Delvers LLC: Adventure Capital

by Blaise Corvin

  Almost immediately, three daysler beams stabbed down from above, immolating an equal number of large demons. Then while the dayslers charged, cracks of the Mosquito gunners’ air rifles began punctuating the red lighting and thunder in the sky.

  Henry sprang forward, destroying the entire forward section of an insectoid demon’s body with a mighty swing of Meteor Origin. The very air seemed to tremble with the power of the strike.

  “We are going after my wife.” Henry had figured out what had happened. Everyone was too chicken shit to tell him, Mareen had gone through the portal. “Bezzi-ibbi, Jason, come with me. Let’s go kill some cultists and grab that mouthy priestess bitch or whatever she is. The one I just shot.”

  Jason threw a knife, and after a quick weapon teleport, one of the last, man-sized demons in the distance went down with a bronze blade it its neck. “You are taking this better than I thought you would. I thought you’d go tearing off through the helldoor the moment you heard or understood.”

  “Oh, I’m going after her.” Henry clenched his jaw, ignoring how his stomach felt like it’d just dropped out the bottom of his body. He felt despair, sickly fear, and a touch of desperation. But he refused to lose Mareen. Giving in to his shock would probably just get him killed and not do her a bit of good, either. If he was going to help Mareen, he had to use his head, not his heart. His time in Iraq had not been fun, but it had been educational.

  There was nothing like tying tourniquets on some poor Joes who’d gone to save a buddy, who’d gotten fucked up for their trouble, to teach a valuable lesson. Henry had saved some lives, and he was proud of what he’d done as a medic. But on Ludus, as long as someone survived a fight, most wounds could be cured with magic, or orb powers. It seemed the most valuable knowledge Henry had taken with him was what not to do in combat.

  The Asian adventurer slung his sniper rifle, designed to look like a Walther WA-2000, and conjured an exogun on his hand with multiple barrels. He loaded them all quickly without having to look, and began shooting demons as his little strike team headed towards the downed priestess. Some more cultists were presumably protecting her. Most of the magic attacks out from the darkness were coming from that direction now.

  Henry said, “We are going to find the chick I just shot, we are going to figure out what in the fuck is going on, and we are going to rescue my wife. Then we are going to stop whatever it is these assholes are doing.

  “But first we’re going to kill all those fuckers throwing magic at us, and take care of all these demons. Before we go tearing off anywhere, we need intel, and we need to secure where we’re coming from. We should also do something about securing our ass, so let’s make sure the Mosquito crew has everything set up to guard our backs, ASAP.” Henry just assumed that Jason would go with him. His friend was a better man than Henry would ever be, and Jason had recently proven himself a deadly sonofabitch.

  “It’s good to have you back, Henry.” Emotion choked Jason’s throat, and Henry shook his head. He could tell his friend’s feelings were genuine, and the truth was Henry was glad to be back among his comrades too. The Delvers were like his second family. He could never say so, though. For now, it was more important to help keep them all alive. The possibility that Mareen was past saving was not worth contemplating yet.

  “I’d say it was good to be back, but that would be a lie,” growled Henry. “I’d much rather be eating shoal shrimp in Makovo. But we are going to do the right thing here. We are going to rescue Mareen. And if these FUCKING COCKSUCKERS!” Henry shouted before taking a calming breath, shaking from the sudden anger coursing through his veins. “If they hurt her, we are going to burn their whole goddamn planet the ground, helldoor or not.”

  “Sounds like fun,” said Volleyball gleefully, stomping up in her armor that had been splashed liberally with demon blood.

  Jason goggled. “Who is she? Is that a mecha? Henry, what in the hell did you do?”

  “We can talk about that later. In case you hadn’t noticed, people are trying to kill us.” Henry punctuated his words by rattling off a few shots from his exogun in the general direction some bolts of green fire came from, but inside he was smiling grimly. Jason had reacted exactly as he’d expected him to.

  Henry couldn’t wait to show Jason and Mareen the Mosquito. Mareen was definitely alive. Henry was going to find her, and he was going to apologize for ever leaving her alone. And more importantly, he was never going to do it again.

  As Henry dodged magical attacks and shot demons with gold bullets on a fantasy world, fighting for his life with his best friend, shoulder to shoulder with some of the best battle buddies he’d ever met in his life, he struggled to stay calm. The former EMT fought to keep the tears out of his eyes. Going to pieces wouldn’t help Mareen at all. His power was useless without a calm mind to control it.

  Henry jogged forward, killing everything in his path. He snarled as he let his emotions grow cold and distant, but some thoughts leaked through, thoughts full of fear and despair. Oh God, or the universe, or whoever is listening, please don’t let me be too late. Please. Thank you that Jason is okay, but Mareen...please.

  Please, God. Please don’t let me fail her again.

  Outwardly, Henry snarled and unleashed pent up aggression. Inside, he worried and prayed.

  Girl Talk

  Tanushree stomped forward in her powerful armor, absently flicking her arm blade out and retracting it. Henry had figured out how to solve that problem a while back. Now there was a little jointed lever on the wrist of her armor so she could retract the blessed steel blade.

  The rest of the battle had been anticlimactic. Tanushree shook her head as she thought about the last few minutes. She’d believed Henry was powerful, but after meeting his friend Jason, her perception of what orb-Bonded could do had been forever changed. She’d seen powerful ‘Bonded in the past, all members of the gentry, but Henry and Jason were just different. Their methods weren’t particularly flashy, but when they worked together, and with the help of everyone else, including her, the entire battle had been over in moments.

  Now a few straggler demons were loose on the world, but almost all the cultists had been killed. Once the Mosquito crew had been watching over them, Jason had been free to teleport around the battlefield, cutting down cultists before they even knew what had been happening. The natural light that the daysler orbs gave off had both revealed and repelled the invisible flying demons, so they hadn’t been a problem, either.

  The tall, blonde young woman bit her lip as she thought about the battle. Jason had been terrifying. He could be anywhere, anytime. Armor, weapons, even most magic had not even slowed the powerful, precise cuts of his sparking, two handed sword. Henry’s guns had barked in a staccato rhythm, mowing down demons.

  Tanushree was disappointed that she hadn’t been able to do more. Her first orb-Bonded battle, and she’d basically been a retainer. Then again, logic and honesty compelled her to admit that as long as she attached herself to this new group, this role might continue to be her lot in life. At least it came with a great deal of power. Playing support beat being dead, too.

  Unfortunately, for such powerful men, Henry and Jason were still men, prone to indecision and lack of direction. The proof of that was currently playing out before her eyes.

  The former EMT and programmer from Earth stood staring down at the cultist that Henry had shot out of the sky. The woman was snarling around her gag, her arms tied behind her. Presumably she was orb-Bonded and had a LEDF blocker. She obviously didn’t have any physical abilities, though, or it wouldn’t be possible to restrain her with rope, ruined shoulder or not.

  The woman had bandages on her shoulder and a tourniquet on her stump of a leg. She was no longer bleeding out. If given proper medical attention, she’d probably live...unlike the dead cultists nearby.

  Henry scratched at the ridiculous hair on his face and patted his leg while he regarded the woman. He said, “I stabilized her. She’s gotta be in shock right no
w, though. We’re wasting time but I’m not sure what else to do. Mareen is out there and we need to know more but I don’t—” Henry blew out an angry, frustrated breath.

  Jason looked intense and thoughtful. “I bet she’s been through a lot as an Asag priestess. I’m assuming she’s a priestess. I wonder if we could even faze her with anything we’d do. You messed her up pretty bad and she’s still snarling at us.

  Tanushree eyed Jason sideways. She didn’t know him well yet, but he was even stranger than Henry. The tall man seemed to have the budding power of a god, but his mannerisms screamed awkwardness. Both men had an enemy at their feet and yet they stared at her...talking.

  For all their strength, Henry and Jason were still men, strong of body but weak of spine.

  Speaking of men...Tanushree spared a glance for Aodh where he stood to one side, looking dashing and handsome as usual. She smiled and her pulse quickened as she considered her budding plans to marry that one. Normally, a woman of her station would never choose to be anything other than a first wife, and definitely not the first wife of a lower station man. However, she viewed it as an investment. Aodh O’Breen was going places.

  Maybe she could impress him. Men liked capable women who could guide them through confusing or uncomfortable times.

  After Tanushree walked the last few steps in her armor, she began undoing the clasps that would allow her to exit the V-Death. “Aodh, please be a sweetmeat and come help me get out of this?” she called.

  The boy smiled and headed over, helping her with the access to her suit. However, as she was about to step down, a red-haired girl wearing a scowl seemed to appear out of nowhere. She snarled, “Who are you and why are you talking to little Aodh so casually?”

  Ah. This bitch. Aodh had already told her about his cousin, Vitaliya. Tanushree knew exactly how to handle her type. Vitaliya moved her intense regard from Tanushree to Aodh and began rushing over, gushing, “You’re safe and you finally came back! You should not go off on your own! First becoming an adventurer, and now this!? You—”

  Her words were cut off as the mudman Tanushree had conjured clotheslined her to the ground. Another mudman stood behind her, holding both her arms in earthen hands. Yet a third construct stood above Vitaliya, pulling her hair back to lever the redhead’s face up from the ground.

  And just because Tanushree never forgot a lesson, nor needed to learn one twice, she had conjured another figure of earth to stand next to her. Henry’s lesson had hurt her pride, but that was what armsmasters were supposed to do.

  Vitaliya’s eyes opened wide in shock, then swam with venom. Tanushree could feel some physical heat even where she was standing. Good luck burning my mudmen, idiot. Out loud, she said, “What makes you think you can address me with no title? Who dismissed you?”

  Tanushree mentally instructed the mudman holding Vitaliya’s hair to pull a bit harder, to make it more uncomfortable. The other woman had to be exhausted from fighting a pitched battle for so long, but if so, Vitaliya didn’t show it. She continued to struggle. Tanushree had to admit that Aodh had not been embellishing about the fire mage. This girl would be impossible to break in a short time.

  Aodh looked uncertain as he scuffed his boot on the ground, saying, “Is this too much, Lady Tanushree? I mean, Vitaliya was just happy I was safe. She hasn’t actually done anything…”

  The tall, blonde noblewoman didn’t reply. She just stared at Vitaliya on the ground, projecting all the self-confidence and power she could muster. The fact her orb-Bonded magic completely nullified Vitaliya’s had been a lucky coincidence. Eventually, the light of reason returned to the other woman’s eyes and she hesitantly asked, “Lady Tanushree? Lady Tanushree, as in Lady Tanushree Bobrik?”

  Tanushree ignored her, responding to Aodh instead. “I should take her life for such disrespect. An agent of Berber speaking to me like that? It’s preposterous. However, I know you care for your family, Lord Aodh. I will spare her for you.” She ordered her mudmen to painfully twist Vitaliya’s limbs before letting the girl go. Then the constructs picked up the redhead and shoved her forward. In gesture of power and self-confidence, she let all the mudmen melt back into the ground.

  Tanushree summed up the red-haired mage’s existence with a dismissive gesture. “Simpleton, you are Vitaliya, yes? Get out of my sight. You may attend me in an hour or when we move out from this location, whichever comes first. Don’t dare speak with such disrespect to another member of the Berber peerage. If you do so, losing your foolish tongue will be the best you can hope for. It is not your place to be too familiar, and that applies to how you speak to Lord Aodh as well.”

  Yes, Tanushree knew how to deal with silly bitches like Vitaliya. The powerful woman was used to being in control, and truth to tell, was probably still incredibly dangerous. However, she was also part of the system, a system that benefited Tanushree. The right move was to bind Vitaliya with her own self-identity, and establish some ground rules to boot. Simple.

  Vitaliya’s face was an interesting mix of colors and expressions as she processed the last few moments. Eventually, wisely, proving she was not a complete moron, she stalked off without saying another word. Tanushree watched her go, noting she had a rather nice ass. Perhaps if she found the other woman a man to play with she’d stop acting like such fool. Stupid people made terrible vassals. Maybe Vitaliya just needed someone to screw her brains out so she could get some.

  It was a good thing the fire mage had gotten some Berber Intelligence schooling, otherwise she might have been stupid enough to push the issue, and Tanushree would have had to kill her. It was easier to keep her alive. Men were difficult to console and she didn’t want to see Aodh get all weepy. It’d be even worse if the man went on some sort of rampage…. Tanushree shuddered.

  She would always try to keep Aodh happy. Creator knew she couldn’t stop him if he lost control. Speaking of control…

  Tanushree turned back to the pitiful sight of the Terran men standing over their prisoner. The cultist on the ground had stopped snarling and was now warily regarding Tanushree. She still had eyes full of defiance, but she seemed to have recognized the danger that was currently walking away from her war suit.

  Jason looked uncomfortable. “Was it really necessary to pin her to the ground like that? I mean, you two had barely even spoken to each other.”

  “Sir Henry, please inform your friend that I am your sponsor.”

  Henry shrugged, most of his regard focused on the distant helldoor. “What she said, dude. This is Lady Tanushree Bobrik. I sort of owe her a lot of money and she’s a huge reason we’re even here right now. She’s also a Berber aristocrat and pretty raw. I’m kind of just glad she’s on our side.”

  Jason shook his head. “You built her a mecha, though?”

  “Well, yeah. It was part of the deal. Plus, it was kind of fun.” Henry’s voice was short. He met Jason’s eyes while talking, but his mind was obviously elsewhere. His body radiated stress.

  “Do you ever wonder whether you should, or just whether you could?” Jason paused and scratched by the side of his mouth before asking, “Uh, any chance you could build me one?” Jason’s tone was light, but it was obvious he was hiding tension, too. Both men were worried about the one called Mareen, but didn’t know what to do about it.

  What idiots. Luckily, they had help.

  Tanushree ignored the two the men prattling on. It was time to do grownup work. She knew what torture felt like. She’d experienced it for the first time at thirteen or so when one of her family’s guardswomen had begun conditioning her for pain. Men of the peerage were spared the lash, but women had to be strong. Women had to be capable of doing the hard things.

  The time for a woman to act was in situations like this one. The two men from Earth went through the motions of banter, pretending they weren’t stressed and worried, avoiding the fact that a rotting Asag cultist on the ground wouldn’t give her up secrets freely. Tanushree considered the bound woman for a moment before hea
ding back to the V-death and fetching a bag.

  She stalked back and pulled a knife from her belt, examining the other woman thoughtfully again. Jason and Henry paused their pointless conversation and watched her. All the others were away, either watching their perimeter or assisting in killing the demons coming out of the gate. The true-demons still did so, just slower now.

  Jason said, “Ah, if you are going to hurt her, she is the cultist for a dark god. I mean, she’s probably used to all sorts of messed up stuff. We need to figure out some other way to—”

  “Silence,” snapped Tanushree. “You have avoided your responsibility to have any say in this matter. Just watch or leave. Some things simply must be done. That is, unless you wish to just jump through the portal after your friend Mareen? I know that is the eventual goal, and I may even go with you, but Henry was right. Information is necessary.”

  With that, the young Bobrik heir bent down and slashed the priestess’s arm with one precise, economical movement. Then she upended a vial of liquid from her pouch onto the wound. The open cut greedily soaked up all the magic potion. Then she thoughtfully took out another vial before pouring again. The prisoner thrashed, trying to avoid the liquid, but she was bound properly and couldn’t.

  Yes, she knew what that was. The thought was grim.

  “What is that?” asked Henry. His tone was much more thoughtful than Jason’s had been, more resigned.

  “The first vial was to keep her conscious. The second was a healing potion that would help build blood and repair damage that’s done. This combination prevents the captive from passing out, and allows more damage to be done without killing her.” The cultist was definitely starting to look nervous. Good.

  “Healing potions... We have those, but I don’t think anyone’s ever used them...right?” Jason asked.

  “That’s because in some ways, you are all far too powerful for your own good,” Tanushree muttered. Then she bent down and began removing the Asag priestesses’ clothing with her knife, being careful not to touch the bonds restraining her. The razor-sharp blade made short work of the cloth.