Jerik’s eyes snapped open, and he shot up out of the bed. He wasn’t sure what had woken him from his rest. The air around him was still, the light outside a faint glow of dawn. It took a few moments for him to place what had caught his attention, pulling him from that comfortable realm where dreams lay. Then he realized what it was. The sound of gunfire.
He was on his feet at once, hand reaching out to snatch Paragon up from where it leaned against his dresser. He threw the window to his room open with one hand and stuck the rifle out, already aiming through the scope. To his right, Benji stirred groggily in the sheets, not as fast to react as he was. He was so intently focused on the immediate situation that he didn’t have time to focus on how she was still undressed. So was he, he realized.
Through Paragon’s scope, he could see out along the central road of the outpost. There were a few people taking up positions behind cover there. Across the moat, there were perhaps two dozen soldiers crouched among the trees, also taking cover. Every few seconds, the sound of gunfire repeated itself as one side fired. This pattern repeated itself as the other side returned fire. It was impossible to tell which force had the edge, he thought, flicking his sight towards the group outside.
“Nicholas!” He shouted, spotting the young man close to the base of the tavern building. He glanced up as he heard his leader’s voice, and saw the rifle. “What’s going on?”
“They’re trying to take the outpost!” Nicholas called back up to him. “They showed up half an hour ago and tried to take it by force!”
The action made no sense to Jerik. After all, the outpost had no tactical advantage. It’s position didn’t control a main road, it didn’t have easy access to a rare resource, and it certainly wouldn’t work as a defensive position against human attack. It was designed to be a buffer against monster movement, nothing more. He tried to identify the troops attacking the outpost, but there was no sign of a unifying symbol.
“I’m coming down!” he said, withdrawing the rifle from the window. “Meet me at the door and give me some cover!”
Nicholas gave a small wave to show he understood, and Jerik slammed the window closed. Turning to Benji, who was already scooping up her clothing, he let out a sigh. “It’s too early for this. What a shame.”
She smiled up at him, the rush of adrenaline for the battle allowing her to avoid last night’s shyness. It also seemed to be helping clear her head a great deal. “Shame that we have to fight, or shame that we had to leave the bed?”
“Both is acceptable,” he said, his eyes lingering on the curve of her hip. Even her combat attire couldn’t hide that, and he wondered how he’d never put much thought to it before. She laughed at his reply, and he started to yank on his own clothing. “Honestly. What possible reason could they have?”
He didn’t bother to lace up his boots after shoving his feet into them. His jacket too he deemed not worth the time. He was clothed at the very least, and that would be enough for now. He re-equipped Paragon and burst out of the room at top speed, Benji hot on his heels. They thundered down the stairs together, setting the new planks to squeaking and groaning under their weight. Nicholas met them at the door as instructed, his shield already expanded and ready for combat.
“Benji!” He exclaimed, his eyes widening as he saw the girl exiting the tavern with his leader. “What are you-”
A round hit the center of his shield and pinged off, making him flinch and give up on his attempt to speak. Jerik eyed the blue screen critically. “Will that hold long enough to get us across the street?”
“Definitely,” Nicholas said. “I put a new battery in it last night, so it’s charge is stronger. Where are you going to shoot from?”
“Top of the stables,” Jerik pointed. The building was just two stories tall, but it had a slightly raised ledge around the top, designed to hold one lookout for the settlement. It would also serve as an excellent nest for his purpose, he knew. Nicholas nodded again, then, taking hold of his shoulder, began pulling him across the street, all the while keeping the shield up. Benji was left alone by the door, but she’d already lifted her rifle into the ready position, and was returning fire. Judging by the sound of screams from across the moat, she was finding easy targets.
Jerik was up on the stable roof in a matter of seconds once Nicholas had gotten him safely across. He actually crossed the last few feet in a dive, sliding directly into position. He could see more of the enemy now. In particular, he recognized the symbol on one of the attacker’s shoulders. A white fist on a black background. It was the heraldry of the Iron Order, the platoon that Magnus had commanded. So this was what had become of them, he realized. Chased out of Zenken, they were attacking the outpost to start regaining control.
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“No mercy!” He shouted. “Kill the Iron Order!”
At his loud order, several of his men let out curses. They all knew exactly who the Iron Order was. The platoon responsible for the past two years of fear and misery in Zenken. They’d traumatized and oppressed the other people of the city, terrorizing them. But now they were armed and trained, and able to do something about the years of anger and resentment. At once, they broke cover, sending a veritable storm of lead in the direction of their enemies.
Jerik did his part, first aiming directly at the man who wore the Iron Order patch. He’d ducked behind some of his comrades to avoid the first stream of bullets, but his face was still visible, peaking between the branches of a tree. There was only an inch or two of room, far more than Jerik had ever needed. One squeeze of the trigger, and the man burst into a pile of items. He yanked the bolt back and switched smoothly to his next target, downing four more in ten seconds. Benji and the others were cutting the rest of the force to pieces, leaving him without much to do.
Then came the sound of a shouting person, and Nicholas appeared at the edge of the moat. With one powerful leap, he covered the ten-foot gap, landing like a cat on the far side with a foot or two to spare. Before the enemy could react to his presence, he was already moving, dashing forward and cutting back and forth with his sword. He took down two in a matter of seconds, then lunged forward, skewering a third. By the time any guns were pointed in his direction, he’d already raised his shield, catching and reflecting the bullets that were fired at him.
Jerik took out the two biggest threats to Nicholas’ position, leaving the young man free to kill one more. In less than a minute, over half of the attacking force had been decimated, with minor losses to the Smoke Brigade. The surviving Iron Order members, seeing how badly off they were, turned tail and fled at once. Jerik stood up and shouted after them.
“And don’t you fucking forget what happened!” His voice thundered over the remnants of the temporary battlefield, surprising even his own men with its volume. “Run and tell Magnus he has no more power!
The men let out a loud chorus of agreement and applause at his words, then added their jeers to the mix, shaming the enemy as they fled into the trees and out of sight.
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Zenken felt different to the Smoke Brigade, somehow, as they marched through the northern gates and made their slow, tired way down the main street towards their base. There weren’t as many people gathered this time as there’d been before, but a sizable crowd was still there to welcome them, giving a cheer and shouting at them, asking for news. Quite a few of them were addressing Nicholas. It seemed that word of the griffon had spread quickly.
The head of the beast was on the top of the wagon, its eyes still fierce even in death. The crowd marveled loudly as they saw it, remarking on the cruel curve of the beak and the piercing eyes. Nicholas, who’d been walking on the right side of the wagon, grinned in an embarrassed sort of way as he passed close to a crowd of women his age, who all promptly whistled and cheered at him. Jerik caught sight of it and laughed loudly. After the stress of the expedition, they’d finally reached sanctuary. He could feel the stress fading away.
The trip to their base was a short one, though it felt like they were walking at least an hour before they reached the front gate. As they drew close, Jerik jumped off the wagon, directing the research crew inside.
“Take the materials in,” he called. “I want them broken down as soon as possible. Refine what you can, and get me a report before sundown.”
They nodded at once, saluting as they directed the wagon around to the back of the compound where the laboratory was. Nicholas broke away when they stepped inside, heading towards the right and downstairs ,where he had his workbench. Jerik was certain that he’d use the forge located outside before the day was over, but he was more intent on grinding down the griffon claws first.
“Is there anything I have to attend to right this moment?” Jerik asked, turning to glance questioningly at Morgan. “Or do you think you can supervise cleanup?”
She frowned slightly at him. “You’re going to sleep?”
“Not yet,” he said, noting again that Morgan seemed to be in a foul mood around him. Definitely something he wanted to figure out, he thought. Having allies that were annoyed with you was never a good thing. “I’m going to market to find us a Toad.”
She stared at him in silence for a long second. She almost looked disbelieving. “Alright then. I can handle the rest of this.”
He nodded confirmation, then hurried to his sleeping quarters to deposit his equipment. He retained his firearm, and out of his tek chest, he retrieved a lighter sniper rifle. Not nearly as powerful as Paragon, but easier to wield in a city setting. And even without the roving gangs, he still didn’t feel right walking unarmed through Zenken. Better safe than sorry, as they said. This model was a semi-automatic, with twelve rounds in the magazine. It was also a shorter build, with a snubbed barrel, perfect for closer range.
“Got Snake with you, I see,” Morgan commented. “Expecting trouble?”
“Expect it, never find it.”
She let out a quiet snort at his misused version of the old adage. “Well, have a good trip.”
He gave a short wave in reply, and stepped outside the base. There were still several hours left in the day, he deduced. Plenty of time to find a Toad for the platoon. Then perhaps, just as a treat to himself, he’d find something good to eat for dinner.