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Changeling Part 56
🕑 Added 2024-08-20 16:30:15 +0000 UTCThere were no immediate bloodbaths, thankfully. Nestra’s mom would have probably fried the villagers where they stood if she were alone, but this was a diplomatic mission and so they let Tian handle it, and would probably keep doing it so long as things moved forward at a sufficient pace. Nestra hoped they would.
The first thing Tian did was gather and interrogate the villagers in a separate shed. She returned ten minutes later with a detailed map of where they would find the market, courtesy of a driver who’d been there once to deliver pu’er tea discs (Nestra was going to see if she could grab a few). By the time the interrogation was over, Tian was livid. She threatened the villagers, then melted the only local antenna with some angry fire spell to prevent them from using their phones. Nestra was willing to bet the whole village would be gone by the time the cops came for a ‘follow up’.
“Can we head there directly?” dad asked with a voice that wasn’t asking an actual question.
“Yes. By car it —”
“No car. We will run there. I will carry Mrs. Stibbons. Debbie dear, if you would take Nestra? Ulysses will take Helena.”
“She’s getting heavier by the year,” Ulysses complained, though he was smiling.
She gave him the finger.
“Wear proper armor and you’ll get proper muscles.”
“We are in agreement then?” dad pretend-asked again.
“I can carry you if you need assistance,” Vassily offered Tian.
She was clearly not interested. Nestra was grabbed and princess carried without a chance to protest, then she was in the air at accelerations that made her teeth click.
Up and down the hills they went, guided by Winslow who somehow had a great sense of direction. Nestra would have enjoyed the landscape of tall hills and lush valleys, alternating with plains of brown grass were it not for the great discomfort she was in. Her mom was doing her best, but she was still an adult carrying another adult of similar size, with little neck protection and a lot of gear digging into Nestra’s back. At that speed, it only took a bit over an hour to reach the city but it certainly felt like hours. It didn’t help that her mom was tense and quiet the whole time.
There were a few smoldering corpses of monsters along the way. Dad was venting..
Nestra was more than happy when they finally landed at the edge of a picturesque walled town overlooking a lake of placid waters, its old tiled roof glowing in the afternoon sun. She was out of breath just standing up again. A part of her wanted to draw oxygen supply from her suit, but something told her she was going to need it later.
“We need to learn where they are, exactly. One of the city’s officials ought to know. This,” Tian said, pointing at a curved roof building standing in the center, “is the town hall.”
“How about asking those guys?” Winslow suggested.
He pointed at a couple of foreigners standing around a nice car near a wall gate. They were busy talking and drinking, shaded under a few trees near what appeared to be some sort of restaurant. The fact there were structures right outside the walls was something Nestra still had difficulty accepting. If this were Threshold, that place would be a nest in under a week. This just felt so unsafe.
“Yes, good thinking,” Tian said, crimson eyes zeroing on Winslow with increasing suspicion.
The demure man just looked harmless and goofy though, so her anger didn’t last.
The two of them were gone a minute later. The rest of the team took the opportunity to munch on energy bars. Nestra made herself some instant coffee. It had been a very long thirty-six hours with no signs of slowing down. She couldn’t afford to be sleepy.
The two scouts returned some time later. The foreigners were conspicuously gone though their car was properly parked, and no cries of alarm emerged from the restaurant. Winslow confirmed they were in the right spot. As for Tian, she left to talk with someone on a huge phone with a long antenna, the kind that could probably connect to a wifi network on the moon. Her rapid-fire mandarin was so hasty that even Viv’s visor struggled to translate it. There sure were a lot of requests being made though. After a while, she seemed to calm down as she listened to an answer. She was back in control by the time they hung up.
“Your attention please,” she says, and Winslow stood by her side with the smile of a fat cat who just caught a really stupid mouse.
The Palladians gathered around. They recognized the briefing voice.
It sort of annoyed Nestra that it worked on her too. It was like a pavlovian response to the promise of imminent, state-approved violence.
“Our interrogation has borne fruit. We have learned where your relative and quite a few other people are being held. The slave market will take place in the next valley north of the city, on the site of an abandoned five stars resort. There is only one access road from here, but the resort has a helipad and a road to a makeshift airport. The ‘buyers’ will be coming from there.”
Her nostrils flared with anger.
“I can only assume that they are using the fall monster purge as a cover for this… this violation of the borders and territorial integrity of our nation!”
No reaction from the crowd.
“My nation,” Tian amended. “The market was moved forward to accommodate the discovery of a… a special prize. I assume it is Claire.”
The temperature dropped a few degrees. Mom breathed deep a couple of times.
“The bad news is that I will not get reinforcements within the next six hours. The monster purge means that most of our raiders are engaged. For obvious reasons, I cannot trust local law enforcement — they cannot be ignoring what is going on here. I am unwilling to wait until slaves are sold and then taken out of the territory, as I am sure you are.”
“Correct,” mom hissed.
Tian nodded.
“As such, I propose that we… intervene. I was granted discretionary powers for this operation. That means two things. First a squadron of fighters is on its way here. They will cover our evac. Second, I am authorized to temporarily draft you into the PLA, with your consent of course. That would mean that you’d be legally authorized to use lethal force within our borders. Preemptively. You would be considered mercenaries for the length of the operation. I hope this is acceptable.”
The titan that was her dad moved forward with loud thuds that made Nestra’s body vibrate. He leaned forward.
“Lady. You have a deal.”
“I’d swear allegiance to the ghost of Christmas past if I get to save my sister.”
“This would dishonor my ancestors,” Sanae said, “However I don’t give a shit.”
“Let’s fucking go already,” Helena added.
“Language,” Mom said, but Helena just shrugged.
“Before we begin, there are two short details I need to clear. First of all, you must be paid a hiring bonus by law. The pay shall be…”
Tian checked her visors, then her pockets.
“Two hundred and seventeen kuai and five chocolate bars.”
“We’re rich,” Vassily said. “and well fed.”
“And second, you need to swear allegiance. I, uh, I need to translate it.”
Winslow stood forward, smile growing with every passing minute.
“Solemnly swear to follow the chain of command, rescue the hostages, and neutralize everyone else.”
Tian glared, then she shrugged.
“Well, that works.”
“The Threshold government approves of this agreement. House Palladian, if you would?”
“Follow the boss, save the goodies, kill the baddies aye!” Helena summarized.
Others followed suit with varying degrees of enthusiasm. Nestra wondered if she could nab one of the chocolate bars right away.
“Alright,” Winslow said. “Let’s get a good look at the prison.”
The group moved quietly up steep stone cliffs, hiding among the branches of dry pines. Mom and Winslow took point while Stibbs’ drones provided overwatch. They stopped near a ridge with a full view over the valley.
Nestra had to give it to the people who’d built the resort, they sure knew how to pick their spot. The main road traveled straight through lush low trees to a checkpoint that might have been the hotel’s lobby at some point, but was now fortified with machine gun emplacements and steel barriers. The mix of ramshackle fortifications and old but elegant tiled roofs was one of the marks of early post-incursion years. Low gleams and auged soldiers patrolled the outer edge.
Past this, an inner lake fringed by old trees shimmered at the foot of a tall pagoda, its dilapidated red floors taken straight from a history book. Rows of villas then stretched left and right along dry canals. Only half of them had been renovated. The rest had crumbled past guard towers and a hastily built concrete wall. Further roads led deeper into the valley, one to a visible helipad and the other out of sight, presumably to the airport. There were a lot of soldiers and gleams present, as well as quite a few luxury cars parked at the security checkpoints. Well dressed men and women strutted around near the lake, mingling and soaking up the afternoon sunlight.
Behind that, far in the far distance, were white mountains. They were gorgeous and majestic, backlighting the entire resort to offer a majestic view worthy of some high-budget vid’s intro shot.
Nestra had watched people skiing before. She wondered if it was possible to do it there, also.
The Thresholders surveyed the land in silence. Stibbs was the first to talk.
“Visors on please.”
The raiders complied. A map of the compound as seen from above appeared with red circles and signs where the important bits were. Nestra was familiar with the symbols Stibbs was using, but she explained them anyway in case the raiders weren’t.
“There are security checkpoints here, here, here, and there.”
Basically all approaches were covered, though the wall was not.
“I spotted security cameras in key locations and around the walls. There may be more. The barracks and motor pool are there…”
Nestra noticed the symbols for APCs next to two heavily armored vehicles. Those would clear the sky off D-class fliers and helicopters pretty quickly. They would also instantly kill Nestra if they got to fire on her. They looked old though. Like incursion old. She still didn’t think her rifle was up to the task.
“They have a radar system.”
The camera zoomed on a parked van hidden behind one of the villas. Rotating antennas were visible from up high.
“Have you been spotted?” Tian asked.
“Nope. I’m using Threshold state-of-the-art stealth drones. They’re too small to get caught by those antiquities. Your fighter planes are probably safe as well.”
“It still needs to go,” Tian said.
“Yes. There is also a large relay drone here.”
She pointed at the sky above the compound. It took some time for Nestra to find the small black dot hovering on a background of fluffy white clouds.
“Part of their com systems. The com center is probably in the villa next to the van, given the size of the antenna. There is an additional relay in the checkpoint leading to the airport… there.”
“If we destroy them it might hinder their communications,’ Tian said.
“I can do the checkpoint relay,” Nestra said. “And take care of the drone too.”
She patted her rifle.
“There is the matter of the prisoners. They need to be extracted first.”
“I have a suggestion,” Winslow said.
Tian wasn’t even trying to loom suspicious anymore. It was absolutely clear Winslow was some sort of spook and he was only keeping up the charade as a matter of principle. The rest of the Palladians had long recognized the wolf in sheep’s clothing, and so they gave him their undivided attention.
“I will infiltrate the compound through a lightly defended section of the outer wall on the western side, locate the prisoners, and then mark them on our map. The Palladians will provide a distraction through a frontal attack along the main city road. I will use this opportunity to free people and get them on the way.”
“We will use the distraction,” Tian said.
She didn’t look like she was going to back off. It was Deborah who spoke next, however.
“There are six hostile B-rank raiders in this valley and the next.”
This time, even Winslow paled.
“We will proceed as follows. The girls will take position here.”
She pointed at a small, easily defensible encline with an access path that couldn’t be seen from the compound.
“Stibbs will identify all cameras on the western section of the wall. Winslow will close it with Tian as support. Winslow will mark all cages and possible cages. Once this is done or you are at risk of being caught, send a signal. The main squad will attack straight north towards the main checkpoint and take it, then engage the B-class revelers near the pagoda. At the same time, the support team will take out the drone, the far antenna, and any reinforcement they can see. The main squad will then provide cover while Winslow and Tian start evacuation, with Vassily healing the wounded as needed.”
“Tak.”
“Once we are sure we have everyone, we will retreat towards the south west, opposite to the makeshift airport. Your birds can flatten the place once we’re gone. Helicopters might be nice considering we’ll have people in need of care.”
“I…” Tian said.
She blinked. Nestra’s mom didn’t.
Sometimes it was easy to forget that the peppy woman was a ninety years old veteran of the incursion.
“You’re right. I’ll ask for them.”
“Good.”
***
Nestra checked the base through her visor, cycling between several filters. Helena dutifully did the same by her side while Stibbs was hidden farther down, busy handling her drones.
The hill had been trapped. Thankfully, Nestra and Stibbs had both spotted them and avoided them, but the incident was enough to shake Helena and remind her this was serious. The traps were more designed to kill dokkaebi than people but a spike planted in a sternum via pneumatic release was bound to make everyone’s day miserable. The base itself was a hive of activity. The outside shell of thugs and disreputable mercenaries protected an inner core made of elegantly dressed, masked merchants sipping bubbly from Champagne flutes. Like a layer of shit over a more expensive core of still shit, but painted gold. She checked the rifle’s software one last time, the way Gorge had shown her. Everything was working fine.
“Look,” Helena whispered.
A white limo was approaching from the unseen airport. Nestra’s mana perception wasn’t all that good in human form, but even she could tell there was someone powerful in there. Not A-class powerful, thankfully. There were a couple of assholes among their ranks but they couldn’t move around so easily, and they wouldn’t come here anyway. People went to them.
That still made the seventh hostile B-class raider around. Nestra had to swallow with some difficulty. Seven against three and some support. Not good odds. It wouldn’t stop her parents though.
She was starting to wonder if this was the day her identity was discovered. If any of the B-class broke through, she would have to choose between secrecy and the survival of her family and Stibbs. She knew exactly what she would pick.
Nestra understood why her parents had brought Helena. It was supposed to be a simple rescue operation, and Helena was notoriously hard to handle to the point she might have just bought a plane ticket to Shanghai herself if someone had tried to stop her. Now that it was international crime raiding stuff, her parents were certainly regretting their decision. It was still too late to change course now.
Or maybe they just thought they were the same age when the very first portals began to appear.
It didn’t matter. Aunt Clecle was down here somewhere. They were not leaving without her.
“In position,” Winslow whispered on the public channel.
Nestra watched a suspicious patch of grass shake along the southern road, the one leading back to Shangri-La city. Vassily was pushing it a bit. From the lack of guard reactions, he was doing a fine job though.
Stibbs updated the map with the first of the prisoner’s locations. It looked like there were two main prisons hidden between villas, both of them buried which would help limit the chances of collateral damage. Winslow sent a picture of a male slave being dragged, dazed, out of a ground gate. He was wearing a toga of all things. She wondered if the captive gleams were sedated or if it was some exotic affinity at work. Sedating gleams was always a gamble.
Those guys had balls to be trafficking gleams. They must be really confident in their B-classes. Nestra really, really hoped they were wrong.
“Winslow, be advised that a B-class is moving in your direction,” Dad quickly said.
“I know. I think I tripped something going into the prison. The guards are alerted.”
“Call it.”
“Stand down. I need to be sure.”
They were talking so fast Nestra had trouble following them. Winslow sent a series of pictures showing cells, locked tight. He was moving fast as well. Helena used her spotter visor to send her a picture of a tall man with long hair and city clothes covered in chains, as in, actually layers of some chains in a dark material that didn’t look like metal. He was talking with guards on the way to the prison. His gaze was black like coal though not the same liquid darkness Helena had. A B-class raider, and clearly muscle. Winslow was on a timer.
“Winslow?” Mom asked.
“I need to make sure. Hold on, I think I got it.”
He sent one last picture. It was taken through a barred window and shown a bandage-covered figure resting on a bed, her brown hair matted. A scarred white arm was barely visible but the pattern was immediately familiar.
“It’s her,” mom whispered.
“Right. Assault squad status?”
“Ready. Standing by,” Dad replied.
“Diversion please,” Winslow said.
Dad’s voice was suddenly much louder.
“Light them up.”
The valley was a peaceful, scenic spot with partying folks, smoking sentries. Another limo traveled up the southern road. Another drove up the road from the helipad at a placid pace.
The limo snapped in half with a ghastly clunk. It compressed to the size of a yoga ball, occupants included. The ball impacted the main checkpoint like a cannon shot. Every machine gun, every piece of furniture containing metal, every car, every barrier flew like they’d been struck by a hurricane. The main radar station exploded in a wave of fire, as did a sentry tower to the west. Battle erupted near the ravaged checkpoint in an orgy of unleashed fury. Body parts flew alongside the debris.
Nestra perceived all of this as she pressed the trigger.
THOOM.
The rifle was so loud, it echoed through the valley in an expanding wave.
The main relay drone exploded.
“It’s scrap,” Helena said. “Antenna next.”
“Adjusting sights.”
A real sniper at a real distance would have paid more attention to the wind and coriolis and a bunch of stuff the rifle’s softwaresoft solved for Nestra. She merely had to adjust the reticle.
“Ready.”
THOOM.
“Woo! It’s gone!”
“Target status,” Nestra curtly said.
“Shit sorry. It’s gone.”
Nestra aimed to the right. The center of the base was now in total chaos. Growing plants spread to the pond which was striated with actinine arcs, corpses floating near the surface. It seemed to be Palladians on the left near the prison, and slavers on the right near the ruin of the com center. Things moved too fast for her to see so she had no idea how things were going, but at least the prisons were on their side of the battlefield. It also meant it was pointless for her to fire at anything there since it was a B-class battlefield. She was just supposed to cover the approach.
“Bravo four,” Helena said.
Nestra aimed towards the airport road.
“Contact.”
“Technical, coming from the airport. Three gleams at the back.”
It was over a kilometer and a half away but closing fast. Good call.
“I see it. Adjusting.”
Nestra let the soft adjust the sight. She lined it up.
THOOM.
A shower of debris and blood. Ok, Gorge hadn’t been fucking with her. That thing could kill vehicles.
“Target destroyed. Alpha six.”
“Contact.”
“Near that guard house. They’re deploying something.”
Nestra turned sharply right. It was very close to the helipad. A group of augs were taking and assembling something from a case. It looked big and complicated. It also looked automatic which was going to be a pain for the C-classes.
“Got it. Adjusting.”
Better get the hardware. The augs didn’t count.
THOOM.
The thing exploded before it could deploy, showering the augs with debris. They ran to cover. The battlefield had changed again with the slavers pushed back to the edge of the field. Somehow, her people were winning and winning hard. The APCs were burning wrecks, courtesy of Sanae. There was now a hole through the western wall, to Nestra’s left. An old truck was driving through it, probably taken by Tian.
“I got company in the back!” Stibbs said.
A group of three guards were approaching the hill at a dead race, coming from behind. Shit gear and shit augs, Nestra judged.
“Helena, with me.”
“Doyouneedhelpdarling?” her mom asked on the coms.
“Should be fine.”
“I got APCs coming from the airport too, aiming towards us,” Stibbs added.
Well this position was cooked. Four shots was all they’d get. Nestra dragged Helena to a copse of trees to the side. There had been a trap there.
“Let’s wait here.”
The guards were visible now: two auged riflemen and one shield-bearing gleam without affinities. They were vaguely aiming towards the top of the hill to Nestra and Helena’s left. Amateurs.
“Let them get closer,” she whispered to Helena.
“I get the gleam,” her sister whispered.
The guards vaguely spread out. Nestra leaned from behind a tree and calmly lined a shot with her window maker.
The first aug fell with a hole in his chest. The second was dead before he could fully turn.
Helena was on the gleam in a moment.
It would be inexact to say Helena didn’t have a sense of strategy. It was just that she also had an axe, a strength affinity, and a mana type so aggressively destructive it even messed with her body. The onus of stopping said axe was firmly on her opponent. This one failed spectacularly.
“Clear,” she said.
Stibbs climbed down the hill. She was already out of breath. Her eyes found the axe murder victim.
“Seriously? Nestra, what have you taught her?”
Helena hissed playfully. The sound was eerily close to an Aszhii taunt. Nestra gave her a warning look.
“Not in public.”
“Sorry.”
“Ok you two,” Stibbs said. “Tian and Winslow are heading this way. They got her.”
Excitement and relief filled Nestra’s heart. Winslow appeared a moment later, bleeding from a scalp wound. He had a familiar shape in his arms. The truck roared not far behind. It was Clecle. She was in a bad shape with more scabs than clean skin under her medical shift. Some of the flesh was missing under the bandages, and she was short a few fingers but that was nothing to a B-class. Winslow had a first aid kit in his backpack. He applied some spray to his scalp wound while handing Nestra an injector.
“Alright, shove this in her chest. I need to get back to Tian.”
A reanimator of sorts. Nestra thought Winslow was stupid to leave a baseline to puncture a gleam, but the needle somehow went in Clecle without issue. It had to be some sort of advanced stuff.
Clecle gasped, bolting upright. Her arm clamped on Nestra’s. It hurt through the armor.
“Ow ow ow ow ow HEY!” Nestra complained.
Clecle’s gaze zeroed on her. It was a bit frantic. Also, her right eye couldn’t fully open.
“Nestra? Where I am? Where is this?”
“You got portal dumped. We’re rescuing you from a slaver camp in the ass end of China.”
“Slavers? They dare? Where’s my damn spear?”
The two sisters tried to pull their aunt down with reasonable arguments such as ‘you’re barely alive’, but it still took a few seconds before Clecle would calm down. Meanwhile, Stibbs’ horrified glare went from one of the relatives to the other. It was like she was having a revelation.
“What?” Nestra complained.
“It’s genetic. And hereditary.”
“Shit where’s the core? I need to get it back,” Claire yelled.
“You need to calm down,” Nestra objected.
They fought some more, until Winslow talked in Nestra’s earpiece.
“Please inform Claire that I have her gear in the truck.”
Of course the nitwit went for the truck. Nestra gave up. It arrived soon after anyway, an ancient diesel thing that stank to high heaven. There were dazed and sleepy people at the back, all looking completely lost. A great many were gleams, but there were also conventionally attractive people of various ethnicities. Some wore the togas Nestra had seen, others wore prison uniform and a couple were naked. Tian was at the wheel and she didn’t look happy.
Something thrummed to Nestra’s right, coming from the top of the hill. Looks like something was firing at where she used to be.
“Nestra!” her mom’s voice came, panicked.
“What?”
“Oh thank God. You’ve moved?”
“Yes. We need to keep going though.”
“The assault squad can withdraw. We have secured the prisoners and need cover,” Tian said, voice tense.
“Sanae is dealing with the armored cars. Don’t worry… we’re almost done on our end.”
“What?”
But mom didn’t reply. Instead, Stibbs' feed showed the gleam battle petered out.
The resort was devastated. There wasn’t a building left, and everything was on fire, thick smoke climbing high. Ulysses stood near the half-dried pond, holding a woman in rich garb and a mask at the end of the threads he held in his left hand. Her body sometimes shook from the static. There were fried bodies impaled on ice spikes like ghastly decorations everywhere that wasn’t actively burning. Thick trees that were not here before showed where Vassily had taken position. Only one duel was still ongoing: her father against the chain user.
They were mostly moving too fast for Nestra to perceive but sometimes they slowed down enough that she could see the guard’s long black chain wrapped around her dad’s hammer’s shaft. He was an obsidian user, a rare and powerful affinity. Clearly his plan had been to disarm and crush dad and clearly, it wasn’t working well. Nestra was surprised. They were supposed to be super good against hard targets.
Actually, all of her folks looked alive and well. A few of the enemy B-classes were apparently fleeing towards the airport, but she couldn’t see the others. It had been… surprisingly one-sided.
It took only a few more seconds for the battle to draw to a close. The chain user was left on his knees, or what was left of them rather. Her father had slowed down enough that they could talk. He was sharing his feed. Maybe the slavers still had people or cameras on the battle.
He was doing it on purpose.
“You have no idea who you’re messing with,” the guard said in heavily accented English.
Dad just stood there like a metal titan, his armor covered in gore but otherwise inviolate. The background was a hell of fire, metal, thorn growths, and peoplecicles bleeding carmine droplets, but frozen in time. Only his eyes were visible: gray, and without mercy. His voice didn’t carry any either.
“We don’t care. We are here to tell whoever thought they could enslave one of us… that House Palladian sends their regards.”
His hammer crushed the man’s skull. The headless body fell to the side in a pool of blood.
Helena made some ‘woah’ noise, which made Nestra a little concerned. It took only a few more seconds for the assault squad to regroup with the truck. Claire disappeared under shameless hugs and shoulder pats. It was done, or so it seemed. Nestra wasn’t so sure. Her Aszhii self clamored to be let out to make sure, to track and kill anything the humans might have overlooked. She felt blinded and hobbled in this form.
“The heli will pick us up in Shangri-La since it appears the battle is… over?” Tian added.
She didn’t sound so certain. Nestra wasn’t either, but that was probably just paranoia and alien instincts. No one stopped them as they retreated down the south road, the only one still intact and free of cars after her dad had given the limo the trash compactor treatment. Most of the gleams plus Nestra went on foot while Stibbs joined the wounded with her drones — she just wasn’t in any state to run without some more oxygen.
Nestra had to wait for her mom to unglue herself from Aunt Claire before she could climb into the back to sit next to the woman. Clecle was already hard at work scarfing down raider food and taking sips of some sort of potion. She was healing remarkably fast, probably because her wounds were caused by ripping through space and not the mana-infused attacks of powerful monsters. She still looked like a mess and it made Nestra’s chest tight.
“Ok, so tell me. What’s so important about this core?”
“It’s got the perfect mix of electricity and ice, to the second decimal! I got it from a humanoid enemy too, as requested. It’s absolutely perfect.”
“As requested by whom? Perfect for what?” Nestra insisted.
She was getting pissed off.
“Look, it’s big news. Really big news. I wanted to save it as a surprise but I guess I need to tell you now. I was very busy because… I have found a way to repair your core! I needed some research done and a compatible core and… it’s all complete now! We’re flying to Zurich, Nes!”
She was ecstatic.
“So you were raiding so hard for that? Getting wounded on repeat and everything? For months?”
“Yes.”
Nestra slapped her aunt. Hard too. Stupefied, Claire didn’t even try to stop her.
The truck fell silent.
“I don’t want to be a gleam nearly as much as I want my aunt alive. Alive, you hear? You fucking idiot.”
Claire’s joy sobered up. She slowly pulled Nestra into a hug. Nestra allowed it, resting her head on the raider’s strong shoulders.
“Ok. I’m sorry. I was just… very worried for a long time.”
“Don’t die for me?”
“Ok, I promise.”
They stayed quiet for a while.
“It’s still very ‘cool aunt’ of me though.”
“Shut up.”
Comments
Ekko
Love the Detail were Nestra started thinking of Claire only as Clecle. First I thought it was a typo, then I realised that in her worry and declining mental state the habits of her youth shone through
Morog T Tiny
They stomped 7 Bs but with the element of surprise and a group of support people (some of which are glass cannons) equipped to take advantage of that surprise.
Anon
I don't think her human side will ever reach parity with the Aszhii, but Nestra has always punched above her weight as a human, even without a core. I doubt there will be many Gleams of the same rank who are a threat to her in human form.
Full Derp
I mean I see what you're saying, but do you really expect her gleam side to reach parity with her Aszhii side so quickly? Aszhii not only grow more quickly than humans, but they are much stronger at the same rank. I mean it's totally possible that her gleam side would have a jump start in class, but I just don't see her being 'in a position where transforming is almost pointless' anytime soon.
Anon
It's more about the danger of being revealed. Currently, her only way to protect herself from powerful Gleams or monsters is by transforming. Which carries huge risks. If she gets a core back, unless it's limited in a way that normal Gleams aren't, she'll quickly be in a position where transforming is almost pointless.
Full Derp
Nah, there are power imbalances everywhere. Gleams are hardly invincible. But honestly even if that were the case, I'd still inject that story straight into my veins.
Anon
I'm not sure it will happen. Her human side is basically her only real vulnerability. If she gets her core back, there won't be much of a way for Mechanimus to naturally place her into situations where she's organically in danger.
Andrew K
Her body being a bit too gleamlike probably isn't hard to explain away as long as she isn't observed for a relatively long time in overly controlled circumstances. Nestra's lack of a core on the human side (but having had all the other biological aspects of a young gleam) is already viewed as uniquely strange for someone with two gleam parents, and the other stuff that is there easily explains that her body should be more than baseline if energy was available. From there, easy to lean on her recently satisfying her long-standing craving for mana-rich food as an explanation for a low-quality power source - even if they don't think it makes much sense for that to work, it's not like they have a bunch of humans with a seemingly similar condition to compare against to try to prove or disprove it.
The Bandersnatch
The family that slays together, stays together ❤️
RonGAR
Hmmm... What did she do with that other B-class core she got from her last mission? The one she and Fox Mask fought for? Did she eat it yet? Because that would be something worth mentioning right? I mean, wouldn't she be a 'B' class then? -------- Hope Dr Mazingwe is going to be in Zurich. He's going to have a lot of explaining/covering to do when they start examining Nestra and start wondering why her human body reads more like a D-class gleam than it does a human. I remember those RED CELL prison scans picking up something similar when she went to visit Kim. So surely the doctors in Zurich could tell 'something' is up. ---------
Vincebourgh
Still, Raiders especially B Ranks are way too proud to let themselves be enslaved from what we've seen so far. They would risk it all on escapinr or fucking over their captors for sure
Denva
She could just say her transformation powers can create a temporary core that lasts for a few hours or days? And she must revert to her base form for recharging.
Andrew K
How doesn't seem that hard considering we just saw evidence they can be still be drugged. Plus, even if nothing else, even for B-class gleams it would probably possible to make sort of sufficiently dangerous magitech version of an explosive collar, or maybe something that would attack their core, which would be well within the range of what plenty of fictional characters consider sufficient to maintain control in such circumstances.
Andrew K
And if the core repair/replacement works out, Nestra will get to openly spend time raiding with Helena, which could probably contribute quite a bit to interesting family dynamics as they all try to settle into the new situation (which is an area with a ton of character development potential in general). For example, could be amusing if there's a thread where the rest of the family starts mistakenly assuming some of Nestra's quirks are due to Helena being a bad influence on Nestra.
Mantarok1205
You are making the mistake of thinking that criminals are smart. If they were smart, they wouldn't be hiding in the middle of the jungle, they would be politicians.
Andrew K
Assuming Nestra's human side successfully gets a core out of this, could be interesting if one of her family members (besides Helena, obviously) starts digging around her secret because Nestra ends up letting too much of her Aszhii swordfighting style slip through to her human side. (Kind of a reverse version of part of how Ragnhild pierced the Crescent identity. Seeing too many pieces of an unknown but clearly well-developed style could easily raise some initial questions about where it came from, and a poor initial attempt to deflect/defuse questions or answering with lies could draw even more interest.)
sir-meepington
not her hunt not her pray, not to mention she had other things on her mind
Nait02
I wonder how fast her human form will advance and how she will reasonably explain that xD or she might just start at C wouldnt that be hilarious
Quixotic
No, Gorge.
Shimelton
Surprised Nestra wasn’t crying over all those B Class cores…
Specter
Thank you! Gorge -> George ? can't remember
Bunny Waffles
I can think of plenty reasons why someone would want to enslave a B-class gleam, even if it is just for the clout. It's just that it is also like trying to enslave a vicious tiger with an intense bloodlust and super powers. One way or another, there are going to be bodies dropped.
Manlor
I really hope they manage to heal human Nestra. This will open up so much story potential. It will start a new act/novel.
Nait02
Nestras mom said whe wanted to carry her youngest daughter, but took nestra... and you mentioned vivs visor during tians phonecall
AntiClimax she her
She *did* have a core. She just cannibalized it in order to survive a manaless childhood. I guess most worlds have higher ambient mana or something.
Anon.
She would have some explaining to do to Ragnarok, who thinks she already has a transformation power.
AgentFransis
Okay this was cool and all, but I'm still confused as to how and why someone would try to enslave a B-class raider.
AntiClimax she her
Not just Sereth/Seth, but Mazingwe(spelling?) her personal physician. He *needs* to be involved if he's not already.
Dragon Earth
Most of the research has been about core healing. Nestra is a pretty unique case of just straight up not having a core in the first place.
Dragon Earth
Her main affinities are Ice and Electricity they knew this back when she first found out she didn’t have a core.
Scott, just Scott
It was nice to see that Helena’s training has gone well.
RonGAR
Sooooo many B class cores just laying about for 'REAL Nestra' to eat. SMGDH Too bad she is in such a rush. And who says Nestra is or was going to be Ice and Electricity? I thought she would be Steel and Electricity. But Very Nice of AUnTie To go through all that trouble for her fav niece Nestra.
Tehd11
I've been rereading Journey so I didn't even bat an eye at Achilles, it's kinda hilarious. Also, that whole who carries who conversation is borked, dad says he carries younger daughter, debbie (nestra's mom) carries stibbs and Achilles (lol) carries helena (the younger daughter), no mention of who carries nestra at all. We end up with nestra being carried by her mom.
Hibou Ronchon
Probably, on the other hand, the Palladians give the impression that they're behaving low key. They have just showed however that they can curb stomp 7 B-class with just three of them, I'd wager that will give them quite a bit of support going forward.
Suolojavri
>>No car. We will run there. I will carry my younger daughter. Debbie dear, if you would take Stibbs? Achilles will take Helena ----- Either older, or Achilles takes Nestra
Hibou Ronchon
Ha, I was right about the core! That's cool.
Daemion
It seems my prediction from the last chapter was spot on. Claire really got a core to heal Nestra.
Kazith
Great chapter thank you! I really like how Nestra and Helena were included in the rescue, it was cool seeing House Palladian fuck them up.
Simon Hoerder
Round 2 of that fight will happen in Zürich, me thinks. Because the Palladians have indeed no idea whom they're dealing with and don't have the patient, diligent attitude of intelligence schemers. Winslow has but he's not working for the Palladians and will have other things to do. If it looks like gun, squeaks like a gun and smells like a gun then I'm sure Nestra will soon stumble into wherever Mr. Chekhov left his gun...
Full Derp
I am so excited to be getting gleam Nestra
RottenTangerine
Agreed but it'd still be nice to have confirmed. I pictured the talk on why the core was important happening after the villa had been destroyed.
Erik Hansen
I'm sure it was checked off camera or Claire wouldn't be calmed down.
Erik Hansen
I'm also feeling bad for how awful a case study Nestra will be if they are able to implant it.
AntiClimax she her
And Achilles. He's so chill compared to Ulysses.
Kennyevilmonkey
Nothing says family bonding quite like raiding an illegal slave trading operation together. ❤️
Kennyevilmonkey
Well, they can't leave untill Nestra gets those chocolate bars, so we'll see what happens.
NoReTr3aT
I was wondering, how Nestras human side would be included going forward after her semi permanent police break. Gleam police officer Nestra might be a really cool option.
Kennyevilmonkey
If it was missing, she would have been freaking out and saying to go back and find it. And I imagine that her family, once they learn what the core is for, would have been more than happy to tear the place apart a second time in order to find it. Since they aren't and are driving away, I'm going to guess that the core was with her gear.
thomas j walters
lol nice
Jacob
I agree I really like this one too
Eric
Hugs for clecle
RottenTangerine
To be clear then, the core is part of Claire's gear? Like, it wasn't separated from it?
Zaeron
Oh this is such a good solution to the problem of the Human part of Nestra getting increasingly sidelined in all the human activities. A+ problem solving.
Adspartan
Now that warrant an urgent call to Seth to know whether or now this could cause a problem ! (I bet the doctors would notice something is amiss)
Tsorov
Thx for the chapter! Finnaly we may be able to see some family bonding time in dungeons!
Julia Kent
Good to see Viv make a return lol
Jackjargon
Family road trip going well and fun future tidbits! Exciting to see what will happen with a fake core for her becise she isnt a regular gleam fun fun! And ominous promises of a larger group could be fun as well!
Draeysine
Love the chapter. Hate having to wait a week for another. Can't wait to see Nestra get a core.
Tehd11
Very "cool aunt" indeed. Let's see what kind of tomfoolery awaits them, this can't be over so easily.
Bunny Waffles
Nice and clean. Nestra didn't even have to drop the mask at all! How wonderful! Also I love that Helena apparently is picking up a few of Nestra's Aszhii mannerisms with all the time they have been spending together.
WarStrider72
Thanks for the chapter boss
