Derek rolled his eyes. “Don't get me started on that. It... didn’t go as planned.”
Ling raised two fingers. “Two crawlers, two hundred feet long each.” She shook her head. “Ridiculous.”
Lily suddenly stepped into view, still wearing her waitress smock, and sat down next to Adam. She kissed him lightly on the cheek before speaking. “I hope you got a bonus on that one. I've never even heard of worms that big.”
Adam shrugged. “They sold the corpses to an, uh, orc, what was his name—”
“Obould,” Akane said.
Derek nodded. “Yeah, him. I sold them for five hundred each, which was pretty good considering the state they were in. And we got twenty-five hundred for the actual slaying.”
Laura frowned. “You should have gotten more than that. What's the normal reward for one crawler? Seventy-five? You should have been able to get four thousand, easy.”
“Base was a hundred. I argued him up to twenty-five.”
“Derek was being nice,” Ling said with a roll of her eyes. “But considering the morons let the worms out intentionally, I don't think they deserved it.”
Adam frowned. “I thought they just let them into the sewers on purpose. They got out on accident.”
Ling wasn't impressed. “Whatever. The point is, you start playing with the fey, this kind of thing happens.”
“But I still can't believe it,” Flynn said, finally pulling himself away from his gift. “It was incredible to watch—men and monsters that hurt!” He grabbed at his ankle where someone had kicked him.
“What was incredible?” Lizzy asked, wide-eyed.
Of course. If the fight was really as difficult as they were saying, Flynn would definitely have seen them use their powers. He seemed trustworthy enough, but apparently, they hadn't told him that Lizzy didn't know anything.
Laura stepped in before Flynn could say something stupid. “Derek and Akane fighting. They're very impressive.”
Lizzy grinned. “Well, they'd have to be.” She turned to Derek. “How long have you two been monster slaying? Five years?”
“Seven actually,” he said, with only the barest hint of boasting. He might have the ego of cornstarch, but he could rarely resist making himself look better in front of Lizzy. “We make about ten thousand dollars a month.”
Adam choked on his drink. “Seriously? I thought you just ran around catching rats.”
Derek laughed. “No, that was just to ease you into it. We're a bit on the higher end of the scale.”
“Those two are some of the best slayers in the city,” Lily said. “They're very well known, in those kinds of circles.”
Lizzy turned to me. “Laura, didn't you say you did something like that up in North Outer?”
Laura waved her hand. “Just minor consulting. Pocket change.” She smiled. “But you'd be surprised how little people know about the monsters the fey drop in their backyards.”
Adam was still a little bit shocked. “You can really make a good living like that?”
“Not really, you can only charge so much to teach people things they can learn on the internet.”
“No, I meant the hunting. If a hundred bucks is the most you can get each time—unless something goes wrong, like today—then I don't see how that would be viable.”
Flynn chuckled. “Crawlers are hardly the most dangerous things in Domina.”
“Drakeswarm,” Derek said.
“Deathmarked,” Laura said.
“Land piranhas,” Flynn insisted.
Lily cocked her head. “I don't know, dog eaters are pretty bad.”
“Fey,” Akane whispered.
They all shut up.
They had gotten lucky during the burner attack. The Princess of Killing Sparrow wasn't prepared or interested enough to fight ten well-armed men and women and had decided to go play with something easier. Normally, if a fey set a horde on you, you were lucky to be armed at all.
Lizzy sighed. “Why are you guys always so depressed? You shouldn't focus so much on the negatives.” She smiled. “I mean, you just made thirty-five hundred dollars for what—an hour of work? That's something to cheer you up, isn't it?”
Lily smiled a little at that. “Good point. It's a nice day.” It was actually a bit chilly. “There are no zombies running around.” Because they were all locked up in one of Butler's warehouses— Laura could hear them even now. “And there's nothing to worry about right now.” Actually, the rest of them already had a lot of homework piling up. “So let's just talk about something else, all right?”
Everyone muttered agreement, which made Lizzy and Lily smile.
“Good enough,” Lizzy said. She grinned at Akane. “But wasn't Red going to tell us about her new boyfriend?”
Akane turned crimson. And Flynn looked distinctly uncomfortable.
Laura smiled a little. Maybe today wouldn't be so bad after all.
Chapter 26: COMMEATUS
LING
After about an hour at the cafe, Lily ran off to another job, and the group kind of broke apart. Derek and Akane had to make a delivery for a job, and Lizzy and Laura had something else to do. Flynn didn't feel comfortable enough around them yet, so that left Ling and Adam all alone. One of the benefits of minimum classes on Friday.
Ling considered finding Alex, just to have something to do, but decided against it. He was great, but angels still creeped her out, and the fact that she was technically his boss made things weird.
While she was still wondering what she should do to put off her homework a little longer, Adam stood up from the table, brushing crumbs from a croissant off his lap. “Well, I guess I have to go. Need to buy some ammo.”
Ling put her drink down. “Can I come? I wanted to look at some new armor, and I might be able to help.” She still wasn't Adam's biggest fan, but he wasn't a complete moron, despite debacles like today. She could spend a few hours with him.
He looked hesitant, but after a moment just shrugged. “Sure, why not.”
They paid our shares at the counter and headed out. Most gun shops were a little bit away from the middle of the city, probably because the students didn't usually buy from them. So they headed south.
They actually had to get on the light rail to get to one of the good shops, but Ling managed to convince Adam it was worth it. He didn't like the rail, probably because it was crowded enough that they had to stand, but he got over it. Ten minutes of bumping around later, MC's voice announced their stop over the train's intercom, and they got off at a small platform.
The central parts of... well, Central looked like an open-air mall. They catered to students and workers from the server farms, and used lots of neon to attract attention. The stores themselves were small and nearly identical. If you wanted a bigger store, you usually had to buy an adjacent one and take the dividing door off. Street vendors were also common, and sometimes they took over the area so much that the street had to be temporarily closed off to cars.
Farther from the heart of the city, shops became less important. Most of the buildings were warehouses and other large, low-population structures. It wasn't quite close enough to Middle to get into actual apartments, but it was far enough from the schools so there wasn't a constant influx of students.
The shop Ling led Adam to didn't even have a sign. It was more a warehouse to pick up orders than a traditional shop. The inside was just a small lobby with a counter separating them from the sole cashier. He looked up as they came in.
He was a full anthro ave, a bird kemo. Aves were still pretty rare, not least because wings were still far beyond the reach of the toy maker. Even the feathers were a bit new. By Tezuka, when did that happen?
He was an eagle with a large, strong yellow beak and white feathers on his head. Ling could see black feathers poking out of his shirt. She thought that meant he was a bald eagle, but she had never particularly cared about birds. His eyes tracked them, much like the predator they were based on, and he clicked his talons against the co
unter. He stared at them for a moment before his beak opened a little, in what she barely recognized as a smile.
“Ling? Is that you?”
She smiled back. “How you doing, Turgay? I almost didn't recognize you with the feathers.”
He chuckled, brushing them back a little. “Yeah, I got them just a few weeks ago. Soaring Eagle footed the bill. I've been doing some work for her.”
“Adam, this is my friend Turgay Corvi. We lived in the same orphanage when we were kids. Turgay, this is Adam Anders. I've been doing some missions with him.”
Adam held out his hand to shake. “Pleasure.”
Turgay seemed surprised, but gingerly shook it anyway, careful not to hurt him with his talons. “Likewise.” He reached under the counter and pulled out a thick pad, designed to hold up against claws. “But you're here for something besides introducing me to your boyfriend.”
“He's not my boyfriend,” Ling said. “Lily got him already.”
Turgay clicked his tongue, trying to remember who she was talking about. “Lily, Lily... wait, you mean Lily? The Lily?”
“The very same.”
He looked at Adam with new respect. “Good catch, baseline. Or good job getting caught. Whichever.”
“Uh... thanks. But I really do need...”
Turgay nodded. “Right, right, you need something. Guns or ammo?”
“Ammo,” Adam said, clearly enjoying not having to engage in small talk. “For a 6-gauge shotgun.”
Turgay looked up. “A Saint George?”
“Yeah.”
“Oh, you're in luck. The Dragon Slayer can handle some pretty heavy-duty shells.”
Adam made a face. “There aren't... there aren't actual dragons running around the city, right?”
Turgay frowned. “Well... kinda. There's a lace subculture called the dragons, but they're mostly harmless. Gargants count, I guess, if you squint... it's not important.” He held up one talon. “Let me show you something.” He opened the door and headed into the warehouse in a hurry, though he was careful to close the door behind him.
The silence didn't last more than a second.
“So, you like Derek,” Adam asked in a completely failed attempt to act nonchalant.
Ling just smiled. “Yes. Is that a problem?”
“Not particularly. I'm just wondering why.”
She shrugged. “He's nice and cute. Isn't that enough?”
“And saving your life probably didn't hurt.”
She grinned widely. “No, that didn't hurt.”
“I'm just trying to figure you out. I mean, the other day you all but tackled him.”
“Laura beat me to it.”
“Heh, yeah. But I'm surprised you just gave up after that.”
Ling started in surprise. “What? No, I haven't given up.”
He frowned. “Really? You don't seem to have been doing anything.”
“No! I mean...” She paused.
He was right. She hadn't really thought about it, but she backing off a bit. She really did like Derek, and Akane wasn't doing anything, especially since she was clearly attracted to Flynn. Ling just hadn't really thought it was possible. He was thick as a tree.
Well, that just meant it was a challenge.
Before Ling could give Adam a real response, Turgay came back, carrying a heavy box. He plopped it on the counter with a loud thud and opened it up. It was filled with boxes of shotgun shells.
“I brought out a few different kinds,” he said. “First we have the dragon breath rounds. Very nice.” He unpacked one of the boxes and started pulling the shell apart, revealing a bunch of large ceramic beads. “The shot is filled with pyrophoric dust, which ignites on contact with air. They crack when they hit something, exploding in a burst of heat. These babies are great against swarms. I recommend keeping a few with you at all times.” He packed it up carefully. “Just make sure you store them someplace that's not flammable.”
He pulled open another box, but didn't unwrap the actual shell. “These are simple 6-gauge, steel shot shells. Anti-infantry. They're somewhat armor-piercing, but don't rely on them for that.” He rubbed his feathery chin. “Of course, with a six-gauge nearly everything is armor piercing...” He shrugged. “Regardless. For that, you want one of these.” He pulled out another box and placed it carefully on the counter, as though that was enough of an argument by itself.
Adam opened the box. Ling noticed that they weren't shells, but slugs. And big ones, too, designed to fit in a Saint George. “What's so special about this one?”
“That's a Teflon-coated armor-piercing slug,” Turgay chirped happily. “It will punch a hole the size of your fist in anything you shoot at. It's perfect for the bigger monsters, like a brick-plated gargant. I've even heard of it breaching tank armor like what you can get from Dis, though that's probably an exaggeration.”
“Sounds perfect,” Adam said, nodding in approval. “I'll take one of those, two of the dragon breath, and two of the normal 6-gauge.”
While Turgay started stacking up the boxes, Ling noticed something.
“What's that one?” she asked, pointing to a mostly unmarked box in the corner of the crate.
Turgay glanced at it in surprise. “Oh, that's my mistake. I think that was already in there. Pay it no mind.” Ling recognized the sales technique. Pretend something isn't interesting, and the customer will get very interested.
“No harm in showing us,” Adam said.
Turgay shrugged and took out the box slowly, almost reverently. He pulled out one of the shells very, very carefully.
It was shaped more like the slug he had showed us earlier rather than a shell. It had a larger than normal primer, and Ling could tell by the way he held it that it was heavier than it looked.
“This,” he said, “is a Necessarian God Slayer. It's not so much a slug as it is a small rocket-propelled grenade. Once it exits the barrel, a secondary fuse lights, igniting the rocket and giving it a huge boost in velocity. When it hits something, the depleted uranium nose gets pushed back, even as it penetrates the target. Once it reaches a depth of about an inch, the nose will hit the payload inside, activating it, and setting off another explosion. The uranium becomes shrapnel. All in all, this baby is better than a frag grenade.” He set it on the counter very carefully.
Adam picked it up and looked at it curiously from every angle. “I can't think of how anyone would need something like this,” he said. “It seems like overkill.”
Turgay shrugged. “Against anything short of a full-bird warlord? Definitely, and I doubt you're going to be facing any warlords. But a good shot can take out a vehicle's engine pretty easily, and these can breach tank armor. Unless you're fighting the Warbloods, you won't have to worry about actual tanks, but some of the biggest gargants are worse. Very little can stand up to these babies. They've only been around for about a year. They might get a good counter for them sooner or later, but I'm betting on later.”
Adam put the slug down. “A box of those as well.”
Chapter 27: NATALIS
AKANE
Akane woke up slowly. Her hand went to her sword, hanging next to her bed, before she even opened her eyes. When she did open them, she saw Ling standing in front of the mirror, brushing her hair.
“What the fu—what time is it?” Akane asked groggily. She had been having trouble getting to sleep. Butler's screamers were still wailing up a storm that only they could hear.
“Five A.M.,” Ling said. “Derek woke me up, told me to give you that—” She pointed to something on Akane's dresser. “—and then ran off. Something about rabbits.”
Musashi's grave... dammit. After a moment, Akane managed to blink the sleep out of her eyes and focus on the object on her dresser. It was small, and white, and...
It was a bead.
Fully awake, she picked it up. It was a white plastic bead, matching the seven on the leather strap she normally had tied to her ponytail—though she hung it on the wall before she went to bed
each night. They had originally been ceramic, but one bad fall and half of them had shattered. So now, they were plastic.
She switched on her desk lamp and turned the bead over in her fingers, trying to read the inscription on the inner edge.
“'Courage in the face of adversity,'” she whispered, smiling. Short and to the point.
She attached it to the leather strap with the ease of practice, and quickly combed her hair, getting out the knots that come from a fitful sleep. Once it was done, she tied it up in a ponytail, weaving her blue ribbon through it at the same time. Then she attached the leather strip—with its eight beads—to the elastic band she used to hold the tail in place.
“What exactly did Derek say he was going to do?” she asked, admiring her new decoration in the mirror.
“He said he had a job, something about crazed rabbits. Someone probably used them for some new drug test. You know how it is.”
Akane frowned and turned to Ling. “And he didn't ask for my help? I figured after yesterday's debacle, he'd want all the help he could get.”
She shrugged. “He said to let you sleep. Besides, he had Adam with him.”
Akane supposed she was grateful he hadn't woken her up earlier than he had to, but it still hurt. They had been fighting together for years. She understood why he thought she would prefer to sleep in, but he should know her better than that. She would much rather spend the time with him, even if it was just chasing after feral bunnies on a bad drug trip.
“That's all right, I guess. Did you want to do anything today? I think there was a movie—”
“Sorry,” Ling said. “Can't. Have to help a friend of mine move. That will probably take most of the day. Although after we might catch a movie, if you wanted to...”
“No, no, that's fine,” Akane said quickly. “I don't want to butt in. Go have fun.”
Ling rolled her eyes. “I doubt it'll be fun. But thanks anyway.” She left without another word.
It was too early for anyone else to be awake. With a sigh, Akane grabbed her sword and water bottle and headed for the roof. She used the stairs, so she didn't run into Ling again.
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