“Are you depressed? Are you just really fucking sick of your worthless life? Do you want to feel like you actually make a difference?! DO YOU WANT TO FEEL ALIVE?! Then come now and join Crescent Thorn! We’ll make sure that your life is full of excitement!”

- Recruitment sales pitch by a former Crescent Thorn member to his Boss, 2056

We found the shelter in much the same state that we had found it the first time. Although this time there was a different group of guards outside. Their gear looked a bit better and they looked like they had a bit more bulk, and more backbone. Evidently, Andrew and his lackies were no longer seen as capable enough to do even basic bouncer duty. Not that I disagreed, he seemed to be a bit too braindead for that.

One of the guys opened the door for us, then motioned us inside. With a friendly smile I nodded to him. Normally I would sashay a bit, put on a show, to express my thanks, but my current get up really didn’t allow for that. So instead I just walked inside, carefully making sure to fit the pallet through the door. It did, although barely.

Inside the shelter things were… cramped was probably the best word. There were a lot of people sitting around the rundown building, most of the seats had long since been scavenged. They were doing what people in the redlight districts normally did, talk, drink, smoke, and sometimes taking other things. I saw at least one person snorting something from the tits of some joytoy from another brothel. It did make sense though, when drugs were cheaper than even the cheapest sodas, everyone was packing.

Deeper inside I heard moans and it didn’t take long to figure out who they belonged to. Sharon was busy doing what Sharon did, bent over some cheap chair in one of the corners, some random dude railing her real good while she was fondling herself. I just shook my head and disregarded her. It wasn’t my business, and truth be told, I didn’t care if she fucked half the shelter as long as that meant she didn’t try to overdose.

I kept my eyes open for Tina but couldn’t find her. That had me worry a bit but I did trust Castas to do what he promised me to, if only because otherwise I would fuck up his entire gang.

The man in question was standing towards the middle of the room, surrounded by a couple of people, most being members of his gang. I had to admit, before today I had a pretty bad impression of him, but he seemed to be actually trying to get shit sorted. Maybe that was because he had two Samurai breathing down his neck, but I didn’t care much for the motivation, only the results.

“Hey!” I said, getting his attention.

I placed down the food behind me and looked at him. Of course we had gotten a good bit of attention when we had walked in, not only were Chloe and me Samurai, I was also one of the more well known joytoys around the district. Although in this case I couldn’t quite appreciate all the attention on me, my get up wasn’t exactly flattering at the moment, so I did my best to ignore the stares.

Castas turned around the moment he heard my voice, and once he spotted me he immediately came over, eyes on the big shipment behind me.

Nodding at it he looked back to me, “Nice work, thank you. Any sign of my boys?”

I shook my head, feeling a bit guilty for delivering the bad news, but it wasn’t like we could have done much.

“Dead, the lot of them, sorry. When we got there there was already a huge fuck off swarm of aliens. They’d probably died the moment the incursion hit.”

He frowned, but nodded.

“Fuck… Well, it is what it is… Thanks, regardless,” he shook his head, “As much as I want to take the time and mourn, we got news from cityside. Couple of my boys bunkered down close by anyway. They reported a big fuck off army of xenos rushing to the gates. From their report some Samurai are about, but most of them look about as green as you do. Not sure exactly what’s going on, net isn’t exactly stable at the moment. We only got very few xenos around here though, so I thought you might wanna make your way cityside, just to make sure that flood isn’t coming down on us.”

I thought about it for a moment, then looked at Chloe.

She shrugged in turn, “I mean, we can check. Not sure how much we can do though, we aren’t exactly high powered Samurai.”

Castas shrugged, “I know, but far as I know you guys like killing xenos by the job lot. I can let you know the moment we need help down here. Right now things are doing okay, we got food, drugs’ll run dry at some point, but we’ll manage. And thanks to your friend in the corner people are in relatively high hopes, so morale isn’t shit.”

I snorted, “Yeah, she’ll probably continue until someone comes to save your asses. Just make sure she doesn’t take too much Shiver, yeah?”

He nodded, “‘Course. She isn’t the only Shiver addict around, we got a couple more in the backrooms, but we’ll make sure things don’t go overboard.”

I nodded at his words, trusting that he would keep an eye on things. Chloe looked a bit confused, but she let it drop when neither of us volunteered to explain.

“You know anything about the Samurai cityside?” she asked instead, “Depending on how things are looking we might be able to send some help over here.”

“Only know one of them,” Castas said, “Name’s Shrapnel. He’s some low tier Samurai from the outer edges of the inner city. Often comes to the help of the higher class outer districts. Big into explosions and that kind of shit. From the looks of it he’s with four others, but I don’t know ‘em, they barely look like Samurai at all. All I know they got alien weapons, that’s about it. If you can get someone down here I won’t complain, but truth be told I’m not holding much hope.”

I frowned, not happy with the idea of leaving these guys to their fate. They were redlight district and that meant they were my responsibility. Even fucks like Andrew.

Then again, Castas was right. We barely had any xenos down here, and if that big wave of aliens made its way to us, we’d be thoroughly fucked. Still, I'd much rather stay in case of shit going sideways.

“I don’t like leaving you guys on your own. Just needs one of the nastier fuckers and this shelter is toast. And if what you say about the Samurai up there is true, maybe they can take care of things.”

“No,” Chloe said, surprising me greatly. She looked down at me with an understanding smile. “I know you care for these people. But there is just no way a couple of rookies and some low tier Samurai can take care of that many xenos at once. I mean, we would have had issues with the group at the warehouse were it not for the roof, now imagine three times that many aliens. Even if they all work together, chances are good that they get mulched.”

With a deep sigh I slumped my shoulder. I knew she was right, but that didn’t mean I had to like it.

“What about the rest of the district?” I asked, still not entirely sure about the whole thing, “Any word on the other shelters? Anyone unaccounted for?”

Castas motioned so and so, “So far all other shelters have come in. Mainly people are safe, even Purple Haze has opened their gates for other groups. I have some people in their shelters and everyone is being civil so far. Only group I heard about being missing is Paradise Hills.”

My breath caught. Paradise Hills was another brothel, well known for entertaining the more… bestial fetishes. Furries and that kind of shit. I didn’t know many people there, but I did have some contacts. “Any word on them?”

“Dead, far as I know. Some Purple Haze folk managed to get close, but they didn’t enter, the entire thing was swarming with xenos.”

“Fuck!” I cursed, closing my eyes.

I tried to keep myself calm. It did help to have Chloe next to me, especially when she hugged me from the side. I took a few deep breaths, then shook my head.

“I guess… I guess as long as most people are accounted for. We could search the streets, see if we can’t find anyone else…”

He shook his head, “Don’t take this the wrong way, Princess, but I am not sure that’s useful. From what I have seen outside, anyone who was out in the last two hours or so is dead by now. It’s better if you focus your energy somewhere else.”

I took a deep breath. I wanted to argue, I wanted to complain. But I knew he was right.

“Princess, hm?” I said with half a smirk, not having the energy to manage the full thing.

He shrugged, giving me a grin, “I mean, you are the Princess of the redlight district, aren’t you? Thought it might be a fitting name.”

I snorted, “Sure, because that isn’t a mouthful.”

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

“How about the Crimson Princess? I mean, it would fit both your hair and the district you are from,” Chloe threw in. I knew she was mostly playing along to distract me.

“Sure, whatever,” I said, before rubbing my face. I felt… lost.

“Come on, Princess. We’ll be fine. Go out there and save the day, hm?” Castas said with what I could only guess would be a smile.

I sighed deeply, but nodded. “Alright. But I won’t be leaving you without gear. If shit hits the fan I want to make sure you have at least some way to defend yourself.”

“Much appreciated. I’ll let you know if anything changes around these parts.”

We left a couple of minutes later, after leaving behind some weapons and gear. Chloe left them the miracle pistols she had given me, a gun called a Hummingbird. It was apparently designed exactly with that in mind, a cheap, easy to use, effective anti-xeno pistol you could give even the biggest idiots and have them kill some aliens.

For my part I left them five basic shield emitters. According to Kaysa they were similar to the Hummingbird, a very basic and simple to use shield to protect people from a couple of the lower digit models. Nothing too amazing, but exactly right for the job at hand.

The emitters cost ten points a pop, which I thought was reasonable if they kept the people inside safe, so I got five of them. It left me with 219 points, which was more than enough for any emergency needs, I figured.

Once we were outside I sighed again, rubbing my face. I really didn’t like any of this, I felt… helpless. Chloe wrapped me into a hug, which was only a bit annoying with the armor in the way, but it helped. Actually, it helped a lot.

I sighed, then shook my head, “Let’s get going. Quicker we head over, quicker we can come back.”

“Yeah. Maybe my car still works… It should be… somewhere around the brothel.”

With a snort I separated from her, giving her a glance with a raised eyebrow, “Somewhere around the brothel? Did you forget where you parked your car?”

She snorted in turn, “I don’t know if you noticed, but I was… kind of distracted with the evening plans.”

That had me giggling, “I know I’m repeating myself here, but you are too adorable.”

With one final shrug and a deep blush on her part, which had me nearly cooing at her, we started to head out. I again stuck very close to her, and she kept an arm on my shoulders. It made everything much better and I could have almost forgotten about the alien incursion happening around us, being held by her like this.

We walked in silence, neither of us feeling too much like talking, eyes sharp for any xeno that wanted to interrupt our tranquillity. At this point though it seemed like everything was silent, the only sound that even hinted at the incursion going on was the gunfire in the far distance, often overshadowed by some kind of explosion or something similar.

We had just roughly passed the halfway point between the shelter and the brothel, when I suddenly heard something. Straining my hearing I quickly realised it was footsteps, two pairs, although one was a bit odd. I also heard heavy breathing and something I would think to be a small child crying.

I stopped, arms raised in alarm, and looked around. There was a small alley not far from us, and just as both Chloe and I got ready for any surprises jumping out of it, a figure came running out of it. It was followed by… one giant bot.

The figure turned out to be a young woman, probably my age, and considering the skimpy barely clothing she wore she was a joytoy. In her arms she held a small child, although my mind quickly started ringing all alarm bells when I saw the state of the childs clothing, and her clothes for that matter. There was blood, a lot of blood.

I was already preparing to rush over to the woman when she spotted us, eyes wide with panic and fear. “What are you doing out here?!” she asked in confused shock.

“We are Samurai, now what’s wrong with him?” I asked when we arrived in front of the woman, skipping all pleasantries.

She looked utterly exhausted, breathing heavily, covered in sweat. She looked like she had been crying, cheap makeup ruined by tears, her hair dishevelled. All in all, she looked horrible.

At my words her eyes widened even more, “Oh thank fuck! He got hurt and I don’t have the points to deal with it!”

As she spoke she lowered him, allowing me to inspect the wounds. The child was a young boy, at best a couple of months old, maybe a year or two, I wasn’t an expert on things. He looked… bad. His onesie was ripped and two deep gashes racked across his torso.

“Put him down! Kaysa, whatever he needs, now!” I ordered, kneeling down on the ground next to the other woman.

New purchase: Class I RegenBandAid!

Points reduced to: 214

New purchase: Class I Hemo-Restore!

Points reduced to: 209

A moment later two boxes appeared next to me, one labelled ‘RegenBandAid’ and one labelled ‘Hemo-Restore’.

Without a closer medical inspection these will be the most useful. First place the RegenBandAid over the wound, then inject the Hemo-Restore. It is a small cylinder with a stopper on one side. Place it next to the wound and press the stopper.

I recommend you remain nearby in case he needs more medical attention after the fact.

I didn’t think twice, quickly following her instructions. Carefully taking off the onesie I opened the box with the RegenBandAid. On the cushion inside lay a big band aid. And when I mean big, I mean I had to wrap it around him.

“Can you hold him real quick?” I asked the other woman, while I pulled out the bandage.

She nodded in turn and held him in such a way that I could make sure the entire wound was covered. Once that was done I opened the second box and pulled out the small cylinder. Doing as instructed I placed it as close to the RegenBandAid as I could and pressed the top. Instantly the entire thing emptied into him. Throwing the empty thing away I looked him over. He was still crying, although he seemed to no longer have the energy to wail.

With the immediate disaster dealt with I allowed some of the tension to flow out of me. She carefully held him close, making sure not to touch the bandage too much, and rocked him gently, “Shhh, things will be okay, you will be okay.”

She said that, but she looked damn near a panic attack herself, tears already playing around her eyes again. I glanced up to Chloe and she glanced down at me.

“Should I hold him for a moment? You look exhausted,” she offered gently, kneeling next to the newcomer.

The woman looked at her, then nodded, “Thank you… Thank you both so much,” she said, gently handing Chloe the kid, while she was… trembling? She looked like she was close to a meltdown.

“Hey, hey,” I said softly, pulling her up and into a hug, “Hey, everything is okay. You are okay.”

Finally the dam broke and she started to cry, ugly sobbing while she held her face in her hands. I kept hugging her, gently patting her back, just offering support. I wasn’t sure what had happened to her, but she seemed… in a very bad way.

“Let’s head to the shelter, hm? It’s safer there and it’s not far,” I offered her with a smile after she had calmed down a bit. She nodded, not speaking, and soon we took off, the giant bot still behind us.

Talking about the bot, it seemed to be focused on keeping our rear safe. It was a big thing, like, nine feet tall, but thin, basically only a frame. It had a long pike and a big tower shield, both held at the ready for anything coming from behind us. Its head was designed like those old Egyptian Jackal Sentinels you often see in old pictures of the tombs. Well, before they were destroyed anyway.

“I’m such a fucking failure,” the woman muttered, eyes glassy and focused on nothing. Not like someone on a trip, more like someone who was lost in thoughts. “First I nearly got my group killed by leading them into an ambush and after we managed to somehow get out I got them killed anyway when I led them face first into a giant horde.” When she finished she started to cry again, “Not to mention I fucked up my points so bad just because I was so fucking impressed by the first big purchase that I nearly got the kid killed… I’m the worst fucking Samurai alive.”

“Hey, hey,” I said, still hugging her from the side, “Things happen, it’s okay. The kid is okay, he’ll live. Let’s start with introductions, hm? I’m Seraphine Bloodfallen, this is Chloe. What’s your name?”

“Jenna…” the answer was quiet, nearly a whisper, “Jenna Tiel.”

“Jenna, hm? That’s a really pretty name. Are you hurt anywhere? We can rest a bit at the shelter, calm down a bit.” I kept my tone soft and soothing.

“I’m fine… Cleopatra protected me.” she shook her head, “Not that it did fuck all for the rest…”

“Cleopatra is your bot?”

“It’s my AI, she’s controlling the bot.”

“Ah. Now, let’s stop mulling over the past for a moment, it won’t help you in the future. You have made mistakes, and that is regrettable, but the least you can do to make up for it is to think ahead and make sure you don’t repeat them, hm? Do you have a weapon or anything?” She didn’t look like it, but then again, my gear was pretty well hidden as well.

She shook her head with a snort that lacked all amusement, just a self-deprecating sound, “I got the Sentinel, that’s all I have. Cost me all the points I had. Didn’t manage to get more since all I could do was run, after those fucking xenos jumped and mauled the rest. I was lucky I got the kid out.”

“Hey, hey, now. Let’s keep calm, okay? It’s not on you.”

“Of course it fucking is!” she snapped.

“Did you know about the ambush? About the aliens?”

“How could I?” she gave me a strange look.

“Then it’s not your fault,” I said, still soothingly but with a certain emphasis in my tone, “You did the best you could at the time and got unlucky.”

“It doesn’t matter, they are dead!” she nearly shouted, anger and a deep sorrow in her eyes, “And I’m the one who got them killed!”

“No, you did not!” I snapped back. There was a moment of silence before I sighed, “Trust me, I get how you feel. I’ve seen too many people that I felt responsible for overdose because they couldn’t deal with the shit they had to deal with. I’ve seen too many people who I have tried to help, to find some way out of their misery, give up and just pull the trigger. But that is just not something we can change. We need to move on. You need to move on. Accept that shit happened.”

“But if I had weapons I could have-”

“Do you know how to use weapons?” I was pretty certain the answer was no, she didn’t look like ex-gang, current gang, or military, nor did she look like anything else, except, well, a joytoy. And joytoys weren’t exactly known for their weapon slinging.

“No,” she admitted and hung her head.

“Then there is nothing you could have done. And it sounds like without your bot you wouldn’t even have survived.”

She sighed again, rubbing her face, ruining her makeup even more. “I guess…”

“Life’s shit”, Chloe cut in, sympathy in her eyes when she glanced at Jenna, but her tone was that of a soldier, “There is no higher power with some grand plan, and there is no way to save everyone. Setbacks are par for the course, there is nothing you can do to prevent them. The best you can do is accept that it’s gonna happen, try to minimise the impact, then learn from the situation. You have just had such a setback. You owe it to the people you lost that you don’t drown in guilt, instead learn from it. Mourn, but learn. Tomorrow life throws the next pile of shit at you, and then you better apply what you have learned today, and if you do, life will be less shit. Just understand that it will always be shit, even if it’s polished.”

I wasn’t certain I would have put it like that, but at least Jenna seemed to take it to heart and that really was all that mattered at the moment.