During wartime, the space between borders is colloquially termed a ‘combat zone,’ for what she hopes is obvious. Destroyed cars and shattered glass litter the streets, stores have been pilfered or destroyed and buildings that still have residents cover their windows with boards.
But nothing can compare to the corpses, or the smell. So many rotting bodies left to fester in the sun does not make for good cologne, Alex can barely hold in the urge to vomit. Olivia doesn’t.
The three Mifumis laugh, “first time seeing the aftermath of a battle, corp girl?”
Rania holds Olivia’s hair as she gags and vomits again before she can respond, entertaining Mifumi further.
“How-” she gags “how’d you know I’m a corpo?”
Mifumi tilts their head to the right, “It’s in the way you walk. Too soft and too practiced. Nobody in Arthas proper gives a shit about their swagger. Except for weirdos, are you a weirdo?”
Everyone around nods while Olivia sputters her denials. Earning a chuckle from the triplets, “you’ve all got a pretty funny dynamic, I like that. Gang life can lose its color rather fast, what with all the death and servitude. Keep what you’ve got, It’s rare and valuable.” The three of them say at once.
“How are you doing that?” Alex asks “Is it some sort of cybernetics or something?”
“You’re Alex right? Only other girl dragon is your friend there,” one of them points at Sasha.
“Yeah?” Alex says slowly.
“Then maybe you’ll get to find out. All in due time though, for now let's just get you to safety”
-
Crossing into friendly territory was like a breath of fresh air, they got a few weird looks ‘cause they looked like a bunch of civilians being transported by Scars(?), they’re not wearing pendants but they fit the vibe. The crowd was less confused when Rania showed off her chrome, albeit not that much less, considering she’s a member of The House.
“Alright,” the three say while clapping their hands, “time to go our separate ways, yeah?”
That brings them to a stop, “why so early?” Sasha whines.
The three all tilt their heads and raise a brow, “We’re safe, and you’re coming back to dragon land, don’t think your friends will be much welcome there.”
Sasha pouts, and the three let out a small chuckle.
“Don’t worry kid” Rania says “we’ve got each other's contact info, now go on with your Scar friends.”
Sasha deflates but acquiesces, following the triplets through the makeshift battlements and fortresses. The House members watch them go with something like sadness in their eye. “We’ll see them again.” Elian assures.
“Yeah, but we might not be friends then.” Rania replies.
They all sigh at that, the realities of gang life makes inter-gang friendships…difficult. The Dragons have gone to war with The House before, as have all the other gangs. It’s just how life goes in Arthas, and finding your friends on the other side of the barrel is an unfortunate reality sometimes.
Olivia pokes Rania’s elbow. She turns to face the woman.
“Soooo” Olivia says “I can’t exactly go back, and my Megatowers in the TallWinds. Think I could bunk with you until this all blows over?”
Rania groans, “Sure, whatever, once I find a place. But you're paying rent.”
“Deal!”
-
The walk to wherever they were going was, unsurprisingly, pretty easy considering the presence of three Scars. They get a few looks for seemingly taking advantage of the gap in a sea of bodies, but Alex doesn’t really care.
“Why have we been meeting so many Scars lately?” Aki ponders.
Sasha shrugs, “we’re the bees knees apparently, maybe your dreams actually feasible now”
Alex perks up, “you really think so?”
“Well, that and the magic.”
The triplets stop and turn to Sasha, all with a flat expression on their faces. Sasha looks nervously at them, wondering what she did wrong.
“Don’t talk about that in public,” they say, “Or we will make skewers out of your limbs”
Sasha nods fervently and they turn around, continuing their walk as though they didn’t just threaten a child with casual cannibalism.
-
Eventually they reach their destination, which is apparently Lost Hope, Alex’s a little surprised to see the building again after so long away. It feels like a different life at this point, the predictable routine, the brawls, the little games and watch-parties they’d hold in the common area. Only two things are strange about what she sees now compared to her memories.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
One, most of the lights are off.
Two, there’s a lot of gangers hanging around the entrance, and not the standard run of the mill gangers either. They all wear suits and ties, with decorated katana’s and expensive chrome. They aren’t Scars, that would be extreme to have so many in one place, but they are clearly dangerous.
Mifumi waves at them with three hands.
A ganger with a quant silver chain’s eyes go yellow as they interface with someone. He is clean shaven and has his hair slicked back with just enough oil to shine but not look drenched. His eyes are like a beehive, all Iris and no scarela. He turns back to Mifumi after he’s done talking to whoever he was talking to.
“Maikube-Sama, he is waiting for you inside”
Alex and Sasha look confused as Aki almost trips from shock.
“Thank you Kazuki-san” the triplets say as they move into the building.
Alex and Sasha look at each other, “Wasn’t her name Mifumi?” Alex says.
Aki turns to her with panic clear on his features, which disturbs them to say the least. “That wasn’t a name” he says “that was a title.”
-
Of the millions of dragons, there are only a few thousand Scars. Of those thousands, there are about eighty-three who possess titles. If a Scar is a monster, titled Scars are behemoths. To simply be in one's presence is a blessing. And quite frankly a curse. Alex assumed they were going somewhere important to have Scar escort them, maybe to meet someone or some other shit, she doesn’t know. She assumes it has something to do with magic, considering the violent reaction from earlier.
To be traveling with one of the Titled means they’ve caught the eye of something they really, really shouldn’t have. At least not now, so early into their careers. The rate at which Alex’s heart is beating is certainly not healthy, and she assumes the same of her friends as they follow the Maikube into Lost Hope.
They are waiting for them by the door to Clarice’s office, tapping their feet against the synthetic wood. The three kids join the triplets.
“Well, it was nice meeting you all, but we’ve got stuff to do, considering the war. Try not to impress, he can smell that bullshit from a mile away.” They nod at them before simply leaving. The kids stand in front of the office wondering who exactly wants to meet them. The window blinds are shut, so they’ll have to enter to know. They really, really don’t want to. It’s not a choice though.
Surprisingly, Sasha is the one who musters her courage first and opens the door.
There is an old man waiting for them in Clarice’s seat.
All of them recognize who he is, and each presents a deep bow immediately.
He waves them off “Now of that. Come sit.”
They do so in a hurry which the old man sighs at.
“No need to be so nervous children, I don’t run this gang anymore, and I’d prefer a more casual conversation.” Says the old man. They stay silent as their eyes focus on the desk. Refusing to make contact with the living titan in front of them.
He sighs again, and all of them are a little panicked at the thought of annoying him, but they don’t go to say anything. Their brains are short circuiting, how do you act in the presence of Yoshifumi Sakamoto? They don’t know, and they never thought they’d have to know.
The old man just shrugs at their subservience and continues on, “you, the tall one, you’re Alex, correct.”
“Yes sir” she says while nodding her head.
“Mmh. Jason sent in a report a little while ago, about you specifically. About how you fought off a Heretic with magic”
There is silence in the room.
“Well?”
Alex chooses to answer truthfully, “yes sir. I did”
He nods, “show me” he says.
Alex panics a little, she isn’t sure the state of her soul can handle a demonstration, and the only other option would be to tell him to try and shoot her, which, well she could actually do but she isn’t sure how to phrase it.
She tries anyways
“Mainly I deal in predictions, I can tell when an action is fatal before it happens. And I act accordingly.”
Just as she finished saying that she gets a premonition and tilts her head to the left. There is the low droning of bees typical with a railgun, but much stronger than Alex’s Reison, and a bullet soars past her ear, nicking it slightly. It punches a hole the size of her head through the wall behind her and keeps going.
Yoshifumi is pointing a large pistol at her with one eyebrow cocked.
She didn’t even see him draw.
“Yes,” he says with a small smile, “I think we can use you.”
-
The ensuing chaos from a very big bullet exiting the office where a very important person was staying would be funny if it weren’t for all the guns pointed at them. Only once Yoshifumi calmed them down and assured them that the shot was just for the fun of it (Alex guesses they don’t know about magic), did they leave the office and left them to their privacy, which is kinda non-existent now considering the hole in the wall. She guesses they have some way to maintain privacy beyond a door.
Alex knows she really shouldn’t ask this, but curiosity killed the cat as they say.
“How do you know about magic?”
The old man leans back in Clarice’s chair, a satisfied look on his face as he regards her.
“We’ve had a few of your kind through the years,” he says “trained them up before the nomads could get to them. They always prove valuable.”
A look of confusion crosses Alex’s face.
“The Kingdom didn’t seem to know about magic” Alex says before adding a “sir”
Yoshifumi shrugs, “not all gangs are blessed like us. Although it would be a shame if Solomon discovered the existence of magic. That man has a way with obsessions that is not healthy.”
They try not to show anything on their faces about the casual address of Arthas’s oldest gang leader. By the amused chuckle Yoshifumi gives them, they weren’t exactly successful.
“Well, any other questions children?” he asks.
Aki gathers his courage.
“What did you mean by the nomads ‘getting to them’?”
Yoshifumi tilts his head, “good question” he says “unfortunately I don’t really feel like telling you. Don’t worry though, your friend is safe. Or as safe as she can be in Arthas”
Aki bows to the man which he hums at.
“Well,” he says, “If there’s nothing else, I think I’ll be on my way. Asato will send a handler over once they’re available. For now, feel free to stay here and rest. Maybe help out poor old Clarice while you’re at it, that woman is overworked beyond belief.”
He stands up and they bow to him.
“Thank you, Sakamoto-sama,” they say.
The man waves them off as he gets up and heads out of the office.
They wait there in silence, for quite a while before Sasha turns to them.
“Alex, pinch me, I think I’m dreaming”
Alex punches her instead.