Adam was ashamed that his first thought was: War Maidens can swear?

The mutant wasps were similarly unimpressed. Half of a dozen swarmed towards the crack in the door, buzzing like saw blades in a paper mill. Purple sparks flashed between their stingers. Adam cursed as he leaped back. He drew his handgun and activated his [Perception Acceleration]. A rifle was too unwieldy in close quarters, and he wasn't risking grabbing these insects with his mystics.

He didn't get a chance to act. A fireball exploded mid-air. The wasps dropped to the ground, their shells on fire, and Saria drew her hand back. She slammed the door as the insects writhed on the ground. Her boot finished them off.

New mystic technique observed: [Pyro-Ball]

"Disgusting." Saria said. She scraped her boot against the dirt, leaving a brown trail that contained chunks of insect shell. She crouched down and inspected them. "Corruption. I knew something was wrong. It's faint, but it's there."

Adam leaned down and felt his plasma react to it. He looked back at the generator room. Tiny red wisps floated out of the gaps near the doors and roof, tinged with electric-blue sparks. He groaned.

"God damn it. No wonder the generators aren't working. Insects sucked up all the electricity. I didn't even know that was a thing."

"How many are in there?"

"Not sure. Lucy and I didn't check this place much. Wanted to fix the signal beacon first. Either a bunch of wraiths got locked in there, or someone died and the wasps moved in later. Was the MOB doing experiments with insects or something?" He was glad he never investigated this place with Lucy. She would've tried to fight the wasps without a proper understanding of the red.

Saria frowned. She thought, then shook her head. "Research like that isn't done in a MOB."

"There was a lab on the map."

"Only for military experiments, I think." She scowled, biting her thumb. "Ah stars, it's the worst of both worlds! Not blaming you, Chosen, of course. Lucy, the same. But we need to get rid of these filth before they spread across the base!"

A determined look crossed her face. She snapped her fingers, conjuring six balls of fire. They hovered around her upper body and above her head. She muttered to herself as she checked her ammunition and equipment.

New mystic technique observed: [Pyro-Ball: Model Precast]

"Seriously, it's so revolting. I'm gonna roast the lot of them. I'm so glad we're getting this done first, Chosen!"

"Wait, you're gonna fight them now?" Adam said. He didn't disagree with the idea. Wasps sucked. They weren't helpful like bees, or pretty to look at like butterflies. Scientists could wipe the entire wasp linage off the planet, and he'd celebrate with a hearty drink, ecological consequences be damned. Saria was a bit too eager, however. He tried not to flinch as Saria turned to him. Was that a human in front of him, or a mad bull?

"There are thousands of them, plus the queens." He said.

Saria held up her shotgun, checking its ammunitions. Next were the grenades on her belt. "It'll be fine. This isn't the first time I've done a cleansing. We've got the proper equipment."

They had recovered helmets and gloves from one of the warehouses, and Saria had taught him how to cover the rest of the exposed skin with his uniform. The ADO's clothes were woven out of a malleable polyester that rippled instead of creasing. It was surprisingly shock-absorbent.

"It sounds like you're gonna charge straight in and set the place on fire." Adam said. "Yeah, I'm missing context here, because for now, it sounds completely retarded."

She gave him a look, then made a sound of understanding. "Oh yeah, Lucy is the midrange type."

"You what?"

"She didn't do what you said, I bet."

"She tore her way out of a pit of wraiths."

"Yeah, but not willingly. I'm different. Look Chosen, it sounds reckless, but trust me: I've dealt with these kinds of messes before. All you have to do is take care of the stragglers while I deal with the main nest. You can do that, right?"

"Only if you promise not to melt the internals. We need those."

"Hey, the generators here tough. They're built to last. The wasps are sucking them all up, anyway. You see a better solution?"

"…no."

She put on her helmet, covering her confident smile and her ponytail. Adam sighed. Fine, then. It wasn't like he was leading this time. He checked his own weapons. Everything was green. His Vitality and Plasma meters were both full.

"Be careful. The wasps might electrocute you."

Saria laughed. "The Scourge's done worse! I tell you, Chosen, we're gonna need one of those heavy-duty suction cleaners!"

Adam flared his plasma as Saria kicked the door open. It smashed the first wave of wasps into its heavy frame, their half-broken bodies squelching down the metal. A second wave screeched in unison and flew towards Saria.

Her fireballs launched themselves as soon as they got close, burning their wings and antennae and sending them tumbling down, same as their brethren outside. An arc of electricity flashed between the remaining wasps, striking Saria in the chest. It was so fast that if Adam hadn't activated [Perception Acceleration], he would have missed it. She recovered and dashed to the left, leaving behind a flame spurting upwards, taking out more of the wasps.

The generator room was a semi-underground structure, as wide as one of the MOB warehouses and with a somewhat low ceiling. The wasp nest had consumed a good portion of the middle and back, the fibrous, almost-papery structure consuming generator exteriors, furniture and parts of the walls. Saria took great pleasure in demolishing it.

As she reached the back, she drew a throwing knife from her belt and clenched it tight. Sigils on the metal lit up in orange. She aimed through a gap between a machine and tossed the knife, landing it on a chunk of nest. Fire bloomed out of the knife, setting the chunk alight. Wasps buzzed out, some furious, others already in falling. A vault over the machine, followed by a few quick blasts from her shotgun, sent the rest of the chunk tumbling to the ground.

Her patterns were erratic. She chose directions on the fly, confusing both Adam and the wasps. Adam swore she was screaming, but that couldn't be right, because Saria was wearing a helmet. Maybe that was her flames. Probably the same thing, given how the Flame Witch acted.

A couple wasps poured out of the gap to attack Adam. He retreated, using his slowed-down vision in combination with his handgun to snipe them out of his air. He picked up dirt with [Psycho-Pull] and tossed it. That didn't work. A couple of the wasps battered his side, unable to break through with its stinger, yet sending an electrical pulse through him. The pain made him cry out. He battered it aside, then activated [Physio-Dash].

The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

Or rather, he thought he did. His mind strayed over to Saria, and suddenly his plasma no longer responded to just [Physiokinesis].

Activating synchronization…

There was always a rush of energy whenever he performed [Physio-Dash]. This time, it sweltered. It sizzled, radiating outwards from his back. His body shifted backwards amidst his contemplation, and he stumbled out the other end, dazed, then whirled around with his handgun up.

"What the…"

The wasps weren't chasing him. They were swerving and swaying in mid-air, as if caught via invisible wires. One wasp bumped into another, sending them both crashing down. Adam shot them before they regained their senses. He copied Saria and crushed the bodies with his boots. Each one made wet squishes that leaked whitish innards.

Ew.

He touched the air where the wasps had once lay and winced. It was hot. The air shimmered, similar to Saria's heat hazes, like a wobbly stack of invisible jelly. It dissipated into empty air.

Synchronization ended.

Definition created for synchronization of User Adam Westfield and War Maiden Saria Alcott. Formula: [Physiokinesis] + [Pyrokinesis]. The synchronized combination allows [Physiokinesis] mystics to exude high amounts of heat after each cast. Cost: Low. Does not appear to harm.

Technique has been designated: [Physio/Pyro-Synchronization]

Experience (First synchronization) acknowledged: +5%.

That's…

He wasn't sure what to think of it. [Photo/Psycho-Synchronization] seemed more useful at first, allowing him to scout out an area through Lucy's eyes. He couldn't deny how this combination taken care of those wasps. He'd need to test how much heat this synchronization would produce and if it could harm a human begin.

This better not screw me over. Certain objects broke when exposed to heat. The less said about primitive explosives, the better.

He heard a shriek from the generator room. He dashed over, slamming the doors open. "Saria! Are you—"

Saria caught a gigantic stinger in her hands, crushed it in her grip, and threw the corresponding wasp smack-dab into the floor. The wings of the oversized wasp smacked against into a boxy machine. The same shriek resounded.

Alright, never mind then.

Saria either ignored him or cared not for his entrance. She punched the wasp in the head. The insect was straight out of a B-grade horror movie; Luke from juvie was somehow afraid of their slipshod costumes and bad CGI. Yet, Saria throttled it with her bare hands, as if she was him beating a staggered opponent. Each blow disgorged whitish innards that cooked instantly in the surrounding fires.

After three more punches—he counted—the giant wasp gave a high-pitched scream and smacked its stubby legs into Saria's shoulders. He saw her body tremble from the blow, and the ground beneath her suddenly cracked. Little particles flew up in a circle.

New mystic technique observed: [Physio-Deflect]

Without missing a beat, Saria placed her hands on the wasp and streamed fire.

New mystic technique observed: [Pyro-Augment]

A blast of her shotgun finished the gigantic wasp off. She stood up, then looked his way.

"Chosen." She said. "Ah, awesome. You done out there?"

"Yeah." Adam said. "All clear here?"

Saria glanced around and nodded. "All clear."

She snapped her fingers, dissipating the rest of her flames. The entire place smelled of ash and cooked insects. He was glad for the helmet. One whiff of this stuff and he'd be suffering asthma attacks for the rest of his life.

Saria dusted wasp innards off her clothes and walked back to him, relaxed yet attentive. Her helmet came off. She grinned at him. "Told you it was fine."

"This is what you do all the time, huh?" Adam said.

"Yep! Charge straight in and set everything alight. Works on Scourge-beasts ninety percent of the time. My augmentations are tailor-made for enduring blows and regenerating fast." She gave him the thumbs up. Burn marks and stench aside, she had done a good job. The enemies were eliminated, the machines were undamaged (aside from their shells) and both of them were safe. He wasn't about to mourn the death of mutant, electric-spitting wasps. ADOSCH hummed to life, notifying that a couple of generators were ready for hacking.

"The next time we see these bastards, you're killing them. Again."

"Sure, Chosen!"

"You okay though?" Adam said.

"Yes?" Saria asked, sounding confused. "I just told you. This is my job—"

"Nah, not what I mean. Most girls I know don't go this ballistic over bugs, even oversized ones." They screamed and ran for the spray can. They did not want to commit genocide.

"This gonna be a problem, or…?"

"Oh, that. No, it won't affect me in the field. You want more of an explanation?" Saria said. Adam nodded. She took off her helmet and scowled at a nearby burnt chunk of nest. The larvae inside were cooked to a crisp like those little shrimps he ate at that one Chinese restaurant. "Look, I don't mind insects, if they're kept as pets. Maddy used to collect those cute little horn-beetles from Zayini. Y'know, the ones peddled by one of the corps. She put them in a glass tank and all. So, I'm fine with those, but I hate, hate, hate the wild ones!"

Adam blinked. "Why?"

Saria motioned with her hands, gripping them like claws and then into fists. "Because they crawl everywhere, get into our tech and secrete those awful-smelling fluids! Have you ever had your fave rig break because a bunch of aluminiu-ants setup a nest in there? Our family did, and we had to deal with the little monsters crawl all over our nice furniture for months!"

"Uh…" Adam said. "So that kicked off your fear of them?"

"What? No. I'm not afraid of them."

"Getting mixed signals here. You sure sound like you've got a phobia."

"Chosen, I'm not gonna freak out at the sight of a roach. I'm too powerful for that." Saria said. She swept her hands across the scene. "But if I see a mess, I want to clean it up! Scrub it, disinfect it, whatever. Just because this is a power room doesn't mean it shouldn't be clean!

"Saria, we're covered in sweat and dirt right now."

"Well, yeah, but we have the showers. You can't avoid it in the field, or training. Domestic is different." Saria said. Her eyes lit up. "The Goddess hates the Scourge, so she sends us, the ADO, to scour the stars of them. We clean up the messes left behind and nurture the earth so other humans can live on it. Same principle. Do you understand now?"

He thought about raising his finger, making a point, and then decided against it. The Marines had taught him tidiness, but this was out of control. He better install a bolt on his door.

"What about you, Chosen?"

He shrugged. He'd slept in a few places that were crawling with insects and arachnids. As long as you plugged your ears and covered your mouth, it was managable. "Let's just start cleaning."

"Sure." Saria said. "But first…"

"Oh my god."

"I felt a tug on my core when I fought. The [War Maiden's Bond], right? Lucy told me about it. That means you used my [Pyrokinesis]!"

"It's not a big deal, honestly."

"Yes it is! It's a mystic we only hear about in the Lexicon stories! Tell me about, Chosen! Please, please, please?"

"Ah, shut it and grab the fucking vacuum cleaners already!"

Experience (Combat) acquired: +40%

User Adam Westfield's Competency Level has increased from 2-7 to 2-8!

Acquired 1 Biometric Key!

----------------------------------------

Esther giggled, one hand over her mouth, the other steadying a faux-porcelain teacup. Adam crossed his arms and glared back over the table. "It's not that funny."

"Oh, I must disagree." Esther said. "It's not often I witness an ordinary human mingle with the War Maidens. Most of my clients are already devoted, you see."

"You sure enjoy watching me get a headache, eh?"

"Not exactly, but in a way…" Esther smiled. She pushed over a plate. "Try these cakes. They're from Zayini, same origin as Madeline's old beetle collection. The citrus-scented ones are to sin for."

Adam stuffed half the fluffy white cake into his mouth. He rolled his eyes as he chewed. "How is it?"

He swallowed, massaging his throat. "Real nice of you to treat me before you beat my ass into the ground, Esther."

"Now now, you are attempting to learn those techniques in a single go. I thought I might acclimatise you first, lest your mind fracture into pieces. You're quite lucky Miss Klavdia is incapacitated at the moment. She would not have bought the excuse Miss Alcott did."

"I can take twelve hours." Adam said. "You wouldn't have let me in here if I couldn't."

"You're learning, Adam. A side effect of your improved mystical prowess."

Adam rolled his eyes. "Like your Goddess was gonna let me die before her stupid plan's up. Now can we start already? I came here for a purpose."

"If you insist. Finish your tea and cakes first, and I'll set us up." Esther gazed across the manufactured scenery, where white buildings stood tall and proud before a sparkling clear lake, beneath a starry night sky. Images of citizens flitted back and forth across the curated greenery.

"One last question. Treat it as a follow-up from our previous conversation." She smiled at him. Her teacup steamed with a minty fragrance. "Was it nice to be thanked by dear Miss Klavdia and Miss Alcott?"

He grabbed a bunch of the cakes and stuffed them in the mouth. He chewed, slowly, deliberately.

Esther smiled wider.

"I have worked with tens of thousands of humans in my career, Adam, and half of those have been young adolescents like you. I will take that as a 'yes'."