trey laughed, the thrill of easily handling what should have been a vehicle mounted Vulcan delighting him, even as he swung the heavy barrel, mincing another dozen attackers.

“No shit.” Aliyah, seeing the hounds were handled, switched to three round burst, and began shooting down the Gnolls, their armour not capable of holding against her imbued bullets. Bolts came their way, as the back line had unslung their crossbows, but with a wave of her hand, Luciana conjured a pillar of wind, scattering the projectiles, even as, with her other hand, she was sniping more Gnolls, head-shotting them with ease.

That makes me fucking competitive. “Trey, you’re out of this, since you’ve got that fucking monster, but, Luciana, how about a wager? Most kills?”

“Si. It sounds fun…” Luciana agreed, another trio of Gnolls shot through the heads, even their helmets useless.

“Wait, that’s what that feeling is?” Brandon asked, before his expression hardened. “How the fuck did you get guns in here? It’s not fair! I worked to get my forces steel weapons and armour!”

“That’s what we would have told you. Ain’t too late to compromise…” Trey’s Vulcan cannon alone was spewing out six thousand rounds a minute, which was possible to sustain via direct loading from spatial storage, although… We’re eating up ammunition. Fuck it, when we get the Gate down, we can restock. Ixitt’s got a basic production line set up… the only problem is…

Even as dozens of Gnolls were minced, and the hyenas who had survived were routing, tails down, ears pressed against their skulls, trails of unpleasant liquid left behind on the crimson sands, alongside equally crimson blood, mixed with silver, the wave of heat radiating from the cannon was intense. Water cooling ain’t going to cut it. Needs ice element. Our frosty Yuki-onna probably has some work ahead of her in the future.

“Wait, no… no! I’m not in the wrong here!” It seemed Brandon wasn’t used to battles, as he made a heated decision rather than considering things calmly. “And I still have the advantage! Come back, cowards! They’ll run out of ammunition soon enough!” A few of the Gnolls heeded his words, even as Aliyah sprayed a flanking squad who were closing in with bullets. A wielder of earth element fired stony spikes at them, but Aliyah only took a glancing blow. It hurt, but the Brigandine absorbed most of the impact. Moments later, she shot him dead.

“Bad decision. Sunk cost at the casino gets you poor. On the battlefield, it gets you killed…” Trey shook his head, wincing. Even with his stats, the heat of the rotating cannon was becoming painful.

“You can block arrows. How about this then?” Brandon cried. “Forward. Intercept the bullets! They can’t hurt you!” He ordered two of his massive elementals forward. Initially, their steps were ponderous, but soon they picked up the pace, closing in fast, ground shuddering beneath their tread, a pall of sandy dust blowing up. Aliyah did try a burst of elemental bullets, but all it did was chip fist sized craters into the stone, which would have been pinpricks to an ordinary being.

“See? My armies might falter, but…” He pointed to his third elemental, who reached down, fingers melting into the ground. Then it heaved, and a car-sized boulder was in its hands. “…my giants are as invincible as the desert itself!”

“Fuck.” Trey swore, he swung his minigun and hosed the charging giants down, but even as they were chipped full of holes, it was simply a case of trying to scoop up a bucket of water with a spoon, far too slow.

“It seems we must act.” Luciana stowed her rifle, Aliyah doing the same. As the boulder came flying over like a trebuchet’s payload, Luciana grabbed both Trey and Aliyah, and moved rapidly, even as Trey switched his aim back to the rallying Gnolls, turning a dozen into hole-punched corpses.

The ground shook, boulder bouncing and slamming into the stone pillar, shattering it, and it tumbled, crushing fleeing Gnolls to death. Luciana released Aliyah, who swung up her newly produced weapon, her grin feral. “Fucking moron. This ain’t the fucking cowboys against Indians. Bows ain’t going to beat guns, unless you’re talking some weird League shit.”

“Make sense, you bitch!” Brandon’s eyes were red with fury now. “Crush them! Stomp them to paste!”

“The bigger they are, the harder they fucking fall.” Aliyah squeezed the trigger on her RPG. The backplate shot off, striking the ground and bouncing, while the projectile raced forward. It struck the leading elemental in the chest, becoming a devastating streak of molten metal. A vast hole was punched through the foe, and for a second Brandon blinked, shocked, only to laugh in relief as the giant pushed onwards, heedless of the metre wide gap in its chest.

“Stone and sand don’t have vulnerable areas! Your weapons are useless. But I’ll take them off your corpses. Maybe then I can replicate them. Or better yet… my giants, take one alive! But they don’t need all their limbs!”

“You know…” Another flashing streak as Luciana’s RPG struck the second giant, exploding a huge crater in that one too, even as another boulder came soaring their way. “…it’s amazing that Akio and his crew seem some of the most well-adjusted we’ve met. Ain’t that a shocker? Guess he put all his crazy in his lust for women.”

The giants halted, suddenly confused, as the true cargo of the grenades leaked out, golden flames streaked with red, violet and other transient colours beginning to consume not just the rock and sand of the giants, but their spirits as well.

“I think it is a relatively healthy passion.” Luciana shrugged. “Men of power, women too, they have their lusts.”

“I should have expected that from you.” Aliyah retorted.

Trey had put away his cannon, and was resorting to his assault rifle now, but the handful of surviving Gnolls were routing as the first of the stone giants collapsed, flames roaring up, ground shuddering. The second staggered, fiery eye dimming, and it swayed into the path of the thrown boulder, and it exploded apart, Luciana’s wind barrier blocking the worst of the debris, though Aliyah’s cheek was still sliced open by some shrapnel.

“You’re wearing the diamond, after all. Fuck, I sure hope this doesn’t scar.” Aliyah finished her thought, then wiped away blood from her cheek with her thumb.

“Somebody will fix it if it does, Aliyah.” Luciana soothed. “Now then. Treyvon, if you would? We have used our precious Foehn grenades.”

“Yeah, yeah…” he grunted, his burned hands slowly regenerating. “…at least Ixitt will be delighted to know they work in battle. He wasn’t sure, despite the tests. If not, we’d have had to try other methods.”

“Wait, fuck. This isn’t…” Brandon grimaced. The Foehn grenade shot out, Treyvon taking careful, unhurried aim at the last giant. As the projectile surged forward, Brandon raised his arm.

“I’m not fucking dying, not here, not today! Dagwanoenyent’s sandstorm!” A massive swirling wind blew around the giant, kicking up a torrent of sand, far more than was explained by the desert around them, and Aliyah whistled, impressed.

“Our boy here’s been busy. There’s more to him than punching hard. Earth element, and pretty decent too.”

“Yes.” Luciana agreed. “Even so…” The projectile went off course, striking the giant in the arm instead, blowing it half-off. That was enough through, as Foehn bloomed greedily, and would show it no mercy.

“Nice fucking try!” The sandstorm was also cover, as Brandon surged out of it, mace swinging.

“Too predictable.” Luciana met the massive iron shaft of the mace with her daggers. Not blocking, as that would break her arms, but deflecting. She then lashed out, and only some swift dodging saved him from losing an eye, Blood bloomed as her dagger sawed through his cheek, and Aliyah snorted, satisfied.

“Turnabout is fair. But don’t worry, women admire scars on men, I reckon.”

“You are not helping, Aliyah.” Luciana was forced to parry again, this time a swing at Aliyah, her taunt enraging Brandon. The impact jarred her, and she was clearly outclassed in terms of Might. “I am sorry, but right now you are dead weight.”

“You ain’t going to hurt my feelings. I won’t be forever.” She leapt backwards, even as Brandon kicked dust at Luciana to blind her, but her wind swept it away. He then swung his mace, catching her on the shoulder, and the sound of crunching bone could be heard. He gloated, turning his head to his giant.

“Rip off your arm to stop the spread of the flames…”

“Very well.” Luciana answered. Her face was pale, and her right arm was limp, but in her other hand a shimmering blade of crackling lightning formed, sand shivering and jittering as if attracted by magnetism. Flakes of rocky armour fell from her arm, revealing a dented crater, her shoulder twisted in, but the Brigandine had also held firm, so the injury, while serious, was far from fatal. “Be purified!”

She swept her lightning sword out, and it passed through his right arm, slicing it clean off at the shoulder, lightning surging into his body. The stump was cauterised quickly, and as his heavy mace fell to the floor, he screamed, steam rising from his body, and Aliyah winced.

“Fuck. I ain’t much for science, but… metal conducts, and he’s wrapped up in that fucking tin dress…”

The lightning carried on up into the air, detonating with a thunderous boom, and then Luciana staggered, the pain catching up to her.

“Both our arms are useless, yes?” she managed, and Brandon spat blood, which steamed from the lightning which had burned him. One of his eyes had gone a milky white too, and he looked dreadful.

“My arm, it’s gone…”

“Don’t be such a fucking baby…” Aliyah knew she just had to stall him for a few moments. “…you picked this fight, dipshit. It ain’t manly to bitch about the result…”

“What would you know?” he spat, and the dust around him was now spinning into an abrasive gale, forming a ring like a spinning buzzsaw. That looks fucking nasty. This guy does have some skill. The Vermillion List is very surface level… “I’m going to cut off both of your arms. Hers too. And… huh?”

“Lights out.” Trey appeared, his Favour having obscured him from Brandon’s senses and memories for just long enough. His fist slammed into Brandon’s face, breaking his nose, and as he was flung backwards, the heavy brass knuckles Trey wore stamped imprints into his flesh, and the sand blade scattered, but not before shearing through the metal breastplate Brandon wore and ripping into flesh, red and silver blooming between the ragged gash. Shaking his hand, Trey grumbled that his hand hurt.

“Fuck, that hurt. Still, he got cut by his own attack though. Careless.”

“I think we have more to worry about than that…” Pale-faced Luciana, who was guiding her Ether Healing to repair her injury, nodded at the last, one-armed giant. It roared, shaking the ground and skies, and began to charge them. “We are out of the RPGs, are we not?”

“Yeah. Still, the bigger they are…” Trey began, only for Aliyah to interrupt.

“The harder they fucking hit you. But we can still take it, if we work together.”

“No, hah, you can’t…” Brandon wheezed a pained laugh, and Aliyah whistled.

“Shit, you’re a tough bastard. Got to give you credit for that. Now stay the fuck down and call off your minion, and when this is over, we’ll get a healer to fix you up a new arm.”

“Go fuck yourself.” He spat, laughing, the heat of battle and pain obviously having temporarily fried his brain’s ability to think rationally. “Crush them, my giant, crush…”

A shrill, piercing cry rang out, not harsh like the giant elemental’s earlier roar, but proud, imperious, and loud. Aliyah covered her ears, as a magnificent scene unfolded before her. A bird with wings each a dozen metres across was descending from the aurorae-streaked skies, plumage of gold and emerald shimmering with vivid chartreuse sparks. Eyes which were green flecked with gold gazed down at them, and a flash of lightning, incomparable to Luciana’s earlier strike, flared, and the elemental was pierced. Even so, it didn’t fall, only staggered, losing control of its limbs momentarily, but Aliyah and the others needed no further invitation.

Spoiler

[collapse]

“Thanks. I know you can understand me!” Aliyah roared to the skies. “We’re here to see you. Remember Akio and Shaeula? The black-haired man and small, amber-haired girl who helped you before? They wanted to pass on…” aiming for the knee joint above her, Aliyah opened fire, even as Luciana unleashed wind like a focussed breath. Stone shattered, and the giant creature of stone slumped, leaning forwards.

“Down you go!” Trey slammed into it, and he felt his bones shudder, as if he’d run straight into an iron wall, but as the beast was teetering, a few bruises were a small and temporary price to pay. The giant began to fall, and another flash of lightning from above struck it, this time half the face exploding, and Aliyah gazed up with awe.

“You’re one bad fucking bitch, ain’t ya? But…” Remembering a conversation Tan was having with Asha she’d overheard once, Aliyah shook her head.

“You shall have to be careful after the birth, no?” Tan had said, her tone cold, but her words warm, and Aliyah couldn’t help but leak a chuckle at the memory. That Goddess claims to be a bad bitch too, but she’s soft-hearted at her core. Guess you can’t judge by appearances.

“After all, we female spiritual beings are most vulnerable when we bear offspring. The males put in their strength at the time of conception, but we… invest much in the birth. It will take you time to regain your full strength afterwards, will it not?”

Asha had nodded. “Fortunately, I am not alone in my grove, but I have many to pamper me, so Akio says. I will recover in time…”

The rest of the conversation faded from Aliyah’s mind as the Thunderbird cawed again, shimmering with magnificent energies. “Looks like you got your mojo back after a difficult birth. No wonder this clown can’t bring you down… huh…”

“Fucking die!” Brandon cried, his enhanced physicality moving him despite his grievous wounds. A blade of vibrating sand and stone fragments formed, aimed at Luciana, but before anyone could react, lightning flashed, piercing him from head to toe. Moments later, thunder boomed, and the cry of the Thunderbird could be heard. Brandon shuddered, spasming, and Aliyah grimaced, the stench of burning, cooked meat filling the air. Sometimes I get how Akio feels. How even can we smell things when there’s not really any air here? Thinking about it, we shouldn’t hear speech, or have this thunder, either.

“You think he’s alive?” Aliyah nudged the body, and Luciana sighed.

“I would say so, Aliyah. Si, I would think so.” She tapped a finger under her eyes. “Aether still flows within him. Though he is in quite a wretched state.”

“Looks like our goal not to disadvantage America any further got screwed up, didn’t it?” Trey sighed, surveying the battlefield.

“Yeah, but that ain’t our fault. We were here to play nice, and we wouldn’t have cost him anything. He’d only have gained just by leaving one Thunderbird alone.” Aliyah scowled at the twitching, near-dead Chosen. “And now…? Just like your poker game, should have known when to fold it. Or maybe blackjack’s a better metaphor? You went bust, dipshit.” Aliyah kicked him, though in an area where he wouldn’t be further wounded. His armour was still scalding to the touch, so Aliyah winced as her toes got burned, even though she was determined not to show it. “So, what’s the play? Let the dumbass fuck drop dead, or keep him alive?”

“I think that’s for the best.” Trey added. “We can do some emergency Ether Healing, then when we get the Gate set up…” His words were drowned out by the flapping of wings, as the Thunderbird descended, green and gold eyes gazing at them with a mixture of curiosity and wariness, perhaps as Luciana, despite her injuries, had bent down to administer the first aid to her adversary.

As it landed, claws sinking into the stone beneath it, Aliyah was struck again by how massive the bird was, and also how magnificent. “Fuck, if the USFWS was here, they’d definitely say you should be safeguarded. Big bitch, ain’t you? Feisty too.”

At her words, the Thunderbird shifted her head, and Aliyah knew she understood, if not every word, at least enough. “Woman after my own heart. Anyway, this prick giving you trouble? Don’t worry, he’s gone too far. We’ll be taking him away, and even if he comes back…” Aliyah viewed the crumbling piles of rock that were his prized elemental giants, probably Enthroned somehow to make them even stronger. “…he’s probably going to struggle for a while. Even so…”

The Thunderbird was listening, tilting her head, and Aliyah smiled. “…this place sure is majestic, but it ain’t safe. Sure, the desert here is big, but if this piece of shit ain’t bothering you, someone else will be. You’re a mother, looking after your chicks now, yeah? And sure, you’ve got enough strength back to fend this fucker off, but… what if next time you’re not so lucky?”

The bird cawed gently, and Aliyah made her pitch. “Sure, Tokyo ain’t so open, but it still has the skies. And there are plenty of tall things to nest on, like these pillars. And there, you and your chicks will be safe. Akio and Shaeula, the two who helped you last time, it’s their land.”

The bird tilted its head, as if considering it, before with one final caw, it took to the air, giant wings flapping, kicking up dust, blowing at their hair. As it soared away into the night. Aliyah called after it. “At least think about it, okay? We’ll be setting up a magical portal which can take you there any time you want, soon enough, so… just keep an eye out.”

The bird cawed again, lightning crackled, and the skies trembled under another burst of thunder. As the Thunderbird vanished from view, Aliyah shook her head, beads jingling. “Wonder if she’ll listen. Who knows how a bird thinks?”

“I suspect she will, Aliyah.” Trey replied, as he surveyed the battlefield. “After all, she’s a mother now, like you said. A safe place to raise her kids… humans, animals, spiritual beings… everyone’s alike in wanting that, aren’t they?”

“You think so, Trey?” Aliyah rolled her eyes mockingly. “All of us should know better than anyone else that ain’t the case. Not all parents can or should be allowed to raise kids. But forget about that…” She glanced around at the devastation. “…what’s the play?”

“That’s simple.” Trey replied, without missing a beat. “We stay on mission. Sure, we might be seriously low on ammunition, but unless we get unlucky enough that our so called Mindknife comes looking like Punchout did, we can find a location that suits us, get set up, and restock. Then we toss this turd…” Trey stared down at their fallen foe, who Luciana was Healing as best she could with the aid of her Eyes. “…into someone else’s lap to deal with, and kick back in Vegas for another day or two, before we go hunting Seeds.”

“Okay. Yeah, okay.” Aliyah agreed, speaking with rather more enthusiasm. “I like that. Fucking hell, I am going to get wasted, no matter how much booze it takes to get through my Ether Healing. Though speaking of…” she glanced around at the carnage one final time. “…maybe I want to get Akio to check us out with his Eyes. This should have been a shitload of experience, don’t you think?”

As Luciana sighed, exasperated, Trey could only nod. “You know what, I think you’re right. I think you’re definitely right…”

I damn well know I am. Idly retrieving her bluesteel battery, she tossed it up and down in her hand. Still, neither Levels alone, nor Chosen powers, are enough, as this fight proved. Battle experience, stats, gear, options, and yes, special abilities, all are necessary to be the perfect combatant. Well… She tightened her grip on the cylinder, her gaze straying to the skies above where the Thunderbird had vanished. …I’ve got a long way to go, but I ain’t one for giving up. No, I most certainly ain’t…