"At this point, I think almost everyone in the world has seen the film of your first day. It's almost one of a kind. There has always been a topic of debate online, how did you survive the casino?"
"Ha, well, rumors of my demise are often greatly exaggerated."
- From Angela Rain's award winning interview with Outlaw.
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Jen grabs Lizzy and makes a dash for the kitchen. A couple of the defenders reach out and help the girls over the flickering red counter.
Kurt lashes out again, melting a line across the nearest model threes. The dogs that don’t collapse immediately thrash about, causing the prolific white flames to spread to other Antithesis.
A model five quill bear charges forward, earning itself the final three shots of Kurt’s gun to its face. The fire spreads so fast that only a second later, a charred wooden skull drops from the still standing body.
He yells back, “Why aren’t they taking the back door out?!”
Lizzy rushes to the arms of her friends while a bull of a man in a suit steps up to Jen.
“The door requires a key card, which I have, but the first man who opened it was grabbed and torn apart by a pair of Model Four Squids inside the hallway,” He looks to Kurt showing off his whip skills by creating a spreading wall of fire that reduces the approaching plants to ash. “Your friend over there really a Vanguard?”
She nods and holds up Kurt’s other revolver, “We can clear the way and find somewhere not getting overrun. Is the vault safe?”
He shakes his bald head, “It’s airtight, we’d suffocate.” gesturing to the near two dozen people hiding in the kitchen, “There wouldn’t be room anyway.”
A man in a flashy green suit and more gold jewelry than can possibly be comfortable yells from the firing line with his golden Ak-47, “My tour bus is armored, it’s still parked at the airport drop off.”
Jen calls out to Kurt, “We can move, gunna use your guns to clear the way!”
On Kurt’s side of the improvised barricade, things are well past heating up.
You now have close to 300 points Hun. What do you want to buy?
“A shotgun, a big one, and I don’t want to waste time reloading. Drop Jen a case of rounds.”
He does a quick spin and tosses the other revolver to a cop on the line, “Give that to Jen!”
Darlin there are an uncountable variety of weapons you’d call a shotgun.
Kurt flicks the whip into a wheel that almost blocks a salvo of quills fired from another porcubear, two slip past the whip and impact him in the ribs. He staggers but holds his ground. Just behind him a camera drone falls to the ground in spasm of sparks.
“Holy fuck, that hurt!” feeling the burning pain in his chest, “I thought you said this jacket was armored?!”
They didn’t pierce, did they? No? Then buck up and tell me what gun you’d like. A couple broken ribs shouldn't stop you.
Confirming his ribs are broken causes him to almost miss a dog trying to flank “Just use your best judgment!”
I thought you’d never ask. Class I Sacred Imperium Catalog and Series Six hundred Sixty Six Witch Hunter coming right up! You have 14 points remaining.
“The fuck?!” He does a quick wide lash to make room as a case drops behind him and pops open. The whip auto retracts to the size of a baton that he hooks to his belt.
Looking at the stupid expensive new toy, he repeats himself, “The Fuck?!”
Kurt picks up the ‘Shotgun.’ Its hefty weight comes as no surprise as it looks more like a grenade launcher made of black wood and cast iron with a pan sized drum magazine. The whole thing is stylized like something from a goth vampire movie.
Leveling it at the dog breaking past the burning line of charred plant matter, a blinding cone of silver inferno blasts the creature back. Glimmering metal shards burn marks in what remains of the carpet floor.
A new plant squid sprays a green liquid onto the model three that landed before it. Instead of extinguishing the flames, they climb the line of fluid, igniting the alien’s head!
If you hold the trigger down it functions as a flamethrower. However you’ll consume each fuel cell faster that way. The drum holds twenty cells which cost a point each, you only have to pump the fore stock to transfer in new cells. Light ‘em up Darlin!
Kurt wraps the sling around his shoulder to manage the weight as he begins to push back against the horde. Only enough to create a larger buffer zone of burning plants. Too far and he’d be standing in the flames spreading across the casino lobby and smaller models might slip past the sides.
Back in the kitchen, Jen grips both revolvers white knuckles. Last time she went shooting with Kurt, his larger handguns left her wrists sore for days.
Glaring at the grey double doors, she tries to steel her nerves, “My boy is still out there.”
Two cops are standing by the door, waiting to push them open. Their kevlar and carbon fiber armored jackets won't stop a tentacle snatching them away.
She sighs with a hint of embarrassment and practices taking a quick shooting stance. This is not a time to fumble on the first shot.
“Tuck your elbow a bit more, Miss.” Left Cop offers with his own mental hoops to jump through.
“Got it… Ready?”
They both nod.
One last breath, “Go!”
Both men shoulder open the door and crouch into shooting positions while Jen dashes forward and takes aim down the hall. Seeing nothing but flickering back up lights, she whips around the other way.
Again, just a dark hallway. No… there's a puddle of something on the floor.
“One of you got a flashlight?”
Right cop flicks on his Mag Light and shines it on the puddle of green sludge. A ripple on the surface makes him aim up, into a giant hole torn into the ceiling.
Jen turns back to the kitchen, “They’re in the ceiling!”
Her last word is drowned out as two squid plants smash down into the middle of the kitchen.
“Shit!” “Oh fuck!” “Aaaahhh!” “Noooo!”
Already each alien already has a victim in their grasp!
Somewhere Lizz is screaming her head off, “KURT, OUTLAW, JESUS CHRIST, I don’t give a fuck who, HELP!”
This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
Jenny pulls the trigger, the gun nearly flies out of her grip but the first alien starts to burn.
Everyone with a gun is suddenly firing into the middle of the room. Left cop takes a stray bullet to his knee and falls down. Jen herself swears she felt a breeze just pass her face while firing again.
As a tentacle lances towards her only to be caught by a whip covered in silver flames. She pulls up the second gun from her belt and dumps four shots into the monster.
Both aliens begin to deflate to the floor, a green fog spilling from their bodies.
That gas is toxic Hun.
Kurt fires the Witch Hunter back over the counter at the still swarming smaller models.
“Everyone get out now! Cover your mouths, don’t breathe that shit in!” he turns back to the giant worm still disgorging fodder. “Anny I need meds for that poison, a mask, and something to kill that worm!”
I’ve got you covered for the meds and mask, what did you have in mind for the worm?
A case falls beside him and he just kicks it towards the back of the kitchen where Jen is holding a cloth over her face and pulling people out of the cloud. “Jen! Pills!”
You’ll need one of those yourself in the next three minutes.
“A grenade, dynamite, something that goes boom and gets the job done!”
Hmm, oh there's something fun in your catalog. Purchasing Advanced Expendables Branch from the Imperium Catalog. Purchasing one Holy Hand Grenade. 20 points remaining. Have Fun!
A golden orb drops from above for Kurt to catch. A small cross crowns the white gold filigree that cradles the golden sphere.
“How do I use this?”
Just twist the cross, and Darlin, make sure you throw it far.
He does so and lobs the metal ball as far in the direction of the worm as he can.
Run Konrad!
Not needing to be told twice, he books it for the doors. Jen is right there waiting for him. Only stumbling a second over a dead alien tentacle under the fogged up floor.
Maybe he should have given it a bigger twist. A shock wave picks him up off his feet!
Thunderous heat throws Jen back from the door only for them to be ripped off their hinges as Kurt crashes out and right into the opposite wall, crumpling like a stringless puppet.
“NO!
White flames crawl up the ceiling from the kitchen. Everything beyond the doorway is a wall of flames.
She dashes to his side and turns him over to find horrible burns melting parts of skin anywhere that wasn’t covered by his leather jacket and hat. He’s still breathing, miraculously, his remaining fingers weakly grip her arm.
“Kurt!”
In the man’s head an A.I. tries to bring him back from the brink.
Kur… need you… can’t…unless you ask!
Weakly he manages to whisper, “Do it.”
Hold….token…300… class … ird splice…… Jen to get back!
His eyes are too scorched to see, he breathes out, “Jen back.”
“What?! No!”
She doesn’t have much choice as all of Kurt is engulfed in bright silver flames! If he could, Kurt would scream with all his being…
The fire starts to fade, there rests Kurt, naked except for a leather trench coat, cowboy boots and hat.
His eyes snap open and he bolts upright!
“What the fuck?!”
Feeling his face, smooth shaven for the first time in years… or smooth burnt.
Jen can’t tell if the smell is from her man or the fire in the casino.
“What was that Anny?!”
Well, we just blew almost all of your points. Thankfully you’ve still got 230 left to dress yourself. We even had to spend the first token you received for your first Heroic Kill. But don’t worry, you’ll earn more once we start burning hives.
“Why am I naked to begin with, and still alive!?”
You got a rushed gene splicing with one of the Imperium’s holy bird species. Just try to keep your head in one piece from now on. Best get movin Darlin.
“Right, pants first.” A part of him thinks to check his body for feathers later.
Coming right up! And how about some reloading holsters for your guns?
“Sure.” He grabs Jen’s hand and starts running for the exit.
110 points remaining Hun.
Clothing drops before the two of them and Jen helps him get dressed while they keep moving forward.
Jen about trips holding the Witch Hunter for him. They come to an intersection in the halls. Behind them they can hear the sound of something collapsing.
“Outlaw, this way!” one of the rapper’s bodyguards is standing at the end of one of the branches.
Dashing forward, they reach the airport arrivals lobby. There's no sign of any aliens. Survivors are climbing into a black humvee the size of a bus.
From around the corner, someone shouts, “Oh thank Fuck, I thought you just died Kurt!”
A spot on the driveway becomes blurry as a dozen camouflage camera drones reveal Aaron. The Lead Editor of the movie runs over and grabs Kurt by the shoulders.
“Oh, man… They’re dead man! All of them! I was about to prank you guys with the drones when that monster took Sarge’s arm! Rell, man, Rell dude, I couldn’t help her! That fucking cheap ass armor they stuck her in was impossible to run in!”
“Aaron! Come on man, let's get moving.” Kurt takes his friend by the shoulders and points him towards the big car.
He laughs as they climb in, taking a seat on gold leather couches, “I’ve got it all you know, I was so freaked out I just kind of went on autopilot. Fly the drones, film the shots, edit after…”
“Damn.” Kurt’s not sure, but that should be big right?
“Guys!” Someone from up front shouts.
“What now?” Kurt climbs forward in the tour bus, limo, thing. Pretending he didn’t just touch a greased up stripper pole when the guy behind the wheel swerved around a burning car.
Lizz is near the driver seat with her friends and pointing forward.
Ahead lies the south end of the strip, the closest way out of downtown. It’s also home to the Luxor Casino, a glass pyramid lit up with spotlights. Those lights, well they’re shining on a highrise sized rock, stabbed right into the center of the pyramid.
I suggest finding another route Darlin, that’s the Primary Hive of this Incursion.
“Turn off here.”
“Where?”
“Anyfucking where! That's the damn hive!”
“Oh shit!” up ahead an elephant sized alien is roaring in our direction, on its back, a giant pod begins to glow before firing off into the air. It’s arching in our direction.
“Go man. Go! Left!”
They turn off before the New MGM Mega Casino. Whatever that pod was, it smashed right through the corner of the building and splattering ooze all over the road.
Flooring the stupidly long vehicle around a tight turn, it almost rolls only for hidden hydraulics to auto correct the ride.
Jen pats the driver’s shoulder, “Get to the hills, the military is evacuating people there.”
Screams come from the back of the stretch.
Once more jogging the length of the vehicle, avoiding the greased pole this time, Kurt shouts, “What’s wrong?”
“Outlaw,” Rapper dude points out the sunroof, “we got incoming!” He slaps his buddy’s arm, “Dude I always wanted to say that!”
A shadow passes overhead. Maybe this is what bitch wolf saw.
Kurt can reach a button labeled ‘Open’, then spots another with a picture of a ladder.
Poking his head out, he spots small plane-sized birds with leafy feathers swooping about, looking for a dive angle. They’ll be pulling out from the tall buildings any second and into the normal town areas. A Seven Eleven won’t block those birds.
Planting himself in the window at waist height, “How’s our points Anny?”
An explosion somewhere up the strip precedes a cloud of dust filling the air, momentarily hiding them as well.
Well, just now it jumped to 413. It seems you brought the house down on whatever was still moving inside that casino.
A gust of wind scatters the dust and one of the giant green birds barely misses a dive on the ride.
“Anything in those catalogs resemble an anti-air gun? …And can we afford that?”
One, Wrath of the Righteous Mk III turret, coming right up Hun! 303 points remaining.
A silver coffin appears on the roof and begins to unfold itself. Legs slam down on the roof and spike themselves in.
“What the fuck? My ride!” someone below cries.
Six silver barrels in a black ring casing lift and lock into place, a large drum folds up and clicks into position.
“Anny… Is that a gatling gun?”
Shoot first, ask questions later Darlin.
Kurt chuckles and pulls back the arming lever, watching the barrels begin to spin up, “You know, you don’t have to keep talking like a saloon girl in the wild west.”
One of the birds lines up for a dive, Kurt lines up the shot.
It’s my job to help you remain calm and confident… even if it means sounding like a tart with piss poor grammar.
“Ha.” Gripping the firing lever, “Have it your way then.”
Spears of dazzling silver fill the sky in a river of fire that shreds the first bird, and the second, then a third. By the time their ride pulls up to the highschool and Jen rushes to hold her waiting son, Kurt has one question.
“846 points should be more than plenty for a ride of our own, right?”
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