***Tirnanog, The Plains***
***Astra***
With your permission, protector Astra, I must say your partner has a few loose screws, Amudsen comnted in a hushed whisper while we watched the massacre.
I turned and glared at the leader of our guard detail, but couldn't truly gainsay his complaint. Was he sulking because his charge had abandoned the protective circle?
Not knowing how to react, I chose to say nothing and returned my attention to watching over my partner.
Magnus had broken the formation he had ordered the n to take and was now playing bait for the parasites, following Elijah's example.
Indeed, do as the Romans do.
At first, he had been professional about his solo hunting spree, only taking on lone parasites. But at so point, he had lost his respect for the creatures and was now attacking groups of two and three.
More disturbingly, he was laughing like a maniac while slaughtering them. He was even using flash step to heighten his kill count while having a competition with Elijah for the title of bugslayer.
I watched Magnus stabbing one of the monsters in a vital spot and electrocuting it.
Defying imdiate death, the creature struck back with its spike arms, but was countered by Magnus's armour angling itself seemingly on its own to deflect and redirect the blows instead of taking them head on.
A second monster abandoned its fight with a Caravaner and launched itself at what it identified as the greater threat. It ca from my partner's blind spot which would have been trouble for most normal humans.
But Magnus was slowly improving his Precognition thanks to his training with Elijah.
Before it could close the distance entirely, Magnus kicked his spetum while holding onto the shaft's end. The created leverage caused the weapon to rip sideways out of his latest victim and whip around, creating a crescent-shaped trail of arcing sparks.
If it hadn't been for the monster behind him, the manoeuvre would have looked like the vain fancy of a martial artist.
But it wasnt.
The spetum's blade passed through the charging parasite and severed the upper torso from the rest of the body.
Magnus blurred and was already dashing towards another foe before the pieces hit the ground.
The creatures might have been an actual threat in larger numbers, but spread out as they were they couldn't challenge my partner if he used his speed to its fullest. And thanks to my father's training he had turned proficient in the use of his main weapon.
Which was fine as long as he didn't get carried away.
As if to mock , Magnus threw himself right into a group of three opponents.
What worried was the fighting style he was developing. It didn't solely rely on maximising distance with his weapon. Magnus wasn't above using close combat techniques and even his fists when sothing managed to get past the blade's tip.
The spetum stabbed, feet kicked, and two fingers left a cauterized hole where a parasite's eye had been a mont ago while my partner tumbled with jerking movents through the group relying on his sub-identities to dodge and coordinate movents which would have left a normal human out of his depth.
While I was capable of the sa, I never would have chosen to fight this way without being forced into it. I would have relied on lightning strikes as much as possible and avoided coming close to these monsters.
On the other hand, Magnuss filants werent long enough to deliver electric strikes without extre power usage.
Why did this trouble so much? Was it just hard for to watch him because he was so important to ?
I closed my eyes and massaged the bridge of my nose while I stood amidst our guards.
Actively watching out for parasites coming our way wasn't necessary. I had my filants extended to ward off any attacker taking an interest in our group. Simply by providing a safe zone, our hunters ensured this section of the fortress wouldn't fall.
Amudsen was still staring at , expecting an answer.
I will talk to him about it, I assured the bodyguard.
Normally, Magnus was calmness and logic personified. If asked, he would assuredly say he disliked causing pain and murder even if it must be done. Maybe he even wholeheartedly believed his claim, but there was sothing inside him which called for carnage and slaughter.
Or was it just the thrill of a life-threatening situation? When I saw him the first ti, he was also laughing like a maniac while being chased by a pack of gutters.
Maybe it wasn't a mutation-driven instinct to worry about, but sothing which had always been inside him, suppressed by Earth's mostly peaceful environnt.
While I contemplated his behaviour, the parasites which had jumped onto the fortress slowly ran out of numbers and the focus of the battle shifted to defending the parapet.
The parasites which couldn't make the jump in one go were still trying to climb their way up, but so far the Caravaners had held the line.
Once Magnus saw that the Caravaners had everything well in hand, he shouldered his spetum and made his way back to us with a grin on his face.
It feels good to let loose, he comnted, covered in parasite goo.
I gestured for our guards to turn away.
They did as commanded by forming a circle around us while facing outwards and at least pretending to give us so privacy.
It wasn't like anyone who truly wanted to would have had a hard ti spying on us given the fortress's very public setup. A wooden wall wasn't as reliable as a hundred tres of stone to ensure privacy.
Are you having fun, Magnus? I asked. I am just wondering whether you always tended to laugh like a maniac when you are fighting.
Hahaha! Magnus touched the back of his head, looking slightly ashad. Am I overdoing it, dear?
I shrugged and happily noted he had called dear. As long as it remains at the current level it looks like its manageable for you, so I don't care. It's just that we are still learning new things about our mutations and we have nobody to turn to in regards to how the zipper mutation affects us. Do I have to remind you of Hector? We should be aware of overly strong instincts before they beco troubleso in the future. If sothing negatively affects our behaviour it's wise to avoid mutations which are known to compound the issue.
Finally understanding my worries, Magnus allowed his serious side to resurface. Well, I don't think it's a problem. You aren't having similar feelings when you are fighting right? So it's just having fun.
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I shook my head at his way of putting things. Just having fun, you say. Fine, if you want to have it this way. It's a reasonable if still troubleso explanation. Though I would urge you to stay wary of such things. It wouldn't be the first ti for a mutation to affect the genders differently. Unrelated to the cause, I still have to say I am not happy about your tendency to 'have fun' by throwing yourself in harms way.
Magnus smiled. I can only assure you it's mostly a '' thing.
He took my hand and squeezed it. 'Do you believe when I confess it's a coping chanism against being scared shitless? The parasites give the shivers.'
I tried my best not to give anything away on my face. 'Are you serious? You just threw yourself into groups of those things and you are telling they scare you?'
Magnus had used our secret communication thod for this confession, so it would have been stupid to hint at our ability by displaying facial expressions without any context for watchers. It would only be a question of ti before soone linked our strangely shifting expressions to a special communication ability.
'Totally! Didn't you take a look at those creepy crawlies? They are insect things as large as a human. Zerg made real and I had to get close enough to touch them. It's either laughing like a madman at the surreality of it all or pissing myself while screaming like a baby for its mama. Take your pick.'
Zerg? I blinked and did my best to ignore yet another of my partners colloquialisms.
Anyway, his confession was a little too blunt for . 'I see, I can't say I have the sa issue with how Tirnanog's animals look. I guess spending my childhood in this world hardened against the alien appearance of most things.'
If Magnus was honest with it was even more comndable for him to pick a fight with the monsters despite his fears. Fearing sothing dangerous was only natural and very few people could overco their heartfelt fears and face them.
I belatedly realized he was still waiting for an answer. 'Stick to the laughing. So you are trying to overco your fear by facing it head-on. Feel free to call for if you have trouble with sothing tonight.'
Despite my earlier misgivings, I couldnt help but smile. Hopefully, we would just look like a couple in love.
'That's a very motherly thing to say, but I am glad you worry about .' He grinned.
I rolled my eyes when I realized he must have mistaken . If you are sure, then it's fine. Just ensure you don't get too excited tonight.
Tonight? Magnus asked with a raised eyebrow. His grin turned even wider.
He was clearly misunderstanding what I ant, so I clarified myself with a gesture at the multitude of cadavers. So many bodies combined with the sll of blood and guts will draw so of the really dangerous nasties. I bet that's the main reason why Elijah was so worried about an attack from those things. There is just no way to prevent the saherna from turning into a humongous feeding beacon for everything that goes bump in the night. Throwing the cadavers off the saherna won't help much at this point because the fortress is already soaked in blood. The Caravaners will have their hands full with preventing any breaches.
Magnus's expression fell while he listened to my explanation. Oh. Damn! I didn't think of that at all! Don't we have so chemicals which we can spill on the bodies to mask the scent?
I shrugged. I am sure the Caravaners have sothing, but the predators I am worried about aren't so easily fooled.
Fending off the remaining parasites took the better part of an hour, after which Elijah rejoined us.
We talked and watched the cleanup, which sohow led to a detailed explanation on getting rid of parasite infestations.
The troubleso part about a parasite invasion weren't the few large ones big enough to fly onto the fortress in one go. Nor the ones which actively tried to climb the parapet and kill the unwelco humans.
No.
Getting rid of all the little ones which clung to the saherna's legs and the underside was the true problem a task which would take specialized teams with climbing gear days. The worst part about it wasn't even getting rid of the infestation. Instead, the problem lay in having to leave the fortress's relative safety to do so.
Being on one of the cleaning teams was the job with the highest casualty rate among the Caravaners.
There were things which had specialized in feeding on parasites when a saherna conveniently passed by and snacking a human cleaning team wasn't so different from slurping up a few parasites.
It took so ti, but we eventually retreated to our quarters. A few hours later, Magnus and I went to bed, exhausted. For once, we decided to hone ourselves in abstinence.
I was... falling.
The evil n had thrown together with a group of won into the shining ring of light. They had just shoved us into the pit.
Why had they decided to kill us after all the experints? Or was this just so new test?
Before I could understand what was going on, I landed with a splash in water. The shock forced to inhale a lungful of it. Panicking, I kicked and flailed mindlessly until sothing slithered around , grabbing my arms and legs.
It pulled, and then there was air again as soone pulled out of the water.
Gentle but powerful hands forced into a sideways position while I coughed. Water spilled from my mouth and nose in what felt like a continuous stream until I was retching and dry heaving while soone held in position so I could get rid of all the water I had inhaled.
There we go, out with all of it, a motherly voice intoned from above while the person who had helped rubbed my back.
For a ti I simply lay there, utterly exhausted from the ordeal.
When I could finally breathe without effort, I tried to find out what was going on, but the world was unbearably bright.
All I could understand was that several people surrounded and the won who had landed with . These people who had awaited our arrival were now in a heated discussion about what to do with us.
take the brunette and the girl, soone said. We will pay you a months worth of our concrete supplies for the war effort. You can load your airships till they can carry no more cargo and return to your mountain as the heroes of these negotiations.
You should know we have no use for your concrete if it isnt a steady, affordable supply, another voice retorted. Besides, do you really expect to grant you any favours for resources you would have left behind anyway? Theres no way you are going to drag all that stuff back to Thich if you can just mine more at ho.
My eyes finally adjusted sowhat to the brightness. I couldnt see perfectly, but it worked out if I shaded my eyes.
We are still going to take the younger won to replenish our numbers. The girl is a bit young, but she will grow up. Just na your price.
anwhile, the people kept haggling for ?
Of course, I had heard about things like slavery in history class. And the news on the internet was full of ntions of human trade, but such things couldnt possibly exist in the modern world.
Right?
Why was I fooling myself?
Hadnt I been abducted right from my school?
And nobody had done so much as lifted a finger.
Why was the world such a horrible place? Why could everyone do with as they pleased?
And why was I so weak?
My lantations ended and I stifled a scream when I finally recognized the people monsters who were haggling for the eight won who had arrived with and fallen into a pond right next to a sturdy concrete construction. There were so many of them. All different!
A childish part of kept drifting off to mories of Alice in Wonderland, but I had abandoned any such notions months ago when the n in black took to experint upon.
But the grizzly reality was far away from a tale for children. These people displayed all facets, from beautiful to utterly grotesque.
The woman who had helped was the most frightening of all with her bat-like wings. She was still rubbing my back in an attempt to comfort , oblivious to the fact that her appearance had frozen like a deer caught in the headlights.
My eyes flicked to the teenage girl next to her who had the sa wings. She was looking down at as if I was an interesting new bug which had fallen into her lap. Then the girl grinned with a knowing smile as if she was the only one who was in on a very funny joke.
My attention was forced back to the haggling people when one of them accosted the man who was clad in scintillating silver bands and opposing those who wished to buy us.
The offender grabbed the smaller mans clothes and lifted him to eye height. If you are saying we-
The bullys words abruptly cut off with three sharp snaps which silenced him and the arguing crowd like gunshots.
Then the large man fell apart and the man in silver dropped back down to his own two feet.
Just like everyone else in the vicinity, my brain failed to compute what had happened. How it had happened? More importantly for everyones imdiate survival, why had it happened?
Unlike in the adult movies I had secretly watched despite my parents forbidding , there was no fountain of blood. Nor a big spray of blood.
The bully had been bisected down the middle, then split apart at his hips and chest, creating four distinct pieces sans the separated arms and legs which only now began to lose their blood. It wasnt especially fast, but also not slow.
The bat-woman covered my eyes, preventing from seeing the growing puddle on the paving. But I had already watched it spread as it followed the groves between the cobblestones. It had been hypnotising.
I shivered.
People began to scream, but were quickly silenced when the scintillating mans voice spoke softly, but with more authority than I had ever heard before.
You are dead wrong if you believe so Thich scum can touch an elder of the Aerie without repercussions. Go and skedaddle back to your superiors. Tell them they can co here and face and the other elders if they want to turn this place into a slave market. I would rather support the assemblys move to make the Old Camp a neutral zone than to have you people hold bidding wars for people
His voice slowly faded, leaving to wonder what was going on.
Then soone pulled the hand away from my eyes and I was facing a blonde woman in the sa scintillating clothes as the man who had killed the bully.
I couldnt help but feel like sothing was off about this. Teresa wasnt blonde.
I frowned. How did I know this is should be Teresa?
This was wrong. The mory was wrong.
The woman, Gaia, smiled.
Sorry to wake you up from your little dream. Theres sothing dangerous outside. I would love to have a chat, but you really shouldnt be sleeping now.
She suddenly got in really close and scread right in my face. Wake up!
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