Glenn's Rest almost damn near gave up.

Oh, they tried their hardest. Their militia fought as well as a group of farmers with bolt-actions could against a three-pronged attack from violent marauders. It even seemed to be going alright, at first. Keen eyes and pairs of steady hands snuffed out a few Gasheads here and there, while the hard metal of the village walls provided them protection against the Gasheads' gunfire. The support team ran back and forth through the village to put out the fires caused by the artillery. The intel fed by the outsider—Andrey had no clue where he received that from—turned out to be legit. It even let him feel a shred of optimism. Maybe they'd tire the bandits out long enough for reinforcements to arrive. Whatever that outsider boy Adam had cooked up, it seemed to be working.

The bandits injected red into their veins, and the entire town felt their stomachs drop as one. The lucky shooters fell off the railings as the corrupted bandits smashed into the town walls with monstrous strength. The unlucky ones had their heads blasted off. Andrey stood there, numb to the sounds of metal plates being torn down, before the screaming of his charges broke him out of the traces.

"Retreat! Retreat!" Andrey shouted. "Back to the shelter! Grab anyone you can and head for the—"

The gate exploded inwards, sending a horde of corrupted bandits charging through. One of them reached straight for his throat, a hand as thick as his neck. His life—farmstead, merchant, hunter and mayor—flashed before his eyes.

The bandit's head exploded. Rays of light beamed down and finished off the rest, including the forming wraiths. Andrey fell backward, dust and gravel kicking up in plumes around him. He coughed behind one arm, squinting through the cloud.

It was one of Adam's girls. The blonde one who helped him with the two bandit jobs and spoke in foreign, rapid tones. Andrey was no pervert, but even he had to agree that the blonde girl was strangely pretty, at least for the town's standard. Her long, golden locks were too refined, her uniform clean yet vibrant in its stark whiteness. Most folks didn't have eyes as blue as the ancient skies and, like Adam, she carried an abundance of star-tech. Her head jerked sideways, and he gulped.

"Miss?" He said.

She didn't respond, only gave him a single nod before vanishing in a blur. Didn't even bother to check on her fallen prey. Suddenly, he saw her atop the castle walls. Andrey cried out, the girl ignored him and she jumped down. Light exploded through the gaps in the wall, coupled with screams of terror and the wet sounds of flesh raining down. Despite himself, he scrambled to the front to check, and gasped.

The girl fought the bandits. No, scratch that. The girl destroyed the bandits. Magic was a rare sight in the valley, with more fakers than real practitioners, and yet the girl pulled spell after spell out of her fingers. A blade of light that sliced through bandits as if they were melted butter, explosions from tiny clusters, the girl withstanding punches that should've broken a grown man in half, before retaliating by slicing the assailant's throat clean off…

This was the same girl who played with their children, Andrey realised. Ate their food, slept in their inn, strolled back and forth with a pleasant, polite smile between those fresh-faced cheeks. The thought threatened to collapse him to his knees. She could have killed him, he realised. Could have taken on half the town with her level of power. Here she was, fighting on their behalf, taking on an entire horde by herself.

He'd seen strange and terrible sights in his forty so years. Nothing compared to the question of 'why' in that moment, as he rooted himself to the spot, horrified yet so fascinated at the battle raging before him.

One by one, the bandits fell to the girl. It was just her and the tumor beast remaining. The grotesque facsimile of a horse shrieked. If Andrey didn't know any better, he'd say the creature was afraid. It charged straight at the girl, who dodged yet still took damage from the beast's acidic spit. The old fear creeped up and Andrey thought—no, dared to think that she might be harmed by it. Surely, whatever power fuelling her magic wasn't infinite?

He was right, but it didn't matter.

The wing of an angel spread out from the girl's back. She gripped her blade in both hands, waited for the tumor beast to charge again, and swung down once. Those in the know would have criticized the girl for being slapdash. Sloppy in the amount of plasma used, reckless in its execution, foolish for even trying. Indeed, throughout the whole process, the girl's mouth made desperate gasps and her body wracked itself with exertion.

To the townsfolk, however, they only saw the ray of light bursting free like a punch from the sun itself. The tumor beast split in two, momentum carrying its desecrated body slices forward, spilling chunks of organs and sticky brown fluid across the front of the walls. The girl summoned more spears of light and hurled them at the tumor beast's head, destroying it.

The girl's wing unfolded, seemingly roaring as it shone brightly before dissipating into clouds of sparkles, fading away into the dusty air. The girl turned around and strode back to the busted down gate, seemingly unfazed. Far in the distance, a plume of flame rose like a fountain geyser, and the blackened bodies of the corrupted bandits crashed to the earth like tiny meteors. Adam peeked his head from around the corner, covered in blood, and gave the girl the thumbs up.

Andrey didn't know when he started, but he was clapping and cheering for the mysterious girl, and so were his friends on the walls.

God. He thought.

Yeah, that was right. God. The thing his granny used to believed in, before the air cracked and her home was stolen from peaceful times beneath these hellish blood-red skies.

That's where the girl came from.

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

Of course, Glenn's Rest didn't get off easy. Broken walls, polluted grounds, fire damage and wraith goo… the list of damages went on and on. Several townsfolk had died, including fathers, mothers and siblings. Funerals were held, bodies were burned, and the ashes were stored in small metal boxes for the families to mourn over. It wasn't enough to stop them. They moved forward with renewed purpose, and how could they not? The village had survived yet another crisis that should have ruined them. That was already a major victory.

Adam was jealous. Well, almost. He'd helped out by dealing with the majority of the corrupted bandits that broke through the walls. Cole and Jona had helped too, with a stick of dynamite from the former and hefty shotgun blasts from the latter. Sawn-offs were no joke.

He also supposed he'd be more irritable if the townsfolk hadn't done a complete one-eighty in their opinion of him. Jona slung an arm around him in the Ram's Roach and practically forced a mug of her finest ale down his throat. The 'star-kid' they called him. Andrey even offered him a sack of chips for his hard work.

He ended up turning it down. Didn't know why. Just didn't feel right, somehow. They'd need the cash more than him.

Miriam gave him a real tongue-lashing for his plan. Said it almost gave her a heart attack. He expected Lucy to be as aggravated, but she too came under fire for attempting to pull off an incomplete nova. Adam thought the technique was the coolest mystical thing he'd ever seen. Lucy bowed her head and offered her apologies. She thanked him for allowing her to pull it off, thanks to the additional bonus offered by the [War Maidens' Bond]. Ironically, it was Saria, of all people, who emerged unscathed.

The day was bright and moist. The skies had dumped ash-clogged rain upon them last night. He sat on a seat in a village, massaging his shoulders and drenched in sweat. His crew was unable to move out, thanks to the boats needing repairs from the battle. In the meantime, he hauled lumber and made basic repairs on the village in exchange for free food and board. It was better than doing nothing.

"Mister!"

A shrill voice caught his attention. It was the girl with pigtails and the brown dress. Adam racked his brains. This hi—villager girl's name was…

"Sarah, right?"

"Yeppers! It's me, star-kid!"

He tried not to wince at the nickname. "Hey there. You want to see Lucy again?"

The townsfolk were quite enamoured with Lucy these days. They called her an angel. The suspicious stares from the younger kids had turned into gazes of admiration, even a few blushes. Meanwhile, the older folk tried to get her to sample some of their cuisine, or have a chat. She still couldn't speak English, and Adam neither wanted, nor needed, to pull double duty as her translator, so he just fibbed and said she needed rest. It wasn't a complete lie. Lucy almost pushed herself to plasma exhaustion again. Didn't prevent her from making more light shows for the kids.

"Nope!" Sarah said, with a wide grin that revealed growing teeth. "I wanted to see you, Mister!"

He raised his eyebrows, leaning back in the public seat. "Wow, that's new. What for?"

"A present. Here you go!"

Sarah held up a cloth doll. Adam wiped his hands on his trousers, then took it. It was a rabbit, with an outer body made from straw, twine and old fabric, dyed the yellow of corn. He gave it a poke. The insides were soft with a hard center. Its eyes were mismatched plastic buttons.

"It's nice." Adam said. He meant it. Whoever had woven the doll clearly put a lot of effort into it. Mary would've liked it.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

"Thanks." Adam said. "I'm sure Lucy will appreciate it."

"No, silly! It's for you?"

Adam blinked. "Say what?"

"It's for you, star-kid." Sarah said. "Because you saved my Mommy!"

"I… did?"

"Yep! She said you jumped in front of her when one of the bad guys came to hurt her. You ran off before she could thank you, so I'm giving you this for her." Saria said. She pointed to the doll. "Um, her name is Leslie. She likes apples and bedtime stories but doesn't like bees too much. She'll get cross if you give her porridge, so don't do that too. Make sure you treat her right!"

"I… uh, think you've got the wrong person." Adam said. He tried to give the doll back, but the girl jumped out of the way before he could. "Seriously, kid, I was just doing my job. I didn't mean to…"

The words stuck in his throat. He tried to force them out, but could only choke. The girl was still talking. She beamed at him, like Lucy sometimes did.

"My friend's daddy died because he fought the bad guys with his gun." Sarah said. "She was really sad about it, and I was sad too, but it also sorta made me happy that my Mommy and Daddy were still alive. You saved Mommy, so that means you're a good person. A real hero, Mister!"

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

Disgusting, Saria thought. The heretic had pissed himself. She pinched her nose and glanced around the small underground dungeon. No cleaning equipment was available. Maybe if she set the urine on fire… no, that would only attract attention. The Operator had been adamant she and Lucy not cause a ruckus. Best not to inconvenience the Chosen, either.

She climbed up the stairs and closed the hatch with a weighty thud. Lucy was waiting nearby.

"Did the heretic talk?" Lucy asked.

"Nope." Saria said. "Fainted when I came near. He recognised my uniform. Didn't spot any sign of writing, and the Chosen said none of the townsfolk suspected us, so you did a good job on him, Luce."

"Thank you. I'll call Operator Pereia and put this matter to rest. About time too." Lucy said Saria knew her friend had been merciful—an Intermediate or a Veteran War Maiden would have lopped off the heretic's hands. The two girls were lucky to have an understanding Communications Operator too. Desperate times made for strange bedfellows.

"Anything else we need to do here?"

"Nope. Come on, Saria, let's find the Chosen! It's almost time for lunch." The two girls walked through the village, homing in on Adam's plasma signature. A couple of the townsfolk waved to Lucy as she passed. Not so much to Saria, but she was fine with that. Lucy was the PR Maiden. She knew how to handle a crowd, with her upper-class background and amicable smile. Saria tended to focus on the more immediate details. Like punching heretics. Or setting them on fire. Or executing a combo attack with that Victoria girl, granting the Scourge a dual terror of extreme heat and blistering cold before the sweet release of rot…

"Ah, there he is!" Lucy said. She waved a hand, a spring in her step. "Chosen! Hello!"

Adam sat at the bank of the river, staring into the water. He jerked up as Lucy and Saria approached. Something fell from his hands. He fumbled it with his fingers until he remembered his mystic and caught it with a [Psycho-Pull].

"Shit. Ah, hey girls." Adam said. "What's up?"

"Nothing, just wanted to check on you. Whatcha doing?" Saria said.

He shrugged. "Thinking, I guess."

"May we join you?" Lucy asked. "The water seems nice."

He gave another non-committable shrug. "Not like I can stop you."

Lucy took Adam's left and Saria took his right. Together, the three rested at the bank, listening to the water flow by. Several shiny fish flitted between the murky water. The coloration was clearing up, as sources further up pushed away the ash and grime downstream. It almost looked safe to drink.

"How was work?" Lucy asked.

"Alright. Can't complain. You?"

"We finished checking up on a loose end. I'm happy to say that it will no longer be a problem for you."

"That's cool. Ain't like anything can threaten you two." A distracted edge clung to his words, and he seemed more interested in the rust on the opposite walls than her. Frowning, Lucy leaned in closer. It changed to bewilderment.

"Chosen, what do you have there?"

"A doll, Lucy." Adam said. He had clutched it to his chest, preventing her from seeing it the first time around. He showed it. The shape and doughy arms reminded Saria of Madeline's old kindergarten toys. A pang struck her heart as memories of pastel-colored walls and fights against school bullies. flowed through. She shook them away. Not now, she told herself. Not in front of Her Chosen.

"Where's you get it?" Saria asked.

"One of the kids gave it to me." Adam said. "She's one of the girls enjoying Lucy's light shows."

Lucy's eyes lit up, and she clapsed her hands together. "Oh, that's wonderful. How sweet of her! It's proof of your good deeds, Chosen."

Adam made a grunt and nodded. "She called me a… a…"

He gulped down air. Fell silent.

"Chosen?" Lucy asked. She scooted closer to him. She glanced down at the cloth doll. Nothing was out of the ordinary about it. "Is everything alright?"

"The kid."

"What about her?" Saria asked.

"Her name is Sarah. She said I saved her mom in the battle. Sure as hell don't remember any of that. All the shit, the bandits, the mystics, me and you, were flying around so fast and I just focused on shooting the next guy in the head and…" He gripped the edges of the wooden railing. His plasma signature pulsed like the output from a broken holo. "Kid called me a hero. That's stupid."

"What?" Saria said. "Why?"

"Because I ain't that."

"Chosen, you saved her mother's life. What else would she call you?" Lucy asked.

"Didn't do it on purpose."

"Heat of the moment, remember? And besides, you were trying to protect the whole village." Saria said. "Wait, did the mother bad-mouth you? Call you a dumb man or something? Is that why you've got the gripes?"

"Saria!" Lucy scolded. "It's rude to talk about the civilians like that."

"Hey, I'm just saying—"

"Jesus Christ, Saria, no." Adam said, shaking his head. He ran a hand through his hair. "It's not her. It's my problem."

"Then what is it?"

Adam sighed. He placed the doll down, refusing to look at either of the girls.

"I wanted to run away." He mumbled.

"Pardon?"

"I said, I wanted to run away, damn it. When Miriam said all the Gasheads were lining up in front of the village, my first thought was to try to find a way to get the hell out of here. Because why the fuck would I try to take on fifty armed guys with only these... y'know, people. If you two hadn't been here, if I was alone back then, I would've done it. I would've swum down that river and let the town burn to a crisp to save my chickenshit ass." Adam finished, squeezing his eyes shut. The doll fell to the ground. "I almost let that kid die, and then she goes and gives me this? It ain't right. It's stupid. She picked the wrong damn guy."

He slammed his fist against the ground, teeth gritted. His hands fell by his sides, ready to push himself up and storm off. Lucy and Saria tensed. Adam's temper vanished, as if the wire connecting it was cut in half. His energy vanished. He picked up a stone and hurled it half-heartedly into the river. It made a soft splash, and the stone descended into the depths.

"Chosen." Saria said.

"Yeah?"

"Look at me."

"What?"

She grabbed his face by the sides and pulled him around. He flailed at first, almost knocking Lucy with his elbow, and stopped when Saria's gaze locked onto his. Unlike Lucy, her irises did not contain any stars. Instead, ethereal magma flowed and ebbed in cycles, their tendrils glowing the red and orange he'd seen in photographs of the sun.

"Listening, yeah?"

"Please get off me."

"Taking that as a yes. Consider this Chosen: you didn't run away."

"Oi, didn't you listen to me? I said—"

"Yeah, yeah, lots of big and fancy words, Chosen, but again, consider this: you didn't run away." Saria said, poking him in the shoulder. "I know you were scared. Anyone's gonna be scared before a battle, even us War Maidens. Heck, I almost locked myself in the toilet, pissing myself before my first real campaign. Lucy knows, right?"

"To be fair, I was not a shining example of composure back then, either." Lucy said.

"It's natural to get scared, to want to run, or hide, or lock yourself in a pit with a bunch of chips or whatever. We understand that. But we march on anyway, because it's our duty to fight and protect those who can't. And guess what you did? You did the same. You stayed behind, despite the Operator giving you an out. You fought like a Berserker hopped up on steroids. You saved lives that day."

"The hell's your point?"

"Huh? You still don't get it?" Saria said, scratching her head. "It's courage, Chosen. That's what you showed back then."

He stared at her, mouth open. "Hey, you're not high on something right now?"

"Geez, I'm you the truth!" Saria exclaimed. "Learn to take a compliment already."

"Well…" Adam said, looking away. "Not like I received much of those."

Lucy spoke up. "Then shall we look at this at another angle? Chosen, if you were so frightened back then, why did you stay behind? Why did you not agree to escape, as Operator Pereia mentioned?"

It took more time, more sighing and stiff bouts of silence, before the words tumbled out of Adam's mouth again."

"I just couldn't." Adam said. "That kid, or maybe one of the others who played with, was gonna end up alone in this shithole of a world if the town burned. Wandering around, getting into scraps, swallowing up crap and puking it back out. Or dying in the gutter, becoming a real bastard like the thugs I beat up, or a piece of shit like me. The thought of it was so bad, fed so much white-hot pissed-offness, that I…shit, I had to do something, even if it was cracking a bandit's skull to make myself better. And I don't half-ass jobs when I put my mind to them, so yeah. It ended up like this."

He snorted. Almost a laugh. "Christ, what am I saying? Where did this courage or recklessness or whatever come from? I'd cackled in your face like a druggie if you told the me from two years ago."

"I see, Chosen." Lucy said.

"Do you?"

"Yes. I see that you empathized with the plights of the civilians. That you wanted to prevent the wrongs that occurred to you, and thus overcame your fear with that. I think it's admirable. Courage and conviction, Chosen."

There it was again. That damn word. Except, this time it didn't sting. Didn't feel, sound, as unbelievable as when Sally had said it in juvenile hall.

"You War Maidens are so weird." He said.

"But are we right? Or are we right?" Saria said, with a cheeky grin and a wink.

He picked the doll again. It smiled at him. No underhandedness, no ulterior motives. It matched the young girl, who could have peered and stared at him from a faceless crowd, yet came up to him and believed he deserved this little toy without any shred of hesitation. With happiness, even.

There was now a faint, dark and wet spot on the doll's chest. He rubbed it off with his fingers. He wiped his face with his sleeve. The faint hint of salt lapped at his tongue.

"I should be feeling like shit."

"Are you, Chosen?"

He shook his head. "I'm not. Hey, Lucy."

"Yes?"

"Do you think…" He swallowed. "I don't know…is your Goddess is proud of me?"

"Yes, of course She will be!" Lucy exclaimed. "I'm sure She's smiling upon you as we speak. And…"

Lucy took his hand in hers and cupped her other on his cheek. Her skin felt as soft as silk. A lemony shampoo-scent trailed off the ends of those golden-blonde locks. Her lips curled into a tender smile, for the briefest of moments, Adam's mind flashed back to a small apartment in a run-down street, that by any rights should've been a den of misery, but was somehow cozy and tender all the same.

"Chosen, I may not be your sister, or any other member of your family, but as your companion, I'm proud of you, too. Your deeds are not just good for a Chosen; they are good for a human, period."

"Yeah, same! You were fantastic, Chosen!" Saria slung an arm around his neck and gave him an affectionate slap on the back. "Protecting a town and preventing a family from breaking apart? I know guys twice your age who don't have this level of spine."

He wiped his face again. "Thanks, Lucy. Thanks, Saria. And, I'm sorry."

"What for, Chosen?"

"For acting like an ass all this time."

"Oh, it wasn't too bad." Lucy said.

"Nah, it sucked. I sucked. You really put up with my shit, eh Lucy? But, thanks for everything. You and Saria, both, were great."

"Ah, whatever…"

"C'mon Chosen, are we War Maidens the best? We're so good we're gonna treat you to lunch right now. Let's go!"

Adam took Lucy's hand. Together, he and the girls walked side-by-side back to the village, their mission and lives beneath these otherworldly red skies.