Intermission: Looking Up
Etherdale never seemed to have any middle gears when it came to weather. Either it was unbearably hot and muggy, or temperatures dipped so far low that the swamps iced over. How the covens managed with their lack of clothing, Demeter still had no idea. All the more reason to keep trying, she supposed.
At the moment it was early summer, so the temperature was soaring. Demeter wasn't wearing much more than a cotton t-shirt, a pair of shorts, and her boots, and even with every available fan in her tent going full blast she was still soaked with sweat.
Sighing, she dipped a towel in a bucket of lukewarm water that had been ice-cold ten minutes ago, wiped down her face, hair, shoulders, and arms, and tried to focus on the papers arrayed before her. Some drops of sweat had escaped her notice and seeped into her eyes, so she carefully wiped them away and tried again.
It seemed that they were both blessed with bounty and cursed with famine. With most of the territory still in chaos, government help was almost non-existent. Most of the former members of the Persephone Protectorate were still with them, and given how their long time spent under Lily's control had messed up their minds, having that many bodies around was proving to be a major problem. Tensions were running high, tempers were flaring, and fights were becoming commonplace. The Wayhouse team was doing what they could, but it was clear that they were all out of their depth. They needed to start evacuating the worst of them yesterday, but unfortunately there was little hope of that happening.
On the plus side, though the government was still completely useless, others had stepped in to fill the gap. Word of their predicament had spread far and wide, and charitable organizations and relief groups were flooding. They weren't hurting for supplies, thank God. And she had received several promises that arrangements would be made to help transport the Persephone Protectorate out to the help that they needed.
Unfortunately, none of them had come through yet.
Demeter could feel yet another headache forming, brought upon by the stress as much as the heat. She leaned forward and sighed, fingers massaging her forehead. So many were eager to help, so many were sympathetic to their plight, but so few could provide what they really needed. They needed doctors, therapists, specialists in dealing with those touched by post-spawning madness and mental trauma. They just had so many that needed help that they weren't getting, so many that wanted to go home. Most of the wild girls they had been treating had already ran off and rejoined the covens, negating all of their progress. And with things getting as bad as they were, she wouldn't be surprised if the covens soon found former members of the Persephone Protectorate among their numbers.
Demeter's vision was starting to blur again, though this time it was from tears instead of sweat. She felt tired, so damned tired. Though it was a miracle that Lily had been taken down and all those people freed from her grasp, it had only left them with even more problems. There were too many people, too many wounds, too much hurting and just so little that they could do. It wasn't fair. They had come to Etherdale to help, and this was the thanks they got in return? What kind of cruel universe would-
Then she heard the tent flap rustle and groaned out loud. "Oh God, what is it this time?" she said as she turned to face her visitor. "I swear, if it's another fight…"
Her complaining died away when she saw that it was Janelle. "Oh," she said. "Sorry."
Janelle smiled tiredly at her. "It's alright, love," she said. "To tell the truth, one more scuffle and I'm like to lose it as well."
Having to take care of all of Lily's victims came with a myriad of problems, but having Janelle back almost made up for it. Though they had yet to resume their former relationship, just having her around, knowing that she was free and of her own mind, helped immensely.
"So, if it's not a fight, what is it then?" Demeter asked.
Janelle's smile disappeared. "Trouble," she said. "I think. A ship's coming in."
"A ship?" Demeter frowned. They weren't supposed to be getting visitors at that time. "Like an elysian?"
"Nope. Nasty looking one, all black. It's ignoring our hails too."
Oh, that couldn't be good. "Hostile, then?"
Janelle shrugged. "Can't tell. They haven't started shooting, and there's only one."
An all-black ship that wasn't an elysian coming in unannounced? Demeter had a sinking feeling that she knew who it was. But why would they be coming here? "Let's go," she said, standing from her chair. "And tell anyone in fighting shape to be ready."
"Already done," Janelle said, holding the tent flap open for her.
Demeter took a moment to brace herself, and then stepped out of the safety of her tent.
…
Janelle carefully watched Demmi's face as she stepped into the open air. As expected, she stopped cold, as if hitting an invisible wall. Her eyelids fluttered, and her breathing grew labored.
Demmi's empathetic abilities were both a blessing and a curse. Under normal conditions, such as the ones she had originally signed up for, it gave her a leg up when it came to treating the wild girls, figuring out what made them tick and what sort of therapy they're respond to. But now, while surrounded by so many damaged minds, so many rising tensions, so much fear and anger and resentment and frustration…well, it was no wonder that she stayed in her tent most of the time. At least then her psychic dampener helped filter out the worst of it. Though it had been damaged when the wayhouse had burned down. it fortunately had not been destroyed, and they had managed to jury-rig it functional again. Its area of effect only extended to her tent, however.
"You alright, love?" Janelle said. She gripped Demmi's shoulder to hold her steady.
Demmi shook her head, but that was obviously just to clear her mind and not a negative response. "I'm fine," she said. "Let's go."
Holding tightly to her hand, Janelle led Demmi through the camp toward where the ship was coming down. As they walked, Demmi started muttering under her breath. Janelle just let her. The two of them had been doing this kind of work for years, and Demmi knew a number of tricks and mental exercises to help filter out all the bad juju that was now threatening to suffocate her. The mantras were a part of it. Back during happier times, whenever they would go into town on a date or a shopping trip, the first few blocks would mostly consist of Demmi focusing dead ahead while repeating the same words under her breath over and over, while Janelle just waited. After that they would be talking and laughing like most lovers did.
Feeling her heart clench, Janelle shook her head and banished those memories. No, it would do no good to focus on that now, no point in thinking of what was lost. Now they had to focus only on what was in front of them.
Speaking of which, they were nearing the landing pad, or rather, the landing patch. It really was just a large, square patch of dirt that had been cleared of all vegetation, rocks, and debris. It served its purpose of giving incoming elysians and other craft a place to land though, like the one currently coming down. It was a nasty piece of work, a sleek, black model shaped like a sable arrowhead with two knife-like silver wings that curved back around its rear engine. It was definitely armed, though it didn't look like a warship. More of a military transport, which still probably wasn't good news, especially if Janelle's suspicions were true.
Though the ship had ignored all attempts at communication, Janelle had a pretty good idea of who was on board. And if the information she had retained from her time under Lily's control was to be trusted, then they were only two degrees removed from Lily herself, by way of the Brothel.
Then Demmi stumbled again. Janelle instinctively helped her regain her balance, thinking that it had just been the strain of the minds around her. But then Demmi pointed, not at the ship, but at the landing pad itself. "Look," she said, her face pale.
Janelle looked. And her face lost color as well.
Most everyone had fled when the ship had shown up, but Janelle's crew of fighters was on their way. However, someone else had gotten there first. Little Polly stood in the center of the landing patch, her wide, dark eyes staring unblinking up at the ship that was descending directly on top of her. The sock-puppet Annabelle Lee had given her was on her hand, and she was holding it up, opening and closing the mouth like it was talking. Maybe she was waving.
"Oh, shit," Janelle breathed. Leaving Demeter where she was, she bolted across the landing patch, seized Polly by the waist, and carried her out of range just as the ship touched down, its wings folding up like a roosting hawk.
Carrying the poor girl in a bridal carry, Janelle made her way back to where Demeter was standing. The normally comatose Polly was starting to fuss, wriggling around to get out of Janelle's arms, though her face remained as blank as ever. She got like that whenever danger was coming.
By then most of Janelle's warriors had arrived, most of them former members of the Protectorate, though there were a few of the tougher wayhouse workers with them as well. A few of them even had their old armor on, though most just wore protective meshes. All of them were armed though. Whoever it was inside that ship, at least they were outnumbered.
The bottom of the ship beneath the cockpit opened like a mouth, its ramp extending down to the dirt. And out came a trio of Human girls that were completely out of place.
The leader was a witch who spouted a pair of segmented, curving horns rising up out of her wavy, dark-green hair and a pair of scythe-like blades that sprouted from her back like devil's wings. She was dressed in the Gothic Lolita style, with a frilly black dress adorned with a white bow, tights that ended halfway down her calves, and a pair of lime-green glasses. Accompanying her was a short girl with long, black hair tied into a pair of twintails, wearing nothing except a pair of black shorts, a black bikini top, high boots, and an unzipped black hoodie. The third split the difference between the two, with long, straight black hair tipped in red and cut in the Hime style at the bangs, and having a pair of high, rising horns like the first but dressed in a similar manner to the second, though her outfit was adorned with blades at the joints and had a scarlet tint.
This set off a new wave of murmurs from those gathered, and Demeter's mouth set in a straight line. Unnaturally pale skin that seemed to have been drained of all color? Check. Overly black color scheme? Check. Some variation of the gothic aesthetic? Check. Impractically skimpy for no good reason? Check.
Void Walkers.
The one in the lead took a look around and smiled. If she was at all perturbed by the number of guns pointed at her and her companions, she didn't show it. Spreading her arms, she called out, "My friends. Rejoice! For your salvation is at hand."
Nobody responded, though several exchanged dubious glances. Somebody coughed.
Clearing her throat, Janelle stepped forward. "Uh, can we help you? Because we weren't exactly expecting anyone for the rest of the day."
The lead Void Walker focused her attention on her. "Destiny often comes when unlooked for."
"Uh-huh," Janelle said flatly. "Look, Ms. Destiny. Whatever you're selling, we don't want it. So if you all could just slink back into that eyesore right there and be on your way, we'd really appreciate it."
"We come not with goods to sell. We are but humble servants, burdened with glorious purpose," said the lead Void Walker, clutching a fist to her chest and bowing her head. "We come bearing the word of our Savior, who offers you a gift."
Janelle stared. "Oh. So you're missionaries then."
"Not…an inaccurate way of putting it. We come in the name of the benevolent one, Oblivion."
Of course they were. "Well, that's just lovely of you," Janelle said, not even bothering to hide the sarcasm. "So nice of the great Oblivion to take notice of our plight. Tell me, is it supplies she's offering? Food? Clothing? Teddy bears and lollipops?"
"Nothing so common," said the lead Void Walker. "She offers you freedom. Freedom from your torment. Freedom from the Hell you have become entrapped in." She spread her arms and raised her voice. "Hear me, all of you! You have all been fooled! This world is not the second chance it has been made out to be. It is a trap, one as devious as the contracts woven by the Incubators. You have all seen the damage a single madwoman can do, how easily she enslaved your minds. Do you think that now she is gone you are truly free?"
She shook her head. "No. No, you are not. You are surrounded by want and disease, pain and anger. I can feel it. And even if you manage to rebuild your lives, to impose order and healing on the chaos around you, what then? Because out there are hundreds more like the one that did this. How long before another takes you? How long before you become prey for some other monster?"
But it doesn't have to be that way! There is a way out! There is a way of release! Oblivion offers you all the gift of freedom, the gift of death! Why deny it? Why cling to an unasked for gift and subject yourselves to more torment? You will only be delaying the inevitable! After all, all roads lead to Oblivion."
Janelle stared in disbelief. Who did this twat think she was? Wasn't she aware of everything that they knew? Did she honestly believe that such an obvious scam would work?
But then, as Janelle took a quick glance over the muscle she had gathered, she realized that maybe it would. Several of the former soldiers were wearing doubtful looks, and a few were exchanging whispers.
Right. Even fouled water would seem tempting to one dying of thirst. These girls had endured so much already, and they didn't all have the perspective Janelle did, so of course the Void Walker's offer would have appeal, as ridiculous as it sounded. Which meant that Janelle needed to turn the tide and do it quick.
Fortunately, she had just the thing. "Do you think we're stupid?" she demanded, making sure that her voice was loud enough to be heard by all.
The lead Void Walker's smile wavered just a bit. "Excuse me?"
Rolling her eyes, Janelle said, "Oh, come on! You think we don't have all of Lily's files? You think we don't have the dirt she had on just about everyone she ever dealt with? The Brothel was her number one client, and you're the Brothel's number one client!"
Sure enough, those were the magic words. Having so few degrees of separation between Lily and themselves was enough to kill any appeal that the Void Walkers might have. The looks of uncertainty turned into disgust, resentment, and even anger in some cases. Near the back, Mundy's grip on her bladed chains tightened noticeably, and she let out a low, bass growl.
But of course being called out didn't cause the Void Walker to drop her act. If anything, she just looked offended. "How could you say such a thing?" she said, holding her hands to her chest. Janelle wouldn't have been surprised if her lower lips started wobbling. "Ma'am, I assure you-"
"Assure all you want, you'd still be lying," Demmi said suddenly, breaking her silence. She stepped forward, and what few whispers remained stopped immediately.
Demmi's forehead was shiny with sweat, and her face was flushed. Still, there was no sign of weakness in her posture or her voice. "Oblivion hasn't used missionaries or messengers in centuries. Why would she need them? It's like you said: all paths lead to Oblivion." She tiled her head to one side, eyes over sweeping the black-clad crew. "So that makes me wonder what you're really here for."
The Void Walker responded only with a decidedly chilly look. Then she returned her attention to the crowd. "Are these two the only ones here with voices of their own?" she said. "Or are you all incapable of speaking for yourselves?"
"We can," rumbled a deep, resonant voice. Mundy stepped forward, her four meters of bulging muscle and gleaming tusks as intimidating as the bladed chains she held in her four hands. "And I for one agree with them. You are not welcome here."
If anyone else still had doubts, having the biggest and toughest person around take Janelle and Demmi's side erased them in an instant, and all weapons were then pointed directly at the Void Walkers, just waiting for the signal to reduce them and their ugly ship to vapors.
For their part, the two silent guards seemed more wary than worried. Their stance was loose and ready, their gauntleted hands twitching, ready to summon weapons to their sides.
As for their leader, she took a moment to size Mundy up, looking her up and down. Then her gaze swept over all the firepower currently pointing at her and her companions. "Are you threatening us?" she said. "Envoys of Oblivion?"
"Yes," Mundy said simply.
"You showed up unannounced and uninvited," Demmi added. "And you brought nothing but bullshit with you. That makes you trespassers, not envoys."
"Plus, you know, we got you birds stupidly outnumbered," Janelle put in. "So I'd say it's in your best interests to beat it."
Then a new voice, this one cold and inhuman, spoke from up the ship's ramp. "Don't beeezzz zzzo zzzure, zzzz."
The voice sounded like the humming of an incoming locust swarm, and carried the same weight. Everyone froze in place as all eyes immediately focused on the ramp and the thing coming down it.
The dockengaut was big. Not quite as big as Mundy, but pretty damn close. Like most others of its kind, its hunched-over body was swathed in a thick, black cloak adorned with bits of metal armor and other odd pieces of clothing that had to be trophies taken off its victims. Its "arms" nearly dragged on the ground as it glided forward, the tips of its multi-joined appendages hovering mere centimeters from the dirt.
"You brought a dockengaut?" Demmi whispered, her face now very pale.
The lead Void Walker's smirk had returned. "We weren't sure if how we would be received," she said. "So we came prepared. From the look of things, we were right to be."
The dockengaut ignored the humans completely and went right up to Mundy. It rose its shrouded "head" up on its long neck so that it and Mundy were effectively face-to-face.
Mundy's beady little eyes narrowed. She lowered her winglike ears and growled again, her lips curling back and exposing all of her predatory teeth.
The dockengaut let out a hissing chuckle. "Outnumbered, are zzzhey? Mmmm, howzzz doezzz the zzzaying go? Ah yezzz. Why don'zzz youzzz pick on zzzomeone your ownzzz zzize, zzz? I could uzzze a zzznack."
Mundy didn't move a centimeter, which was incredibly brave on her part. Even something as powerful as a vaskergoros would be made short work of by a dockengaut.
But brave or not, things were seconds away from becoming an outright disaster. People were backing away, nervous fingers were tightening on triggers, and even Janelle was swiftly making escape plans. If that dockengaut decided to strike, there would be little they could do to stop it.
She shot a glance to Demmi. To her dismay, her ex was swaying on her feet, eyelids fluttering. That wasn't good. All that increased tension had to be suffocating.
"Ah, good," the lead Void Walkers said. "Now that I have regained all of your attention, perhaps-"
Janelle hefted her rifle and pointed it right at her face.
"-ah. Still with the threatening, I see."
"Call off the dockengaut," Janelle said through clenched teeth. "Right now."
The Void Walker looked down at the barrel that was lined up with her nose, though her expression was of disapproval rather than fear. "You know, seeing how you all were the first to make threats, I really don't see-"
"Can it, Horns. You came here uninvited and unannounced, ignored all of our hails, and brought a goddamned dockengaut. In some places that's a declaration of war. So call it off or I'll show you how well this forest's brand of crazy and a twitchy trigger finger mix together."
"Alwaaaayzzz wizzz zzhe prejuuuudizzzz," complained the dockengaut. "Evvverywhere I go, zzz."
"You eat people!"
"Zzztop reprezzzing my culturzzze!"
"Enough," the lead Void Walker sighed. "Velken, back off."
"But-"
"Now!"
Despite its lack of a face, the dockengaut conveyed sullen disgruntlement as it slouched low and slunk back up the ship's ramp.
"There," the lead Void Walker said. "She's backed off."
"Good," Janelle said. "Now you follow."
The Void Walker's smile was thin and cold. She said nothing.
Demmi sighed. "All right. If I talk to you in private, will you promise to leave without violence afterward?"
"So long as none is offered."
Good enough. "This way," Demmi said grudgingly.
…
The moment Demeter stepped through the tent flap, the pressure that had been squeezing her head like a vice relaxed. Though the residual pain and stress didn't disappear, the difference was enough to feel like submerging her head in a pool of cool, clean water. And while she wasn't about to let the Void Walker see it, she was still unable to keep from letting out a slow sigh of relief.
But even if the Void Walker didn't pick up on the sigh, she still noticed that something was different. She paused by the tent's entrance, brow furrowed in puzzlement. "What's that?" she said.
"What's what?" Demeter said, pulling out two fold-up chairs and setting them across from one another.
The Void Walker sighed, though not from relief. "Don't play coy, you know what I'm talking about."
Demeter shrugged. "Psychic dampener," she said. "Helps keep my head clear while I'm doing work."
"Ah. Well, that makes sense, but wouldn't that mean that you are now unable to divine the truth of what I say from my head?"
Demeter looked hard and long at her. Then she walked over to where the dampener in question was sitting. Maintaining eye contact with the Void Walker, she slowly pushed the big switch OFF.
Immediately the pressure returned, but so did the aura of thoughts, emotions, and other signals from the Void Walker. "Now I can," Demeter said as she sat down in one of the chairs. She motioned toward the other. "Have a seat."
The Void Walker sighed. "Well, you're dedicated to your duty, I'll give you that." She sat down across from Demeter, crossed her legs, and clasped her hands over her knee. "Now. What shall we talk about?"
"Let's start with why you're really here," Demeter said.
"I think you know."
"I have some ideas. Narrow it down for me."
The Void Walker sighed. "Oh, very well. Let's start with the unexpected visitors you people received two months ago."
Well, at least they had dropped the pretensions. But even so, Demeter still didn't know what was going on.
At Demeter's blank stare, the Void Walker sighed again. "You're going to make me name them, aren't you? Fine."
She extracted a series of still pictures (from where? There didn't seem to be any pockets on that dress of hers) displaying six Asian girls and two Caucasian ones and set them out on the table between them.
As Demeter looked the pictures over, she finally understood, and she wasn't sure if she was relieved or distressed by the news. So much had happened over the last few months that she had almost forgotten about the two mutually antagonistic groups of visitors that had been unlucky enough to wander into Etherdale and had, in their own strange way, been responsible for their current situation, both good and bad.
Her eyes studying Demeter's face, the Void Walker said, "Now do you remember?"
"I do," Demeter said, her fingertips lightly brushing the photo of Annabelle Lee. "They came here by accident, but they're gone now."
"Yes, I know that. Where?"
Demeter shrugged. "Marsters." She tapped a finger first on the image of the wheelchair-bound mermaid with short blue hair known as Oktavia von Seckendorff, and then over to the skinny redhead in raggedly clothes named Kyoko Sakura. "The Brothel had taken these two there right before everything went down, and the others went after them. After that, I don't know."
The Void Walker raised an eyebrow. "They went there. Together." Even without Demeter's empathetic abilities, she could read the dubiousness in her voice alone.
"They formed a truce," Demeter told her. "Neither side wanted the Brothel to hold onto those two. We put them on a transport to Marsters, and that's the last I heard from them."
The Void Walker leaned back in her chair and clasped her hands in front of her. "And where were they headed afterward?"
"They never told me."
The tips of the Void Walker's two index fingers started to rub against each other. "I think you're lying."
"I think I don't care," Demeter said. Truth be told, she was finding the attempt to intimidate her more annoying than anything. "They were here, and now they're not. Do you honestly believe that I would have gone through the time and trouble to keep track of them? Have you seen this place? We have enough problems of our own to worry about theirs. Go talk to the Brothel if you want to know more, they'd know more than we do."
In answer, the Void Walker separated the four "bounty hunters" from the rest of the pile. "I'm told that you hold these four in high regard."
"Yeah, they used to be yours, weren't they? Up until they weren't?" Without waiting for the Void Walker's reply, Demeter said, "Well, yeah, we do. They were the ones to take down Lily. They were the ones who freed us. But just because we're likely to erect a statue in their honor once we've got some degree of sanity around here doesn't mean we know where they are. If you're so desperate to find them, look up your friends at the Brothel. They were the ones who saw them last." She stood up and motioned toward the tent's entrance. "Now, if there's nothing else…"
The Void Walker didn't rise. "If you're lying to me, we will find out."
At this, Demeter favored her with a thin-lipped smile. "If you don't leave now, then it won't matter."
…
Though the dockengaut had left, Janelle was no less comfortable, and that had to do with the remaining Void Walker.
She was tiny, the top of her head barely reaching Janelle's neck. Her skimpy outfit was, to be frank, completely ridiculous for a visit to a war-torn marsh, and would probably only not be out of place at a goth club or a shopping mall. And she didn't look like she could lift a toothpick without pulling something.
And yet, there was something about the way she stared straight into Janelle's eyes without blinking that told her that this slight, strange girl was not to be tested. It sent shivers down her back.
But she wasn't about to be stared down by a pint-sized mallgoth, so she stared right back.
The Void Walker continued to gaze at her without moving, or even displaying the slightest bit of emotion.
So Janelle did the same.
After a few seconds of that, her eyes started to burn, but the Void Walker had yet to blink, so she wasn't either.
She did, however, start to move her head and shoulders from side-to-side, all the while maintaining eye contact, just to see of the Void Walker's gaze would follow her.
It didn't. The tiny pale weirdo just stared at where her face used to be without reacting to her movement.
Huh.
Janelle held up a hand, all five fingers splayed out. She held it in front of the Void Walker's face and waved it around.
No response.
"So," Janelle said. "You fall asleep on your feet, or something?"
Still no response.
"Not very talkative, are you? Guess your mate back there does all the chitchat."
Still no response.
"Ah, the silent treatment then," Janelle said. "What's the matter, jott got your tongue?"
And then, from over at the ship, the dockengaut called, "No. Butzzz I zzzhall hazzz yourzzz if youz doezzzz not zzzhut up, zzz."
Janelle stiffened. The dockengaut was gliding back down the ramp, the sound of its thousands of needlelike legs clicking against the steel like tiny hailstones. It rounded around its still and silent companion to rear over Janelle, giving her a good view of its writhing "face."
"Youzzz likezzz zzztaring contezzztzzz, hmmm?" it hissed. "Howzzz aboutz youzzz triezzz me, zzz? Zzzee whozzz blinkzzz firzzzt."
Janelle had been through quite a lot, even before coming through Etherdale, and had faced down monsters and horrors of all kinds. But even the strongest and bravest of any species would away when being stared down by a dockengaut.
"B-Back off," she said, retreating a few steps. "Your leader told you to stay on the ship!"
The dockengaut held up one dangling arm, a glistening white multijointed "finger" extended up to the sky. "No," it buzzed as it waggled its…appendage in admonishment. "Zzzhe zzzaid to go back to zzzhe ship, whichzzz I did, zzz. Zzzhe zaid nozzzing about zzztaying."
In answer, Janelle snapped her rifle up and pointed right at the monster's "face." Around her, she heard several clicks as her fighters did the same.
Rather than be concerned as the various firearms now pointed directly at it, the dockengaut reached out with its "finger" toward Janelle's face.
"Stop!" she said as she continued to back up. "Get away!"
The dockengaut poked it against Janelle's forehead, its tip digging into her skin. "Youzzz blinked," it said.
Janelle fired.
Objectively speaking, nobody could blame her. Being poked in the head by a dockengaut would be judged as a serious threat by any reasonable court of law, especially to someone in Janelle's position.
Unfortunately, it did nothing to improve her situation.
Her blast tore through the monster's cloak and into the swarming mass of arthropods that made up its body. Moments later all her girls followed suit, their nervous trigger fingers cutting loose and lighting the thing up.
But even getting shot multiple times at point-blank range would do little against a dockengaut. It threw itself down and practically melted out of its cloak, all of its black and white spiders swarming out. Before Janelle could react, the tiny twintailed Void Walker came barreling right at her, sailing through where the dockengaut had been to slam her boot right into Janelle's chest.
Janelle was sent flying ass-over-teakettle. She managed to right herself in midair and land in a somewhat untidy crouch, but before she could recover, the tiny Void Walker was there.
An elbow to the nose filled her eyes with stars. A finger jabbed to the throat robbed her of her breath. And then she was kicked again, this time with both boots, as the Void Walker literally fell back onto her palms and thrust both feet right into the same place she had kicked Janelle before.
Things fell apart pretty quickly after that.
As Janelle struggled to catch her breath and make the world stop hurting, she caught glimpses of the two Void Walkers cleaning house. The one that had kicked her was now armed, having summoned up a black sword and a fucking minigun that was longer than she was tall, and was duel-wielding them both to tear through all of Janelle's fellow ex-soldiers. Her companion had also armed herself, now possessing a massive blade that was sharp on one end and toothed on the other. And despite being heavily outnumbered, they were having no trouble clearing away the wayhouse's defenders.
What was worse, the dockengaut was moving swiftly toward the fight like a black carpet spreading over the dirt.
But before the dockengaut could reach its first victim, that was when Mundy leapt in.
With raspy, guttural roar, she rushed forward, using the flats of her four large blades as shovels, scooping up mounds of dirt with the spiders still clinging to them and thrusting them away.
The dockengaut regrouped, its swarm scurrying back and reforming its "body," literally rising up from the teeming masses of spiders like a demon ascending out of Hell.
Mundy wasted no time. She charged forward, all four blades swinging. Though she was still partially dazed, Janelle cheered her on. Make she could cut enough spiders in half to-
The dockengaut lashed out with four new arms, each one wrapping its long, white appendages around a blade and stopping it cold.
Oh. Shit.
Mundy tried to push down, but the dockengaut held her steady.
"Now zzzhat vazzz a mizzztake, zzz," the dockengaut said. "Butzzz I likezzz your zzzpirit."
Mundy's eyes went wide when she saw the black spiders crawling up the dockengaut's arms, heading right for hers.
Thankfully, before she was devoured alive, someone with some sense intervened.
"STOP!" Demeter screamed as she rushed across the field. "Stop, stop, stop, stop! What are you doing?!"
Janelle managed to bring herself unsteadily to her feet. "They started it," she said.
The dockengaut's "head" whipped toward her. "Youzzz zzzhot firzzzt, zzz," it hissed.
"Fuck off. You know what you did."
The horned Void Walker came up behind Demeter. She looked around and sighed. "All right, that's enough of that. Mato? Saya? Step away, please."
The two other Void Walkers immediately obeyed, walking away to stand at attention over by the ship's ramp and leaving several of Janelle's girls bruised and groaning on the ground.
"Velken? You too."
Mundy tried to withdraw, but the dockengaut retained its grip on her blades, holding her in place.
"Velken?" The horned Void Walker sounded impatient.
"Hmmm," buzzed the dockengaut. "Youzzz zzzay I zzzhould…back offzzz?"
"Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying."
"Butzzz vhy zzzhould I?" The dockengaut rose up, contracting it's body in to give it more height, towering over even Mundy. "Youzzz know, zzzhey zzzay Ezzzerdale'zzz air doezzz zzztrange zzzhings to zzzoul vaporzzz." It leaned in close, several black legs extending out from its "face." "Maybe I take juzzzt a zzzmall tazzzte."
With a flash of green sparks, Mundy banished her blades, freeing herself. She hastily backed up, putting some distance between her and the dockengaut.
"Velken, I'm not going to tell you again," the horned Void Walker said. "Leave them alone."
"But zzzurely one zzzmall tazzzte von't hurt," the dockengaut said as it continued to glide forward. "Nozzzhing zzzhe vill mizzz."
Mundy stumbled back, but then regained her footing. She stood up straight again, though it was clear she was terrified. "Leave," she growled. "Now."
"This is insanity!" Demeter cried. "Take your monster and-"
Before she could finish, something very unexpected happened. A tiny figure suddenly appeared on top of Mundy's head, having scaled her massive body from the back. It looked the dockengaut right in the face, drew its lips back, and bellowed out, "HUNGRY!"
Several things happened at once. Mundy, having somehow been completely unaware of the child that had climbed all the way to her head, jerked in sudden surprise, all four arms shooting up to cover her head. Several of the ex-soldiers also jolted. A few cried out loud, several magical weapons were summoned instinctively, and at least two shots were fired, both of which thankfully only hit dirt. The Void Walker with the minigun suddenly snapped into a firing stance, the barrels of her oversized weapon spinning, while the other brandished her sword. As for the one in the lead, she seemed only mildly taken by surprise, and merely tilted her head and frowned.
The dockengaut, however, didn't so much as flinch. It just moved its attention to the small girl still clinging to Mundy's head. "Hungry?" it purred. "You izzz hungry? Mmmm, I can…relatezzz."
Mundy hastily plucked Hungry from her head and swung her away. "Get back," she growled, shoving her shoulder into the dockengaut's bulk. "Don't touch her!"
The dockengaut barely budged. "And why would I, hmmm?" It extended its "neck" up and around to look at Hungry, who was squirming angrily in Mundy's hands. "On zzzhe contrayzzz, I quite like her! We hazzz a lot in commonzzz, zzz."
"Hungry!" Hungry spat. "Hungry!"
"Me too, zzzmall one. Me too, zzz."
"Okay, enough!" Janelle barked. "Everyone, calm your fucking tits!" She swung a finger at the trio of Void Walkers. "You three! Take your talking roach infestation and get the hell out of our swamp!"
"Well, this is inhospitable," said the lead Void Walker. "Aren't there certain customs regarding the treatment of envoys?"
"Quit the games, love," Janelle snapped. "You're not envoys and you know it. So get the fuck out of our forest, or-"
At that moment Hungry reared finally managed to squirm out of Mundy's hand. She landed on all fours, nimbly dodged the vaskergoros's attempt to catch her again, and scampered away from the group. Once she was a fair distance away, she turned, glowered, and reared her head back to let out a snarling howl.
The dockengaut looked at her in bemusement. "Wazzz that zzzuppozzzed to mean zzzzomezzzhing?"
Janelle opened her mouth to answer, but then the howl was answered from a different area entirely.
Janelle froze. She shot a glance at Demmi, who in turn was staring back at the ring of confused fighters. Following her gaze, Janelle saw Polly there. The broken girl was standing up straight, dark eyes wide and staring in the direction of the second howl, sock-covered arm extended and pointing.
There, crouched on top of a boulder, was a wild girl. She was Indian, with a long, matted mane of dark blue hair and was wearing the remains of a blue dress. Her glowing blue eyes were focused on the four Void Walkers.
The Lead Void Walker tilted her head to one side. "What is that?" she said.
"A local," Janelle said. "And, uh, they really don't like trespassers."
"Is she part of these covens I've heard so much about? Interesting."
"Are zzzhere more?" wondered the dockengaut.
"Thousands," Janelle said.
"Zzzhousands? Ah, I zzzhould hazzz come here yearzzz ago!"
Growling, Mundy shoved her blades right into its "face." "Don't you dare."
Right on cue, two more wild girls appeared on either side of the boulder. Than three more. Two others clambered up over the boulder's side.
"They look…hostile," said the lead Void Walker.
"Very," Demmi said with a thin smile.
"Zzzo?" the dockengaut said with a shrug. "Zzzounds like a good time, zzz."
"Sure, maybe. But while you're busy gorging yourself, what happens to your friends, hmmm?" Janelle said with a shrug of her own. "I mean, I figure you can handle, let's say, fifteen at a time. Meanwhile, they're getting swarmed by dozens, maybe even hundreds of wild girls, all of them still in possession of their weapons and powers. And trust me: I've seen how they operate firsthand."
The wild girls started to prowl forward, their predatory gazes focused on the four Void Walkers. The dockengaut seemed unconcerned, but the lead Void Walker now looked very uneasy. Even her two silent bodyguards seemed on edge. All the while, Janelle kept talking. "They do not hold back. They do not show mercy. They will tear you to pieces with blade, tooth, and nail, and that's if you're lucky. You do not want to know what they do to the ones that they take whole."
More of the wild girls were emerging from the forest, and Janelle did not doubt that even more were on their way. "Fuck this," said one of her fighters before turning and fleeing. Three others joined her. Janelle let them. Their panic made for a great visual demonstration. Plus, she honestly couldn't blame them. After all, who was to say that the covens would stop with the Void Walkers? Part of her wanted to start running as fast as she could too.
"So, what's it going to be?" Janelle said, keeping her eyes on the lead Void Walker. "Want to try your luck?"
The lead Void Walker bit her lower lip. She opened her mouth to say something, but then her twintailed bodyguard laid a gloved hand on her shoulder. The two exchanged a long look, and the pigtailed one slowly shook her head.
"Fine," the lead Void Walker said. "It's not worth it." She pointed her finger at Janelle, Demmi, and Mundy. "But today will have consequences. We will not forget this."
"We probably will," Janelle said. "No offense, but we've got bigger problems then a bunch of bitchy drama students and their pet bug." She flipped up the two-finger salute. "Piss off, Gothy McChavtrousers."
The lead Void Walker narrowed her eyes, but then turned with a huff and stormed back to her ship, the other two following suit.
The dockengaut, however, didn't budge.
"Velken!" the lead Void Walker snapped over her shoulder. "Stop playing gay chicken with that walking carpet! We're leaving."
Velken let out a rustling hiss of disappointment. "I can nezzzer do anyzzzhing," it complained as it sulked back toward the ramp. "Alwayzzz wizzz zzzhe intimidazzzion, nezzzer wizzz zzzhe follow zzzhrough."
The ramp ascended, and the ship lifted off the ground. Its exhaust tore at Janelle's clothes and braided hair, but she stood her ground, watching it as it shot off into the sky.
It wasn't until it was well out of sight that she finally let her shoulders slump. "Whew," she moaned, running the back of her palm over her sweaty forehead. "Jesus, that was-"
"Janelle…" said one of the fighters, her voice strained.
Janelle looked over to see nearly a hundred wild girls crouching nearby, watching them. "Oh," she said. "Uh…"
"Are they going to attack?"
"No," Demmi said. She started walking toward them.
"Demmi, no," Janelle hissed, but she was ignored.
Feeling absolutely helpless, Janelle watched as Demmi slowly approached the wild girl in the lead, the first one that had appeared. For her part, the wild girl remained hunkered down on all fours, watching her.
"They're gone now," Demmi said to her. "Thank you."
The wild girl tilted her head to one side, but otherwise didn't move. Her coven sisters remained in place, watching intently. They seemed to be waiting for something.
"What are they doing?" one of Janelle's fighters whispered to her. Janelle shushed her.
Demmi slowly outstretched her hand. The wild girl eyed it apprehensively. She sniffed Demmi's palm, but when she didn't move to bite it, Janelle laid it on her greasy head.
"That's a good girl," Janelle said, kneeling down and stroking the girl's hair. "Don't worry. We'll find a way to bring you back. You'll see."
The wild girl looked confused by the affectionate gesture, but seemed to like it. Something very much like an actual smile was starting to form, one that was almost human.
Suddenly she reached up with a grimy hand. Demmi froze, but the wild girl merely placed it on the back of Demmi's hand and moved it down, pressing Demmi's palm to her face.
Janelle was honestly stunned. She had spent most of her time in Etherdale helping hunt the wild girls down, and even after being freed she had did her best to avoid them. Though she knew that the broken remains of the person that they had been was somewhere in their feral minds, she had never seen behavior like this.
"That's right," Demmi said. "We're here to help. You know that, don't you?"
The wild girl laughed. It wasn't a chortle, it wasn't a chuff, it wasn't a bestial snicker, it was a girlish giggle. Janelle couldn't believe it. Was she going to speak next?
Instead, the happiness then faded away from the wild girl's face, and the glow of her eyes slowly flared up. She blinked, looked at Demmi in confusion, and then slowly moved backward on all fours. She turned toward her coven sisters, looked around at their intently staring faces, and then crawled off toward them.
Everyone stood in grim silence as the wild girls left, disappearing into the dark of the forest. But just before she vanished as well, the one that Demmi had been trying to reach paused. She looked over her shoulder at Demmi, who was still kneeling with her arm stretched out. Though she was pretty far away, Demmi was pretty sure that she was wearing a look of regret.
Then the wild girl slunk away between the trees and was gone.
"Okay," one of the remaining fighters said, breaking the silence that followed. "What the fuck just happened?"
"How do they know?" wondered another. "How do they always know?"
Janelle let out a long-held breath. "Be glad that they do," she said. "Else we'd all be brainwashed or vaporbags right now." She then turned to the rest and raised her voice. "All right, girls. Good job. Sort of. Show's over though, so get back to work or whatever you were doing. Mundy, you all right?"
The big vaskergoros looked distinctly ill at ease. Which was to be expected, seeing how she had just stared down a dockengaut, but Mundy seemed rather queasy, even for that. "Er, ah, not really," she said.
Janelle frowned. "What is it?"
"Nothing." Mundy started to edge away from the group. She was moving very oddly. "I…I just need-"
Then Janelle caught a faint whiff of something rank, and she noticed a darkening spot on the bottom of Mundy's overalls. "Wait, did you-"
The look Mundy shot her told her in no uncertain terms that if Janelle was to be so foolish as to complete that thought, then Mundy would rip her in half, rank be damned.
"-ah, er, never mind. Go…take care of whatever you need."
Mundy hurried bowlegged away, and Janelle sighed. Jesus Christ, what a messy day.
She then went over to Demmi, who had stood up but was still staring off into the forest. Laying a hand on her shoulder, she said, "Hey. You going to be all right?"
Demmi didn't look at her, but she said, "I almost reached her. She was remembering who she was. I could feel it."
Shaking her head, Janelle took Demmi by the arm and gently, but insistently, led her away. "Come on. Let's get you back to your tent before you pass out."
…
The sleek Void Walker blackblade-class transport sailed away over the mountains that ringed Etherdale. As it did, Dead Master Yomi Takanashi took the time to marvel at the corrupted forest's sheer size. Two spawning sites, and thousands of wild girls. It was frankly astonishing that no serious effort had been put into dealing with the situation until now.
However, it did give her something of an idea. Unlike others, she had at least an inkling of an idea of Oblivion's true purpose, even if she hadn't been trusted with the specifics. Though the Void Walkers were not lacking for bodies falling over themselves to offer their souls to Oblivion, perhaps areas such as Etherdale could provide something of a harvestable resource.
It was something to suggest to Lord Reibey at least. In the meantime, they still had their mission. Setting the blackblade to autopilot, Yomi stood and headed toward the back, where her companions were gathered.
Saya was sitting primly nearby with her legs crossed, idly waiting for the fun to begin. Velken hovered in the back of the preybird, openly sulking that she didn't get to actually eat anyone. As for Mato, she was standing with her hand on a lever, waiting for the word.
In the center of the preybird's cargo hold was a metal apparatus of steel and plastic, the centerpiece of which was a glass sphere. Eight needles were stuck into the sphere, four around the top hemisphere and four around the bottom, with wires trailing out their backs up and down into the apparatus's body.
And each of those needles were pressing against the body of an entrapped calliope. It had been glowing dull green, but as Yomi approached it suddenly flared up in alarm, illuminating the whole of the ship.
That woman Demeter was not the only magical girl to have empathetic abilities. Poor Jingleball's were even more sensitive, which made her very useful to take along on fact-finding missions. Too bad for her.
Ignoring the others, Yomi knelt in front of the glass sphere. "Hello, Jinglebell. Shall we begin?"
Several greenish-yellow patches broke out over the calliope's surface, indicating extreme stress and agitation. "S-sure," it said. "I'll tell you whatever-"
Mato pulled the lever down to the first setting. With a harsh whirring noise like a dentist's drill, the needles started to extended, puncturing the calliope's body.
The small space filled with a harsh, crystalline scream. Yomi let it continue for five seconds before raising her hand. Mato pushed the lever back up, and the needles retracted.
As the light of the calliope pulsed in agony, Yomi calmly said, "According to the locals, the entities known as Annabelle Lee, Nikki Muffet, Artz Kochen, and Nie Blühen Herze blundered their way into Etherdale, where they were taken in by the two sides of a turf war. Were they telling the truth?"
"Y-Yes," Jinglebell moaned. Then it screamed again as Mato pulled the lever down two settings before releasing her.
"We were told that it was through the direct efforts of the now-exiled Void Walkers that led to the downfall of the human witch known as Lily the Siren, currently incarcerated at La Quinn Penitentiary, thereby kickstarting the Marsters crisis. Is this true?"
"Yes!" Jinglebell practically screamed, desperate to beat Mato's ministrations. "Lily the Siren was assaulted by Annabelle Lee during the battle and killed by Arzt Kochen! Please don't hurt me!"
Mato's hand tightened on the lever, but Yomi held up her palm. "Where are they now?" she said, staring into Jinglebell's quivering form.
"I…I don't know."
"What?"
"I don't know! They were all sent off to Marsters, and that's it! They don't know-"
Yomi sighed.
"-no! Please don't, I don't know anything else, please-AAAAAHHHHH!"
This time Mato brought it down to setting three, and Yomi waited ten whole seconds before signaling for her to stop.
"You were surrounded by hundreds of minds," she said as Jinglebell moaned. "Their leaders were well within your area of reach. And you couldn't you mean to tell me that not a single one knows where they went?"
"They don't," Jinglebell wept. "They don't, they don't, they don't. Those people are crazy! Their thoughts and feeling are all jumbled and all over the place! They just sent them off to Marsters and that's it!"
"Zzzhizzz izzz pointlezzz," Velken hissed. "Juzzzt give itzzz to me. I'll learnzzz vhatzzz ve to know."
"No!" Jinglebell shrieked. "I told you everything they know! I can't give you something I don't have!"
Sighing again, Yomi glanced over to Mato. "Setting two," she said. "Three seconds."
"What? But I-AAAAAAHHHHH!"
"That was for the backsass," Yomi said to the impudent orb when Mato was done.
Saya yawned loudly. "Well, this was a waste of time," she said. "Didn't learn anything we didn't know already."
"Didn't even getzzz to havvve a zzznack," Velken whined. "Zzzo many tazzzty treatzzz, and I don't get any!"
"Eliminating a dead end isn't a waste of time," Yomi said, ignoring Velken's bitching. "At the very least,
Tapping the communication array, Yomi sent in a call to the nearest Withering Lands facility. "This is Dead Master Yomi Takanashi. We're all done here and are heading back, over."
"Copy that, Dead Master. Hope the trip was worth it, over."
"Only marginally. At the very least, we can close the book on that forest, over."
The blackblade flew on.
…
"Thousands," the Madam repeated.
"Yezzz, zzzhat'z what zzzhey zzzaid," Velken buzzed. Most people only saw dockengauts as being useful for intimidation or extermination, but they made for magnificent spies as well. One could conceal a small transmitter in their body and speak directly into it with only a few spiders while those standing around were none the wiser."Thousandzzz of bodiezzz, thousandzzz of brokenzzz mindzzz, and no onezzz protezzzing it anymore."
"Fascinating," the Madam said. "Well, excellent work, Velken. I'll expect a full report once you've returned to the Withering Lands."
The call with Velken ended, and the Madam leaned back into her chair and thoughtfully tapped a finger against her chin as she stared off into the distance.
Thousands of wild girls, hundreds of covens. She had known that Etherdale had containing a fair number of them, and her own prescient abilities had told her to keep an eye on the area, but she had never known that it was anywhere near that large. Lily had been wise to keep that information from her.
But Lily was gone. The Persephone Protectorate was gone. Achelonia was still in chaos, and that chaos was spreading to its neighbors. Until some semblance of order was reestablished, that left Etherdale on its own.
Interesting.
She tapped a few buttons on her desk, and the image of overdom Veren appeared. She nodded once and said, "Madam?"
"I just heard back from Velken," the Madam told her. "The situation at Etherdale is more dire than anticipated. Operation Charity Drive is a go."
"Of course, Madam." The big vaskergoros's tone and body language was nothing but polite and respectful, but even so, the Madam detected a hint of dissent.
"You disapprove, overdom?" she said.
Veren's ear twitched. "It seems…like an odd way to go about things. Based on the initial reports, Etherdale remains nearly defenseless, both the Wayhouse and the remains of the Persephone Protectorate in shambles. It would be a simple matter to move in and take it all for ourselves, and yet you wish for us to…help them? To set up an entire dummy corporation just to offer aid and supplies and to help them build and infrastructure…I'm not sure I see the benefit here."
"I have my reasons, overdom," the Madam said. "You're looking at the short-term gain. I have something bigger in mind than simply taking Lily's corner of the drug market."
"Ah. Well, I will see to it that our agents get in contact with Demeter Orozco by the end of the week."
"I'm sure she'll be grateful. See to it then."
Veren's image winked out.
Now alone, the Madam stood up and arched her back, stretching out the knots that had been building from sitting all day. Though she seldom allowed herself to celebrate victories, she did feel a small measure of warm satisfaction in her belly.
So, Etherdale was hers, and in time control in Achelonia would be reestablished. Another piece of the puzzle was falling into place. Only a few remained.
And as for the ones that had gone rogue, those renegade Void Walkers and their prey, well, they would turn up sooner or later. Though they had no way of knowing it, they were in many ways the most detail of the Madam's grand design, and she never would have known it had Reibey not acted so brashly.
Try as she might, she could not stop the small smile from forming. Maybe she would let him know, right before she tore his head off.
…
Right.
I'm back.
And I'm sure you all want an explanation.
Well, it goes something like this: about three or so years ago, I put all my fanfics on hold so I could have time to write my book. In this, I was successful. The book is pretty much done, and I'm currently shopping around for an agent. But as I'm told that this process can take years, I'm not exactly tearing my hair out over it.
The other thing I said I was going to do was to get caught up on other projects. I was going to complete my tumblr-exclusive Resonance Days spin-off Walpurgis Nights, I was going to churn out both a Kingdom Hearts and a Bastion fic, and I was going to write another book, this one a vampire/pirate/dinosaur sort of deal.
In this, I was…less than successful, and for a number of reasons.
I did manage to finish Walpurgis Nights, or at least enough that I'm satisfied with what I have while still leaving the door open for more material, and I've decided to start cross-posting it over here. However, it turned out to be much, much larger and take much, much longer than I expected, so the other fanfics had to be shelved.
As for the other book, well, I got partway into that…and then someone broke into my apartment and stole all my stuff, including my two computers, which contained pretty much all my work.
Fortunately, I was able to get my first book back from my friends and family members that I had sent it to for beta-reading, and I can just get my fics back from the internet, though the original master files are gone. But the rough draft I was working on and pretty much all my older stories from before IM are all gone.
So yeah. That happened.
I did restart it, but it's going to be a while before that is done, and in the meantime I decided that enough time had passed, so it was time to get Imperfect Metamorphosis and Resonance Days moving again. And I decided to kick things off today, because today just so happens to be the ten year anniversary of Imperfect Metamorphosis's first chapter and the eight year anniversary of Resonance Days' first chapter.
Fuck, ten years. A whole decade. Where does the time go?
Anyway, here's what's going to happen.
Now, I've prepared a decent amount of material for both. I also have the whole of Walpurgis Nights to transfer over, which I will do piece-by-piece. And I also have an Imperfect Metamorphosis prequel to throw into the mix as well.
So starting next month, every Sunday I'm going to post…something. Maybe it'll be Imperfect Metamorphosis. Maybe it'll be Resonance Days. Maybe it'll be Walpurgis Nights. Maybe it'll be the IM prequel. But every Sunday a new chapter of something is going up, and this will continue…until I run out of prewritten material, after which updates will resume their usual sporadic schedule.
So yeah. I'm back. And it feels good.
And that means I can say something that I've oh so sorely missed saying.
Until next time, everyone!