“And if we refuse?”
“Then she dies.” I nod toward the one in her arms. The tiny rabbit vibrates, but I keep talking. “Then you do. And I’ve got a lock on the other two. Maybe they can run, but they certainly can’t hide.”
“You think you can finish us.”
“I think you think I can.” I nod at the twitching Cometgirl. “And I’m certain you know she won’t live.”
Silence.
Cunwoz’s ears twitch, shifting. The body in its arms glows as healing spells layer over the heavily injured body, trying to fix the damage done by the flames. A pair of flaming hands detach from the swarm, landing on Cometgirl, changing color to yellow and flowing up and down the body.
“They’re chatting. Lousy op-sec. I could break in if you want.”
I’m curious, but I decline Ali’s offer. I split part of my attention, shifting my own Constitution around, adjusting the way I handle damage. The damage from the decay attack stops accumulating and starts dispersing as the System aids me. Of course, I help it along with a tiny Edit, but mostly, I watch.
Eventually, Cunwoz looks up, long lashes on overly large eyes meeting mine. “We talk. But not here.”
I can’t help but grin, waving her to lead the way. She moves and I follow, running to catch up. Luckily, the rabbit’s burdened by her friend, so she’s a little slower than normal.
Now, time to find out who the hell set them on me.
***
I watch with interest as we run for our lives. The team is smart, and once Cometgirl recovers, she drops behind us a series of tech and magical tools to make things difficult for our trackers. They range from the mundane, like gaseous cannisters of mixed smells, to high-tech nanite cleaners and magical Mana burst devices to destroy our Mana signatures. On top of that, a trio of localized chaos mines are added to the mix, leaking the raw energies of the chaos dimension into normal reality. It’s the most thorough cleansing I’ve ever seen, and I’ve participated in more than my fair share.
“What about the security cameras?” I say as we run.
We’ve ducked underground by this point, running through the maintenance tunnels that link the vast majority of the city, allowing easy access for droids and automated robots to ensure the city ticks over as normal.
“Diverted and turned off,” Cunwoz says, bouncing beside me. She’s eyeing me warily, but considering I’ve never let her or Cometgirl out of my sight, she’s playing it nice for now. The way she looks at me makes me think she’s getting the idea that my threat to end them all was no idle pronouncement.
And it wasn’t. The Skills I’ve gained as a Heroic have given me the ability to end them. Heck, if I got them right, Judgment of All would end things by itself, especially if I went all out with my other Skills.
That’s the difference between a Heroic and a low-level Master Class. Those final Skills as a Master Class adds another level of insanity. But violence isn’t going to win the war, even if I might win the battle here.
“Good. How long now?” I ask.
Ali, floating beside me and invisible once more, has been tracking the other two Master Classers, straining to stay focused on them and no one else.
In the meantime, I keep an eye out for trouble with my Greater Detection, low level as it is. Then again, I’m not expecting the local security forces to arrive under cover but large and loud, cocksure in their certainty of righteousness.
“Soon.”
She’s true enough to her word. We pass through a series of glowing, enchanted walls that strip us of any contaminants and also help block any scrying. When we get to the secure room, it’s hidden behind a non-descript maintenance office. Within, the break room has a small table suitable for eating or doing notes, a wall full of decontamination suits, and a map of the surrounding tunnels.
The place has a mild antiseptic smell that combines with the taint of rusted metal and stuffy clothing and makes me wrinkle my nose. More interestingly, a light hum in the air makes the hair on my skin stand up. My overworked Mana Sense tells me it’s a badly tuned active enchantment, one that covers up the other, subtler enchantments beneath its ostensible air purification. A mental pull at my Status Conditions shows a wide series of anti-scrying, anti-viewing spells in play.
Along with the furniture, I catch sight of my other attackers. Sia La and the Crossbowperson aren’t exactly what I expected. Sia La is a four-foot-tall, six-legged salamander-like creature that uses its flames to move around. And the Crossbowperson is a weird snail-monster hybrid whose back actually houses the crossbow. I realize that part of the musty, stuffed clothing smell is originating from the Crossbowperson itself.
“Well, we’re here,” I say, taking control of the meeting.
“Cunwoz, he’s yours.” I tilt my head as Cometgirl walks right over to the fridge as she speaks, yanks it open, and scoops out armfuls of food. Even as she walks, the individual containers turn on and heat up their foodstuff.
Cunwoz glares at me, then hops up on the table so that she’s closer to my eye-level. “What do you want? Assurance we’ve given up the job?”
“The name of your employer.”
“No,” Cunwoz, Crossbow, and Sia La say at the same time.
“You know, I can find out pretty easily,” I say.
“Our cutouts, certainly.” Cunwoz’s ears twitch. “But not our real employer.”
“True. But you do know who that is,” I say softly.
“I didn’t say that!” Cunwoz says while Crossbow curses in realization.
I smirk. “You guys aren’t used to intrigue, are you?”
“We aren’t used to talking to our targets!” Cometgirl snaps at me as she continues to stuff her face. She’s got half of the containers open, dipping the Galactic equivalent of a spork into the dishes and spooning-cum-spearing the food out. “They’re normally dead.”
“Well, obviously that didn’t happen.”
“Because our information on you was wrong,” Sia La says, his flames burning brighter with agitation. “You’re no Master Class. No matter what your Status says.”
I grin, opening my hands. “Sure, but I want to know who it was who set the kill order on me. I mean, you can understand my curiosity, right?”
“Understand, but it’s not our problem,” Cunwoz says. “If that’s it…”
“Don’t push it, boy-o. Merc honor and all that,” Ali sends.
I hesitate, wanting to push the matter. Learning who sent them after me is important. I need to know if my cover is blown. Then again, the fact that they were going after a Master Class is clue enough, perhaps.
I wonder if our fight was too much. Maybe… but I did hold off on using any Heroic Class Skills.
I shake my head, dismissing those thoughts as the group grows impatient and Cometgirl finishes another container. “One other thing. You’ve seen some of what I can do. So I’m going to want to make sure you don’t discuss that.”
My words raise the tension in the room, with Sia La’s flames concentrating and brightening while the Crossbowperson shifts so that the bolt it carries in its frame is pointed directly at me. Even Cometgirl stops eating for a second before going back to shoveling food.
“What is it with her?”
“Regeneration Skill. She’s rebuilding overhealth reserves. It’s the reason she didn’t die when you tore out her heart and she kept losing health and blood.”
“And how do you intend to do that?” Cunwoz says.
“A Skill. It’ll force you to not disclose anything about our fight or allow you to attack me or my allies again.”
“Your allies?”
“You know who I’m speaking about.”
“Earth,” Cometgirl interrupts, food falling out of her mouth. Still now, the flames from her Class Skill are gone. “If we disagree?”