~~~~~~~~~~~
Samara,
It’s been... I don’t know anymore. Maybe I should start where I left off. So much has happened since then. Someone broke into my apartment and took me in the night. I don’t know where I am. I don’t think they’re with the government, but they’re well funded whoever they are.
Top of the line gear, things even I have only read about. They don’t talk to me much, but over the last few months I’ve started to get to know one of the guards. They’re working on something new, but wouldn’t tell me exactly what. I’ve been placed to work on some prototype SP conversion device. The specs though, they’re unlike anything I’ve seen before.
The power drain, even I wouldn’t be able to power it for more than a handful of minutes. It’s like a teleportation matrix but...modified. I don’t have enough access to the rest of the work but whatever they’re powering must be massive.
I didn’t agree to work with them at first. The principle of the matter. You’d be surprised how unimportant principles are when they leave you in isolation for...however long it’s been. I’m glad to just have something to do. Hopefully if I work with them they’ll trust me with something really important. It’s a long shot, but might be my best hope to get out of this pit. If I go down, I’m going to take these thugs down with me.
Percival Conway
~~~~~~~~~~~
“Fabius, where have you been? And what did you do out there?” Colette asked as she regained her footing.
“Our in the east woods, got held up overnight. There’s a crowd coming.”
“I can hear that! What did you do to them?”
“I didn’t do anything. There were some guys in white armor. They took a guy from a building and started firing some kind of weapon. The crowd panicked, I nearly got trampled.”
“Wait, white armor you said? Segmented, like an insect?”
“Yeah, that was them. Some kind of energy discharge weapon too.”
“What are the Heralds doing out here?” The worry on her face was apparent.
“Who are the Heralds?”
“The. Heralds. Come on now. Dansin, I know you’re not from around here but surely you’ve heard of the Heralds. Everybody has, as a story at least!”
I shook my head in the negative.
“The boogeymen who abduct kin for mysterious reasons? Where people never return again? Wielding impenetrable armor and tech that dates back to the Cataclysm. That ringing any bells?”
“Not really, sorry.”
“What, where are you even from mister that you haven’t heard of the damn Heralds before?”
“I told you very, very far away.”
“Name of your hometown, now. Or I’m kicking you out of my shop. If you’re on the run from them I am not getting involved with it no matter how I feel about you.”
My heart skipped a beat, but the panic didn’t dissipate. There was no way she’d ever find out more about my home. Samara was the only one who knew what it was called and she was with me.
“Umbria. As I said, it’s very, very far away.”
Colette fixed me with a withering glare, trying to see if I was lying. We held eye contact for a good ten silent seconds before she accepted it.
“Thank you for telling me. I’ve never heard of it before, and I’m reasonably well informed about the distant lands. If the Heralds are stirring up trouble again... I don’t know.”
“They did mention something about an attack in Calgoth three months ago.”
“That would do it. But who would think to hide out here? Poke that nest of vipers and you better have an escape plan ready that takes you further than Oxdale. They’re bad news no matter how you view it.”
“They looked dangerous, are they truly that bad?” From my experience no matter what kind of armor you wore, people bled just the same underneath it.
“There are stories of lone Heralds being ambushed on the road as recently as a decade ago by a full twenty kin. Nineteen bodies were recovered. Sliced to pieces by brilliant swords of light. Or with holes big enough to pass a fist through them. Enchanted armor and all.”
I had heard stories of legendary warriors before, these weren’t the first. Men who could lift an ox, cleave through a dozen shields with their mace, immortals who would bleed but never die. They may have been stronger than average, but I’d watched legends fall before.
The differences of Magitech might make them legitimately strong enough to do those things. Samara hadn’t seen fit to weigh in on the matter yet but I made my plans to avoid them just the same. If I were to confront one of them, it had better be with a single, swift, killing blow.
The tone of the crowd outside had suddenly turned during my discussion with Colette. There were still screams of panic and fear, but they were being replaced by sounds of anger and rage. With the Heralds presumably gone, there were none around to control the mass crowd. Their source of fear having left, frustrations aroused by helplessness began to rise.
It took one brick.
I wasn’t sure if it actually was a brick, or a stone, or a crate. The effect was immediate. A couple of voices chided the first. Soon they were drowned out by others clamoring for more violence.
Colette looked to me and I to her. We began scrambling for pallets to pile in front of the door, boxes to board up the windows.
“Dansin! Help me move this against the door!” Colette shouted as she backed against a large apothecary cabinet that slowly began to slide across the concrete floor.
Rushing over and putting my shoulder into it, I helped heave the massive piece of furniture to block the front entrance.
“Think that’ll hold?” I asked.
“It’s the best we’ve got on such short notice. How did it turn so quick?”
“Crowds have a logic of their own.”
“There’s nothing logical about a riot!” Colette exclaimed, tail twitching nervously.
“I don’t know either. But let’s get these windows better secured. Do you have anything to put out a fire?”
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“Fire, what?”
“Do you have anything to put out a fire? If they can’t loot, they’re likely to try burning random things down out of spite.”
“I...yes. Over here. A few suppression flasks. They should be good enough to put out a small fire but if the building catches we need to find somewhere else to be.”
A heavy thud hit the front door and the apothecary desk rattled. Muffled voices could be heard from the other side.
“...locked tight. Damnit... ave to find...”
I took a deep breath once they finally moved away. My heart still beat like a drum, jolts of charged blood pulsing in my ears.
“Are they...gone?” Colette whispered to me.
“Shh... I think so. But stay quiet in case anyone else comes along. We need to wait for the crowd to burn itself out before moving.”
“Move where?” The accusing hiss took me off guard.
“I...don’t know. I was hoping you knew somewhere safe we could hide.”
“This store is the most secure place I know.”
“Then we better make ourselves comfortable. This is going to be a long day.”
Motion of the few beams of light that made it past our barricade were the only way we could tell the passage of time. Sounds of the angry mob rose and fell, a couple of kin attempting to break through the door but failing to get through. The waiting was as nerve wracking as if we had been in the thick of it ourselves.
Colette fussed over some potion bottles on a shelf, I pulled out a hone and began working it along my blade in smooth strokes. Idleness was an excellent way to let your imagination get the best of you. Finally, I broke the uneasy silence.
“Do you have anything to eat?” My stomach growled as if on cue.
“Well you know, that’s an awfully strange way to ask a girl on a date,” The smile she gave was forced, but there was a glimmer of her usual bubbly attitude in the way she held herself.
“I didn’t-”
“The answer is yes, and yes,” The smile on her face turned genuine for a moment, “Though the selection might be wanting. Think I have some snacks laying around.”
“Thanks, Colette,” Though the lighting from the sun was getting lower, the light blush that came to both our faces was still visible.
A few minutes of rummaging around later, she returned with a small sack of dried fruits and a box of nuts. Not the most exquisite of dining experiences, but seeing how I hadn’t eaten anything since the night before I wasn’t about to complain.
The company wasn’t bad either.
We sat there awkwardly staring at each other for a few moments, unspoken tension rising as I tried to come up with something to say to her. A shattering bottle outside provided me an opportunity.
“So about those riots, eh?” I announced with my best deadpan expression.
“Yeah, not exactly what I had in mind after reading your note. But I’ll take it,” A laugh came from Colette, then she reached a hand across the desk and laid it on my own.
“I was really out of it, but I do find you quite interesting.”
“And not just for these?” She pulled her arms towards her side, bust rising in response.
“I think that’s a trick question,” I raised an eyebrow and received a giggle in response, “But I’m not going to deny that does factor into my appreciation of your form.”
“Well then why don’t you tell me what else you like about me, aside from these?” Colette motioned and swayed herself gently from side to side.
My mind went blank. My mouth might have been open.
“Oh come on, take pity on the poor man and just jump him already! We both know how this goes!”
“Shit,” I said.
“Oh. Shit,” I clamped my hand over my mouth.
“What?” Colette looked a dozen shades of confused, and any of the growing sexual tension between us dropped in an instant.
“I can explain! It’s not like it seems!”
“Samara, I think you’ve said enough already. Let me handle it!”
“What, wait, who’s Samara? It’s just me and you here. And why is your voice switching around like that?” Colette was getting panicked. A guy arguing with himself would probably do that to anyone.
“Look, we were trapped in an experiment when...”
“What? No! Tell her the truth. She deserves at least...”
“Okay, I don’t know who you are or what you did with the Fabius Dansin I knew, but you’re scaring me. Either start making sense or get walking!” Colette grabbed a loose board and held it menacingly between us.
“Alright, I’ll explain.”
“The whole truth. And start with why your voice keeps on switching around like that.”
“I really would have liked to do this some other way...”
“Get on with it!” Colette was shaking.
“The Fabius Dansin that you know does not exist.”
“How the fuck does that make things better?” I asked.
“Quiet and let me finish!” This idiot was going to be the death of us both.
“Quit arguing with yourself! Start. Talking.”
“I was saying. Fabius Dansin never existed. At least not until two weeks ago.”
“Go on,” The skepticism on her face was obvious.
“I still don’t know how it happened exactly but I’m trying to figure it out. But I... or rather, this body, came from another world.”
“But what, you didn’t?”
“I am from this world. But not like this. Not... now.”
“More crazy talk. Give me specifics. Give me something I can believe,” The board lowered, but she sill held it in an iron grip.
“She is telling the truth. I came here from another place. Where there are no kin. Just, humans. As far as the eye can see. Have you seen anyone else that looks like I do?”
“Well no, but that doesn’t mean you couldn’t have came from far away. There’s all sorts of kin. Wait, did you say ’she’?”
“I am, or was, born biologically female. But that was a long time ago...probably around what you call the Cataclysm.”
“And you’ve been together since then?”
“Only the last two weeks. I don’t know what happened after I went through the portal but-”
“Wait, when was there a portal?”
“I was conducting research into tapping other dimensions for an alternative to SP when I-”
A loud crack sounded in the back of the alchemy lab.
“Did you have any experiments running in the back?” I asked hopefully.
“No. But there are a couple of low windows,” Colette whispered.
“Let’s go check this out,” I replied, lowering myself into a crouch.
“Don’t think that you’re getting off without explaining, whoever you are.”
“I’ll explain everything. You have my word as a researcher of Eshix”
“Eshix...What? Never mind, we can sort it out later,” Someone was definitely in the shop who wasn’t supposed to be there.
I took the lead, quietly walking forward as best as I could. Three shapes were moving about in the gloom, two tall and one short.
“Hey! What are you doing in here?!” Colette yelled, breaking the element of surprise. I stayed hidden behind a low bench, trying to flank the group. Whatever Colette was planning, I hope she could handle herself.
“Huh, looks like she didn’t scamper away!” The short one called out, a dwarf from the sound of him. “Hey girl! Where’s the gilder? We’ll also be needing some of your potion supply. Say all of it?”
The other two thugs growled as they moved forward to intercept Colette, an elf and an avian.
“What’s the matter girlie, just give us what we want and we’ll be off,” The avian man grinned as he loomed forward. A bright glint was visible from where he drew a dagger from its sheath.
“Yeah, what he said,” The lithe elf pulled a knife of his own out.
They may have been poorly armed, but I didn’t see any weapon on their leader, that gave me pause. I wasn’t sure how good of a fighter Colette was either, but being outnumbered was not ever a good situation. At least I still hadn’t been made yet. From where I was crouched, I wouldn’t be able to get any closer without revealing myself.
“I’m warning you guys to leave here and not come back. It’s isn’t going to be worth it for you,” What was that woman doing? She was walking backwards, leading them further away from my hiding place. Soon, they would have her surrounded.
“Oh is that so cupcake? Maybe you have an idea for how we could make it worth our effort? Maybe this equipment here. I think I saw it on the floor, didn’t you Ithiam?” The dwarf motioned to the worn calcinator we’d used just the day before.
“Touch it and you die,” Cold steel in Colette’s voice gave pause to the thug leader for a moment, before he opened up with a grin.
“Hahaha! Oh you’re a right fiery little beastie aren’t ya? See, that’s where you’re wrong. Because you had to go open up your mouth when you could have been handing us what we politely asked for, we’re going to have to rearrange this little shop. Then we’re going to rearrange your pretty little face.”
“I’m not warning you again.”
“What, the three of us against one of you? You’re a looney,” The dwarf turned towards the calcinator. A soft glow from the gauntlet covering his right hand was the only indication that something was happening, before the reinforced container was suddenly shattered with a fist through it. “And now, you’re next.”
I nearly missed sight of the flask Colette threw as it tumbled through the air. It landed squarely on the dwarf’s right arm. The scream of pain was delayed, but a clear indicator of the effectiveness of her attack.
“YOU FUCKING BITCH! I’m going to...AAAGHH! My fucking arm! KILL HER!”
The other two thugs were quick to action as their leader dropped to the floor writhing in pain. The bare skin was beginning to melt and steam.
In the near darkness, I stood up behind the two men charging towards Colette and readied a pilum. [Piercing Strike] readied and I released. Only three meters away, it would have been a challenge to miss the avian man I’d targeted. A shriek confirmed the hit, as did the feeling of life and energy returning to my limbs.
“From behind!” He squawked out then spun towards me, it sounded like he’d pierced a lung.
Miraculously, he still managed to charge over towards me with the long spear sticking through his gut. Brandishing his dagger, he leaped over a table and knocked me off my feet. I scrambled to regain my footing when my left leg suddenly stopped moving. I watched as the dagger unsheathed itself from my thigh and raised again to descend into my stomach.
Rolling to the left, I narrowly dodged the blow. Pulling my sword from its scabbard I made a shallow swipe at my assailant that connected with his arm, drawing another cry of agony.
Colette screamed in pain before it was answered by another. The elf was still unharmed and attacking her. My lapse in concentration was capitalized on as I felt the dagger descend into my back. My vision grew full as my ears began ringing. I tasted the color purple, it wasn’t good to eat.
I lay there bleeding out as the avian went to support his friend against Colette. With my last coherent thought, I remembered the skill I’d taken the night before.
[Unbroken Will]
My mind cleared, the pain numbed. My leg still refused to work properly, but that didn’t seem to matter as much anymore. Colette was my friend, and my friend was in danger. I would not lie down and give up.
Steadying myself against a nearby table, I saw Colette firmly locked in combat against the elf. She was bleeding as was he. A series of clear marks dripped blood from his face. The fight looked to be close to evenly matched for the moment.
The avian was hobbling over towards her. Even in his rough state he could easily be enough of a distraction to top the scales. I threw myself forward, walking was not an option.
Fabius Dansin
Level 3
23/150 HP
198/200 SP
The screen popped up of its own accord as my HP dropped another point from the bleeding in my back and leg. Ignoring it, I lowered my sword parallel to the ground and charged as best a one legged man could.
[Piercing Strike]
The blow went through the leather armor on the avian’s back, a look of surprise sprouting as the sword rammed up through him. Again he turned to face me but I was ready this time, pulling my sword out while trying to make as much damage as I could. One more strike across his exposed neck and my foe fell to the ground, unmoving. Another breath of life hit me as the cool down on [Siphon] must have been up.
I made towards the pair still fighting fervently. Colette’s claws were no match for the dagger in a straight fight but she could move them at speeds unmatched by the elf. Neither had enough of an advantage to press in the tight quarters.
My approach was sufficient distraction that the elf hesitated for a moment, before a broken bottle clubbed him over the head and he collapsed on the spot. Hobbling over to Colette, I saw where her pants and clothes had been torn, crimson blood welling up from the shallow wounds. It didn’t look like she was hurt too badly, but my vision was slowly fading again as the weight of my blood loss made itself known.
Next thing I knew, Colette ran forward and pushed me to the floor with the thug’s dagger in her hand. Bracing for the blow, it never came.
I opened my eyes to see the dagger sticking out of the now one armed dwarf, not even a meter behind me. I tried to speak, but blood was filling my mouth and my breath was drawing short.
“Hey...you.” Colette pulled the dagger out of the dwarf and pointed it at me while trying to catch her breath. “That... was the worst first date ever.”