They rolled out in the humr, four in the back, Mancini and Singh up front. The roads werent always passable, but Singh didnt let that stop him. Theyd bounce right up onto the sidewalk, bust through trashcans, scrape past vehicles, force a path.
Huffman stared out over the tailgate with bleak eyes, her mouth a thin line, her gun held tight. Jas knew to respect anothers grief. He skipped the small talk.
Delvecchio kept adjusting his shit. Checking the ammo pockets in his vest, tapping his radio, a little dance of his fingers over his night vision goggles folded up on the front of his helt, touching each piece of gear that seed to soothe him.
Everybody had their rituals.
Serenity rocked and swayed beside him, face blank as she stared out at nothing, Sigs out and resting on her lap, fully loaded, an army vest on, more mags in the front pockets.
Whered you get that? Jas asked.
Hmm? She glanced down at the green vest. Victorias Secret.
Pretty hot, said Jas, deadpan.
She eyed him. It is when its all I wear.
They rolled on. The city had grown quiet. A fevered anticipation hung in the air. Everybody knew the First Wave of Nesis 2 was about to hit. Folks were hunkering. Sirens werent quite as ubiquitous anymore. Maybe theyd burned out from overuse. Occasionally they passed a patrol out on foot, either soldiers or citizens, ard and looking to level, to bring a little rough justice to the streets, to redress the balance as best they could.
Occasionally the patrols gazed into the back of the humr as they drove by and saluted.
Jas gave them a two-finger salute back, and each ti wished them well.
Night had truly fallen by the ti theyd reached their old kill zone warehouse. They drove through the open gates, Singh diplomatically opting to not use the hole where hed busted out last ti. They leaped out once he parked in the back again, and Jas looked around.
Hints of black ash, blubbery piles of black goo where gremlins were rapidly decomposing.
Huh, said Delvecchio. I thought the bodies would stink more.
He was right. They gave off a tallic scent, like overheated frying pans, acrid and bitter, but it was slight.
Thank god for small rcies, said Mancini. Lets clear the warehouse.
Jas and Serenity let the fire team do their thing. They ran to the rear exit, Huffman arced around the open door, rifle raised, and when she gained the far side, she simply said, Clear.
Mancini entered and crossed out of sight to cover the dead zones, and then a mont later the rest of the team entered.
All clear, Delvecchio called.
The warehouse lights were still on, stark and harsh white. The huge floor was covered in ash and gremlin corpses. As outside, most had already collapsed on themselves, devolving into rubbery shit encased in brittle scales. Not slick, weirdly enough, but more tarry, like a mixture between stepping on chicken bones and lting blacktop.
Lets clear the far side, wrap around, and then set up, said Mancini, leading the way with his rifle raised.
The fire team did as commanded, efficiently, quickly, with practiced ease. It was too easy to imagine them clearing hos in Afghanistan, working their way through buildings, learning to operate as a team.
Jas and Serenity moved to a spot along the left wall, perhaps twenty yards north of the exit out the back. With no way to know on which side the Nesis 2s would appear, it was best to have a wall behind them and the exit close but not so close a demon could burst through it and surprise them.
Finally, she breathed. Want to make a bet on what itll look like?
Sure, said Jas. What do you think?
Im thinking the an uncle to Nesis 1. Serenity turned slowly; eyes narrowed. Eight feet tall, scaled, with arms like a gorilla.
Nice. Im thinking sothing completely different. Maybe Jas tried to imagine. Maybe so kind of dog. Like the demon dogs from Ghostbusters.
Very nice. Serenity nodded approvingly. Good visuals, too. Fast, powerful bite. Those would fuck shit up.
Lets hope Im wrong, then.
The fire team returned. Singh was carrying a black case and moved to the walls of the warehouse where he started affixing wireless caras at head height.
Mancini walked up, tense but calm. All right. Lets review one last ti. Were assuming well all be able to see the Nesis 2, but its possible only you two will as mbers of the First Wave. Soon as they appear, call out whether you see it or not. Well imdiately know if we four are going to help. If we cant see them, well cluster around Singh to benefit from his expanded aura and react as best we can.
Nods all around.
Assuming we can see it, well stay clustered together and try to drop them from a distance. Singh, Jas, and Serenity lets keep your auras as overlapped as possible for maximum efficiency. Consensus is that Nesis 2 will have higher immunity to auras, but theres a chance three combined will still knock them out.
More nods.
Delvecchio, youre our heavy hitter. Smite up and put the first one down with your SAW. The four of us will focus fire on the second Nesis. Jas, hold back and see if we cant handle them with that alone. If one of them manages to close, step in and skillet the fuck out of them.
Roger, said Jas.
Stay calm, be mindful of each others field of fire, and lets show them who these fuckers are ssing with. Mancini made eye contact with Delvecchio, Huffman, and then Singh as the grenadier walked up.
Cant wait, said Serenity.
If I give the command to evacuate, we move along the wall toward the rear exit, Mancini said pointedly. Best if we keep our rear covered. If thats not possible, just do your best to get out.
Grim nods.
We got this. Mancini looked about the group once more. We ready?
Ready, said Huffman, her voice steely-cold.
Born ready, said Delvecchio, lifting his SAW.
Singh nodded curtly. Yes sir.
Serenity clinked a Sig against Jass skillet. Mazel tov.
Jas frowned. I dont think that ans what you never mind.
They faced out, guns raised. Jas had his countdown before him. Ever since passing the 1-hour threshold it had started counting down the minutes.
5 Minutes till Nesis 2 Released
Longest five minutes of my life, muttered Delvecchio. Anybody bring so bread rolls?
Huffman didnt even glance at him. Shut up, Del.
Is that a no?
Its a shut the fuck up.
That still doesnt answer my question.
Easy, said Mancini. Stay focused.
The minutes ticked down. Guidance had been issued by central command to Mancini to not wait till the last minute to prepare. Nobody knew how honest the countdown tir was, and itd be appropriately demonic for the Nesis 2 to appear a few minutes early while everyone was setting up.
Jas stood stock still, skillet on his shoulder. Two minutes to go. The food sat heavily in his gut, but he knew hed be faint without it. He rippled his fingers on the iron handle.
One minute.
The lights began to dim.
Wait, what? Delvecchios cry was raw with alarm. Hell no! That aint fair!
Jas lowered his skillet. The fluorescent bulbs that ran the length of the warehouse werent dimming equally; further down, perhaps twenty yards away, they radiated normally.
Fluorescent lights work that way? asked Serenity nervously. Or this so supernatural shit?
Singh exhaled audibly, forcing himself to relax. Supernatural shit.
It was just a twenty-yard radius that covered the end of the warehouse in which they stood. The rest blazed at full glare.
But it didnt go completely dark. Just a dusk-like gloom.
Enough to still see and shoot in.
A knot of shadow ford so fifteen yards before them. Began to interweave, coalescing into a shape.
Nobody gave it ti.
Delvecchio opened fire with his SAW on full auto, its length wreathed in gray fire, while Mancini, Singh, and Huffman let loose with their M4s. The sound was deafening, their muzzle flash strangely dim in the gloom but for Delvecchios which burned as bright as ever.
Jas stared intently, trying to make out what they were pouring hundreds of rounds into.
It took up the sa space as a car, insectile, with a centaur-like thorax rising straight up at the front. Praying mantis-styled front pincers were large enough to clasp a grown man, and its entire body was jet black and glead as if it had just been dipped in a vat of crude oil. Faint crimson markings were barely visible across its abdon and arms, and its four legs were improbably slender, the knee joints articulated higher than the abdon itself.
But what riveted Jass attention was its face.
A human face.
Or close.
Porcelain white, expression fixed - a mask, he realized - the eyes black holes, the features strong, striking, the broad mouth pulled into the faintest of smirks, the brows furrowed, cracks radiating from the eyeholes up its brow and down over its cheeks.
A dominating, cruel visage. The face of a rogue tyrant, a sadist, a torturer.
No hair, the expression immobile, twin antennae rising from just under the temples of the mask.
One mont it was a coalescing knot of shadow, rounds blasting right through it, the next it was there in its massive insectile horror.
The SAW tore it apart.
The rounds were lit with gray fla, and sprayed across the Nesiss chest, shattering its pincer arms, ripping its frail chest plate asunder, then crossed back, and then rose up to hamr at its head.
The demon reared back, eyeholes dark pits, its sneer not changing, and then it collapsed onto its side.
The SAW ran out of ammo. Delvecchio drew back a bolt, flipped open the top, cleared sothing out of the inside, tore away the drum, slamd another on, grabbed the tab, pulled a belt of bullets out, draped it over and closed the top.
But the Nesis 2 wasnt moving.
Jas rembered to breathe.
Then he rembered there were supposed to be two of them.
Serenity scread, started firing her Sigs of to their hard right.
The second Nesis 2 had coalesced fifteen yards along the wall, identical to the first, its mask utterly malefic, its chitinous body gleaming, its legs flexing as it crouched.
Serenitys Smite-enhanced shots punched deep into its chest, bambambambam-
The Nesis 2 leaped.
Sa leaping speed as the gremlin, its spindly legs propelling it forward with less of an arc so that it ca at them like a hurled spear, a hellish cannon shot. Huffman, next to Jas, swung her M4 around and opened fire.
But her M4s ammo didnt seem to do much, and though Serenitys shots tore deep the Nesis 2 was coming in too fast, its pincers opened wide to reveal scythe-like blades on both insides.
This was his mont.
Jas shouted and lunged forward, activating Smite as he went. His skillet burst into gray fla, and then his whole body incandesced as the Nesis 2 entered his Rank 5 aura.
It didnt ash.
Jas had known it wouldnt, but he still felt a shock. Instead, its black body began to turn gray, its chitin warping, but Jas had only a second to appreciate this before he swung his skillet, aiming for both limbs as they ca at him in the hopes of smacking them aside.
He had the explosive strength, but not the hand-to-eye coordination; he batted one limb aside, shattered it, but the second closed around his waist, slicing deep into his gut.
Soone was shouting. The Nesis 2 tried to lift him up, but its withered limb shattered, releasing Jas, who, pumped to the gills with adrenaline, lunged forward and slamd his skillet into the creatures head.
The aura washed over the demon completely, his Smite-enhanced skillet shattered the mask, and the fight went out of the demon. It sagged, legs splaying out wide, its abdon sinking to the ground as its outer surface ashed.
Your rank is now Supplicant 1
You may select a Benediction:
Dark Vision | Sacred Strike | Deadeye
Your choice of Benediction is your second step
in determining your class.
You have 5 unspent points.
Jas staggered back, blood pouring down his legs. The wound was terrible and he felt the strength go out of his legs. He sank, a voice clinically listing everything that was wrong with him.
Its verdict was clear.
It was a mortal wound.
Serenity was shouting, several guns were still unloading into the demon, but Jas ignored it all.
All right, he whispered, heat flooding up his throat, his mouth filling with the taste of copper. Its fine. Its fine.
He summoned his stats. Looked at his Aeviternum and triggered one.
It was like stepping out of a sandstorm of red-hot iron fillings into a Hawaiian waterfall. Cool, soothing energy flooded his body, washed away the pain, the deep sucking sense of wrongness that was consuming him like a black hole shoved into his gut. His blood ceased pumping out over his hands, he felt a distant prickling as flesh and organs reknit themselves, then his skin sealed over, and it was done.
He was completely healed.
It had taken less than a second.
The others all went silent. Even the guns ceased barking.
Holy shit. Holy shit. Holy shit, Serenity whispered like it was so kind of mantra. Jas? Her eyes were wide as fucking saucers. Jas. Youre all right. She laughed, her voice tinged with hysteria, and raked her hair out of her face, saring so of his blood across her brow. Aeviternum?
Aevi-fucking-ternum, he agreed with a rueful grin. Sorry about the scare. I think its ti I retired the skillet.
Woo! Delvecchio raised his SAW. Level! Better than sex, bay-bee! Get so!
Mancini crouched down beside Jas, his expression furious. Im sorry. This is on . Amateur mistake. We should have had eyes on our flanks. Youre all right?
Jas climbed to his feet. Better than all right. I feel like I just returned from a spa.
Only then did he turn to consider the Nesis 2s. They both lay still, splayed out, bodies shattered by the high velocity rounds and blunt force trauma to the head.
The expressions on their masks, where they were still visible, remained the sa.
Dark, amused, cruel, masterful.
Delvecchios grin slowly died.
Shit, said Huffman, staring at the demons. We are all so fucked.
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