Gavin walked through the snow while double and triple checking his readings. It seemed like the Dragon Gem was getting closer at a faster than normal rate. That usually meant bad news, so he prepared for the worst. As he continued to chase the signal he saw a shock of crimson in the snow like a lighthouse to a ship at sea. Seeing that the signal seemed to match this new figure, he put his radar away and approached them with purpose, hiding a few tricks up his sleeve in case things got as ugly as he feared they would.
Eventually he got a better look at the figure. He wore a long black coat with ineffectual armor plates on his biceps and a minimalist breastplate over a basic black shirt. Their loose cargo pants, boots, and even their gloves all matched the color of their jacket. The figure whistled as they got closer to announce themselves. They clearly were expecting him. Gavin waved in acknowledgment, having a growing wave of dread wash over him. Eventually standing face to face with the figure, they stood about twenty feet apart and Gavin began having flashbacks to his smuggling days.
The red haired man smiled insincerely, “Hey, Thalheed. I got a present for you.” The man produced an orange glowing gem from his pocket, tossing it into the snow between his feet. “The clone left it in one of my drops. Do you know how hard it is to find a mostly dead world to hide your crap?”
Gavin pulled out a cloth and picked up the gem from the snow, “I don’t think I’ve had the pleasure.” A little slight of hand allowed him to store the stone in a different place than the rag.
“Of course not, but I’ve been cleaning your messes since Poiteeka started contracting me out.” Gavin got ready to act in his defense, recognizing the name of one of his least favorite clients. “Don’t worry. Some jackass from the Falos empire merced him awhile back, you are fine. Name is Ra’cil.”
“Never heard of you.”
“Because I’m good at my job. But the clone does. Ask her when you are off my planet. In the meantime, the Falos bought a sample of a local plague from me and told me to expect you. Told me to pass along that they poisoned a friend of yours and that unless you give them that gem along with your friend, he would die.” Gavin sighed at this, expecting issues but Ra’cil placed a finger on his nose and said, “But me, I am nobody’s cronie so let me tell you what is actually going on. They bought a sample of a local plague from me. Devastating and lethal, starts working pretty fast too. But they need him to break the vessel it is in before it will infect him. Also, the last survivor of it is about 2 miles north of here. I’m positive that if you can get to your friend and reach that cabin that you can save his life.”
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“Why offer me this information?” His criminal past had taught him to confirm motives before acting on intel. Too many times a snitch would feed false info to CPD and nearly ruin him. He would often do the same.
Ra’cil shrugged, “Buddy, I hate the Falos like everyone else. Most of all after they killed one of my bosses. Pair that up with them trying to bully me into being their stooge and I figure a middle finger is the best response.” Gavin narrowed his eyes but Ra’cil just scoffed, “Whatever, Thalheed. I’m going to go pack up my drop and move onto my next job. If I see you again, try to keep out of my way.”
When the figure had finally vanished once more back into the snow, Gavin took out the gem and removed a glove to touch it with his bare hand. As he did, he felt no pain, instead able to bounce it in his palm. As he did he felt again another mind just as with the Geo Stone. But this one seemed lost. Distant. Still, he was now sure that this was the authentic gem. Still trying to process this new stranger, Gavin pulled back out his detector and began using it to find Dean’s signal. If this man’s information was as valid as this gem was, he needed to be fast.
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He continued to care for the hulking mass, patting his head with a rag soaked in melted snow. As he did so, he heard a voice outside his home. The smaller figure tried to keep him from going to investigate, so he nodded in reassurance, grabbed his crossbow, and left out the front door. The oddly floating creature shone a bright purple with hair as white as the tundra. While their gestures were elaborate and their tones seemed quite confident, he had no idea what they were saying. Trying to communicate this, he waited for them to burn a hole in the snow beneath their feet and land. As soon as they did he shot a bolt in between their feet. The figure leapt back in surprise and appeared to be offended. Collecting themself, they attempted to continue and he leveled his crossbow at them before firing a shot directly into their shoulder. The purple flames grew brighter and practically engulfed the area. Diving into the snow to escape from the flames, he smirked as he watched the floating figure lose sight of him. Firing from beneath the snow and nailing the floater in the thigh, and was surprised to see them scanning the horizon for him afterwards, their eyes literally blazing. They held out their hand, spouting purple flames that seemed to blast the cabin from existence, evaporating all the snow in area around the building. He stared in heartbroken disbelief at the damage, trying to process this new factor, but also the crushing loss of his home.
‘Your time will come as it does for us all. Let the dead rest with the snow. Remember the treasures beneath.’
As the smoke cleared he was amazed as the bulky figure stood in the wreck, eyes open but breathing heavy. It rolled its shoulders a little, the purple figure blasting him again with flames. As what remained of his clothes burned away and his flesh seemed to sizzle, he didn’t seem bothered. In fact he seemed to look healthier and healthier. Was the purple one burning away the virus? How hot were those flames?
——————
Gavin rushed back through the snow, seeing shards of glass scattered about. Seeing his friend face down in the snow, he checked his vitals. Dean gripped his hand hard and weakly said with a glare, “Run…”
Gavin shook his head, “Not how this works, buddy. Now, can you use the bone crushing to stand?” Dean didn’t seem willing to budge on his request but Gavin ignored him, pulling out a numbing spray and using it on Dean’s hand until it lacked the ability to hinder him anymore. He explained, “You saved me from myself and no matter how durable you may be, we need you within a week. So I’m saving you.” He pulled out another spray and sprayed it in Dean’s face until he passed out. He grumbled, “Why did you have to resist the whole damn can? That better not cause brain damage.” Lifting the now dead weight and began hiking northward towards the supposed cabin on blind faith.
——————
As he felt her flames heat his body to levels he had not felt in a long time, Dean asked incredulously, “Did you really use a sick man as cover? And here I thought you were a noble dude.”
Gavin snapped back, “You took my entire can of Asaldian Sedatives! Of course I used you as cover!”
Lady Unicorn continued her assault, clearly too angry from her wounds to notice how ineffective they were. The armored savior stared in disbelief at the man capable of withstanding the deluge of flames. Dean waved a little. Turning his attention back to Lady Unicorn and feeling the last of the plague in his body burn away, he transformed, the energy from it blasting the fire back for a short time. Enough time for her to stop to catch her breath. She cackled at him, “So, you believe yourself to have returned to full strength! But I have learned about you. Bound to the ground as you are means that as long as I remain aloft your ilk cannot touch me.”
He coughed and muttered under his breath, “notevenremotelytrue.” When she tilted her head in confusion he asked, “So do you know what any of these words really mean or did you just see them used enough to know the context and then just sprinkle it in from there?” She glared and returned to trying to cook him alive.
Gavin, realizing this was his chance was about ready to grab their friend and run when he saw an opportunity. Lady Unicorn shaped the flames into a noose and lifted Dean by his neck, swinging him back and forth by it as he tried fruitlessly to claw at the flames slowly cinching around his neck. She began to laugh at him, ready to prepare another of her villainous speeches when another of those crossbow bolts flew towards her. Grabbing it out of the air with a tendril of flames, she taunted, “Your suffering will be great. To think you waste my time with toys.”
She was so distracted by the bolt and the murder she was caught by surprise when a blinding flash filled the air, a high pitched shriek accompanying it. Before she could finish processing the event, a large metal craft landed on her, pressing her deep into the snow. The heroes rushed quickly into the heavy metal box as Lady Unicorn’s temper began to reach boiling point. Blinded, deaf, and pressed, Lady Unicorn began to allow her power to run rampant. As soon as she felt the pressure off of her spine, she stood up in a fury, throwing fire blindly into the sky. After a few moments without a large explosion, she began to actively breathe flames and lash out at the landscape around her in frustration. Failure was expected as a villain. But humiliation like this? This would not go unanswered.
——————
As they flew away, Katsi stared in mild panic and disbelief at the scars to the landscape, “What the hell happened?”
Dean, still rubbing his eyes stated, “That? That is a Lieutenant level threat. Pretty small skirmish all things considered. Maximum snow destruction, all single story buildings decimated beyond proof of existence. Most things are on fire. Pretty typical.”
Gavin watched his new friend stare down through the visor to what was once home. He asked somberly, “Lieutenant means what? Within the Cosmic Patrol?”
Dean nodded, “Yeah. That’s about the usual level of damage. It is why protocol tells everyone to avoid populated areas when you fight. Canyons, deserts, quarries, beaches, and isolated islands are usually preferable. We avoid the oceans when we can because we don’t know what currents we mess up, what important ecological features we might remove, or when the ocean is actually made of acid.”
The veteran and the pilot both looked to the smuggler for some kind of explanation as to who their new guest was. He explained quietly, “A new crew mate.”