Now, Earth
Tessa screamed like a banshee as she jammed a tooth-like sword into a fishman’s guts. The sword splintered and broke, but penetrated through the fishman’s armor-like scales.
Tessa abandoned the weapon and ducked under the second fishman’s thrust.
She lashed out with a kick to its knee, forcing it to bend the wrong direction.
The fishman fell over with a high-pitched wail that definitely sounded like pain.
Tessa bared her teeth in a feral snarl. “Let me help you with that!” she kicked the fishman in the face, ripped its sword away and stabbed it in the throat.
She quickly stripped the fishmen of any usable weapons. The weapons appeared to be made out of animal bones, teeth and even hard coral. She was going through them quickly with her superhuman strength. On the plus side she could replace them frequently. On the negative that was because the fishmen kept hounding her. It seemed like she couldn’t go half an hour without encountering a few of them.
It felt suspiciously like a game. As if she was going through a dungeon with conveniently spaced out enemy mobs to kill and loot. The thought was disconcerting. She had to keep reminding herself that it was real and she was in serious trouble. She’d been lost and wandering around for what felt like hours, but could’ve been days or vice versa. She’d lost all sense of time in the deep, dark, dank tunnels that branched in multiple directions and levels without apparent planning. It was like a blind worm digging through the dirt made them.
Tessa used a broken piece of the fishman’s sword to carve a directional arrow into the rounded tunnel’s craggy rock wall. Her strength made it easy to leave a deep gouge that the fishmen would find hard to mess with.
More high-pitched sounds suddenly assaulted her ears.
Fishmen calling to each other or signaling.
The way sound echoed in the tunnels made it hard to tell from which direction they came from.
Tessa gave it her best guess and headed off in the direction of the sound.
If she couldn’t find her own way out then she’d keep killing fishmen until they were forced to lead her out from their own sense of self preservation.
Little did she know that the Scions of the Deep Azure valued their existence as secondary to their one purpose.
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Veronica eyed the Rino woman with suspicion. She did the same with the blond one that kept smiling, Kare or something, that one was weird. She had a pair of brain blasts ready at the first sign of shenanigans.
“So… the reason you found us because you caught our scent?” Nila had her bat-like club in one hand as she studied Rino.
“Lady, I’d appreciate you putting that thing away,” Rino bristled. “Unless you want to throw down, see if you’re the alpha? Cause that’s fine with me.”
“Is that how that works?” Nila tightened her grip on the handle.
Veronica tried not to smile. It was time. She and her aunt Nila were going to show these dumb bi—
“Okay!” Hanna stepped between the two. “Not helping, so both of you get those hackles down.”
Veronica tried not to pout as her mother pulled Nila back, while the smiling blond lady tried to do the same with Rino. She didn’t know what to make of the Japanese woman and the blond. There was definitely something off about them, something dangerous.
Hanna sighed. “Those two are weredogs. Yes, exactly how it sounds. Like werewolves, but dogs. That’s why they can track people by scent. Apparently their noses are so sensitive that they can tell if there are unfamiliar scents in the air. They can also tell when people are related or otherwise spend a lot of time in close proximity. Hence, detecting you guys.”
“You smell like that badass man that kicked our butts,” Kare smiled at Megan, “I guess you’re the wife,” she smiled at Veronica, “and you’re his baby.”
”Veronica glowered. If she had heat vision that blond hair would’ve been toast. “I’m not a ba—” she shut her mouth when she realized responding would actually make her look like a baby.
“Awww… you look just like your daddy when he was smashing people.”
“Jesus Christ, Kare!” Rino snapped. “We don’t have time for this kiddie shit. Chance and Scotty could be on our trail right now!”
“I agree, so you tell us where Remy is and we’ll be on our way,” Megan said.
Rino barked a bitter laugh. “You don’t have a chance with just you four and the eight down in the living room.”
“The cult is holding him on Alcatraz, where they hold all their captives,” Hanna said.
“Does that include—” Nila began.
“The women and girls they kidnapped from Old Town years ago? Most likely,” Hanna nodded.
Rino growled. “If I had known they were keeping girls…”
Veronica could really see the dog in her. “If you have such a good nose then how come you didn’t know?” she pumped an imaginary fist in her mind. Got her.
“Magic bullshit,” Rino shrugged.
“Oh…”
“Yeah, it’s weird, but we can’t like really pick up scents from the ocean aside from like saltwater and fishy-ness. Even when we’re watching a boat of people crossing, it’s like they’re not even their, I mean in our noses,” Kare tapped her dainty, button nose.
Nila snapped her fingers. It was almost like a gunshot in the bedroom’s enclosed space. “Is taking a boat a viable option?”
“No. All sea travel is strictly regulated. Official cult business only,” Rino said.
“I don’t know if it’s a good idea anyways. We’re dealing with fishmen,” Hanna said.
“They have giant sea monsters,” Veronica added.
“There might be tunnels,” Rino said. “I’m not positive, but they’ve been doing a lot of digging past Fisherman’s Wharf, near the park. Not in the park itself, but they tore up a block and replaced the buildings with huge warehouses and put up a bunch of walls and bunkers all around the outer perimeter. Like a fort or castle.”
“The maritime park?” Nila perked up. “I’ve been there before as part of my old job. Part of a conference. We visited the state park facilities in the local area.”
“Don’t know, don’t care,” Rino said.
“We just have to get past the walls and guards then we can get through the tunnels following our noses,” Kare said brightly.
“We?” Nila narrowed her eyes.
“We’ve got a problem with women and girls being trafficked,” Rino said. “If I had known… I’d never have agreed to work for the scio— the cult.”
“We can’t do anything with what we currently have as far as forces,” Hanna said.
“Yes we can,” Veronica said. Too much time was being wasted. They needed to go and get her dad, Tessa and the kidnapped people already. “I’ll blast their brains and then we can just go in.”
“I like the sound of that.” Rino’s grin was feral. All sharp canine teeth.
Veronica immediately second guessed her idea.
“I have an idea with a better chance of success,” Hanna said.
“Out with it then,” Megan said with more heat than she perhaps intended. With every passing moment her nerves frayed more with worry for her daughter and husband.
“Bennett is alive,” Hanna said.
“Do you know that dude is a Vampire?” Rino glanced at her nails, which looked thicker and sharper than normal.
“Yeah. It’s his Class,” Nila said flatly.
Rino rolled her shoulders, but said nothing.
“Anyways… turns out there’s a Resistance movement of some sort and they suspect that Bennett is with them. Has been for the past two years,” Hanna continued.
“Like, not a hundred percent sure, but he’s got a weird scent and we’re always picking it up in areas where we think the Resistance is doing stuff,” Kare said.
“They mostly do lame shit like spray painting rude stuff about the cult or stealing food and supplies. Then they go run and hide,” Rino snorted. “Guess they’re lucky that Bennett guy showed up. Otherwise we probably would’ve wiped them out months ago.”
“Yeah. The cult leaders explicitly told us that we can’t go after nerdy Dracula,” Kare shrugged.
“On top of that the remnants of the Sac Town forces are also likely hiding out with the Resistance,” Hanna said.
“How do you know that?” Nila said.
“How do you think?” Rino smirked.
“Right.”
“So, we link up and get the numbers and power to pull of a distraction and our own storming the Bastille moment,” Hanna said. “Once we make our way to Alcatraz, we can head back the way we came with Remy’s and Tessa’s added firepower or best case scenario, Remy flies us all out of there on metal grates or something.”
“Okay… that sounds like our best option,” Nila said.
“Agreed,” Megan added.
Finally, Veronica let out a long breath.
Rino and the blond woman suddenly perked up. Both sniffed the air.
“We need to hurry,” Rino snapped and rushed out of the room.
“What is it?” Nila eyed the blond warily.
“Our boys are on your trail, which I guess is now our trail too.”
“Chop, chop, people!” Rino called from downstairs.
They jumped like a fire had been lit under them.
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“You know, I’m actually glad to see you, which surprised me,” Bennett said.
“Um… yeah, totally,” Jake replied. “You really bailed us out. I wasn’t liking what I was feeling with that mist. Pretty sure bad things would’ve happened had we tried to drive through.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Bennett shivered, which was a little odd for a Vampire. “There are things in the mist. What? I’m not entirely sure. Every time I try to send rats in to get a quick peek, they just die horribly, like within seconds.”
“So… rats, huh? A lot’s changed since I last saw you,” Jake kept his tone light.
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“Decided to focus on rats in my ‘small minion ability branch’, seemed like a good idea, considering…” Bennett swept an unnaturally pale and long-fingered hand at their surroundings.
“You know, for a sewer this part is surprisingly clean and not smelly.”
“I know, right? I had no idea that the sewer department had offices and facilities underground. Been a lifesaver for me though. A good place to hide and get around the city. Same for the Resistance.”
“Why hasn’t the cult raided you?”
“My rats, combined with my other senses. A good early warning system.” Bennett eyed Jake’s skeleton-like mechanical hand. “Is that…?”
“Oh, yeah!” Jake brought his prosthetic up closer to the torch light. Not that Bennett needed the aid to see it. “Thanks to your magical science research department. Check it out. Mage Hand.” A ghostly blue outline of hand surrounded the prosthetic. Jake wiggled the fingers and moved the hand around. “It’s like way stronger than my normal hand. Could totally crush a skull. Er… not that I’ve tried, well I did, but only on monsters and mutant animals… kinda messy,” he shrugged.
“Amazing!” Bennett leaned in closer. “This is the latest iteration?”
“Yup.”
“Before I left on this mission, Quest, I had spoken with the team responsible for it. I remember them being extremely excited. That reminds me, I noticed Detective Ordonez wasn’t using a crutch…”
“Yup, I modified the spell code for my hand to do a leg version. Takes more mana, but works just as good. She’s even got more goodies packed into her leg. Although…” Jake pitched his voice softer, “don’t ask her about it. She’s still a little sensitive about the whole Midtown Mauler thing.”
“Yes,” a disturbed look crossed Bennett’s face, “I too wouldn’t wish to relive those events.”
“Are you kidding? But you’ve leveled up, right?”
“Performing Quests for the Resistance has given me a steady, if unspectacular, supply of Universal Points. So, I’ve been able to upgrade a few of my abilities. I’ve mostly focused on the aforementioned rats, along with my stealth abilities and survivability.”
“How does that work for you? Do you just buy abilities and upgrades? Like I can do the same for the spell codes I write into my devices, but it’s just so expensive. I’m better off experimenting with the codes I already have to try to figure out other ones,” Jake shrugged.
“It’s not quite so direct or obvious, as most things spires-related are,” Bennett went into his lecturer voice. “I can either discover an ability on my own through experimentation, but this seems to be gated by my current level, for lack of a better term, even though I haven’t be able to discern any such thing in my personal sheet.”
“Yeah, I don’t think anyone has. Although since the ten year tutorial period just passed maybe that’s been unlocked. Haven’t had the chance to go to a spire and check it out.”
“Yes, the spires in this area are guarded by the Scions of the Deep Azure cult. Only my stealth abilities allow me to bypass them. As to said abilities. I can increase their strength level through practice. Like any muscle, use it enough times and in effective ways and they become stronger. There does seem to be a hard ceiling of sorts at each level for each individual ability that mere use can’t surpass. In this case I need to purchase an ‘unlock’, if you will, to the next level at the spire. I’m uncertain if this is only true in my case.”
“Interesting, I’ve talked to magic users and they have to buy new spells. And there aren’t, like, individual levels to each spell. Spell power depends on how much mana they put into it and their own personal strength. There does seem to be a cap thought. No idea if they’d tried to do it your way though.”
Bennett suddenly jerked his head to one side and let out a low hiss.
“The fu—” Jake flinched back a few steps.
“The cult. They’re coming.”
“So… we just go hide right? Like you said?”
Bennett’s red eyes were wide. “Not this time. They’re going to attack in force. Hundreds of them.”
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Then, Threnosh World
“Time to full charge?” PJ15 kept an eye on the command console. Thin, gray tendrils extended from their finger tips. Their skin-tight power armor’s gray surface pulsed with faint lights that traveled up from the tendrils. They had altered the functions of the console to collect sensor data from the facility and the immediate surrounding area. Their power armor filtered the information and fed it to PJ15. So far everything was quiet. They didn’t detect any movement out there. Unfortunately, this wasn’t necessarily accurate. The Inheritors and the corrupted had proven capable of fooling their sensor technology.
“Forty-five seconds,” Brightstrike replied through the comms.
PJ15’s teammate was in a different chamber replenishing their energy stores.
“Understood. I am moving to your position.” PJ15 did one last sensor sweep. It looked clear, so they detached their tendrils from the console. The thin strands morphed smoothly back into their fingertips.
Brightstrike met them outside the recharging chamber.
“You have a choice,” Brightstrike said.
“I do not understand, clarify?”
“The Task we both received. I intend to attempt completion. What do you intend?”
“To search for Honor in our current condition is tactically unsound. We are only two versus an unknown multitude of corrupted and Inheritors. Your trueskin is damaged. Then there is the unknown threat level presented by the unidentified invasive organism that intercepted Honor.” PJ15’s power armor visibly bristled for a moment. Like an animal’s threat display to scare off predators. “My trueskin is… wary of that one.”
“Clearly.”
“The correct tactic is to withdraw. Return to our team. Then search for Honor. We have no confirmation on Honor’s current situation.”
“Yet, the Task directs us to rescue Honor from captivity. Logic dictates that he has been captured by our enemies. Tasks are never erroneous,” Brightstrike said. “Honor will be freed. Together we will fight the enemy and defeat them. That is our purpose.”
“Honor has cautioned us about this. Tasks can be delayed, ignored or rejected.”
“I do not discount your words. My decision has been made. You are free to chose your own path.”
PJ15 thought a moment. Brightstrike’s lack of concern over their own fate was problematic. “Our success rate drastically decreases if we separate. I will join you.”
In truth PJ15 preferred this path. It wasn’t the correct choice from a tactical standpoint, but a voice in their head pushed them forward.
Brightstrike gave a nearly imperceptible nod.
“To the repair facility or combat drone station?” PJ15 said.
Brightstrike projected a holographic map from their gauntlet. “The repair facility is closer.”
“Acknowledged. I will take point,” PJ15 said.
Brightstrike manifested a bright yellow sword in their hand for a few seconds before turning it off. “Energy drain 19% above optimal level. My trueskin requires repairs.”
“My previous suggestion to obtain additional weaponry—”
“—Is acknowledged. We will go to the drone station after I effect repairs. I intend to use my trueskin’s ability against strong enemies. I will use standard weaponry against the rest.”
The two Threnosh descended deeper into the dark, dead city. Further away from safety and the rest of their team. They walked toward the heart of an enemy that they didn’t truly know, yet knew them well.
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Now, Threnosh World
Salamander breathed fire from their draconic helmet’s maw.
The entire street was bathed in flames.
Dozens of corrupted were cooked alive. Their shrieks filled the air.
A giant shape leapt out of the inferno and punched Salamander in the chest, knocking them out of the sky to land on the roof of a nearby structure.
Damage alerts flashed in Salamander’s faceplate. Thankfully, nothing critical.
They were caught off guard by the sheer strength of the blow. It was well beyond anything they had experienced before, either in live combat or practice.
“Be advised, the Inheritor, Designation: Gyxdor has bypassed my attempt at containment,” Salamander spoke into the comms. “Drone operators, acquire and track visual.”
“Negative,” Frequency replied. “Surveillance efforts are hampered. Attempting to reposition sound emitting drones to counter.”
Salamander was grateful for Frequency’s presence for many reasons. One of which was as their senior, Frequency could take over operational command at their base camp on the broken bridge.
Thus, Salamander was free to take part in field operations, which they preferred.
“Acknowledged. I have visual and will pursue.” Salamander engaged their boot jets with a thought. At the apex of their upward flight they extended their wings and oriented themselves toward the massive Gyxdor as the Inheritor continued to penetrate into the Threnosh-controlled sector with tremendous leaps. They engage the jets once again and shot toward their enemy.
Salamander wasn’t capable of true flight. Their wings and jets allowed for gliding and a limited ability to hover for short amounts of time.
In this scenario it was perfect for their needs.
“Be careful, Salamander. Backup will not be available for the next three minutes and fifteen seconds,” Frequency said.
“Understood.”
Salamander dismissed all other thoughts. They focused only on the fight in front of them. They threw their wings wide and kicked out with their boot jets to hover a dozen meters above Gyxdor. The breathed fire as they angled their jets to one side in order to circle around the Inheritor.
Gyxdor's gray flesh blistered and melted under the assault.
The metal rooftop started to warp under the heat and the Inheritor’s weight. Until it finally buckled and gave out.
The structure was four levels high.
Salamander wondered how far Gyxdor had fallen.
Not very far was the answer as Gyxdor, still partially on fire, crashed through the fourth level wall in a mighty leap right for Salamander.
The Threnosh engaged their jets too late.
Gyxdor grabbed their lower leg in an enormous fist.
The Inheritor’s weight sent the two of them plummeting to the ground.
Salamander retracted their wings into the pack on their back. They were useless and would only cost more Universal Points to repair or replace. Besides, they trusted their power armor’s durability and inertial dampeners to protect them from the impact.
They cratered the metallic street when they landed.
Fortunately for Salamander, they were on top of Gyxdor.
Salamander slashed down with their draconic-taloned right gauntlet. Razor sharp claws cut deeply across Gyxdor’s massive wrist.
The Inheritor roared and relinquished their grip on Salamander’s leg.
The Threnosh leapt up and away with a burst from their boot jets further burning the Inheritor.
Gyxdor erupted up out of the crater and took Salamander by surprise.
The giant Inheritor battered Salamander into and through the side of nearby structure.
Salamander tumbled through the thin, metallic walls. Only the inherent durability of the scale-like skin on their power armor, along with the superior alloys that comprised the internal musculature and inertial dampeners kept them from serious injury.
Salamander excelled at dealing damage and taking it.
Gyxdor was making a mockery of the former and testing the latter.
Salamander arrested their journey and righted themselves just as Gyxdor charged after them with a bestial roar. The Inheritor disregarded the structure’s walls as they barged through every thing in their path.
It was a testament to Threnosh engineering and architecture that the structure hadn’t collapsed.
Salamander dived to one side and spat fire at Gyxdor’s back.
The Inheritor’s laugh was a deep, booming thing that registered on Salamander’s auditory sensors.
“Are you the best the Threnosh have to offer?” Gyxdor’s voice was like giant boulders grinding together deep in the earth.
“No,” Salamander answered honestly.
“Pity.” Gyxdor tore a section of floor and threw it at Salamander with the speed of a missile.
Salamander batted it to one side with their right gauntlet. The impact threw sparks that showered down on the street. They glanced at the timer on their faceplate as it counted down to the possibility of reinforcement.
“I wonder how you compare to the others of your kind I have already faced. I wonder how you compare to the one that calls himself Honor.”
“You have fought Honor?”
“Yes, many times. I have him to thank for my new strength.” Gyxdor flexed a bicep that was bigger than Salamander’s head. “He has served as a useful device on which to increase my capabilities.”
Salamander took a closer look at the bony growths that protruded out of Gyxdor’s flesh. From what they remembered of older surveillance footage the growth did appear to be bigger and there appeared to be more. They served to protect vital areas, as well as enhance the Inheritor’s damage potential.
“Where is Honor?”
“Serving the Mother,” Gyxdor said. “His fate is not your concern. I am.”
The Inheritor charged.
Salamander leapt straight up with an assist from their jets. They breathed fire down on Gyxdor as it barreled into the side of the structure.
Salamander unfurled their wings and continued to the taller structure on the opposite side of the street.
Gyxdor came out of the other structure with a growl. “Why run? Fear? It is pointless. We will replace you as the rightful masters of this world. It’s only a matter of time.”
Gyxdor’s skin healed in seconds. There was no sign of the horrific burns.
The enormous Inheritor grinned up at Salamander.
Salamander reconsidered the fight. The fuel for their flames was below 20%. They suspected that they would lose a purely physical battle. Their initial plan had been to burn Gyxdor to the bone. That no longer appeared achievable.
Had they diverted Gyxdor’s incursion into the city section enough?
“Status report on efforts to gain control of security station?” Salamander said into the comms as they flew to another rooftop with Gyxdor in pursuit.
“Telatrine’s team has encountered stiff resistance. Corrupted have been reinforced by unknown number of Inheritors,” Frequency replied immediately.
“Status on my reinforcements?”
“Delayed indefinitely. Reserve has been deployed to counter additional enemy push.”
“Drone status?”
“Negative. However, I am close to countering the sound that is interfering with remote operation.”
“That is critical. If we cannot secure the security station in this section then we can not increase the control signal network for the drones to overcome the interference. Our forces will be overwhelmed by corrupted numbers. Flooding the section with our drones from our controlled sections is our only chance for victory.”
“I know that, Salamander,” Frequency said in short, sharp tones.
“Acknowledged. Will continue to keep Designation: Gyxdor from engaging our forces.”